RB Jamal Lewis left the game early last week, but X-Rays were negative and he should play this week-- and have a great matchup.

Snap

Quarterback injuries dominate the “snaps” this week.  Three quarterbacks were placed on injured reserve this week, including Matt Leinart.  The Cardinals’ young quarterback broke his collarbone when he got sacked last week against the Rams.  Kurt Warner becomes the starter in Arizona.

Add Jake Delhomme to the IR list.  Delhomme tried to tough it out, but the Panthers QB finally decided to have season-ending elbow surgery.  It’s a shame, because Delhomme had played very well prior to the Week 3 injury against the Falcons.  David Carr has started the last two games for Carolina, but now he has his own injury to deal with. Carr hurt his back last week against the Saints.  If Carr can’t go, then lightly-regarded Matt Moore would play against the Cardinals.

Miami QB Trent Green suffered a scary concussion last Sunday.  He was knocked cold with a Grade Three concussion, which is the most severe kind.  The injury is career-threatening for the 37-year old.  Cleo Lemon, a backup for all four of his NFL seasons, steps into the starting quarterback spot until further notice. Green’s former team, the Chiefs, also lost their starting QB, Damon Huard. Huard injured his shoulder last week against Jacksonville and is not expected to be ready until at least Week 7.

Tampa Bay finally bit the bullet on QB Chris Simms and put him on IR.  The Bucs are in a bind because of all their running back injuries and they could no longer justify Simms taking up a roster spot. This season Tampa Bay lost Mike Alstott and then Cadillac Williams to injury. Now, the latest on Michael Pittman is that he will miss 6-8 weeks with an ankle injury.  That leaves Earnest Graham as the starter.  Though Graham will get the carries, he has a tough match-up against a good Titans run defense.

The winless Rams continue to be the Lambs… or is it the Lames?  It’s likely that St. Louis will again be without QB Marc Bulger, RB Steven Jackson and WR Isaac Bruce.  RB Brian Leonard gets another start with Jackson out.  He had a fine performance against the Cardinals last week with 18 carries for 102 yards.  Gus Frerotte is in for Bulger and Drew Bennett is in for Bruce.   They face one of the best defenses in the league, Baltimore’s.  It’s a bad match-up for the St. Louis Lames.

Another Seattle wide receiver bites the dust.  Deion Branch will miss this week and probably next week’s games with a foot sprain.  The Seahawks were already missing their other starting WR, D.J. Hackett.   Seattle also lost full back Mack Strong to a career-ending injury. All this is bad news for owners of QB Matt Hasselbeck and RB Sean Alexander.  With Branch and Hackett out, Seattle will start Bobby Engram and Nate Burleson against the Saints.  They are only good for bye week filler.

The Raiders are coming off a bye week.  Nevertheless QB Josh McCown and RB LaMont Jordan have not fully recovered from foot and back injuries, respectively.  McCown is definitely out and Daunte Culpepper will start in San Diego.

Crackle

The Oakland running back situation is a muddle.  Jordan may or may not play.  Backup Justin Fargas looked great with 179 yards two weeks ago in Miami.  However this is the week that Dominic Rhodes returns from a substance abuse suspension.  For the immediate future, it’s questionable whether or not any of these guys can get enough carries to be helpful.  Another reason to stay away from Raider RBs this week is an improving San Diego defense. The Chargers held Travis Henry to only 65 yards last week.  

Speaking of Henry, he is looking down the barrel of a one-year suspension for allegedly failing a drug test.  The Broncos have a bye this week, so more on the Henry situation next week.

The Bengals expect Rudi Johnson to start at RB this week against the Chiefs.  That clatter you hear is the sound of thousands of owners dropping Kenny Watson in unison.

New Orleans is auditioning kickers as potential replacements for Olindo Mare. The general consensus was that Mare would improve in New Orleans, kicking indoors and playing on with a more explosive offense.  Wrong on both counts. The Saints have not been explosive, and Mare is only 3-6 indoors, and 3-7 overall.  Don’t be surprised if Mare is gone by Sunday. 

Pop

Kurt “Don’t call me Pop” Warner gets a favorable match-up against the Panthers this week.  Grab the veteran Cardinals QB if he is available in your league. Warner is a better passer than Leinart and enhances the value of receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin.

Larry Johnson owners rejoice! The Chiefs’ star running back finally has a good match-up, against the Bengals. Cincinnati’s defense is 29th in the NFL.  A big day against the Bengals will give all of you a chance to trade him for something decent.  Rookie WR Dwayne Bowe is also a strong play, as is the starting quarterback, even if it’s rookie Brodie Croyle.  Croyle looked good in relief of Huard last week.

Cleveland RB Jamal Lewis had one carry for 11 yards last week before exiting due to a sprained foot. X-rays were negative, so he should be fine for this Sunday. Lewis has a great match-up against the Dolphins’ 31st ranked run defense.

Last Sunday Giants RB Brandon Jacobs had his first 100-yard rushing game in the NFL.  Jacobs got 20 carries to Derrick Ward’s 13 carries.  That’s about what you can expect going into Monday night’s game against the Falcons.  Jacobs is by far the better choice over Ward since he will get the goal line carries.