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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Winslow’s talent has never been a question. Even though he plays tight end, he has the skillset of a big wide receiver. He runs good routes, has good hands and his speed and agility are very impressive for a player of his size.

Last season, Winslow struggled along with most of the Browns’ offense. After two solid fantasy football campaigns, his 2008 fantasy football season was a clunker. As usual, both injuries and off the field drama led to Winslow’s demise.

With the Buccaneers, Winslow has a chance to be a very good fantasy football tight end once again. The Bucs like to look to their tight ends around the goal line and their deliberate offense would be a good mix for Winslow’s skillset. Look for him to be one of the top five tight ends targeted in 2009 fantasy football drafts.

This is obviously bad news for Alex Smith and the other tight ends on Tampa Bay. Winslow will demand a lot of time on the field and should be able to easily win the starting job. Also keep an eye on Cleveland to see who will replace Winslow at tight end. The Browns very well may look to the draft to get a new starter at that position.

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RB Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia Eagles
Westbrook hasn’t been able to play and is a game-time decision.

RB Clinton Portis, Washington Redskins
Once again this week, Portis will be a game-time decision due to a knee injury.

RB Reggie Bush, New Orleans Saints
Bush is listed as questionable and was able to practice on Saturday, but many expect the Saints to hold him out another week.

RB Jerious Norwood, Atlanta Falcons
Norwood is questionable. Look elsewhere for a starter.

QB Plaxico Burress, New York Giants
Burress is listed as questionable but is looking more likely than not to play.

WR Roddy White, Atlanta Falcons
Although listed as questionable, White practiced on Friday and very well could play.

WR Derrick Mason, Baltimore Ravens
Mason is listed as questionable but should play.

TE Kellen Winslow, Cleveland Browns
Winslow is listed as questionable. He’ll be a game-time decision.

K Jason Elam, Atlanta Falcons
Elam is listed as questionable and shouldn’t be trusted in Week 12.

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RB Michael Pittman, Denver Broncos
Selvin Young is out for Week 6 and Andre Hall isn’t 100%. With that in mind, Michael Pittman could become the lead back in Denver very soon. He already gets goal line carries and a lot of 3rd down action. Pretty soon he may become the lead back.

WR Chad Johnson, Cincinnati Bengals
Can Chad Ocho Cinco play any worse? The answer is likely no. With his status at an all-time low, now is a great time to go out and buy. If you can hold him on your bench for the time being, he could regain his mojo later in the year and be one of the best fantasy receivers.

TE Kellen Winslow, Jr., Cleveland Browns
The entire Cleveland Browns offense isn’t as strong as it was last year. Kellen Winslow, Jr. is feeling the effects of the downturn. The good news is that he’s still very talented and chances are very good that he’ll end the year as a top five tight end.

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Quarterback – Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys
Even though he’ll be out on the road, expect Tony Romo to have a lot of success in Week 1. He’s going against the Cleveland Browns and it wouldn’t surprise anyone if this game turned into a shootout. Romo was very good in the beginning of last year and should start off well again.

Running Back – LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego Chargers
The Carolina Panthers aren’t the defensive juggernaut they used to be. For that reason, and the fact that he’s very good, LaDainian Tomlinson should come out of the gates on fire in 2008. If you have him on your fantasy team, start him with the highest level of confidence.

Wide Receiver – Terrell Owens, Dallas Cowboys
With Romo poised to have a big game in Week 1, expect many of those passes to be headed to Terrell Owens. TO will have a very good chance of getting at least one touchdown against the Browns. He’s the best receiver to have to begin the fantasy football season.

Tight End – Kellen Winslow, Cleveland Browns
On the other side of the coin, the Cowboys haven’t always been very good against tight ends. The Browns now this and will look to Winslow early and often. Winslow had a big year this year and should have an even better season in 2008.

Kicker – Stephen Gostkowski, New England Patriots
The Patriots will probably be rusty going into the regular season. While that is bad news for most fantasy players, that is actually good news for Gostkowski. If Tom Brady and company can’t guide the ball into the end zone, they will have to ride Gostkowski to victory.

Team Defense – Indianapolis Colts
The Colts have a great matchup in Week 1 when they play the Chicago Bears in front of their home crowd. With home cooking in their favor, expect the Colts to come out amped up and ready to try to get back on the Super Back track.

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Jason Witten – End of the fourth round.
Kellen Winslow – Middle of the fifth round.
Antonio Gates – End of the fifth round.
Tony Gonzalez – Middle of the sixth round.
Dallas Clark – End of the sixth round.
Chris Cooley – Beginning of the seventh round.
Todd Heap – End of the seventh round.
Jeremy Shockey – Middle of the eighth round.
Vernon Davis – Middle of the ninth round.
Heath Miller – End of the tenth round.

Photo: Newscom

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Here is our ranking of the top ten tight ends:

1. Antonio Gates – Gates remains the best tight end in the game.
2. Jason Witten – Great offense and huge potential in 2008.
3. Kellen Winslow – Amazing potential despite character concerns.
4. Tony Gonzalez – Old pro still bringing the stats.
5. Dallas Clark – If healthy, Clark should have a big year.
6. Chris Cooley – Very good talent who should be featured in 2008.
7. Benjamin Watson – Is ready for the elusive breakout season.
8. Todd Heap – If Heap plays 16 games, he’ll be a stud.
9. Vernon Davis – Few players have Davis’ potential.
10. Jeremy Shockey – He is still injured but he should bounce back.

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Last season, Winslow had a very good fantasy football campaign. He had 82 catches, 1106 yards and five touchdowns. The 24-year-old tight end out of Miami became one of the best fantasy tight ends in the NFL.

Early in Winslow’s career, he suffered from a number of serious injuries. During that time, the Browns restructured Winslow’s contract. Now that Winslow has his career back on track, it’s possible that Winslow wants a bump in pay.

If Winslow doesn’t start showing up in Cleveland for workouts, his fantasy football stock will start dropping. Winslow has a history of questionable off the field moves and he could be aiming toward a contract hold out. If that’s the case, it’s unlikely that the Browns will budge.

As it stands, Winslow is one of the best fantasy football tight ends heading into the 2008 NFL season. If this contract dispute comes to fruition, who would the Browns look at to fill Winslow spot at tight end? One option is Martin Rucker, a fourth round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.

Photo: Newscom

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Let’s go back to the beginning of the 2007 Fantasy Drafts and pretend you are allowed to select one NFL Team’s premium offensive position players (i.e. QB, RB, WR, and TE). Now the obvious early picks would be the New England Patriots, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, etc. There is a team, however, that has a player at most of those key positions putting up hefty fantasy numbers yet somehow managing to fly under the radar. Know who I’m talking about?

The Cleveland Browns actually have three players that are making huge contributions to fantasy teams everywhere. After stepping in for Charlie Frye Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Derek Anderson has done his best to delay the NFL Debut of rookie phenom Brady Quinn. His Week 2 performance against the Cincinnati Bengals sent many owners scrambling to their wavier-wire to put a claim in for the new Browns signal caller. He has been like a roller coaster ever since, but he is showing loads of potential and may be playing himself into a large off-season contract somewhere!

Braylon Edwards is finally starting to show why the Browns selected him with the 3rd pick of the 2005 NFL Draft. His 146 yards and two touchdown game against the Cincinnati Bengals was just a start of what has been a very productive season for the former Wolverine. Just this weekend against the Miami Dolphins Edwards caught 5 balls, three of which went for touchdowns! Excluding weeks 10 and 11 when the Browns face the Steelers and Ravens, expect Edwards to continue putting up #1 WR type numbers for you if you own him, or against you if you do not.

Kellen Winslow had major hype surrounding him when Cleveland selected him with the 6th pick of the 2004 NFL Draft. Finally, after showing flashes of brilliance for years but never being able to keep himself on the field, Winslow has given Cleveland fans and fantasy owners worldwide reason to smile! A tight end averaging 84 yards receiving per game is like a dream come true in the Fantasy Football world, and that is precisely what Kellen is doing so far this season. He is finally starting to put his money where his mouth is, and fans everywhere are grateful!

Mix those three players in with Jamal Lewis when/if he gets healthy and you have an offensive unit made in Fantasy Football heaven. No one could’ve expected what we’ve seen from Anderson, but we’ve been patiently waiting for Edwards and Winslow to show up and produce. It looks like this may be the year they take a step towards fantasy greatness and move themselves up a few spots in the 2008 Mock Drafts that are sure to be coming soon!

You can read more from Chris Hester at RotoHog.com.

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As it stands, here are the top ten tight ends to have on your roster at this point in the season. These players are worth trading for at the right cost.

1) Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers
While other tight ends are having great seasons, Gates is still the top dog in fantasy football. He’s such a touchdown threat that he remains a better tight end option than anyone else in the league. He’s catching the ball at a great clip and is destined to have a great season from here on out.

2) Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys
Witten had an off year last season, which caused him to slip in a lot of drafts. However, this year, Witten is playing great and is getting tons of looks from Tony Romo. In most leagues, Witten is currently the highest scoring tight end. Look for him to continue to play very well.

3) Dallas Clark, Indianapolis Colts
After a fantastic postseason last year in which Clark helped the Colts win the Super Bowl, he’s continued that over into the regular season this year. With some injuries to the Colts receivers, Clark is getting more passes thrown his way than ever.

4) Kellen Winslow, Cleveland Browns
Winslow is neck and neck with Gates as far as being the most talented tight end in the NFL. He’s a great receiver with fantastic hands, good speed and good toughness. Due to that skill, Winslow has a great upside going forward.

5) Tony Gonzalez, Kansas City Chiefs
While he isn’t as prolific as he used to be, Gonzalez is still a very good fantasy player. He catches a lot of passes and is still a huge threat in the red zone. Gonzalez usually plays better as the season goes along, so if you can buy him low, now would be a good time.

6) Ben Watson, New England Patriots
Watson is having a fantastic season to date. He has five touchdowns and is an emerging red zone target for the Patriots. The only reason he’s not higher on the list is because the Patriots have so many weapons on offense. However, he could easily end up in the top three if he keeps playing consistently.

7) Todd Heap, Baltimore Ravens
Heap hasn’t had a great season to date and has battled a couple injuries, but he’s still a top flight fantasy tight end. He’s still getting the looks and once he’s completely healed, he should regain his fantasy form. If Kyle Boller replaces Steve McNair at any point this season, Heap’s stock will rise as Boller relies heavily on Heap.

8) Chris Cooley, Washington Redskins
Cooley is just a very solid football player. He can do a lot and because of that, he’s a nice fantasy player. While he’s a step down from the top seven in this list, having Cooley as your tight end isn’t anything to be sad about. He’s solid and is always a touchdown threat.

9) Jeremy Shockey, New York Giants
Shockey had his first touchdown in Week 5, but he’s still a valuable option at tight end. He’s another highly skilled tight end who plays a lot like a wide receiver. He’s going to have a better second half of the season, so buying him low is a very good idea.

10) Heath Miller, Pittsburgh Steelers
Miller had a relatively disappointing season last year. This year, he’s seeing a lot more passes coming his way. He’s been consistently hauling in between two and four passes a game. Miller has two touchdowns so far this season and should finish with around six or seven on the season.

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