As we inch closer to kickoff of the Week 8 games, let’s take a look at a few players and teams that will either be a trick or treat this week.
1. Miles Austin – He could have another big game, but I’m guessing Jason Witten is the big star in Big D this week.   Austin = TRICK

2. The Cleveland Browns – They’re bad on both sides of the ball and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Bears pitched a shutout.   The Browns = TRICK

3. LeSean McCoy – With Brian Westbrook concussed and out, McCoy gets the nod. Not the greatest of matchups, but he’ll be used heavily and could be a PPR gem this week.   McCoy = TREAT

4. Reggie Wayne – Looks like he’s gonna give it a go, and against a really poor Niner pass defense, he could have 75 yards and a score by halftime.   Wayne = TREAT

5. Devin Hester – Think he’ll manage over 100 yards against the Browns? As a Bear fan and Hester owner, I’m hoping so. Hester = TREAT

Good luck this week, Huddlers!  And remember to go easy on the treats.  Unless they’re fantasy football treats!

On the heels of yet another vastly successful Five Crazy Things blog entry (they’re called CRAZY things for a reason, folks), here are five more crazy things that actually happened… and a note on if it’s a fluke or potential trend.

1. Ryan Grant appears to be a very capable fantasy RB. This one sure could be a fluke. He averaged 5.5 ypc against a Brown defense which ranks second-to-last in the league. He’ll face a tough Viking front seven this week, and still has Baltimore and Pittsburgh on the schedule too. There’s a good share of cupcakes left, but don’t hesitate to bench the guy against the tougher Ds.

2. Alex Smith is BACK, here to stay, and will be a viable fantasy QB moving forward. As much as I’d like to say this was just a fluke, I’m not so sure. The guy has been a complete disappointment in his first few seasons, but honestly, who has he had to throw to? He’s got an ultra-talented TE (who could be on the verge of a big breakout himself), an ultra-talented rookie WR (ditto) and a couple of other nice cogs (the pass-catching RB Frank Gore, WRs Josh Morgan and Ike Bruce). Smith faces the stout IND pass D this week, but then the schedule softens considerably, with games against TEN, ARI, SEA, DET and STL.

3. Dallas could keep winning games… as long as Tony Romo and Miles Austin continue this symbiotic relationship. Not so sure on this one. They were coming off a bye week, at home, and the Falcons’ D could be a tad over-rated. Let’s see if America’s Team can keep it up against a pretty weak Seattle squad, cuz Weeks 9 and 10 will be big tests in Philly and at Lambeau.

4. Beanie Wells, the new starting RB for the Cards? Probably a fluke or wishful thinking. He still is a liability in pass coverage and you know, the Cards kinda like to pass a bit. Still, he’ll have some value, especially if the Cards go up on their opponent and they want to control the ball with the run. Feel free to give him a run this week against Carolina’s #26-ranked rush D.

5. Devin Hester’s 100+ yard receiving games could continue. Definitely not a fluke. He had one game at 90 yards and another of 83. One more catch in each of those and he’d be over 100. CLE, ARI and SFO on the docket in the next 3 weeks. There’s gotta be a 100+ yarder mixed in there somewhere.

After a week off, let’s take a look at five things that buck trends or are just a little bit out there. Or maybe not too out there.

1. Steve Breaston will lead the Cardinals in receiving this week. Anquan is nursing a sore ankle, and Larry Fitzgerald has only had one 100-yard game this season. Breaston had 6 receptions for 86 yards against the Giants in their last meeting. Wouldn’t be a shock to see him right around the 90-100 yard mark with a score this week.

2. Eagle QBs will account for at least 3 TDs against the Washington Redskins on MNF. Donovan McNabb will throw for at least one, and Mike Vick might get his first Wildcat score. The Redskins are real, real bad, in case you haven’t noticed.

3. Oakland wins its second in a row. Look, the Jets were a nice story to start the season, but Mark Sanchez is looking like a rookie, and he’ll have fits getting his WRs the ball against a very under-rated Raider secondary. And the Raiders are athletic enough up front to cause some havoc in the trenches.

4. Matt Schaub leads all QBs in fantasy scoring this week. The Niner secondary has a few injury concerns and even if they were all healthy, the Texans have the horses to put up big time numbers.

5. Joseph Addai, Donald Brown, Reggie Wayne, Pierre Garcon, Austin Collie and Dallas Clark all gain at least 50 yards. Is it really that crazy to think this? No Will Witherspoon for the Rams anymore. Some guy named Craig Dahl starting at safety. It’s gonna be like shooting fish (or in this case, Rams) in a barrel for Peyton Manning, and then the RBs will mop up.

Well, before we creep closer to the edge this week, let’s take a look at how Crazy Darin’s Crazy Thoughts panned out in Week 4. Devin Hester got nowhere near 100 yards (in fact, he caught one lonely ball). Tennessee lost AGAIN (now that’s crazy). Big Ben only threw for two scores (thanks alot, Mewelde Moore!). Brandon Jacobs didn’t get outrushed by Ahmad Bradshaw (barely, though!). But at least I hit the nail on the head with Aaron Rodgers out-throwing (but losing to) Brett Favre! One for five. Let’s see if we can’t do better this week, eh?

1. Tony Gonzalez will catch a pair of TDs. The Niners have a solid secondary and Patrick Willis, but Gonzo (in a return to the Bay Area) will find the endzone twice. Is that really crazy or what?

2. Peyton Manning will throw for FOUR touchdowns. Both of the Titan CBs are dinged up (and will likely give it a go) and the Titan pass rush just isn’t the same without big boy Albert Haynesworth.

3. The Panthers will finally win a game. The Skins are bad, the Cats are home, and are coming off a bye. Watch the pair of Panther RBs rush the ball 20+ times apiece and each score at least once.

4. The Ravens D will score a TD. I don’t know why, I just think they will.

5. This week’s Monday Night Football game will suck. The Jets D will quell whatever the Fins throw out there, and the Fins D is good enough to only let Mark Sanchez move his offense down for a pair of TDs. Yawn.

OK folks, we’re going to put Huddle 180 on hiatus for another week, and go with a new feature: 5 Crazy Things. Or perhaps they’re not too crazy, but they likely have never happened, never will again, or you just don’t think is possible.

1. Devin Hester will catch 100+ yards worth of passes. One of our esteemed leaders, David Dorey, actually projects Hester to catch 100 yards and a TD against the Lions this week. I tend to agree. As an aside, if you own Jay Cutler, this is the week they’re going to throw the kitchen sink out there, at least from the passing game side.

2. The Titans will get their first win. Crazy? Well, it’s been 3 weeks and they still have none, so I guess it’s not that crazy. But the Jags should be winless, and just don’t appear to have anything going this season, save Maurice Jones-Drew and Mike Sims-Walker. What, exactly, is up with the two-last-name Jags?

3. Big Ben will throw for 3 TDs. Willie Parker has turf toe and it’s not known whether or not he’ll give it a go. Mewelde Moore, the primary backup, is a solid pass catcher, so that increases Roethlisberger’s potential to pass for TDs. And mix in the fact that the Bolt DBs are risk-takers. I see TE Heath Miller with an early TD, Santonio Holmes with a deep ball, and either Moore or Ward on a red zone look. Yup, that’s three.

4. Ahmad Bradshaw will outrush Brandon Jacobs. The Chiefs will see a huge dose of both Giant runners, but by the third quarter, this one should be out of reach and Bradshaw could see extended time. In fact, this has already happened this year (last week vs. Tampa). Won’t be much of a shock if it occurs again. And this is why this was the year to wait on RB.

5. Aaron Rodgers throws for more yards than Brett Favre, but still loses. The teacher will beat the student, but the student will wow the teacher with his wares. Yeah, Adrian Peterson is going to be used heavily come Monday night and while Brett Favre will want to gunsling his way around against his old squad, he simply won’t need to. Aaron Rodgers will, despite two solid corners for the Vikes, figure out a way to toss 250+ yards.

And that’s all, folks. Enjoy your Week 4, and here’s hoping the bye week bug doesn’t bite you too hard.