I begin my division predictions with a look at the NFC East:

ORDER OF FINISH

2. NEW YORK GIANTS (10-6): The Super Bowl champs will have to do it as wildcards once again. Eli Manning is finally stepping out of Peyton's shadow not that he is boasting a ring. This year will go a long way. I expect him to be good enough for the Giants to be a factor once again. The running game is deadly and gets even better if Brandon Jacobs can stay healthy. Plaxico Burress is reliable, but after that the targets for Manning drop off. The D lost Michael Strahan, but that won't be as a big of factor as most fans think.

3. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (7-9): I loved the Asante Samuel signing and the defense is going to be better than last season with that move alone, but offense leaves its question marks. Durability becomes more of a concern every year for Donovan McNabb and Mr. Everything Brian Westbrook is always banged up. The passing game does not impress me enough within this division to be looked than anything more than a .500 team, and that's if they stay healthy.

4. WASHINGTON REDKSINS (6-10): Two words. Jason Campbell. I am still not sold on this guy being able to be the man. Clinton Portis is a force, but he's not what he used to be and if he falls so to will the Redskins. I did like the additions to receiving corps this off-season, particularly in the draft and the defense is always respectable. However, they are easily the weakest team in the NFC East.

DIVISION AWARDS
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: Donovan McNabb

BIGGEST SURPRISE: Ahmad Bradshaw

MVP: Tony Romo

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Felix Jones

Two my top pick sleeper picks for fantasy football this season suffered concerning injuries during Saturday night's preseason action:

BROWN INJURES THUMB (Miami Herald)
Miami Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown left Saturday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars with a thumb injury in the first quarter. Brown was injured while tackled for a 3-yard loss. He finished with two carries for 2 yards. Brown emerged from the locker room in the second half with a hard cast on his right hand.

MY TAKE: Brown has some much upside, but he's battling Ricky Williams right now for time and an injury could derail his bid for the starting job, at least to start the season.

VIKINGS' QB GOES DOWN (Star-Tribune)
Tavaris Jackson was forced from the Vikings' 23-15 preseason victory over Baltimore on Saturday night at M&T Bank Stadium because of a bruised right knee suffered in the first quarter. Jackson will undergo further tests today in the Twin Cities, but no one associated with the Vikings seemed worried as they prepared to leave Baltimore late Saturday. Jackson said his concern level was "very low" but also said, "You never know." Jackson has been lights out in the preseason so far after finishing strong last year.

MY TAKE: Doesn't appear to be serious. Still, it is a good reminder that he is prone to injury. I still think he has potential to be a fantasy sleeper for the Vikings. 

STUDS OF THE WEEK
What's up with Melvin Mora lately? The veteran has been on a tear of late for the O's as he's picked up 16 hits in his last 30 at bats. His 2 HR's and 11 RBI's came in handy for owners dealing with injuries. Cliff Lee is going back to early season form of late. He threw his thrid complete game of the year on Saturday and picked up two wins while posting a 1.06 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in 17 innings of work this week.

DUDS OF THE WEEK
The Phillies' Ryan Howard continues to prove that he can't be counted on this week as he hit .120 with 1 HR and 6 RBI's. There are players with worse numbers, but few that came with his sticker price. The 10 K's in 25 at bats killed owners that are deducted for strikeouts. Aaron Harang needs to be shutdown by the Reds, or at the very least by his fantasy owners. His two starts this week were pathetic as he 0-2 with 19.64 ERA and 2.73 WHIP in 7 1/3 innings. He's been unreliable all year and now is just awful.

KEY INJURIES
Evan Longoria (wrist) - placed on 15-day DL earlier this week
Carl Crawford (hand) - out for the season
Mike Lowell (oblique) -  could be out until September or longer
Billy Wagner (elbow) - suffered setback in return attempt
Joba Chamberlain (shoulder) - could return by month's end
Victor Martinez (elbow) - currently on Double A rehab assignment
Chris R. Young (forearm) - out until at least early September
Tom Glavine (elbow) - out for year; career could be over
Justin Upton (oblique) - could return to action this week
Chris Carpenter (triceps) - back on the 15-day DL

TWICE AS NICE
Here are some two-start pitchers to consider this week:

AL
Must-starts:
Felix Hernandez - @CHW (TBA), @OAK (Sean Gallagher)
Mark Buehrle  - SEA (Jarrod Washburn), TB (Andy Sonnastine)
Justin Duchscherer  – @MIN (Nick Blackburn) @SEA (Jarrod Washburn)

Sleeper Picks:
Jeremy Guthrie – BOS (Jon Lester), NYY (Darrell Rasner)
Anthony Reyes – KC (Luke Hochevar), @TEX (Scott Feldman)

NL
Must-Starts:
C.C. Sabathia – HOU (Randy Wolf), PIT (Pat Maholm)
Rich Harden - CIN (Johnny Cueto), WAS (Jason Bergmann)
Oliver Perez - ATL (TBA), HOU (Randy Wolf)

Sleeper Picks:
Ricky Nolasco – @SF (Kevin Correia), @ARI (Doug Davis)
Hiroki Kuroda –  COL (Ubaldo Jimenez),  @PHI (Joe Blanton)

WAIVER WATCH (from leagues played at CBSSports.com)
Five most added:
OF Marlon Byrd (+28% roster change)
SP Paul Byrd (+26%)
OF Vernon Wells (+25%)
RP Chris Perez (+23%)
3B Melvin Mora (+20%)

Five most dropped (non-injured):
SP Ian Kennedy (-10%)
SP Clay Buchholz (-9%)
RP Eddie Kunz (-9%)
OF David DeJesus (-8%)
RP Jason Isringhausen(-8%)

GAMES PLAYED
Let's take a look at how many games each team will be playing this week:

AL
7: LAA, MIN, OAK, SEA
6: BAL, BOS, CLE, DET, KC, NYY, TB, TEX, TOR
5: KC

NL
7: ATL, NYM, SF
6: ARI, CHC, CIN, COL, FLA, HOU, LAD, MIL, PHI, PIT, SD, STL, WAS

Another classic from one of our favorites, Ryan Parker:

From John Niyo, Detroit News:

Indeed, by breaking Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals at a single Olympics, Michael Phelps certainly laid claim to throne in his sport, and his celebrity status and crossover appeal has only just begun to raise the profile for swimming in the U.S.

Sunday's win gives him 14 gold medals in his Olympic career, and 16 overall -- both the most in history. He had a hand in setting seven world records at this meet. He picked up a $1 million bonus from Speedo for matching Spitz's 36-year-old mark, and he'll reap untold millions in the weeks and months to come as his agent cashes in on Phelps' international fame.

Great stuff, to be sure. But the greatest?

Not yet. Phelps, in my book of lists, supplants all but Carl Lewis as the best the Olympics has ever seen.

Lewis gets the nod, if only for longevity's sake, winning nine gold medals over four Olympics. (It would've been five -- and probably 10 gold -- if not for that U.S. boycott of the 1980 Moscow Games.) And should Phelps return and win even more medals at the 2012 London Olympics, as he intends to do, well, then I don't think there'll be much left to argue.