FanHouse Kyle Orton

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

• Tony Romo, Cowboys - Romo was limited in practice on Wednesday with a sore back but will definitely play on Thursday.

• Kyle Orton, Broncos - Orton is slowed by an ankle injury but will play Thursday night.

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The five stages of grief are being played out in NFL-mad Denver, where Broncos fans -- teased into believing a stunning 6-0 start had canceled out the challenges of a first-year head coach, new quarterback and assorted volatile team personalities -- are well into the process of re-evaluating a season gone horribly wrong.

Broncos players, many of whom came away from Sunday's disheartening 32-3 AFC West home loss to the San Diego Chargers embarrassed, confused and bickering, know they have to regroup in a hurry.

This was a short week, and a Thanksgiving Day game at Invesco Field looms against the revitalized New York Giants (8:20 p.m. ET). Both teams are 6-4, a game behind their division leaders, the Cowboys and the Chargers, respectively.

The NFL season officially hit the homestretch late in the second quarter in Denver on Sunday when Josh McDaniels, his Broncos trailing San Diego 13-0, inserted gimpy starting quarterback Kyle Orton for struggling backup Chris Simms.

Denver lost, 32-3, although the offense did get better with Orton leading it.

But that's not the point. The point is that McDaniels, whose team had lost three in a row coming in, felt Sunday's game was so critical that he needed to insert Orton and risk further injury to the ligaments in the QB's ankle, even with another game coming up in four days. It's like George Allen's old slogan for the Redskins of the 70s: "The future is now.'' Except that Allen's slogan worked a lot better than Orton worked for the Broncos -- he certainly was better than Simms, but it didn't matter much.

DENVER -- Four consecutive losses have dropped the once impressive Denver Broncos into the middle of the AFC pack.

The San Diego Chargers (7-3) all but ensured they will win the AFC West with a 32-3 rout Sunday at Denver's Invesco Field, and only the second-quarter emergence of injured Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton off the bench sparked any life in the disillusioned home team.

Hobbling on a badly sprained left ankle, Orton was a better option than struggling backup Chris Simms, who started the game but almost immediately lost the ball on a sack and fumble and ultimately failed to move Denver's offense effectively.

DENVER -- Quarterback Chris Simms, who hasn't started an NFL game in three seasons, will take over for injured Kyle Orton today when the skidding Broncos (6-3) play host to the surging Chargers (6-3) for sole possession of first in the AFC West.

Orton sustained a severely sprained left ankle last week in Denver's 27-17 loss to Washington, leaving the game after the final offensive play of the first half. He hasn't practiced all week. After taking a last look at the former Bears starter, Denver coach Josh McDaniels made the decision Sunday morning to sit Orton. McDaniels is expected to activate rookie quarterback Tom Brandstater on the 45-man game day roster.

Orton will be listed as the No. 2 quarterback.

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

• Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers - Roethlisberger is not listed on the injury report, but he sat out parts of practice on Thursday with his elbow wrapped. He is expected to play on Sunday, but questions of a sore arm have definitely surfaced.

Fed up with one of your players? Eyeballing a player on the wire, but don't know who to drop? So Long, Suckers examines a few widely-owned players that probably shouldn't be.

Last week we suggested owners in shallow leagues dump Brian Westbrook. This week, after suffering another concussion, it's safe for teams in all but the deepest of leagues (i.e., leagues where this week's waiver wire darlings Justin Forsett and Jason Snelling were owned heading into Week 10) to cut the Philly back.

Absolutely best case for Westbrook in my mind is to miss two weeks, play sparingly in Week 13, and start against the Giants, 49ers and Broncos during your fantasy playoffs. Would you really rely on him at that point? I know I wouldn't.

Who else deserves a pink slip this week? All the following players are owned in 60 percent of Fleaflicker leagues.

This is a couple days old, but it still merits a mention because Fran Tarkenton is suddenly the angriest, unintentionally funny quote on the planet. Plus, it's one more opportunity to clown frowny-faced Jay Cutler after his pick-tastic performance against the 49ers Thursday night.

Back in May, when the "Favre is RE-UNRETIRING ... AGAIN!" talk began in earnest, Tarkenton, who took the Vikings to four Super Bowls during his career, appeared on an Atlanta radio station to make his views on the idea crystal clear.

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

• Kyle Orton, Broncos - Orton sat out the second half on Sunday with an ankle injury. He'll be tested early this week and Chris Simms will take a lot of snaps with the first team as we wait to see how severe Orton's injury is.

Running Back

• Ronnie Brown, Dolphins - Brown limped off of the field during the third quarter of Sunday's game. X-rays were negative, but the MRI results have not yet been seen. Brown is believed to have a severe ankle sprain, and unfortunately for the Dolphins, he may not be ready to play in Thursday's Week 11 game. Look for a large dose of Ricky Williams.

• Brian Westbrook, Eagles - Westbrook was knocked out of the game on Sunday in the fourth quarter with another concussion. His season may be in jeopardy.

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.

Two weeks ago, the Carolina Panthers went into Arizona and picked Kurt Warner off five times en route to an easy victory over the defending NFC champions. Some began to fear the old man was beginning to lose his touch. If he did, what would happen to the Cardinals' juggernaut of a fantasy football unit?

All they've done since then is score 72 points in two games and looked better than ever.