FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEKLY FEATURES

Jeff Garcia, Buccaneers – Moving Up
Laugh if you must, but a combination of steady performance and the shocking drops of other supposed “elite” quarterbacks move Garcia into the Top 10. He’s averaged about two touchdowns and 250 yards in his last four, and in this diluted season that’s consistent enough to be one of the best quarterbacks from a fantasy standpoint. He also has great matchups in upcoming weeks; the Falcons twice, New Orleans, Houston and San Francisco.

Jon Kitna, Lions –Moving Down
The free-fall continues after yet another game without a touchdown. And since the Lions are winning, nobody in the organization cares. But they will care when Kitna gets knocked out for an extended period of time, and that’s exactly where he’s headed. The four sacks he suffered against Chicago brought the count to 13 over his last three games.

Drew Brees, Saints –Moving Up
“On fire” is a mild way to describe the way Brees has played his last three games, averaging 267 yards and nearly three touchdowns. He threw only one TD his first four games combined. So which is the real Brees? We should find out this weekend as he takes on Jacksonville. If he does well against the Jaguars he’ll be a must-start the rest of the season.

Matt Schaub, Texans –Moving Down
A cheap shot by San Diego LB Stephen Cooper added a likely concussion to the ankle, hip, thigh and back problems that had already been plaguing Schaub. He hasn’t thrown a touchdown in his last four games and hasn’t reached the 100-yard mark in his last two – but that’s pretty hard to do when you’re either in the locker room or on the sideline taking smelling salts.

Marc Bulger, Rams –Moving Up
We’re not going to get too excited about Bulger’s Week 8 performance, considering it occurred against Cleveland. But it is worth noting that he cracked the 300-yard mark and had a touchdown. And it’s also notable that Bulger’s next five games (St. Louis is on bye this week) are against the Saints, 49ers, Seahawks, Falcons and Bengals. If Bulger remains upright, he should put up strong numbers. And if Steven Jackson can return from yet another injury, those numbers will increase dramatically.

Kellen Clemens, Jets –Moving Up
The future is now for the Jets, who finally made the move to bench Chad Pennington in favor of the youngster Clemens. But that’s the only reason he’s “moving up.” Clemens is nothing more than bye week fodder at the very best, and only two byes remain. Adding to the misery is Laveranues Coles may have suffered a concussion against the Bills. Steer clear of any Jet if you possibly can.

Daunte Culpepper, Raiders –Moving Down
Culpepper is on a short rope after a bumbling effort against the Titans. Oakland has slid from division contention to a 2-5 record and Josh McCown is healthy enough to play. If McCown doesn’t get the nod Week 9 against Houston, look for that to happen the following week against Chicago. And Jamarcus Russell needs to get his feet wet as well. Once the Raiders are completely out of playoff contention, the rookie will probably see quite a bit of action.

Chad Pennington, Jets – Moving Down
Barring an injury to Kellen Clemens, Pennington has probably seen his last action of the 2007 season. And likely his last action as a Jet, period.