FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEKLY FEATURES

Tony Romo, Cowboys – Moving Up
He probably should have been moved up to the No. 2 spot weeks ago, but his 304-yard, four-touchdown performance against the Packers sealed it. Upcoming games against the Lions, Panthers and Eagles should allow him to continue to post excellent numbers. One huge red flag, however: If the Cowboys somehow clinch NFC playoff home field advantage before the end of the season, odds are they’ll sit Romo to avoid exposing him to unnecessary risk.

Carson Palmer, Bengals – Moving Down
This isn’t a knee-jerk reaction to his touchdown-less performance in the slop against the Steelers. It’s more a function of how good Romo has been this season. Palmer’s remaining schedule (St. Louis, San Francisco, Cleveland, Miami) should be a fantasy feast for Palmer owners. If Romo falters for whatever reason, or the Cowboys decide to rest him, Palmer will return to his No. 2 perch.

Peyton Manning, Colts – Moving Up
It was going to take a spectacular performance for Manning to move back up in the rankings, and he delivered with four touchdowns against a stout Jacksonville defense. Don’t look for similar numbers against the Ravens or Oakland on the road the next two weeks, but Manning should be huge against Houston at home in Week 16 and help a lot of fantasy teams win championships.

Brett Favre, Packers – Moving Down
Favre slides down a notch for a couple of reasons. First, the obvious concern over his right elbow injury and separated shoulder. We all know how tough the guy is, and we know he’ll be back against Oakland in Week 14. But it’s hard to imagine him being 100 percent effective. Also, Dallas may have provided somewhat of a blueprint on how to slow down Green Bay’s “Big Five” formation. Of course you’ll run Favre. Just make sure your other matchups are the best they can be, because he may not put up the numbers you’ve become accustomed to.

Donovan McNabb, Eagles – Holding Steady
Reportedly, McNabb could have possibly played against Seattle but head coach Andy Reid wanted to go with the hot hand of A.J. Feely. Well, after throwing four interceptions in a loss, that hand isn’t so hot anymore. It’s likely McNabb will start this week against the Giants, and will be a good play. But it’s McNabb’s Week 16 matchup with the Saints that should help a lot of players win a fantasy title.

Sage Rosenfels, Texans – Moving Up
Matt Schaub’s shoulder dislocation means Rosenfels will likely take over for the rest of the season. It sounded that way after Sunday’s loss to the Titans, at least. But don’t rush out and grab Rosenfels off of the free agent stack, however. Not only is this week’s matchup against Tampa Bay tough, the Texans also face the Colts and Jaguars to close out the season. The only week Rosenfels may look good for a start would be Week 15 against the Broncos, who were just torched by Josh McCown and the Raiders.

Chris Redman, Falcons – Moving Up
Not that any Falcon quarterback is worth fantasy consideration, but Redman may have emerged from the black hole as the starter for the rest of the season. Playing in place of an ineffective Joey Harrington, Redman nearly rallied Atlanta to a win over the Rams, throwing for 171 yards and two TDs. HC Bobby Petrino has absolutely nothing to lose by turning over the keys to Redman.

Matt Schaub, Texans – Moving Down
When you hear “dislocated shoulder,” diagnosed for a quarterback, whether or not it’s the throwing shoulder, you’ve got to think that player’s done for the season. And although nothing was official as of this writing, that’s probably the case with Schaub. Houston’s postseason chances all but ended with the Tennessee loss, and it would make absolutely no sense to expose Schaub to any more punishment.

Joey Harrington, Falcons – Moving Down
The Falcon quarterback rotation is little more than a crapshoot these days, but after being benched for ineffectiveness against St. Louis, it’s a good bet Harrington will ride pine the rest of the season.