Upgrades

QB Michael Vick (Atl) - We have been downgrading him for weeks now, but he finally responded with a good game. He still is too unpredictable for our liking, but can explode for a huge game like he did this past week. He finished the day with 218 passing yards, 2 passing TDs, 35 yards rushing and a rushing TD.

*** Waiver Wire *** - QB Jon Kitna (Cin) - The Bengals continue to lose. And although it is unfair to put that all on Carson Palmer, the fact is this team won with Kitna last year. We think Kitna will get a shot eventually this season just to try and give the team a spark.

QB Jeff Garcia (Cle) - He was called out by his coach (who in our opinion is desperate to find scapegoats) and responded with a huge game. His offensive line is horrible which puts Garcia under huge risk of getting injured and also makes him throw a lot on the run. He had 310 passing yards and 4 TDs yesterday.

*** Waiver Wire *** - QB Drew Henson (Dal) - Vinny Testaverde does not look sharp. We think the team will throw Henson (or possibly Tony Romo) to the wolves soon just to see what they have.

QB Brett Favre (GB) - The GB defense is swiss cheese. Because of it, Brett has had to throw the ball a lot. He had another fine outing this week throwing for 257 yards and 2 TDs. He is becoming a must play every week.

QB David Carr (Hou) - Make no mistake about it, David Carr has become an elite QB. His team believes in him and he is delivering on the field. He ranks 6th in fantasy points per game which makes him a sure start in most leagues every week.

QB Byron Leftwich (Jac) - Every week he seems a little better. He threw for 298 yards and 2 TDs and ran for another score.

QB Trent Green (KC) - The defense is as awful as ever. This means the Chiefs have to play catchup. Trent Green struggled earlier this year, but now has his WRs healthy again. He threw for 315 yards and 2 TDs on Sunday. That might end up being the norm each week.

QB Daunte Culpepper (Min) - WOW. How do we upgrade the best QB? When you are on pace to throw for 5,651 yards and 57 TDs you get upgraded. He may lose Randy Moss for a few games, but the way Culpepper is playing it probably won't matter. He is an absolute must start every week.

*** Waiver Wire *** - QB Ben Roethlisberger (Pit) - This kid can play. And you can see that the team believes in him. He completed 21 for 25 passes yesterday. Those are hardly rookie numbers. He remains calm on blitzes and is checking down great. He looks like he has been in the league for 4 years. Expect him to get better and better each week.

QB Drew Brees (SD) - He is on a mission. Rumor is that he will take over for a retired Brett Favre next season. Whatever Drew's motivation, he is simply getting it done every week. He completed 23 of 31 for 227 yards and a TD.

*** Waiver Wire *** - QB Patrick Ramsey (Was) - Mark Brunell isn't the answer despite Joe Gibbs telling us he is. It's just a matter of time before Ramsey gets a shot.

RB Willis McGahee (Buf) - He made the most of his start with 111 yards on 26 carries. The Willis McGahee era likely starts now.

RB Stephen Davis (Car) - He had a tough matchup against the Eagles, but still managed 66 yards on 15 carries. With Deshaun Foster out, Davis will get significant action the rest of the way.

RB William Green (Cle) - He keeps outplaying Suggs. He finished with 115 yards on 25 carries. Suggs managed just 19 rushing yards on 13 carries. Although Suggs had 100 yards receiving, he lost ground for the starting job this weekend.

RB Richie Anderson (Dal) - He is probably the best Dallas RB right now. Ouch.

RB Reuben Droughns (Den) - This guy is on fire. We believe he will continue to start with the way he is playing. Quentin Griffin skill set also seems to fit the change of pace role. Forget the 176 yards. He had 38 carries and still looked great in the 4th quarter. This is the starting tailback the rest of the way for the Broncos.

*** Waiver Wire *** - RB Jonathan Wells (Hou) - He had 73 yards on 22 carries and also scored a TD. Domanick Davis managed just 25 yards on 10 carries and did not have a reception. This depth chart could be changing very soon.

*** Waiver Wire *** - RB Sammy Morris (Mia) - Another week and another Miami RB. Sammy Morris is healthy again and he actually looked good running the ball. He managed 91 yards on 18 carries which catapults him to stud status on this team of misfit running backs averaging less than yards a carry.

RB Michael Bennett (Min) - He is suppose to be back this week. Mewelde Moore's exceptional play could slow the return though.

RB Mewelde Moore (Min) - The Minnesota offensive line is a monster. Mewelde Moore continues to rack up yardage in this system. We believe Mike Tice is loyal to Michael Bennett, but Moore could still get at least 1 more start.

RB Corey Dillon (NE) - He finally put together a full game and managed 105 yards on 23 carries and 2 TDs. He also caught 2 passes for 6 yards. With the Patriots thinner than usual at WR, Dillon should get a lot of action in the coming weeks.

RB Deuce McAllister (NO) - We worry a bit that the Saints will abandon the run as they play from behind. But Deuce is healthy again and is running hard so he gets the upgrade. He had 78 yards on 18 carries and scored twice. He also caught three passes for 15 yards.

RB Curtis Martin (NYJ) - Don't tell him about 30 year old RBs. He continues to shred the league. He sits at number 1 in fantasy points per game after another outstanding effort this weekend.

*** Waiver Wire *** - RB Antowain Smith (Ten) - Chris Brown left the game with a stinger and may not be able to play next week. Antowain Smith has regained the backup role from Robert Holcombe and could be a good fill-in.

RB Clinton Portis (Was) - Finally he has a good game. He gained 171 yards on 36 carries but failed to score. We think he is a must start every game, but before this game he was hurting a lot of owners. With the way Brunell is playing, one has to believe the Redskins will try to run portis a lot.

*** Waiver Wire *** - WR Anquan Boldin (Ari) - Boldin is on track to return for the November 7th game at Miami. He will likely be quite rusty, but he could hold a good deal of trade value the week he returns. If he's available on your waiver wire, grab him and stash him away for a couple of weeks.

WR Travis Taylor (Bal) - The Ravens are absolutely desperate for help at WR. If you are equally as desperate, Taylor could be back this week after missing the last few weeks coming back from his injured groin.

WR Donald Driver (GB) - Over the last three weeks, Driver has been getting plenty of targets (team high 29) and plenty of receptions (team high 23). Favre obviously has confidence in Driver, and that is always a great thing for a WR.

WR Jimmy Smith (Jac) - The remaining schedule for the Jaguars is a cake walk through the air. Combine that with the recent emergence of Byron Leftwich, and Smith has the potential to finish extremely strong.

WRs Nate Burleson & Marcus Robinson (Min) - These guys are playing very well right now (or maybe they are just catching the ball to keep it from knocking them over...who knows). With Randy Moss likely to sit this week with a bad hamstring, there is a big opportunity for Burleson and Robinson to keep the offense clicking.

WR Amani Toomer (NYG) - The Giants' next three opponents (Detroit, Minnesota, and Chicago) have been porous against opposing WRs. Toomer should have improved stats in these games.

WR Ronald Curry (Oak) - Over the last three weeks, Curry leads the team in targets (with 22), receptions (with 17), and receiving yards (with 166). The Raiders aren't exactly tearing it up right now, but Curry is definitely worth a look.

WR Plaxico Burress (Pit) - Burress is benefiting from the improved QB play.

*** Waiver Wire *** - WR Eric Parker (SD) - He scored again and caught 6 passes for 76 yards. Injuries slowed his first weeks, but Eric is now involved a lot more in the passing game.

Darrell Jackson (Sea) - ESPN is reporting that Koren Robinson is about to be suspended for 4 games for violation of the substance abuse policy. This vaults Darrell Jackson to an elite receiver going forward.

*** Waiver Wire *** - WR Jerry Rice (soon to be Sea) - He will be WR2 while Koren Robinson sits out. Mike Holmgren will definitely get him the ball.

WR Brandon Lloyd (SF) - He is starting to emerge as the playmaker we all expected earlier. He is the 49ers best receiver.

*** Waiver Wire *** - WR Keenan McCardell (TB) - He will return to the Bucs in week 10. He must do this to get credit for this NFL season. Despite bad feelings, we expect McCardell to be on the field at least by week 12. He could help for a playoff run.

TE Alge Crumpler (Atl) - Even though the Falcons passing game is struggling, Crumpler is still getting the job done. Over the last three weeks, Crumpler leads the team in targets (with 17) and receptions (with 10). He has 163 yards and a TD over that span.

*** Waiver Wire *** - TE Jeb Putzier (Den) - He is very much involved in the Denver passing game. You could do worse than playing Jeb each week.

TE Kyle Brady (Jac) - Brady saw his first action of the season last week. While he only caught three balls, he should increase those numbers as he rounds into playing shape.

*** Waiver Wire *** - TE Jermaine Wiggins (Min) - He is the starting tight end for the offensive powerhouse that is the Vikings. He was hurt and could have been dropped in your league. His value will catapult if Moss misses any time.

TE Antonio Gates (SD) - It would be hard to upgrade him any further, but Gates is absolutely the focal point of the Chargers passing game. Over the last three weeks, he has more than three times as many targets as the top WR (28 to 9 over Reche Caldwell) and half of the team's receiving TDs. He's simply a stud.

TE Jerramy Stevens (Sea) - He might be more involved in the offense with Koren Robinson out for 4 weeks. He caught 4 passes for 50 yards this past weekend.

*** Waiver Wire *** - TE Ben Troupe (Ten) - With Erron Kinney and Shad Meier out, Troupe is the only viable TE in Tennessee.

Downgrades

QB Jake Delhomme (Car) - This is more a reflection on the Panthers than Delhomme. The team is hurting without some key players. Steve Smith is badly needed in the passing game. The RBs are all dinged up. And most importantly the stellar defense is less than stellar. In fact they can't stop the run at all. This is leading to less opportunities and worse field position for Delhomme. He managed 205 yards but it took 42 pass attempts.

QB Jonathan Quinn (Chi) - 10 for 22 for 65 yards. 0 TDs. 1 interception. Now that is a new bench mark for low. He is horrible.

QB Carson Palmer (Cin) - Every team needs a scapegoat. We elect Carson.

QB Joey Harrington (Det) - Joey was getting bailed out a lot by Roy Williams. That was very evident this past weekend. Against a terrible Green Bay defense, Joey could manage only 101 passing yards on 23 attempts.

The Miami QBs - They all suck. End of story.

QB Chad Pennington (NYJ) - This is more an indication of how well the Jets are able to run the football. When the running game is clicking on all cyllinders like it is, the team does not need Pennington to air it out as often.

QB Kerry Collins (Oak) - Admittedly the Denver defense is outstanding, but to manage only 136 yards and no TDs when you are behind by a lot of points is worse than awful.

QB Steve McNair (Ten) - He isn't playing anywhere near the level he did when he won the MVP last year. He completed just 19 of 41 passes yesterday. Don't under-estimate how much this team needed Tyrone Calico.

QB Mark Brunell (Was) - 8 for 22 for 95 yards. After 6 games, Brunell sits at a whopping 912 passing yards for the season. That's like 2 games for Daunte Culpepper.

RB Warrick Dunn (Atl) - We knew it could not last. Dunn managed only 13 yards on 5 carries. With TJ Duckett also in the mix (he got 11 carries this week), this is looking like RBBC the rest of the way

RB Travis Henry (Buf) - Willis McGahee replaced the injured Henry and looked good. Henry's stock is plummeting.

RB Lee Suggs (Cle) - He had a great fantasy day because of his 5 catches for 100 yards and a TD. But he managed just 19 yards on 13 carries. William Green, his competition at RB, had a great day which could hamper Suggs from getting the job solely. We see RBBC for at least the next several weeks.

RB Eddie George (Dal) - 10 carries for 28 yards. Now that is the Eddie George we remember.

RB Tatum Bell (Den) - Reuben Droughns has just killed his potential for this year.

RB Garrison Hearst (Den) - He has no worth at the moment.

RB Quentin Griffin (Den) - He now is the change of pace back for the Broncos.

RB Domanick Davis (Hou) - He was outplayed by Jonathan Wells badly. He may have lost his starting job.

RB Chris Brown (Ten) - He suffered a brachial plexus injury, which involves nerves running down the right arm, and lost feeling in his arm until after the game on Sunday. He left the game and did not return to action. He might miss a week or two.

WR David Terrell (Chi) - As long as Jonathan Quinn is the starting QB, Terrell is at best a risky play.

WR Chad Johnson (Cin) - The Palmer to Johnson hook-up has been almost non-existent this season. His Pepto Bismal ploy backfired bigtime as Cleveland shut him down.

WR Quincy Morgan (Cle) - Morgan has absolutely disappeared from the Cleveland offense (only 7 targets in the last three weeks).

WR Antonio Bryant (Dal) - As long as Keyshawn Johnson and Terry Glenn are on the field, Bryant is the obvious #3 WR. Also, with Jason Witten coming into his own, Bryant has been relegated to the #4 receiver.

WR Chris Chambers (Mia) - The offensive line does not allow enough time for Chambers to get downfield. Add in terrible QB play and Chambers is a bad play going forward.

WR Randy Moss (Min) - He could miss this week for sure. But even if he plays, a hamstring problem could linger all year.

WR Justin McCareins (NYJ) - He could only muster 3 catches for 56 yards while Santana Moss sat out the game. The Jets have become a run often offense hurting the value of everyone in the passing game.

WR Jerry Porter (Oak) - The Oakland passing game is awful right now. Porter is sufering the most as he generally sees the double coverage. It could be a long year for Jerry Porter owners.

WR Reche Caldwell (SD) - He started hot, but the team now is using a healthy Eric Parker a lot more. Look for that to continue in the future.

WR Koren Robinson (Sea) - ESPN is reporting that Robinson is in the process of appealing a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse program. He will be forced to sit 4 weeks soon.

WR Tyrone Calico (Ten) - Calico had knee surgery last week to clear up problems that stemmed from as far back as high school. He won't be back this season.

WR Laveranues Coles and Rod Gardner (Was) - When your QB is averaging 150 yards passing a game, the WRs are going to be awful. And that is the case here.

TE Shad Meier (Ten) - Meier underwent an emergency appendectomy on Sunday morning and will miss 2-3 weeks.