Fantasy Football - Saturday Roundup: Time to finalize your lineup.

One day left until the majority our fantasy football teams finally take to the field. Here are the top stories as of Saturday evening that may affect your Sunday lineup decisions.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers running back Willie Parker will get the start Sunday against the Tennessee Titans. Jerome Bettis and Duce Staley most likely will not play at all in the game. Parker has a played well in the final game of 2004 and could be a good fantasy play against the rebuilding Tennessee Titans.
2. Chicago Bears rookie Cedric Benson will suit up Sunday, but may not see much playing time behind starter Thomas Jones. Benson missed most of the preseason because of a contract holdout, but has claimed that he wants to be the starter as soon as possible. He is quickly trying to learn the Bears playbook.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars running back Fred Taylor is expected to see around 20 carries on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. Taylor did not play much in the preseason but all reports indicate that he is in good shape for the regular season (although history indicates that Taylor is always susceptible to injuries).
4. 49ers tight end Eric Johnson is doubtful for the season opener against the St. Louis Rams. He is suffering from a partially torn plantar fascia and there is no word yet on when he will return.
5. Green Bay Packers tight end Bubba Franks is good to go Sunday. He missed practice Wednesday but returned Thursday and Friday.
   
6. Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Terrell Owens claims that he spoke with Donovan McNabb and resolved their issues. If chemistry is restored between these two stars, look for them to put up numbers similar to last year.
   
7. Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Brandon Stokely practiced with the team this week and will most likely play in the Sunday opener against the Baltimore Ravens. Stokely was a key component to the Colts high powered offense last year and he was the only #3 wide receiver that you could justify starting on your fantasy football team.
   
8. Baltimore Ravens running back Jamal Lewis could see limited action on Sunday night against the Colts. Lewis will split the backfield with Chester Taylor and may only see 15-20 carries. Coach Brian Billick stated that this is only temporary and Lewis's workload will increase every week. 15-20 carries may still be enough to put up good fantasy numbers against a Colts team that couldn't stop the run last year.
   
9. Tampa Bay Bucs rookie running back Carnell Williams may share some of the workload with last years starter Michael Pittman. It is unclear yet whether or not this will affect Williams' fantasy football numbers.
   
10. The Indianapolis Colts are awaiting news on whether or not tight end Dallas Clark will be ready for the season opener against the Ravens. Clark missed practice last week with a concussion and underwent tests on Friday. Backup Ben Hartsock will be the starter if Clark is unable to play.
    

Fantasy Football - Colts Tight End Dallas Clark May Miss Sunday's Opener

Indianapolis Colts tight end Dallas Clark underwent tests on Friday for a concussion he sustained 2 weeks ago against the Denver Broncos. The team expects to learn today whether or not Dallas Clark will receive medical clearance.

Dallas Clark was supposed to emerge as Peyton Manning's go-to option at tight end this yeark, with Marcus Pollard leaving for the Detroit Lions via free agency. Clark has had the injury bug in the past and it looks like he might miss a game or two early this season because of an injury. The Colts have been very happy with the play of #2 tight end Ben Hartsock this preseason. If Clark misses time due to injury, look for Hartsock to step in and potentially steal some playing time.

Fantasy Football - Owens and McNabb end feud?

Philadelphia Eagle's wide receiver Terrell Owens claimed on Friday in a radio interview that he has spoken with quarterback Donovan McNabb and that they have resolved thier differences. After an entire offseason of quarrelling, Owens now claims that he and the McNabb are getting along just fine.

This is good news for those of you who took a slight risk and drafted Terrell Owens, ignoring the draft boards that claimed Owens' value had dropped. Last year TO and McNabb were the most explosive duo in fantasy football, and if the feud is over, I would expect the same production from them again this year.

Philadelphia will play the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night. Owens will want to come out and prove the media wrong, and he will probably have a huge night.

Fantasy Football - NFL Season Kicks Off: Brady, Dillon and Moss Shine

The NFL season kicked off Thursday night with the Patriots defeating the Raiders 30-20.

Randy Moss and Tom Brady were the fantasy football studs for the opening game. Here are some key stats:

1. Randy Moss - 5 catches, 130 yards and 1 TD
   
2. Tom Brady - 24-38 for 306 yards passing, 2 TD
   
3. Corey Dillon - 63 yds rushing, 2 TD, 2 catches for 30 yds
   
4. Lamont Jordan - 70 yards rushing, 5 catches for 40 yds
5. Deon Branch - 7 catches, 99 yards and 1 TD
6. Kerry Collins - 18-40 for 265 yards passing, 3 TD, 1 INT
7. Courtney Anderson - 3 catches, 18 yards and 2 TD
   

Randy Moss dropped some passes, but he and Collins showed some chemistry on the long ball against a tough Patriots defense. Brady looked as sharp as ever and could be one of the top five fantasy football quarterbacks this year. Also, Deon Branch showed that he may emerge as a consistent wide receiver threat this year.

Suprise of the game: 2 touchdown catches for Oakland Raiders tight end Courtney Anderson. He only caught 3 balls, but 2 of them were for touchdowns. Keep an eye on Anderson if you are looking for a tight end.

Fantasy Football - Will Reuben Droughns start for Cleveland on Sunday?

According to the Akron Beacon Journal, Reuben Droughns is is expected to be the starting running back against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. Droughns has been competing with William Green for the starting job with Lee Suggs injured.

Droughns could be a sleeper fantasy football pick on Sunday if he gets the bulk of the carries. He was huge last year in Denver, and the Bengals are an easy team to run against. I would be somewhat hesitate to start Droughns without some more concrete information, but this is the first report I've seen that names a starter.

Fantasy Football - Week 1 NFL Injury Updates

NFL kickoff is quickly approaching and its time to start making decisions about your fantasy football lineup. The following is a list of injury updates for week 1 that could affect your fantasy football team.

1. 49ers tight end Eric Johnson is doubtful for the opener.
2. Colts WR Brandon Stokely has returned to practice and is listed as probable.
3. Oakland Raiders WR Jerry Porter is listed as questionable - he did practice on Tuesday.
4. Chiefs QB Trent Green is listed as probable.
   
5. Chiefs WR Dante Hall - Questionable (hamstring)
   
6. Titans running back Travis Henry - questionable
7. Steelers RB Jerome Bettis - Will not play.
8. Steelers RB Duce Staley - Questionable.
   

I'll keep an eye on the injury list as we get closer to kickoff. If anything comes up, I'll be sure to post it.

Fantasy Football - Ronnie Brown will see limited action Sunday

Miami Dolphins rookie running back Ronnie Brown may see just 10-15 touches on Sunday against the Denver Broncos, according to coach Nick Saban. Saban feels that the rookie may not be ready yet for a full workout.

Those of you who were hoping to start Ronnie Brown on Sunday may want to find another option. 10-15 touches is probably not enough to warrant a fantasy football start. His workload should pick up as the season progresses, but Ricky Williams will be a threat in week 6 when he returns from his drug suspension.

Fantasy Football - Jerry Porter Questionable for Thurday night

Oakland Raiders WR Jerry Porter is listed as questionable for Thursday night's game against the Patriots. He injured his hamstring earlier in the preseason.

Porter claimed on Monday that he would be ready, but it certainly doesn't look like he is completely healed. If you have another fantasy football option at WR, I would be prepared to leave Jerry on the bench.

Fantasy Football - RB Willie Parker set to start week 1 for the Steelers: Bettis ruled out, Staley limited

If you are desperate for a running back in week one, Steeler's coach Bill Cowher announced today that Willie Parker has been named the starter for the opening game against the Titans on Sunday. Jerome Bettis is still dealing with a strained calf and Duce Staley is only available for a limited number of carries.

Parker should get a lot of carries and if he does well, he become a factor for the remainder of the season (remember when Big Ben took over last year at QB...he never relinquished the position). Look for Parker to have a nice game against the rebuilding Tennessee Titans.

Fantasy Football - Fred Taylor will carry a full load on Sunday.

Jacksonville Jaguar's coach Jack Del Rio expects Fred Taylor to carry the ball 20-25 times on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. Taylor offered no rebuttal and everyone seems to feel that he's ready to go.

This is good news for those of you who took a risk and drafted Fred Taylor. There is no guarantee that he will last the whole season, but at least he'll be available for week 1. If his body holds up, Fred Taylor drafters will have gotten a steal.

Fantasy Football - Question of the Day? Which WR will score the most fantasy football points in week 1?

The first game of the NFL season is 72 hours away and it's time to start making your first lineup decisions. Today's question is: Which fantasy football wide receiver will score the most points in week 1?

This is a tough call, but I'm going to go with Terrell Owens. I know he went crazy just a few weeks ago and dropped on everyone's draft board, but after the preseason performance he put on a couple of weeks ago, I think its safe to say that he's the same TO.

Most of the top WR's have tough matchups this week against top defenses or in places where they typically don't play well. Marvin Harrison is at Baltimore, Randy Moss is at New England, Torry Holt is @ San Fran (Holt almost never plays as well on the road), Joe Horn is at Carolina, and Chad Johnson is at Cleveland (Pepto Bismol anyone?).

TO plays a pretty tough Atlanta defense, but its in the dome and he's going to come out with a chip on his shoulder. Look for TO to score big and lead all fantasy wideouts in week 1.

Fantasy Football - 49'ers Tight End Eric Johnson May Miss Season Opener

Those of you who drafted Eric Johnson will probably need to pick up another tight end for the first couple of weeks. Johnson is suffering from a partially torn plantar fascia in his right foot.

The good news for EJ fantasy football owners is that Tim Rattay will be back as QB for the club. These two had great chemistry last year and I would expect them to connect well again once EJ returns.

Fantasy Football - Bears Rookie RB Cedric Benson is Closing in Fast on Thomas Jones

The Chicago Tribune is reporting that Chicago Bears rookie RB Cedric Benson will play in the season opener Sunday against Washington. Thomas Jones has had a great preseason, but he will have to continue to compete for the starting job throughout the season now that Benson is signed.

Pencil in Thomas Jones as the Bears starting RB for week 1, but I wouldn't count on using him on your fantasy football team for any longer than that at this point. The Bears are not paying their new rookie $30 million to sit on the bench. I would expect to see Benson get more and more carries as the season progresses, and he will likely be the starter after a couple of games.

Fantasy Football - Jerry Rice Considers Retirement

After being told that he would not get the job as the Denver Bronco's third wideout, Jerry Rice is seriously considering retirement. He was beat out by Darius Watts for the final starting slot.

Jerry is 42 now and its amazing that he has been able to last this long. He has not been a consistent factor in fantasy football for a few years now, but even when he was with Oakland a couple years back he had some monster games. He's certainly one of the greatest, if not the greatest receiver, that has ever lived. I would expect to see him in the broadcast booth for the rest of the year if he does retire.

Fantasy Football - Eagles Claim RB Lamar Gordon. Will He Steal Goal-Line Carries?

The Philadelphia Eagles have claimed running back Lamar Gordon off of waivers from the Miami Dolphins. The Eagles took a big hit to their running game this preseason when they lost Correll Buckhalter to an injury for the entire year.

The Eagles needed to solidify their running back corps with another solid player and they will get that out of Gordon. Don't expect him to get too many carries. Brian Westbrook will shoulder most of the load. But there is talk that Gordon, who is a much larger running back than Westbrook, could steal some goal line carries. On the flip side, having another RB to share some of the load may help preserve Westbrook's health throughout the season.

Fantasy Football - Did Charlie Weis Run Off With the Patriots Offense?

I don't know if anyone watched Notre Dame's offense dismantle Pittsburgh last night (42-21), but it sure did look an awful lot like the New England Patriots offense. Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn, who was average at best last year, looked like he'd just turned into Tom Brady. Charlie Weiss, who led the Patriots offense to a Super Bowl last year, was hired on by Notre Dame to save a football program that has been struggling for years. If last nights game is any indication, it looks like Weiss is going to turn Notre Dame into the college version of the championship Patriots.

It will be interesting to see if this has any effect on the Patriots offense this year. Weis is clearly an amazing talent, and I wonder if losing his offensive skills will slow down the Patriots attack. New England has a history of being able to plug holes well, but sometimes you come across a talent like Weis that may not be replacable. I'm sure the Patriots will be fine early on in the season. They've been doing this for years. But I wouldn't be suprised if they struggle a bit later on in the year when its time to make adjustments and Weis isn't there. The Patriots have been the best team in football for a long time, and everybody has to fall eventually. The departure of Weis could be the piece that leads to the Patriots decline.