Sean Lalley Posts

Cut-N-Go is Fantasy Football FanHouse's weekday roundup of the NFL news with fantasy football impact.

It would appear that at long last our national fantasy football nightmare is over and Calvin Johnson is going to play this weekend. OK, let's be fair and emphasize the word "appears." Nothing is certain until I actually see Johnson in uniform and jogging onto the field. However, the notion and possibility of his return is probably the best news many Megatron owners such as myself have heard in quite sometime.

It's been far too long to not have this ubber stud in our line-ups. And trust me, this is speaking from a guy who owns Johnson in every single league. I drafted him in the first round every time around. He was who I wanted and this is not what I was expecting. Take the good with the bad, but I'm expecting all good if he finally plays again this weekend. And of course, it should also be noted he's the only player on the field that gives the Lions a chance to win a football game.

As a sidebar to this same story, Kevin Smith will most likely suit up and play for the Lions as well.

With most fantasy trade deadlines fast approaching you've got some tough decisions to make. Do you stand pat or do you let that deal go down? Let me be your voice of reason.

Remember a few weeks back when Steve Smith "North" was all the buzz? At the time, the joke was on Steve Smith "South" owners. The Steve Smith on the Giants went from waiver wire sensation to a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver option.

Well, that knock on the door you hear is reality ready to slap you in the face. The Steve Smith on the Giants is most certainly not an elite fantasy receiver. Sorry to break the news, but somebody had to do it.

It's another session of "Sink or Swim," Fantasy Football FanHouse's weekly look at the underachievers still lurking on many fantasy rosters. You've got the tough choices to make and we help you decide which direction to take. Do you cut the bait or give 'em one more chance to swim?

I'll start off first by stating the obvious, that the fantasy hot seat warning got the message through to Ryan Grant, Beanie Wells and Steve Smith last week. Thanks for answering the call, fellas. However, let's not get too excited -- I'm hardly expecting the suspect candidates this week to make instant amends for their most recent performances. We're gonna do things a little different this week and not pick on the stars, but rather the wannabe stars.

Everyone knew it was coming, but I was happy to anoint Owen Daniels to the fantasy tight end elite in this very space last week and he made me look wise. Well, a day late and a dollar short, let's welcome Vernon Davis into the upper echelon. You should feel good using either Daniels or Davis this weekend as they will continue to prove they deserve the praise bestowed upon them.

Also, there's something about Antonio Gates loving to face the Raiders. These occasions tend to bring out the best of times in Gates, who has scored seven touchdowns in his last ten games versus the Raiders. That's usually a good measure that Gates will be looking for the end zone this Sunday. And he very well could find it multiple times. Thus, he must lead the way in our ranks this week.

As for the rest of the ranks...

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Cut-N-Go is Fantasy Football FanHouse's weekday roundup of the NFL news with fantasy football impact.

Well, Adrian Peterson was seen as "limited" in yet another mid-week practice. However, isn't this becoming familiar ground? The guy ranks amongst the tops in the league for total carries and touches on the season. He takes a pounding and always gets back up for more. It's as if we just want to circle him as an injury liability, when despite missing a few games as a rookie – he's maintained a pretty consistent healthy track record in the NFL.

Of course the guy is sore and of course he's not going to be going full steam with this current ankle injury. As usual, the Vikings disclosed very little on the Peterson ankle injury. You have to monitor the situation, but it doesn't sound as if it's a high ankle sprain, which would certainly put AP on the pine. He is looking at a very tough and physical matchup with the Steelers this weekend. Considering it's AP, though, don't bench him. You never bench him.

It's another session of "Sink or Swim," Fantasy Football FanHouse's weekly look at the underachievers still lurking on many fantasy rosters. You've got the tough choices to make and we help you decide which direction to take. Do you cut the bait or give 'em one more chance to swim?

Welcome everyone to the fantasy hot seat. Where do I even begin? Bye weeks are upon us and it's certainly time for you to make a push for the playoffs. Do you have some dead weight sitting on your roster or even starting for you right now? Relax; most of us are in similar situations. Today, I'd like to welcome in a few guys who were snatched in the early rounds of most drafts and our favorite rookie running back pegged to do damage.

Yes, let's give a warm welcome on the hot seat to Beanie Wells, Steve Smith and Ryan Grant.

We all knew Owen Daniels had the potential to be a top-tier fantasy tight end. He was coming off a solid season a year ago, had a very good offense surrounding him and saw plenty of looks. However, something has changed this season. Daniels is on a tear and he's on pace to shatter his previous career highs in catches, yards, and more importantly, touchdowns. And as fantasy owners we love to hear that he's cashing in by scoring. So, welcome to the elite Owen ... we've been waiting for you for some time.

This weekend Daniels draws the 49ers and should continue his ascension to greatness. As for the usual suspects? Well, Dallas Clark is back in action against a horrible Rams defense, Antonio Gates draws the Chiefs, Tony Gonzalez and Jason Witten square off in tight end showcase as the Cowboys host the Falcons. In short, this is shaping up to be a good weekend if you own one of the top-flight fantasy tight end options.

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Cut-N-Go is Fantasy Football FanHouse's weekday roundup of the NFL news with fantasy football impact.

It would appear that the Lions aren't going to take their chances with QB Matthew Stafford and WR Calvin Johnson, as all signs indicate they won't be in action at Green Bay this weekend. You probably weren't starting Stafford and the news on Johnson was kind of expected. However, that certainly doesn't ease the pain of losing the production of Megatron (who has historically torched the Packers). The suggestion would be to hit the wire now if you're looking for a replacement.

It's not the best news for the present tense, but in the long run this should help Calvin get back to health. You certainly don't want your stud WR catering to a lingering injury the remainder of the season. As a Megatron owner, I'm totally cool with letting him rest up and get healthy over the course of the next two weeks (the Lions have a bye in Week 7). Just keep your frustrations in check, because when he gets back into action in Week 8, the Rams will be waiting. Ok, I just talked myself down.

So what else is newsworthy heading into the weekend games?

There are plenty of solid options to be had this weekend at the tight end position. Sure, Dallas Clark, Jason Witten and Vernon Davis are all on the bye week. If you need to replace one of those guys this week, you'll be able to get by via playing the matchups correctly. (As a side note: it just feels right to have Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates back atop the fantasy tight end hierarchy)

Both Gonzo and Gates have prime-time favorable matchups that they should very well dominate. On the heels of his monster game against the Eagles, Kellen Winslow has caught our eye and deserves even more attention based upon the soft matchup against the Panthers. It hasn't hurt that Josh Johnson is locked in on Winslow as his new favorite target. Chris Cooley and Brent Celek are also eying down cupcake matchups. You're in good shape if you're starting any of these guys.

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It's another session of "Sink or Swim," Fantasy Football FanHouse's weekly look at the underachievers still lurking on many fantasy rosters. You've got the tough choices to make and we help you decide which direction to take. Do you cut the bait or give 'em one more chance to swim?

Did you not think this was coming? Really, you thought this was going to end well? I'm not talking simply about Terrell Owens, rather the entire Bills offense. There was Marshawn Lynch coming off a suspension, a dismantled offensive line, a sketchy QB, and one fired offensive coordinator to add to the misery. Yup, that's a pretty good omen that bad things were on the horizon for the Bills offense.