1. Randy Moss — No. 81 will be seeking revenge against Jets CB Darrelle Revis in the most compelling one-on-one matchup of the weekend. Moss has been going berserk lately, with 28 catches, 524 yards and six TDs over his last four games. Revis tamped down Moss in their first meeting, holding The Lanky One to four catches and 24 yards in the Jets' 16-9 win over the Patriots in Week Two. But would you dare bet against Moss in the rematch?
2. Ricky Williams — When a fantasy owner repeatedly acquires players with troubled backgrounds, is it because the owner is a gambler by nature, or is it because he/she is a compassionate person predisposed to awarding second chances? Are a good number of the people who currently own Ricky Williams former Lawrence Phillips owners? Well, if compassion has anything to do with it, then it's good to see those owners rewarded for their investment in Williams, whose second-act revival is one of the nicer NFL stories in recent memory. Williams may be forever eccentric, but he's made a nice transition from inexplicably self-damaging to charmingly quirky. He even talks of becoming a doctor once his playing days are over. And yet, there is fuel left in Ricky's football tank, and perhaps it's the fuel unspent during what was essentially a two-year hiatus from the game in 2006-2007. He's averaging 5.3 yards per carry and has a good shot at reaching 1,000 yards and 10 TDs by season's end. Now, with Ronnie Brown dealing with a foot injury that could keep him sidelined for a while, Williams becomes the main man for Miami. He's in line for a heavy workload against the Panthers and their 25th-ranked run defense this weekend, and for the next several weeks he might end up playing the sort of role he played for the Dolphins back in '02, his first season with the team, when he ran for 1,853 yards and 16 TDs.
3. Maurice Jones-Drew — MJD has publicly stated his affinity for fantasy football, and last week, after circumstances dictated that he intentionally go down at the Jets' one-yard line rather than score a touchdown in the final moments of the game, he offered a sincere apology to his fantasy owners. He also noted that he owns himself in fantasy football: a situation that no doubt piques the interest of football-loving existentialists. So, will this fantasy-conscious star endeavor to atone for the last week's lost touchdown? A matchup with the Bills presents a nice opportunity for atonement. Buffalo is giving up a league-worst 173 rushing yards per game, and opponents are averaging 5.1 yards per carry.
4. Kurt Warner — The grizzled gunslinger will be playing his fourth game in St. Louis since leaving the Rams following the 2003 season, and he's averaged 272.7 yards and two TDs in his previous three homecomings. Rams fans have fond memories of Warner. No doubt those memories have grown even fonder now that their team is in an advanced state of decay. Warner, meanwhile, continues to chug along at age 38, averaging 279.4 passing yards per game and putting the Cardinals in position for a division title. Warner has thrown nine TD passes over his last three games, and the 1-8 Rams aren't likely to cool him off.
5. LeSean McCoy — If you drafted Brian Westbrook and later drafted McCoy as an insurance policy, you might actually be pleased that Westbrook will be sidelined for a while. Not that you're happy about Westbrook sustaining two concussions in a three-week span, of course, but you're probably relieved that you won't be left in limbo every week with one of your RB spots. McCoy has shown promise as a speedy run-catch threat, and now he's in line for a healthy quantity of touches in the weeks to come, with occasional relief from bulky banger Leonard Weaver. McCoy and the Eagles will be in Chicago on Sunday night for a date with the Bears, who may be ready to pack it in after losing four of their last five.
6. Matt Schaub — Peyton Manning and Drew Brees draw far more superlatives, but Schaub, finally managing to stay healthy, is quietly putting together a fine season. He's third in the league in passing yardage, tied for fifth in TD passes, fourth in completions, fifth in completion percentage and sixth in passer rating. On Monday night, Schaub will face Tennessee's 31st-ranked pass defense, which has been putting up less resistance than the French army. Back in Week Two, Schaub ravaged the Titans for 357 passing yards and four TDs.
7. Kellen Winslow — Meet the security blanket for rookie QB Josh Freeman. So far, more than a third of Freeman's completions have gone to Winslow, who's caught 11 balls for 159 yards and a TD in Freeman's first two professional starts. In fact, Winslow appears more comfortable with the rookie than with the veteran quarterbacks who preceded Freeman as Tampa starters this season. The Bucs host the Saints this week, and despite mass slobbering over the Saints' defense, it hasn't been all that hard to move the ball against New Orleans. The Saints are tied for 19th in pass defense and rank 21st in total defense.
8. Matt Hasselbeck — Good news for Hasselbeck owners: The Seattle QB has been throwing it all over the yard in his last two games, with 103 passing attempts (!) and 644 yards. Bad news for Hasselbeck owners: Although those two games were against the suspect Arizona and Detroit pass defenses, he threw more interceptions (three) than TDs (two). More good news for Hasselbeck owners: The Seahawks' opponents this week, the Vikings, are much tougher against the run than they are against the pass, and with Julius Jones likely to be out of commission, Hasselbeck will probably have to throw it a ton. More bad news for Hasselbeck owners: With Seattle rendered one-dimensional, Minnesota's pass rushers, including DE Jared Allen, will be able to pin their ears back and tee off on Hasselbeck, who could end up in traction after this one.
9. Eli Manning — After an unsightly three-game slump, Manning semi-rebounded with a decent performance in the Giants' 21-20 loss to the Chargers in Week Nine. A Week 10 bye gave Manning a chance to clear his head and rest his ailing foot before this week's critical home game against the Falcons. For the Giants to end their losing streak, now at four games, Manning must recapture his early-season form. Only four teams are giving up more passing yards per game than Atlanta, so a return to form is a distinct possibility for the streaky Manning.
10. Bernard Scott — The Bengals' rookie running back was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after his big kick-return TD helped Cincy knock off Pittsburgh last week, although it seems only fair that Scott share the honors with the Steelers' kicker, Jeff Reed, whose none-too-subtle avoidance of Scott on the play helped make the TD possible. But while Reed deals with the wrath of his teammates in the film room this week, Scott will be preparing for a probable starting assignment in place of Cedric Benson, who has a hip abductor strain. (No idea what that is, but it sounds painful.) Scott has carried 29 times this season and is averaging only 3.3 yards per carry, but there was a buzz about his potential as a runner before Benson got off to such an amazing start. If Benson can't go, Scott should be a good fantasy play against a bad Oakland run defense.
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