Last week was definitely a weird one in the world of fantasy football. Players like Bernard Scott and Jason Snelling came out of the wood work and helped fantasy owners win crucial games down the stretch of the season.

We even saw a flash from the past as players like Ricky Williams and Chris Chambers help lead their teams to victory.

Below we have a short right up on the top ten teams on our power rankings for this season. These teams are important to know as they are playing well and should continue to help fantasy teams.

Furthermore, pay attention to the worst teams on the list as they are the teams you want to have your players going against down the stretch.

1. Colts (10-0)

The Colts made it out of Baltimore with another victory but just barely as they won the game 17 to 15. This up coming week the Colts will travel to Houston to take on the Texans. The last time these two teams played in Indianapolis the Colts won a close game.

Look for the Texans to give the Colts everything they can handle, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they win.

2. Saints (10-0)

The Saints beat the Buccaneers for their tenth win of the season. Next week they will play the Patriots on Monday night, and I believe they will lose that game.

Fortunately the Saints will get back key players on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Drew Brees should have a huge fantasy football scoring day against the Patriots as the game will be a scoring extravaganza.

3. Vikings (9-1)

If it wasn’t for the Saints and Colts being undefeated the Vikings would be on the top of our list of the power rankings. This team is strong in just about every category and this team should have home field advantage in the NFC when the regular season is over.

With Brett Favre playing on top of his game and Adrian Peterson in the backfield the Vikings should roll to the super bowl.

4. Patriots (7-3)

The Patriots bounced back strong after losing to the Colts at the last minute. This week they should put up a big scoring game against the New Orleans Saints on Monday night.

Look for Brady, Moss and Welker to have big days as the Patriots need to put up a lot of points to win in New Orleans.

5. Chargers (7-3)

Since losing to the Broncos in week six the Chargers have won their last five games. Just when you thought this team was down for the count with a bad offensive line, a defense that couldn’t stop the run and LT not playing up to his standards, they turn it all around.

Expect the Chargers to win the AFC West and probably finish in the AFC with the third or fourth best record.

6. Bengals (7-3)

After two big division wins the Bengals dropped a disappointing game to the Raiders in Oakland. This week they will come back home and play their final game in their division for the regular season against the Browns.

Look for Bernard Scott to continue as the starting tail back if Cedric Benson is out for this week. Carson Palmer and Chad Ochocinco should have strong games.

7. Cardinals (7-3)

The Cardinals are moving past the Cowboys in our NFL power rankings more because Dallas has played that bad than the Cardinals have played that good. Last week the Cardinals held on to beat the Rams without Kurt Warner, but it wasn’t pretty.

It looks like Warner will be a go this week against the Titans and that is good because they wouldn’t win this game without him.

8. Cowboys (7-3)

This season has been a major up and down year for the Cowboys’ passing game. All of a sudden, defense are putting their top corner on Miles Austin, and he is having problems beating coverage.

If the Cowboys’ struggle on Thanksgiving against the Raiders I wouldn’t be surprised.

9. Steelers (6-4)

The Steelers lost a gimmy game against the Chiefs and one has to think it’s because they failed to dominate in the running game. Rashard Mendenhall is a capable running back but if the Steelers don’t start showing a need to run the ball they will lose more games like this past week to the Chiefs.

Sooner or later the Steelers will have to run the ball to either keep Ben Roethlisberger healthy or because Roethlisberger is knock out and injured.

10. Eagles (6-4)

The Eagles make it back to the top ten teams on our NFL power rankings because the Broncos are backsliding into outer space.

This past week the Eagles won a hard hitting road game and proved they could run the football when they needed to. Running the ball is very important for all teams in the NFL and now that the Eagles have shown success under pressure it should help open up the deep ball again.

• 11. Packers (6-4)
• 12. Broncos (6-4)
• 13. Giants (6-4)
• 14. Jaguars (6-4)
• 15. Titans (4-6) Still a very good team when healthy
• 16. Ravens (5-5)
• 17. Falcons (5-5)
• 18. Texans (5-5) Need a new kicker
• 19. Dolphins (5-5)
• 20. 49ers (4-6)
• 21. Panthers (4-6)
• 22. Seahawks (4-6)
• 23. Jets (4-6)
• 24. Bears (4-6)
• 25. Chiefs (3-7)
• 26. Bills (3-7)
• 27. Redskins (3-7)
• 28. Raiders (2-8)
• 29. Lions (2-8)
• 30. Rams (1-9)
• 31. Buccaneers (1-9)
• 32. Browns (1-9)

NFL Fantasy Football Player Rankings writer Sean E. Douglas: fantasy-info.com

Let’s face it, unless Michael Turner’s ankle has a miraculous recovery this weekend he will be out of action against the Giants. Turner’s loss is a major blow to fantasy football owners that drafted him as he was a top five selection on draft day.

With Turner out the Falcons will turn to fullback- running back Jason Snelling to carry the load. Snelling filled in for Turner after he left the game last week against the Panthers.

Against the Panthers, Snelling carried the football 18 times for 61 yards rushing and a touchdown run. When you match his numbers against Turner’s in the same game (nine carries for 111 yards) it is clear to see that Snelling isn’t an explosive runner.

This running back’s assets are his size and strength, which allows him to carry the football twenty plus times a game and get goal line work.

How Long Will Turner Be Out of Action?

The Falcons and Turner are refusing to put a timetable on when fantasy football owners can expect their stud running back in their lineups again. At this time, it looks like Turner will probably miss this week and next week.

This is unfortunate as we are in the final weeks of the regular season for fantasy, but at least it looks like he will be back for the playoffs. When you consider that some fantasy owners (hopefully you don’t have both) just lost Ronnie Brown for the season, this injury doesn’t look so bad.

With Turner out and Jerious Norwood still limited in his return from a hip problem, Snelling will get plenty of work.

This week Snelling has a decent matchup against the Giants but next week he has a gem against the Buccaneers. Assuming Turner or Norewood don’t make miraculous recoveries and play next week, Snelling is a must start in that game.

Fantasy Football Outlook

If and when Turner can comeback and play for the Falcons, it would be a good idea to hold onto Snelling if he plays effectively. The Falcons won’t use him as much as Turner but if their star running goes down to injury they would use him again.

Beyond that I would definitely get him in your lineups next week against the Buccaneers defense. That is a perfect game for a fantasy running back to give you solid production.

NFL Fantasy Football Player Rankings writer Sean E. Douglas: fantasy-info.com

For a game that was hyped for a big scoring, it turned out to be a low scoring defensive affair. Both teams struggled to get points for most of the game but the Packers ended up winning 17 to 7.

Finding A Way

After the Packers lost an embarrassing game to the Buccaneers last week they pulled it together this week. The Packers’ defense had Tony Romo’s number for the entire game as they forced him into rushed throws and sacked him.

At the end of the game Romo padded his stats for 251 passing yards and a touchdown pass but don’t let that fool you. His performance was not as good as his numbers would indicate.

One player that did have a good game was receiver Roy Williams as he totaled five receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown catch. Williams had success throughout the game and is starting to become a factor in the offense.

Look for Williams to continue to be a factor for the Cowboys moving forward as fellow wide receiver Miles Austin is seeing more coverage.

NFL Fantasy Football Player Rankings writer Sean E. Douglas: fantasy-info.com

For the second week in a row the Tampa Bay Buccaneers put up a strong showing against a solid opponent. In the end, the Dolphins marched down the field with little time left and won the game on a field goal.

Kellen Winslow has 100 Yard Day

Buccaneers star tight end Kellen Winslow finally showed life this weekend as he caught seven passes for 102 yards. Winslow hasn’t been fantasy worthy for most of the season, but he may be a reasonable option from here on out.

I base this on the fact that young quarterbacks like Josh Freeman tend to lock onto their tight end. If Winslow continues to get the looks from his quarterback, he can be effective.

This team is starting to turn its season around, and it looks like they aren’t a great play if you’re looking for an easy fantasy matchup for defensive points.

Dolphins Run Well

This week was another strong effort from the Dolphins running game. Before Ronnie Brown left the game he had twelve carries for 82 yards and a touchdown run.

Ricky Williams put the game away with twenty carries for 102 yards.

For the Dolphins to win football games, they need performances like this one from their running backs. Next week they play the Panthers on Thursday night, and it will be interesting to see if Brown can play in the game.

Kicker Dan Carpenter also had a very good game as he was four of four on field goal attempts. Carpenter is having a good year in 2009 and he looks like a kicker that could have some value in fantasy football in the coming weeks and years. Only in his second season, if Carpenter continues to kick well he will gain the confidence of his coaching staff to let him kick the long field goals more of the time.

NFL Fantasy Football Player Rankings writer Sean E. Douglas: fantasy-info.com

The Falcons were expected to win this game but found themselves in a bad position when Michael Turner left the game in the first half. In the end, the Panthers put the game away with a 45-yard touchdown run by Jonathan Stewart.

Michael Turner Suffers High Ankle Sprain

This game was very promising for Turner as the Panthers have struggled to stop the run this season. Turner started the game off with a bang with nine carries for 111 yards on the ground.

Unfortunately, in the process of Turner’s dominant first half he had his ankle rolled up on and suffered a game ending injury. This was clearly a game changer for both teams as the Falcons had to play on without their stud.

From a fantasy football perspective, this was a killer blow for fantasy owners this week. Beyond losing a potential dominant performance Turner may be out for a few week’s with the injury.

We will know more about the ankle come Monday so stay tuned for updates on our weekly Starter Help column on Monday.

Jonathan Stewart Scores Twice

Both Stewart and Steve Smith scored twice for the Panthers to help them win the game. Stewart’s final touchdown put the team up for good as they had a 28 to 19 lead with little time left.

This was a big win for the Panthers as it keeps them in the playoff hunt for at least a few more weeks.

Next week they will play an early game on Thursday night against the Dolphins. Ronnie Brown was injured this week against the Buccaneers, and we will see if he can play on short rest.

NFL Fantasy Football Player Rankings writer Sean E. Douglas: fantasy-info.com

This offseason the big topic out of Dallas was if Tony Romo could excel without Terrell Owens. Many believed that Romo would need to find chemistry with wide receiver Roy Williams in order to have a successful season.

I personally thought that it would be important for these two players to find success together. However, I did believe that if Williams didn’t work out someone on the Cowboys receiving core would.

In the end, I believed that Romo was too talented of a quarterback to not make someone a fantasy football stud.

The Season Begins

At the beginning of the season Romo and the Cowboys light up the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In that game Williams had a long touchdown catch, and it seemed like the two were starting to get in rhythm.

After that game Romo and Williams have struggled to find a rhythm together. Instead of Romo finding Williams, he would soon turn to another receiver on the depth chart for stability.

That receiver just happened to be Miles Austin and in the past month no receiver has been hotter in football or fantasy. In Austin’s past four games, he has a total of 22 receptions for 531 yards and six touchdowns. No receiver in football can come close to those numbers over that time span.

Austin’s emergence in the offense should help open things up for fellow players like Jason Witten and the running game. This team now has a top target at receiver and a dangerous vertical threat.

Fantasy Football Ranking for Miles Austin

Austin should remain a starter in fantasy football lineups for the rest of the 2009 season. His fantasy value is probably in the top 15 receivers at this point and will make for a great No.2 receiver for your fantasy team in next year’s drafts.

Look for Romo to continue to look Austin’s way and have success in the passing game. There will be a game or two that Austin is slow but don’t let that fool you into benching him.

NFL Fantasy Football Player Rankings writer Sean E. Douglas: fantasy-info.com

This game had blowout written all over it as the Packers took on the win less Tampa Bay Buccaneers. By the end of the game, it would be the Buccaneers that had the last laugh as they defeated the Packers and scored 38 points.

Hey…What Happen?

This was supposed to be an easy win for the Packers and their defense was supposed to have one of the top scoring days (for fantasy football) on the week. Unfortunately, the Packers’ defense can’t control bad special teams play and poor decisions by quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

All too often the Packers’ defense was stuck in bad situations against the Buccaneers offense and rookie quarterback Josh Freeman.

As far as the Packers’ offense is concerned, they really need to look at the game film and start getting on Rodgers for his wild play.

Josh Freeman Not So Bad

I suggested that fantasy owners go out and get the Packers’ defense and start them this week. We all needed to see if Freeman was ready to play at a steady level for his team, and today he proved that.

I still believe this team will make for good matchups as we move along. One thing is for sure if you come into Tampa Bay just expecting that you will win the game, you’re in trouble.

NFL Fantasy Football Player Rankings writer Sean E. Douglas: fantasy-info.com

For better or worse the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have decided to go with their talented rookie quarterback Josh Freeman. Freeman will now inherit one of the worst offenses in football and hopefully grow in experience.

Down With the Flu

One would have thought that this particular week would be a good time for the youngsters’ career to start as he’s had two weeks to prepare because of the bye week.

Unfortunately, a bunch of the Buccaneer players came down with the flu on the way back from their loss in England to the Patriots. Because of this the team had only practiced for a total of 2 1/2 hours (by the end of Tuesday) in their entire time off.

A young quarterback needs to get as much time and reps in as possible to get ready to play at this level and lack of preparation won’t help his chances for success.

Beyond his lack of reps and possible health, he has to play against the Packers secondary this weekend. The Packers secondary hasn’t fared well against quarterbacks like Brett Favre, but they have dominated against lower end quarterbacks.

While Freeman may end up being a pro bowl caliber player at some point in his career, he is definitely not at the playing level of Favre this season.

Fantasy Football Strategy

From a fantasy football perspective, I would highly recommend you find defenses off the waiver wire that are playing the Buccaneers moving forward. This team was already a good team to get defensive points against, and now they are just that more attractive.

Freeman has a major learning curve to deal with and in his growing pains fantasy owners can capitalize from his mistakes.

Below I have the Buccaneers remaining schedule up to week 16 when most fantasy leagues complete their season. Keep an eye out for these teams on your waiver wire and consider picking them up a week in advance so that other owners won’t get them.

• Wk. 9- Packers
• Wk.10- @ Dolphins
• Wk. 11- Saints
• Wk. 12- @ Falcons
• Wk. 13- @ Panthers
• Wk. 14- Jets
• Wk. 15- @ Seahawks
• Wk. 16- @ Saints

Until Freeman shows that he is capable of playing at a respectable level the Buccaneers will continue to be a team worth playing defenses against.

As far as Freeman’s fantasy football value I wouldn’t pick him up off the waiver wire until he starts showing he can play at this level.

NFL Fantasy Football Player Rankings writer Sean E. Douglas: fantasy-info.com

What a game it was between Chris Johnson and Maurice Jones-Drew last weekend. Both running backs had at least 175 yards rushing and both had two touchdowns of 50 yards or more.

This week Ryan Grant won’t have that kind of success, but he should have one of his best games of the season. With Packers’ quarterback Aaron Rodgers playing on a bad foot the Pack will probably lean a bit more on their running game to beat the Buccaneers.

Below we have our survivor pool rankings split into three sections, and they are studs, mid range and poor plays.

We hope these survivor pool rankings help you choose those stud players you need this week for a successful start to the 2009 survivor fantasy season.

Quarterbacks

Studs

• Peyton Manning vs Texans
• Tom Brady vs Dolphins
• Drew Brees vs Panthers

Mid Range

• Donovan McNabb vs Cowboys
• Aaron Rodgers @ Buccaneers (Banged Up)
• Matt Ryan vs Redskins
• Matt Schaub @ Colts
• David Garrard vs Chiefs

Poor Plays

• Carson Palmer vs Ravens

Running Backs

Studs

• Maurice Jones-Drew vs Chiefs
• Ryan Grant @ Buccaneers
• Joseph Addai vs Texans
• Kevin Smith @ Seahawks

Mid Range

• Chris Johnson @ 49ers
• DeAngelo Williams @ Saints
• Frank Gore vs Titans
• Pierre Thomas vs Panthers

Poor Plays

• LaDainian Tomlinson @ Giants
• Brian Westbrook vs Cowboys (Injured)

Wide Receivers

Studs

• Devin Hester vs Cardinals
• Randy Moss vs Dolphins
• Reggie Wayne vs Texans
• Dwayne Bowe @ Jaguars
• Nate Burleson vs Lions
• DeSean Jackson vs Cowboys

Mid Range

• Greg Jennings @ Buccaneers
• Larry Fitzgerald @ Bears
• Andre Johnson @ Colts
• Roddy White vs Redskins
• Marques Colston vs Panthers
• Miles Austin @ Eagles
• Vincent Jackson @ Giants
• Michael Crabtree vs Titans

Poor Plays

• Anquan Boldin @ Bears (May Not Play)

Tight Ends

Studs

• Dallas Clark vs Texans
• Vernon Davis vs Titans
• Brent Celek vs Cowboys

Mid Range

• Antonio Gates @ Giants
• Jason Witten @ Eagles
• Jeremy Shockey vs Panthers

Kickers

Studs

• Mason Crosby @ Buccaneers
• Stephin Gostkowski vs Dolphins
• Rob Bironas @ 49ers
• Joe Nedney vs Titans

Mid Range

• Nick Folk @ Eagles
• David Akers vs Cowboys
• Jason Elam vs Redskins
• Shayne Graham vs Ravens
• Robbie Gould vs Cardinals

Defense/ ST

Studs

• Packers @ Buccaneers
• Falcons vs Redskins

Mid Range

• 49ers vs Titans
• Seahawks vs Lions
• Jaguars vs Chiefs

Poor Plays

• Cowboys @ Eagles
• Broncos vs Steelers
• Ravens @ Bengals

NFL Fantasy Football Player Rankings writer Sean E. Douglas: fantasy-info.com

Early this week it looked like the Panthers might bench quarterback Jake Delhomme in favor of backup Matt Moore. In the end, head coach John Fox decided to stick with his veteran quarterback for another game and Delhomme rewarded him with a victory.

Delhomme and Smith Hook Up

This season hasn’t bee a good one for fantasy football owners with Steve Smith on their rosters. Smith didn’t have a touchdown coming into this game but by the end of this contest, he did get a 50-yard touchdown catch.

Smith has now put together a couple of nice games since his horrible game against the Buccaneers in week six.

Next week the Panthers play against the Saints and I’m sure Smith with have plenty of opportunities to produce in that game.

Panthers Running Games Goes Wild

The Panthers running game was supposed to struggle against the Cardinals’ league leading defense against the run. Instead DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart dominated the Cardinals and shredded their defense all day.

Williams had over 150 yards and Stewart had two rushing touchdowns.

If the Panthers can continue to run the football this way they may pull out a decent season after all.

Kurt Warner Turns the Ball Over Six Times

Many expected the Cardinals to have a strong game against the Panthers and run away with a victory. Instead Kurt Warner and the Cardinals struggled all day long and had a very bad loss.

Arizona had a golden opportunity to advance their lead over the 49ers with a victory but they failed to get the job done.

NFL Fantasy Football Player Rankings writer Sean E. Douglas: fantasy-info.com