A relatively healthy week for key fantasy players, so we are setting aside the top category for this week. Nothing terribly exciting, but we do have a handful of players that should be on fantasy rosters. We also talk about several backup running backs that are also worth consideration for pickup. A little something for everyone this week! Solid Pickups WR Ryan Broyles, Detroit We were able to squeeze Broyles into last week's listing in the bottom category, as the extent of Nate Burleson's injury during the Lions Monday night game was not known by the time we had to go to press. With Burleson gone for the season, Broyles now assumes full time duty in the slot for Detroit. This will get him on the field for right around 50% of the offensive plays. He caught a touchdown pass in the Monday night contest, as well as in this past week's game. Only six catches in total over the two games, so we're not ready to recommend that you plug him intoyour starting lineup, but he should be owned in all formats. WR Cecil Shorts, Jacksonville Moving up one category from last week, Shorts warrants another mention this week as he is still available in more than 75% of online leagues. After a week seven performance that had him go for 79 yards on four catches and a touchdown, he doubled is catches, hauling in eight passes for 116 yards. He is Blaine Gabbert's top option, and his numbers will not be affected when Laurent Robinson returns from injury. He is a very solid pickup this week, worth owning in all formats. RB Daniel Thomas, Miami The Dolphins have made Thomas the goal line back, and he's starting to assert himself even beyond that role. He punched in one short yardage carry for a touchdown on a day where he totaled 15 carries. Reggie Bush was ineffective, and was the recipient of only 14 carries on the day. This is not a sign that Bush is being phased out, but it is a clear indication that Miami is going to be looking to split thingsdown the middle, with Thomas getting the edge at the goal line. RB Joique Bell, Detroit Mikel Leshoure has battled injury for most of the season, and this week he struggled to make it through the game, sitting out most of the fourth quarter in favor of Bell. There is no indication that Leshoure has an injury that will keep him out of the lineup, however,with all the action that Bell has beengettingits giving him and the coaching staff more confidence in his ability to handle a larger role. For now, he remains the ...

Kevin Smith is the Detroit running back to own. Didn't see that coming, did you? Just two weeks ago, Smith was at home watching games, but on Sunday he received the bulk of the carries in Detroit's backfield, and torched the Carolina Panthers for more than 200 total yards and three scores. Playing in a high octane offense, especially one with such a dynamic passing game, Smith makes for the top pickup this week. Jordy Nelson is for real. When the season began, Nelson was a sleeper candidate as the third target in Green Bay behind Greg Jennings and Jermichael Finley. Nelson now appears to have elevated himself to the No. 2 option, behind only Jennings. Aaron Rodgers, who is playing better at a near perfect level, looks for him whenever defenses are focused on Jennings. Nelson gets targeted on deep balls and is also physical enough to make plays after the catch to pick up extra yards and touchdowns. On Sunday, he posted six catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns. He's now on pace to catch 64 balls for 1,200-plus yards and 14 scores. If you have him, he's a must-start. The Buffalo Bills have hit a wall. It appears that the Buffalo Bills are once again remembering who they are. Two weeks after giving Ryan Fitzpatrick $59 million, he rewarded them with 209 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. Fred Jackson, who had been a Top 5 running back thus far, looks to be slowing down, as he ran seven times for 17 yards, and caught five passes for 50 yards. Stevie Johnson caught just two of his eight targets for 16 yards. They'll all look to get back on track when visiting the New York Jets next Sunday. Percy Harvin is a reliable fantasy option. With all of the uncertainty at quarterback in Minnesota, I've been slow to buy in to Harvin this year. While he hadn't scored a receiving touchdown until Sunday, he'd become more and more involved in the offense as rookie signal caller Christian Ponder gets his feet wet. He rewarded owners with six catches for 73 yards and a score this week, in addition to five rushes for 21 yards. With the Adrian Peterson injury, I actually think that Harvin will gain even more value going forward. Jabar Gaffney is Grossman's favorite target. With Rex Grossman taking the offense back from John Beck, the vertical passing game is back in D.C. Grossman will throw downfield, sometimes when he shouldn't, so that shouldn't have been a surprise. But with Santana Moss and Chris Cooley out, who would he throw to? Gaffney was his teammate ...

Washington Redskins tight end Chris Cooley believes his season-ending knee injury could have been prevented had players been able to meet with trainers during the lockout.

The normal weekly start or sit options are difficult enough without all the bye week issues and injuries that are facing us right now. Here is a rundown of players who may help your team through this week and steal a win! Quarterback With weekly starters like Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan on bye this week along with other second tier options and several teams working in new QBs there are a very limited number of reliable quarterbacks to start this week. While he likely will not become a weekly starter, I believe a good spot starter this week is John Beck. Beck had a solid showing in his first start in week seven against the Panthers. Beck and the Redskins face off with the high powered Buffalo Bills. The Skins will likely be forced to put up a good deal of points to stay in the game this week. Beck tallied 279 yards passing with a TD and added a rushing TD for good measure in his debut. The Bills have given up over 290 yards in five of six games thus far. The Redskins offense is not without question marks with season ending injuries to Chris Cooley and Tim Hightower compounded by Santana Moss missing time with an injury. Fred Davis and Jabar Gaffney will be Beck's primary targets. Beck is currently owned in only 28% of leagues but expecting a 250 yard, 2 TD day is not out of the question. Running back If you play in a league where the owners all have a pulse you know there is no more difficult position to find a hidden gem than running back. With hot commodities like DeMarco Murray gobbled up off the waiver wire the options here may be especially slim and you may have to lower your expectations a bit, but there are still a few guys who may be able to contribute for your team this week. With Cedric Benson slated to serve his one game suspension this week Bernard Scott will get the start for the Bengals this week. Scott is only owned in 48% of leagues and if you are dealing with bye weeks and injury questions you could do far worst than to snatch up a starting running back for the week. Scott will be facing a stingy Seahawks' run defense and will likely share some carries but I project him to perform better than other potential fill-ins like Daniel Thomas or Maurice Morris. The Texans are coming off a week where they allowed over 100 yards rushing and will square off with the Colts this week. While the Colts offense is certainly not the same without Peyton Manning they should look to slow the game down and establish more ball control with...

The Washington Redskins placed tight end Chris Cooley on injured reserve Tuesday with a broken left index finger and balky left knee.

Washington Redskins tight end Chris Cooley exited Sunday's game against the NFC East rival Philadelphia Eagles with a broken left index finger.

Of course, everyone will talk about the performances that stuck out like a sore thumb, Tom Brady and Cam Newton will be praised all week, as they should. It doesn't take a football genius to know Brady is the most efficient and dangerous quarterback in the NFL. His mind works like none other playing the game today. Newton, on the other hand, is just getting started, and this guy always believes he can get it done on game day. They call that a gamer, if you didn't know Newton had that gene, now you do. The performances I would like to present might have been a bit overlooked and should have more impact on your fantasy team: Steve Smith for Carolina hasn't even lost a step. The thing nobody talked about when analyzing Newton's success in the NFL was that he would be stepping into an offense that already had an elite NFL wide receiver. It did not take long to see that Smith, although never blessed with blazing top end speed, still has good enough speed to beat defenders deep. He also has the ability to jump over defensive backs and play the ball in the air. Smith's ball skills in the air has more to do with desire then ability and that won't be changing anytime soon. Couple that with the fact that the Panthers don't seem too interesting in run blocking and this is a duo that will continue to be successful, making Smith a legit Top 20 wide receiver from this point forward. Washington Redskins tight end Fred Davis was another who impressed me. Davis was targeted six times, catching five of those for 105 yards. Davis has flashed his wide receiver-type skills in the past, but now he is even lighter and quicker. Davis and Chris Cooley play in many ‘two tight end' formations and rarely are they both not on the field together. I put that type of formation in quotes because Davis is really just used to exploit matchups in the defense and Rex Grossman knows this. I don't see how Davis doesn't stay involved in the passing game each and every game. This game against the New York Giants they were controlling as well; in a game where they have to play from behind you can bet Davis won't be leaving the field at all. Davis is a low-end TE1 with some upside to crack the Top 6. Speaking of tight ends, Dustin Keller also had a very promising performance as well. You can see clearly the New York Jets have the intent to throw the football more and Keller is the guy who is benefiting right now. Holmes will be the top target all season, but Keller should finish second in ...

Updated up until game time. Out Marion Barber, Kevin Boss, Jerricho Cotchery, Arian Foster, Peyton Manning, Louis Murphy Active Matt Cassel,Austin Collie, Maurice Jones-Drew, Steve Smith (Phi), Ben Watson Watching Chris Cooley, Sidney Rice, Ryan Torain

Now that we've gotten through three preseason games, it's time to set our sights on the real thing. The final preseason game doesn't mean a whole lot, so we have a pretty good read on players at this point. I thought I would take a look at some players that will likely be on the waiver wire in a majority of leagues as the season kicks off. These are guys that have made an impact this preseason but aren't sure-fire fantasy contributors right now, so they're still out there for the picking. We all know there will be another LeGarrette Blount and Brandon Lloyd, so it's never too early to try and identify them. I'll be back with the Feeding Frenzy after Week 1 when we really get into the meat of the waiver wire process but for now here a few names to keep an eye on: John Beck, QB, Washington -- Sometimes we need to change our preconceived notions of a player or a situation. I'm not quite ready to call Beck an elite fantasy quarterback but he should be on your radar after a strong preseason. Coach Mike Shanahan says he won't name a starter until right before gametime against the New York Giants but it would be an upset if the strong-armed Beck didn't get the nod. Speaking in fantasy terms, the Redskins have some nice skill players. Guys like Santana Moss, Jabar Gaffney, Chris Cooley, Fred Davis and Tim Hightower could all have strong fantasy seasons if Beck brings stability to the quarterback position. Moss, in particular, could be a draft day steal if he finally has a quarterback that can deliver him the ball on a consistent basis. Obviously you already have or will draft a quarterback that is rated higher than Beck, but that doesn't mean he won't have value. Remember, people weren't expecting much from Kyle Orton last year either. Watch Beck early in the season and see how he performs. He could end up being a valuable fantasy backup. Most Likely Scenario: Beck is named the starter and has a decent fantasy season. Look for him to put up numbers similar to Ryan Fitzpatrick last year, making him a nice second quarterback in most leagues. Jamie Harper, RB, Tennessee -- With the Chris Johnson situation getting uglier by the day and Javon Ringer still nursing an injury, Harper could see significant playing time early in the year. The rookie out of Clemson has been impressive in both training camp and preseason games so far. The problem with Harper is if Ringer is healthy enough to play in Week 1, he'll likely get a majority of the carries between the 20s, ...