QB Chad Henne, Miami Dolphins
Although the Dolphins are coming off of a bye, don’t forget about Chad Henne. In Week 5, he was 20-for-26 with 241 yards and two touchdowns against a tough Jets defense. The youngster has a relatively high ceiling.

RB Laurence Maroney, New England Patriots
Fred Taylor had ankle surgery. Sammy Morris left Week 6 due to injury. Now the job appears to be Laurence Maroney’s to lose. In Week 6, Maroney had 123 yards and a touchdown. Against the Bucs in Week 7, he could be valuable.

WR Michael Crabtree, San Francisco 49ers
Considering that rookie wide receivers rarely produce and rookie holdouts also rarely produce, it’s difficult to believe in Michael Crabtree. That said, the Niners will reportedly throw him into the fire soon and let him sink or swim. If he swims, he could help your fantasy team.

TE Heath Miller, Pittsburgh Steelers
It might be time to begin starting Heath Miller with confidence. He has at least five catches in his last four games and has four touchdowns in his last three games. If he’s available, snag him.

Will you trust Michael Crabtree? (Image: Zuma Press)

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On Monday night, we started getting answered. Heading into the game, Sammy Morris supposedly was the starting running back. In typical Bill Belichick fashion, Morris didn’t even get a carry. Instead, he spent most of his time at full back.

Laurence Maroney, who was listed fourth on the depth chart, ended up getting the most carries. On his ten carries, he totaled 32 yards. He also caught two passes for nine years.

Fred Taylor also saw some touches — finishing with 25 yards on nine carries. Kevin Faulk, as expected, was in the mix. The longtime Patriots RB had three carries for seven yards and six catches for 51 yards.

Overall, it appears as if Maroney is the most valuable of the Patriots running backs. Taylor and Faulk will get touches but Maroney has the most potential and appears to be the short yardage back. If you want to take a risk with one of the RBs on New England, roll the dice on Maroney having a decent season.

Laurence Maroney - New England Patriots (Image: Zuma Press)

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RB Kevin Faulk, New England Patriots
With injuries to Laurence Maroney, Sammy Morris and LaMont Jordan, the door is open for Kevin Faulk to be the main running back option. The good thing about Faulk is that not only is he good running the ball, he’s also a good receiver. If you need an emergency starter off the waiver wire, you could do much worse than Faulk.

WR Ted Ginn, Jr., Miami Dolphins
After a very slow start to his season, Ted Ginn, Jr. showed why he’s regarded as a big time talent. It’s unknown whether he will ever live up to his potential but with the Miami offense looking solid and quarterback Chad Pennington playing well, Ginn is a wide receiver to keep an eye on.

TE Martellus Bennett, Dallas Cowboys
If Jason Witten is going to miss any action, consider picking up Martellus Bennett. Bennett is the backup tight end in Dallas and he has impressed coaching with his receiving abilities. While he’s an obvious fall off from Witten, Bennett could serve as a sufficient starter for the time being.

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RB Justin Fargas, Oakland Raiders
While running a route, Justin Fargas fell to the field with what appeared to be a groin injury. Fargas was unable to return to the game and appeared to be in serious pain.

RB Laurence Maroney, New England Patriots
Early in the game, Laurence Maroney left the field with a shoulder injury. The good news for the Patriots is Maroney was able to return late in the fourth quarter.

WR Logan Payne and Seneca Wallace, Seattle Seahawks
The amazing run of bad luck for the Seahawks continues with two more injuries in the wide receiver corps. With Deion Branch, Bobby Engram, Nate Burleson and Ben Obomanu already injured, Seattle receivers Logan Payne and Seneca Wallace both got injured on Sunday.

WR Devin Hester, Chicago Bears
Wide receiver and return specialist Devin Hester had to leave the Week 2 contest with a rib injury. He got hurt during a kickoff return in the third quarter.

WR Sidney Rice, Minnesota Vikings
Last week Sidney Rice got a touchdown. This week, the Minnesota wide receiver was forced to leave the game with a knee injury.

TE Ben Utecht, Cincinnati Bengals
On the first play of the game, Ben Utecht went down with a chest injury. The Bengals starting tight end left the game on a cart.

How will the Bears survive without Devin Hester?

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1. Jamal Lewis, Cleveland Browns
2. TJ Houshmandzadeh, Cincinnati Bengals
3. Laurence Maroney, New England Patriots
4. Steve Smith, Carolina Panthers
5. Chad Johnson, Cincinnati Bengals
6. Michael Turner, Atlanta Falcons
7. Torry Holt, St. Louis Rams
8. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
9. Plaxico Burress, New York Giants
10. Ronnie Brown, Miami Dolphins
11. Anquan Boldin, Arizona Cardinals
12. Brandon Jacobs, New York Giants

Will Steve Smith drop further due to his suspension?

Photo: Newscom

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Brady last week scoffing at the idea the Pats might only score 17 …

RB Laurence Maroney, New England Patriots
He scored the opening touchdown for the Patriots but after that, Laurence Maroney was nowhere to be found for New England. He had only 36 yards on 14 carries for a pitiful 2.6 yards per rush. Maroney was playing great in the playoffs until he fell flat on his face in the Super Bowl.

WR Randy Moss, New England Patriots
After a great regular season, Randy Moss only had seven catches in the playoffs. While five of those catches came in the Super Bowl, Moss just wasn’t dominant enough from the beginning. Most of his damage came when the Patriots were in trouble. If he could have came out smoking, New England could have put the Giants away early.

Head Coach Bill Belichick
Never known as a good sport, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick left the field with (a tiny amount of) time still on the clock. That should make Belichick the goat of all goats. How can you leave your team to run and hide? That was an embarrassing move by Belichick. Equally embarrassing was when he went for it on 4th down and a mile when he was in field goal range. Belichick got outcoached in the biggest game of his career … and couldn’t stick around to see the end. Some people will defend him and say that he didn’t know there was time left. Sure.

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1. Tom Brady, Quarterback
Brady is trying to complete perhaps a flawless season – both personally and for his team. Brady has been great all year and will be looking to put an exclamation point on his season with a dominating game in the Super Bowl. Start him with the utmost of confidence.

2. Randy Moss, Wide Receiver
Moss hasn’t been too active in the playoffs so far but he’s a big game player. In the Super Bowl, look for Brady to target Moss as much as possible. The Giants will rush Brady consistently, which could open one-on-one coverage for Moss. There’s a good chance that Moss has a couple touchdowns in the Super Bowl.

3. Laurence Maroney, Running Back
Maroney has come on strong for the Patriots and is now an indispensable part of their offensive attack. He runs strong and should be used plenty in the Super Bowl. He’s improved greatly from earlier in his career and now can be counted on to show up for every game.

4. Wes Welker, Wide Receiver
Welker is Brady’s safety valve and is used quite a bit. He’s extremely tough to defend in the open field and can turn a short pass into a long gain. While Moss has the bigger upside for the Super Bowl, Welker is arguably the more dependable start against the Giants.

5. Donte Stallworth, Wide Receiver
Stallworth is a speedy receiver who always seems to be on the verge of scoring a touchdown whenever he catches the ball. If the Patriots can get one-on-one coverage on Stallworth, Brady won’t hesitate to bomb it and let Stallworth use his speed. He’s not a consistent player game in and game out but he has big upside for the Super Bowl.

Photos from last week’s win over the Chargers

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QB Tom Brady, New England Patriots
Forget about the walking boot. Brady is going to be ready to dominate in the Super Bowl. While he faces a tough defense, Brady is good enough to overcome just about anything at this point. With a chance to cement this Patriots team as perhaps the best team of all-time, expect Brady to bring his A game.

RB Laurence Maroney, New England Patriots
Maroney was a fantasy bust for much of the regular season. However, he has come on strong as of late and is playing like a beast right now. Maroney is a tough, physical back who enjoys contact. This Super Bowl could be his coming out party as he cements his spot as the starting running back going forward for the Patriots.

WR Plaxico Burress, New York Giants
If you watched Burress dominate the Green Bay Packers, it’d be hard to bet against him in the Super Bowl. Burress willed his team to victory, even though he was playing with a bum ankle on the frozen tundra. The Patriots will have their hands full trying to contain Burress on this big stage.

TE Kevin Boss, New York Giants
Boss is a big, sturdy target for Eli Manning in the red zone. He won’t rack up a lot of catches but he has a decent shot at grabbing a touchdown pass. Boss is also playing for a shot at a starting gig – either in New York or elsewhere.

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RB Laurence Maroney, New England Patriots
Maroney continues his late season tear. He had 122 yards and a touchdown against the Chargers and was arguably the best player on the field for the Patriots. He’s running hard and should be a force in the Super Bowl. His early season struggles have been forgotten at this point.

WR Plaxico Burress, New York Giants
Burress is a big reason why the Giants are headed to the Super Bowl. Burress had 11 catches for 154 yards and almost single-handedly willed their offense at times. Although he battles a chronically injured ankle, Burress looked very healthy on Sunday. With a couple weeks of rest until the Super Bowl, he could be in line for another big performance.

TE Donald Lee, Green Bay Packers
Lee was easily the best tight end on Sunday. He a touchdown, 35 yards and three catches for the Packers. Lee will head into the 2008 season as a draftable tight end in the fantasy world – especially if Favre returns. Lee has emerged as a legitimate tight end for the Packers that should be a nice fantasy player for the next couple seasons.

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By Guest Blogger, Ron Bishow

The playoffs may not have any direct fantasy implications, but it can be a very telling time when looking for players who might be worth drafting next season.

When you get into crunch time coaches only go to the guys they really have faith in, and quarterbacks only throw to players they have total faith in. It is one thing to go with a guy during the regular season, but when jobs are on the line you don’t fool around.

These are the players that you have to keep a tab on next season for your fantasy draft along with the regular names. Players that could mean the difference between winning and losing, and here is just a sample of a few that have distinguished themselves so far this postseason.

Ryan Grant
Grant has been putting up huge numbers the second half of the season (he has the second most rushing yards behind LT) but his playoff game against the Seahawks have clinched him as a first round pick next season. Those 201 yards and three touchdowns have proven he can be a starting back in the league, and what makes him perfect for the Packers is his big play ability. Green Bay will always be pass first as long as Brett Favre is playing, but Grants ability to take any run to the house means that he can put up good numbers no matter how few carries he gets.

Marion Barber
Barber is an All-Pro and a touchdown machine (huge for me all season) and he finally got a start in the Cowboys playoff game against the Giants. Even though they lost he had over 100 yards and a TD in the first half and I think Dallas has finally seen that he can be a full game player. Julius Jones may find himself in another city next season, which would mean Barber would immediately become one of the top ten running backs in the league. He cannot be tackled on the first hit.

Greg Jennings
I have always been a big Jennings fan, I have drafted him each of the past two seasons, and he has always been productive. People have always been afraid to draft him to high do to the presence of Donald Driver, but it seems it will turn into more of a Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne situation. He had 12 touchdowns this season and two against the Seahawks, in other words he is turning into Favre’s favorite scoring target.

Eli Manning
The other Manning has been able to put up some solid fantasy games every few weeks sprinkled in with some terrible games. After two straight solid efforts in the playoffs where he has not thrown a pick he seems that he might have figured it out. He will never be a guy you would start every week, but he may be someone you draft as a backup and not be totally scared to play anymore.

Laurence Maroney
There was no more disappointing first round draft pick this year then Maroney, I should know he was my first round pick and by week five I wasn’t even playing him anymore. It wasn’t all his fault, the Patriots pretty much pass every down, but all of a sudden he is starting to show why he was so popular last season. 122 yards in the playoff game against Jacksonville, which followed two touchdowns in the season finale against the Giants and 156 yards the week before. If they give him the ball he will gain yards. But how many people will bite on him twice?

Stay tuned for the championship rounds to see if these guys keep in up (except poor Barber) or if some other strange name comes out of nowhere, after all this is the NFL.

Ron Bishow has been reporting on the sports world for the past seven years for AOL, Tribune interactive and CO-ED Magazine among others. He is such a fantasy sports fanatic he plays fantasy NASCAR. He is currently a contributing writer and video producer at newyork.metromix.com.

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