This article references Dan Orlovsky, Detroit Lions, Matthew Stafford and more! During the fantasy football draft season, the Detroit Lions offense looked like a buffet. They had three capable backs, two high-ceiling receivers and a quarterback that loves to throw the ball around the yard. The situation has quickly turned into a graveyard, and Matthew Stafford has been the biggest casualty. Stafford was so bad in Week 5 that he was pulled from the game against the Arizona Cardinals in favor of Dan Orlovsky, who has started just 12 NFL games in his eight-year career. [...]Keep on reading: Matthew Stafford (QB, DET) - Week 6 Fantasy Football Fallers

This article references Alfred Morris, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Boobie Dixon, Buffalo Bills, Chris Thompson, Christine Michael, Cleveland Browns, Dan Orlovsky, Darren Mcfadden, DeSean Jackson, Detroit Lions, Duke Johnson, Gary Barnidge, Isaiah Crowell, Joseph Randle, Josh McCown, Karlos Williams, Kirk Cousins, Lance Dunbar, LeSean McCoy, Luke McCown, Matt Jones, Matthew Stafford, New York Giants, Odell Beckham, Rueben Randle, Shane Vereen, Travis Benjamin, Vereen and more! It was comeback weekend in the NFL as the Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers all overcame late game deficits to win important games. Whether it was the flurry of scoring in the final minutes of the 1:00 games or the gutsy Le'Veon Bell touchdown from late Monday night, your fantasy matchups were swayed one way or the other by these huge swings. Many of you are now facing an early season hole and are looki[...]Keep on reading: Week 6 Fantasy Football Risers, Fallers and Trade Candidates

This will be an abbreviated edition of Wally's World as we all take a deep breath in anticipation of Week 1 and some actual NFL football action. For the sake of full disclosure I will state front and center that Week 4 of the preseason has little to no impact on fantasy football. The only news worthy of notice is injury related and with most starters sitting out this week even those reports are nominal. It took some digging and more than a few splashes of cold water to the face, but here are a few things that stood out from Week 4 of the preseason. Love the Tim Wright deal for New England. Tom Brady now has that second route running tight end to pair with Rob Gronkowski . It is no coincidence that Wright went to Rutgers, as coach Bill Belichick loves him some Scarlet Knights. Nice debut for the big man lining up against and playing with lesser competition on the field. Buffalo running back Bryce Brown returned to action after going down with what initially looked like a severe injury. So I guess that's a little bit of good news for an offense that has struggled throughout the preseason. Rookie wide receiver Sammy Watkins left the game with an injury to his ribs. I don't think we get to see how good this kid can be until the Bills get a better quarterback in place (sorry E.J. Manuel fans ... both of you). Kyle Orton to Buffalo? Really? This move should not have Bills fans feeling better about the season. There is a better ex-Denver Broncos quarterback you should have called ... I'm just saying. It probably won't happen but if I'm a coach for Detroit and forced to choose between Dan Orlovsky and Kellen Moore, I am choosing the kid from Boise State. We've seen the Orlovsky movie before and it isn't pretty. Moore has shown a pocket presence and improved arm strength during his tenure with the Lions. He's earned the right to back up Matthew Stafford . The Cleveland Browns are going to be successful running the ball behind a solid offensive line. Hopefully running back Ben Tate stays healthy long enough to reap the benefits. Whatever New England rookie running back James White is showing in practice that has folks impressed is definitely not showing up in games. He's looked overmatched in every preseason game. I like Alfred Blue to overtake Jonathan Grimes as the handcuff running back to Arian Foster in Houston before the season's midpoint. I don't care if it was the meaningless fourth preseason game or not, after seeing how Derek Carr looked ...

Did Santa Claus leave you a fantasy trophy for Christmas? Or did you just end up with a brand new pair or slippers as your team fell apart in the playoff rounds? Week 16 served as the championship week in most leagues and certainly carried an abundance of action. In case you were too busy wrapping presents and baking fruit cakes last weekend, here are a few highlights that you may have missed. The Indianapolis Colts stunned the Houston Texans with a comeback victory to win their second straight. Adrian Peterson tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee and will undergo surgery to ensure he is ready for the beginning of the 2012 season. The New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints each won their seventh in a row, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers suffered another beating to drop their ninth straight. In the Saints' Monday night victory, Drew Brees surpassed Dan Marino's season passing record and still has a game left to extend it further! The New York Giants defeated the New York Jets to win the battle of New York (or New Jersey) and prepare for a "winner take all" showdown against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 17. Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos suffered their second rout in a row, which helped division rival Oakland Raiders' playoff hopes remain alive. The Detroit Lions secured their first playoff berth since 1999 as they showed no mercy in annihilating the San Diego Chargers, 48-10. Wide receivers Victor Cruz, Jordy Nelson and Brandon Marshall rewarded their fantasy owners with monster performances. Aaron Rodgers was also in the "giving spirit" by delivering five passing touchdowns. What a week! If your league wraps up in Week 17, then take a dive with me as I review several key matchups. QB Ryan Fitzpatrick -- Fitzpatrick has been a model of inconsistency this season. Fantasy owners are likely dizzy from the rollercoaster that the Buffalo quarterback has been riding them this season. If you are desperate or believe your quarterback may be sitting during Week 17, you may want to jump aboard as Fitzpatrick battles the generous New England Patriots' secondary. The Patriots have allowed the second-most points to opposing quarterbacks including a three-touchdown effort to Matt Moore last weekend. Tom Brady will likely start despite admitting to still feeling the effects of a ferocious sack last weekend, and may exit early if New England can jump to a quick lead. Fitzpatrick should have a solid outing and try help Buffalo end the year on a ...

Enter for a chance to win this awesome mug! Woo hoo! Along with the mug you can win A My Playbook Season Pass from Fantasy Pros. It is awesome. Awesome. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers Alex Smith Andy Dalton Ben Roethlisberger Blaine Gabbert Cam Newton Carson Palmer Christian Ponder Colt McCoy Dan Orlovsky Drew Brees Eli Manning [...]

W.12.R. -- Week 12 Reactions - Stevie Johnson's touchdown dance sadly was perhaps the most exciting play of the New York Jets-Buffalo Bills game on Sunday. Unfortunately for Johnson though, it left a bitter taste in most viewers' mouth (not mine) that turned in to a super-sized Elmo laugh when he dropped what could've led to the game-winning touchdown. Fortunately for fantasy owners Johnson's overall production (8 receptions, 75 yards, 1 TD) is a clear indicator that Revis Island can be shutdown, as long as the receiver gets to the middle. - When Vince Young throws for 400 yards and Jason Avant (8 receptions, 110 yards, 1 TD) gets mistaken for Terrell Owens, you know that the opposing defense deserves to be ranked 32nd against the pass. The New England Patriots' pass defense is brutally atrocious, and it's not going to get any better unless someone besides Kyle Arrington starts making plays. - The Texans need to get a quarterback, and fast. Neither T.J. Yates nor Jake Delhomme are the answers, and sooner or later Andre Johnson owners may be wishing he was playing in Denver. I mean, you thought the Indianapolis Colts' passing attack was a hot mess? The only worthy receiver right now in Houston's offense until they sort out their quarterback dilemma is sadly running back Arian Foster. Keep that in mind this week. - Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz showed once again why he may be the team's best fantasy option period moving forward. Monday night was Cruz's five consecutive game with six or more receptions and 84-plus yards. It was his second consecutive 100-plus yard game. Supposed-to-be top option Hakeem Nicks has scored one touchdown, and has recorded six or more receptions just twice in the past five games. He hasn't gone over the 100 yard mark since Week 4. Put it in Cruz Control. N.N. -- News Nuggets According to the Indianapolis Star, the Colts will start Dan Orlovsky at quarterback this week against the New England Patriots. "Curtis Painter will not start this game," Colts head coach Jim Caldwell said Wednesday afternoon. Ironically, this will be Orlovsky's first start since 2008, when he was starting for the 0-16 Lions. What's the worst that could happen? According to the Forth Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Cowboys rookie running back Demarco Murray was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month for November. In the past four games, Murray has carried the pigskin 89 times for 434 yards and scored once. He also caught 20 passes ...

I hope everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving and had a chance to gather with friends and family. I'm thankful for all that and the faithful that keep reading us here at FantasySharks.com. Thanksgiving is always a bit of a line as far as waiver wire relevance. With most leagues having closed up the waiver wire, we'll keep things going with a bit of a different format this week, grouping some newsworthy players by position in what will be more like a round table discussion. Thanks, as always, for reading. This week's column was written while hating the fact that so many key fantasy players have been declared out for the season in the last three weeks. Just painful to rely on a player for 10 weeks, only to have them swept onto Injured Reserve and be done for the season. Hopefully you have the depth to continue the fight to your league trophy! On to this week's story ... Quarterback Forced to choose between the lot of quarterbacks likely available, I'd rank them like this: Caleb Hanie, Jake Delhomme (long term), Kyle Orton, Rex Grossman ... and that's about it. Hanie (Chicago) is going to play and his job is safe. All he has to do is not make any mistakes and Matt Forte will do the rest. Nothing spectacular, but again the key here is that the Bears are, for better or for worse, stuck with him for the rest of the season. In a desperation move, the Texans signed Delhomme. Houston, to go along with a strong running game, has playoff hopes that they weren't going to trust in the hands of T.J. Yates. Apologies to those that ran out and took Matt Leinart, but now it is Delhomme that will eventually end up with the tools that are at the disposal of the Texans' starting quarterback. Orton saw the writing on the wall (actually, ‘Tebowmania' is being discussed everywhere) and got his ticket out of Denver. His attempt at getting to Chicago failed, and he ends up in Kansas City. While many will scoff that the Chiefs are a terrible place for him to land, I will go in the opposite direction. This is a perfect opportunity, with only Tyler Palko in front of him on the depth chart, for him to get onto the field and showcase himself for 2012. It won't be long before he's the starter, somewhere in the area of 200 yards and a couple of touchdowns are the expected fantasy output. I'd have Grossman further up on this list, but no one can seem to hold the starting quarterback job for the Washington Redskins for more than five weeks at a time. Three strong games in a ...

The Indianapolis Colts named Dan Orlovsky as their starting quarterback for Sunday's game against the New England Patriots.

PUT ME IN COACH, I'M READY TO PLAY! Christian Ponder is showing why he has earned the trust of Leslie Frazier and teammates. Ponder actually looks like he is starting to grasp the speed of the pro game. His role is still just as a clock manager and to hand off to Adrian Peterson, but he is starting to show flashes of what the Vikings' saw when they drafted him. If he can improve on his 51.95 completion percentage, you may see a rise in stock value of Percy Harvin, Visanthe Shiancoe, and Michael Jenkins. In Week 9 he was 18-for-28, a 64.29 completion percentage against a porous Carolina Panther secondary. This week he faces a very tough Packers defense and if he does well, you should consider him for a nice fill in at home for Week 11 versus Oakland, and Week 13 against Denver. THINGS AREN'T WHAT THEY SEEM... Joseph Addai is on the scrap heap in two of my leagues because of a bad hamstring and lack of production. Delone Carter has been dubbed the best back on the roster by many experts, but not this one. Carter has had flashes of why the Colts have high hopes but putting the ball on the turf two of the last three weeks just opens the door for Donald Brown. Last week Brown looked like the UConn star that he was supposed to be as his carries increased to 16. If this isn't an indicator that the Colts believe in him, then I don't know squat. Brown's previous high was 10 carries and has averaged a very solid 4.65 yards per carry this season. Take a look for yourself this week at home versus the Jaguars. DUTCH BOY STILL THE STARTER FOR NOW? Curtis Painter was benched for being ineffective versus Atlanta. Don't read too much into this as Dan Orlovsky isn't the answer to the problems that the Colts face. The long term plan is to get Painter enough playing time in the offense in case Peyton Manning doesn't heal properly. Manning is scheduled to see the doctor on December 2. Expect to see Painter at the helm this Sunday despite throwing four interceptions in three weeks with no touchdowns. I found Pierre Garcon on the scrap heap in one league and was quick to snag him. The current trend isn't going to continue and the Colts have a juicy match up against Carolina in Week 12. ONE WEEK WONDERS? Matt Moore was the butt of a few of the jokes I had heard after Chad Henne went down. No one is laughing at the moment after Moore's 17-for-23, 244-yard, three touchdown performance. Do the math, that's a 73.91 completion percentage! This was against a pretty decent Kansas ...

The winless Indianapolis Colts will work out free agent quarterbacks Brodie Croyle and Dan Orlovsky on Tuesday, the Indianapolis Star reported.