Hot or Not.

QB, Mark Brunell - Redskins
7 TD's, almost 900 yards and only 1 INT in his last three games. You won't find a quarterback who's hotter over that span. Santana Moss is doing his best Steve Smith impersonation by giving Brunell a homerun threat from anywhere on the field. But Brunell will come back to Earth soon, right? No way Brunell keeps this up, right? Wrong. Check this out, home games against SF, PHI, OAK, NYG and road games against NYG, STL, ARI - most of those teams couldn't stop school girls from crossing the street. This gravy train rolls on.

QB, Kerry Collins - Raiders
October has not been kind to Kerry. 0 TD's this month and now Randy Moss is broken.

Five games into the most anemic start on offense in franchise history, the Oakland Raiders are facing life without their most explosive player. Wide receiver Randy Moss was listed Wednesday as doubtful for Sunday's game against the Buffalo Bills at McAfee Coliseum, a designation which in almost every instance for the Raiders has led to the player being inactive. With Moss almost certainly out of the mix this Sunday, the question for the Raiders is how best to put some life into an offense that for the first time has yet to score more than 20 points in five regular-season games.

Something is rotten in Raider Nation when you can't score 20 points with this kind of weaponry. You'd think they will eventually right the ship and start scoring points, but their remaining schedule won't help much - DEN x2, BUF, WAS, MIA and NYJ all sport better than average pass defenses. I hope you have a good back-up fantasy QB.

RB, Fast Willie Parker - Steelers
This one really hurts. I love this guy. But Parker is just not making the big play anymore. Worse, he's averaging a paltry 2.6 YPC in his last two games. And worse still, his coach is now having post-game regrets about not getting the 'other guy' in the game more.

"Unfortunately, we did not have Jerome in the game, and I wish we would've gotten him into the game in the second half," Cowher said. "That's a decision I am responsible for, and I'm not going to dwell on it any more."

I don't agree with Cowher here. I watched Bettis's 4 carries for 4 yards against the Jaguars and he looked S-L-O-W. It's easy to point fingers after the fact and say I 'should've done this or that' but it doesn't mean it would've worked any better. The one thing about this situation that continues to baffle me is why Cowher consistently rips the 'screen pass' pages out of his playbook on Sunday? A guy with Parker's speed needs space to run. He should be targeted 4-5 times a game. If you go back to include pre-season games, Parker has made some pretty special plays on screen passes. Parker owners should still be buoyed by the fact that Duce Staley is still not healthy, and the Bus won't run maintenance-free for long under an increased workload. If Parker owners can exercise some patience, it may still pay off large.
Bill Cowher's weekly press conference [Steel City Sports]

RB, Lamont Jordan - Raiders
Norv Turner has always been a run-first coach. Now with Moss potentially on the shelf, Jordan's stock is definitely on the rise. Not to mention, 3 TD's, 4.3 YPC and 10 receptions in his last 2 games. It looks like his recent success might only be an hors doeuvre;

"I hope for the rest of the season that's what Norv (Turner) does - put the offense on my shoulders, and let's go," Jordan said. "If Randy can't go, put it on (number) 34's shoulders."

LaMont stands ready to carry ball for Raiders [Inside BayArea]

RB, Julius Jones - Cowboys
His recent injury doesn't help any, but that notwithstanding Julius has averaged a pedestrian 3.8 YPC, caught 1 pass and scored 0 TD's in his last two games played. Right now, his brother Thomas is kicking his butt, and the recent loss of offensive tackle Flozell Adams for the rest of the season is a potential death-blow for an offensive line that's already been struggling to open holes. I'm reading the tea leaves here, and things don't look so good.

WR, Anquan Boldin - Cardinals
I'll probably take some heat for saying this, but I think Anquan Boldin is the best wide receiver in the NFL. Sure, Holt, Owens and Chad are also great. However, Boldin brings a physical element to the game that the others in his elite class just don't have in their bag of talents. That TD he scored a couple of weeks ago may go down as the 'play of the year', and it symbolizes everthing Boldin is about and capable of. If I had to pick one WR to start a franchise with, I'd take Boldin in a heartbeat. What I also love about Boldin, is his attitude. This guy is such a consummate pro. He keeps his mouth shut. He has no public checklists, or fancy TD dances. This guy is just a hardcore baller. If you own him in your fantasy league, give yourself a pat on the back and enjoy the sweet ride.

WR, Brandon Jones - Titans
Even before Drew Bennett dislocated his thumb, Jones was getting preferential treatment from McNair. Now with Bennett gone for at least 2-3 weeks and likely much longer than that, Brandon Jones steps right into the #1 WR role in his rookie season. He has great physical attributes that should help him fight off better coverage which is bound to come his way. The biggest question mark I have with Brandon Jones is less about him and more about what role the WR's actually have in this Norm Chow pass offense that is primarily focused on using the TE's. Nonetheless, while TD's may be harder to come by, the receptions will almost assuredly be there making Jones a hot investment for the second half of the season.

WR, Mushin Muhammad - Bears
Only Buffalo and Houston have thrown for less yards than the Bears. It's a shame really, because Mushin is a Rolls Royce. I hate downgrading guys I like, but you have to do it. The Bears just can't throw with any consistency and while Orton is maturing on the job and the overall team play has improved, the prospects for a bigger passing game just aren't there. This team is a run-first team that relies heavily on their defense to keep them in games. Passing the ball with frequency is a risk this team can ill afford to take and while Muhammad can't be viewed as a 'bust' for the Bears (he's a mentor and a locker room leader), he is for any fantasy owner who drafted him hoping he could be a WR1 or WR2.

DST, Buccaneers
Monte Kiffin is a freakin' genius. Nobody plays the cover-2 better than Tampa Bay, and Kiffin's defenses have annually been in the top-10 for the better part of a decade. No opponent has been able to score more than 16 points on this unit and overall they're only giving up 12 PPG. Tampa Bay is a perfect example of what Baltimore would be like if they had a head coach with some offensive brains and creativity. Billick is so maniacally obsessed trying to re-create the Jamal Lewis of 2003 that he can't see it for what it was - a fleeting moment of arrogance in football history, never to be repeated again by Jamal Lewis or Brian Billick. Gruden's the real deal and so is this defense.

PK, Jay Feely - Giants
He's kicked 10 field goals in his last 4 games, and has yet to miss. This Giants offense has enough horsepower to consistently put Feely in good scoring range. No reason to believe Feely won't finish somewhere near or in the top-5 at his position this year.

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