Stick a fork in him, Carson Palmer is done.

This week I thought I would simply clean off all the crapola sitting on my desk. So instead of coming up with some sort of witty opening for this column, I’ll just sift through the mountain of notes and stories sitting on my desk.

The injuries around the NFL continue to mount with several teams like the Broncos, Cowboys, Patriots and Chiefs, to name but a few, scrambling to cover key positions on the field. Of course, fantasy gamers don’t care about a team’s problems with injuries, we just want to know how it’s going to effect the performance of the players we’re counting on to produce points for our fantasy team.  But injury to certain players tends to have a domino effect on the rest of the team. The most glaring example is the Cowboys and the broken pinkie of quarterback Tony Romo.

Last week the Cowboys posted one of the worst stinkers in the team’s history, losing to the lowly St. Louis Rams. Brad Johnson took his double dose of Geritol Sunday morning, started his first game since 2006, and turned the fantasy world on its head with a less than stellar performance. Consider this; the top receiver in that game was Martellus Bennett with two catches for 67 yards and a touchdown. Who in the hell is Martellus Bennett? Terrell Owens was completely useless with two catches for 31 yards. In fact, the only Cowboy player worth starting was Marion Barber, who managed his second 100-yard game of the season and even found the end zone. Well guess what folks? Barber will once again be the only player worth starting pretty much until Romo returns, and I’m not even sure that’s a good idea against the surging Buccaneers.

Santonio Holmes won’t be playing any football this week, as the Steelers have suspended him for this week’s game. Holmes was charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession after police, who were following a tip that a car with the same description was carrying drugs, stopped his car. The police smelled burning pot, and Holmes supposedly pointed to a couple of joints in the car. Brilliant!

Fuggedabout Carson Palmer coming back this season. He’s done. Waive him and replace him as needed. It looks like the Bengals could run the table this season, and lose every single game too. At best they have a chance at redemption during the last two weeks of the season when they face.

Don’t count on Joseph Addai playing Monday night. He missed the entire week of practice. Don’t expect a lot of yardage out of Dominic Rhodes either. Tennessee’s defense is tough, and improving as the season wears on.

Daunte Culpepper’s retirement didn’t last long, eh? Except, I’m not really sure that playing for Kansas City is such a hot idea for a guy trying to resurrect a career. They’ve already had two QB’s get the crap kicked out of them by opposing defenses, and the offensive line is porous at best. You need only see the 18 sacks allowed to know that Culpepper would be taking a huge risk in joining the Chiefs.

The latest word on the drug scandal involving New Orleans Saints players Deuce McAlister and Will Smith is that there are as many as 18 players involved and that there are several other big names yet to be revealed. The ramifications of this story for the real NFL standings as well as the fantasy community could be far reaching. Stay tuned to this one folks. There could be a whole slew of four-game suspensions that arise out of this that will change the fortunes of contenders and scrubs alike.

Stock Up

Maurice Jones-Drew, RB – Jacksonville Jaguars – Ever since MJD burst on the scene in Jacksonville he’s been the battering ram compliment to Fred Taylor’s more patient running style. This battery has worked well for the most part, with both backs getting their fair share of touches, carries, and yardage. But there are several factors in play that are going to force a change in Jones-Drew’s favor. The injury-plagued offensive line is having difficulty setting the edge to seal off penetration into the backfield, leaving Taylor hanging out to dry if a hole doesn’t develop quickly. Since Jones-Drew runs more north south, there is less need to set the edge than simply straightforward block. More worrisome is the fact that Taylor has sustained two concussions already this season, may not be at 100% this week, and could be just one nasty hit away from IR. Regardless, look for the balance of touches to start shifting MJD’s way as the season progresses, as Taylor is clearly on the back nine of his career.

Cedric Benson, RB – Cincinnati Bengals – When the Bengals realized that Chris Perry couldn’t hang on to a football even if you super glued it to his hands, they went and signed Cedric Benson to a one-year deal. I wonder if they miss Rudi Johnson now? Against the Steelers last week, Benson managed 52 yards on 14 carries, and hit Troy Polamalu hard enough to give the strong safety a concussion. While it’s hard to recommend a running back on a team with the 31^st ranked rushing offense, it’s hard to ignore the possibility that Benson could run amuck on the Houston Texans’ defense this week.

Willis McGahee, RB – Baltimore Ravens – McGahee had himself a 100-yard game last week, and this week he faces a Raiders defense that surrenders an average of 136 yards per game on the ground. While the Ravens offense isn’t all that good, they are still one of the better rushing teams in the league, and they’re facing one of the worst run defenses in the league. McGahee is finally healthy enough that he can be considered a strong play. He is also a good trade target, as Houston, Cincinnati, and Cleveland are all down the line for him to exploit. Make an offer for him if the McGahee owner in your league is open to trading.

Stock Down

Brandon Stokley, WR – Denver Broncos – Reportedly, Stokley suffered yet another concussion last week and has been seeing a specialist regularly, complaining of dizzy spells, and wooziness. One source indicates that this may very well be the tenth concussion he has suffered during his career. Even though he is supposedly feeling better, there is little to no chance he will play during Week 8, and clearly his career is in jeopardy if he has been concussed as often as suspected.

Edgerrin James, RB - Arizona Cardinals – Edge is mired in mediocrity, and appears to be on his way out of Arizona at the end of the season due to a high salary cap number and the presence of Tim Hightower, the Cardinals’ RB of the future. This season James is averaging just 3.6 yards per carry, and playing for a team that clearly generates most of its offense through the air. In two of the last three games, James has gotten less than ten touches, and he’s averaged just 38 yards on the ground in each. The Cardinals have been steadily giving more work to rookie Tim Hightower on first and second downs, and he does a lot more with his limited touches than James. The balance of the workload should continue to tip in Hightower’s favor, with James slowly being phased out of the offense. If you are relying on James to produce decent numbers for your fantasy team this season, you will likely be disappointed, especially this week, as the Cardinals face the Panthers.

Jerious Norwood, RB – Atlanta Falcons – For a season and a half now we’ve been hearing that the Falcons are looking for ways to get Norwood more involved with the offense. The fact is, with the success that Michael Turner is having there really is no need for Norwood to be any more than a change of pace back, or check down receiver for Matt Ryan. The latest bull out of Atlanta is that they intend to use Norwood in their “Dirty Bird” formation, Mike Mularkey’s take on the Wildcat formation popularized by the Dolphins. Every defensive coordinator in the NFL and College ranks has seen all the various permutations of this stunt by now. The chance that Norwood is going to have more than modest success with it is very small indeed. The bottom line is, Norwood is little more than a niche back whose fantasy worth is minimal at best. He’s nothing more than a desperation play when your RB2 is on a bye.