Let’s take a look at some of the injuries of note…

QB
Tony Romo (clavicle) – out 6 to 8 weeks
Brett Favre (ankle) – expected to start, but not 100 percent
Carson Palmer (hip) – will start despite missing practice
Donovan McNabb (hamstring) – start with confidence
Vince Young (knee) – returning to action this week
David Garrard (concussion) - set to start
Alex Smith (shoulder) – will not play

RB
Steven Jackson (finger) – will play through injury
Pierre Thomas (ankle) – officially ruled out again
DeAngelo Williams (foot) – not expected to play
Joseph Addai (shoulder) – will not play on Monday Night
Jahvid Best (toe) – finally appears to be 100 percent
Reggie Bush (leg) – getting closer, but will not play in Week 8
Donald Brown (hamstring) – expected to start vs. HOU
Fred Taylor (toe) – will miss action again this week

WR
Andre Johnson (ankle) – getting closer to 100 percent; must start
Austin Collie (hand) – is listed at out for Week 8
Dez Bryant (ankle) – doesn’t appear to be factor
Deion Branch (hamstring) – will be a game-time decision
Louis Murphy (chest) – out with bruised lung
Steve Breaston (knee) – returning to action this week
Eddie Royal (groin) – a full go for Week 8
Malcom Floyd (hamstring) – out of action again
Danario Alexander (knee) – out with after another knee surgery
Justin Gage (hamstring) – still a shaky option for playing time

TE
Antonio Gates (toe) – not 100 percent, but will play
Vernon Davis (ankle) – listed as questionable, but expected to start
Zach Miller (foot) – should be fine, but not much info to go on
Owen Daniels (knee) – will be active, but his role remains unclear

Fantasy Football, NFL gametime decisions, football injuries, nfl injury report, week 8, fantasy advice

Winning NFL picks, odds and power rankings all from our friends at Doc's Sports Service.

Winning 8 out 14 games in Week 7 wasn't so bad considering how tough things broke around the NFL. Hopefully you went with my Out on a Limb pick (the Chiefs) rather than my main Survivor pick (the Saints) though as the Super Bowl champs continue to look more like chumps. I went 3-2 ATS, but lost the Steelers straigh up and watched as the Ravens spoiled my parlay. This week's slate offers much more appealing matchups...Here are my picks for Week 8:

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Did you miss my fantasy segment with Mo Egger on Thursday on ESPN 1530? Here are my notes...

MANAGING YOUR ROSTER
--Cutting Bait: When is too long to wait on a player to take off or comeback from an injury? With many injuries piling up and with bye weeks still ahead it is getting tougher and tougher for many owners to stash early-season grabs like C.J. Spiller or wait around for playoff run of Austin Collie (one of my roster faces those exact choices).  In leagues with 16 man rosters or less the challenge becomes even greater.

While I am all about having an ace in the hole, owners must prioritize and make decisions that are going to help this week or next rather than a month from now. You just never know what is going to change.

SETTING YOUR LINEUP
 (Who to put in and who to keep out of line-up)

START ‘EM
RB Marshawn Lynch (at OAK) – Look for Lynch’s best day as a Seahawk as he goes against a Raiders’ defense that is giving up over five yards per carry and 138.9 rushing yards a contest. Expect him to become the fourth 100-yard rusher of the season against Oakland. Start him with confidence.

WR Santana Moss (vs. DET) – Moss has not been a sexy play this year scoring only two touchdowns all season, but he has been consistent. The veteran wideout has tallied at least 63 yards in each game this season. Expect him to grab his third touchdown and third 100-yard effort of the season against a weak Lions’ secondary.

SIT’ EM
QB Mark Sanchez (vs. GB) – It’s quite an impressive sophomore campaign for Sanchez, but this week’s matchup versus a Packers’ secondary that had yielded only 8 TD passes while picking off 10 passes and 22 sacks is not a good one. Keep him on the bench for now.

WR Mike Sims-Walker (vs. DAL) – Despite scoring in two of the last three weeks and facing a struggling Cowboys’ secondary this week, Sims-Walker is just too inconsistent to count on. He’s only eclipsed four catches and 46 yards once this season and that way back in a blowup game in Week 2.

FANTASY INFIRMARY
(A few key injuries for owners to keep their eyes on)
QB Brett Favre (ankle) – Unless you’ve been living under a rock you’ve heard about the Vikings’ quarterback in a boot this week and in jeopardy of seeing his consecutive games streak end. He did shed the boot on Thursday, but not the limp even if he plays, Favre should not be considered a QB1 option in Week 8.

QB Tony Romo (clavicle) – The Cowboys’ quarterback is out 6-8 weeks after suffering a broken clavicle in Monday’s loss. But with Dallas sitting at 1-5 and going nowhere quick owners shouldn’t hold their breath awaiting Romo’s return. In his absence, expect the Cowboys to finally start running the football which could be good for Felix Jones, Marion Barber and even Tashard Choice. Look for both Miles Austin and Jason Witten to see a slight dip in production.

RB DeAngelo Williams (foot sprain) – The bad fantasy season for the Panthers’ running back continues as he is now listed as questionable for Sunday after missing practice again on Thursday. Williams has only had one game which he broke 70 yards rushing and just one score all year. Even if healthy, look elsewhere.

RB Joseph Addai (shoulder) – It remains to be seen if Addai is going to play or not in Week 8 as the Colts are calling him day-to-day with a shoulder injury. That spells trouble for fantasy owners who likely cannot wait until Monday night to make a lineup decision.

Other injuries of note: Vince Young (knee, ankle); Knowshon Moreno (hamstring), Antonio Gates (toe), Vernon Davis (ankle) all appear set to play in Week 8.

BYE WEEK FILLERS – ATL, BAL, CHI, CLE, NYG, and PHI
(Players that could prove worthy in a pinch that are available in most leagues)

QB Ryan Fitzpatrick (@KC) – passed for 969 yards and 11 TD passes over last 4 starts

RB LeGarrette Blount (@ARZ) – expect him to build on last week’s 72 yards on 11 carries

WR Nate Burleson (@ WAS) – scored in back-to-back games and gets Matthew Stafford back this week

TE Owen Daniels (@IND) – he’s finally near 100 percent after bye week and ready to put up some numbers

LISTEN ON-DEMAND

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Check our weekly football podcast/live chat on-demand for Week 8 advice...

CHAT REWIND

Listen On-Demand
--Office Pool/Survivor Picks
--Bengals Recap/Preview
--Fantasy Line-Up Advice
--Fantasy Sleepers
--NFL Injury Updates

Listen LIVE or on-demand...

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The following rankings are based off yardage+TD formats...

*Last updated on Oct 28

+ = player listed as questionable or worse

 COMPLETE RANKINGS

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There are seven weeks down in the NFL season. It’s time to start looking at which teams are the biggest disappointments:

Dallas Cowboys (1-5) – The Super Bowl will be in Dallas this year, but the Cowboys won’t be in it. The team has looked terrible and struggled to find an identity. Now with Tony Romo (broken clavicle) out 6-8 weeks you can officially stick a fork in the Cowboys.

San Francisco 49ers (1-6) – Every expert on the web picked the 49ers to be to lock pick to win the lowly NFC West. San Fran has not delivered. They’ve already fired their offense coordinator and head coach Mike Singletary may be the next to go.

San Diego Chargers (2-5) – It appears as if getting rid of LaDainian Tomlinson was not a wise move. L.T. is lighting it up for the Jets and the Chargers are struggling to move the ball on the ground. The team may be getting top receiver Vincent Jackson back, but it is going to be too little, too late for the ‘Bolts.

Cincinnati Bengals (2-4) – In 2009, the Bengals ran the table inside the division and won the AFC North. However, the team has dropped eight of 11 games dating back to last season and is train wreck waiting to happen. Carson Palmer looks like a shell of his former self and the defense has managed just six sacks in six games.

Minnesota Vikings (2-4) – Brett Favre’s return to the Twin Cities has not been the honeymoon many were expecting. The veteran’s interception rate is double of last season and now he appears to be hobbled. Getting Randy Moss was a nice gesture, but time is running out for Minnesota to get back into the NFC playoff picture.

New Orleans Saints (4-3) – New Orleans is the only team with a winning record on the list. Still, the Super Bowl champs have looked far from super in 2010. The defense is not coming up with the big plays it did a year ago and Drew Brees has struggled with consistency due to injuries in the backfield and a bum knee.

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Few would’ve guessed that this year’s World Series would have featured the San Francisco Giants and Texas Rangers, but those are the two teams set to face off in a best-of-seven game series set to kick off tonight at AT&T Park. While executives at FOX network may have been hoping for a different match-up, baseball fans will be treated to a great series.

The Rangers had never even won a post-season series before this season, much a world title. The Giants have claimed a championship since 1954 and never while playing in San Francisco.

San Francisco has the pitching and home-field advantage (NL won All-Star game finally), but the Rangers have a much-more potent lineup and the super star power.

The headlines will be endless. From Cliff Lee vs. Tim Lincecum squaring off to Josh Hamilton and Ron Washington overcoming their drug problems, there will be plenty to talk about.

Here’s the schedule:

Game 1: Wed, Oct 27 - Texas (C Lee) at San Francisco (T Lincecum) - 7:57 p.m.
Game 2: Thu, Oct 28 - Texas (C Wilson) at San Francisco (M Cain) - 7:57 p.m.
Game 3: Sat, Oct 30 - San Francisco (J Sanchez) at Texas (C Lewis) - 6:57 p.m.
Game 4: Sun, Oct 31 - San Francisco (M Bumgarner) at Texas (T Hunter) - 8:20 p.m.
*Game 5: Mon, Nov 1 - San Francisco (T Lincecum) at Texas (C Lee) - 7:57 p.m.
*Game 6: Wed, Nov 3 - Texas (C Wilson) at San Francisco (M Cain) - 7:57 p.m.
*Game 7: Thu, Nov 4 - Texas (C Lewis) at San Francisco (J Sanchez) - 7:57 p.m.

FINAL TAKE: This series is going to be a dandy. Not only will we get to see a new team win a championship, but we will get treated to some great baseball. The Giants won in the NLCS despite playing bad defense. While that worries me, good pitching and playing four games at stadium in front of those fans is enough for me to give the Giants a slight edge. GIANTS WIN IN SEVEN

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It’s Tuesday and that means it is time to hit the waiver wire…

PICKUP OK WEEK
LeGarrette Blount (TB) – The Bucs are getting very little out of Cadillac Williams and appear set to turn over the bulk of the workload to the bruising back. At the very least expect 10-15 touches per game, including the work at the goal line. Pick him up now and hope that he takes off.

QB
Ryan Fitzpatrick (BUF) –Has been as good as any QB in fantasy over last few weeks
Matthew Stafford (DET) – Ready to return to action after long layoff
Jon Kitna (DAL) – Too many weapons not to have some fantasy value

RB
Jonathan Stewart (CAR) – Many desperate owners have parted ways with Stewart
Donald Brown (IND) – Could see a huge increase in value if Addia is out for a lengthy period
Derrick Ward (HOU) – Has been a pleasant surprise and offers nice depth

WR
Steve Johnson (BUF) – Leads team in receptions, receiving yards, and TD’s
Patrick Crayton (SD) – Did decent in fill-in last week; short-term fix
James Jones (GB) – Someone has to step up for Finley’s absence. He’s my pick.

TE
Todd Heap (BAL) – Keeps fighting off injuries and remaining productive
Donald Lee (GB) – A nice flyer for owners hurting for options

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The graph below indicates the fantasy points allowed by each team by position, ranked from 1 through 32. The higher the number means the better the match-up...

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Here's a look at the leader in targets from Week 7...

Mike Williams (SEA) - 16 targets (11 rec)
Chad Ochocinco (TB) - 16 targets (10 rec)
Marques Colston (NO) - 15 targets (10 rec)
Hakeem Nicks (NYG) - 14 targets (9 rec)
Jeremy Maclin (PHI) - 14 targets (5 rec)
Terrell Owens (CIN) - 13 targets (9 rec)
Jason Witten (DAL) - 13 targets (9 rec)
Anquan Boldin (BAL) - 13 targets (6 rec)
Roddy White (ATL) - 13 targets (11 rec)
Roscoe Parrish (BUF) - 12 targets (8 rec)
Johnny Knox (CHI) - 12 targets (6 rec)
Patick Crayton (SD) - 12 targets (7 rec)
Steve Smith (NYG) - 11 targets (9 rec)
Mike Williams (TB) - 11 targets (5 rec)

COMPLETE UTILIZATION STATISTICS (KFFL.com)

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