As I write this article I recognize there are many readers and a few writers who are dealing with issues much greater than fantasy football. To everyone affected by Hurricane Sandy, we hope all of you stay safe during a difficult time as our thoughts and prayers are with you. San Francisco 24, Arizona 3 49ers Like Godzilla entering Tokyo, this game was absolutely dominated by the 49ers defense holding Arizona to three points on the night. San Fran was so overpowering the Cardinals could only muster seven yards rushing, forcing Arizona into a one dimensional attack. With their backs against the wall, Michael Crabtree had an awesome performance hauling in all five of his targets for 72 yards and two touchdowns. Most impressive was Crabtree absolutely dominating Arizona's young shutdown cornerback, Patrick Peterson. As always, Crabtree's fantasy value is hindered by the stifling 49ers defense keeping the score low, and run heavy game plan. Over the last six games his fantasy production reads: 4, 1, 17, 2, 3, 19. Nothing bothers me more than sporadic production. However, at seven targets per game, Crabtree has some value if you can stomach the swings. Excuse me, have you seen Vernon Davis? Like Crabtree, Davis is being limited by the run heavy game plan installed by the San Fran coaching staff. Over the past five weeks Davis' fantasy points are as follows: 2, 10, 3, 0, 3. It's becoming apparent that he won't survive on yardage alone, needing a touchdown to be starter worthy. Odds are you don't have other options, but Davis is slipping into the lower TE1 range. After suffering a week eight rib injury, Frank Gore showed no ill effect ripping through the Cards defense picking up 55 total yards on big chunky runs. With a bye upcoming, the 49ers built a comfortable lead that allowed Gore to rest for much of the game giving way to Kendall Hunter. Gore owners shouldn't worry, he'll be back to RB1 status in week 10. Commenting on Alex Smith's rotation of coaches over the years, John Gruden said, "The only change is no change for a change." Love me some Gruden. Arizona The desert version of Darren Sproles, LaRod Stephens-Howling opened the game in the Cards backfield. Already a down matchup, "Stephens-Howling at the moon" found absolutely zero running room picking up six yards on eight carries. At 180 lbs, LSH had a tough time slowing down the blitzing linebackers, often getting bulled over opening his quarterback up to big hits. On the upside, William...

What a crazy week of football. I'm sure everyone is tired of talking about the Monday night debacle, but in a way it is the best thing that happened this season. Think about it. Had they called the play correct, we would have the same referees for the next few weeks or even through the Super Bowl. Imagine if the same mistake was made on the last play of the Super Bowl. Roger Goodell would have to run to Europe and hide. The good news is that the refs and the NFL have came to an agreement! Everyone will be happy to see them return until they make a bad call and then it is business as usual. I had an opportunity to see my Giants in a regular season game for the first time last Thursday. It was a Panthers home game but you wouldn't have known it because of the sea of blue that was at the game. I'm not talking about Carolina Blue either. The game was dominated by the Giants and the Giants' fans were enjoying every minute of it. Another great thing about watching a game live is seeing your fantasy player score for you. Let's get down to business. Last week I talked about injuries and covering yourself for players that will miss some time. If you didn't cover the bye weeks with players during your draft, I hope that you picked players up last week rather than waiting for this week to make a move. Nothing is worst than an owner waiting until the week of to fill a bye week need and missing out due to waiver priority or lack of quality starters. This week the Colts and Steelers are off. The Golden Mug Award Awarded to the fantasy players who came through for their team. Jamaal Charles - 33 carries for 233 yards and one touchdown with six receptions for 55 yards. Charles was limited in Week 2 because of knee soreness but came back to put up a tremendous amount of yards in Week 3. Let's hope that he can stay healthy all season and keep lighting it up. A.J. Green - Nine receptions for 183 yards and one touchdown. There is a reason Green went early in drafts and after two decent weeks, he exploded in Week 3. Calvin Johnson - 10 receptions for 164 yards and one touchdown. Johnson finally gets into the end zone and puts up Megatron like numbers. Even if Matthew Stafford misses time, back up Shaun Hill can get Calvin the ball. The Urinal Cake Award Awarded to the fantasy players who you would like to, well you know. Kevin Smith - Zero carries. Smith was a sleeper pick-up before the season and a big waiver pick-up after Week 1. Mikel Leshoure 's ...

Ever had an itch that you just can't scratch? No, skidmark, I'm not talking about your "nethers." By the way, you're disgusting. Stop sniffing your fingers, and yes you are still banned from the high-five club. No, what I'm talking about is more of a mental itch. Like the part of your brain that eats, sleeps and breathes football has had a cast around it for the last six months. Sure the preseason games have helped, but only about as much as using a pencil to scratch around the edges of the cast. ( Warning: metaphor; do not use a pencil or any other pointed device to scratch your brain. Just saying.) Here's the good news - the cast came off Wednesday night, so scratch away. Just don't go overboard; otherwise you're going to be sitting over in the corner with skidmark. Now, onto the meat and potatoes (tofu and kale for you vegans out there). "Buy, Sell, Hold" is all about expectations for the upcoming weeks. The "buys" are guys that aren't your obvious chart-toppers in the rankings, but have a great chance to exceed their expectations. The "holds" are your typical studs ranked near the top of every list but aren't facing a good situation. Imagine Calvin Johnson being double-teamed up and down the field by Darrelle Revis and Nnamdi Asomugha all game long ... with Ed Reed giving safety help over the top. You're thinking, "man, that's about as attractive as a baboon's fiery red backside, but it's flippin' Megatron!" I'm not saying to automatically bail on these guys, just weigh your options and look at your other matchups. The "sells" are guys I'm avoiding like a port-a-potty next to a taco stand that Large Marge just vacated after registering a 9.5 on the Richter Scale. They're the guys that are running hot and the bandwagon is getting full, but there's a pothole looming. Or they're the guys, for whatever reason, I wouldn't touch this week without making a trip to the free clinic ... before and after. You with me? So, here we go for Week 1: Buy: QB: Robert Griffin III. There were a lot of dislocated shoulders this year among drafters with so many people reaching for Griffin, taking him on average above guys like Ben Roethlisberger and Jay Cutler. Thanks, Cam Newton. While starting a rookie quarterback in Week 1 might not be the safest play, Washington is matched up against New Orleans to start off the season. New Orleans was a Bottom 5 defense against the pass last year and its offense obviously puts up a lot of points, so the Redskins will have to ...

Is anyone else excited? Week 1 of the NFL season is now less than one week away. I've got my Red Zone Channel ordered, my Sunday afternoon chicken wing recipe has been perfected after many summer barbecues, I've got two-out-of-three of my drafts completed, and I've talked about fantasy football so much my wife probably knows more about this year's fantasy players than half of the guys in your league. I'm ready for football season to begin, and so I thought I'd throw out my season calls (predictions) for the 2012 fantasy football season. Just like my weekly "Good Call/Bad Call" article, I'll try to stay away from the obvious, high-profile players (unless I think they're going to underperform) and get into more of those flex/mid-round guys that you're questioning. Anyone can say Aaron Rodgers is going to be a Top 3 quarterback. Yeah, tell me something I don't know, Curt. Matt Ryan will be a Top 5 fantasy quarterback. How's that? Some of these calls are going to be longshots, so I've noted those. I'm also going to start a twitter question of the week segment. So, hit me up @curtkestila to let me know your thoughts. Now on to the calls: Quarterbacks Matt Ryan will finish as a Top 5 fantasy quarterback. Cam Newton will be outside of the Top 5 fantasy quarterbacks, and won't rush for more than seven touchdowns. Carson Palmer will finish as a Top 10 quarterback. Philip Rivers will have more touchdown passes than Peyton Manning. Longshot: Josh Freeman will have less than 12 interceptions, and pass for more than 4,000 yards for the first time in his career. Running Backs Chris Johnson will regain his stud form and become a Top 3 fantasy running back, again. Jamaal Charles will finish inside the Top 10 running backs. Darren McFadden and Ryan Mathews will not. Michael Bush will have more rushing touchdowns than Matt Forte. Donald Brown will be a weekly-startable (Top 24) running back this season. Longshot: Robert Turbin will have double-digit fantasy points in three or more games this year. Wide Receivers Julio Jones will have more receiving yards than Roddy White. Brandon Marshall will have at least 100 catches this season. Stevie Johnson will have more than 1,100 receiving yards this season. Michael Crabtree will be the best fantasy player catching the football for San Francisco (including tight ends). Kendall Wright will be the most valuable fantasy wide receiver on the Tennessee Titans. Longshot: Torrey Smith will have more than 1,000 ...

We take an in-depth look at one of the most polarizing receivers in dynasty leagues.

Brandon Marshall traded to Chicago from Miami With the reuniting of former Denver Bronco teammates, Marshall goes from an anemic Dolphins offense to a Bears offense that will be a big down-field threat with the addition of Marshall. This move actually affects three players: Marshall, Jay Cutler and Devin Hester. All of Marshall's numbers will definitely go up, as Marshall finally has a quarterback who can get the ball deep to him after leaving Denver. Cutler's passing yards and touchdown numbers will rise with this addition as well. The player that could be affected negatively is Hester, as this will either bump him into a slot-receiver role or gadget play specialist on the offense. Randy Moss and Mario Manningham sign free-agent deals with San Francisco With the inconsistency from Michael Crabtree, the 49ers were given a choice. Stick with the guys they have, or make this offense a juggernaut around Alex Smith and Frank Gore. They decided on the latter, nabbing the future Hall of Famer Moss from free agency, and stealing Super Bowl XLVI hero Manningham from the New York Giants. Yes, the 49ers also added Brandon Jacobs from the Giants as well, but the true notables here are Moss and Manningham. Smith will now feel like a kid in a candy store, but the problem is Moss' off-and-on diva characteristics. With all these weapons, can coach Jim Harbaugh keep everyone from whining about their touches? Todd Haley introduced as Offensive Coordinator in Pittsburgh Now, I know what your thinking. I thought this was supposed to be about players I am supposed to draft, not coordinators. Well, that is the beauty of it, my friend. A change in the offense can always make you think about the players in that offense. With the "secret firing" of Bruce Arians, the Steelers' offense will start anew with Haley. Gone will be the annoying bubble screens and constantly looking down field for the deep ball. Moving in will be the quick release slants and short passing game to set up the deep ball. The new system will definitely help in one area, keeping Ben Roethlisberger upright. Expect the offensive skill players to benefit from this change as the wideouts will get more catches, and also look for tight end Heath Miller to be targeted more in the red zone. BenJarvus Green-Ellis signs a free-agent deal with Cincinnati With the departure of Cedric Benson, Green-Ellis should now see many more touches via handoffs as a Bengal. Green-Ellis cashed in on his postseason play, ...

We tackle Dez Bryant, Michael Crabtree and a host of draft related questions in this week's mailbag.

Justin Blackmon By now, we all know about Justin Blackmon. He's one of the better wide receiver prospects in recent years, and there are not a ton of concerns about his game. Big, strong and fast, Blackmon has elite hands and body control to go with the other tools. In short, he is the complete package at wide receiver. We do not see any physical tools that he is lacking whatsoever. However, there have been times in which we have seen some mental lapses, and we're concerned about the possibility of that spilling over at times. One play that sticks out in our minds came against Texas A&M in which while show-boating before walking in for a touchdown he fumbled the ball before reaching the end zone, losing the ball out of bounds for a touchback. Still, we have no problem putting him as the No. 1 wide receiver on the board, even with the guy that we have been pushing since September crawling up his heels. Parallels are going to be made between him and current underwhelming San Francisco wide receiver, Michael Crabtree. But we do not see it, as Crabtree has three documented problems -- work ethic, a pre-existing foot condition, and he's a diva. Blackmon may be a diva, but the rest are non-issues. He's a slam dunk. Kendall Wright Wright is closing the gap on #1 Nothing left to be said that wasn't already said here. We've been saying the same thing since September -- you want this guy on your team. He's been rising, and rising ... and rising some more. Mohammad Sanu Surprise! In early January, Scott was put on record on this discussion board saying Sanu wouldn't be a Top 5 guy. Scott's here to tell you that he's wrong. He's watched a lot of Sanu since the end of the year, and is becoming a believer. We don't think he'll ever be a superstar, but think there's a lot to like as a No. 2 complimenting a star No. 1. He does everything well, but nothing great. He won't consistently get on top of secondaries, but he's a wizard in the short and intermediate passing game. Rutgers is known for not having the most imaginative offensive gameplans, and any player that puts up numbers like Sanu has in this offense has the ability to take over games. The one quarrel we have with him is that he tends to catch the ball against his body, which can become a real issue. Still, there have been comparisons between Sanu and Hakeem Nicks thrown out there. Nicks' hands are better, but the playmaking ability is there for Sanu. He is going to be a bargain sometime ...

The San Francisco 49ers are expected to go after another wide receiver to complement Michael Crabtree and tight end Vernon Davis this offseason.

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...