QB Kurt Warner, Arizona Cardinals
As we expected, Kurt Warner was the best fantasy quarterback in the NFL in Week 9. Playing against his former team the St. Louis Rams, Warner had 342 passing yards to go along with two touchdown passes. The only thing keeping Warner from being mentioned as the best fantasy football quarterback is the injury concerns that surround him.

RB Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans
Chris Johnson is quickly becoming one of the most feared running backs in all of the NFL. In Week 9, Johnson helped lead the Titans to victory with 89 rushing yards, 72 receiving yards and a touchdown. Although LenDale White steals some of his touchdowns, Johnson has become a must start each and every fantasy football week.

WR Derrick Mason, Baltimore Ravens
Coming off of a week where he only had three yards, many fantasy football owners were scared away from starting Derrick Mason in Week 9. Too bad for those owners because Mason was a fantasy football superstar in this game against the Cleveland Browns. He finished the contest with nine catches, 136 yards and a touchdown reception in the Ravens victory.

TE Owen Daniels, Houston Texans
A couple weeks ago, we said Owen Daniels was one of the most underrated fantasy football players in the NFL. We also said Daniels would be the best tight end this week. After his 11 catch, 133 yard performance in Week 9, Owens is no longer a secret in the world of fantasy football.

QB Kurt Warner, Arizona Cardinals
Kurt Warner has turned back the clock this season and is reminding NFL experts why he has a pair of Super Bowl rings. He’s also reminding fantasy football owners why he used to be considered the best fantasy quarterback in the all the land. This week, against the St. Louis Rams, you have to think Warner will have even more motivation to torture the team he had his most success with.

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.

QB Kyle Orton, Chicago Bears
Coming into the 2008 fantasy football season, many considered Kyle Orton to be too bad to even put on a roster. Now, after another good performance in Week 7, Orton is starting to look like a legitimate fantasy football starter. In Week 7, he put up 283 passing yards and two touchdowns against the Minnesota Vikings.

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.

QB Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers
After winning the Super Bowl as a rookie, Ben Roethlisberger has blossomed into a very capable fantasy football quarterback. He’s not going to wow you with pass attempts but he’s a very steady hand who is dependable on a week to week basis. If he’s your starter, he won’t beat you.

RB Earnest Graham, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Quietly, Earnest Graham has been very good since becoming a starter. This season, he is averaging over five and half yards per rush. He also has three touchdowns and is a threat to catch the ball out of the backfield. He doesn’t have great breakaway speed but he’s a solid football player who can produce for your fantasy football team.

WR Laveranues Coles, New York Jets
This season, Laveranues Coles has been thrust into the spotlight due to being one of Brett Favre’s main targets. The truth is, however, that Coles has been a very solid fantasy football wide receiver for a long while now. He makes up average size and average speed by having very good hands and running great routes.

TE Owen Daniels, Houston Texans
Many fantasy football owners overlook Owen Daniels because he hasn’t racked up many touchdowns over the last two seasons. What those owners are missing is that he has a very healthy amount of catches and receiving yards. And while it’d be great for him to have more touchdowns, those should come soon enough.

Fantasy Quarterback Sleeper
Kurt Warner, Arizona Cardinals - Kurt Warner has 27 touchdown passes last season, even though he entered the season as the backup to Matt Leinart. This season, Warner enters the season as the starter and could get 30+ touchdown passes. However, keep Leinart on your team because Warner tends to be fragile.

Fantasy Running Back Sleeper
Selvin Young, Denver Broncos
While you can expect Selvin Young to have to split carries, he’s a player who could very easily finish 2008 with 1,200+ rushing yards. His touchdowns might not come as regularly as you’d like but he should be a solid option as a third running back on a fantasy football team.

Fantasy Wide Receiver Sleeper
Devin Hester, Chicago Bears
As we’ve been saying for the last couple months, Devin Hester is a low risk, high reward type player for 2008. He’s going to start at wide receiver for the Bears and will likely see a lot of balls thrown his way. As we all know, once he has the football in his hands, he’s as dangerous as anyone in the game.

Fantasy Tight End Sleeper
Owen Daniels, Houston Texans
Owen Daniels is getting ignored a bit due to not scoring many touchdowns last year and playing on a team that didn’t get much fantasy attention. However, Daniels ended last year with 63 catches and 768 yards for the Texans. In his third year, he could really start to blossom.

Fantasy Kicker Sleeper
Josh Scobee, Jacksonville Jaguars
If you want to wait on drafting your fantasy kicker, consider taking Josh Scobee late in the draft. He was injured for much of last season but kicked very well once he got healthy enough to play. This season, the Jaguars should be able to move the ball offensively quite easily.

Fantasy Defense Sleeper
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens have long been considered an elite fantasy football defense. This year, a lot of experts are saying they will be sub par. While they may struggle at times, the Ravens are too talented to totally fall out of the top ten.

Owen Daniels, Houston Texans
Quietly, Owen Daniels is emerging as a very quality tight end for the Houston Texans. He has good hands and should become a mainstay in the Texans’ passing game for a long time. In 2008, look for even more catches and even more touchdowns.

LJ Smith, Philadelphia Eagles
Spending most of the season injured, LJ Smith had a forgettable 2007 campaign. However, the Eagles made Smith their franchise player and they expect him to be a key part to their success in 2008. No matter who the quarterback is, Smith figures to have a bounce back season.

Alex Smith, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
In Alex Smith’s first couple of seasons in the NFL, he has shown very good promise. If he can stay healthy for an entire season, he has the potential to be a tight end who racks up a lot of touchdowns. He’s big, strong and has good hands – a nice combination near the end zone.

Greg Olson, Chicago Bears
After an up and down rookie season, Greg Olson should become a very good tight end in 2008. He started off his rookie season injured but slowly integrated himself into their system. In 2008, he should bust out and become a fantasy mainstay.

If you are in a pinch and need to find a starter off your league’s waiver wire this week, check out these players that can start in an emergency:

QB David Garrard, Jacksonville Jaguars - Garrard should be back on the field this week for Jacksonville after missing a series of games with a high ankle sprain. Although Garrard isn’t in an extremely pass friendly offense, some fantasy players forget how well he was playing before he got hurt. Garrard doesn’t have an interception on the season and has a quarterback rating over 100. If he’s playing this week, he’s a safe start because of the fact that he doesn’t throw interceptions and can get you yards on the ground running.

RB Najeh Davenport, Pittsburgh Steelers - Against the Jets, the Steelers should have plenty of chances to score touchdowns. And while Willie Parker has had a very good season to date, he only has a couple of touchdowns. Davenport, on the other hand, has three touchdowns and has run for over five yards per carry. With this favorable matchup, Davenport is a player you can pick up and start in an emergency.

WR Drew Bennett, St. Louis Rams - The Rams offense is looking better than it has all season. With that being the case, Bennett is a big red zone threat. St. Louis acquired him specifically to help them score touchdowns and Bennett is good at using his size to get open in the end zone. Against the 49ers this week, Bennett could very well find himself with a touchdown as San Francisco is in a horrendous slump.

TE Owen Daniels, Houston Texans - The Texans are finally getting some of their players healthy. Both Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson should play this week, which could open up the field for Daniels. Daniels, a second year tight end, has had a good season but has yet to find the end zone. This is the week that he could get his first touchdown of the year, especially considering he is facing the poor Saints defense.

Are you looking on the waiver wire for an emergency starter for Week 9? Here are some names you should consider.

QB JP Losman, Buffalo Bills - Losman is up against the Cincinnati Bengals this week in what looks to be a great matchup. While Losman isn’t a very good quarterback usually, he could put in extra effort to try to win back his job from Trent Edwards. Two touchdowns and 250 yards passing isn’t too unrealistic given this matchup.

RB Justin Fargas, Oakland Raiders - With LaMont Jordan struggling and Dominic Rhodes seemingly out of the picture, Fargas could be the running back who is featured most on Sunday against the Texans. Fargas is averaging 5.7 yards per rush attempt and could conceivably become the full-time back sometime soon.

WR DJ Hackett, Seattle Seahawks - Remember Hackett? He returns this week after recovering from a high ankle sprain. Against the Browns, expect Hackett to see a number of balls go his way. He’s expected to start and with the offense struggling as it has over the last couple weeks, he could become a big part of the offense quickly.

TE Owen Daniels, Houston Texans - Earlier in the week, it appeared that Daniels could miss a significant amount of time with what was reported to be a high ankle sprain. However, Daniels is back at practice and is probable to start the game on Sunday against the Raiders. If he starts, he’s a good option for a fantasy team in need of a tight end.

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