Oakland Raiders cornerback Chris Johnson has left the team after his sister was fatally shot and his mother hurt in a shooting Monday in Fort Worth, Texas.

Marshawn Lynch is a legit Top 10 running back. Lynch has stepped his game up this season, embracing the feature role on a team no one thought would be able to move the ball. With Tarvaris Jackson providing a modest passing threat, Lynch has chosen not to acknowledge that opposing defenses are stacking the box against him. On Thursday night, he torched the Philadelphia Eagles for 148 yards and a pair of scores, and had it not been for an upset stomach, he might have gone for 200 yards. He's rushed for almost 600 yards in his past five games, with nine touchdowns in his last eight games. He should feast once again next week when the Seahawks host St. Louis, the league's worst rushing defense. Chris Johnson has remembered how to run the football. This may not matter as much for this year, as most teams that drafted Johnson in the first round of their drafts probably didn't do all that great. But it seems that, after weeks of under-achieving, Johnson has broken out once again. Johnson carried the ball 23 times on Sunday, racking up 153 yards and two scores of his own. More important than his numbers this game, however, was his trademark speed and quickness that have returned to him. Johnson makes for a very interesting keeper, and someone who will once again be highly regarded going into next season. If you're lucky enough to have made the playoffs and have Johnson, he has a fantastic schedule remaining, with New Orleans, Indianapolis and Jacksonville ahead. Reggie Bush is now a feature back. Coming into the season, Bush was a mid-round target, slightly more interesting in points per reception leagues. The Miami Dolphins insisted that they thought Bush could be a feature back, but we'd heard that before. Plus they'd drafted Daniel Thomas, who had all the makings of a solid NFL runner. But when Thomas started slow out of the gate, it was Bush who began to solidify his role. In Week 13 against the Oakland Raiders, he ran for 100 yards and a score on 22 carries. And he should have plenty of opportunities to build on that effort, as he faces Philadelphia, Buffalo and New England the next three weeks. Percy Harvin is picking up the slack for Adrian Peterson. With Peterson out the past few weeks, Toby Gerhart has been the starting running back. But it's been Harvin stepping into Peterson's role as a playmaker, lining up in the backfield and taking screens out wide. Those screens act like a long handoff, getting him the ball in space, and allowing him to make ...

Welcome to Week 12 of the Brew Crew Corner. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! There is plenty for everyone to be thankful for. What I am thankful for is my wife's pregnancy as she is due any day with our first child. We are having a boy! The Holidays along with a child on the way has made it hard for me to keep my fantasy focus but I am a veteran and I will never miss a waiver claim or line-up submission. It's going to be a crazy week for fantasy owners. One thing to be thankful for is the return of Andre Johnson. I could have used him the last few weeks and with all the players going on IR, it helps to get back a player of his caliber. I know we all have Parades, families, Black Fridays and holiday decorating to get done so let's dive right in! The Golden Mug Award Awarded to the fantasy player who came through for their team. Kevin Smith - 16 carries, 140 yards, two touchdowns, four receptions for 61 yards one touchdown. The return of Smith adds a much needed run game to the Detroit Lions and he will be a top waiver pick this week. Smith had not scored in a game since week 13 of the 2009 season and looked to be done in the NFL. Ray Rice - 20 carries for 104 yards two touchdowns, five receptions for 43 yards. Rice made up for his poor performance against the Seahawks with a two score performance. Bad news is that he faces the best run defense this week when he plays the 49ers. Nate Washington - Nine receptions for 115 yards two touchdowns. Washington was targeted nine times and caught all nine passes. He's got good match-ups coming up against the Buccaneers and Bills. The Urinal Cake Award Awarded to the fantasy player who you would like to, well you know. Chris Johnson - 12 carries for 13 yards. 1.08, that is the yards per carry Johnson posted in this game. After putting up his second 100-yard game of the season, he layed another dud and pointing fingers is not the best way to get more carries. Eric Decker - No Catches, five targets. Decker had scored three straight weeks but came away from this game without a grab. It just shows you that you can't count on the receivers in Denver wit Tim Tebow at quarterback. Jermichael Finley - One receptions for 30 yards. So much for Finley being a dominant tight end when he's scored in just three games this season and has yet to past a 100-yard game. MATCH-UPS Good quarterback match-ups this week: Matt Ryan against the Vikings. Ryan has put up great numbers the past three weeks averaging 314 passing yards over ...

W.10.R. -- Week 10 Reactions - I can't say that I'm too surprised that Arizona Cardinals' quarterback John Skelton lit up the Philadelphia Eagles' defense for 315 yards and three touchdowns. I mean, after all, it was Kevin Kolb's former team, and the average height in the Eagles' secondary isn't much taller than that "Child's Play" doll Chucky. - I don't mean to be a bragging brat, but when it comes to the Washington Redskins' running back situation I have to say, "I told you so!" Yes, Roy Helu averaged more yards per carry, but Ryan Torain got the majority of the carries and started the game. - The Houston Texans beat up on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers so bad that third-string running back Derrick Ward rushed for more yards than LeGarrette Blount, and Derrick Mason caught a 16-yard pass. Oh, and Arian Foster combined for 186 total yards and two touchdowns. The Buccaneers' offense is like watching a really bad comedy that just makes you irritated. For me, it's Soul Plane. - Yay! Chris Johnson finally showed up with his Usher lunchbox. I have to be honest, though, and say that Johnson rushing for 130 yards and a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers doesn't mean that he's "back." It just means that he did what he was supposed to do -- run all over a Carolina defense that has allowed a league-high 12 touchdowns, to go along with 137.6 rushing yards allowed per game. - When guys like Chastin West (Jacksonville) and Jacob Tamme (Indianapolis) are the leading receivers for their teams, in the same game no less, you know that there are super-sized issues with those pitiful offenses. N.N. -- News Nuggets According to CSN Philly, Vince Young will likely start at quarterback against the New York Giants for the Philadelphia Eagles if Michael Vick (rib injury) can't. According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati Bengals' wide receiver A.J. Green will be a game-time decision this week against the Baltimore Ravens. Green reportedly has a bone bruise in his right knee. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Oakland Raiders' quarterback Carson Palmer is taking control of the Raiders' offense and has been very aggressive off the field. According to the Washington Post, the Washington Redskins will be sticking with Rex Grossman as their starting quarterback when they play the Dallas Cowboys this Sunday. He gives them "the best chance to win." According to the Kansas City Star, with Matt Cassel likely done for the season, Tyler ...

You know it's November when the guy you're playing starts Roy Helu and gets 30 fantasy points out of him. As is the case every year, once we get past the midway point of the season things get crazy. First-round busts like Chris Johnson give way to waiver wire pickups like Helu. People who thought Miles Austin would help lead them to a fantasy title are now looking to Laurent Robinson to pick up the slack. The only thing we know for sure in fantasy football is to expect the unexpected. Here's a look at the hot waiver wire options for this week and my thoughts on if you should go after them or take a pass. Roy Helu, RB, Washington -- Helu is a player I talked about a few weeks ago after Tim Hightower went down with a season-ending injury. Now after last Sunday's performance Helu is entrenched as the Redskins' starting running back going forward. Helu caught 14 passes for 105 yards against San Francisco. While most of those receptions were on checkdowns, it was nice to see Helu be involved in the passing game, something he didn't get a chance to do a lot of in college. Helu obviously isn't going to catch 14 balls every week, but with the problems the Redskins have at quarterback and their lack of big-play receivers, it's highly probably Helu will be Washington's leading receiver for the rest of the season. It's a good sign that even coach Mike Shanahan said Ryan Torain won't get on the field unless Helu needs a break. The rookie is now the clear-cut starter in Washington and he should put up big numbers for the rest of the year. The Final Call: Helu should already be owned in most leagues, but if he's available on your waiver make him your main target this week. D.J. Ware, RB, New York Giants -- Ware is more of a deep flier at this point, but if you own Ahmad Bradshaw and don't have Brandon Jacobs as a handcuff, it's probably a good idea to grab Ware just to be safe. Bradshaw is going to try and play through a broken bone in his foot, but there's no guarantee he will be able to make through the rest of the season. While Jacobs will get most of the carries if Bradshaw can't go, he isn't much of a receiver, so Ware will have some fantasy value. The other thing about Jacobs is the Giants don't like to give him 25 carries a game. They prefer to keep the big guy fresh and rotate him in. Ware isn't as good as Bradshaw but he can do a lot of the same things as a receiver out of the backfield. Plus, Jacobs isn't the most durable ...

A league mate of mine and I were having a conversation on Monday morning about how the guy in our league who has Wes Welker is going to blow everyone else out of the water and his chances to win our league. Now the guy with Welker on his team is 4-0 and has a good team, but I don't think that he's that unbeatable. My buddy thinks the guy with Welker should win it all, I say Welker will slow down. Here's why. Has Welker been amazing so far? Yes. Are the New England Patriots a good team? Yep. Will Welker slow down soon? Definitely. First thing that helps Welker put up big numbers is having Bill Belichick as a coach. Belichick doesn't take his foot off pedal during blowouts. He keeps his guys firing on all cylinders until the final play. Secondly, so far New England has played at Miami, San Diego, at Buffalo, and at Oakland. The only defense that I would pick out of those four to be in the top half of the league in total defense is San Diego. What did Welker do, at home, against San Diego? He had 11 targets, seven catches, 81 yards, and no touchdowns. A good game, but not the fantasy team carrying numbers that he put up against lesser defenses. Coming up in his next eight games, Welker has to go against the New York Jets twice, the Dallas Cowboys, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the New York Giants, the Philadelphia Eagles, and then has a bye. Those sound like much tougher games than the cupcakes he's had to play early this season. Third, it's unusual to have a slot receiver and a tight end as the No. 1 and No. 2 receivers on a football team. Defensive coordinators will start scheming things to stop the Patriots. Don't get me wrong -- I still see Welker in the Top 5 for catches and yards, and probably the No. 1 guy, but I don't see him carrying teams to championships like Arian Foster did last year, or Chris Johnson the year before. Now on to the calls for the week: Quarterback Getting to play New England on your home turf is an easy matchup for a quarterback, and this week Mark Sanchez gets that lucky game. Sanchez has put up modest numbers so far this year, but the Patriots' weak secondary should give up tons of yards and points for your roster. New England ranks 31st against quarterbacks, so Sanchez should have an easy game. As another plus, if he can't put up points for you this week, you can drop him off your roster, because you know he won't get a better opportunity. Play Sanchez with confidence this week. Josh Freeman hasn't looked like the sleeper pick...