The 49ers needed to build some confidence this week with a solid victory against the Jaguars. Win the 49ers did as their defense dominated the Jaguars all day and Alex Smith was sharp in the shot gun.

Alex Smith is Coming Along

If the 49ers can get some good offensive linemen in free agency this offseason than I believe Smith will have solid success in the future.

In this game, the 49ers allowed Smith to throw the football out of the shot gun offense, and he looked solid. For the game Smith was 27 of 41 passing for 232 yards and two touchdown passes.

Five different players had at least four receptions as the 49ers rolled to a 20 to 3 victory over Jacksonville.

Jags Loss Important Game

This was the game the Jaguars needed if they were going to be a playoff team. The 49ers are a losing team and if Jacksonville has any hope of being a playoff team this year, or in the future they need to win these games.

MJD and the rest of the offense were basically shut down all day as this team has had a horrible time playing on the west coast.

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

Many expected the Buffalo Bills to lay down and get blown out against the Jaguars, but instead they gave them a fight. With a new head coach, the Bills seemed to be rejuvenated as Terrell Owens had one of his better days in his career.

TO Goes Wild

This has been a pathetic season for Owens, but he has picked it up in recent weeks. Against the Titans Owens had 85 yards on three receptions and in this game, he was fabulous. On nine receptions Owens posted 197 yards and a touchdown.

The touchdown catch was the highlight of the game as Owens hauled in a 98-yards completion for the score. This touchdown was the longest of Owens’s career.

In the past two weeks Owens yards per catch have been over 21 yards as he is starting to show his explosion once again.

Give serious consideration to starting Owens again in your fantasy football league.

Jags Pull Out a Victory

This wasn’t a pretty game for the Jaguars but in the end, they found a way to win. Maurice Jones- Drew was held down by one of the worst defenses against the run and David Garrard was harassed all day.

In the end Garrard found Mike Sims-Walker for a game winning touchdown with less than two minutes remaining.

Next week the Jaguars will travel to San Francisco and take on the 49ers. Expect the 49ers to give them another strong game.

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

This season has been a bumpy ride for Texans star running back Steve Slaton. The season low for fantasy football owners with Slaton had to be when he was benched against the Bills and Ryan Moats had a huge game.

Because of Slaton’s fumbling issue’s head coach Gary Kubiak continued to go with Moats as his starter when the Texans faced off against the Colts a week later.

Bye Week Magic?

After the Texans lost a close game to the Colts they went into their week ten bye with question marks still looming around their running game.

Over this time off Slaton was busy working on his ball handling skills and watching film of Tiki Barber running the football. Barber was a smaller running back like Slaton and in the early part of his starting career, he had trouble holding onto the football.

Barber corrected his fumbling mistakes with a new ball holding technique, and it saved his career as a starting runner.

Not only did Slaton watch film of Barber, but he went back and talked to old college coaches from West Virgina to see if they had any pointers on what he was doing different.

This commitment and attention to detail must have paid off in the eye’s of his head coach because two days before their Monday night game against the Titans, Slaton has officially won his starting job back.

Fantasy Game Plan for Using Steve Slaton

This week is a tough matchup for Slaton and the Texans running game, so I wouldn’t recommend starting Slaton as more than a flex play at best. However, if Slaton shows that he has used his off time well and starts playing the way we all know he can then he could do some damage down the stretch.

After this week Slaton has the Colts, Jaguars, Seahawks, Rams and Dolphins for the rest of the fantasy football season. Those last three opponents listed are all games during the fantasy football playoffs.

Look for Slaton to shine now that he’s back in the saddle again.

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

This was a big game for both teams as they were both looking to stay in the playoff hunt. The Jaguars pulled out the road victory over the Jets, as they squeaked by with a 24 to 22 victory.

MJD Headlines Win

Maurice Jones-Drew will be one of the top three running backs taken in fantasy football drafts next season and this week’s performance is a reason why.

For the game MJD had 24 carries for 123 yards rushing and a touchdown. Not only did Drew help out on the ground but he also had two receptions for 22 yards in the passing game.

Drew has the ability to not only be a force on the ground but he is a terrific touchdown maker and a solid pass catcher. His fantasy value is best served in PPR leagues and in fantasy leagues that give bonus points for long touchdown scores.

Another player that is helping this offense is breakout No. 1 receiver Mike Sims-Walker. This third year receiver had another solid game this week with three catches for 49 yards and a touchdown score.

Look for Walker to continue to help your fantasy team for the rest of the season as they need his production in the air.

Thomas Jones has Decent Day

Fantasy football owners with Thomas Jones will take his 77 yards and touchdown run on the ground, but I’m sure they were hoping for more. The Jets were not able to open the big holes for Jones to have a monster day in this one.

While it is disappointing to see Jones not produce more yardage in this game I’m sure will have some big games the rest of the way.

Next week the Jets play the Patriots but after that they face the Panthers, Bills and Buccaneers all in a row. Everyone of those games Jones should have solid days.

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

The Tennessee Titans finally got their first win of the season last week against the Jaguars and came to San Francisco looking to make it two wins in a row. While the game was close going into the 4th quarter, it was the Titans that came out victorious in the end.

Chris Johnson a Top Fantasy Back

It’s time to say that Chris Johnson is one of the elite fantasy football running backs. No doubt Johnson was a top ten fantasy back coming into this season but next year he will be a top three.

Johnson’s explosiveness is amazing and at times it looks like everyone else around him is running in slow motion. That is probably because everyone else on the field can’t run a 4.2/ 40 yard dash time.

In this game Johnson had 25 carries for 135 yards rushing and two touchdowns. He also put things together in the passing game as he had three catches for twenty five yards.

Johnson should continue to have a strong second half of the season as the Titans look much improved from their play earlier in the season.

49ers Continue to Struggle

Frank Gore had a good game and Vernon Davis had ten catches for over 100 yards receiving. These efforts are just a part of the reason why I believe this team is getting better than years past.

The 49ers are coming along as a team, even if the wins aren’t stacking up in their favor of late. Hopefully, they can get a win next week on Thursday night against the Bears.

If they lose that game they will be on a five game losing streak. That would be a shame as they seem to play hard most weeks.

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

The time has officially come for Vince Young to be a starting quarterback once more in the NFL. It seems like a long time ago when Kerry Collins took over the starting duties last year and Young road the pine.

This weekend Young will have his first chance to prove he is fantasy worthy when the Titans face off against the Jaguars. What is funny about Young getting his chance to start this week is that this was the very team he faced at home when he last started an NFL game.

This time around should be different for Young in the sense that Tennessee has better weapons around him to succeed than in years past. With receivers like Justin Gage, Nate Washington and emerging young talent Kenny Britt, Young now has weapons to throw to in the passing game.

Not only does Young have three solid targets at receiver but he also has an explosive young running back in Chris Johnson to balance the offense.

A Need to Throw

Since the Titans are one of the leagues worst defenses against the pass, they will need to throw the football more often. This isn’t great for the Titans from a team perspective, but it is good from a fantasy perspective for Young’s value.

With teams posting more points against the Titans and Young’s new weapons, I believe it is reasonable to believe he could potentially be something by years end. Don’t get me wrong and think that I’m suggesting you go out and make him a start, but I do suggest you take a look at stashing him away on your roster.

Like we found out a season ago with Tom Brady it only takes one play and your super star fantasy quarterback is down for the count.

Just Look at Seasons Past

One year that stands out in my mind when the Titans were in this type of situation is 2004. That season the Titans were out of the playoff hunt (finished at 5-11), and they started throwing the football like crazy.

Down the stretch of that fantasy football season players like quarterback Billy Volek and wide receiver Drew Bennett became fantasy stars.

We may not see that kind of aggressive passing from the Titans right away but as the weeks move along coach Jeff Fisher may turn his passing game lose and let it fly.

Fantasy Football Ranking for Vince Young

Right now I consider Vince Young and Kenny Britt to be solid fantasy waiver wire pickups. Young is getting a second opportunity, and if he’s smart he won’t miss a chance to impress his team and teams that may be prospecting him.

Britt on the other had is intriguing as fellow receiver Nate Washington seems to have continued health issues. This week Washington is having quad issues and has missed multiple days of practice.

If Washington misses the game this week, Britt could make for a sneaky play against Jacksonville.

The Titans’ schedule is favorable against the pass for the rest of the season and this team should find a decent level of success.

Pickup Young and stash him away if you have the roster depth. At this time, I wouldn’t recommend using him, unless your desperate for a bye week fill in.

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

Last week we saw the big quarterback like Tom Brady and Drew Brees come out and have big weeks. This week I expect these men to continue their strong play as Brady faces the Buccaneers and Brees goes to play the Dolphins.

Hopefully, if you’re in a head to head fantasy football league you don’t have to face either of these players.

This week we have our weekly section on wounded warriors, as well as our top rankings for top position players. We have the top 16 ranked QB, TE, K and D/ST ranked. We also have the top 30 RB’s and top 35 WR’s as well.

Every week we will start off with our wounded warrior’s section. These are the key players that are on the injury report that you need to pay attention too before games begin.

Wounded Warriors

Quarterbacks

Matthew Stafford Bye Week: There have been rumors in recent days that Matthew Stafford’s season may be overdue to a knee injury. Stafford has come out and said the rumors are just that, and he doesn’t believe his season is over.

IF Stafford should miss more time after the bye, then Daunte Culpepper should continue to start. Last week Culpepper was replaced by Drew Stanton because he tweaked his hamstring.

Running Backs

Adrian Peterson @ Steelers: The Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson injured his ankle in the Vikings’ contest against the Ravens. On Monday, Peterson said that the ankle feels fine, and he will be ready to go for this week.

Frank Gore @ Texans: The 49ers top offensive weapon Frank Gore will be a go this weekend against the Texans. Gore had missed the past two games with an ankle injury he suffered against the Vikings week three.

Look for Gore to carry the offense as they will have Michael Crabtree starting at receiver.

Wide Receivers

Steve Smith vs Bills: The Panthers top receiver Steve Smith limped off the field with a knee injury against the Buccaneers. He did come back and play in the second half but only had one reception for four yards.

Smith is having a very bad start to the season as he does not have a touchdown. Teams are double teaming him and there is no other receiver to help take pressure off him. Hopefully, the knee injury doesn’t linger and effect his speed.

Donnie Avery vs Colts: Donnie Avery injured his hip during the game against the Jaguars. After testing it has been determined that Avery is day to day with his injury.

This is an unfortunate injury as Avery had an early touchdown, and it looked like he might have a big day. Hopefully, he can recover soon.

Quarterbacks

• Tom Brady vs Buccaneers (Game is in England)
• Drew Brees @ Dolphins
• Peyton Manning @ Rams
• Philip Rivers @ Chiefs
• Aaron Rodgers @ Browns
• Matt Schaub vs 49ers
• Ben Roethlisberger vs Vikings
• Kurt Warner @ Giants
• Eli Manning vs Cardinals
• Donovan McNabb @ Redskins
• Jay Cutler @ Bengals
• Tony Romo vs Falcons
• Matt Ryan @ Cowboys
• Carson Palmer vs Bears
• Brett Favre @ Steelers
• Shaun Hill @ Texans

Running Backs

• Adrian Peterson @ Steelers
• Frank Gore @ Texans
• DeAngelo Williams vs Bills
• Matt Forte @ Bengals
• Thomas Jones @ Raiders
• Ronnie Brown vs Saints
• Steven Jackson vs Colts
• Brian Westbrook @ Redskins
• Michael Turner @ Cowboys
• Marion Barber vs Falcons
• Pierre Thomas @ Dolphins
• Cedric Benson vs Bears
• Steve Slaton vs 49ers
• Ahmad Bradshaw vs Cardinals
• Jonathan Stewart vs Bills
• Ryan Grant @ Browns
• LaDainian Tomlinson @ Chiefs
• Marshawn Lynch @ Panthers
• Joseph Addai @ Rams
• Brandon Jacobs vs Cardinals
• Larry Johnson vs Chargers
• Rashard Mendenhall vs Vikings
• Cadallac Williams vs Patriots (Game is in England)
• Laurence Maroney vs Buccaneers (Game is in England)
• Jamal Lewis vs Packers
• Donald Brown @ Rams
• Tim Hightower @ Giants
• Ricky Williams vs Saints
• LeSean McCoy @ Redskins
• Darren Sproles @ Chiefs
• Leon Washington @ Raiders

Wide Receivers

• Randy Moss vs Buccaneers
• Andre Johnson vs 49ers
• Reggie Wayne @ Rams
• Santonio Holmes vs Vikings
• Larry Fitzgerald @ Giants
• Greg Jennings @ Browns
• Roddy White @ Cowboys
• Marques Colston @ Dolphins
• Wes Welker vs Buccaneers
• Chad Ochocinco vs Bears
• DeSean Jackson @ Redskins
• Dwayne Bowe vs Chargers
• Vincent Jackson @ Chiefs
• Miles Austin vs Falcons
• Steve Smith (NY) vs Cardinals
• Donald Driver @ Browns
• Hines Ward vs Vikings
• Steve Smith (Car) vs Bills
• Devin Hester @ Bengals
• Pierre Garcon @ Rams
• Donnie Avery vs Colts ( Check Injury Report)
• Terrell Owens @ Panthers
• Braylon Edwards @ Raiders
• Mario Manningham vs Cardinals
• Steve Breaston @ Giants
• Sidney Rice @ Steelers
• Ted Ginn Jr. vs Saints
• Lee Evans @ Panthers
• Santana Moss vs Eagles
• Kevin Walter vs 49ers
• Johnny Knox @ Bengals
• Lavernous Coles vs Bears
• Jeremy Maclin @ Redskins
• Bernard Berrian @ Steelers
• Robert Meachum @ Dolphins

Tight Ends

• Antonio Gates @ Chiefs
• Dallas Clark @ Rams
• Jason Witten vs Falcons
• Tony Gonzalez @ Cowboys
• Brent Celek @ Redskins
• Owen Daniels vs 49ers
• Visanthe Shaincoe @ Steelers
• Vernon Davis @ Texans
• Heath Miller vs Vikings
• Kellen Winslow vs Patriots
• Greg Olsen @ Bengals
• Chris Cooley vs Eagles
• Dustin Keller @ Raiders
• Jermichael Finley @ Browns
• Zach Miller vs Jets
• Jeremy Shockey @ Dolphins

Kickers

• Nick Folk vs Falcons
• Stephin Gostkowski vs Buccaneers
• Mason Crosby @ Browns
• Jason Elam @ Cowboys
• Nate Kaeding @ Chiefs
• Robbie Gould @ Bengals
• Joe Nedney @ Texans
• Shayne Graham vs Bears
• Lawrence Tynes vs Cardinals
• Niel Rackers @ Giants
• Kris Brown vs 49ers
• John Kasey vs Bills
• Dave Akers @ Redskins
• Ryan Longwell @ Steelers
• Rian Lindell @ Panthers
• Josh Brown vs Colts

Defense/ ST

• Packers @ Browns
• Jets @ Raiders
• Eagles @ Redskins
• Colts @ Rams
• Patriots vs Buccaneers
• Chargers @ Chiefs
• Saints @ Dolphins
• Vikings @ Steelers
• Panthers vs Bills
• Giants vs Cardinals
• Bears @ Bengals
• Cowboys vs Falcons
• Bengals vs Bears
• Falcons @ Cowboys
• Steelers vs Vikings
• Redskins vs Eagles

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

As we move closer to the end of October, the weather around the country is starting to change. With this change in the running backs will start to come out and be a stronger influence in fantasy football contests.

However, for quarterbacks like Tom Brady it just doesn’t seem to matter what the weather is like as he boomed on the Titans in the snow.

This week the Ravens, Broncos, Lions, Jaguars, Seahawks and Titans are all on bye weeks. No doubt fantasy football owners will be scrambling to the waiver wire and their benches to fill holes.

Below we have our top border line players at different positions that are worth starting and worth sitting for the seventh week of the NFL fantasy football season.

Start’Em

Quarterbacks

• Ben Roethlisberger vs Vikings
• Jay Cutler @ Bengals
• Tony Romo vs Falcons

Running Backs

• Laurence Maroney vs Buccaneers (Game is in England)
• Marshawn Lynch @ Panthers
• Ahmad Bradshaw vs Cardinals
• Joseph Addai @ Rams

Wide Receivers

• Mario Manningham vs Cardinals
• Miles Austin vs Falcons
• Kevin Walter vs 49ers
• Pierre Garcon @ Rams

Tight Ends

• Visanthe Shaincoe @ Steelers
• Brent Celek @ Redskins

Kickers

• Robbie Gould @ Bengals
• Dave Akers @ Redskins

Defenses

• Colts @ Rams
• Packers vs Browns

Sit’Em

Quarterbacks

• Mark Sanchez @ Raiders
• Carson Palmer vs Bears
• Derek Anderson All the Time

Running Back

• Rashard Mendenhall vs Vikings
• Tashard Choice vs Falcons
• Tim Hightower @ Giants

Wide Receivers

• Laveranues Coles vs Bears

Defense/ ST

• Vikings @ Steelers
• Giants vs Cardinals
• Bears @ Bengals

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

The Rams have had another miserable start to the season and one would hope they can turn it around. Against the Vikings at the end of the game Donnie Avery caught a touchdown pass from Marc Bulger, and I’m hoping this connection can produce from here.

Avery is now the No.1 receiver in St. Louis and ironically the man that used to be is playing against the Rams this week. That man is Jaguars veteran receiver Torry Holt and to be honest he hasn’t done much in Jacksonville.

Steven Jackson Needs Avery to Produce

Now, Avery is probably not on many fantasy football teams because of the Rams anemic ways. I do believe he can be a productive fantasy football receiver this season, but he needs to get things turned around.

A season ago Avery started out slow but around this time of the year he started to get hot. While he did fade away in the second half, you could see this young receiver had talent and was fantasy relevant.

One player that has even more fantasy relevance in St. Louis is their star running back Steven Jackson. Right now, Jackson is desperate for the Rams to start having some respectability in the passing game.

With no respect in the passing game defenses are loading up to stop Jackson and are doing a very good job of bottling him up.

Understanding this it is easy to understand why Jackson is having another slow start to the season.

Furthermore, this is why I didn’t believe Jackson was even close to a top ten fantasy running back coming into the season.

It’s not that Jackson is a bad runner, it’s just that he has a very bad team around him.

Fantasy Football Ranking for Donnie Avery

If Avery can get something started this weekend against the Jaguars, I would recommend you pick him up on your fantasy football team. This young man is still the top receiver on this team, and eventually he will have success.

Below I have a list of the Rams’ schedule from here on out, and as you can see Avery has much better opportunities than he did early on.

• Wk. 6- @ Jaguars
• Wk. 7- Colts
• Wk. 8- @ Lions
• Wk. 9- Bye Week
• Wk. 10- Saints
• Wk. 11- Cardinals
• Wk. 12- Seahawks
• Wk. 13- @ Bears
• Wk. 14- @ Titans
• Wk. 15- Texans
• Wk. 16- @ Cardinals

With a good schedule to pass against the rest of the season, look for Avery and Jackson to start producing better fantasy football numbers.

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

When Matt Hasselbeck strapped it up against the Jacksonville Jaguars it was painfully obvious that he is the difference maker for this team. The Seattle Seahawks offense has been horrible in the past few weeks without their pro bowl quarterback under center.

Fantasy football values of players like T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Nate Burleson and John Carlson were almost in the gutter without their leader.

Against the Jags, Carlson didn’t have a big game but Burleson and Houshmandzadeh did. Both wide receivers had at least six receptions and both had multiple touchdowns.

Hasselbeck was on point as he threw four touchdown passes in a 41-0 route at home.

Now, the Seahawks have new life after a horrible three game losing streak as they have the Arizona Cardinals coming to town. If the Seahawks can win this game it will be a huge division win and pull them back to being a .500 ball club.

It’s Not Just Wins That Matter

It’s always nice to see your fantasy football players on winning teams that are fighting for the playoffs. However, what is even more important than the teams success is how much success your fantasy player is having for your team.

With Hasselbeck in, not only are the Seahawks dramatically better, but your fantasy football players are solid. Without Hasselbeck most of the players on this team are hardly even worth starting in any week.

Please, Please Me

If your fantasy football players have any hopes of pleasing you for the rest of the season, they will need Hasselbeck on the field. This is unfortunate as I thought Seneca Wallace would be a much more reliable backup quarterback by this point in his career.

I’m not sure if he’s a guy that burns the candle at both ends (parties at night), or if he has just regressed over the past few years. No doubt, the offensive line is not what it once was and that has contributed to his struggles.

In the end, the bottom line is that Wallace is not a good quarterback right now and the drop off when his is in is very dramatic.

If Hasselbeck can stay healthy the rest of the season he will have a great passing schedule to go against. Below I have Seattle’s schedule from week six to week sixteen.

• Wk. 6- Cardinals
• Wk. 7- Bye Week
• Wk. 8- @ Cowboys
• Wk. 9- Lions
• Wk. 10- @ Cardinals
• Wk. 11- @ Vikings
• Wk. 12- @ Rams
• Wk. 13- 49ers
• Wk. 14- @ Texans
• Wk. 15- Buccaneers
• Wk. 16- @ Packers

As you can see this schedule is very inviting for a good quarterback to take advantage of. If Hasselbeck stays healthy he will have a big season.

Fantasy Football Ranking for Matt Hasselbeck

Hasselbeck should be started every week if you are in 10-team fantasy football league or higher. If you don’t have a stronger option in 8-team fantasy football leagues than expect Hasselbeck to still be a solid producer for your team.

In only two full starts this season Hasselbeck already has seven touchdowns. Look for Burleson, Houshmandzadeh and Carlson to be valuable fantasy football players as long as this man is under center.

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