FOX: WEEK IN REVIEW: Top 10 stories affecting your team

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WEEK IN REVIEW: Top 10 stories affecting your team

http://www.foxsports.com/content/view?contentId=1902594

Glenn Colton / Special to Rotoworld

1. Marcus Robinson questionable after huge week

Marcus Robinson scored four touchdowns and tallied 131 receiving yards in Sunday's miracle Ravens comeback. However, the news is not all good for Robinson owners and fans. This week, Baltimore added Marcus to the injury report, designating him as questionable with discomfort in his chest. The current word out of Ravens camp is that Robinson will play on Sunday. While there are worse options out there, do not get overly excited about Robinson. The combination of an injury, a still unproven Anthony Wright at QB, and an opponent (SF) that held Brett Favre to under 200 yards passing makes Robinson a weak start this week.

2. Trung Canidate to start Sunday for the 'Skins

Steve Spurrier announced that Trung Canidate will start Sunday, but split carries with Ladell Betts. The Skins backfield continues to be a mess. It seems like every week there is another "feature back." This week it appears there are two (not including fullback Rock Cartwright who expects to be ready for Sunday''s game). Advice — stay away from all Washington backs this week. Any time two running backs split carries, the odds of one posting solid fantasy numbers are small. Moreover, Canidate averaged fewer than 3.5 yards per carry last week — hardly a prescription for success — and Betts has not played in a few weeks. If your fantasy team is in the playoff hunt, you have to have better options.

3. Ramsey out, Hasselbeck in for 'Skins

Tim Hasselbeck is expected to get his first NFL start on Sunday. Ordinarily, it is a bad idea to start a QB in his first start. However, there are some good indicators for Hasselbeck. First, the Saints have had their problems stopping the pass this year. Second, Hasselbeck played relatively well in relief of Patrick Ramsey last week, going 15-of-30 for 150 yards and a TD against a tough Miami team. Finally, the guy married Elisabeth of Survivor fame — an intangible you cannot ignore. There are better options for your fantasy QB, but there are worse too.

4. Warrick Dunn done for the year

Falcons placed running back Warrick Dunn on injured reserve with a torn ligament in his left foot. Very bad news for the Falcons and for Dunn owners everywhere. Over the last few weeks, Dunn has been a superstud.(even last week, he posted 9 catches for 129 yards a touchdown). Warrick will be sorely missed. T.J. Duckett will take over as the Falcons'' primary running back. He makes a solid free agent pickup at this point in the season. In fact, with Atlanta hosting Houston, Duckett looks like a decent start this week. The Falcons are not likely to score much, but if they do, Duckett will likely be the one to do it.

5. "Air" McNair up in the air for Monday night

Steve McNair's injured calf is getting better, but McNair is not likely to practice this week. This makes McNair a very dangerous start this week. The worst thing that could happen to your fantasy team is for McNair to give you no points from the QB position. If you have any other option, go with that option. At 9 and 2, Tennessee is not likely to risk McNair's health for the playoffs by pushing him too far in a game against the 4-7 Jets.

6. Jeff Garcia returns for San Francisco

Jeff Garcia will start Sunday against the Ravens. The down side is that Garcia's ankle still isn''t quite 100 percent, so he is not likely to have his usual mobility. The plus side is that Matt Hasselbeck threw for 333 yards against Baltimore last week. If Garcia can last the whole game, he will put up solid fantasy numbers. However, be aware that there is risk that he will tweak that ankle and open the door to the return of Tim Rattay. Bottom line — if you are in a position where you need to take risks at this point of the season, Garcia is a good risk. If you can afford to play it safe and go with a QB with less upside, but less downside (i.e., one who is less likely to get hurt, but also less likely to put up big numbers), go with that safer player.

7. Charlie Garner's health improving

According to reports out of Oakland, Charlie Garner is almost fully recovered and should see an increased number of touches this week. When healthy, Garner is a top fantasy option. However, since there is a strong likelihood that Tyrone Wheatley will get a good number of touches and Zack Crockett will get the carries inside the opponent's five yard line, Garner is a mediocre start at best this week. Final note: Denver held the red hot "A" train to 60 yards last week. That does not bode well for big numbers for a splitting carries Charlie Garner.

8. The Dillon/Rudi Johnson questions persist

Last week, Corey Dillon started at running back for the Bengals and ran the ball 18 times for 108 yards. His alter ego in Cincy, Rudi Johnson, had 16 carries for 65 yards. This week, the Bengals head into Pittsburgh for a showdown with the division rival Steelers. Pittsburgh allowed Cleveland's James Jackson to rush for 94 on 25 carries. What does this all mean? Cincy is in a playoff run. No matter how annoying Corey Dillon's public statements have been, he is a quality veteran back they will try to ride into January. Dillon is a safe start. If you own Rudi Johnson, store him away for now.

9. The Disappearance of the Pittsburgh passing game

Last week, Tommy Maddox finished 9-of-24 passing for just 73 yards. Such meager numbers do not bode well for Maddox, Hines Ward, or Plaxico Burress. To be fair, a lot of the problems have been caused by inconsistent offensive line play. However, that is small solace for Maddox, Ward and Burress owners. This week, Pittsburgh visits Cincy. Last week, the Bengals gave up only 210 yards through the air. The prospects for a big week from the underperforming Steeler air crew are not great. If you have other options, use them.

10. Injuries to the Denver supporting cast

Shannon Sharpe has a rib injury and is listed as questionable this week. In addition, the ever reliable Jason Elam's injured groin seemed to be bothering him a lot last week These two veterans, both big parts of the FTSA expert's league team Rick Wolf and I have rode to a 9-3 record, should probably be on your bench this week. Keep Elam around for when his groin heals. When healthy, he is a top fantasy kicker. As to Sharpe, he will likely try to play this week, but rib injuries are dicey and the chances for a 2 catch 18 yard day are too significant to risk starting Sharpe in fantasy football unless you have no other good option.