Upgrades

QB Jake Delhomme (Car) - When you give up a lot of points and can't run the ball, you have but one choice and that is to throw the ball a lot. Jake rebounded with a great game and should be solid the rest of the season.

*** Waiver wire - QB Drew Henson (Dal) - Although coach Parcells says he is staying with Vinny Testaverde, it would not be surprising to see Henson take over as the starter later this season. Once the Cowboys are eliminated from the playoffs, there will be little reason for the aging Testaverde to continue as starter.

QB Jake Plummer (Den) - In the last two games, Plummer has tossed 733 passing yards and a mere 8 TDs. The Broncos are off in week ten but come back against the Saints and Raiders. There should be no letting up from Plummer.

*** Waiver wire - QB David Garrard (Jac) - With Leftwich out for 2 weeks, Garrard will get the start at home against the Lions and the Titans. If you're in need a QB, you could do a lot worse.

QB Trent Green (KC) - It could be said that the Chiefs offense has gotten its groove back. The Buccaneers were easily the toughest defense remaining for Green, and he lit them up for 369 yards and three TDs.

*** Waiver wire - QB Eli Manning (NYG) - Fumbles could eventually cost Warner his job. One bad week won't do it, but if the Giants struggle this week against Arizona, look for Eli to get a chance.

*** Waiver wire - QB Quincy Carter (NYJ) - Carter was a late addition to the Jets after being let go by the Cowboys in August. This turned out to be a great move with the injury to Pennington. Carter will start the next 1-4 weeks and is worth a good look if you are in need of a QB. He's definitely not the worst QB in the league. Actually, it could be argued that Carter is the 2nd best QB in his division.

QB Drew Brees (SD) - Another game that leaves us in awe of what Brees is accomplishing this season. Tomlinson, McCardell, and Gates give Brees enough options to excel each week. The Chargers are off week ten, but Brees will come back with a couple of games against defenses (Raiders and Chiefs) he could shred.

QB Tim Rattay (SF) - Despite a forearm injury that will likely require off-season surgery, Rattay had another great week. The 49ers offense needs Rattay (they looked horrible with Dorsey running the show in week 8) as their defense can't stop anyone right now.

QB Brian Griese (TB) - Chris Simms might be the future, but he will need to wait as this is now Griese's job to lose. With the team winning, Griese is gaining more and more confidence each week.

*** Waiver wire - QB Patrick Ramsey (Was) - Enough is enough with the Brunell experiment. It failed.

RB Willis McGahee (Buf) - Another start and another 100+ yard day on the ground. More importantly, the Bills are winning with McGahee in the starting lineup.

RB Anthony Thomas (Chi) - Thomas went 28 for 110 and a pair of TDs as he filled in very well for the injured Thomas Jones. With Jones possibly missing two more games, Thomas should continue to excel.

RB Domanick Davis (Hou) - His value has skyrocketed the last two weeks after an early plummet because of injuries. He is now back in the fold and draws an easy opponent (Indianapolis) in week 10.

RB Corey Dillon (NE) - Dillon is running strong and the season is past the midway point. For the Patriots, cold weather games usually mean an increase in rushing attempts. Dillon looks ready to pound away at opposing defenses. He could be the kind of back that carries a FF team to a title.

RB Tiki Barber (NYG) - Barber continues to put up excellent total yardage numbers, and he added a pair of short-yardage scores against the Bears. If he stays healthy, Barber should have no problem finishing the season as a top fantasy RB.

RB Tyrone Wheatley (Oak) - Wheatley is back and will receive the majority of the carries. His two 1-yard TDs show that the goal line is Wheatley territory.

RB Brian Westbrook (Phi) - The 6 for 17 isn't the reason Westbrook is here. Next week, he should be closer to 100% healthy and able to do some damage against a reeling Cowboys squad. Plus, Levens and Mahe did absolutely nothing with their opportunity so this is definitely the Brian Westbrook show.

RB Jerome Bettis (Pit) - A healthy Staley will likely continue as the starter, but Bettis showed against the Eagles that he is still a very capable back. If he stays healthy, Bettis will continue to have a role in the Pittsburgh offense.

*** Waiver wire - RB Verron Haynes (Pit) - If Duce Staley misses any more games because of his hamstring, Haynes could shine with his limited carries.

RB Shaun Alexander (Sea) - This simplified offense thing works for Alexander. He looks like a lock to finish the season as a top fantasy RB.

RB Michael Pittman (TB) - Pittman is the Buccaneers ground game and faces an extremely soft schedule over the 2nd have of the season. He looks like a prime free agent target as his owner could be looking to sell high. Pittman won't have three TDs every week, but he will be an excellent back down the stretch.

RB Clinton Portis (Was) - Does anyone mean more to their team than Portis? He might even be their best QB. OK, that's a stretch, but Washington will ride this guy for as long as they can.

WR Larry Fitzgerald (Ari) - Larry is now seeing easier coverage as the #2 WR on the Cardinals. He could come up huge against soft defenses. He caught 5 passes for 92 yards and a TD this week.

*** Waiver wire - WR Travis Taylor (Bal) - When a Baltimore receiver other than Todd Heap gets 10 targets, you have to take notice. He finished the day with 7 catches for 58 yards.

*** Waiver wire - WR Lee Evans (Buf) - We expect him to be a bigger part of the offense going forward. Josh Reed's injury opens the door for the team to give this explosive rookie more opportunities to shine.

WR Muhsin Muhammad (Car) - The Carolina running game is non-existent (Davis hurt, Foster lost to IR, Hoover ineffective) which means lots of passing each week. Muhsin was targeted 12 times on Sunday catching 8 for 94 yards.

*** Waiver wire - WR Antonio Bryant (Cle) - The Browns are looking to get him more involved. He had a good game catching 4 for 43 yards. The injury to Andre Davis should help his playing time.

WR Ashley Lelie (Den) - Ashley has emerged as the deep threat on the Broncos. And with a defense that is less than stellar, Denver should be involved in their share of shootouts going forward. He had 4 catches for 81 yards and a score on Sunday.

WR Roy Williams (Det) - He only caught 3 passes yesterday, but was targeted a whopping 14 times. The results will come with that many opportunities.

WR Donald Driver (GB) - The Packers play the Vikings at home next week. This is about as good a matchup as he will face all year.

*** Waiver wire - WR Jabar Gaffney (Hou) - He has emerged as the #2 WR for the Texans. He had a nice game this week with 6 catches for 86 yards (on 9 targets). The Texans play Indianapolis next week so expect another huge week.

WR David Givens (NE) - Despite being gimpy, he caught 5 passes for 100 yards. He was targeted 10 times.

WR Santana Moss (NYJ) - He had a huge game going 6 for 157 with a score. He was targeted 9 times. Look for that to continue with Quincy Carter at quarterback.

WR Keenan McCardell (SD) - 12 targets, 6 catches, 89 yards. LaDainian Tomlinson and Antonio Gates may score the TDs, but Keenan McCardell is moving the chains.

WR Brandon Lloyd (SF) - Cedric Wilson suffered a hamstring injury so expect the team to lean on Lloyd even more in the passing game.

*** Waiver wire - WR Curtis Conway (SF) - He will start again if Cedric Wilson misses anytime.

WR Darrell Jackson (Sea) - We still expect Koren Robinson to get suspended any day now. Darrell Jackson played hurt and was still the man. He finished the game with 5 catches for 114 yards and 2 TDs.

TE Jason Witten (Dal) - He is the only shining spot in this offense. He continues to put up great numbers. He caught all 6 of his targets for 97 yards.

TE Tony Gonzalez (KC) - He had 123 yards and a score this week (on 11 targets). He has become unstoppable as teams attempt to overload the box trying to slow Priest Holmes down. He and Antonio Gates are far and away the best tight ends this year.

TE Jeremy Shockey (NYG) - Last year Shockey was always injured. This year he has stayed healthy and the results have been excellent. He caught 6 passes for 64 yards and a score this weekend.

TE Doug Jolley (Oak) - Courtney Anderson has a strained MCL and is likely lost for 4-6 weeks. Doug Jolley is expected to play even more due to this injury.

TE Antonio Gates (SD) - He scored 3 TDs this week. He has 602 yards and 8 TDs in 9 games for the year. He's as good as anyone we have seen at this position in a long time.

*** Waiver wire - PK Shayne Graham (Cin) - Over the last three weeks he has 9 field goals and 6 extra points without a miss. His 11 points per game leads all kickers during this span.

PK Adam Vinatieri (NE) - 8 field goals, 7 extra points, 1 passing TD. Those are his numbers over the last 3 games.

*** Waiver wire - Def Chicago - Lovie Smith's unit created chaos for the 49ers in week 8 and the Giants in week 9. This past week they recorded 7 sacks, 2 interceptions and 3 fumble recoveries.

Def Pittsburgh - When you limit an undefeated team to 113 yards of total offense and just 3 points you are getting it done. This defense is a big reason the Steelers are 7-1. They also had 4 sacks and an interception.

Downgrades

QB Vinny Testaverde - Dal - A 40-year old QB throwing lots of INTs for a losing team has little job security. It would not be surprising to see Testaverde hit the bench when the Cowboys are mathematically eliminated.

QB Byron Leftwich - Jac - He's only here because he'll miss the next two weeks with his knee injury. Don't drop him though. His schedule the rest of the way is nice.

QB Kurt Warner (NYG) - Fumbles, interceptions...the team loses. Hmmmm sure sounds like Eli Manning may see the field soon if this continues.

QB Chad Pennington (NYJ) - He will miss the next 1-4 weeks with his injured shoulder.

QB Mark Brunell (Was) - How does a team win when the starting QB throws for only 58 yards? Oh yeah, Clinton Portis is a workhorse.

RB Travis Henry (Buf) - He will only see significant action if McGahee is injured.

RB Eddie George (Dal) - This team has no running game at all. And with just 8 carries, Parcells doesn't believe Eddie George is the answer. We tend to agree with him.

RB Kevin Jones (Det) - This was a tough matchup, but Kevin Jones seems to be dancing too much behind the line of scrimmage to be a consistent fantasy producer. He will likely struggle again against Jacksonville in week 10.

RB Larry Johnson (KC) - Johnson was finally given a bit of a chance to spell Holmes, and he responds with 10 for 21. That kind of effort won't even keep Derrick Blaylock on the bench.

RB Dorsey Levens (Phi) - If you still have him, it's time to throw him back into the pool.

RB Duce Staley (Pit) - Bettis' showing against the Eagles means Staley will never be the exclusive back. Staley will likely continue to receive the majority of carries, but Bettis and Verron Haynes will be given touches as well.

RB Marshall Faulk (Stl) - He catches passes for yards still, but has been ineffective as a runner in virtually every game. He is averaging just 65 yards rushing per contest.

WR Bryant Johnson (Ari) - He has a limited role with a healthy Anquan Boldin back on the field.

WR Peter Warrick (Cin) - He has been placed on IR and is lost for the season.

WR Andre Davis (Cle) - He left the game in the 3rd quarter wih an aggravated toe injury.

WR Corey Bradford (Hou) - He caught just 1 pass for 5 yards. Andre Johnson and Jabar Gaffney are getting most of the targets.

WR Jerry Porter (Oak) - It can't be a good thing when Ron Curry and Doug Gabriel outplay you. He still has a lot of talent, but this team is struggling to find any kind of consistency.

WR Cedric Wilson (SF) - He left the game with an injured hamstring.

WR Rod Gardner (Was) - He had one catch for -10 yards. This team needs a QB badly.

TE Freddie Jones (Ari) - He had 1 catch for 5 yards. Since Boldin has returned, the Cardinals do not look his way.

TE Billy Miller (Hou) - Over the last two games he has 1 catch for 5 yards. Put a fork in him. He is done.

TE Daniel Graham (NE) - After a great start, Graham has disappeared. He is still a redzone option, but not a shoe in to catch many passes each week.

TE Anthony Becht (NYJ) - Over his last three games, he has a whopping 3 catches for 13 yards. I predict at this pace he will only make it to Canton if he buys a bus ticket.

TE Courtney Alexander (Oak) - He has a strained MCL and is out 4-6 weeks.

PK Jeff Wilkins (StL) - In his last two games, he has attempted no FGs and only has 4 extra points.

Def Denver - They have allowed 1,119 yards and 70 points over the last three weeks. During this span they also have just 1 interception and 1 fumble recovery.

Def Philadelphia - They have allowed 1,1141 yards and 68 points over the last three weeks. Despite their 7-1 record, this unit is struggling.