FanHouse Mike Bell

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.

The 2008 New York Giants were a power football team. They led the NFL in rushing yards with more than 2,500. They had two runners go for over 1,000 yards while another averaged 5.3 yards per carry in limited action. Derrick Ward's departure wasn't supposed to matter, as Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw would continue to spearhead a dynamic rushing offense behind a great offensive line. In theory at least. Instead, the 2009 Giants are a shell of their former selves in terms of running the football.

Cut-N-Go is Fantasy Football FanHouse's weekday roundup of the NFL news with fantasy football impact.

Making the most of an opportunity is crucial for any athlete, no matter the sport. As Week 11 games approach, bumps and bruises have turned into full-blown, shut-down injuries -- thrusting backup players into starting roles. There are a few of these situations at the running back position this week. These can have major fantasy football implications. Just as in real sports, you need to take advantage of these opportunities to help your fantasy team.

The New Orleans Saints entered the game undefeated and the toast of the NFC. The St. Louis Rams entered the game with a 1-7 record. The Saints were favored by 14 1/2 points. The Saints also came loaded with their top-ranked offense to face off against the Rams' 28th-ranked defense. Simply put, this one had all the makings of a bloodbath.

Instead, the Saints escaped with a 28-23 victory by the skin of their teeth -- as the game was never clinched until Marc Bulger's hail mary fell incomplete as the clock struck 0:00. The fact that the Saints couldn't put the hapless Rams away earlier in the game is sure to lead to a bunch of "the Saints are overrated" talk this week. They didn't play well, but let's not go overboard.

---

---

Cut-N-Go is Fantasy Football FanHouse's weekday roundup of the NFL news with fantasy football impact.

There are two receivers on the Miami Dolphins roster who are barely owned in fantasy football leagues -- I think that they should be shown more love. FanHouse fantasy football guru R.J. White wrote a little about Davone Bess and Greg Camarillo earlier on Wednesday, I wanted to add a few more numbers to the mix.

These two guys just combined for 127 yards on 11 catches against the Patriots. Take a second to soak that in. Following the demotion of Ted Ginn, Bess and Camarillo saw a quick bump in fantasy value. Bess finds his way onto a roster in many more leagues than Camarillo, but they hold similar value. The Buccaneers will spend a good portion of practice prepping for the wildcat look, and the two Miami wideouts should benefit.

Everyone loves fantasy football sleepers, but they change depending on league size and availability. We're here each and every week to give you a look at good plays for all types of leagues.

Week 9 brought us big games for POaYD sleepers Matt Cassel (262 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT), Bryant Johnson (35 yards and a TD) and the Falcons defense, as well as great games from deep-league 4th and 26 players Rashad Jennings (29 yards and a TD) and Josh Freeman (205 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT). I liked those guys so much, I decided to reach back into last week and bring forth a few sleepers (from both columns) that didn't quite get it going last week.

We're back, albeit a few days late. Matt Snyder and Tom Herrera bring you the weekly FanHouse fantasy football podcast on a Saturday this week, for various administrative reasons -- none of which have anything to do with fantasy football. We will discuss the return of Brian Westbrook and Calvin Johnson. Snyder defends his love of Steve Slaton, even in the face of adversity, we talk about how Austin Collie is who everyone thought Anthony Gonzalez would be and, finally, why Herrera recently had a Seinfeldian experience in New York (not really, but Snyder is Seinfeld obsessed). Take a listen after the jump.

Am I scared about the prospects of Steve Slaton losing carries to Ryan Moats (and even Chris Brown)? Absolutely. I'm more concerned about the overreactions from across the fantasy football world. Sure, I took it on the chin with Slaton in one league, but last week was hardly indicative of what will transpire from here on out.

Consider the following:
- If Gary Kubiak was going to send a message to his second-year running back with problems holding onto the football, what better opponent than the league's worst run defense?

- Slaton shredded the Colts in Indy last year, and that was without Matt Schaub at the helm to take pressure off him.

- Frank Gore got loose for a 64-yard touchdown against the Colts and added 43 receiving yards. Slaton is faster, more elusive and a better pass-catcher than Gore.

So, yeah, of course last week made me worried about Slaton. But I live by the "no guts, no glory" credo. You'll find Slaton in my top 15. You can have Ryan Moats.

---

---

Everyone loves fantasy football sleepers, but they change depending on league size and availability. We're here each and every week to give you a look at good plays for all types of leagues.

Our two running back picks from last week, LeSean McCoy and Justin Fargas, ended up with great lines, and if you had either as your fill-in RB2 for the week, I'm sure you were pleased with their performances. Unfortunately, the rest of our sleepers didn't hit.

What does that matter for this week, you say? How about ... more running backs! That's right, call now and we'll double your RB sleepers at no additional cost!

Now that the spirit of Billy Mays has passed through the column, let's check out the POaYD crew this week.

The Rams-Lions contest this weekend has the potential to be one of the most unwatchable games in years. The Lions have only won once in the past two seasons and the Rams are 2-21 in that span. Remember, though, in fantasy football every game is exciting to some extent. In FanHouse's latest fantasy football podcast, Tom Herrera and Matt Snyder explain why they like both running backs -- Kevin Smith and Steven Jackson -- to have a good game Sunday. We also tackle why T.O. reminds Herrera of a smelly homeless guy on the subway this week, reveal our Starting Six Pack and discuss several deep league plug-n-play options (like Brian Hartline).

Steven Jackson has had a rough year, as long as you don't include rushing yards. He hasn't scored a touchdown and his team is winless. That's bad enough, but the games aren't even close most of the time. That makes it even more difficult for the Rams to justify giving the dynamic Jackson carries. Yet he's still managed to rack up 90.7 yards per game on the ground, his highest mark in that stat since his career year in 2006.

This week, things will be different for SJax. It will be a one-week hiatus from his awful fortunes, as the Rams face the slightly-less-hapless Lions. They allow 4.6 yards per carry and were porous enough to make the 2009 version of Matt Forte look like it was 2008. And they'll make Jackson look like he did in 2006.

---

---