FanHouse Reggie Bush

Here's how it works. We throw some intriguing matchups at the FanHouse staff and ask whether each player will be over or under a certain point total. The result? Fantasy Football Over/Under. Makes sense, right?

Let's review my picks from last week and see how awful I did ...

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 pointing skyward, 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.

Studs

Carson Palmer, QB Cincinnati (20-24, 233 yards, 5 TDs) -- There was an interesting moment during "Hard Knocks" on HBO this year when Palmer was giving his center, Kyle Cook, a little bit of grief about the smell that Carson had on his hand after taking snaps. It was essentially boys being boys, but Palmer played it well and had some fun at the expense of Cook.

The "Reggie Bush Is Clearly a Bust" talk died down last season, but the former No. 2 overall pick still hasn't lived up to expectations. Part of that is because the expectations coming out of USC bordered on the insane, but also because Bush has underchieved for most of his three-plus-year NFL career.

Whatever, he occasionally flashes glimpses of the athleticism that made him one of the best college players ever, and Sunday against the Dolphins he actually flew into the end zone.

Gravity-defying brilliance after the jump.

For obvious reasons, it's hard for us to let go of LaDainian Tomlinson as an elite fantasy football running back. This was a guy who gained at least 1,776 yards from scrimmage and scored at least 15 times from 2002-2007 -- with peaks being 2,370 total yards and 31 total touchdowns. Yet, he's reached age 30 and has fallen from his lofty perch atop the fantasy world.

Now, after a bye week to lick his mental and physical wounds, we're left wondering if we're gonna see the LdT of old, or just an old LdT. He's got a tough task against the upstart Denver defense, who check in as the sixth-ranked run defense in the NFL and have only allowed 3.3 yards per carry. If Tomlinson appears to have his old burst and agility but doesn't pile up the stats, he'll be a good buy-low with the Chiefs and Raiders on deck. If not, well, have fun keeping the faith. You'll be doing it without me.

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

In the months of November and December of last year, Pierre Thomas had a coming-out party. He scored nine times in those two months and vaulted his fantasy value into the Top 20 of many fantasy football pundits' preseason rankings.

Unfortunately for fantasy owners that grabbed him early, Thomas missed the first two weeks of play with a knee injury. While gone, Mike Bell stepped into his place and ran extremely well. But, in a twisted turn of events, Thomas became healthy enough to play in Week 3 and Mike Bell has since injured his knee.

NEW ORLEANS -- You still slip-slide into a surreal daze upon entering the Superdome, recalling the horror it symbolized amid the ravages of Hurricane Katrina. No human being forgets how this "shelter of last resort'' reeked of stench from 30,000 refugees who had precious little water and food, how they reportedly were subjected to rape, violence, gang activity, drug dealing and the sight of a man committing suicide by jumping from the upper deck. But ever so quickly, the new excitement inside the Dome sweeps you right out of the past.

Refurbished and alive now, it's nothing but a den of delight in a city that still needs daily doses of hope and heart.

This is the home of Drew Brees and the Saints, a franchise once so awful that fans wore paper bags over their heads, but is suddenly resembling a team that could win a Super Bowl. Despair in the mushroom-shaped building has been replaced by raw delirium, an aura centered around a prolific and oddly underhyped quarterback, who has warmly embraced the city's recovery efforts and might not stop proving his former team, the Chargers, wrong until he reaches the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Due to the sensitive nature of this Week in Review, I urge everyone under 18 to get permission from their parents before reading. Then they can tell me if I heard this right.

David Letterman admitted to having sex with Paul Shaffer?

Pardon my confusion, but last week's news came so fast and tawdry it qualified as trashy romance novel. The main characters were Letterman, Lamar Odom, Roman Polanski, Jon & Kate, Greg Norman, Erin Andrews' stalker and the International Olympic Committee.

A message to Marion Barber: don't mess this up for Felix Jones.

It's going to be Monday Night Football. The Cowboys are taking on the Carolina Panthers, who haven't yet shown a good run defense. Felix is a home run hitter, as evidenced by his 56-yard run last week, his 98-yard kick return touchdown last season and his career 8.9 yards-per-carry average on 43 carries. Give him 15 carries a week, and the sky is the limit. When news of Barber missing 1-2 weeks popped, it appeared the stars were aligning for Felix's breakout party. Now, it's looking like Barber might suit up and play. If he does, it would be like refusing to leave your friend alone with a girl at a bar. There's a hyphenated word for that, Marion, and the second part is "block." Don't be that guy. Back off and allow your buddy to get his.

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The saying goes "there's no loyalty in sports anymore." Take that saying and multiply it ten-fold when it comes to fantasy sports. We live in a numbers world and if you can't produce you're of no use. Who cares what you did last year, month or even week. This rings so very relevant for us fantasy football fanatics. We could care less if some dude helped us in our league last year -- if he ain't doing anything presently, he can see his way to the waiver wire.

Well, that's where I come into the picture as your "pessimistic" voice of reason. You should never cut the bait too soon for anyone on your fantasy team who is deemed with the tag line of "upside." However, when you see a guy visibly on the decline and roster space is scarce, sometimes you've just gotta pull the trigger to save yourself the ongoing agony. I'm tossing three names on the hot seat that you should monitor closely and consider moving in a trade ASAP or send them packing if they don't produce soon.

Let's get after it, shall we?

While there are always going to be matchups we like and others we don't like, we need to remember it's Week 1 of a new fantasy football season. The preseason doesn't matter too much, nor does last season. Sure, we have to use something upon which to base our rankings, and those factors will be somewhat weighed, but we also need to use our brain and not get too cute.

For example, Ryan Grant shredded the Bears last season in Green Bay. Does that mean he's going to blow up again? Considering the Bears' run defense is much stronger than pass, we're saying an emphatic no. That's just one example, and we'll talk a bit more after you've seen the top 50 fantasy running backs for the week.

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