My best team this year of my 4 redraft leagues still has basically the same roster as it did on draft day.  And the really amazing part is that the team I am speaking of was my first draft of the season, which took place before training camp even opened.  I remember when I finshed the draft, I felt really good about it.  No doubts.  It was rock solid.

But as the preseason unfolded, I remember being less and less in love with this first draft.  By the time the season started I had serious questions.  I had drafted Knowshon Moreno and Pierre Thomas when their stock was at its highest, and neither looked to be in a great spot as the season began.   Miles Austin had not succeeded in securing a starting spot with the Cowboys.  Rashard Mendenhall looked like a mess. 

But lo and behold my team sprang out of the gate at 2-0.  Nate Burleson gave me 20 points in week one.  Julius Jones put forth a good effort.  And my WR depth with Devery Henderson and Garcon looked like it would be sufficient even without a contribution from Miles Austin.  I was confident I was going to be in the mix after week 2.  Then the losses.

Suddenly I found myself in a tragic pattern.  I turned into the the team that everybody has their best week of the season against.  And at week 11, with the second most points in my league, I find myself at 3-7 and clinging to a final playoff seed based on total points. 

I have a 2 point lead on The Fantasy Assassins for that last playoff spot.  This is the last regular season game in that league.  And while I have some pretty good fortune being able to start 3 good running backs for the week (Moreno, Mendenhall, Pierre Thomas) all who seem to be set up very nicely, I am in a quandry with my WR3 spot.  I have Derrick Mason, Miles Austin, or Nate Burleson. 

Now, on any given week up until this point in time I would not sweat this decision much.  These guys have all put up good total numbers for the season.  But they also combined for 7 catches between them last week.  To say I am gun-shy to punch in any of their names would be an understatement.  I have three top 23 receivers to choose from for one roster spot, and I don’t trust any of them.  Ain’t that a kick in the pants?

Well, not as much of a kick in the pants as having the 2nd most points in the league and 3-7.

None of my WRs has a match-up that looks good at all in my opinion.  The best match-up appears to be Burleson against the Vikings.  If you read my column “Commentary From the Edge” you are aware of my feelings toward Burleson after his goose-egg last week.  When he got “Cromartie’d” last week , he put me in this spot of desperation.  Lot’s of “Nate hate.”

But he seems my only option.  Mason against the Colts I don’t care much for.  Austin against the #1 rated team against the pass, now being double covered and stats have fallen off the cliff.  Or Burleson against his former team on the fast turf, in a game the Seahawks figure to fall behind in early.  Do I have any other choice than to roll with this guy?  I just don’t think so.  

It’s like taking a bootie call from the beeyatch that cheated on you.  You don’t want to do it, but man, when it was good it was SOOOOOOO good.  Okay, maybe just once more.  Come on over Burleson.  I’m punching your name in.

At least, that is what I am saying on Friday.  We’ll see how the Burleson magical mystery tour looks to me with Sunday morning coming down.

Here’s a quick list of ten wide receivers that are worthy of tracking as the 2009 season heads into the final eight games of the year. These are the guys that could rise in the rankings during next summer.

1. Michael Crabtree (SF) – The 1.10 pick in the draft ended his ill-advised holdout and while you watch him play now, remember this is a youngster who is playing without the benefit of a training camp. He currently has only spent three weeks generating chemistry with the quarterback. He already had 81 yards on six receptions against the Colts. The question is if he is drafted as a fantasy starter next year or just as receiver depth.

2. Steve Smith (NYG) – The third-year player has already been impressive but that was mostly in early season play. He’s remained a solid contributor but only has one score in the last five weeks. If he can finish the season strong despite the whipping winds in Giants Stadium, he could end up as top 10 next year.

3. Mohamed Massaquoi (CLE) – The lanky rookie from Georgia still has not scored a touchdown and only has two games over 30 yards but is worth tracking since he’s already the #1 wide out in Cleveland where significant changes are likely for next year. If the Browns can ever assemble a passing game of any note, it’ll use Massaquoi as the primary receiver.

4. Hakeem Nicks (NYG) – The ex-Tarheel rookie quickly evolved into the slot receiver for the Giants but he’s already making an assault on the starting spot of Mario Manningham. Nicks has already displayed his speed but at 6’1” and 212 he has plenty of size for any role in the offense. Steve Smith and Nicks could develop into a better tandem than Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer and the end of this year will hint how likely that will be.

5. Devin Thomas (WAS) – The second wideout off the board in the 2008 NFL draft has hardly lived up to his billing but the Redskins will be closely evaluating everyone in the organization in preparation of the annual upheaval. These final two months is when Thomas can win a starting job in what will be a new offense next year and likely with a new quarterback.

6. Andre Caldwell (CIN) – The second-year ex-Gator had a forgettable rookie season but already has become the starting slot receiver and had at least two catches in every game this year. He’s had three scores over the last six games and working towards becoming an integral cog in the Bengals passing machine.

7. Sammie Stroughter (TB) – He was just a seventh round pick out of Oregon State this year but Stroughter has made the most of opportunity by claiming the slot role since week one. His impact has been minimal so far but he is the only up-and-comer among receivers for a team that is in stage one of a rebuilding. Josh Freeman has one start and his only touchdown to a wide receiver went to the rookie.

8. Jeremy Maclin (PHI) – The Eagles first round pick has slowly been getting more involved in the offense and already had one big game thanks to the visiting Buccaneers. The Eagles feature one of the most pass-heavy schemes in the league and Maclin’s potential in this offense is almost unlimited.

9. Lance Long (KC) – The undrafted rookie never reached the field last year in Arizona and was picked up by the Chiefs. The last two games saw him replace Bobby Engram as the slot receiver and against the Jaguars he just had eight catches for 74 yards. The scheme will rely far more on the slot than most offenses and Long has a chance to start a career with a rebuilding team.

10. James Jones (GB) – The third-year player has claimed the slot away from the injured Jordy Nelson and will not be giving it back. With three scores over the last four games, Jones is starting to really click with quarterback Aaron Rodgers. He’s making his mark on a team with a productive passing game and already has more touchdowns than Greg Jennings.

The NFL is constantly changing and no position has as much developmental needs as wide receiver. Even if you are not angling for the league trophy this season, no reason why you can’t start working on your championship next year.

We’ve all been there. Your sure-fire win evaporates with a garbage-time touchdown from a bye-week plug-in your foe was all but forced to start. Andy Reid opts for a field goal down seven with four minutes to go and no timeouts left—and your opponent has David Akers.

Or maybe you score the second-most points in your league for the third time in four weeks only to lose to the top-scoring team yet again because Antonio Gates can’t make one more freakin’ catch or the Eagles can’t get one more freakin’ sack so you lose by half a freakin’ point.

Um… hypothetically speaking, of course.

I’m sure you feel my pain. So as the realization that live scoring didn’t screw up—now there’s another fun way to lose a game; go to sleep with a W, wake up with an L—sinks in, I’ve taken the liberty of adapting the five stages of grief to better fit those suffering through a bad beat.

1. Denial

The sure sign you’re entering this stage is bellowing “Are you kidding me?” at the action on the television if you’re tracking the action or at your computer screen if you’re following live scoring. You hold out hope that you can squeeze another point out of your roster somewhere, that live scoring has mistakenly given your opponent an undeserved point, that Knowshon Moreno and half the Steelers defense takes ill so that Correll Buckhalter can give you 100 yards and a touchdown on Monday night.

If you’re in multiple leagues, you check all your other teams first and avoid what you know will be bad news. If it’s your only team, you turn off football for the day and find another division. Anything except look at that losing score, mocking you with a meaningless Saints defensive score that can’t even be reviewed because the Panthers are out of timeouts and the play happened before the two minute warning.

2. Anger

You’re angry at your players for underperforming. You’re angry at your opponent for the Secretariat-sized horseshoe they have lodged in their backside. You’re angry at Kris Brown for missing wide left, at Andy Reid for taking the three, at Ted Thompson for surrounding Aaron Rodgers with revolving doors and turnstiles.

You can also be angry with yourself for any roster moves or lineup decisions that might have altered the outcome. Those are the most painful, because at one point they were actually within your control.

This stage is usually accompanied by a great deal of swearing, with the occasional throwing of the remote control, and is best experienced in solitude—especially if there are any young children in the household. Padded walls wouldn’t be a bad idea, either.

3. Bargaining

In which you seek a deal with the fantasy football deities, the karma gods, or the religious entity of your choice; agnostics, you can appeal to Roger Goodell, but I don’t like your chances any better.

Personally, I prefer the preemptive strike here—for example, stopping at a kid-run lemonade stand en route to a fantasy draft is a sure-fire winner for wooing karma to your side of the ledger. But at this juncture it’s too late; now you’re left to negotiate with the fates.

The bargaining stage can range from “If you let me pull this one out I’ll never start Matt Hasselbeck over Matt Schaub ever again” to more serious wagers such as “If you knock Brandon Marshall out of this game—nothing serious, just something that keeps him off the field the rest of the way—I’ll stop taking my neighbor’s morning paper on the way to work.”

What the heck, might as well go all the way: “I swear, if you just let Slaton stay in the game at the goal line I’ll never complain about having to watch ‘Dancing With The Stars’ with my wife again.”

Yes, that’s worse than selling your soul—and not even Daniel Webster can pull you back now.

4. Depression

And then, reality sets in.

The unofficial live scoring results go official, and your loss column total increases by one. You can’t gloat at the water cooler—if you’re even up for going in to work at all—or on the message boards, if you feel like venturing onto the innernet. Depending on whether or not you reach this stage before or after noon (somewhere), there may or may not be drinking involved. You actually contemplate never playing fantasy football again.

The key to this stage is getting through it quickly. It shouldn’t be that difficult because let’s face it: it’s a fantasy football game. Put it in perspective with something one of my high school teachers once told me: no matter how big you think your problem is, remember that there are 800 million people in China who just don’t care.

If nothing else that should tell you how long it’s been since I was in high school, seeing as the current population of China is something north of 1.3 billion.

5. Acceptance

It’s still there in the rear-view mirror: the Westbrook slide; Vinnie Testeverde’s phantom touchdown plunge; the Monday night game John Elway called in sick and left your fantasy team high and dry, two points shy of a win. The bad beat will go down on your permanent record.

But with every passing day, bad beats become a little less painful. Today they may feel like a popcorn husk lodged in your gumline; in a few days it’ll be a faded bruise on your elbow. And eventually bad beats go the route of old yearbook photos in that they still induce a cringe but also let you laugh just a little—even at the one of you in second grade after you opted to cut your own hair.

Besides, if you win this week you can still get a wild card spot and a chance to avenge that bad beat. And this time, karma’s on your side.

For instance I have spent the last two years waiting for Jerious Norwood to become a start-able player.  Or even a spot-startable player.  The first hit came when Michael Turner was signed by Atlanta.  At that point it was obvious Norwood would be limited, at least until he escaped his contract and was able to hit the open market.  But I held Norwood.  Running backs are horded mercilessly in all leagues.  I remained patient. 

 But now that he is on the verge of potential free agency, he can’t stay on the field due to injuries.  This is a classic case.  With the season half over, Norwood’s window of opportunity is closing fast.  I dumped him on the waiver wire this week when he became the most expendable player on my team.  It seems likely to me now that Norwood won’t command major free agent interest, and will probably settle for a moderate contract doing just what he has been doing.  I’m officially giving up on Norwood.  It is like having a pebble removed from my shoe.  

On the other hand I haven’t even considered dropping Leon Washington.  Leon has already proven his fantasy worth, and one would think his best days might still be ahead of him.  In any case he is not a droppable player in dynasty format, unless rosters are very short.  Leon Washington has earned my patience.

I tried to acquire Mike Thomas on waivers this week but I was a week late.  People finally took notice and he was snatched up well before my pick at 11.  Not really a tragedy for me as right now I am stacked at WR, but I definitely wanted him on my roster.  This is one of those guys that has caught my eye several weeks ago, and I actually grabbed him off waivers in a couple of my re-draft leagues to cover for week 8 byes.  This guy passes the “eyeball” test.  Watch him play.  Ideal size for the slot.  Good hands.  And good with the ball in his hands.  He just looks like a player to me.  Too bad I had so much patience in regard to grabbing him off waivers.  Wow, this blade has two edges.

I traded for Josh Morgan in a multiple player trade.  I essentially gave Lendale White for Morgan in the trade.  Crabtree coming to town and grabbing all the targets was the thing that pushed the Morgan owner over the edge.  He lost patience with Morgan at the exact same time I ran out of patience for White.  That is how trades happen.

Lendale White is in about the same spot as Norwood.  His window is closing fast and the Titans don’t figure to prop it up.  I had no problem making this trade.  All I have to do is wait for Isaac Bruce to be dragged kicking and screaming off the field and my patience will be rewarded. 

Either that or Lendale White revives his career a la’ Cedric Benson, and the 49ers hit the free agent market for another wide receiver this off-season.  Norwood comes back the same week  Turner gets injured, takes over as primary carrier and tears it up down the stretch, and Leon Washington is never heard from again.  And Mike Thomas kicks my ass in week 13 when I need a win to make the playoffs after a 4 game losing streak.   I’ve seen that movie too.

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!

There are always a few guys who open their season facing an easier slate of defenses only to see far tougher challenges for the final two months of the years. These are the guys whose expectations need to be lowered and selling high in a trade is always a good idea.

There are also a few running backs that start their season going against a rough stretch of defenses only to see their schedule get significantly lighter starting in November. These players should outperform their season to date numbers and become much more attractive in a trade. These are the guys you need to know.

The biggest schedule swings for running backs:

Cleveland Browns – The season started with a brutal stretch of road games in Denver, Baltimore and Pittsburgh and also hosted the Vikings, Bengals and Packers – all top defenses against running backs. The only game where they did not face a top defense was in Buffalo when Jamal Lewis rushed for 117 yards. Their remaining schedule still has home stands against the Steelers and Ravens but they also play against the Bears, Lion, Chargers, Chiefs and Raiders. The Browns don’t have the talent for a big bang to end the year but the fantasy stats will be improved for the running backs.

Cincinnati Bengals – Cedric Benson has already seen a spike upwards in his production this year and better games should be yet to play. Consider that Benson started out playing the Broncos, Packers, Steelers and Ravens and yet he’s been one of the most productive runners this season. And after facing the Ravens and Steelers again in weeks nine and ten, his schedule turns delightful with games against the Raiders, Browns, Lions Chargers and Chiefs. As long as his heavy workload doesn’t tire him out later in the year, Benson could be ending with even bigger stats.

Tennessee Titans – Chris Johnson has been inconsistent at best and LenDale White has disappeared against a schedule that opened by facing the defenses of the Steelers, Jets, Colts, Jaguars and Patriots. The only time they did not face a great rushing defense was against the visiting Texans when Johnson gamed 197 rushing yards, 87 receiving yards and scored three times. There are still a few tough weeks left – Jaguars, Cardinals Colts and Dolphins but games against the 49ers, Bills, Texans, Rams and Chargers will make the second half of the year much better than the first.

Jacksonville Jaguars – Maurice Jones-Drew has certainly played mostly well so far and he’s done that despite facing defenses of the Colts, Cardinals, Seahawks and Titans. After facing the Titans again on Sunday, Jones-Drew should see an uptick in stats that could be considerable as he runs against the Chiefs, Bills, 49ers and Texans over the next six weeks. Fantasy playoff weeks go against the Dolphins, Colts and Patriots that will be no fun but Jones-Drew will make some noise before those weeks.

Arizona Cardinals – Tim Hightower and Chris Wells have not exactly been top runners and the offensive scheme will ensure that neither will ever be a 320+ carry player but they can score the short touchdowns as Hightower did last year. And the lower results of this season are related to an opening stretch that proved more challenging than was expected with games against the 49ers, Jaguars, Seahawks and Giants. The remaining schedule takes a big slant upwards though with match-ups against the Panthers, Bears, Rams, Lions and Rams. Wells started to get a bigger share of the workload last week though Hightower remains the named starter. Wells might be a nice calculated risk since he could progress into a bigger role and by the fantasy playoffs weeks wind up against the Lions and Rams.

The schedule has a big impact on your running backs but for a few teams there are two distinctly different parts to the season. Now is the time to acquire those players with the rising value and if you already own them – enjoy the ride.

“Some of the biggest mistakes that are ever made are when you pay a guy off of one year,” said Jones.

True.  And some of the biggest mistakes are when you pay a guy based off of one ininspiring career.  Like say, Roy E. Williams. 

Oh what a spot the Cowboys are in now.  On the hook to Williams while the big fish might be getting away.

And that is what I’d like to talk about a bit.  No, not blowing millions on average talent, but  Miles Austin’s dynasty prospects.  Because let’s face it, if he comes anywhere close to what he has done over the last two games, he is going to get a big bag of cash. But will Jerry Jones be the one to stomach writing that check?  When he could have got him so much cheaper the year before? 

I’m not too worried about all of that just yet, but it is something to factor in to his value going forward.  The unknown.  I mean, we have see with Steve Smith (formerly known as  ”the good” Steve Smith) the tragedy that happens to stats when your QB is a stiff.  Which reminds me, I wonder if T.O. has a picture of Romo under his pillow that he can cry on every night.  “…sniff…that used to be my quarterback..sniff”  

That being said, I’m sold on Austin. (that’s for the 2-3 of you that haven’t heard that yet)  The guy has been targeted 22 times over his last two games.  If he can stay on the field I think he will be gold.

Another guy I was banking on was Johnny Knox, who I managed to acquire in most of my leagues as a free agent.  But it seems to me that the Bears are making a real effort to make Hester the lead receiver, so Knox will probably have to do more with less going forward.  Just like the weather, I am cooling on his prospects to make a serious impact on a regular basis this season.  I did trade him in my dynasty league for Tashard Choice last week, somehow sensing I suppose that I was about to lose Leon Washington for the season.

Tashard Choice is a guy that I wanted to own in dynasty.  I have seen what I need to see.  I’m not sure how he is going to gain the proper opportunity to fulfill his potential, but I am sold on the player, if not the situation.  I am much more interested in the Dallas passing game in the immediate future.   And that is because the team is more interested in the passing game.  They could run all over about any team in the league, but they continue to be obsessed with letting Romo rip it. 

Choice seemed to be the forgotten man if last week was any indication, so I have no immediate hopes for anything big, but with Barber still dinged, and Jones so breakable, we could see Choice shoulder the load at some point in the future both this season and beyond.  I think he is the most complete back they have, and the only one that can stay healthy.  Logic tells me that at some point the lions share of the carries will be his.  When that may be is anybody’s guess.   But my gut feeling is that is where we are headed.    

 To me, he is absolutely the safest long-term investment of the Dallas trio.  Unfortunately, unless injury does it for us, we will have a hard time figuring out this mess in the Dallas back-field for this season.  They have all but abandoned the run anyway so the production just isn’t there.   And that is why I am so pumped about Miles Austin.  He gives them exactly what they want.  Hopefully he will give the 3 fantasy teams I own him in exactly what they need. 

Then next summer Mr. Jones can drive his Brinks truck to Austin, and pay for what Miles needs.

And they all lived happily ever after.

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.

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.

Below are five suggestions of players to acquire via a trade who should have good games over the next three weeks and yet are not so expensive that you have no chance to acquire them. You’ll need to use your own wisdom as to whom you can part with from your team but it is week seven and if you are 3-4 or worse, you have to try something different.

Donald Driver (GB) – The old man from the Packers has been rejuvenated this year and he’ll cost you more than any recent year. But he has scored twice this year and been around 95 yards or better in three of the last four games. This week he faces the weak Browns in Cleveland and in week nine he goes to Tampa Bay where everyone has a huge game. Even Week eight against the visiting Vikings should be a decent showing.

Devin Hester (CHI) – His team mate Johnny Knox is also interesting but Hester is the more sure thing on this Bears team that not only needs to pass each week, it can pass with big results thanks to Jay Cutler. Hester is always the primary wideout in challenging matchups and with games in Cincinnati and then hosting the Browns and Cardinals should roll up nice fantasy points when you need them most – now.

Austin Collie (IND) – Obviously Reggie Wayne would be optimal but might also cost your entire roster to obtain. But Collie has been on fire in the last two weeks with a total of 14 catches for 162 yards and three scores and more importantly those came against weaker secondaries of the Seahawks and Titans. The Colts schedule remains a cakewalk for the next three weeks with matchups against in St. Louis and then hosting the 49ers and Texans.

Joseph Addai (IND) – For the same reason that Collie looks advantageous for the next three games, Addai should have some nice fantasy points as well. He remains the primary back over Donald Brown and Addai acts as a receiver as well with 17 catches for 103 yards over just the last two games. He won’t trade for much since most believe Donald Brown will eventually take a greater share but for the next three games, the outlook for Addai is very bright.

LaDainian Tomlinson (SD) – As amazing as this may seem, Tomlinson has suffered tremendously in perception with an injury-marred season that has only seen him play two healthy games – once in Pittsburgh where all running backs go to die and last Monday against the Broncos defense when he still had 100 total yards. But Tomlinson catches a break with his schedule now playing in Kansas City and then at home against the Raiders. Week nine in New York against the Giants won’t be much fun but if he performs well enough for two weeks you could trade him back out.

If you are standing at 3-4 or worse in your league, you should not give up but instead need to shrink your season down to the next few games. You have to win now or later do not matter at all. Take a look at your roster and make some moves that shore up your next few games even if it comes at the expense of the stars you wanted for the entire season. Your season is down to the next two or three games.