FanHouse BrandonStokley

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?

We are only two weeks into the season, so this is not the time to let your preconceived notions -- or preseason hype -- cloud your train of thought. This is the time to make clear and concise decisions about the future of your team. First and foremost, you never cut your stars. But if somebody that kinda-sorta-marginal-to-decent guy ain't performing up to par, don't think twice before cutting him.

Week 1 of the NFL season featured some gut-wrenching losses and improbable finishes across the league. Take, for example, the Kyle Orton-to-Brandon Stokley 87-yard pass in the closing seconds of Denver's 12-7 win in Cincinnati. If that play had happened in a playoff game it would already have a fancy nickname and be talked about as one of the great fluke plays in the history of the NFL (which it most certainly is).

If that wasn't enough, Buffalo, yet again, was on the receiving end of a heart-breaking loss when it snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, surrendering an 11-point lead with five minutes to play thanks in large part to Leodis McKelvin's fumble with just over two-minutes to go in the fourth quarter.

(And that doesn't even include Hines Ward fumbling at the two-yard line during the season-opener on Thursday night, only to have the Steelers rebound and win in overtime.)

It was enough to make us look back at a few other mind-blowing finishes in recent sports history. These plays are great ... unless you happen to be a fan of one of the teams that blows it late.

With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, FanHouse is here to preview each and every team -- one per day until we've done them all.

Meet The ...
Kyle Orton Dead Arm Syndrome: a condition characterized by a complete lack of strength in the upper arm. Despite hosting the NFL's second most productive offense in 2008, averaging just shy of 400 yards per game, and the third best passing offense in the league, the introduction of Orton as the starting quarterback puts the kibosh on the productivity. Orton has a weak arm, relies heavily on check-down passes and makes bad decisions. In terms of supporting cast, the receivers are a huge upgrade from his days in Chicago with Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal, but Marshall wants out so be sure to keep a close eye on this situation. Also, new head coach and signal-caller Josh McDaniels runs a spread offense, so he'll need to rely on Orton probably more than anyone would ever want. I don't expect the offense to suffer immensely with a solid new batch of runners, but it definitely takes a dive from last season.

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It's the deadest part of the offseason, which means we'll be reading about things marginally related to football like top-50 players, doctored videos, visits to the Playboy Mansion, and, of course, Rodney Harrison, the NFL's dirtiest player.

While some NFL coaches agree that Harrison is one of the league's dirtiest players, ESPN.com's Mike Sando writes that there are plenty of other guys worthy of a little finger-pointing:

A review of data since 2001 shows Arizona Cardinals safety Adrian Wilson with a league-high 17 personal fouls. Harrison and New Orleans Saints defensive end Will Smith are tied for second with 14, followed by Patriots defensive lineman Richard Seymour (13), Miami Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor (12), late Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor (12) and Cleveland Browns defensive lineman Shaun Rogers (11).

According to 11 of 18 head coaches who responded to Sando, Cowboys' safety Roy Williams finished second behind Harrison (interestingly, Wade Phillips voted for Williams. Twice.*), followed by Antonio Pierce, Hines Ward, Kevin Mawae and Olin Kreutz.

Former Patriots teammate Deion Branch "draws a line between Harrison's hard-nosed play" and, say, Travis Johnson talking smack over a dying Trent Green. Not sure anybody would disagree on that on.

Brandon Stokley, who said he would've "bet his life savings" on Harrison earning top honors, also singled out Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan "as a player with bad intentions." And I'm pretty sure he doesn't mean that in a topless, sausage-party, "what about the kids?" way.

* Joke. Coaches were only allowed to vote once.

The Denver Broncos' starting wide receivers last year were Brandon Marshall, who is recovering from an arm injury suffered when he fell into a TV, and Javon Walker, who is no longer with the team.

Right now the No. 1 healthy receiver in Denver is Brandon Stokley, which is not a good place for a team to be, and Denver's need at wide receiver may be good news for Darrell Jackson, one of the few veteran wide receivers available. The Denver Post reports (via PFT) that the Broncos are "deep in discussions" with Jackson, a 29-year-old who caught 46 passes for 497 yards in 2007, his one and only season in San Francisco. He had three 1,000-yard seasons in Seattle.

Denver is also reportedly close to signing former Kansas City Chiefs receiver Samie Parker. If they add both Parker and Jackson, it would be a strong indication that they don't think they can count on Marshall to catch another 100 passes this year, either because his injury is too severe or because he'll continue to get into trouble off the field.

In Sunday's Boston Globe, Mike Reiss takes a look at the Colts' off-season to date. Basically, the team has lost more players than it has been able to sign during free agency. Gone are running back Dominic Rhodes, linebacker Cato June, cornerback Nick Harper, defensive lineman Montae Reagor and wideout Brandon Stokley.

Usually, losing three to four starters could be detrimental for a team's playoff hopes, but Indianapolis has been very proficient in recent seasons when it comes to player personnel matters. "So," Reiss asks, "why so little activity?" Team president Bill Polian provides some insight:

"Mainly because we've made some big mistakes in the past, Corey Simon being the most obvious one," he said. "We've had a modicum of success in it, but not a lot. We just feel the odds are very much against you. It's not a criticism of anyone who does it, but just the way we do things. We're not good at it, so we stay away from things we're not good at."

Unlike, say, the Redskins, the Colts look to restock the roster through the draft. Last year, their first-round pick, running back Joseph Addai, filled in nicely for Edgerrin James, who went on to make his fortune in Arizona. This year, Indy should have little trouble replacing Rhodes (who was a backup until last season); June (who basically signed a one-year "show me" deal with the Bucs) was a capable starter, but is replaceable; Harper is more suited to the nickel-back role; Stokley, while valuable, benefited more from Peyton Manning than vice versa. Reagor only played in five games last season and obviously didn't do enough to deem worthy of re-signing.

As long as Manning, Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark are on the roster, the passing game should be fine, and Addai solidifies the running game. Of course, the front office has to have a pretty successful draft to replace the lost production on the other side of the ball. And as has been the case the past few seasons, improving the run defense is at the top of the To Do list. Still, barring a catastrophic collapse, Indy should be a playoff team next season, and probably an early-season Super Bowl favorite.

I consider Denver the NFL's mecca for white wide receivers. They earned this reputation mainly through Ed McCaffrey, probably the best melanin-impaired wide receiver in recent NFL history. Easy Ed's pale visage in orange and blue remains an inspiration to "possession receivers" everywhere.

Through the years, Denver's also been home to Patrick Jeffers, Chris Doering, Kevin Kasper, Travis McGriff, and Keith Poole. All white. All wide receivers. All Broncos. I don't think anyone keeps statistics on these kinds of things, but I'm going to guess that Denver leads the league in white wide receivers employed over the last ten years.

And today, Denver would like to make Brandon Stokley the next to inherit the throne.

The Broncos have an interest in Stokley, who's also visited with the Saints. The pasty one could potentially start in Denver opposite Javon Walker, with Rod Smith coming back from injury and Brandon Marshall being unproven.

I don't see him making anyone forget Easy Ed, though ... being a solid slot receiver with Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne surrounding you, with Peyton Manning throwing the ball, is one thing. Putting up numbers in Denver with Jay Cutler throwing the ball is something else entirely.

Word just in from ESPN Radio has it that both Bob Sanders and Brandon Stokley will be ready to go for this weeks match-up against the Titans.

Sanders has been out nearly all season with a nagging knee injury. He returned for one game, which was the Patriots game, in which he made a huge impact for the defense. The run defense has been struggling this year and the missing piece has been Sanders. Having him back is a huge addition as it could be argued that he is now more valuable to the defense than Dwight Freeney is.

Brandon Stokley has also been out nearly all year with ankle and knee injuries. He returned for about 3 plays in the Texans game, one of which he scored a touchdown on. He then left the game with a knee injury that has kept him out since.

Look for Stokley to fill back in in the slot position Dallas Clark had been filling in at this position for Stokley while he was out and now Clark is hurt. The Colts also have Ricky Proehl to put in on the offense now. I would look for him on a 4 wide receiver formation or possibly switching off with Stokley in the slot. Then again, Stokley will probably get hurt again anyways. ("Knock on wood", Brandon...sorry, I had to)

According to the Colts' official website, coach Tony Dungy expects Bob Sanders to return to practice this Monday. It sounds as if he will be ready to play against the Redskins. Keep in mind that the Colts are on a bye this week. This is what Dungy had to say about Sanders.

Also Wednesday, Dungy said he expects safety Bob Sanders – who missed the last three games with a knee injury – to return to practice Monday. "I would think so," Dungy said.

This is great news for the Colts. The defense has been struggling with Sanders being out. Not only will the pass defense improve when he returns, but he is also a great run stopper. God knows we need those right now.

According to the article, the Colts dropped Gramatica this week, which would tell us that Adam Vinatieri is ready for his return. He has been out since week 1.

"We let him go with the caveat that if Adam's not OK, you can turn around and fly back," Dungy said. "He's on his way to Florida. Really, it was a great three weeks for him and for us. He filled in nicely, did everything we asked. It was one of those that was a win-win situation."

Brandon Stokley also missed practice with a sprained knee. His return is in question.

The Colts victory over the Texans came at a price today. Pro Bowl defensive end Dwight Freeney, wide receiver Brandon Stokley, and kicker Adam Vinatieri all left the game with injuries.

After making 3 field goals in the first three quarters, kicker Adam Vinatieri left the game. It is an apparent groin tweak and/or ankle injury but it doesn't seem to be very serious. The details are pretty vague at this point, but apparently Adam was seen with a big smile on his face, waiving to fans after the game. He should be fine.

The biggest scare was Dwight Freeney leaving the game. He went down and left the game with an apparent upper leg injury (hamstring maybe). He seemed to leave the field in some pain. He walked off under his own power but then went to the locker room.

Brandon Stokley also left the game and returned to the sideline in the second half with street clothes on and he had a boot on his foot. It is the same ankle that has been bothering him all season. He was quoted as saying he wanted to go back into the game, but that doesn't seem to match his situation.

Marlin Jackson and Ben Utecht also left the game with injuries.

I'll update this once more information comes out on the injuries. There isn't much right now.