Catch me every Thursday at 4:30 p.m. on 1530 Homer (1530AM) w/Mo Egger:

MANAGING THE SITUATION
(Weekly tip to manage your fantasy team)

GO WITH THE GUNS: You drafted players that high for a reason! It’s pretty hard to prognosticate what is going to happen in Week One of the NFL season. Don’t over think it! There’s no reason to bench guys that you drafted with your first few picks before they’ve even played a snap as a member of your fantasy team.

LINE-UP LOCKS
(Who to put in and who to keep out of line-up…not meant to be Tom Brady and Adrian Peterson types)

LOCK ‘EM IN
RB Fred Jackson (at NE) – With Marshawn Lynch serving the first of his three-game suspension expect Fred Jackson to take full advantage of his opportunity. He finished the 2008 season with 136 yards against the Patriots, who have had a high amount of turnover heading into ’09. I am not expecting him to run for as many yards this time around, but 90 yards and a score seem likely.

WR Anthony Gonzalez (vs JCK) – Look for Peyton Manning to establish Gonzalez early and often against a Jaguars’ defense that is a shell of its former self.

LOCK ‘EM OUT
QB Jay Cutler (at GB) – The jury is still out on Cutler and what his fantasy impact will be in the Windy City, but his Week One match-up vs. the Packers on Sunday Night Football at Lambeau Field is one that doesn’t sound appealing. He’s a borderline starting option at best.

TE Vishante Shiancoe (at CLE) – The Browns only allowed 3.5 receptions to tight ends a year ago and tied with three other teams for the fewest touchdowns allowed to the position. I thought Shiancoe was a bit overhyped leading into the season and I am not crazy about his outlook this week.

FANTASY INFIRMARY
(A few key injuries for owners to keep their eyes on)

WR Anquan Boldin (hamstring) – been limited this week, but expecting to play. He’s worth keeping an eye on.

RB Pierre Thomas (knee) – was not able to participate in a full practice on Thursday and it is looking more and more likely he won’t play on Sunday. Reggie Bush will see a heavy load with Mike Bell getting into the mix if he’s out.

QB Matt Cassel (knee) – appears he will try to play despite not being 100 percent. With a trip to Baltimore ahead stay away from the Chiefs’ fantasy options altogether if possible.

WIRE WATCH
(Next week’s hot free agent pick-ups today)

QB Shaun Hill (SF) – scored two or more touchdowns in six of the nine games he played in last season.

RB Justin Forsett (SEA) – will get more looks than people realize in the Seahawk’s running back-by-committee.

TE Anthony Fasano (MIA) – With David Martin out for the season, Fasano will emerge as a legitimate fantasy starting tight end.

LISTEN TO WEEK 1 SEGMENT ON-DEMAND

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This is the point of the draft where every player has baggage, but also where gems can be found:

RECAPS: Round One | Round Two | Round Three | Round Four | Round Five

ROUND SIX 61. BROERING - TE K. Winslow (TB) 62. SIMON - QB M. Ryan (ATL) 63. DINSMORE - WR A. Bryant (TB) 64. BRYANT - RB C. Wells (ARI) 65. WETZEL - WR E. Royal (DEN) 66. SCHMITT - RB W. Parker (PIT) 67. SIMS - WR B. Edwards (CLE) 68. MURDICO - QB M. Schaub (HOU) 69. ANSELMO - WR A. Gonzalez (IND) 70. CLASGENS - RB K. Moreno (DEN) 71. FISCHER - TE O. Daniels (HOU) 72. HUMBERT - RB D. Ward (TB)

ROUND SEVEN 73. HUMBERT - WR L. Evans (BUF) 74. FISCHER - RB F. Jones (DAL) 75. CLASGENS - WR D. Driver (GB) 76. ANSELMO - WR L. Moore (NO) 77. MURDICO - WR S. Holmes (PIT) 78. SIMS - QB J. Cutler (CHI) 79. SCHMITT - WR L. Coles (CIN) 80. WETZEL - WR H. Ward (PIT) 81. BRYANT - TE C. Cooley (WAS) 82. DINSMORE - TE G. Olsen (CHI) 83. SIMON - WR S. Moss (WAS) 84. BROERING - RB J. Lewis (CLE)

MY PICKS: I added a third running back and a third receiver in Rounds Six and Seven by nabbing Knowshon Moreno and Donald Driver. One of these two guys will be my starting flex option. Moreno has competition in Denver, but I think he's going to have the most immediate impact of the rookie runners. I love him as a RB3, but he may not get going quickly enough to be a lock as a RB2. Driver is not flashy, but he is consistent. With Aaron Rodgers being so highly regarded you have to figure Drive is safe pick here and will provide nice depth.

BEST VALUE PICKS: Matt Ryan (nice pick this late); Anthony Gonzalez (ready to step up w/Harrison gone); Felix Jones (will see increased role in Dallas); Greg Olsen (on the rise).

MOST LIKELY TO DISAPPOINT: Antonio Bryant (QB questions); Willie Parker (declining role); Santana Moss (too inconsistent); Jamal Lewis (tank is empty).

FINAL TAKE: These rounds are the most fun to me. You are still drafting guys that will start regularly in many cases so the margin for error is slim. Typically, I go for younger players with more upside at this point. However, I had to settle for a veteran in Driver after some of the young receivers I was targetting fell off the board.

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Fantasy Sports Girl Candace has the Indianapolis Colts camp preview...

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Here are some injuries that fantasy owners will want to keep their eyes on for Week 14:

QUARTERBACKS
Ben Roethlisberger (knee) - no limitations in practice on FRI
Matt Schaub (knee) - probable and expected to start at GB
Matt Hasselbeck (back) - doubtufl; Seneca Wallace likely to start

RUNNING BACKS
Marion Barber (toe) - missed third straight practice; not looking good
Joseph Addai (knee) - added to report on FRI; a game-time decision
Clinton Portis (knee/back) - game-time decision; doesn't play until 8:15
Steven Jackson (quadriceps) - probable; could see increased work
Brian Westbrook (knee, ankle) - expected to start vs. NYG
Marshawn Lynch (back) - ready to face MIA; listed as probable
Ryan Grant (thumb) - should see "normal workload" according to coach
Willis McGahee (illness) - returned to practice FRI
Kevin Smith (shoulder) - limited in practice, but probable vs. MIN
Deuce McAllister (suspension) - will be active, but behind P. Thomas

WIDE RECEIVERS
Anquan Boldin (back) - set to start on SUN vs. STL
Laveranues Coles (thigh) - questionable, yet he should go vs. SF
Derrick Mason (shoulder) - practiced w/out limitations on FRI
Anthony Gonzalez (shoulder) - late addition to injury report
Mark Bradley (calf) - has been ruled out for Week 14
Koren Robinson (knee) - will start vs. NE, but not a great play

TIGHT ENDS
Kellen Winslow (ankle) - ruled out w/high-ankle sprain

DEFENSIVE LINE
Kevin Williams (suspension) - expected to play on SUN vs. DET
Pat Williams (suspension) - expected to play on SUN vs. DET
Gaines Adams (knee) - questionable for MON night vs. CAR
Adewale Ogunleye (shoulder) - status unclear for Week 14
Fred Robbins (shoulder) - Counting on him to return vs. PHI

LINEBACKERS
London Fletcher (foot) - did not practice FRI; questionable
D.J. Williams (groin) - not expected to play vs. KC
Gary Bracket (fibula) - out for Week 14 vs. CIN

DEFENSIVE BACKS
Bob Sanders (knee) - returned to full practice FRI; questionable
Champ Bailey (groin) - not expected to play vs. KC
Cortland Finnegan (hamstring)- expected to play vs. CLE
Nate Clements (thumb) - questionable following minor surgery
Nick Harper (ankle) - returned to limit practice on FRI; should play

LATEST PLAYER NEWS (KFFL.com)

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Green Light, Yellow Light, Red Light – STOP!!! There are some appealing names each week on the waiver wire, I supply my weekly take on whether these players should be considered or not.

QUARTERBACK
Sage Rosenfels (HOU) - For the second time in his two years in Houston, Matt Schaub has suffered a serious injury. He's out for a month and that means that Sage Rosenfels gets the call once again. He proved worthy last year when called upon and could prove to be a nice short-term fix for owners hurting for quarterback help. The schedule isn't a walk in the park, but it shouldn't scare you away either. My best bet of the new starting QB's.

Brady Quinn (CLE) – The Browns finally pulled the plug on Derek Anderson, thus beginning the Brady Quinn Era in Cleveland. I am a bit torn on his outlook. For starters, despite the Week 10 match-up it's hard to ignore the fact the young QB is only going to have a few days to prepare for his first start. Plus, I am not sold on the fact that Anderson was the problem. Long-term he's a nice pick-up, but don't bank on starting him weekly just yet.

Tyler Thigpen (KC) – There's no doubting that Thigpen has breathed some much-needed life into the Kansas City passing game and counting his ReTD last week he has two touchdowns in each of the last two games. A favorable schedule down the stretch may be tempting, but if you are counting on him your team is in trouble. It's going to take a couple more solid games before I can recommend him.

Rex Grossman (CHI) – Just when I starting to become a believer in the Bears' offense, Kyle Orton gets hurt. Now there are conflicting reports to the extent of his injury and he may not even miss that much time.  Best case for Grossman is he gets four starts and they include games against the Titans, Packers, and Vikings and three of those four starts would come on the road. I am going to pass on the Bears' backup.

RUNNING BACKS
Ray Rice (BAL) – Many blog readers blasted me when I listed Ray Rice as a top 10 rookie about a month ago, but on Sunday he showed glimpses of why I think so highly of him. Rice had 154 rush yards on 21 carries with 22 receiving yards in Sunday's win over Cleveland, even though Willis McGahee was active. It's unclear how things are going to shape up in the Ravens' backfield, but Rice's talent is clear enough to add him if possible.

Jamal Charles (KC) – Larry Johnson is out for Week 10 and is a huge question mark down the stretch. Kolby Smith was placed on I.R. after injurying his knee in Week 9. Charles broke the 100-yard mark in his absence against a tough Bucs' D. Still, I am not sold on the Chiefs' offensive production being for real just yet. It helps they play in the AFC West though and if LJ sits out long-term, Charles could be worthy.

Petyon Hillis (DEN) – The Broncos' backfield is a mess to say the least. The team placed Michael Pittman and Andre Hall on I.R. on Monday and now will turn to Ryan Torain as their primary option. In addition, Selvin Young is still in the mix. Just because Hillis had 7 receptions for 116 yards last week against the Dolphins, don't bank on him becoming a consistent fantasy producer anytime soon.

WIDE RECEIVERS
Anthony Gonzalez (IND) – Many fantasy owners got frustrated wiith the Colts' wideout and some of them even dropped them. If that's the case in your league don't hesistate to go out to the waiver wire and scoop him up. Hs two scores in Week 9 were a reminder of what he is capable of and I am projecting the now-healthy Colts' offense to find itself down the stretch. He's not a weekly starter, but a great reserve to have in a pinch.

Michael Jenkins (ATL) – Jenkins found the end zone twice in Week 9, but he hadn't scored prior to that since Week 1. The Falcons' passing game is respectable, but Roddy White is by far the No. 1 option there. Jenkins, a former first round pick, has been disappointing throughout his career. You should still keep your eyes on him though and see if he continues to make strides in living up to his potential.

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Here a quick salute to some of the top performances on Sunday.

Darren McFadden, RB, Oakland - 21 carries, 164 yards, 1 TD
An injury to Justin Fargas gave the rookie a chance to shine and he did just that. Regardless of the status of Fargas, McFadden may be here to stay. Of course, the Chiefs couldn't stop anyone from running today. Fargas had 43 yards before leaving the game and Michael Bush had 90 and a touchdown.

Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay - 24/38, 328 yards, 3 TD, 0 Int
Brett who? Well, Rodgers may still have a way to go before we start asking that, but he's off to a great start. His touchdown passes went to three different receivers. Greg Jennings did not score but had the most receiving yards with 167 on six catches.

Jason Campbell, QB, Washington - 24/36, 321 yards, 1 TD
The Redskins put up some massive offensive numbers against the Saints. Campbell hooked up with Santana Moss seven times for 164 yards and that one score. The running game was moving too as Clinton Portis rushed for 96 and scored twice.

Anthony Gonzalez, WR, Indianapolis - 9 catches, 137 yards
With Dallas Clark on the sideline, Gonzalez entered the game as Peyton Manning's number three guy. He finished it as the number one. Reggie Wayne had a good game as well with 93 yards and a touchdown. Manning finished with 311 passing yards in the victory.

Jonathan Stewart, RB, Carolina - 14 carries, 77 yards, 2 TD
The duel of the running backs for the Panthers was won by the rookie Stewart against the Bears. DeAngelo Williams had just 31 yards on 11 carries.

Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota - 29 carries, 160 yards, 4 catches, 20 yards
Imagine what this guy could do if the Vikings had any semblance of a passing game? Tavaris Jackson threw for only 130 yards and the Vikes failed to score a touchdown in their loss to the Colts.

Julius Jones, RB, Seattle - 26 carries, 127 yards, 1 TD, 3 catches, 14 yards
The new Seahawk earned his keep against the 49ers on Sunday. With Maurice Morris out, Jones took over the running game with a solid performance. But his performance still was not enough to help out the depleted Seattle passing game as the Hawks lost to the Niners in overtime.

Anquan Boldin, WR, Arizona - 6 catches, 140 yards, 3 TD
Believe it or not, Boldin was not the Cardinals top receiver on Sunday - Larry Fitzgerald had the same amount of catches for 153 yards. But the three touchdowns more than make up the difference. Their quarterback, Kurt Warner, had a good time too with 361 yards.

Matt Cassel, QB, New England - 16/23, 165 yards, 0 TD, 0 Int
Okay, so maybe those numbers aren't great. They are pretty good for a guy who has not started a game since he was a teenager. Wes Welker quickly became Cassel's favorite target with seven catches for 72 yards. There was also more running than usual for the Patriots as six different players had official carries for a total of 104 yards. And Cassel also did one thing that Brady often did - he won the game.

Brandon Marshall, WR, Denver - 18 catches, 166 yards, 1 TD
After serving a one week suspension, Marshall returned to the field in a major way. His 18 catches is tied for the second most in a single NFL game. His yardage total was just shy of half of his quarterbacks total. Jay Cutler finished with 350 yards and four touchdowns.

Darren Sproles, RB, San Diego - 7 carries, 53 yards, 2 catches, 72 yards, 1 TD, 1 kick return TD
With LT battling a bad toe, Sproles stepped up big time against the Broncos. The Chargers may no longer be worried about losing Michael Turner in the off-season. But at 0-2 they have bigger concerns.

The Game Used Sock Award
Larry Johnson, RB, Kansas City - 12 carries, 22 yards
Everyone knows that the Chiefs are not good. But Johnson has always been a stud against the Raiders. And in the home-opener he should have had a career day. He didn't. He barely even had a day worth talking about. Yes, his team has a quarterback issue. Yes, he is coming off of a injury season. Yes, oh, never mind. He stinks like a dirty sock. And anyone who has him on their fantasy team stinks too. Myself included.

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The final rounds of the Mock Draft don't offer much excitement to casual fans, but the experienced ones are going to take notes of developing trends:

RECAP: ROUND 1 | ROUND 2 | ROUND 3 | ROUND 4 | ROUND 5 | ROUND 6 | ROUND 7 | ROUND 8 | ROUNDS 9-10 

ROUND 11 101. PREUTH - Amani Toomer - WR 102. CLASGENS - Jeremy Shockey - TE 103. HUMBERT - Derrick Mason - WR 104. BOLTON - Anthony Gonzalez -  WR 105. DINSMORE - Patrick Crayton - WR 106. MURDICO - Donte' Stallworth 107. SIMS - Heath Miller - TE 108. SIMON - Todd Heap - TE 109. WETZEL - Felix Jones - RB 110. FISCHER - Bobby Engram - WR

ROUND 12 111. FISCHER - David Garrard - QB 112. WETZEL - Ricky Williams - RB 113. SIMON - Seattle - DEF 114. SIMS - Bryant Johnson - WR 115. MURDICO - Marc Bulger - QB 116. DINSMORE - Jake Delhomme - QB 117. BOLTON - Ahman Green - RB 118. HUMBERT - Green Bay DEF 119. CLASGENS - Ahmad Bradshaw - NYG 120. PREUTH - Phillip Rivers - QB

My Picks: Shockey going to New Orleans is just what the doctor ordered and after missing out on my Tier 1 guys - Witten, Winslow, and Gates (assuming he's healthy) - it paid off waiting. Shockey needs to prove he's healthy, but the Saints' system is going to bode well for his numbers. I expect him to be a top 5 player at the position. Ahmad Bradshaw is an intriguing player and as my RB5 I couldn't ask for more upside. He was a big part to the Giants' Super Bowl run last year and picked up the slack when Jacbos was hurt. It's like Thunder and Lightning II in New York. Bradshaw could turn into a Tiki-like performer given the opportunity. 

Nice Finds: WR Anthony Gonzalez (104), Patrick Crayton (105), David Garrard (111), and Seattle DEF (113)

Final Take: There is amazingly decent running back depth 120 picks into the draft. I am not as sold on the receiver depth being there though. I grabbed Kevin Curtis and Joey Galloway a couple rounds earlier to fill my bench, leaving some to look at chumps in the latter rounds (i.e. HUMBERT - Derrick Mason). Waiting on tight end and defense is going to pay off nicely for me, but this is a 10-team draft. I could've got burned a bit in a larger league.

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