After Further Review Despite sitting out virtually all of training camp with several different ailments Arian Foster was still a top five pick in most fantasy football leagues, but after three weeks of play he has not performed up to his draft slot. The Texans have a playoff run on their minds with absolutely no interest in appeasing fantasy owners in mind, and consequently, they are easing Foster back in to action as he shares carries with Ben Tate. On most other teams such arrangements would be impossible, given the typical talent gap between backs, but the Texans are blessed to have two capable running backs. Through three weeks Foster has forty-nine carries to only twenty-seven for Tate. Tate has been making his mark with a gaudy 6.8 yards per carry. Don't panic if you own Foster! Foster has been among the best goal line backs over the last several years, but he has only found the end zone once so far this season. He is still getting the red zone carries over Tate and figures to start cashing those in as the Texans utilize him more. Tough match-ups are in store for him over the next several weeks and he could make a nice trade target if his owner grows tired of waiting on him to live up to expectations. It seems like decades since Maurice Jones-Drew led the NFL in rushing yards. It was actually only two seasons ago, but the Lisfranc injury last season and the Jags' anemic offense appear to be taking their toll. MJD did manage to find the end zone in week three, salvaging an otherwise pedestrian performance. Through three games Jones-Drew is averaging only 2.6 yards per carry. The Jags offense seems to be at least a little more efficient with Chad Henne at quarterback, but after seeing Tampa Bay and the New York Giants race out to 0-3 starts (among others), they have announced Blaine Gabbert will reclaim his position as starting quarterback in an effort to tank for the top draft pick next year. I still believe in MJD's talent, but I have major concerns about his surrounding circumstances. Keep a close eye on the Jags' offensive scheme over the next couple of weeks. They looked like they occasionally got away from the newly installed zone blocking approach they had been using and MJD looked more comfortable at times in week three. If they have any hopes of reeling off a few wins, the Jags need Jones-Drew to operate with optimum efficiency. Several media outlets are reporting that Tom Brady has been texting and calling Deion Branch and ...

When trying to nab a mid- or late-round sleeper, I look for two things: upside and consistency. All four of these guys have the potential to rack up fantasy points on any given week. All four have the potential to become their team's No. 1 or No. 2 receiver. Double-digit days are never out of the question for any of them -- yet I worry that some of them are a dice-roll when it comes to consistency. Josh Gordon, Cleveland: "There's no way I'm seventh-round material (average draft position of 77). Look at my numbers from last season before you go near me on draft day: other than a three-game spurt at midseason, I did almost nothing. Oh, and last I checked, Brandon Weeden is still my quarterback ... I almost wish my suspension was longer." I originally had Gordon high on my sleeper board. There's a lot to love: he's the only true receiving threat in Cleveland, his new head coach Rob Chudzinski loves to throw, he's got straight line speed that his offensive coordinator Norv Turner loves. The list goes on. I think Gordon will have a few monster games this season, but I do not trust him week-to-week. Check his numbers from last year: - Four games of double-digit fantasy points. - Ten games of five or less fantasy points. - One 100-plus yard receiving game. - Two games with more than five catches. - 26 points combined in six divisional games (4.3 points per game average, and he'll play those same teams again this year). That's not a recipe for consistency. I understand Gordon should improve in his second season, but do you really want a guy who relies on touchdowns to crack double figure scoring? And if you're in a points per reception league, do you want a guy who typically catches three or four balls a game? Meanwhile, guys like Steve Smith, Cecil Shorts and DeSean Jackson have similar average draft positions. Aaron Dobson, New England: "I've been working with the first team since the start of training camp, and now that (offensive coordinator Josh) McDaniels is implementing more three wide receiver sets, I'm set to rip through my rookie season. You need a late sleeper? I'm your man." Thanks to all the chaos with Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, the Patriots are shying away from the two tight end sets they've thrived on in the past. With the offense implementing more three wide receivers sets, expect Danny Amendola to gobble receptions while two younger guys fill the X and Z roles. As I write this, Dobson is leading the pack and already ...

Fantasy playoffs begin for some owners in Week 14 and that means disappointment for others. What began as such promise following the draft back in August has some fantasy owners sitting home watching others in the playoffs. One player never decides which owners make the playoffs but using a high draft pick on a guy who ends up being a bust certainly does not help matters. If your fantasy season came to an end last week, there is a good chance one of the four players below contributed to your demise. Greg Jennings, WR Green Bay Packers -- Sometimes it is just not a player's year and that was the case for Jennings in 2012. Jennings missed most of the season with a groin injury before deciding to have surgery. He returned against Minnesota in Week 13 but for owners who selected him with a Top 40 pick, Jennings' comeback may be too little, too late. While Jennings has only played four games in 2012, it was Randall Cobb who emerged and led many owners to the fantasy playoffs. Brandon Lloyd, WR New England Patriots -- This summer some beat writers in New England were comparing Lloyd to the Patriots signing of Randy Moss. Apparently they meant the 2006 version of Moss and not the 2007 version. After Lloyd's one-catch dud on Sunday he has now failed to score double-digit fantasy points in five of his last six games. Lloyd has also not reached 20 fantasy points once all year. Lloyd's disappointing season has not hurt the Patriots' offense but it has killed fantasy owners that used a high draft pick on him. Ryan Mathews, RB San Diego Chargers -- Thanks to a lot of preseason hype, Mathews rose to the No. 5 overall pick in some fantasy drafts. He then rewarded owners with the epitome of an average season. Mathews is often taken out of the game and is only scoring 12.6 fantasy points per week. That is three points more than Detroit Lions' second-string running back Joique Bell. In three seasons Mathews has almost as many fumbles (12) as he does touchdowns (14). Remember that next summer when he is getting hyped-up again as an elite running back. Darren McFadden, RB Oakland Raiders -- By now owners should not expect McFadden to play 16 games, so his ankle injury cannot come as a surprise. However, McFadden's lack of production when he did play was unexpected. McFadden failed to reach 10 fantasy points in three of eight games and only topped 20 fantasy points once all year; way back in Week 1. Some pointed to Oakland's poor offensive line for McFadden's struggles ...

P.A. -- Playbook Artist It's second down and seven yards to go for the Green Bay Packers from about the Detroit Lions' 20 yard line. The Lions are in a Nickel Cover 2 package --- man-to-man defense at the line with two deep safeties lined up at the five yard line and just outside the hash marks. For the Packers it's a basic Shotgun three wide receiver formation with running back James Starks lined up next to him. James Jones (black route) will run a fade towards the sidelines with the idea of keeping the deep safety pinned his way. Randall Cobb is lined up in the slot and will run a short out route taking the nickel defender (circled in white) with him away from the middle of the field. Running back James Starks will run a simple flat screen route to divert the attention of the linebackers (green dots) to that side of the field. Jordy Nelson is lined up on the short side of the field and is the prime decoy. His job is to fake the screen blocking to really make the linebackers believe there truly is a screen coming. The final touch is the movement of center Jeff Saturday and right guard Josh Sitton (green dots) to the flat to get in to a normal screen blocking position. Tight end Jermichael Finley runs a drag slant route to the middle of the vacated field. The end result is Finley catching it on the run after Rodgers fakes the screen look. He easily gets to the end-zone with the safeties playing so far to the sidelines. This play was offensive creativity at its finest, and it's something that more and more teams are doing against aggressive defenses. Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos did something similar this past week against the San Diego Chargers when they set up a fake screen to wide receiver Eric Decker only to throw a 31 yard touchdown down the sidelines to Brandon Stokley. The Packers this week play a New York Giants defense that is strong up front (much like the Lions), but is very undisciplined in their back seven (linebackers and defensive backs). Look for Aaron Rodgers to at least emulate formations and looks like this against New York. Finley is a good play this week, along with Jordy Nelson, who had his way with the Giants in their regular season match-up in 2011. S.P. -- Spotlighted Player On this play Frank Gore shows fantasy owners why he still is the starting running back for Jim Harbaugh's San Francisco 49ers, and will continue to be. The 49ers are in an I-formation Big package with tight ends Delanie Walker and Vernon Davis...

Seattle 6, San Francisco 13 Seahawks The Seahawks are easier to evaluate than buttering a piece of toast. Every week in this space you'll find the same sentiments; "start the Seattle DST, start Marshawn Lynch, handcuff Robert Turbin and leave everyone else alone." Week seven was no different as two NFC West foes went to battle in a classic defensive slugfest. With a rookie quarterback under center, coupled with very conservative play calling, no member of the Seattle passing game has proven worthy of a roster spot. 49ers San Francisco's fantasy production nearly mirrors that of Seattle; start Frank Gore, start the 49ers DST and handcuff Kendall Hunter. The lone difference is Vernon Davis. Coming into this game as the second highest scoring fantasy tight end, Davis was completely shutdown, not seeing a single target. Although highly unnerving, this is more of a testament to the Seattle defense than Davis himself. Also, as the 49ers took to the ground through much of the second half, Davis was used more in the blocking scheme than the passing game. As the most athletic tight end in the game, Davis remains a lineup lock. It's worth noting that in the absence of Mario Manningham, stepped Randy Moss into the starting lineup. Even though he was given an expanded number of reps, the 49ers only targeted Moss four times, with zero deep passes. Those holding out hope can safely drop the future Hall-of-Famer. A side story exiting this wrestling match was the amount of money swayed by the decision of Jim Harbaugh to decline a last minute safety. My only question is, "Why bet the game, when the over/under was 38 points?" Money in the bank. Tennessee 35, Buffalo 34 Titans Hello, hello. Welcome to the party Chris Johnson. With 18 carries totaling 195 yards and two touchdowns, Johnson ripped through the porous Buffalo defense finally displaying his breakaway speed including a scoring run of 83 yards in classic 2K style. Up next are the 29th ranked Colts rush defense. Yee hah! On the downside for Johnson owners, it is Jamie Harper's emergence as the Titans goal line back stealing two short yardage touchdowns. With Javon Ringer done for the foreseeable future, Harper is the now the primary handcuff to Johnson. With four touchdowns turned in the by the ground game, Matt Hasselbeck and the Titans passing attack were limited in what should have been a very favorable matchup. Nate Washington led the way for Tennessee receiving core with 43 yards highlighted ...

Tennessee Titans vs Buffalo Bills -Kenny Britt- There are currently no suspensions pending or injuries hampering the potentially elite Titans' receiver. This is the first time in 2012 that Britt should be viewed as a 100% must-start. Playing him at this juncture of the season is the exact reason why owners took Britt in the draft a few months back. With Britt at full throttle for the first time in a long time he needs to be in all lineups but he also needs to reward owners' faith and patience with a good showing here. Britt could turn out to be a second half gem or a draft day waste. The fantasy season is just beyond the halfway point so there is no time to dillydally. Dallas Cowboys vs Carolina Panthers -Felix Jones- Could Jones do to Murray in 2012, what Murray did to Jones in 2011? With Murray out week seven and perhaps longer, Jones has the chance to earn back some of his lost value. If Jones proves to be a reliable runner and the homerun threat he once was, he could earn additional work when Murray returns. He absolutely cannot afford to come off the field with yet another injury as Phillip Tanner is waiting in the same manner as Murray was. Jones has to remain on the field and productive in order to earn back some long-term value. His short-term value is at a season high but he could end up being like the Giants' Andre Brown, with a one and done type of effect if things don't fully work out. Baltimore Ravens vs Houston Texans -Joe Flacco-The Ravens' ball chucker has been rapidly ascending the QB rankings since week one. He has proven to be a borderline must-start and has provided amazing value for those who decided to wait on the position on draft day. Flacco has the chance to earn a little more "street cred" here as he gets matched up against the aggressive Houston Texans. This time around though, the Texans will be without one of their main contributors in linebacker Brian Cushing. The Wade Phillips driven defense still has top end contributors, some extremely elite, such as J.J. Watt, but it's simply not as effective. If Flacco can take advantage of the same defense that Aaron Rodgers just took to the butcher then his stock would be climbing, yet again. Flacco could find himself in the top ten rankings at quarterback for the rest of the year depending on his production here. There may not be a stronger test in the NFL today than the Texans. Cleveland Browns vs Indianapolis Colts -Reggie Wayne- The Colts' grey beard is the 2012 Steve ...

It's no secret that fantasy football championships can potentially be won with the right value pick or two in the middle to late rounds of your draft. However they can just as easily be lost by squandering early or middle round picks on players who fail to deliver results that match pre-draft expectations. Guys who fall into this category are commonly referred to as busts or overvalued players. Overvalued players tend to be those whose name recognition, preseason hype and/or past fantasy glory (think Randy Moss, DeSean Jackson, Brett Favre) lead owners to draft them too early, while the majority of busts are players whose situations have changed so much (e.g., new quarterback, new team, new coaching staff/scheme, upgrade or downgrade of players around them) that they'll have a hard time living up to expected production. Others have significant injury histories to the extent that the risk far outweighs the reward.

It's no secret that fantasy football championships can potentially be won with the right value pick or two in the middle to late rounds of your draft. However they can just as easily be lost by squandering early or middle round picks on players who fail to deliver results that match pre-draft expectations. Guys who fall into this category are commonly referred to as busts or overvalued players. Overvalued players tend to be those whose name recognition, preseason hype and/or past fantasy glory (think Randy Moss, DeSean Jackson, Brett Favre) lead owners to draft them too early, while the majority of busts are players whose situations have changed so much (e.g., new quarterback, new team, new coaching staff/scheme, upgrade or downgrade of players around them) that they'll have a hard time living up to expected production. Others have significant injury histories to the extent that the risk far outweighs the reward.

With training camps underway, The Brew Crew Corner returns for 2012 refreshed and ready to get the new season started! I'm always fired up this time of year because you start seeing teams getting ready for the upcoming season, rookies begin to sign contracts and mock drafts become a daily part of your everyday routine. The reason we love fantasy football is because every season is unique. We also love to search for that next up-and-coming star that you select late in a draft or pick up off the waiver wire. If you are like me, you love to look at the various strategies and types of preparations for live drafts. In this article, I want you to look at wide receivers that are playing on new teams this year. In my research, I have found that players traded or signed to new teams do not become fantasy studs. There is often a dropoff in production as the wide receiver is now playing with a new quarterback and learning a new offense. I'm asking you to pass on drafting wide receivers on new teams. Unless that player drops significantly in your draft or you can acquire that player at a low risk through a trade or waivers, you will be disappointed in the production of that receiver. There are owners this year that will be jumping on Vincent Jackson, Brandon Marshall and Robert Meachem. I would let someone else draft these guys and select another player that has put up consistent numbers that you can feel safe drafting. Brandon Marshall will get an asterisk only because he will be playing with Jay Cutler again, but there is still caution. There have been exceptions in the past such as Randy Moss and Wes Welker, who performed better when they went to New England. But, remember Randy Moss when he went to Oakland and Tennessee. Some of the big names a few years ago that signed or were traded to a new team that underperformed are Javon Walker and Peerless Price. Walker was traded to Denver from Green Bay. Now you can disregard the 2005 season as he was injured that year. Let's compare his 2004 season to his 2006 season when he joined the Broncos. His production dropped from 89 catches, 1,382 yards and 12 touchdowns from the previous full season in Green Bay to 69 catches, 1,084 yards and eight touchdowns in his first year with Denver. Then, the following season was an even bigger drop in production. When he was traded to Oakland his production was a disastrous 15 catches for 196 yards and one touchdown. Price had a monster year in 2002, catching 94 ...

We discuss Randy Moss and a host of others in this week's impact events.