Dustin Pedroia was scratched Thursday with a sore left foot.Not good. That's the same foot that Pedroia fractured earlier this season and missed close to two months rehabbing. Jed Lowrie is starting at second on Thursday night against Angels right-hander Ervin Santana.

According to multiple sources, all indications are that Patriots WR Wes Welker will play in Thursday's preseason game against the Falcons.This will be Welker's first game back since injuring his knee Jan. 3rd in Houston. We'll update when we get official word.

Bills RB C.J. Spiller made three defenders miss en route to a 31 yard touchdown run in Thursday night's preseason game against the Colts.Look for Spiller to take full advantage of injuries to Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch, as he has game-changing ability. We'll bring you his final stat line at the end of the game.

Yahoo's Jason Cole, who recently attended Tampa Bay's training camp, suggests that rookie Mike Williams could become "the Bucs' focal point at wideout for years to come."Cole confirms that Williams is already established as "(Josh) Freeman's top outside receiver this season." Said Ronde Barber of the Williams-Freeman rapport, "This is how you have to do it. This is how Peyton and Reggie Wayne and Peyton and Marvin Harrison … that’s what they did." As long as Williams keeps his head on straight, the sky is the limit for this year and beyond.

1 QB – $202 WR – $702 RB – $1001 TE – $11 DEF – $11 K – $1DEPTH – $15Is that how you would break it down, give or take a few dollars to each position?

Yeah but buffalo STINKS!

Exactly!!

Budget $200(RB) Adrian Peterson $73(RB) Steven Jackson $53(QB) Matt Ryan $8(WR) DeSean Jackson $24(WR) Anquan Boldin $20(RB) Clinton Portis $9(RB) Marion Barber $5(TE) Zach Miller $1(WR) T.J. Houshmandzadeh $1(K) Kris Brown $1(RB) Ahmad Bradshaw $1(DEF) Philadelphia $1(TE) Heath Miller $1(QB) Ben Roethlisberger $1(DEF) Miami $110 Teams split into two divisionshorrible draft I know… but what's done is done… now to start trading! any players I should target?

so for Biglil and anyone else wondering about the Pats backfield for fantasy purposes: Don't waste your buck on Maroney… he is dead last on the pecking order, if the first 2 preseason games are any indication. Fred Taylor looked quite good against a good (not great) Falcons front and sammy morris got some good situational carries against the 1st team defense, and a sweet 20 yd TD run in the 3rd qtr against the backups.The value play is Fragile Fred in the waning stages of the draft… Maroney should be on the FA list post-draft…

diamonds in the rough…

Rookie TE Aaron Hernandez led the Patriots with four receptions for 46 yards and a touchdown against the Falcons in Thursday's preseason game.Second-rounder Rob Gronkowski (4-38-1) also hauled in an impressive 24-yard score from Brian Hoyer, but Hernandez stole the show with the first-team offense. The former Florida star made a nice adjustment, tapping his toes on the end line on a back shoulder TD pass from Tom Brady. He has also showed nice hands and after-the-catch ability down the seam. He's the Pats' tight end to own as a fantasy backup.

desean/barber for randy moss/forsett?

Big day for my Pitching Squad! Latos, Lilly, Cahill and Matusz all got me a win (and a very nice ERA and WHIP as well), while Lyon and Perez got me saves!One question though: I just dropped Francisco Rodriguez for Lyon (he was the best available). Should I roll with this or just drop both Lyon and Perez and punt saves altogether? Thanks!

so based on talent calvin is only a 91? i think thats a travesty

Ted Lilly threw a two-hitter Thursday against the Rockies for his third career shutout.Lilly fanned a season-high 11 and retired 19 straight at one point during the 110-pitch gem. It looks like the Dodgers got him too late to make a difference, but Lilly is getting a chance to make a strong contract push down the stretch. He's 4-0 with a 1.29 ERA in four starts for his new team.

Dood, not horrible at all. I like it a lot. ESP since Ryan is ur QB
for just the first four weeks, then big Ben slides in. Great $1 TE
too. I'd have rather seen Greene at RB over Jackson, but Jackson is a
workhorse. I'd give you an A+ at RB (you must have the best backfield
in ur league). I'd give you an A- at WR, and a B at QB for gettin Big
Ben. If you want to try and upgrade, look for the 2-1 deals (10 team
leagues have deeeeep waiver wires). I'd move Barber (assuming u start
3 rb's) as he's the biggest name. Try targeting an upgrade at WR, like
Moss n a RB for Barber n Jackson.

Sporting a knee brace, Wes Welker caught two passes for 20 yards on six snaps in the first quarter of Thursday's preseason game against the Falcons.
Welker was targeted on three straight passes on the opening drive, getting lit up by Falcons corner Chris Owens on the third. He never got a chance to run after the catch, so there was no telling how close he was to peak form. Tonight's action is the strongest indication yet that he will be in the starting lineup in Week 1.

As you can see by my ranks, I disagree too. ESP because he's a huge redzone target. If Detroit ever gets in the redzone…

My main man Arrelious Benn (fellow Illini alum) might be the main down the stretch. He is a beast that can stretch the field. I know rookie WR rarely shine, but you heard it here first. He might be a threat if Josh Freeman gets in a groove.

I love it. I really have high hopes for Moss and the Dallas backfield
is cramped.

Roll boy roll!!

We all can dream can't we? lol. I might even spend RB2 money on this guy. Probably not though. lol.

Thief what a great post my man. I been waiting for you to say that Football is back in full rotation. Let the good times roll. Super hard to trade in football though because guys fall so in love after one great week as opposed to a basektball player who stinks it up for 4 games straight. But, the challenges are great because the Waivers are much deeper. Oh this is the best time of the year for fantasy. Then right around the corner you have basketball starting up again.

Stick wit me Q, trust me those chumps will be hittin the sell button when we come knockin!!

Dustin Pedroia said Friday that he's going back on the disabled list with soreness in his left foot.Doctors have told Pedroia that he's done no further damage to the foot he broke in June. However, it's just not feeling good enough for him to play on at the moment. Maybe he'll be ready in two weeks. Until then, Jed Lowrie should be a regular for Boston.

Sources told FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal that the Giants were the team awarded a claim on Cody Ross.The Giants already have Pat Burrell, Aaron Rowand and Jose Guillen as right-handed-hitting outfielders and switch-hitter Andres Torres plays against a lot of southpaws, so it's unclear what they'd do with Ross. They may have just wanted to block him from going to another team. The Marlins, though, could just hand him over and save themselves about $1 million.

Oh you better believe im rolling with you to the end again this year Thief. We went on a journey with that whole CP3 incident at the beginning of this year. I'm riding with you again this year. Maybe we can bring home a trophy for our Yahoo wall. I havent won in Football since like 05 lol. I play hard and research every week. I think i fumble the rock in the past during draft time. Barring any injuries draft time is the most vital part of fantasy football. A good person of people take home the gold with smart drafting strategies. You hit it out of the park with this posting. Darn near like Fantasy Football drafting for dummies lol. My question is: Why so hard on Matt Hasselbeck? He took a major dip from your previous rankings. Would that mean TJ Housh could be on his way down in rankings?

Yeah I agree with Morskie. This guy could be a heck of a sleeper as a RB3. And i know people may sleep on it. Also, we cant deny that there is alot of opportunity to shine here. See Lynch '08' for a reminder. lol.

Point blank, he and that offense look terrible in the preseason. Word out of camp was good, but actuals are bad. I still like Housh as he's really ALL they got to throw to. It's a low risk way to play a bounce in Seattle.

You're nuts. He'll go MUCH higher than you're willing to pay for him.

Mets manager Jerry Manuel indicated Friday that he's not expecting Jason Bay back this season.Bay is clearly hoping to return from a concussion at some point during September. Whether there's a chance of it happening should come to light over these next couple of weeks.

Jaime Garcia will start Sunday against the Giants, manager Tony La Russa confirmed.The Cardinals are considering having Garcia skip a turn this month, but it won't happen this weekend.

ESPN's Paul Kuharsky confirms that the Texans "definitely" consider Arian Foster to be their starting running back this season.Steve Slaton will "ideally" be utilized as a change-of-pace back, primarily on passing downs. This is how we've seen the Texans backfield shaping up for some time now, and it makes all the sense in the world. Foster is a big back with solid all-around skills while Slaton struggles to run inside and has concerns about a heavy workload. Foster should be locked in as a low-end RB2 in fantasy drafts this year.

Yeah i figure i get him for the cheapy cheap and whats the loss a spot on my BN? So no harm no foul. Good stuff though!

Interesting.

The Chargers have granted the Seahawks permission to discuss contract terms with unsigned and disgruntled wide receiver Vincent Jackson.The story is confirmed by Seahawks GM John Schneider, so it's legit. While Yahoo's Jason Cole admits that "no significant progress has occurred to this point," sources say Chargers GM A.J. Smith is "committed" to trading V-Jax. The Bolts are convinced he will not play for them this year. The Seahawks are clearly underwhelmed with Deion Branch, and T.J. Houshmandzadeh is hardly a difference maker anymore. Jackson would give Seattle a bonafide deep threat who can dominate in the red zone and run game as a blocker.

Bahh. This is bogus. He ain't leavin SD.

Rookie TE Aaron Hernandez has been the most heavily targeted Patriot through two preseason games.Running with both the first and second teams, Hernandez has 11 targets while second on the list is Julian Edelman with seven. Randy Moss and Wes Welker will dominate regular season targets in New England, but it's not out of the question that Hernandez could rank third. He's got sensational ability.

Kemp could wind up sharing time with Scott Podsednik once Manny Ramirez (calf) returns to the lineup, the Dodgers' official site reports.Recommendation: Apparently Kemp, who finished 10th in last year's MVP race, is not one of the Dodgers' top three outfielders. Joe Torre did say that Kemp would get more time than Podsednik, but Kemp doesn't have Pods' grit and wily veteranship, so this could wind up being a huge dent in Kemp's fantasy value.(Rotowire.com)

As if the slump wasn't bad enough =(

hey thief and nation,have a private yahoo league that i need managers for.the auction draftis sunday, 8/22 3:00 et.{yes 2 days} i've sent out lots of invites but so far no response. league nane is harcorenfl pw: cbh1981i have no idea why no one has sign up unless they wait till lst minute. i've had 4 peuole tell me that they were in, but no sign up

When is Manny supposed to be back? Anyways, Manny doesn't play day games after night games and will need a day or two off each week (because he's Manny), so I think this is more to motivate Kemp than anything else.

I just got offered Larry Fitzferald for Andre Johnson.Larry's value still better even after the ACL sprain?

I just got offered larry fitz for my andre johnson.Larry value still better even after the knee sprain?

Phillies activated 1B Ryan Howard from the 15-day disabled list.This is a surprise, as it had been reported that Howard was shooting for a Monday return from his ankle injury. But the big man doubled in two at-bats for Low-A Lakewood Friday, and that was evidently enough to convince the Phillies that he was ready. Ross Gload has been placed on the DL to clear a roster spot.

Updating a previous item, Vincent Jackson's three-game "Roster Exempt" suspension can be served concurrently with his three-game NFL suspension as long as he signs by September 4.If Jackson doesn't sign by Sept. 4, the extra three games would begin to kick in at that point. He could end up serving anywhere from 3-6 weeks. There's enough incentive here for Jackson and any team(s) interested in trading for him to hammer out a contract agreement by early September. V-Jax's demands are not an insignificant hurdle, though. He's reportedly asking for $30 million guaranteed on a five-year, $50 million contract, which would surpass Brandon Marshall's deal with Miami.

Texans coach Gary Kubiak believes that starting running back Arian Foster is "becoming a hell of a football player."We heard rumblings of Foster's lackadaisical attitude late last year, but he's put them to bed while earning the complete trust of Houston's coaching staff. "The way he practices and prepares, the way he goes about his business with blitz pickup, he's going to be a good one," added Kubiak. "He did a 360. … Something clicked. He's doing everything we're asking him to do."

Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians compares Rashard Mendenhall's skills to those of Marshall Faulk and Edgerrin James."He is a good combination of both those guys," Arians said. "He has that kind of skill set. There is no doubt he can do what those two did." It's high praise from Arians, who saw both backs up close while he served on the Colts coaching staff from 1998-2000. Arians plans to use Mendenhall as a do-everything back this year, increasing his role in the passing game and at the goal-line. A true workhorse, he's a legit late-first round fantasy option.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said that not only will Alex Rodriguez (calf) miss the rest of the series against the Mariners, he could miss the next series against the Blue Jays, as well.Girardi had only previously said that his third baseman would "miss a few more games." A-Rod himself has said he isn't sure how long he'll be out because he's never had a calf injury before. Rodriguez returned to the lineup Friday following three missed games but left after one at-bat after he aggravated the ailment. Eduardo Nunez is filling in for A-Rod Saturday, making the first start of his major league career.

Oooooh. Look I would do that deal BUT, this kid will pay more. Turn the deal into a 2-2 and ask for an upgrade on the backend. Particularly a RB or QB upgrade. Like u get Brady n give him Ryan or u get Turner n give him Grant. I bet he bites

What is this: RB hyperbole week?!Don't listen to garbage like this. Mendenhall is OK, but nowhere near Faulk lol

Stephen Strasburg was pulled from Saturday's game against the Phillies with an apparent elbow injury.Strasburg looked to be in a good deal of pain after throwing a pitch in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Nats should reveal more about the situation shortly. He had thrown four-plus innings of one-run ball against a tough Phillies lineup and finished the night with six strikeouts.

Dodgers activated OF Manny Ramirez from the 15-day disabled list.Manny is back in the Dodgers' lineup Saturday for the first time in a month, but he might not be in Los Angeles for long. The Dodgers are expected to place him on waivers almost immediately, opening him up to all interested major league teams. We're expecting a contender to bite.

Yankees placed third baseman Alex Rodriguez on the 15-day disabled list with a right calf injury.The move will obviously create serious problems for fantasy owners, but it makes complete sense for the Yankees to give A-Rod as much rest as possible right now. He's been playing hurt for a while and they need him fully healthy for late September and October. The slugger will head to the disabled list with a .265/.333/.485 slash line, 21 homers and 97 RBI.

I sent back andre johnson and matt ryan for his roddy white and fitzgerald.He counted with the original trade again. Johnson for Fitzgerald.Any advice?Thanks in advance.

I'm gonna say walk away. There's no reason for you to do this deal. Yes, we value Fitz a lil higher but he doesn't know that. I'd reject the deal an wait for him to pay up some more. I loved your counteroffer.

Thief thanks for the post! I'm using it to prepare for my draft Monday night…yes its the snake but its just what our league does. But had a few questions about what you were saying.1. I think its easier if I somehow plug your rankings into my pre-draft rankings. Is the best way to do this just to do it straight down based on your points system?2. We have 14 rounds in the draft, so your saying stick with stacking RB, WR, and QB for the first 8 rounds, and not to draft a TE, Def., or K until rounds 9-11 right?…then in 12-14 just take Best available I assume.3. Let's just say I have the 3rd pick, and Peterson goes first, then MJD….(your top 2 ranked players), the next highest on your rankings would be Moss so I would take him then right?I'm still new at all this fantasy so the I appreciate the simplicity!

Dang people are trading already. Havent even had a snap of football yet lol..

I'll buy him at less than 50 bucks. Another fellow Illini alum. The kid is a beast Thief. Big Ben not there. No Holmes. Who can they turn to lol?

Can someone explain why he got suspended to begin with? His situation is crazy. Also can we count on Malcolm Floyd to step up?

What you thinking about this news thief? Where there's smoke, there's fire? Or bogus? I heard the same thing on ESPN radio yesterday from Eric.

Hey thief and thief nation, now that Ellsbury is gone for the season, I need a speed guy. Who would you pick up, and who would you drop from my team:Michael BournCoco CrispRajai DavisBrian RobertsBrett GardnerJose TabataDavid MurphyFred Lewis ( I know, I'm digging deep, but as a Blue Jays fan he actually has been pretty good this year)Now, who should I drop:C:Montero1B: Ryan Howard, D.Lee2B: Casey McGehee, Aaron Hill3B:A-Ram, Cuddyer (1B,3B,OF)SS:Omar Infante, Elvis AndrusOF:Matt Kemp, Hunter Pence, Adam Lind,DL:Lance BerkmanSP:Sabbathia,Hamels,Wandy,Romero,SchezerRP:Axford,Storen,Lyon

I'd say go Roberts…not sure who would you drop though…maybe Berkman, he's a slow healer and ever since he put on that Yankee uniform he looks like a deer in the headlights while in the batter's box.

Thanks, but Berkman is on my DL so even if I do drop him, it won't open up a roster spot for me.

Thief, which 2 of these pitchers would you recommend for streaming today/tonight:Randy Wells vs AtlBronson Arroyo @ LADAndrew Miller vs HouZach Duke vs NYMManny Parra vs SDDaniel Hudson vs ColMike Minor @ ChCI need both W and K, but the K's are more important, since I have a better chance of catching my opponent in that category…I'm leaning towards the latter two (Hudson and Minor), since they seem to have the best K-rates. What do you think?

Anyone?

Hey Thief check out my snake mock draft results. What do you think?RB1 Adrian Peterson (Min – RB)WR1 Brandon Marshall (Mia – WR)QB Tom Brady (NE – QB)RB2 Jonathan Stewart (Car – RB)WR2 Chad Ochocinco (Cin – WR)BN Arian Foster (Hou – RB)WR3 Pierre Garcon (Ind – WR)BNThomas Jones (KC – RB)TE Kellen Winslow (TB – TE)BN Carson Palmer (Cin – QB)BN. T.J. Houshmandzadeh (Sea – WR)BN. Santonio Holmes (NYJ – WR)DEF New Orleans (NO – DEF)BN. LaDainian Tomlinson (NYJ – RB)BN David Akers (Phi – K)2nd pick.

my baseball squad battled back over the weekend to squeak out a 5-4 victory and clinch a playoff spot. =)

NICE ONE MORSK! I didn't clinch yet but I was able to comeback from 9-0 early in the week to win 8-1 =) thanks to Robbie Cano and went from 4th to 2nd and this week I'm playing one of the weaker teams in the league. Things are looking up. Btw Kemp is still buried in my bench, time to let him come out and play?

haha, nice. Yeah i was down big early too. Feels good to use some strategy and pull those out.Eye the matchups with Kemp, but he's hit a couple out, and that's usually a sign of and ended slump.

man that looks like a sick team…my draft is tonight hope mine works out that good….hey can you check out my post a few down and help me out b/c thief must be busy

Hey morskie could you check out my post a few down and help me out?…haven't heard from thief and just need help today b/c my draft is tonight

1) sure, plug em in to the pre ranks2) don't take TE K or DEF any time before rounds 9 or 10. Don't lock into rounds 9-11 to fill those just because. You still have to take a strong player in that area if he's available to you. so rounds from rnd 9 to 14, be scouting those positions. You could even save those til your last 3 picks and go DEF, TE, K.3) no you don't take Moss 3rd overall… more like thief said, 10th overall… If AP and MJD go 1-2, you have to take Chris Johnson or Michael Turner there.

Ok thanks…so let's say I have like the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, or 9th pick…do I take the best RB available and then after that take Moss if I have 10th?…(my league is 2 RB and 3 WR by the way)…..in either case it sounds like no matter what after the first 3 round I should have 2 RB's and 1 WR (unless I can get Brady in round 2 right), and then in round 4 grab a QB like Flacco or Palmer….then after that just take the best available in WR, RB, and QB's until round 9 right?

Thanks. I hope I get a 1-4th pick for my real draft. Because I am going to kill the competition each round. I solidified a decent amount of depth in this mock draft. I did like thief said and waited until round 9 to even think of picking up a TE, K, DEF. And still got Kellen Winslow, Akers, and NO defense. These positions are very marginal if the commish set up the league properly. You really only focus on your RB's & WR's. Depending on if you have 3 RB/2WR/1 Flex or if you have 3WR/2RB. I scored a Top Tier player, 2 nice WR, an Elite QB. I dont care what people have to say Brady is still an elite QB. You can have Rodgers & Brees at a high price. I got Brady in the 3rd round. Works for me. After that you got to work on the best WR and RB for depth. I like Arian Foster this year as the number 1 man in Houston. I like Thomas Jones because he always performs. Even with the bears sorry O-line he had a solid season in 06-07. T.J Housh could be a sleeper. Holmes is a beast once he comes off of suspension. LT could be a nice plug and play. Palmer is very solid at QB2. These are the things you gotta look at going into the draft. Unfortunately, if I dont get at least 4th or 5th pick then my draft prospects are alot slimer at RB. I may have a stronger WR core. But, I may not get Brady. May get Romo(Not looking good right now) or Rivers.

if my pick came up 5th and all of AP, MJD, Turner and CJ were all gone, i'd have to think long and hard between Moss and Ray Rice at that point. After that, if ray rice is gone, and Moss is still on the board, i go Moss.. so as early as 7th pick, i'd say, go Moss. If you do that, definitely go with RB in round 2 (yes, even if brady is there, IMO… just make sure you get Flacco or Palmer) and then round 3, you have to look at WR/RB again. considering close/equal rank scores, go RB…Get to the draft room as early as you possibly can to see your draft position and then go down your rankings and note where abouts your picks are going to fall. Focus on those players for you pre-pick scouting / queue building. If you start to see guys falling in the draft for no particular reason, start scouting them as well. have a plan going in… but leave room for flexibility and re-strategizing on the fly as the draft progresses. =)

I wouldn't take Flacco or Palmer in the 4th round. In my mock draft I got Palmer in the 10th round. Now results may vary, but people are sleep on Palmer and Flacco. So they may snag a Romo or Rivers in 4th round and let Flacco and Palmer fall to the later rounds. The purpose of taking a Palmer or Flacco is to take better WR's & RB's in rounds 3-8. Its the whole tradeoff situation. You will probably get a Fitzgerald, Steve Smith (Car), Ochocinco, or Greg Jennings. J Stewart, McCoy, or maybe even Benson. Because other guys will be Targeting anything between Manning to Rivers in rounds 2-4.

Ken Rosenthal is reporting that an unnamed team has claimed Johnny Damon off of waivers.With the Tigers owning a 0.2% chance of making the playoffs according to Baseball Prospectus, it probably makes sense for them to let Damon go for little in return. It's hard to speculate on Damon's future value without knowing the team involved, on the other hand. If he ends up with the Rangers – although their budgetary situation is unknown – his value could take a little lurch forward because of the power boost. Most other situations would be neutral for the aging outfielder who has lost much of his power, speed and defensive ability.

1) yes2) yes3) sort of. At that point it becomes your own judgement call. It comes down to whether you think your next two picks will offer better RB's or WR's. Yes, Moss will offer more points than Turner, but if that means your #2 RB who you pick in rd 3 is Knownshon Moreno as opposed to taking Turner in rd. 1 an grabbing a guy like Greg Jennings in rd 3….well u see where I'm going. That part is YOUR strategy and you must base it on the tendencies in YOUR league.

Nah he's def good. But he ain't hall of fame good lol.

Doesn't look to me like u need any more speed?

Sorry I missed this. Stuck in Tampa all weekend due to bad weather n a pathetic airline

Q, I'll give ya a B+. I think you really whiffed with Stewart at RB2. I think you bounced back with Jones n Foster, but you gotta get a better guy than Stewart. Love the WR's, love the QB's an love the late value picks.

Booooyahhhhh. Never doubted ya for a minute Morskie

Ok…so after the first 3 rounds I should def. have 2 RB's and a WR right? Unless I have an earlier pick in the draft and can get Brady in round 3? man this is intense..haha

i did a mock auction and Mendenhall went for big $$… ridiculous

Lol. Pretty much. PS I think Moss is like 6 or 7 overall not 3 or 4.

Yeah I didnt feel good about that pick either. lol. He doesnt feel like a RB2 guy. Plus his injury really concerns me. Would Ronnie Brown, McCoy, or Addai be a better pickup? These two guys could be good but they could get hurt or become a backup. Who should i target for a RB2? I'm thinking McCoy, but he is not proven yet.

Tough group altogether. Means all the solid guys were gone.

No worries. The 2 pitchers I streamed did great – 13 IP, 3 ER, 1 W and 21 (!!) K between them. But I still lost the match-up cause my offense couldn't produce another 4 RBI on Sunday (a total of 3 RBI by my entire team that day). 3rd loss in a row and 5th in last 6 weeks