QB Matt Cassel, New England Patriots
In place of Tom Brady, Matt Cassel has had some good games and some not so good games. In Week 11, Cassel played one of his better games. Against the rival New York Jets, the Patriots quarterback had 400 yards passing and three touchdowns. He also didn’t have an interception on the week.

RB DeAngelo Williams, Carolina Panthers
Early in the season, it appeared as if DeAngelo Williams would never live up to his expectations. Now, Williams is regarded as one of the best fantasy football running backs in 2008. In Week 11, Williams finished the game with two touchdowns and 120 yards rushing on 14 attempts. Combining with Jonathan Stewart, the Panthers have a very formidable one-two punch.

WR TJ Houshmandzadeh, Cincinnati Bengals
Even thought the Bengals have been a big disappointment and quarterback Carson Palmer has missed a lot of time, TJ Houshmandzadeh has actually been quite good. He still has been able to get open and he still has very good hands. He finished this week’s game with 12 catches for 149 yards and a touchdown receptions. If it wasn’t clear last year, it’s clear this year — Houshmandzadeh is simply a better wide receiver than Chad Johnson.

TE Benjamin Watson, New England Patriots
Cassel’s main target against the Jets was tight end Benjamin Watson. Watson has very good ability to go along with great size and athleticism, however he’s had a difficult time putting it all together. For a week, at least, he did just that. He finished Week 11 with eight catches for 88 yards and a touchdown grab to be the top fantasy football tight end for the week.

Chris Henry of the Cincinnati Bengals has been activated following a four game suspension. Henry, who has seen his share of trouble with the law, immediately becomes a player of interest in fantasy football.

If Henry is on your league’s waiver wire, you should definitely think about picking him up. With Chad Johnson (or Chad Ocho Cinco, if you will) and TJ Houshmandzadeh not playing as well as usual, Henry could see a lot of passes headed his way.

However, not only is this good news for Henry, this is very good news for Carson Palmer. Palmer has been a below average fantasy football quarterback so far in 2008 but he usually has very good chemistry with Henry. Additionally, opposing defenses have a lot more trouble defending three talented wide receivers rather than just two.

It may take Henry a few games to be a featured part of the Bengals’ offensive attack, but he’s definitely a fantasy football sleeper to keep an eye on.

Can Chris Henry be the Bengals savior?

Photo: Newscom

Quarterback - Carson Palmer, Cincinnati Bengals
In Week 1, Carson Palmer went up against an amped Baltimore Ravens squad. He didn’t perform well but all hope isn’t lost. His schedule gets easier and he has two of the best wide receivers in the game in Chad Johnson (or Chad Ocho Cinco) and TJ Houshmandzadeh.

Running Back - Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville Jaguars
Maurice Jones-Drew didn’t get many carries and didn’t do much in the carries he did get. But don’t think he’s in line for a poor season. MJD started off slow last year and ended up playing very well as the season wore on.

Wide Receiver - Torry Holt, St. Louis Rams
It’d be difficult for a wide receiver to be more invisible than Torry Holt was in Week 1. But Holt has a history of putting up numbers and should bounce back nicely. If you can buy him for a discounted cost, go get him.

Tight End - Tony Gonzalez, Kansas City Chiefs
Even though Tony Gonzalez saved a man’s life this offseason, the fantasy football world is already starting to forget about him after the first week of the season. But with Damon Huard now the quarterback, Gonzalez should quickly ascend to the top of the tight end pack.

Photo: Newscom

1. Randy Moss - The Brady to Moss connection will be seen plenty.
2. Terrell Owens - Owens is only other WR in Moss’ class.
3. Reggie Wayne - With Harrison aging, it’s time for Wayne to bring pain.
4. Andre Johnson - When healthy, as good as anyone.
5. Braylon Edwards - High risk, high reward in 2008 fantasy football.
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We’ve already looked at the first round and the second round fantasy football mock draft for 2008. Here is the third round:

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
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Where are wide receivers being drafted in 2008 fantasy football drafts? Here is a look at where the top ten wide receivers are getting drafted this year:

Randy Moss - End of the first round.
Terrell Owens - Beginning of the second round.
Reggie Wayne - Middle of the second round.
Braylon Edwards - End of the second round.
Larry Fitzgerald - End of the second round.
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To find the next diamond in the rough in fantasy football, you sometimes have to scour the statistics to find players likely to play better in upcoming weeks. It’s not all about the total number of yards or the total number of touchdowns. To find the true gems, you have to dig deeper. Here are three players who are showing enough potential statistically to indicate that they are in line for bigger and better things as the season wears on.

Marion Barber III - Barber is a hot name right now but once you look at his stats, you can make a case that he should be considered a top ten running back and a definite RB1. While he’s in a running back by committee with Julius Jones, Barber is having a monster year. After four games, he already has four touchdowns. What is most impressive though is his 6.4 yards per rush. Barber III is a player to target in a trade and hope his role increases just a tad more. If that happens, he could actually finish the year as a top five running back in fantasy football.

TJ Houshmandzadeh - While Chad Johnson gets all the accolades and the press coverage, Houshmandzadeh might actually be the top wide receiver on the team for fantasy football purposes. He has 39 receptions to date, which far and away leads the NFL. In fact, he has 11 more receptions than Johnson. Houshmandzadeh also has five touchdowns and just seems to get better each season. Send out a feeler trade for him. You’d be surprised at how undervalued he is right now.

Jon Kitna - If you think about quarterbacks this season, you think about Tony Romo, Tom Brady, Carson Palmer and Peyton Manning. However, if you check the stats, Kitna has more passing yards than all those quarterbacks. Kitna is on pace for nearly 5,000 passing yards and 32 touchdowns. With Mike Martz as his offensive coordinator with the Lions, you can be confident that Kitna is going to pass … and pass … and pass. While 5,000 yards isn’t that likely, he’s going to put up huge stats as long as he stays healthy.

Photo credit: DallasCowboys.com