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
Laurence Maroney (RB, Patriots, 2,615 adds) - Proving yet again that fantasy football players are gluttons for punishment, Laurence Maroney leads the way as the most transacted player of the week. We already witnessed how this story goes with Fred Taylor and then Sammy Morris, so expect more of the same with Maroney. This backfield is just not reliable from a single-player perspective. On the positive side, both of those two previously mentioned runners suffered injuries, making Maroney's carries likely more consistent, but the Patriots also scored 59 points last week. Tom Brady threw five touchdown passes in a single quarter. Call it Seahawks vs. Jaguars 2.0 and look how the Seahawks followed that up this week. Anyway, Maroney's 123 yards and a touchdown effort may well have been a fluke. We can count on continued performance from Tom Brady, but if Maroney has showed us anything in the past three seasons, it's inconsistency.
Though a 28-17 loss to the Houston Texans wasn't an ideal way to come off an eye-opening 4-1 start, the Cincinnati Bengals knew it wouldn't be the end of the world.
Unfortunately, the repercussions of Sunday's game at Paul Brown Stadium will be felt for the rest of the season. The club Monday announced that Antwan Odom, who entered the weekend tied for the NFL lead in quarterback sacks, will miss the rest of the season.
CINCINNATI -- As losses go, this one was a stinker. Flying high off yet another last-minute intra-divisional win, the Bengals showed up for a home game Sunday against the Texans and had just about everything go wrong. They lost, 28-17, most important, and they also saw key defensive lineman Antwan Odom and Domata Peko go down with injuries. Odom's is a torn Achilles' tendon, which means they've lost him for the season. Bad, bad loss.
But the message Bengals coach Marvin Lewis delivered to his team in the wake of this bad loss was the same, simple two-word mantra he delivered on the first night of the season, after a goofy last-minute bounce cost the Bengals a game against the Denver Broncos:
Bengals defensive end Antwan Odom -- who is tied for the NFL lead in sacks with Elvis Dumervil at eight -- was carted off the field during Sunday's game against Houston with a right Achilles' injury. Odom did not return to the game.
Odom crumpled after being blocked and trainers quickly called for a cart to come onto the field -- Houston scored on the play on a Matt Schaub-to-Owen Daniels touchdown pass. Earlier, Odom blocked a Houston field goal attempt.
Cincinnati (3-1) really could be 4-0 and would be, if not for the Madden-esque TD reception by Denver's Brandon Stokley in Week 1. Since that game, the Bengals traveled to Green Bay and beat a heavily-favored Packer team, took down world champion Pittsburgh at home, and just barely survived a letdown game in Cleveland last week.
Baltimore (3-1) feels like they should be 4-0, victimized by an iffy penalty in last week's game at Foxboro (if the game was at home, are the Ravens not penalized?). With Pittsburgh lurking, each of these Cincinnati-Baltimore games are critical in battling for a playoff spot. Most people see the Ravens as a contender, but the Bengals as a pretender.
After rewatching the Bengals-Packers and the Steelers-Bears games, here are some things to keep an eye on this Sunday:
• If the Bengals have some pass protection problems on the offensive line with right tackle Anthony Collins and left tackle Andrew Whitworth. Collins gave up two sacks against the Broncos in Week One while Whitworth gave up two sacks in Week Two against the Packers. Collins Whitworth (got my linemen mixed up there initially) has some problems with his footwork (he slipped and fell down a couple of times while blocking last week). That should give outside linebackers LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison a chance to create some havoc. For Steelers fans who don't follow the Bengals, first-round pick Andre Smith is out with a broken foot.
As we have done since the FanHouse began, I'll be taking a look every week at some aspect of line play. You can read more features in the series here. Check back every Thursday for a new Between The Lines.
When Marvin Lewis came to Cincinnati he arrived with a reputation as a defensive genius. But Lewis' brilliance quickly seemed to fade once he became a Bengal, much like his former boss Brian Billick's offensive genius in Baltimore. In six seasons in Cincinnati Lewis' Bengals have never finished in the top half of the league in scoring defense.
But thanks to Antwan Odom, Domata Peko, Tank Johnson and Keith Rivers, Lewis is suddenly smart again. They're 1-1 with a win over the Packers and would be 2-0 if not for a flukish tipped pass to Brandon Stokely. Odom not only leads the league in sacks; he's coming off of one of the best days a pass rusher has ever had with five sacks against the Packers.
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
Mario Manningham (WR, Giants, 8,522 adds) -- Even the biggest Michigan haters (read: OSU, MSU, and WVU fans) cannot turn their backs on the Giants' passing game. With 150 yards and a score on Sunday night, Manningham is currently the fourth best receiver in the league. If you new Super Mario owners would so desire, you can borrow my old fantasy team name, "Manningham Steamroller."
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.
NASHVILLE -- Matt Schaub displayed something for one of his teammates Sunday that he has been seeking throughout his time with the Houston Texans. It's not something that comes easily in the NFL, but Schaub concluded he would give it in order to receive it -- trust.
After Texans safety Eugene Wilson picked off Kerry Collins and returned the ball 13 yards to the Tennessee 29, Schaub threw a pass deep left to third-year receiver Jacoby Jones. Jones, wide open, dropped it. It was early in the second quarter. Houston trailed 21-14.
"Jacoby is a guy who's got swagger, and you want him to keep that, because he plays his best with it,'' Schaub explained. "He had that look after he dropped it; he was getting down on himself. You can't shy away from a player you believe in. I went right back to him.''
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..."
Though a 28-17 loss to the 
CINCINNATI -- As losses go, this one was a stinker. Flying high off yet another last-minute intra-divisional win, the 
Cincinnati (3-1) really could be 4-0 and would be, if not for the Madden-esque TD reception by Denver's 
After rewatching the Bengals-Packers and the Steelers-Bears games, here are some things to keep an eye on this Sunday:
As we have done since the 
Fantasy FanHouse's "Bust a Move" segment provides quick-hitting insight on the most popular adds and drops across 
Each week in the 
NASHVILLE -- 
