Fantasy Football

Here's how it works. We throw some intriguing matchups at the FanHouse staff and ask whether each player will be over or under a certain point total. The result? Fantasy Football Over/Under. Makes sense, right?

Brett Favre or Matt Ryan? Pierre Thomas or Justin Forsett? Kevin Walter or Terrell Owens?

These are just a few of the dilemmas we tackle in this week's Over/Under. If your tough decision wasn't included in the following chart, don't worry. We'll be here from 10:30 AM ET up through kickoff on Sunday for our weekly Sunday Tailgate chat. Come join us and bring your questions, and we'll help you as best we can.

When it comes to the proposition of who has been the biggest bust in fantasy football this season, it's a highly debatable subject. There is seemingly no correct answer, as so many different factors and arguments come into play. However, I've got one name I'd love to toss into the party and that's Calvin Johnson. Say what? Yes, really.

At this point, why haven't more people questioned the epic bust Calvin Johnson has been thus far? Sure, I realize he's been injured and perhaps just not clicking in a struggling offense. But even when healthy, Johnson hasn't quite performed up to the first round or even second-round standards we expected. You do realize he has only one touchdown all season and only one 100-yard receiving game, right? That's just not getting it done from a fantasy perspective.

Think IDP leagues are the way to go? Then Ballhawkin' is for you. Here, we pick out a few Individual Defensive Players that could have huge weeks and are possibly sitting in your free-agent pool.

From last week's column, David Hawthorne turned in an 11-tackle (10 solo) performance and is now owned in about a quarter of Fleaflicker leagues. Sadly, we won't be featuring him anymore, but he's still a great add if available in your league.

Also in last week's column, Jairus Byrd picked off another ball, his eighth interception of his rookie campaign. The Bills found themselves a great centerfielder for years to come. Teammate Bryan Scott posted a 10-tackle day (all solo) from the LB position.

We're back. It's "Run, Ricky, Run!" Week here at Fantasy FanHouse, as we witnessed Ricky Williams thrust himself into the ranks of other must-start running backs. First, Ronnie Brown went down for the season, next Ricky provided fantasy owners with a three-touchdown monster performance. Tom Herrera and Matt Snyder discuss much more, though. We talk about possible gifts for those who have been underachieving in fantasy (akin to the positive pregnancy test that seemed to have jump-started LaDainian Tomlinson), major injury fallout and, of course, our Starting Six Pack for the week. Take a listen after the jump.

Whether it's torn, sprained, broken or just needs to be taped, Injuries to Watch will keep you up to date on injuries around the NFL and how they'll affect your fantasy football team.

Quarterback

• Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers - Roethlisberger is not listed on the injury report, but he sat out parts of practice on Thursday with his elbow wrapped. He is expected to play on Sunday, but questions of a sore arm have definitely surfaced.

The second of our bi-weekly chats leading up to the Sunday Tailgate is upon us, and there's much to discuss this week.

Many of you are likely suffering with the loss of a starting RB in one of your leagues, with Ronnie Brown, Michael Turner, Cedric Benson, Julius Jones and Clinton Portis likely on the shelf. Who do you start -- one of their backups or a guy like Jamaal Charles, Shonn Greene or Justin Fargas?

Check out our answers to all of your lineup questions in the chat wrap below.

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In terms of real football, Thursday night's game against the Miami Dolphins and Carolina Panthers is a sneaky good one. Sure, it's easy to look at the matching 4-5 records and scoff at the notion, but both teams have been playing well since a disappointing start (both started 0-3). They are attempting to climb back into the playoffs for the second straight year.

In terms of fantasy football, however, we have the running game and not much else. They are two of the most heavy run-oriented teams in football and shouldn't have trouble running on each other. The bonus is the game should be pretty short with the clock always moving.

When slotting fantasy football kickers, there are myriad factors which should be considered. After looking at all of them, I've determined my favorite option for Week 11 is Matt Prater. The Broncos are desperately in need of a win this weekend in a pivotal home tilt against the Chargers. With Kyle Orton banged up, expect the Broncos to try and shorten the game by running the ball and making short throws. These kinds of drives often end up stalling in the red zone. Only two teams have allowed more field goals this season than the Chargers, who have allowed 13 of their 16 field goals in 31 red zone trips. Predicting the top kicker for the week is the most difficult of any position because of all the variables that go into kicker points, but I'm rolling with Prater this week.

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For anybody paying close enough attention to realize the offering by the fantasy gods that is the Bengals' home stretch, you begin your three-game win streak here in Week 11. Starting with this week's matchup against the Raiders, this marks the beginning of an Oakland, Cleveland, Detroit three-game run -- all of which are sure to be top-five matchups in our rankings. This week, we mark the Bengals at numero uno.

The second best start this week goes to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who should avenge a tough loss against the aforementioned Bengals with a cupcake matchup versus a Kansas City team that has now lost its starting running back and best receiver in two short weeks. Coupled with a Pittsburgh defense that is tied for third in the NFL in sacks and have forced eight fumbles, the Chiefs are in trouble and Pittsburgh fantasy owners can sleep well.

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It was hard not to feel a little burnt by Vernon Davis last week. He talks the good talk and it was impossible not to back him up in this space. Well, rest assured that last week was just a speed bump in the ways of fantasy football. Davis should return to his lofty position amongst the elite pass-catching tight end options this week. The 49ers will make sure Davis is involved early and often and a rebound seems to be in the cards.

One other guy known for his talking more so than most and hasn't been gaining a lot of talk in this space is Kellen Winlsow. Ah yes, it's time to acknowledge the solid season he is having. He's thriving on a pretty bad football team, but that doesn't matter to us fantasy owners. Show us the stats and talk all you want soldier, we like it that way. He's got a great rapport building with Josh Freeman and clearly is the best option for the Bucs. He draws the Saints this weekend and he'll be sniffing for the end zone and seeking to continue his ascension. And that's why he's leading us off this week. As for the rest of the ranks ...

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