FanHouse Johnny Knox

With the beginning of the NFL Network's glorious Thursday night football beginning this week, fantasy football FanHouse is bringing you a preview for each and every Thursday night game from here on out. You've already seen the rankings, but things can change before Sunday. One thing that can't change? Your lineup choices for the guys playing Thursday evening. That's why we're here.

The Bears enter the game having lost three of their last four (the one win was at home over the hapless Browns). Their defense has plummeted from a respectable unit to one pretty easily shredded, whether via ground or air. The Niners come in having lost four straight and five of their last six. They are ranked fourth in the NFL in run defense and 24th against the pass.

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 pointing skyward, 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.

Studs

Carson Palmer, QB Cincinnati (20-24, 233 yards, 5 TDs) -- There was an interesting moment during "Hard Knocks" on HBO this year when Palmer was giving his center, Kyle Cook, a little bit of grief about the smell that Carson had on his hand after taking snaps. It was essentially boys being boys, but Palmer played it well and had some fun at the expense of Cook.

On Sunday, Snyder pointed out that Bears rookie Johnny Knox almost pulled a "DeSean" on his 106-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

Lost amid that conversation was the fact that the Bears' ball boy outran the entire Lions special teams down the field as Knox -- possibly the fastest player in the NFL -- made his way to the end zone.

Moving pictures after the jump.

Did the injury bug hit your fantasy football team like it was a car windshield moving at 100 MPH? If so, it may be time to do some Damage Control.

Quarterback

• Eli Manning, Giants - Manning was diagnosed with inflamed tissue in his right foot following an MRI at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan. The Giants' team physician has cleared him to play this weekend against Oakland if he can tolerate the pain.

• Matthew Stafford, Lions - Stafford was forced to leave the game early on Sunday with a knee injury. It turns out the kneecap popped out of joint and then right back in. He's going to be reevaluated this week.

Remember the boneheaded play DeSean Jackson made in Week 2 last season against the Cowboys? The rookie appeared to score a 61-yard touchdown, receiving a bomb from Donovan McNabb. Of course, as replays showed, the play was eventually ruled down at the one yard-line due to Jackson flipping the ball backward in order to begin his celebration.

Sunday, it looks like Johnny Knox -- also a rookie, which isn't entirely a coincidence -- nearly made the same blunder. Watch the video after the jump, and pay particular attention to when Knox releases the ball around the goal line.

Each Monday of the fantasy football season, we'll cut through the fantasy numbers put up by individuals and tell you what they really mean.

Heading into the season, we liked DeSean Jackson's chances to move into low-end WR2 range. After three weeks -- two of which were with a backup quarterback -- we're ready to say he's easily a WR2, with the chance to move into WR1 range. In the past two games, Jackson has caught 10 passes for 250 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Adding in a punt return touchdown in Week 1, Jackson has scored in all three Eagles games this season.

Since arriving in Chicago, Jay Cutler's been fighting the stigma that he's more of a stat-monger than a winner. The only way to change the feelings of the general public is to go out and win tough games. Anyone can look good during a blowout of an inferior opponent.

For the second consecutive week, Cutler has won close games in come-from-behind fashion. Last week, he led the Bears on a 72-yard, game-tying touchdown drive and then a 41-yard game-winning field goal drive against the Steelers. Sunday afternoon, Cutler brought the Bears back from an early 13-0 deficit to lead 17-13. The Bears lost the lead, but that was of no consequence, as Cutler again led them on a game-winning drive.

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Here's how it works. We throw some intriguing matchups at the FanHouse staff and ask whether each player will be over or under a certain point total. The result? Fantasy Football Over/Under. Makes sense, right?

If you're having trouble gauging whether Willis McGahee is worth starting, or whether you should play waiver-wire finds Johnny Knox and Lynell Hamilton this week, you'd probably appreciate a second opinion. Here in the Over/Under, we give you more than just seconds -- several Fantasy FanHouse staffers are more than ready to jump in with their views on difficult start/sit decisions. And just to keep it fun, we also try and peg whether the big names actually will come up big yet again.

I've seen bad weeks from elite receivers before, but I never thought I'd see a zero-catch game from Greg Jennings this season. Will it get better in Week 3? Well, it has to, doesn't it? Almost as surprising as seeing Jennings with no catches was seeing Mario Manningham with 10, especially considering the Giants' Steve Smith also had 10 catches. Are we dealing with the next Randy Moss and Wes Welker? You're right, that's too much hyperbole, even for me. Still, the highly-added Manningham is due for a huge bump up in the rankings, but how far will he climb?

1. Andre Johnson, HOU vs. JAC
2. Marques Colston, NO @ BUF
3. Steve Smith, CAR @ DAL
4. Randy Moss, NE vs. ATL
5. Greg Jennings, GB @ STL

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When Jay Cutler was traded to Chicago, there was an instant line drawn in the proverbial sand. Everyone from professional sports writers to the most casual of fans had opinions. Those who wanted to argue it was a bad move for the Bears had several points. Some of them were valid, but one of them in particular always drove me bonkers.

"Who is he going to throw to?" "He's going to hate life without Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal." Etc.