FanHouse Anthony Gonzalez

We're back, albeit a few days late. Matt Snyder and Tom Herrera bring you the weekly FanHouse fantasy football podcast on a Saturday this week, for various administrative reasons -- none of which have anything to do with fantasy football. We will discuss the return of Brian Westbrook and Calvin Johnson. Snyder defends his love of Steve Slaton, even in the face of adversity, we talk about how Austin Collie is who everyone thought Anthony Gonzalez would be and, finally, why Herrera recently had a Seinfeldian experience in New York (not really, but Snyder is Seinfeld obsessed). Take a listen after the jump.

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.

Whether it's torn, sprained, broken or just needs to be taped, Injuries to Watch will keep you up to date on injuries around the NFL and how they'll affect your fantasy football team.

Quarterback

• Aaron Rodgers, Packers - Rodgers sat out of practice on Wednesday with sprained right foot and sore toe on his left foot. He's not expected to participate in practice until Friday, but he is expected to play on Sunday.

• Matthew Stafford, Lions - Stafford practiced on Wednesday, but only as a limited participant. His right knee is banged up.

Stash or Trash tells you whether a prospective fantasy football pickup (or drop) is worthy of your roster spot.

It's getting to be that time of the football season when depth charts are rewritten in pencil, with an eraser handy, due to a plethora of circumstances. A player outside of the limelight may just be turning it on to become a force to be reckoned with. Or maybe injuries are beginning to take their toll and players who weren't counted on early will need to step up and perform.

Whatever the reason for a players' rise to prominence, if he's going to perform he needs to be on your fantasy football roster. It's that time of year to start stashing these upstart weapons -- one may turn into fantasy gold.

Whether it's torn, sprained, broken or just needs to be taped, Injuries to Watch will keep you up to date on injuries around the NFL and how they'll affect your fantasy football team.

Quarterback

• Trent Edwards, Bills - Edwards has been ruled out for Week 8. He participated in practice on Wednesday but only in a limited capacity. He's not recovering as quickly from the concussion as the medical staff would like, even though he's been cleared to play. Ryan Fitzpatrick will start in his place.

• Matthew Stafford, Lions - Stafford practiced fully on Tuesday but was limited on Wednesday with his knee injury. The fact that he practiced two days in a row is a step in the right direction, but it's still not known whether or not he'll be able to start on Sunday.

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

Since there appears to be little to nothing of real fantasy interest today, we'll just pick on T.O. with our lead in today. Halloween is just around the corner, so let's call attention to two of the most bizarre stories of 2009 to date: 1) We haven't heard a peep out of Terrell Owens and 2) Terrell Owens averages just two and half catches per game.

In even stranger news, according to Rotoworld via the Bills' Web site, coach Dick Jauron gave Terrell Owens the day off on Friday. Considering Owens' uncharacteristically poor performance thus far this season, this does not seem to be the most logical of times for Owens to be missing practice. Who knows, maybe coach Jauron thinks T.O. needs a good day out on the town with Ferris and Sloane in the old man's Ferrari to get his season back on track.

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.

The Montana-Young 49ers, the '70s Steelers, the '70s Dolphins, the '90s Cowboys, the Belichick-and-Brady Patriots: what do they all have in common? They are all-time great NFL teams that racked up many wins in a handful of seasons. You know what else they have in common? None of them have ever put together as impressive a regular season resume as the current Peyton Manning-era Colts.

That's right, after beginning this season 5-0, the Manning-era Colts are now 80-21 since the beginning of 2003. The '70s Steelers went 87-27-1 from 1972-1979. From 1981-1998, the 49ers were always pretty stout, but they never put together a six-plus season run where they played close to .800 ball like the current Colts (they came closest from 1987-1992 when they went 75-20). The '90s Cowboys went 70-20 in their best stretch. From 2001-2007, the Patriots went 86-26. Shula's '70s Dolphins, at 67-16-1, check in as the best competition.

So, these Colts should go down as one of the best teams of all-time, right? Uh, no. Not yet, at least.

For all the Parrotheads out there who consider themselves football fans -- and there must be a few -- tonight is your Woodstock. The Miami Dolphins host the Indianapolis Colts on Monday Night Football in revamped and renamed Land Shark Stadium, a moniker taken from Jimmy Buffett's personal beer. And Buffett himself may take the stage at some point, if rumors are true. If nothing else, 600 Parrotheads (the nickname for Buffett's heartiest fans) will dance to Buffett's song "Fins" during the halftime show. Dolphins part-owners Serena and Venus Williams, Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez are all expected to show, as well.

Oh, and then there's that football game. If it doesn't get lost in all the Sunshine State hoopla, it could be a dandy.

With attention spans dwindling, we forego full game-by-game previews to give you the essentials you need to know about every contest this glorious NFL weekend. We call it The Once-Over.

---

---