QB Eli Manning, New York Giants
Although the Giants lost, it wasn’t due to Eli Manning. Peyton’s little brother finished with 391 passing yards and three touchdown passes.

RB Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans
There’s no doubt that Chris Johnson is the best player in fantasy football this season. He proved it again by scoring three more touchdowns in Week 14 while racking up the yardage.

WR Brandon Marshall, Denver Broncos
Not only was Brandon Marshall’s performance the best of the week, it was one of the best performances of all-time. He set an all-time record by catching 21 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns.

TE Dallas Clark, Indianapolis Colts
Even though Dallas Clark only had five catches for 43 yards, three of those five catches were for touchdowns. That made his fantasy owners very, very happy this week.

Chris Johnson is just disgusting (Image: Zuma Press)

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QB Matt Hasselbeck, Seattle Seahawks
Although he was bad last season, Matt Hasselbeck looks like he could be headed to a strong Week 1 of the 2009 fantasy football season. He has good wide receivers and he’s going up against the Rams. Go ahead and start him.

RB Mike Bell, New Orleans Saints
With Pierre Thomas out for Week 1, Mike Bell could see a lot of work. While Reggie Bush is going to start, expect Bell to get a healthy number of touches.

WR Brandon Marshall, Denver Broncos
Even though Brandon Marshall has had a ton of drama circling him as of late, it appears likely that he’ll play in Week 1. If he does, don’t hesitate to start him.

TE Visanthe Shiancoe, Minnesota Vikings
In Brett Favre’s first game with the Vikings, he may play it a bit conservative. If so, expect a lot of action for Visanthe Shiancoe.

Don't be afraid to start Brandon Marshall (Image: Zuma Press)

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QB Carson Palmer, Cincinnati Bengals
He’s coming back from an elbow injury that knocked him out last season. While he’s reportedly healthy, it’s not too difficult to imagine him getting re-injured. On top of that, the top wide receiver on his team is the wideout formerly known as Chad Johnson — enough said.

RB LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego Chargers
When you think of LaDainian Tomlinson, you don’t think of risk. However, this year, he’s definitely a risk in fantasy football. Even though he looks like he’s lost a step and his health is a question more and more, you would still need to invest a high draft pick to add him to your fantasy team. Are you taking the plunge?

WR Brandon Marshall, Denver Broncos
His fantasy stats the last two seasons have been great. But now he’s suspended and there’s no guarantee that he’ll play this year. Is he worth the risk? That’s a question only your nerves can answer.

TE Kellen Winslow, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Last year, Kellen Winslow was highly regarded. But after a bad season and a trade to a run-first squad, he’s a gamble at this point. If you draft Winslow, be sure to draft another decent fantasy football tight end as insurance.

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New Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels has apparently not meshed well with Marshall. On top of that, Marshall is asking for a trade due to not liking his contract.

For the 2009 fantasy season, it’s difficult to imagine him having much of an impact. He hasn’t played yet in training camp and preseason — and it doesn’t look like he’ll be playing any time soon.

If you are selecting Marshall, you should do so fully aware of his potential to be virtually worthless in 2009. Marshall makes the most sense if you are playing dynasty fantasy football but given his off the field issues, there’s no guarantee that he’ll ever reach the numbers he has put up the last two seasons.

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Last year, Marshall had 104 catches for 1,265 yards and six touchdowns. The previous season, he had 102 catches for 1,325 yards and seven touchdowns. Those numbers point to him having a very good season this year.

But hold up. First of all, quarterback Jay Cutler — who loved passing it to Marshall — is now with the Bears. The Broncos have a new coach in Josh McDaniels and he has already shown that he wants things done his way.

On top of those two considerations, Marshall has also said that he’s unhappy with his contract. In fact, he has said he wants to either get a new contract or be traded. That can’t be a good sign for a player who has had character red flags planted throughout his career.

Take Marshall if you want to play it risky but now that he may be in for a long and unproductive season that is filled with controversies.

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Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears (Image: Newscom)

First of all, Cutler himself probably sees his stock lower quite significantly. In Chicago, he joins a team with a mediocre receiving corps and a history of running the ball often. Logic suggests his stats will drop after spending his last few years in the wide open offense run in Denver.

For the Broncos, the wide receivers also see their stocks go south. Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal aren’t worth as much without Cutler delivering passes. However, whoever wins the running back battle for the Broncos could see their stock rise due to more carries.

In Chicago, the Bears receivers are now viable in the fantasy world. Devin Hester, the return specialist turned wide receiver, will be a popular sleeper pick during 2009 fantasy football drafts. If he enters the season as the number one wide receiver, Cutler could look for him early and often.

Tight end Greg Olson should also see his stock rise considerably following the acquisition of Cutler. He seems to have all the tools to be a star at the position and Cutler may be able to push him to the next level.

Also keep an eye to see on who will become the quarterback in Denver. With a new regime in town, the offensive tinkering may just have just begun.

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RB Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia Eagles
When healthy, Brian Westbrook continues to be a beast. In Week 14, Westbrook had over 200 combined rushing and receiving yards and two touchdowns. More impressively, he did that damage against the New York Giants. The best news for Westbrook owners is that he looks healthy and should have a good finish to the season.

WR Brandon Marshall, Denver Broncos
Brandon Marshall had been quiet lately but he stepped up in a big way in Week 14. The Broncos wide receiver had 91 receiving yards and two touchdown receptions. Once upon a time, Marshall was the best wide receiving going in 2008 fantasy football. After this performance, he once again has to be considered elite.

TE Tony Gonzalez, Kansas City Chiefs
As has been the case often this season, Tony Gonzalez was the best tight end in Week 14 of the 2008 fantasy football season. Gonzalez finished the week with 73 yards and a touchdown. He now has at least five receptions for eight consecutive weeks. During that time, he also has five touchdowns.

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RB Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia Eagles
When healthy, is there a better fantasy football player to own than Brian Westbrook? He’s such a multidimensional force the he’s a threat on just about every play. This week he has a good matchup and should be good for 100+ yards and a touchdown — at the very least.

WR Brandon Marshall, Denver Broncos
Brandon Marshall has cooled off as of late but this week against the Miami Dolphins he should rev it back up. Marshall has the perfect frame for a wide receiver and Jay Cutler loves throwing it to him. A touchdown and 100+ yards is very much a possibility.

TE Owen Daniels, Houston Texans
Owen Daniels continues to work himself up the tight end charts and this week he finds himself on the top. Against the Minnesota Vikings, you can expect the Texans to pass, pass and pass some more. With Andre Johnson getting a lot of the attention, Daniels should be able to roam free.

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QB Marion Barber, Dallas Cowboys
Against the Cincinnati Bengals, Marion Barber is sure to get a lot of touches. Coming off of a week where the Cowboys lost in part to Barber not getting enough carries, they’ll be sure to give him the rock early and often in Week 5.

WR Brandon Marshall, Denver Broncos
Brandon Marshall has emerged as the best fantasy football wide receiver in the NFL. He has to be considered the best starter for Week 5 just based on how hot he has been lately. Expect another big week even though he’s going up a good Tampa Bay Buccaneers team.

TE Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers
Going up against the Miami Dolphins, Antonio Gates should be featured early and often. He is finally getting close to 100% after offseason toe surgery. The best of his 2008 fantasy football campaign is likely yet to come.

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Ronnie Brown had a memorable game in Week 3.

QB Brian Griese, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jon Gruden put Brian Griese in the lineup ahead of Jeff Garcia and that move looks brilliant now. In Week 3, Griese had 407 yards and two touchdowns. While he also had three interceptions, he showed enough promise to put him on the fantasy football radar.

RB Ronnie Brown, Miami Dolphins
Where did this come from? Ronnie Brown proved he’s healthy once again with a five touchdown performance. He also had 122 yards to go along with those five TDs. Brown was the main reason why the underdog Dolphins were able to run over the heavily favored New England Patriots.

WR Brandon Marshall, Denver Broncos
Brandon Marshall is quickly becoming the best wide receiver in fantasy football. With Randy Moss struggling without Tom Brady, Marshall and Terrell Owens appear to be the top two receivers in the land of fantasy.

TE Anthony Fasano, Miami Dolphins
In Week 1, Anthony Fasano had a huge game. In Week 2, he was invisible and finished with no catches. He bounced back with a strong Week 3 that saw him total 66 yards and a touchdown. It’ll be interesting to see if Fasano keeps it up or if this was another fluke game.

K John Carney, New York Giants
Filling in for the injured Lawrence Tynes, John Carney is proving that he’s still good enough to kick in the NFL. Carney was 4-for-4 on field goals and hit both of his PATs. Carney’s biggest field goal was the one he hit to win the game in overtime.

Photo: Newscom

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