FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEKLY FEATURES

Derek Anderson, Browns – Moving Up
Do you believe yet? Another game around 250 yards, and another multi-touchdown performance puts Anderson in the Top 10. And against Miami, he did it without Jamal Lewis in the backfield. Anderson has become a must start just about every week, without a doubt. I say “just about” because he has back-to-back games on the road against Pittsburgh and Baltimore in Weeks 10 and 11. Every other week the rest of the way, however, you should be able to plug him in your lineup without having to worry about it.

Brian Griese, Bears – Moving Up
Griese was extremely impressive in a losing cause against Minnesota. Last week he erased any doubts Bear fans may have had that he can be a competent No. 1 quarterback. This week he firmly established that he can be worth an occasional fantasy start as well. If you had the foresight to pick up Griese to stash on your bench, you can feel confident that he’ll put up good-to-excellent numbers should you need to start him.

Drew Brees, Saints – Moving Up
We’ve had a New Orleans offense sighting – finally. Brees carved up the Seahawks for 246 yards and two scores on Sunday night. Could this be the first sign of things to come? You couldn’t be blamed for waiting a wait-and-see attitude after the way he started the season. Let’s see if he can have two good games in a row before you think about plugging him into your lineup.

Cleo Lemon, Dolphins – Moving Up
He’s got to get credit for the huge fantasy numbers he put up against the Browns, throwing for more than 250 yards and two TDs and adding two rushing scores. However, don’t rush out and grab him off the waiver wire and expect to immediately plug him in your starting lineup. Out of the Dolphins’ next five games, three are against New England, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and those last two are on the road. Lemon’s value will be as a spot starter the rest of the season.

Kyle Boller, Ravens – Moving Up
Baltimore quarterbacks are rarely worth fantasy consideration, and that’s probably never been truer than this season. There is no clear starter, although it looks like Boller will get the nod for the foreseeable as Steve McNair continues to rest a groin injury. At least that’s the way it seems. Boller moves up simply because it looks like he’ll be seeing the most playing time. And if you’re desperate, you may consider picking him up as an occasional starter – provided McNair remains on the bench, obviously – when the matchup is attractive, like Weeks 10 and 11 when the Ravens host the Bengals and Browns, respectively.

Tim Rattay, Cardinals – Moving Up
In this case, “moving up” is a relative term. He’s “moving up” because he’s the starter after the injury to Kurt Warner. But he was simply horrible in his first outing, and despite the fact he has Larry Fitzgerald to throw to, there’s no telling when or if Anquan Boldin will return from a hip injury. Rattay is a spot fantasy starter at the very most.

Vinny Testaverde, Panthers – Moving Up
Considering he has Steve Smith to throw to, he would be ranked higher if it didn’t appear that David Carr would be returning after Carolina’s bye this weekend. But give the old guy credit. When given the chance to shine, he delivered a pretty good performance and a win. If you pick him up, however, expect Testaverde to be nothing more than an insurance policy for your team should Carr go down again.

Steve McNair, Ravens – Moving Down (out of top 35)
McNair is a huge question mark going forward, and wasn’t doing that great when he was playing. The Ravens are starting three youngsters on the offensive line so logic dictates that Brian Billick will go with Kyle Boller for a large portion of the remainder of the season, if not all of it.

Kurt Warner, Cardinals – Moving Down (out of top 35)
That didn’t take long. Yahoo! Sports reported on Monday that Warner sent out an e-mail to friends and family saying he had torn ligaments in his non-throwing elbow. He supposedly wrote in the e-mail that he believes his elbow will be healed through the power of prayer. It’s a good sentiment, but more than likely Warner will be out for a long time. A lot of fantasy teams will take a substantial hit if that’s the case.