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FANTASY FOOTBALL TIP SHEET

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By LUKE EASTERLING, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 12, 2007

We're five weeks into the NFL season and the headaches that plague fantasy owners every year are starting to pound harder, as teams are beginning to jockey for playoff position.

There are those at the bottom of leagues who either will hold on to floundering studs for a few weeks too long, or they may naively part ways with a stud just to shake things up in an attempt to ascend the standings.

There are owners sitting pretty in one of the top spots in their league who may look to make an improvement or two, or stay complacent, afraid to mess with a successful team.

Those in the middle of the standings, however, are at the real crossroads. Owners sitting around .500 could make that one move that either sets them on a playoff run or sends them crashing to the fantasy cellar.

Brandon Jacobs' return from injury surely lit up the faces of fantasy owners as he rushed 20 times for 100 yards and a score last week against the Jets. Maurice Jones-Drew finally came to life with a 52-yard touchdown run, finishing with 112 total yards on 12 touches. For those waiting for Lee Evans or Larry Johnson to wake up, you'll have to wait at least one more week.

No matter where your team happens to be in the standings this week, there's still hope for a playoff berth. There's still plenty of cyber-calculating football to be played, so take heart and follow these tips toward success in the coming weeks:

MATCHUPS AND LINEUPS

Here are a couple players who have attractive matchups this week and should be in your starting lineup:

Jets WR Jerricho Cotchery: He quietly is leading the Jets in receiving yards this season (414) but has yet to find the end zone. The Jets face an Eagles defense that is 21st in the league in pass defense (224 yards per game), and with Laveranues Coles commanding most of the attention from the secondary, look for Cotchery to have a big day and finally put up a score.

Chiefs WR Dwayne Bowe: He has had a huge impact in the vertical passing game for Kansas City, a team which is used to severe disappointment when drafting a receiver in the first round. Bowe already has caught three touchdowns and goes up against Cincinnati's porous pass defense (251 ypg, 11 TDs). Bowe could put up numbers similar to those posted by Cleveland's Braylon Edwards against the Bengals in Week 2 (eight receptions, 146 yards, two TDs).

INJURY REPORT

Week 5 was a bad one to be a quarterback if you value your health. Arizona's Matt Leinart (collarbone) and Carolina's Jake Delhomme (elbow surgery) will miss the remainder of the season. Miami's Trent Green (concussion) will miss significant time. St. Louis' Marc Bulger and Buffalo's J.P. Losman both missed their Week 5 games with injuries and are unlikely to play this week.

At running back, there are some positive notes. In addition to Brandon Jacobs' successful return, Oakland's LaMont Jordan seems to have healed well over the bye week from his back injury and should play this weekend. However, the running back group isn't immune from the injury bug as a couple of fresh wounds could impact fantasy rosters. Those who thought they scored on the waiver wire last week with Tampa Bay's Michael Pittman saw him crumple with an ankle injury that will sideline him 6-8 weeks. Jamal Lewis didn't practice Wednesday and was wearing a protective boot on his injured foot, so don't expect him to suit up this week. The Rams' Steven Jackson likely will be out again this week, while Philly's Brian Westbrook, New England's Laurence Maroney and Cincy's Rudi Johnson could be listed as questionable.

WAIVER WIRE WONDERS

Colts RB Kenton Keith: Playing for an injured Joseph Addai last week against Tampa Bay, Keith carried 28 times for 121 yards and two scores, while also hauling in five passes for 37 yards. Addai will remain the starter as long as he's healthy, but last week's performance proves what Keith can do when given the chance, even against a stout defense. Even if you don't have Addai, Keith is worth stashing on your bench in case Addai misses any more time.

Texans WR Andre Davis: In Andre Johnson's absence, Davis has been Matt Schaub's favorite target the past three weeks, amassing 13 catches for 266 yards and a touchdown during that span. In each of those three games, Davis has had at least one reception for more than 40 yards, so he's a legitimate home-run threat who could take one to the house at any time. Johnson should still miss a couple more games, so Davis could keep putting up stellar numbers. Davis also could benefit once Johnson returns, as most of the opposing defense's focus would be on Johnson. If Davis is still available in your league, snatch him up and consider starting him this week.

Browns RB Jason Wright: With Jamal Lewis missing practice all week with a foot injury, it looks like Wright will get the bulk of the carries. Last week, Wright replaced Lewis after the injury and rushed for 59 yards on 15 carries. If you need a spot starter at RB this week, Wright would be a good plug-in as he faces a Dolphins run defense that is next-to-last in the NFL (174 ypg, 8 TDs).

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