24 Hours 'Til Sunday — Andy Richardson

Where has the season gone? Week 10 is here already, which means it's actually reasonable for some owners to think about the fantasy playoffs and others to think about next season. I just traded away Roy Williams for Anthony Gonzalez and Jeremy Shockey in a keeper format -- good trade? Basically I'm not buying the idea that Roy is as great as all that and a slice of pizza, plus for some reason I still think Shockey is good. Brief thought on Broncos-Browns: I thought I'd never seen a defense as bad as Denver's, but Cleveland gave them a nice run for their money in the fourth quarter. OK, onto this week's games...

Jaguars at Lions: Dan Orlovsky isn't going to play; it's going to be either Drew Stanton or Daunte Culpepper. This story mystifies me: The Lions drafted Stanton a year ago, threw him on injured reserve with what at the time was said to be a minor injury, and now would rather put Daunte Culpepper in the lineup? I mean, how bad can Stanton be? Culpepper couldn't get a job until the Lions came calling and couldn't hold onto the ball in his last couple of jobs. Or avoid being sacked. Again, how bad can Stanton be? I guess they're telling us. No other injuries of note in this game. I'm of the belief that Jacksonville can't be bad enough to lose to the Lions, but I guess we'll see. I like Jones-Drew this week.

Ravens at Texans: This is the game that was supposed to be played in week 2, so make sure you've got it reflected that way on your schedule -- the Bengals, not the Ravens, are on their bye this week. Baltimore almost seems to have deliberately tweaked fantasy owners with its running backs, featuring a different guy on different weeks, having guys active and not playing them, etc. There's risk involved with all three players, although Ray Rice appears to be the healthiest and the one with more of a future in Baltimore, so edge to Rice this week. Steve Slaton will probably do more as a receiver than a rusher against Baltimore's tough run defense, so plan accordingly -- in a non-PPR format, I wouldn't use him.

Titans at Bears: I've gone back and forth on this game. The Titans are 8-0, but they haven't played a really good team on the road yet. The Bears look really good at times; then again, they're starting Rex Grossman this week. Bears have a very good run defense, but I'm not going to be the guy who benches Chris Johnson, the likely rookie of the year.

Saints at Falcons: I believe in Matt Ryan and am impressed by the Falcons, but I still think the Saints are going to win this game. I think Jeremy Shockey is going to be good the rest of the way, and traded for him this week. Maybe this means I think the Easter Bunny is real, I don't know. Still, I like the Saints to win a high-scoring affair this week. Reggie Bush won't play, Deuce McAllister will, and Drew Brees will throw for 367 yards.

Seahawks at Dolphins: Seattle was a playoff team a year ago. Today they're starting Seneca Wallace, they've got a crowded committee of marginal players at running back and wide receiver, and they're going into Miami to get blown out by a Dolphins team that won one game last year. Sorry Mike Holmgren. There's still a nice side street in Green Bay named after you.

Rams at Jets: Steven Jackson won't play, and Kenneth Darby will start. Very tough matchup; if you saw Kris Jenkins against Buffalo last week, you know why the Jets are so tough to run on. Jets can be thrown on, but will Marc Bulger have the time? I want no part of any Rams this week, besides maybe a deep-league flier on Donnie Avery. Jets should run a lot, so I like Thomas Jones. Maybe the team will let Brett Favre throw a couple of TDs against a really awful secondary, too. I'm hoping both teams will wear their throwback uniforms this week, because they're really cool. (Interesting note: the Jets' throwbacks reference their original team name, The New York Titans. They've worn those uniforms two times this year and won both games. What that means is that along with that team in Tennessee, "Titans" are a collective 10-0 on the season. And yes, I did order my Favre Jets/Titans throwback jersey last week, because I promised I would if they won in Buffalo, and you have to keep your promises to yourself, because you're the one you see in the mirror each morning.)

Packers at Vikings: Huge game in the NFC North and should be a good one, too. Loser is in third place in the division and will have a tough time making the playoffs. Packers have had success throwing on the Vikings in recent years (as has everyone else), while Adrian Peterson can definitely run on the Packers. Jared Allen might miss the game, which would certainly help the Packers offense. Fun and meaningful game to watch and have players playing in.

Bills at Patriots: Kind of feel bad for the Bills. The losing 4 Super Bowls in a row thing -- can we sit here for a minute and appreciate how amazing it is even getting to four straight Super Bowls? The mighty 49ers, Cowboys, and Patriots of recent decades didn't even get to three in a row. Of course, they won most of the ones they got to, which is a lot better. But still. Anyway, Buffalo had a great start, and now they're falling off the map. They've got some injuries, just like last year, and are about to get rolled by the Patriots. Sad. For New England, you can't count on either Sammy Morris or LaMont Jordan playing. Another week of BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Kevin Faulk looks likely.

Panthers at Raiders: Least significant fantasy injury of the week: JaMarcus Russell might miss this game. After last week's 31 yards passing, I feel certain he's not starting except in 14 team leagues that start 2 QBs (and even then it might be worth starting the backup of a player likely to get hurt, say Roethlisberger and Leftwich). McFadden is practicing on a limited basis but you can't go near him. Most significant fantasy injury is that Jonathan Stewart is expected to miss the game with a heel injury. That makes DeAngelo Williams worthy of strong consideration against a lousy run defense.

Kansas City at Chargers: Some kind words for Tyler Thigpen, who I've ridiculed in this spot before. Two good games in a row for him. He'll probably do OK here -- you could do worse for spot starters -- given San Diego's lousy pass defense. Big game for LaDainian Tomlinson. Chris Chambers has been slightly limited in practice but I'd probably start him anyway.

Colts at Steelers: It would be nice if Ben Roethlisberger would just be ruled out, but instead he's apparently going to shamble Frankenstein-like out onto the field to give it a go. He'll have arms and legs hanging every which way from shoulder and side and leg bumps and bruises, bolts falling out of his neck onto the field, and still he'll play. Willie Parker, sensibly, won't. Mewelde Moore is a great play. Steelers defense looks for real to me; I'd be hesitant to go with any Colts besides the obvious ones: Manning, Wayne, Clark.

Giants at Eagles: The Giants sacked Donovan McNabb 12 times in a game last season. This one should go a little differently. Maybe these are the two best teams in the NFC; you never know. Two great run defenses and pass rushes. Brian Westbrook should be his usual self. No injuries of note, at least until the game starts.

49ers at Cardinals: The Cardinals don't host many Monday night games. I think these teams played on the opening Monday a year or two ago, but I don't remember if it was in Arizona or not, plus it was at 10 EST so half the country didn't see it. Prior to that, everyone remembers the game against the Bears, with the classic Dennis Green meltdown. Here, Arizona should show the world that they're a pretty good team right now by putting a whupping on the 49ers. I mean that in a figurative sense, of course; I'm crossing my fingers that there will be no dropping of anyone's pants.

Enjoy the games.

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