FanHouse Larry Johnson

We're back. It's "Run, Ricky, Run!" Week here at Fantasy FanHouse, as we witnessed Ricky Williams thrust himself into the ranks of other must-start running backs. First, Ronnie Brown went down for the season, next Ricky provided fantasy owners with a three-touchdown monster performance. Tom Herrera and Matt Snyder discuss much more, though. We talk about possible gifts for those who have been underachieving in fantasy (akin to the positive pregnancy test that seemed to have jump-started LaDainian Tomlinson), major injury fallout and, of course, our Starting Six Pack for the week. Take a listen after the jump.

CINCINNATI -- Now you can add frequently bad actor Larry Johnson to a Cincinnati Bengals locker room already noted for drama.

Yeah, this makes sense.

It actually does, but only to a point.

Starting running back Cedric Benson has an aching hip flexor, and since nobody worth mentioning wanted to sign Johnson, he came this week as a cheap insurance policy for the Bengals. It's just that you have this little thing in sports called "chemistry," and Benson didn't exactly suggest after practice on Wednesday that he would celebrate Johnson's arrival by baking a batch of chocolate chip cookies.

Fantasy FanHouse's "Bust a Move" segment provides quick-hitting insight on the most popular adds and drops across Fleaflicker fantasy leagues between Tuesday and Wednesday of each week. Knowing who is on the move during this 24-hour period often provides a valuable edge with regard to outperforming or underperforming players, injuries and depth chart shifts. So do as the man says, "Don't just stand there..."

The Adds

Justin Forsett (RB, Seahawks, 2,952 adds) - I'm a bit surprised to see Justin Forsett ahead of Jason Snelling here given the news that Julius Jones only suffered a bruised lung as opposed to what was previously thought to be a broken rib, but he'll get at least one week of a guaranteed full load and most likely a couple more than that.

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Cincinnati the NFL's halfway house, where lost souls go to find their way. In the past, it has usually ended badly; the Bengals doubled as the league laughingstock, and any efforts to offer players one last shot at redemption often blew up in the organization's face.

But now Cincy is 7-2, well on their way to an AFC North title, and suddenly look much less desperate when they take a flier on a guy who probably has no business earning a living playing professional football. But running back Larry Johnson, the Chiefs' 2003 first-round pick, is now a member of the Bengals after a tumultuous month that included calling out his former coach while throwing in a few homophobic slurs for good measure. Last week, Kansas City decided to cut their losses.

SAN DIEGO -- Brian Westbrook's Oct. 26 concussion was so troubling for the Philadelphia Eagles running back, he openly discussed the touchy subject of NFL head trauma and how concerned he was for his long-term health because of it.

Three weeks later, Westbrook sustained another concussion, one that took him out of the Eagles' 31-23 loss to the San Diego Chargers on Sunday at Qualcomm Stadium. And now it's almost a certainty that the running back's season will be cut short.

With attention spans dwindling, we forgo 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.

The Early Games

Denver (6-2) at Washington (2-6): Denver has lost its last two games and has shown an inability to score against good defenses. Washington's defense is ranked fifthh in the NFL, and that spells a much closer matchup than two teams with such opposite records should be involved in. It's extremely tough to throw against Washington, so Knowshon Moreno becomes a very important factor on Sunday. If he does well, Denver wins -- If Moreno falters, Denver loses.

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- Did someone know what they were doing with Vince Young in Tennessee?

Apparently so. There's no doubt that Young is a different quarterback as a starter in 2009 than he was in 2007 and during that infamous opening week game of '08, when the former Titans' No. 1 draft pick sustained a career and emotional breakdown and was benched for Kerry Collins.

NFL players grow and mature as athletes, leaders and men differently. A rare few come out of the draft as impact players. Of those, fewer still are quarterbacks, the most visible and important member of an NFL franchise.

So while Titans coach Jeff Fisher enjoys some breathing room now that his once maligned and winless team is revitalized following a two-game winning streak, perhaps it's time to give the NFL's longest-tenured head coach some credit: making Young a sideline protégé in 2008 and half of '09 has turned this fourth-year quarterback into a new player.

Fantasy FanHouse's "Bust a Move" segment provides quick-hitting insight on the most popular adds and drops across Fleaflicker fantasy leagues between Tuesday and Wednesday of each week. Knowing who is on the move during this 24-hour period often provides a valuable edge with regard to outperforming or underperforming players, injuries and depth chart shifts. So do as the man says, "Don't just stand there..."

The Adds

Ladell Betts (RB, Redskins, 1,896 adds) -- We told you to add him on Sunday and again on Monday, so it's great to know you were listening. You were listening, right? Well, either way Betts makes a solid pickup while Portis recovers from his concussion and ankle injury, especially since he's very doubtful for Sunday. It's not like he was ever that healthy to begin with, so Betts exhibits a lot of upside particularly considering he showed the most life of just about any Redskins player this season. The X-factor with this pickup is a rumor floating around that Washington is looking at Larry Johnson, but go ahead and cross that bridge if/when you come to it. Besides, Zorn already said no.

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In the days since his release, speculation has been rampant as to where former Pro Bowl running back Larry Johnson would eventually end up. Almost immediately, the Washington Redskins were a hot rumor. The shoe fit because Dan Snyder likes signing big names -- even if they are washed up has-beens -- and starting running back Clinton Portis recently went down with a concussion.

Wednesday, though, head coach Jim Zorn ruled out the possibility of the 'Skins bringing in the maligned veteran from Penn State.

Larry Johnson is available to any team that wants him. Now the question is whether any team wants him.

Johnson, the former Kansas City Chiefs running back who was waived by the team this week, passed through the NFL's waiver wire without a single team placing a claim on him. That makes him an unrestricted free agent, available to sign with any team.

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