FanHouse CedricBenson

Even when the Bengals drafted Chris Perry 26th overall in 2004, there were skeptics. In addition to Kevin Jones still being on the board (he was rated higher coming out of college, although his NFL career hasn't been particularly noteworthy), there were concerns about Perry's durability and whether he could be an every-down NFL running back.

(Not to mention he was from the Big-10, which is only slightly less conspicuous that wearing an "I'm a bona fide bust!" hat on stage at Radio City Music Hall after hearing the commissioner call your name.)

As it turned out, both were a problem. He played in just two games as a rookie, and mustered nine starts over four seasons, amassing 606 rushing yards (3.4 yards per carry) and two touchdowns. And today, the Bengals released him.

We've already given a single post to each of the seemingly most relevant fantasy football impact players from the NFL Draft -- we say seemingly because bust-hood is always a possibility in this business -- but those are by no means the only players who might matter in this coming season. With that in mind, here are the rest of the guys who's impact will be felt:

LeSean McCoy, RB, Eagles (Round 2): If you end up with Brian Westbrook, you absolutely must have McCoy. The shifty stud from Pittsburgh is exactly the type of back Westbrook is, which means he can thrive in this offense.

With the not-so-shocking news that the Broncos and Jay Cutler will be filing for their inevitable divorce, more than a handful of teams in the NFL will surely be trying to get their hands on the Pro Bowl signal-caller. Apparently, the Bears are among those who will be in hot pursuit.

I have been very critical of Bears' brass in the past, namely general manager Jerry Angelo and head coach Lovie Smith, when it comes to building an offense. They sure know their defense, but for every Matt Forte there is a Rex Grossman (he was a first-rounder, remember?) or Cedric Benson (fourth pick overall). Should they pull off a deal for Cutler, though, I'd gladly eat crow.

For a four-year span, the Cincinnati Bengals were an offensive juggernaut, a fantasy player's delight. In 2009, though, that all came unraveled in almost exaggerated fashion. It's true we warned you to be afraid of the Bengals, but even the FanHouse geniuses couldn't have predicted this. The Bengals finished dead last in football in total offense. They checked in, again, at number 32 with only a paltry 12.8 points per game.

That's embarrassing territory for a team who had grown accustomed to lighting up the scoreboard. Can we expect a bounce-back from the once dominant offense?

On Monday, the Seahawks signed T.J. Houshmandzadeh to a five-year, $40 million deal. Great news for Seattle -- Matt Hasselbeck will finally have a legit pass-catching threat (a seldom-healthy Deion Branch doesn't count) -- but the Bengals were suddenly down to Chad Ocho Cinco in the reliable wide receiver department. (Yikes.)

Apparently, the thought of starting the season with Chris Henry, Jerome Simpson and Andre Caldwell was enough to motivate historically cheap Bengals owner Mike Brown into action, presumably at the behest of head coach Marvin Lewis. Whatever the impetus, Cincy has a new-old Houshmandzadeh: Laveranues Coles. Via NFL.com's Adam Schefter, Coles signed a four-year, $28 million contract.

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Cedric Benson is coming back to Cincinnati. The deal -- two years, $7 million -- is a far cry from the $17 million guaranteed over three years Cedric received from the Bears to begin his NFL career back in 2005, but it beats sitting at home and waiting for the phone to ring, too.

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On Tuesday, the Bengals re-signed the former Texas running back after having plucked him from obscurity last September. The Bears had released Benson for on-field ineffectiveness and off-field silliness, but he had a resurgence of sorts in Cincy. In 12 games, Benson rushed for 747 yards (3.5 average yards per carry) and two touchdowns.

Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 2009 Offseason Roadmaps for front offices to navigate through the summer.

It could be argued that the Cincinnati Bengals did well to win four games in 2008. They were missing their star quarterback, Carson Palmer, for the majority of the season. That left the job to an overmatched Ryan Fitzpatrick, who did his best, but was saddled with a bad running game, worse offensive line and not much defense. The Bengals found a way to win three straight at the end of the season, finishing 4-11-1.

There are many areas for improvement as the Bengals make their way toward 2009 trying like crazy to avoid doing 2008 over again. Luckily, kicker is not one of those areas of need.

Compared to what Lions fans are dealing with, folks in Kansas City and Cincinnati are rooting for a team that is on the right track. Of course, we all know that isn't true, as the Chiefs just capped off a 2-14 season, their worst in franchise history.

They did manage to win two games, but this truly was one of the worst teams in NFL history. Counting last year, they have lost 23 of 25 games. The Chiefs recorded just 10 sacks this season, breaking the record for least sacks in a season (the Colts had 11 in 1982).

What is amazing is that they were sharing the field with the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals have been one of the worst franchises in the NFL over the past 17 years and were 1-11-1 just three weeks ago. An upset win over the Redskins and wins over the listless Browns and Chiefs gave Cincy a nice three-game winning streak to end the season. It also gives an excuse for owner Mike Brown to stay the course and keep head coach Marvin Lewis.

I'm just gonna be real right now: Your fantasy league should be over. It's one of those things about which we've all pretty much made an unwritten pact. When people like Peyton Manning will likely not be playing because their teams want them to rest, you shouldn't have a fantasy relevant game. That's why we don't play in the preseason.

All that being said, there are leagues out there with a championship game this week. Since we are committed to helping you win your league title no matter what, we'll still be helping you out. In lieu of positional rankings -- due to a limited audience -- we'll sift through each position and give some pointers. We'll also examine guys who need to play well, as well as those who won't factor at all.

Feel free to leave specific lineup questions in the comments section, and we'll answer. We'll also be having a shortened -- yet quite effective -- Tailgate Sunday morning.

Again, we want you to win ... even if that means supporting you when your league is mishandled.

Each week in the NFL, there are players that impress and players that distress. One week a certain quarterback might toss four touchdowns and run around with his finger in the air while the next he's laying on his back, holding his facemask as the other team returns one of his three interceptions for the game-winning score. With that in mind, here's Studs and Duds.

Here's Week 16 at a glance, where we point out the horses destined for the Kentucky Derby and jeer those headed to the glue factory. (Disclaimer: This will only be for the Sunday games, since you probably can't even remember the Thursday gaes at this point.)

Studs

Matt Cassel, QB New England (20-for-36, 345 yards, 3 TDs) -- If you had to grade Cassel's performance this season after being tossed to the wolves, I'd say it is an "AAAAAA+++++++." Sure, he has looked mediocre at times, but when Tom Brady went down in the first week of the season, every Patriots fan I know mailed in their playoff or Super Bowl hopes. His game against the Cardinals in the snow was his second straight with three touchdowns or more and his fourth in the last six games with a passer rating of 103 or more. Whatever happens next week with the Jets-Dolphins, one thing is quickly being a certainty -- Cassel could make Washington/Chicago/Minnesota a pretty scary team next season.