Let’s check in on some this week’s news from around the NFL:

FAVRE TO JOIN VIKINGS IN AUGUST?
ESPN.com’s Chris Mortensen speculates that quarterback Brett Favre will join the Vikings at Training Camp in early August.  The media has yet to devote the 24-hour coverage to the veteran this off-season, but it is coming.  The fact he had ankle surgery last month is the best indicator that the future Hall of Fame is not yet done playing football.

LEFTWICH APPEARS TO HAVE LEG UP
With starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger facing at least a four-game suspension; it appears as veteran Byron Leftwich is the leading candidate to start the season under center for the Steelers. Post-Gazette beat writer Ed Bouchette claims it has become “obvious” that Leftwich will start over backup Dennis Dixon.

T.O. READY FOR HOLLYWOOD
Wide receiver Terrell Owens remains without a team and one NFL General Manager said it is unlikely that he will land somewhere until at least training camp. ProFootballTalk.com reported that Owens wants to play one more year for a contender and then pursue an acting career.

WHERE’S WAYNE?
Colts’ wide receiver Reggie Wayne continues to position himself for a holdout. The Pro Bowler did not participate in the team’s OTA’s and now  has reportedly informed coach Jim Caldwell that he will not be attending Colts mandatory minicamp this weekend, according to NFL.com.

GRAHAM LANDS IN BALTIMORE
Former Bengals kicker Shayne Graham signed a deal with the Baltimore Ravens earlier this week.  The Carroll County Times reports that Graham had a chance to re-sign in Cincinnati, but opted to go with the team’s AFC foes instead. The Bengals signed free-agents Mike Nugent and Dave Raymer earlier this off-season.

REDSKINS BACKFIELD TAKING SHAPE
Since his arrival in D.C., head coach Mike Shanahan has assembled one of the oldest and big-name backfields in the league, signing Larry Johnson and Willie Parker in free agency to accompany Clinton Portis. While it appears Portis will remain the team’s starter, Johnson has been working with the first team in short-yardage situations and is likely to be the team’s goalline back. Parker has yet to impress and may have problems even making the team. Washington has also made an offer to free agent Brian Westbrook, who remains unsigned.

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Free agent running back Larry Johnson signed with the Washington Redskins on Friday.

The Washington Post reports that the deal is three years with base salary of $3.5 million and could be worth $12 million with incentives.

The 30-year old is expected to compliment Clinton Portis in the Redskins’ backfield and the team hopes that his presence will push both veterans to excel.

Johnson, who was released mid-season by the Chiefs a year ago, finished the year with Bengals.

His history of off-the-field issues has plagued him, but a fresh start may be just what the doctor order.

New Redskins’ coach Mike Shanahan is known for building successful ground games and has familiarity with Johnson from his days with the Broncos and in the AFC West.

Johnson had 581 yards on 178 carries and no touchdowns in 14 games. His last 1,000-yard season was 2006, when he rushed for a career-high 1,789 yards and scored 17 touchdowns.

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The Cincinnati Bengals moved to 8-3 and took a firm grip on the AFC North by defeating the Cleveland Browns 16-7 on Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium. The win puts them at 6-0 inside the division, marking the first time in franchise history that the team finished divisional play with a perfect record.

THE GOOD
Running Attack – Playing without their top rusher, Cedric Benson, for the second straight week, the Bengals got solid efforts from their backup running backs. Newcomer Larry Johnson led all rushers with 107 yards on 22 carries. Rookie Bernard Scott added 87 yards on 18 attempts.

Rush Defense – For the game, the Bengals outgained Cleveland on the ground 210 yards to 58 yards. It marked the seventh straight game (franchise best) that the team ceded less than 100 rushing yards.

Special Teams – The Bengals took Cleveland’s best weapon, return man Joshua Cribbs, out of the game. Rookie punter Kevin Huber did a good job keeping the ball away from him. How about the crushing blow delivered by Maurice Purify. Kicker Shayne Graham hit three field goals, including a huge 53-yarder with no time left on the clock at the end of the first half.

Steelers Lose – With Pittsburgh losing to Baltimore on Sunday night, the Bengals now have a two-game lead over both of their division foes and have a tiebreaker advantage over both teams.

THE BAD
Pass Protection – The offensive line struggled to keep Cleveland’s pass rushers off of quarterback Carson Palmer all day long.  The Browns’ no-name defense provided consistent pressure and had Palmer out of whack all day long.

Penalties – If the Bengals are going to make some noise during the playoffs they’ll need to clean up their penalties. The yellow flags came out early and often as the team was penalized 10 times for 75 yards. Against good teams, that’s enough to beat you.

THE UGLY
Scoring Offense – The team is still struggling to put opponents away.  If you allow teams to stick around late in games, anything can happen. Since scoring 45 points against Chicago on October 25, the offense has fizzled. They have scored less than 20 points in six of their last seven games and eight times this season.

QUOTE TO NOTE
“Well, I wish it would give us something, but it doesn’t give us anything. It’s one of our goals, to always win the games in the division, and this football team has a great understanding of that. It’s a good accomplishment. I thank you, and we should take the praise because it is an accomplishment, but it just moves us on to another opportunity next week. We’ve got to move on and get ready for the Detroit Lions.” – head coach Marvin Lewis on sweeping the division

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Updating a previous report...

Former Chief Larry Johnson is expected to sign with the Bengals on Monday, according to ESPN.com.

The website reports that Johnson was en route to Cincinnati and barring a breakdown is expected to sign with the AFC North leaders.

A deal, if consummated, is expected to be for the prorated league minimum.

The Bengals, along with several other teams, first expressed interest in Johnson last week as depth behind Cedric Benson, who suffered a hip injury in Sunday's 18-12 victory at Pittsburgh.

Benson reportedly has a hip flexor and head coach Marvin Lewis is optimistic that Benson could play this weekend at Oakland.

COMPLETE ARTILCE

***
I am not a fan of Johnson and I am not sure that he has much left in the tank truthfully. Throw in his attitude and its not hard to see why so many teams aren't interested. That said, Benson needs some relief as he's on pace for nearly 400 carries. If the Bengals were to sign LJ I would not be mad, I just wouldn't expect much.

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from the Kansas City Star:

The Chiefs have suspended running back Larry Johnson for two weeks, effectively immediately. The punishment is for conduct detrimental to the team.

Johnson is forbidden to be at team headquarters or participate in team activities before Nov. 9, the day after the Chiefs play at Jacksonville.

The Chiefs told Johnson on Tuesday to stay away from the team's practice facility, but that was not a suspension. Now that it has become a suspension, Johnson will forfeit his game checks for the next two weeks, which will cost the 29-year-old back about $660,000 total.

****
Johnson has been a grave disappointment and a malcontent for most of his career and it's not surprising to see it come to this. The fact that he was ignorant enough to use the offensive remarks twice in 24 hours shows you where his head is at. Many reputable NFL writers are speculating that Johnson has played his last down with the Chiefs. Look for Jamal Charles to get his shot at being the team's primary ball carrier.

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The following running backs will be 29 or older to start the season. Youth is a factor in long-term fantasy football performance. Older players are less valuable than normal in keeper and dynasty leagues. Older players with more than 200 rushing attempts last year could be at a higher risk for injury.   

Ladell Betts - WAS
Correll Buckhalter - DEN
Justin Fargas - OAK
Kevin Faulk - NE
Earnest Graham - TB    
Larry Johnson - KC
Thomas Jones - NYJ
Lamont Jordan - DEN
Jamal Lewis - CLE
Maurice Morris - DET
Sammy Morris    NE
Dominic Rhodes    BUF
Chester Taylor - MIN
Fred Taylor - NE
Ladainian Tomlinson - SD
Derrick Ward - TB
Brian Westbrook - PHI
Ricky Williams - MIA

COMPLETE LIST

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With the rosters filling up quickly, when you get to Round Five anything can happen. Here's a GSI Mock Draft update:

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

ROUND FIVE
49. HUMBERT - TE D. Clark (IND)
50. FISCHER - WR V. Jackson (SD)
51. CLASGENS - WR B. Berrian (MIN)
52. ANSELMO - RB L. White (TEN)
53. MURDICO - RB T. Jones (NYJ)
54. SIMS - WR D. Jackson (PHI)
55. SCHMITT - TE T. Gonzalez (ATL)
56. WETZEL - TE A. Gates (SD)
57. BRYANT - QB T. Romo (DAL)
58. DINSMORE - QB C. Palmer (CIN)
59. SIMON - RB L. Johnson (KC)
60. BROERING - RB D. McFadden (OAK)

POSITION BREAKDOWN: RB (4), TE (2), WR (3), QB (2),

MY PICK: For the first time in the draft I was burned messing around. I opted to snag Reggie Bush in the end of Round Four with the thought that either Vincent Jackson or Dallas Clark would be there this time around.  You must be able to adjust on the fly. I changed directions and went with Bernard Berrian. The Vikings top wideout isn't consistent enough to be considered as a WR1 in fantasy, but he is capable of delivering big time numbers in any given week. His value would have gone up had Brett Favre opted to come back and was healthy enough to the win the job in Minnesota. Still he cracks my top 20 wideouts in my rankings.

BEST VALUE PICK: Carson Palmer is a low-risk high-reward player entering this season. He is coming off a major elbow injury, but looks to be at 100 percent. The Bengals have the weapons at wideout, even with T.J. Houshmandzadeh leaving for Seattle in free agecy, for Palmer to return to being a solid fantasy starter. The key will be whether or not the Bengals' makeshift offense line keep him upright.

MOST LIKELY TO DISAPPOINT: I have ripped Thomas Jones enough earlier on this blog, but at this point I can live with his selection.  Honesttly, there really isn't a player on the board right now that I am not good with in Round Five. Tony Gonzalez is a likely candidate for a slow start though as he moves from Kansas City to Atlanta.

FINAL TAKE: Overall a good round. When you get to this point of the draft you need to fill needs, but you also need to try to forecast the runs. Know what positions that the owners that draft after you and then before you again (with snake draft) need and already have. The round was the most balanced yet, but will set up some different strategies for owners down the stretch.

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When Tom Brady went down last season, the Patriots were left for dead. However, backup Matt Cassel emerged by throwing 21 touchdowns and led New England to a 11-5 record.

Cassel was particularly impressive down the stretch, throwing for 14 of his scores and posting three 300-yard performances (two over 400 yards) over the team's final seven games.

The Patriots thought enough of Cassel to place the franchise tag on him. However, when it became clear that Brady was going to be ready for the start of the 2009 campaign the team dealt him to Kansas City along with veteran linebacker Mike Vrabel for the Chiefs' second-round draft pick.

He recently inked a six-year, $63 million deal that has $28 million in guaranteed money and will pay him $40.5 million over the next three seasons.

While I am not totally dismissing that Cassel has potential, I am going to recommend staying clear of him if possible. Here are some reasons why:

NEW COACH - Todd Haley, the Chiefs' new head coach, is the former Cardinals offensive coordinator and has worked in the Cowboys' organization too. He is expected to use a ton of shotgun formations like Cassel excelled in last season, but the overall system is different and will take time to adjust to. Kansas City retained Chan Gailey, who is more of a smashmouth football type of guy, so some sort of hybird system is possible. Either way I am thinking some adjustment time should be expected.

KC FAR FROM NEW ENGLAND - Aside from the coach, the entire persona of the Chiefs is different than that of the Patriots. In New England, everyone is just an interchangable part of a bigger puzzle. Meanwhile, in Kansas City coaches and personnel have continued to turnover over the past decade as the franchise hasn't won a playoff game in that span. Cassel will have to be the man here.

GONZO GONE - I still can't figure out what the Chiefs were thinking when they sent tight end Tony Gonazlez to Atlanta. He was by far the team's best weapon in the passing game and coming off a monster season. His departure takes some of the luster off of Cassel finding a home and locking down a starting job.

FEW WEAPONS - Outside of Dwayne Bowe, the Chiefs have few options for Cassel to throw to. Mark Bradley has never amounted to much and newcomer Bobby Engram is merely a role player at best. Larry Johnson (who I am not crazy about either) is a big question mark at running back too.

BRUTAL SCHEDULE - While they may get the Broncos twice, the rest of the Chiefs' slate is less than appealing. They have two match-ups with the Ravens and Steelers and play the entire NFC East.

***

FINAL TAKE - Cassel may have a starting NFL job, but he should still be looked at more as a high-end fantasy backup until he proves that it was him and not the system that led to 2008's success. I would draft him accordingly in the mid-rounds of your draft. Chances are though, based off last year's effort more than one owner in your league will overpay to get him.

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Here is our Line-Up Locks for Week 13. Three games on turkey day and they could all be turkeys, especially the afternoon games. This means that's there good match ups and good reason to watch football closely on Thanksgiving. Here's a quick look at those who has favorable matchups (LOCK IN) and those who deserve a spot on your bench this week (LOCK OUT):

QUARTERBACKS
Lock In:
--Tony Romo vs. Sea
My take: Romo will likely be munching on one of those freakish 8 leg turkeys Fox serves after the game. Romo will have a fantastic statline against a miserable Seahawk team.

--Brett Favre vs. Den
My take: The Jets are hot and are being led by Favre. Champ Bailey might play, but don't expect that to hinder Favre's numbers who will shred a terrible Bronco defense and connect for at least two TDs.

--Matt Ryan @ SD
My take: This just in, the Chargers cannot stop the pass. The strong Falcon's running game does hurt Ryan's statline, a little, but it also means less blitzing and more open receivers. Ryan will throw two TDs this week.

Lock Out:
--Matt Cassell vs. Pit
My take: Cassell has been an absolute stud the last two weeks. He makes for a tough choice of whether to start him or not, but this week it's such a tough match up that Cassell should take a seat on the bench this week.

--Donovan McNabb vs. Ari
My take: The late night Thanksgiving Day game could be a real turkey for the Eagles quarterback. He was benched last week after yet another terrible performance. He's desperate and angry and has an inept offense, that spells trouble.

--Tyler Thigpen @ Oak
My take: Thigpen has been pleasantly surprising, throwing for multiple TDs in multiple games. However, this week he goes against a very underrated Raider defense.


RUNNING BACKS
Lock In:
--Chris Johnson/Lendale White @ Det
My take: Football on Thanksgiving is a great tradition, but Titans versus the Lions is not good football, unless you own the Titan running backs. Lendale White only touched the ball three times in Sunday's loss, and he complained, look for the Titan TD machine to remedy the situation while Johnson will rack up the yardage.

--Ronnie Brown @ StL
My take: The Dolphins are still stinging from the beatdown the Patriots gave them. They will get well and Ronnie Brown will rack up the stats versus the Rams.

--Michael Turner @ SD
My take: Turner is a fantasy stud and has made the surprising Falcons a dangerous team. In this match up, you cannot sit Turner.

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Let's take a look at what running backs are getting utilized the most in the Red Zone (TwoMinuteWarning.com):

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