FanHouse Nfl Injury Report

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.

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

It would appear that at long last our national fantasy football nightmare is over and Calvin Johnson is going to play this weekend. OK, let's be fair and emphasize the word "appears." Nothing is certain until I actually see Johnson in uniform and jogging onto the field. However, the notion and possibility of his return is probably the best news many Megatron owners such as myself have heard in quite sometime.

It's been far too long to not have this ubber stud in our line-ups. And trust me, this is speaking from a guy who owns Johnson in every single league. I drafted him in the first round every time around. He was who I wanted and this is not what I was expecting. Take the good with the bad, but I'm expecting all good if he finally plays again this weekend. And of course, it should also be noted he's the only player on the field that gives the Lions a chance to win a football game.

As a sidebar to this same story, Kevin Smith will most likely suit up and play for the Lions as well.

This weekend's AFC South showdown appeared, at the beginning of the week, to be one of those strength vs. strength matchups. The Colts have the NFL's seventh-ranked pass defense and they have only allowed three passing touchdowns all season (making them the stingiest in the NFL). The Houston Texans are the NFL's third-best passing team and have thrown 16 touchdown passes in eight games.

Things this week, have, uh, changed a bit.

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

You can take Terrell Owens out of Dallas, but apparently you can't take the immature and disruptive conduct, that Owens was known for, out of the Cowboys locker room.

Clarence E. Hill Jr.of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram knows that Roy Williams is frustrated with his numbers as a receiver this season. And Williams is quick to tell everyone who will listen that it's not all his fault.

Whether it's torn, sprained, broken or just needs to be taped, Injuries to Watch will keep you up to date on injuries around the NFL and how they'll affect your fantasy football team.

Quarterback

• Aaron Rodgers, Packers - Rodgers sat out of practice on Wednesday with sprained right foot and sore toe on his left foot. He's not expected to participate in practice until Friday, but he is expected to play on Sunday.

• Matthew Stafford, Lions - Stafford practiced on Wednesday, but only as a limited participant. His right knee is banged up.

Did the injury bug hit your fantasy football team like it was a car windshield moving at 100 MPH? If so, it may be time to do some Damage Control.

Quarterback

• Aaron Rodgers, Packers - Rodgers has been sacked 31 times this season to lead the NFL. On Sunday he sprained his toe. His opposite foot was already injured, so watch to see how well he's moving around this week. I would expect him to play through these foot injuries.

• Jake Delhomme, Panthers - Delhomme sustained a chest injury against Arizona on Sunday but said on Monday that he feels fine. There's no reason to think that he won't be ready for Week 9.

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

If you came away from your fantasy football draft with Steve Slaton, you probably used a late first-round or early second-round pick on the Texans running back and had visions of another 1,200-plus yard rushing campaign. Things aren't going as planned for you or the Houston running back.

After losing his fifth fumble of the season, Slaton was benched on Sunday in favor of Ryan Moats, who ran for 126 yards and three touchdowns. Now, says Dale Robertson of the Houston Chronicle, Slaton will have to battle for his starting job.

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

The news just keeps getting better for Hakeem Nicks owners. We've been touting Nicks since day one as one the potential big surprises this season at wide receiver and he proved us right, having now scored a touchdown in four consecutive games. After moving into the starting lineup shortly after returning from his early-season injury, he now looks poised to move ahead of Mario Manningham for the No. 2 spot.

While Manningham currently holds down the gig, Newsday reports that he left practice right after stretching in warmups. The story lacks clarity as to whether Manningham left due to his lingering chest injury or because of a lineup change, but Nicks assumed the starting role in Friday's walk-throughs. Regardless of the reason, this bodes very well for Nicks owners who already have a gem on their hands.

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).

Whether it's torn, sprained, broken or just needs to be taped, Injuries to Watch will keep you up to date on injuries around the NFL and how they'll affect your fantasy football team.

Quarterback

• Trent Edwards, Bills - Edwards has been ruled out for Week 8. He participated in practice on Wednesday but only in a limited capacity. He's not recovering as quickly from the concussion as the medical staff would like, even though he's been cleared to play. Ryan Fitzpatrick will start in his place.

• Matthew Stafford, Lions - Stafford practiced fully on Tuesday but was limited on Wednesday with his knee injury. The fact that he practiced two days in a row is a step in the right direction, but it's still not known whether or not he'll be able to start on Sunday.