Fantasy Talk With the EveryMan!

Who dey Cincinnati Bengals that are still on top of the AFC North? Following a defeat to the Texans in week seven, many (myself included) though that the real Bengals were about to make an appearance. You know, the ones who are consistently fighting for last in the division.  But they rebounded huge with an offensive explosion against the Chicago Bears that saw Carson Palmer toss 5 touchdown passes...yikes! The emergence of the Bengals makes the North a three team race that should keep all the players on those teams fantasy relevant throughout the rest of the season.

Bye Week For...Cincinnati, Kansas City, New England, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Washington

Hits and Misses 

I will tell you what, on any given Sunday you can expect anything from anybody, so it's a little more difficult to predict what players will do than people think. That's why Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning is such a stud, because you can almost always count on him for a solid to great game. Consistency like that makes him the play of the week every week and a must grab in next seasons draft.

Starters 

QB Peyton Manning: 25 pts 235 yds, 3 tds HIT

RB Frank Gore: 4 pts 47 total yards MISS

WR Roddy White: 11 pts 50 yds, 1 td HIT

Bench Material 

QB Kurt Warner: 12 pts 231 yds, 1 td, 1 int WASH

RB Cadillac Williams: 4 pts 57 total yards HIT

WR Santanna Moss: 7 pts 6 rec, 74 yds WASH

Starts of the Week! 

QB Matt Shaub (at BUF): Can you name the top scoring Fantasy player in standard leagues? I can, it's Matt Shaub and he's been a monster this season. He faces a tough pass defense in the Bills this week but still look for him to put up good numbers.

RB Chris Johnson (vs JAX): Though the Tennessee Titans have been a major disappointment this season, their top runner, Chris Johnson, has been reliable. The third leading rusher entering their bye week in week 7, Johnson should be primed to make a statement against the Jags. A possible quarterback change back to Vince Young could mean an increase in carries as well.

WR Miles Austin (vs SEA): One of the surprise names to emerge among receivers this season, Dallas's Miles Austin is turning heads in the fantasy world. With 66 fantasy points in his last two games, Austin is quickly becoming a must start. A good game against Seattle this week could cement him in line-ups across the world.

Other Notable Starts: QB Phillip Rivers (vs OAK), RB Steven Jackson (at DET), WR Sidney Rice (at GB)

Bench Material of the Week!

QB Matt Ryan (at NO): Matt Ryan has been struggling recently with two straight under 200 yds games. It could be either the dreaded sophomore slump is setting in or just a fluke...I'm going with fluke. But with a surging Saints team on the horizon, look for one more week of sub-par play.

RB Frank Gore (at IND): From my Starts to my Benches, Frank Gore has come full circle this week. His disappointing performance against a suspect Houston defense has me wondering if it was just rust or is Gore not 100%. That question isn't going to be answered this week as the 49ers face the best team in the league, the Indianapolis Colts. He will turn it around, just not this week.

WR Michael Crabtree (at IND): Sticking with the 49ers, I'm going to throw in holdout  Michael Crabtree. He had an impressive debut for a guy who missed so much (5 rec, 56 yds) and I think his future is bright, but Indy is no joke and an inexperienced rookie will get chewed up and spit out.

Other Notable Benches: QB Chad Henne (vs NYJ), RB Ray Rice (vs DEN), WR Braylon Edwards (at MIA)

CraveOnline Yohoo's (6-1) 

The Yohoo's suffered their first loss in week 7 in a 79-75 defeat by the Bonecrushers, despite solid performances by Peyton Manning, Thomas Jones and Reggie Wayne. A lack of production from my other two receivers combined with the early injury to TE Chris Cooley (and a Cleveland Browns team that couldn't let Aaron Rogers beat them up, take their lunch money, and sleep with their sister) was to much of an obstacle to overcome.

Looking for a rebound this week, the Yohoo's will be without some key players thanks to the Bye...ugh.

Insulting football joke of the week... 

The Seven Dwarfs were marching through the forest one day they fell in a deep, dark ravine. Snow White, who was following along, peered over the edge of the steep chasm and called out to the fallen dwarfs. From the depths of the dark hole a voice returned, "The (insert team) are Super Bowl contenders."

Snow White thought to herself, "Thank God... at least Dopey's survived!"