RB DeShaun Foster, San Francisco 49ers
Filling in for the injured Frank Gore in Week 15, DeShaun Foster put up more than 100 combined yards against the Miami Dolphins. If Gore misses another week, Foster should have an even better game this week against the St. Louis Rams.

WR Deion Branch, Seattle Seahawks
After two straight quality games, it’s safe to start trusting Deion Branch. He followed up a two touchdown game in Week 14 with five catches for 76 yards in Week 16. Although his matchup this week against the New York Jets isn’t great, he’s still a good emergency starter.

TE Zach Miller, Oakland Raiders
Although the Oakland Raiders offense is very bad, Zach Miller is their best offensive player at the moment. He has three straight games with at least five catches and six straight games of at least 40 yards. Miller should have a solid week in fantasy football in Week 15 against the Houston Texans.

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QB Daunte Culpepper, Detroit Lions
Daunte Culpepper is destined to get a lot of starts for the Detroit Lions at quarterback. He recently signed a two-year contract and he’ll be given a chance to prove he’s worth the investment. While he’ll likely be rusty right off the bat, he was a fantasy football stud not too long ago. Take a chance on him if you have the roster room.

RB Peyton Hillis, Denver Broncos
Usually, players who play fullback in the NFL aren’t worth much as running backs in fantasy football. That said, Peyton Hillis very well might be worth a look. He plays fullback but he’s more of a receiving fullback than a blocking fullback. On top of that, he could get a number of carries due to all the injuries suffered by the other Broncos RBs. And don’t forget, Reuben Droughns went from Broncos fullback to stud fantasy running back seemingly overnight.

WR Devery Henderson, New Orleans Saints
Devery Henderson leads the NFL in yards per catch. The problem is that he hasn’t caught too many passes so far in 2008. Henderson is a speedy and big target but his hands are very questionable. But if he can find his groove and regain the form he had a few years ago, he could quickly become a big play fantasy football threat who could become a weapon down the stretch.

TE David Martin, Miami Dolphins
In Miami, most of the tight end talk focuses on Anthony Fasano. While Fasano deserves that credit, David Martin should be recognized as well. He’s a very talented pass catcher who could blossom if his role expands or Fasano suffers an injury. The Dolphins passing game continues to get better so don’t be surprised if you see Martin become fantasy relevant at some point in 2008.

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RB Steven Jackson, St. Louis Rams
In fantasy football drafts, Steven Jackson was almost always a top five pick. Although he hadn’t lived up to that billing so far in 2008, his explosion in Week 7 was very impressive. He had three touchdowns to go with 160 rushing yards and 16 receiving yards. The bad news is that Jackson left the game late with an apparent injury.

WR Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions
With Roy Williams now with the Dallas Cowboys, Calvin Johnson showed what he can do as a lead receiver. The former first round draft pick had 154 receiving yards and a touchdown in Week 7. With most of the targets in Detroit heading his way now, Johnson is a player that could explode in any given week.

TE Owen Daniels, Houston Texans
Coming into Week 7, Owen Daniels didn’t have a touchdown. But the Texans tight end busted out in a big way with two touchdowns and 66 receiving yards this week. Daniels is quietly one of the better fantasy football tight ends in the NFL and he should continue to play better and better as the Texans offense improves.

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RB Michael Pittman, Denver Broncos
While it’s never a happy feeling starting a running back against the New England Patriots, Pittman should have some success. He’s coming off of a very good week in Week 6 and the Patriots have shown some holes so far in 2008. Pittman is a sleeper to have a huge week this weekend.

WR Isaac Bruce, San Francisco 49ers
The matchup against the New York Giants looks daunting but the Cleveland Browns had success last week through the air against NY. If the 49ers can have similar success, Bruce will be in for a big game. He has emerged as the team’s go-to receiver and he looks to be in very good shape.

TE Donald Lee, Green Bay Packers
It appears as if Aaron Rodgers is slowly but surely adding tight end Donald Lee into the team’s passing attack. Lee, who thrived last season when Brett Favre was quarterback, has a better than average matchup against the Indianapolis Colts. Consider Lee a fantasy football sleeper in Week 7.

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RB Dominic Rhodes, Indianapolis Colts
With Joseph Addai out approximately 2-to-4 weeks, Dominic Rhodes will step into a starter’s role. Although he isn’t as good as Addai, Rhodes runs hard and should be able to produce. He’s a decent RB2 until Addai returns. Pick him up if he’s available in your league.

WR Shaun McDonald, Detroit Lions
Now that Roy Williams is a member of the Cowboys, Shaun McDonald is expected to start at wide receiver. While he’s not a great receiver, he showed that he has fantasy potential last year. Don’t start him on your fantasy football team right away but he’s a sleeper that could blossom later in the year.

TE Billy Miller, New Orleans Saints
If Jeremy Shockey misses another week, consider picking up and starting Billy Miller. Miller is getting a good amount of looks from Drew Brees and has performed pretty well. Another week in the starting lineup could spell a big day and perhaps a touchdown for Miller.

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RB Mewelde Moore, Pittsburgh Steelers
Willie Parker is hurt and Rashard Mendenhall is now also hurt and out for the season. That leaves the running back job in Pittsburgh to Mewelde Moore. He may be startable until Parker returns.

WR Steve Breaston, Arizona Cardinals
With Anquan Boldin getting injured in Week 4, Steve Breaston will likely move into a starting gig for as long as Boldin is out. In the high-powered Cardinals offense, that is a very good thing.

WR Lance Moore, New Orleans Saints
Marques Colston and Jeremy Shockey are injured and David Patten isn’t 100%. Lance Moore has now emerged as one of the players who Drew Brees will feature in New Orleans.

TE Dustin Keller, New York Jets
For the second consecutive week, Dustin Keller scored a touchdown. Even though he’s headed into a bye week, Keller is a tight end to keep an eye on.

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RB Darren McFadden, Oakland Raiders
Early in Oakland’s game, starting running back Just Fargas went down with what appeared to be a groin injury. Darren McFadden stepped in and showed his vast potential on his way to 164 yards and a touchdown.

WR Anquan Boldin, Arizona Cardinals
After a quiet Week 1 game, Anquan Boldin exploded in Week 2. Kurt Warner looked for him early and often and Boldin finished with 140 yards receiving and three receiving touchdowns.

TE Tony Scheffler, Denver Broncos
Tony Scheffler was the recipient of two of Cutler’s four touchdown passes. He also had six catches for 64 yards to go along with the touchdowns.

K Ryan Longwell, Minnesota Vikings
In Week 2, Ryan Longwell went 5-for-6 on field goal attempts including one from 50+ yards. For those savvy fantasy owners who started him, pat yourself on the back.

D Green Bay Packers
Against the Detroit Lions, Green Bay put on a defensive show. All told, the Packers finished with five sacks, three interceptions and two defensive touchdowns.

Is Darren McFadden ready for fantasy football stardom?

Photo: Newscom

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In the short term, expect rookie Kevin Smith to remain the starter. Smith has been impressive in training camp and will be given a chance to win the job on a full-time basis.

That said, Johnson will now be waiting in the wings if Smith falters. Johnson has a lot of experience and when healthy he is one of the best backs in the league. While he’s not a receiver out of the backfield, he has very good power and a nose for the end zone.

Overall, this news has to hurt Smith’s overall value. He went from having good job security to having only slight job security. If you have Smith, be sure to handcuff Johnson to him.

Here is a Rudi Johnson highlight reel video:

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• First Round Fantasy Football Mock Draft
• Second Round Fantasy Football Mock Draft
• Third Round Fantasy Football Mock Draft

Fourth Round Fantasy Football Mock Draft
1. Wes Welker, New England Patriots
2. Brandon Marshall, Denver Broncos
3. Willie Parker, Pittsburgh Steelers
4. Earnest Graham, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
5. Thomas Jones, New York Jets
6. Carson Palmer, Cincinnati Bengals
7. Roy Williams, Detroit Lions
8. Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys
9. Santonio Holmes, Pittsburgh Steelers
10. Rudi Johnson, Cincinnati Bengals
11. Greg Jennings, Green Bay Packers
12. Edgerrin James, Arizona Cardinals

Photo: Newscom

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With Jones in the fold, there should be a lot of competition for the starting running back job. In addition Jones, the Bears have rookie Matt Forte and returning veterans Adrian Peterson and Garrett Wolfe. Right now, it appears as if Forte is the favorite to be named the starting running back.

While Forte is the favorite, Jones can’t be overlooked. He has had great success in his career at times and if it weren’t for a number of injuries, he’d likely be considered to be one of the best young running backs in the league. Keep an eye on Jones to see if he eventually wins the starting running back job. If he does, Jones will have very good fantasy football value.

Here is more Kevin Jones analysis:

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