FanHouse MeweldeMoore

For those who may use a different term or are new to fantasy football, "handcuff" is the term used when you own insurance for one of your players in the form of owning his real-life backup. It's usually a running back, but you could conceivably handcuff a quarterback. The theory is that some or all of the production is automatically replaced should you lose a high draft pick to injury, meaning you need to insure a high draft pick by grabbing his backup.

---

---

When the NFL's compensatory picks were awarded on Monday everything went according to expectations, unless you were the Pittsburgh Steelers.

While the NFL gave out four third-round picks and four fourth rounders, it determined that losing Alan Faneca and Clark Haggans (countered by the signing of Mewelde Moore) was only worth a fifth-round pick for the Steelers.

The guru of compensatory picks, AdamJT13, is baffled as he calls it the one pick that doesn't make sense in this year's comp picks.

If you play in a playoff fantasy football league and get to reset your lineup before this weekend, worry not, we got your back. We'll just do a quick run-through of each game.

Baltimore Ravens @ Tennessee Titans
First of all, don't you dare play any defense other than the Ravens. Ed Reed might score the most points in this game. If you've been watching the Ravens' play of late, you definitely aren't laughing at that statement.

I don't see how the Titans generate much offense, outside the possibility of getting Chris Johnson in space. I'd avoid everyone other than Johnson, and I'm not even a huge fan of Johnson.

The Ravens won't be able to move the ball quite as well as they did against the Dolphins' average defense. Your best bet would be Le'Ron McClain, as the Ravens will likely try to control the clock. The Titans are more vulnerable via the pass than the run -- though they aren't really weak anywhere -- but I can't see Joe Flacco playing overly well against this defense.

You could do much worse than either kicker here, by the way. Both Rob Bironas and Matt Stover are sure to be busy, considering the defenses don't allow many touchdowns.

FanHouse fantasy positional rankings are compiled weekly by the staff in order to provide answers to possible lineup questions. These are assuming most leagues use Fleaflicker's standard scoring structure. If you need clarification, you need more players ranked, or have funky league rules, feel free to shoot us an email question.

This was a really tough week to rank the running backs, mainly because there are some question marks -- on studs, not also-rans -- due to injuries. Steven Jackson for example, returned to practice. I'm assuming all of the guys with an asterisk next to their name throughout these rankings end up playing. Obviously, if you see (*) next to the name of a player on your fantasy team, please pay attention to any news updates until his game begins. You don't wanna get stuck with a zero on your active roster ... just ask Willis McGahee owners.

The reason I ranked all the guys with the assumption they'd play is because I hate it when websites just cop out by not ranking a player when he may or may not play. Just sack up and rank him. No guts, no glory.

More analysis after the rankings.

*1. Brian Westbrook, at CIN
*2. Frank Gore, vs. StL
3. Adrian Peterson, at TB
4. Matt Forte, at GB
5. DeAngelo Williams, vs. DET

There are a lot of reasons the Steelers lost to the Colts. We've talked a lot about Ben Roethlisberger's turnover trouble, but just as importantly, the Steelers were stuffed on a pair of goal line running plays by one of the worst run defenses in the league. To try to figure out what happened, I went back and rewatched how the Colts stuffed the Steelers' running game.

Second And Goal: With the ball at the one, the Steelers line up with three tight ends (Trai Essex is in for Max Starks at left tackle while Starks slides over to tight end on the right side, Matt Spaeth is the tight end on the left side. Just before the snap, Tim McHugh goes in motion and stops at the left guard/left tackle gap at the snap. By the design of the play, right guard Darnell Stapleton is supposed to block linebacker Clint Sessions, while left tackle Max Starks is asked to block middle linebacker Gary Brackett. Strong safety Bob Sanders is left unblocked by the line, with the thought that fullback Carey Davis or McHugh would pick him up if he managed to fill the hole. In reality, Sanders had the responsibility for containment on any outside run, so he ended up running himself out of the play by sliding down the line to get on the outside shoulder of Spaeth and McHugh.

Value Machine checks out the overall perceived value of fantasy players. If you want to commit a fantasy felony, you'll sell high on the up arrow guys and buy low on the down arrow guys.

What we saw this past weekend in Oakland was a mind-boggling shift in value for several guys on one team, both up and down.

Jake Delhomme was atrocious. He completed only seven passes to his own team while heaving four picks. His 72 yards passing for the game was 21 less than Jay Cutler achieved on one play ... and the Panthers were playing the Raiders. His value will never get any lower.

Steve Smith only caught one pass for nine yards, as he was locked up all day by Nmamdi Asomugha. His value can't get much lower.

Jonathan Stewart was banged up and only gained 21 yards on seven carries. He's losing carries to DeAngelo Williams, so his value is also really, really low right now.

That brings us to Williams, who -- just as we said he would -- ran all over the Raiders for 140 yards and a breakaway 69 yard score. The value won't get any higher for Williams.

The Panthers face the hapless Lions this week, so you'd expect an uptick from Delhomme, Smith, and Stewart without a Williams letdown.

Willie Parker already missed four games this season because of a bum knee, and he'll be out of commission against the Colts this afternoon after injuring his shoulder in Washington last Monday night.

According to NFL Network's Adam Schefter, it could be something that keeps Parker out for more than one game:

Willie Parker found out during the week that he has a torn labrum in his shoulder. He went for a second opinion on that shoulder on Friday; if and when he plays again this season, he's going to have to wear a harness. [The Steelers are] awaiting the results of a second test ... to see what the proper course of action is.

Schefter also points out that Chad Javon Ocho Cinco has played the 2008 season with the same injury -- and the requisite harness -- and hasn't been his usual effective self.

Special teams have been a problem for the Steelers for years. They were something Mike Tomlin said he was going to fix when he arrived in Pittsburgh, but then the Steelers went out and had a brutal year on special teams.

A year later, half of the problem has been fixed. The Steelers coverage units are now solid--something that hasn't been able to be said in recent years. Unfortunately, the other half of the equation is still brutal.

What do you get when you take a make a 250-pound fullback your primary kick returner? As you would expect, it doesn't turn out well. The good news is Najeh Davenport consistently gets the Steelers out to around the 20-yard-line. The bad news is that his longest kick return of the season is 27 yards, which explains why the Steelers are 30th in the league in kick returns. It shouldn't be much of a surprise, as Davenport is averaging 21.7 yards per return this year which is right in line with his 22.6 yard return average for his career. He's returned one kick longer than 30 yards in the past five years.

But it's not just Davenport who deserves some blame. The punt return unit (which has relied on Mewelde Moore and Santonio Holmes) is tied for worst in the league. Washington, Monday night's opponent, has an 80-yard punt return for a touchdown this year. The Steelers have 81 yards in punt returns for the season. At 4.8 yards per return and a longest return of 17 yards, the Steelers aren't doing a whole lot better than what they would do just by fair catching every punt.

This looks to be an unfixable issue. With the injuries the Steelers have, there really aren't a lot of roster spots to go out and spend one on a young returner with some promise. But once again when free agency and the draft roll around next year, Pittsburgh will be in need of a returner.

If given a choice, I'd much rather see the Steelers cover kicks well than have a great returner, but maybe next year, for a change, the Steelers can have both?

Despite going in to the week optimistic that he'd play, turns out that Steelers' running back Willie Parker will miss Sunday's showdown with the Giants.

Parker, who has missed the past three games with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee, went through an entire practice Wednesday with the intention of returning against the Giants. But, when his knee began bothering him again, he was limited in practice Thursday and stood on the sideline yesterday in the final full workout of the week.

Parker is among four starters that won't play on Sunday. The Steelers benched wide receiver Santonio Holmes after police found some hippie lettuce on him earlier in the week. Left tackle Marvel Smith (back) and defensive end Aaron Smith (personal reasons) are also expected to miss the Giants game.

Parker's and Holmes' replacements have held their own over the past couple of weeks. Running back Mewelde Moore has rushed for 219 yards and three touchdowns over the past two weeks. Nate Washington caught a 50-yard TD pass just a week after netting a 48-yard touchdown.