I’m kicking off the 16th year of “The Fire Sale.” Boy, you would think I’d be more successful by now, huh? Despite my mediocre rise to fame, I keep plugging away. It’s my favorite time of year: NFL Draft season. It’s the time of year when a bunch of us who couldn’t get jobs in the NFL take to the Internet and pretend to be scouts by using words like “vision” and “ball skills.” As for me, I’ve been watching the draft for 34 years. When I was a little kid I used to pretend I was sick on Tuesday mornings so I could stay home from school and watch the draft on ESPN. Can you imagine that? The draft was on Tuesday mornings and they would have the picks phoned in to the studio. A friend once said to me, “You’re really going to sit there and watch every pick? Man, you’re nuts.” That friend now sits in the same room and watches the draft with me. It’s more fun than just me and Mel Kiper like it was 20 years ago. Speaking of Kiper, I was recently cleaning out my attic and found Kiper’s 1999 Draft Report with Tim Couch and Ricky Williams on the cover. I can’t throw anything sports-related away. I still have Street & Smith college football yearbooks starting from 1982. By the way, Kiper had Donald Driver rated as his No. 17 wide receiver in 1999. Everyone is breaking down draft prospects. Here are five guys I like for fantasy purposes regardless of where they get drafted. That means, because of their skill sets, I’ve singled these players out as making a fantasy impact in their first year even if they get drafted by Jacksonville. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen though. Now on with “The Fire Sale…” Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia – I wanted to make a quick mention of Gurley. I’m sure many of you reading this have seen Gurley play and have heard plenty about him already. I believe when healthy, Gurley is one of the top players in this draft at any position and no other back comes close to him in regards to overall skill set. Some people compare Gurley to Adrian Peterson but that’s simply unfair. When I first saw Peterson at Oklahoma I had to check to see if he was 27 years old. Peterson was Eric Dickerson. Those guys are all-timers. You compare running backs to those two and you’re setting yourself up to be disappointed. I put Gurley a level below that elite class. He reminds me a lot of Fred Taylor coming out of school. Gurley glides when he ...

Baltimore 38, Denver 35 Ravens This game was an instant classic from the beginning with more twists and turns than the Tilt-O-Whirl at the county fair. Although Joe Flacco may not be an elite fantasy QB1, he certainly played at an elite level with all the chips on the table. Standing tall in the face of pressure, Flacco repeatedly attacked shutdown cornerback Champ Bailey connecting with Torrey Smith for touchdowns of 59 and 32 yards. He then pushed the game into overtime with a 70-yard strike to Jacoby Jones. With complimentary running back Bernard Peirce aggravating a knee injury, Ray Rice came through in the clutch for his team. Handed the rock 30 times, Rice gouged the Broncos defensive line for 131 yards and a touchdown. Just goes to show what Rice can do when Baltimore makes the commitment. Broncos It's a shame that someone had to lose this game, but the Baltimore defense earned it, limiting Peyton Manning to short and intermediate passes all game long. Unable to drive the football, many will speculate that cold weather (13 degrees at kickoff) combined with lingering nerve damage were the culprit. Either way, Manning has continually proved that he is still amongst the top fantasy gun slingers, and should retain such status until he proves otherwise. After becoming the lead pony in Denver's backfield Knowshon Moreno, has been a solid fantasy producer. Unfortunately, Moreno was forced to exit this game with an apparent knee injury. Although the injury doesn't appear serious, it's a reminder that Moreno is a red flag injury risk entering 2013. San Francisco 45, Green Bay 31 49ers Colin Kaepernick is growing before our very own eyes...becoming the epitome of the new style of NFL quarterback. A dual threat on every play, the second year quarterback proved it once again, racking up 263 yards and two touchdowns through the air, and a record breaking 181 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Although hard to speculate his average draft position next season, he is developing into a nice mid QB1. After a roaring start to this game, Frank Gore was seen a bit gimpy coming off the field in the second quarter. This was confirmed as LaMichael James carried the load for much of the second half until Gore reemerged in the late third quarter for big gains capped off by a short yardage touchdown. Normally a steady rotation hurts the running back position, but the Niners high volume run offense supplies enough opportunity that Gore will retain his status...

Jordy Nelson, Victor Cruz, Eric Decker, Lance Moore, Laurent Robinson, James Jones. All were slot receivers in some shape or form last season. None of these players caught less than seven touchdowns, either. Nelson went bonkers with Aaron Rodgers at the helm; add an injured Donald Driver to the mix and he easily stole the show in Green Bay with Jones reaping the benefits from Driver's absence as well. Cruz, the true coming out of nowhere underdog story, had a careers worth of highlights in one season. Decker (I had him pegged as a breakout guy in an article last year) worked his way up the depth chart with relative ease as his overall talent shone through. Moore, a true slot guy, continued to be a favorite redzone threat for Drew Brees when he was healthy. Robinson, an injury-plagued talent, was finally able to stay healthy for a season and ran with his chance when injury problems sprang up for the Dallas Cowboys. The trio of Decker, Moore and Jones didn't put up the kind of yardage totals the other three were able to, but they still found the endzone at a high rate. This article isn't about these players, though, it's about this year's potential crop of slot guys ready to take the same step in fantasy land, at least for this season. Drafting these slot receivers at the tail end of drafts requires little-to-no risk, and the potential upside could not only anchor your wide receiver corps, but provide a trading piece to strengthen a weak area of your team down the line. Like Peter Stormare said in Armageddon, "Good odds, ya know?" Andre Caldwell, Denver -- Spending his first four seasons in Cincinnati, Caldwell has shown small flashes, and while overall he hasn't been bad, he hasn't exactly been good either. A healthy Peyton Manning could probably put David Terrell back on the map, so imagine the possibilities with Caldwell. It's no secret Manning loves to use the slot. A fresh start with a future Hall of Famer and Super Bowl-winning quarterback sounds like something I might be interested in. I'm sure Caldwell feels the same way. It may take some time for the entire wide receiver corps to get on the same page as Manning and for the unit to get their timing down, but there are going to be plenty of balls flying around in Denver this season. As long as Manning stays healthy, everyone will get some. Caldwell provides the best low-risk/high-reward investment in this year's draft out of the crop of slot receivers. Eddie Royal, San Diego -- We have seen Royal...

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Donald Driver will be the latest NFL player to compete on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars."

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Donald Driver isn't ready to hang up his cleats.

N.N. - News Nuggets According to the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, the Browns will start Seneca Wallace behind center on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals due to Colt McCoy's continuous struggle with concussion-like symptoms. It will be Wallace's first start of the season. In his lone career start against the Cardinals, back in December of 2008, Wallace went 24-of-43 for 250 yards and two touchdowns. According to the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, Steelers' quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will be a game-time decision. Roethlisberger maintains he has made progress and will be fitted with a custom brace for his bad ankle if he goes. "I'm going to do everything I can to be out there. I don't know if it's my decision," Roethlisberger said. "If it was just a matter of pain, I'd be out there. I'm physically unable to do certain things." It's not a good week for the Steelers to lose Roethlisberger. Their opponent - the San Francisco 49ers - have the top run defense and have yet to allow a touchdown on the ground this season. According to the Kansas City Star, either Kyle Orton or Ricky Stanzi will start for the Chiefs this Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, not the currently benched Tyler Palko. "If Orton is able to go, then Orton is the quarterback," interrim head coach Romeo Crennel said at his daily news conference. "We'll have to see how his finger is and how he comes along and whether we can count on him with that finger." If Orton can't go, Stanzi will make his first career start against a Packers' pass defense that has been gashed throughout the season through the air, but has been playing much better as of late. Orton has a lifetime 66.2 quarterback rating against Green Bay. According to the Detroit Free Press, Lions' running back Kevin Smith hopes he will be ready to play against the Oakland Raiders this week, as his ankle has made some progress in the healing process. The Raiders are allowing a league-high 5.3 yards per carry, so it may be wise to have Smith in your fantasy lineup this week if he can go. According to jsonline.com, Packers' wide receiver Donald Driver believes the offense will be fine without Greg Jennings in the starting lineup. "We've got a team (where) I think everybody has been playing well all season long." Driver said. "He's a great player. We will miss him. But we'll move forward and continue to play. As long as we can get him back and make a playoff run, we'll be fine." While it's hard to gauge ...

Hopefully your fantasy team was able to survive last week with stars like Greg Jennings and DeMarco Murray getting injured. Late season injuries are always tough on your fantasy squad, but they also present opportunity for owners who squirreled away the likes of Felix Jones and Donald Driver to reap the benefits. There are some very strong plays this week to help you advance in your league as the New Orleans Saints, New York Giants and Washington Redskins pile up big yards in the air while the Oakland Raiders, Cincinnati Bengals and Arizona Cardinals get it done on the ground. I utilize statistical analysis combined with more than 15 years of fantasy football experience to give you an inside look of how players will perform on a week-to-week basis. The Studs list will be updated on a regular basis as players emerge and injuries occur, but be patient with those players listed early in the season. They were ranked and selected high in your draft for a reason. When using this list, try and remember a couple basic rules: 1) Studs -- Always play your studs. Each position will include a list of players that are considered studs and should not be benched. If you have the luxury of needing to decide between studs, check out the matchups or feel free to let the shark tank assist you in your decisions. 2) Depth -- Every fantasy team is different and some have more depth than others. Only follow the recommended moves if your team depth allows you to make such a move. Quarterbacks Studs Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay at Kansas City Drew Brees, New Orleans at Minnesota Tom Brady, New England at Denver Cam Newton, Carolina at Houston Eli Manning, N.Y. Giants vs. Washington Matthew Stafford, Detroit at Oakland Tony Romo, Dallas at Tampa Bay Matt Ryan, Atlanta vs. Jacksonville Philip Rivers, San Diego vs. Baltimore Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh at San Francisco *Questionable: Ankle* Start Rex Grossman, Washington at N.Y. Giants: As expected, Grossman had a solid game last week against the New England Patriots, throwing for more than 250 yards and tossing two touchdowns for the third time in the past four games. This week, Grossman faces a Giants' secondary that was torched by the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night. Grossman also had success against the Giants back in Week 1 when he threw for 305 yards and two touchdowns. Expect similar success this week as Grossman has turned himself into a late-season sleeper. Josh Freeman, Tampa Bay vs. ...

Green Bay Packers veteran wide receiver Donald Driver has played with both Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers - and it's clear which quarterback he prefers.

Welcome to this week's Touch Me, Baby, where young players dominate the headlines. In life it is inevitable that at some point the old make way for the new and youthful, a theme we've seen over the course of the NFL season. It has been most obvious in Green Bay and Pittsburgh as former fantasy football mainstays such as Donald Driver and Hines Ward have fallen to the wayside in favor of younger talent such as Jordy Nelson, James Jones, Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders. We'll cover some of the other newbies that have captured the hearts of fantasy fanatics everywhere in this edition of Touch Me, Baby.

THE TOP STORYLINES: The Upstart 49ers Hand The Lions Their First Loss & A Post-Game Skirmish Between Jim Harbaugh & Jim Schwartz The surging San Francisco 49ers prevailed in an emotional, hard-hitting and penalty-filled contest, knocking the Detroit Lions from the ranks of the unbeaten by a final of 25-19. After struggling most of the game, Alex Smith (125-1-1) tossed a touchdown pass with 1:51 remaining, and David Akers nailed a 37-yard field goal with 1:01 left to secure the win. Frank Gore paced San Francisco with 15-141-1 and Michael Crabtree compiled 9-77-0. The 49ers' defense also notched five sacks on the afternoon. For the Lions, Matthew Stafford posted 293-2-0, while Calvin Johnson accumulated 7-113-0 and Brandon Pettigrew amassed 8-42-1. The NFL is planning to review the post-game confrontation between San Francisco head coach Jim Harbaugh and Detroit head coach Jim Schwartz. In case you missed it, Harbaugh used his right hand to shake hands with Schwartz and slapped him on the back with his other hand. Claiming to have been shoved and claiming to have heard some "colorful language" directed at him, Schwartz charged Harbaugh as the teams ran into the tunnels, but the two were separated by a host of players and team officials during a very emotionally charged scene. What if Detroit and San Francisco have to face each other in playoffs? Even if they don't, I think a rivalry has been born. 　 And Now There Is Just One 6-0 Team The Green Bay Packers dispatched the struggling St. Louis Rams 24-3 at Lambeau Field to notch their sixth win of the season against no defeats. Aaron Rodgers passed for 310-3-1, which was just another day at the office for him. Greg Jennings (6-82-0) and Jordy Nelson (2-104-1) led the potent-as-usual Green Bay passing attack. Donald Driver and James Jones each hauled in a touchdown pass. After coming within one victory of winning the NFC West last season, the 0-5 Rams have been a huge disappointment. The team did not add any proven offensive playmakers to help young Sam Bradford, and the defense has inexplicably regressed quite a bit. Tabbed by some as a high-end No. 2 fantasy quarterback during the preseason, Bradford has notched two 300-yard passing games but has tossed just three touchdown passes in five games, which barely makes him a fantasy starter. The loss of Danny Amendola (elbow) obviously has been an issue, although the Rams are hoping that injury-prone Danario Alexander (6-91-0 against the Packers) can fill that...