Here is our Week 9 edition of Line-Up Locks. Here's a quick look at those who have favorable matchups (LOCK IN) and those who deserve a spot on your bench this week (LOCK OUT):
 
QUARTERBACKS
Lock In:
--Kurt Warner @ StL
My take: This game could be a real shootout. Warner should be one of the top performing quarterbacks of the week.

--Chad Pennington @ Den
My take: The Broncos allow the second highest amount of points in the NFL AND they will be without Champ Bailey. Pennington will light up the Broncos this week.

--David Garrard @ Cin
My take: Garrard has really turned up his play of late and that trend will continue against a Bengals defense that is injury-depleted.

Lock Out:
--Derek Anderson vs. Bal
My take: Expect a low-scoring effort from everyone in this game. Anderson might get a TD, but he will be pressured and confused which will lead to low yardage totals and turnovers.

--Jason Campbell vs. Pitt
My take: Campbell will be tested in this game. With their confusing schemes and blitz packages, the Steelers will keep Campbell’s production to a minimum.

--Brett Favre @ Buf
My take: This could be one of the best games of the week. Buffalo is stinging from their first conference loss and will look for revenge against the Jets. Favre has not looked like himself lately, which is reason for concern if you’re a Favre owner.


RUNNING BACKS
Lock In:
--Earnest Graham @ KC
My take: Warrick Dunn is injured which means Graham will get almost all the carries against the league’s worst run defense. Graham will go off this week.

--Maurice Jones-Drew @ Cin
My take: You invested in an early pick for MJD and this will be the week you’ll be glad you did. Jones-Drew will exploit a porous Bengals defense.

--Matt Forte vs. Det
My take: Forte is pretty much an every week starter as it is, but if somehow you play matchups with him, the match up doesn’t get any better for this rookie stud.

Lock Out:
--Cedric Benson vs. Jax
My take: Benson has looked better than Chris Perry, but he’s still not worth a start, especially this week.

--Steve Slaton @ Min
My take: Slaton will face the toughest match up of his NFL career this week and likely will be unproductive.

--Edgerrin James @ StL
My take: It’s a nice match up for James, but he’s been losing carries and TDs to rookie Tim Hightower. James is not really a viable fantasy starter any more.


WIDE RECEIVERS
Lock In:
--Roddy White @ Oak
My take: If you haven’t been paying attention, Matt Ryan and Roddy White have become quite a duo. White has to be an every week starter at this point. Get him in your lineup.

--Donnie Avery vs. Ari
My take: Last week I mentioned that I still wasn’t sold on Avery. I am now ready to say that he has convinced me that he’s worth starting; this week especially in what could be a shootout.

--Anquan Boldin @ StL
My take: Along with Larry Fitzgerald, a healthy Anquan Boldin must be in your lineup and in a potential shootout, expect lots of looks and lots of potential TDs.

Lock Out:
--Terrell Owens @ NYG
My take: (This is the same thing I said last week, but it says it all, so I’ll copy and paste it) Did you see how bad the Cowboys offense looked without Tony Romo? They will be without him again this week, and that means, it's time to put TO on your bench. He'll probably whine about it, but do it anyway.

--Santana Moss vs. Pit
My take: Usually Moss is a worthy starter, but this week, play the match up and move him to your bench as Pittsburgh’s defense should keep the scoring low.

--TJ Houshmandzadeh vs. Jax
My take: In a PPR league, Housh still has value, but otherwise, it might be time to consider trading him or benching him, especially this week.


TIGHT ENDS
Lock In:
--Greg Olsen vs. Det
My take:  The Bears, all Bears, have a great match up. Olsen makes for a fantastic this week.

--Anthony Fasano @ Den
My take: As mentioned earlier, the Broncos defense is susceptible and Pennington will have time to throw the ball and Fasano could benefit from that.

--Kellen Winslow vs. Bal
My take: Winslow has stunk as a fantasy option this year, but expect him to step up his performance. While it’s a tough, low-scoring match up, Winslow could find the end zone.

Lock Out:
--Heath Miller @ Was
My take: The Redskins will keep Roethlisberger from having time and Miller will not be a factor in this game.

--Tony Gonzalez vs. TB
My take: The Bucs defense is very undervalued. They are stout and face Tyler Thigpen. As a result, I just don’t see any Chiefs receiver being worth a start.

--Chris Cooley vs. Pit
My take: Cooley might still be your best option, but keep your expectations to a minimum for him this week.


TEAM DEFENSE/ST
Lock In:
--Minnesota vs. Hou
--Jacksonville @ Cin
--Tampa Bay @ KC

Lock Out:
--Miami @ Den
--Arizona @ SL
--St. Louis vs. Ari

The crowd was electric last night down at Nippert Stadium and they were treated to a great game. Thanks to Tony Pike having one of his best games and the defense playing strong, the Cincinnati Bearcats (6-2, 2-1 BIG EAST) "upset" the No. 23 ranked South Florida Bulls (6-2, 1-3 BIG EAST) 24-10.

Prior to the start of the game it wasn't certain that Pike would start and it was also announced that Chazz Anderson wouldn't play due to an injury he suffered in the UCONN game. So had Pike not been able to go, the Bearcats would have had to turn to Zach Collaros. No offense to Collaros, but fortunately Pike was able to go. With Pike taking the snaps, the Bearcats offense took on a completely different look than what they had in their last game. They were able to establish the run and stuck to it which helped set up the pass and allowed the 'Cats to run a great no huddle offense.

Pike played the game with a soft cast on his non-throwing arm, which he broke in the game against Akron earlier in the season. He played out of the shotgun for the majority of the game in order to keep from having the ball slam against his hand on a snap and putting pressure on that arm. It proved effective as Pike went 20-for-28 for 281 yards and two touchdowns.

With Pike playing strong, the quarterback carousel may have finally stopped. Because of all the changes over the last few games, the Bearcats had failed to convert on their last 25 third down attempts. Last night they went 5-for-10.

USF came into the game with the eighth ranked rushing defense in the country, allowing just 81.5 yards per game, and the 29 ranked defense overall. The Bearcats gave them a steady does of Jacob Ramsey and John Goebel who ran for a combined 121 yards and one score by Goebel. After only running the ball seven times against UCONN, head coach Brian Kelly knew the Bearcats needed to establish the run. By establishing the run, Pike was able to pick apart the USF secondary. The Bearcats also had success running the bubble screen. On one instance, Pike hit Mardy Gilyard for a 26-yard score. Pike's other passing score came on a one yard over the top pass to former tight end and fan favorite, Conner Barwin.

In my preview of the game, I said that in order for the Bearcats to come away with a win on Thursday night, they would need to shut down South Florida's quarterback, Matt Grothe. And that they did. They picked him off three times, twice off tipped passes. Grothe came into the game having thrown just five interceptions. He was pressured throughout the game and would finish 13-for-31 for 174 yards and no touchdowns. Aside from one amazing run where he should have been sacked at least three times, Grothe was held in check all night.

Senior cornerback Mike Mickens was one of the Bearcats to pick off Grothe. He returned the interception 58 yards only to be tackled by Grothe. The interception was the 13th of Mickens' career at UC, which set an all-time record. The turnover set up the Bearcats' first score of the night.

Coach Kelly asked for the crowd to BLACKOUT the Bulls last night, and to my surprise, the majority of the 31,000 plus in attendance did just that. The only negative I saw from last night was that the game was not a sell out. I realize it was a Thursday night, but it was a nationally televised game on ESPN. It was a little disappointing to see open seats in the stadium last night, but to those that did show up, we were all treated to a great game.

With the win the Bearcats are now bowl eligible. But they're not looking to just make one of those random dot.com bowls, they have their sights set on the BIG EAST title. A win last night kept them in the hunt for just that. They have a tough stretch of games coming up in their next three. They travel to West Virginia next week and then on the road again against Louisville. Their next home game comes on November 22nd when Pittsburgh comes to the 'Nati.

Did you miss this week's Fantasy Playbook as I go on with Lance McAlister on 1530 Homer the Sports Animal? Either way here's my notes from the show...

TREND OR MIRAGE
QB Eli Manning (0 200+-yard games, 3 TDs, 3 INTs over last 3) – MIRAGE – He’s struggled a bit of late, but he has tossed a TD in each of those games and will prove worthy down the stretch.

RB Edgerrin James (16 carries, 46 RuYd, 0 TD in past 2 games) – TREND – Rookie Tim Hightower is taking his job over, particularly at the goalline as he has 6 TDs on the year, including 4 over the last month.

RB Willis McGahee (Scored in back-to-back weeks) – MIRAGE – He is starting to get healthy which is a plus, but LeRon McClain is still stealing looks and the schedule is not favorable in the second half.

WR Bernard Berrian (Avg 5.6 rec for 107.6 ReYd and a TD over last 3 games) – TREND – Berrian has found a home in Minnesota and few wideouts have better match-up from here on out. Not only does he get three cupcakes in Detroit, Arizona, and Atlanta, he will benefit from playing December fantasy playoff games in either a dome or in the desert.


INJURY REPORT
Joseph Addai (hamstring) – The good news is that Addai is not on the Colts’ injury report, the bad news is it remains unclear exactly what his workload may be this week vs. NE. I have a tough time keeping out of my line-up though.

Steven Jackson (quadriceps) – It was no-action Jackson last week and that could be the case again on Sunday as the Rams played the Cards. If he sits look for Antonio Pittman to carry the bulk of the load out of the Rams’ backfield.

Willie Parker (knee) – The worse dilemma an owner can face – a marquee player that will likely be a game-time decision on Monday Night Football.  Parker has practiced this week, but currently its unclear on whether he will face the Skins or not. Even if he comes back the match-up is not great and expect him to give some work up to Mewelde Moore. Look elsewhere if at all possible.


BYE WEEKS
New Orleans, San Diego, San Francisco, Carolina


VALUE PACK
QB – Chad Pennington @Den: The Broncos give up 240 PaYd per game and will be without Pro Bowl cornerback Champ Bailey. Pennington has thrown for at least 280 yards in each of his last three games. He’ll have a great shot to make in four in a row in this match-up.

RB – Earnest Graham @KC: With Warrick Dunn’s status for Week 9 in question, Graham is set to shoulder a full load against a Chiefs’ D that is yielding 227 yards per game on the ground over the past month. Graham is going to be golden!

WR – Devin Hester vs. Det: From Week 4 through Week 6, he had caught 14 passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns - the best three-game receiving stretch of his career. He was limited but by a quad injury in Week 7, but appears a full go following the bye and should get back on track against the Lions.

TE – John Carlson vs. Phi: He could be a nice bye-week filler here as the Eagles have allowed over 5 receptions and 68 yards per game to tight ends in October.

DEF – Browns vs. Bal: The Ravens are only scoring 15 points and turning the ball over 2.5 times per contest and the Browns’ D has played better lately. If you need a D in the pinch you could do much worse than Cleveland.

**CATCH THE SHOW ON 1530HOMER.COM - Click on Thursday's 4:00 hour (4:30 weekly)**

As posted on YourTeamStinks.com 

The ESPN/USA Today preseason rankings came out today for college basketball. The team at the top, the North Carolina Tar Heels.

The Tar Heels made a deep run in the dance last year all the way to the final four, only to be knocked off by Kansas who would go on to win the national title. Kansas lost a lot of their key players from last season. Because of that they debuted at No. 23.

UNC received all 31 first place votes. That's a big vote of confidence from the voters to be ranked the unanimous No. 1 team in the country before even taking to the court. A big reason for the unanimous vote is due to their star player, Tyler Hansborough, who decided to return for his senior season. He'll get help from a couple other key players in Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington.

The other half of the Final Four debut high in the polls as well as UCLA is ranked No. 4 and Memphis comes in at No. 12.

The top ten looks like this, highlighted by a handful of BIG EAST teams.

1. North Carolina
2. Connecticut
3. Louisville
4. UCLA
5. Duke
6. Pittsburgh
7. Michigan State
8. Texas
9. Notre Dame
10. Purdue 

The four letter network rolls into the 'Nati tonight to see the Cincinnati Bearcats (5-2, 1-1 BIG EAST) take on the No. 23 ranked team in the country, the South Florida Bulls (6-2, 1-2 BIG EAST). Both teams are coming off disappointing losses. UC lost to UCONN this past Saturday, 40-16, while USF suffered a heartbreaking loss to Louisville, 24-20. This is a huge game for both teams with BIG EAST Conference title implications at stake. The team that loses is likely to be out of the hunt for the conference crown, thus taking them out of any shot at a BCS bowl game.

UC has won three of the five meetings between the two teams. They've won three of the last four including coming away with a "W" in each of the last two games they've played USF in Nippert Stadium. UC came away with a victory in Raymond James Stadium last season by a score of 38-33.

The Bearcats come into this game with some questions on the offensive side of the ball. It was thought that season starting quarterback, Dustin Grutza (broken leg), would be back in time for the game against USF. To this point, it doesn't look like that's going to happen. Tony Pike (broken arm) came back last week in their game against UCONN but looked rusty and out of sorts. He was replaced by redshirt freshman Chazz Anderson when the second half started. Anderson didn't fare much better against the Huskies. As of right now Pike is a gametime decision. If he is able to go, he will get the starting nod. If he's unable to go, head coach Brian Kelly will turn again to Anderson to see if he can get the job done.

USF doesn't have any worries when it comes to their quarterback situation. Junior Matt Grothe is one of the most underrated players in the country at his position. He's 104 yards away from 2000 yards passing this season. He's thrown 14 TDs and only five interceptions and he's ran in three scores as well. He plays a tough, gritty style of game. One minute he'll throw the ball deep down field, the next he'll take off running and isn't afraid to take a hit from defenders. If the Bearcats want to come out of this game with a win, they're going to have to stop Grothe from beating them. If they can keep him in check and get him rattled and keep him from hitting his two primary targets in senior wideout Taurus Johnson and junior Jessie Hester.

Odds are UC cornerback Mike Mickens will be responsible for keeping Johnson from making any big plays. Mickens needs just one interception to break the all-time career mark at UC with 13. In addition to Mickens, another player on the defensive side of the ball that USF will have to keep tabs on is Conner Barwin. He leads the BIG EAST with seven sacks and is ranked 10th nationally. He's also blocked a few punts this season which makes him dangerous on special teams as well.

The Bearcats face a tough task tonight. Not only will they have to find a way to stop Grothe, but they will also have to find a way to move the ball on the ground against the eighth ranked rushing defense in the country. The USF defense is only allowing 81.5 yards rushing per game this season. Last week the Bearcats only ran the ball SEVEN times, something they cannot afford to do again this week. They need to attempt to establish the ground game with Jacob Ramsey and John Goebel in order to buy time for either Pike or Anderson or whomever may be taking the snaps.

The game starts down at Nippert Stadium at 7:30 tonight. Coach Kelly is asking for a BLACKOUT on the eve of Halloween. He wants every fan coming down to the game to wear black. UC even had a special shirt made up just for this game that could be purchased on campus. The question is, how many people will really be wearing black tonight? "There's nothing like a night game in Nippert Stadium," Kelly says. "Having 35,000 Bearcats fans in our house and dressed in black will make a statement to the nation that UC football is a force."

For a nationally televised game, hopefully everyone heading down will adhere to Kelly's wishes and COME EARLY! BE LOUD! WEAR BLACK!

The World Series didn't lack its fair share of storylines, but now it's over. The Phillies made sure they didn't have to travel back to Florida as they took care of business as Game 5 was continued on Wednesday night, beating the upstart Rays 4-3 and laying claim to their second title in franchise history.

It was something never before experienced in World Series' history, a game suspended after 5.5 innings and tied at 2-2.

It was odd last night watching the Rays warm-up both Grant Balfour, who pitched a scoreless inning of relief in Monday's monsoon and was in the game when it was suspended, and lefty J.P. Howell. The Phillies had Cole Hamels due up when the game resumed, forcing Charlie Manuel to start the game with a pinch hitter.

Veteran Geoff Jenkins was summoned from the bench and he delivered with a double to open up the evening. Jayson Werth drove him in with a double, giving the Phills a 3-2 edge. The Rays would fight back though. Rocco Baldelli, who was hitless in the series, quickly tied the game at 3-3 when he took Ryan Madsen deep.

The Phillies would get the decisive run of the game and the series when Pat Burrell, who was 0-for-13 in the series, doubled to lead off the bottom of the seventh inning. Manuel opted to pinch run  Eric Bruntlett. He moved up to third when Shane Victorino grounded to second after failing to get down a bunt. The Rays had to bring their infield in once again, and Pedro Feliz was able to guide a Chad Bradford pitch back through the middle, making it 4-3.

Brad Lidge, who didn't blow a save the entire year, locked down the win in the ninth, but not before the Rays had the tying run in scoring position. Evan Longoria popped out before Dioner Navarro broke his bat on a base hit to right field. Pinch-runner Fernando Perez stole second base, but pinch-hitter Ben Zobrist lined out to right field. Pinch-hitter Eric Hinske swung through a low pitch to strike out, and the Phillies piled on top of each other near the mound in celebration. 

Hamels pulled off a rare feat Wednesday, becoming just the fifth player in history to win the Most Valuable Player award in both the World Series and in a League Championship Series.

Bud Selig is the worst commissioner in all of professional sports. I wonder, if the game hadn't been tied, if he would have suspended that Game 5 and just declared it an official game. I was waiting for him to move the game to Milwaukee too. Either way, that's not the point.

What we learned from the Game 5 fiasco is that the baseball is too long. It's a warm weather sport. Shorten the season. Go back to 130 games or so. Start the season early April (but paying mind to cold-weather outdoor-stadium teams and start them on the road in warm weather venues except for the Reds, who should always have the honor of being the first team to open the season at home, to pay tribute the heritage and history of baseball's oldest team).

Get rid of the All-Star game in July and move it to the end of the year, or get rid of it altogether. Nobody cares about the All-Star game. Moving it to the end of the season frees up four more days when games can be played. It also would get rid of Selig's worst conceived idea ever - having the All Star game determine home field advantage.

Go back to having best record get home field advantage. A novel concept.

Finish the season in mid-September. Start the playoffs shortly thereafter. Conclude the World Series before October, or worse, with weather, travel issues, etc. it would wrap up early October. The problem is now solved and the long, long drawn out season is more relevant and improved.

JoePa can't walk without a cane.  He can't stand on the sideline; he has to coach from the press box.  He can't even walk down to the locker room at halftime, because halftime would be over by the time he got there, and then he would miss the first part of the second half getting back to his perch.  But what he can do is adapt to the changing landscape of college football.  He needs to retire before his body fails him; but he's got plenty left in the tank upstairs.  The Buckeyes were latest team to find that out last week.

POWER RANKINGS

1. Texas:  3 down, 1 to go.  Unfortunately, the last is always the toughest.  The 'Horns outlasted a tough Oklahoma State team last week, now they go on the road to Lubbock to take on the Red Raiders in primetime.  I believe if the 'Horns defense can get one or two stops, they win.  But that's easier said than done.

2. Penn State:  I said last week that Buckeye fans would go home crying.  Check.  Now let's see if the Nittany Lions run the table, which was my other prediction.

3. Alabama:  I know that the Crimson Tide fans are happy with being No. 2 in the BCS, and in most polls.  But until last week, they've been living by their elephant skins.  It won't be long before they fall, and everyone else in the country falls in line with my rankings.

4. Oklahoma: This is a team that is seriously lurking right now.  Their only loss was to the No. 1 team in the land.  They bounced right back by trouncing the entire state of Kansas (KU & KSU) the past two weeks.  And their offense hasn't missed a beat.  If the 'Horns stumble somewhere down the line, look out for the Sooners.

5. Florida: Anytime you hang a half a hundred two weeks in a row in the SEC, especially when one of the opponents are the defending National Champions, you deserve Top 5 status.  I don't care what the computers say.  If they do it again this week against Georgia, look out!

6. Oklahoma State:  I don't get this one with the other rankings.  The Cowboys pushed the No. 1 team in the land to the brink last week, in their house, and had the ball with a last chance to pull off the upset as time expired, and they fall to 9th in most polls?  No way.  They are better than that.

7. Georgia: World's largest cocktail party.  The whole team celebrated after their first TD like a bunch of high schoolers.  Their coach planned it that way.  Mr. Richt, allow me to introduce you "Mr. Payback-Is-A-Bitch".  You'll be getting very acquainted with him this weekend.

8. Texas Tech:  I have resisted putting these guys in my Top 10 because their schedule was so light.  I said last week I would consider it depending on what happened against a good, and ranked, Kansas team in Lawrence.  All the Red Raiders did was blast the Jayhawks and lay 63 on them.  I think they'll have a tougher time with a Texas defense that is the fastest, most athletic bunch, especially up front, that they have encountered all year long.  But it will be a dandy in primetime.

9. USC:  These guys continue to underwhelm me, especially on the offensive side of the ball.  They play in a very weak Pac-10 this season, and I can't believe they are as high as they are in the BCS (5th).  Apparently, computers take into account previous reputation.  These guys are in danger of falling out of my Top 10 if they don't show me something in a hurry.  And I'm not counting this week against a lowly, winless Washington team that just fired Ty Willingham.

10. Utah:  These guys were BCS Buster pick from the WAC all along, right?  Ahem, right ?

DORM NOTES

--Ty Willingham was unfairly fired from Notre Dame; he was not unfairly fired this time around in Washington

--I'm seeing more articles and hype about the Red Raiders this week, than I am about Texas.  If I'm a Red Raider fan, I would sure be wishing it were the other way around.

--What's the office pool on how much longer Phil Fulmer lasts at Tennessee?

--Count me in as a guy who really enjoyed seeing Ohio State lose last Saturday, so that we now don't have to worry about another BCS Championship debacle

--If Penn State fulfills my prophecy and reaches the BCS Championship game, they won't be another Ohio State.  Count on it.

--Unless they're playing Texas, I'm rooting for JoePa to win the crown this year, then retire on top. 

Bye: New Orleans, San Diego, San Francisco, Carolina

QUARTERBACKS 1 K. Orton-DET 2 M. Schaub-@MIN 3 K. Warner-@STL 4 J. Cutler-MIA 5 P. Manning-NE 6 E. Manning-DAL 7 D. McNabb-@SEA 8 C. Pennington-@DEN 9 D. Garrard-@CIN 10 M. Bulger-ARI

RUNNING BACKS 1 A. Peterson-HOU 2 B. Westbrook-@SEA 3 M. Forte-DET 4 R. Brown-@DEN 5 S. Jackson-ARI 6 C. Portis-PIT 7 M. Jones-Drew-@CIN 8 M. Barber-@NYG 9 E. Graham-@KC 10 M. Turner-@OAK

WIDE RECEIVERS 1 L. Fitzgerald-@STL 2 B. Marshall-MIA 3 A. Johnson-@MIN 4 R. Wayne-NE 5 R. White-@OAK 6 A. Boldin-@STL 7 Ca. Johnson-@CHI 8 R. Moss-@IND 9 P. Burress-DAL 10 G. Jennings-@TEN

TIGHT ENDS 1 O. Daniels-@MIN 2 T. Gonzalez-TB 3 Da. Clark-NE 4 G. Olsen-DET 5 C. Cooley-PIT 6 A. Fasano-@DEN 7 K. Winslow-BAL 8 J. Witten-@NYG 9 Z. Miller-ATL 10 H. Miller-@WAS

COMPLETE RANKINGS

from the Denver Post:

Rockies general manager Dan O'Dowd said recently the club has important decisions to make with personnel, but indicated that trades wouldn't start taking shape for several weeks.

The groundwork on deals is typically laid at the general managers' meetings, which will be held the first week of November in Southern California.

Holliday, who will be a free agent after next season, is monitoring the trade speculation. He turned down a multiyear contract offer last spring, and there has been no progress on a new deal since. The usual suspects will be involved for Holliday, namely Boston, the Phillies, Yankees, Angels, Mets and possibly even teams like the Royals and Nationals. 

The paper goes on to suggest that trading third baseman Garrett Atkins is the Rockies' first choice, but he is not going to bring back nearly as much in return as he has yet to prove he is capable of produce consistently outside of Coors Field. 

************

Does it make sense for the Reds to make a run at Holliday? They might not be able to compete with Boston and the Yankees in a bidding war, but they certainly have some young players that could lure the proven veteran. Reds' GM Walt Jocketty has a track record of pulling off deals just like this, but I don't think the Reds should come off a Johnny Cueto-type young arm to get Holliday, who could be a free-agent at the end of the season. 

Here's a look at some of the top potential free agents (from MLBTradeRumors.com):

Type A
Bobby Abreu (Yankees)
Milton Bradley (Rangers)
Doug Brocail (Astros)
A.J. Burnett (Blue Jays)
Pat Burrell (Phillies)
Orlando Cabrera (White Sox)
Juan Cruz (Diamondbacks)
Ryan Dempster (Cubs)
Adam Dunn (Diamondbacks)
Brian Fuentes (Rockies)
Brian Giles (Padres)
Orlando Hudson (Diamondbacks)
Raul Ibanez (Mariners)
Jason Isringhausen (Cardinals)
Derek Lowe (Dodgers)
Damaso Marte (Yankees)
Jamie Moyer (Phillies)
Mike Mussina (Yankees)
Darren Oliver (Angels)
Oliver Perez (Mets)
Andy Pettitte (Yankees)
Manny Ramirez (Dodgers)
Edgar Renteria (Tigers)
Francisco Rodriguez (Angels)
Ivan Rodriguez (Yankees)
C.C. Sabathia (Brewers)
Ben Sheets (Brewers)
Russ Springer (Cardinals)
Mark Teixeira (Angels)
Jason Varitek (Red Sox)
Kerry Wood (Cubs)

That's 31 Type As, though Giles and Marte may have their options picked up and Mussina may retire.

Type B
Jeremy Affeldt (Reds)
Moises Alou (Mets)
Garret Anderson (Angels)
Joe Beimel (Dodgers)
Casey Blake (Dodgers)
Paul Byrd (Red Sox)
Mike Cameron (Brewers)
Carlos Delgado (Mets)
Alan Embree (Athletics)
Eric Gagne (Brewers)
Jon Garland (Angels)
Luis Gonzalez (Marlins)
Ken Griffey Jr. (White Sox)
Mark Grudzielanek (Royals)
Trevor Hoffman (Padres)
Bob Howry (Cubs)
Jeff Kent (Dodgers)
Braden Looper (Cardinals)
Mark Loretta (Astros)
Brandon Lyon (Diamondbacks)
Greg Maddux (Dodgers)
Trever Miller (Rays)
Miguel Olivo (Royals)
Brad Penny (Dodgers)
Dennys Reyes (Twins)
Brian Shouse (Brewers)
John Smoltz (Braves)
Frank Thomas (Athletics)
Salomon Torres (Brewers)
Juan Uribe (White Sox)
Tim Wakefield (Red Sox)
David Weathers (Reds)
Randy Wolf (Astros)
Jamey Wright (Rangers)
Gregg Zaun (Blue Jays)

That's 35 Type Bs, though Cameron, Delgado, Embree, Miller, Olivo, Penny, Torres, and Wakefield could have their options picked up and Alou, Griffey, Kent, and Maddux could retire.

Through eight weeks of the season I have picked 75 out of 115 (65.2%) possible winners, despite my average 8-6 effort last week in which I scored 77 out of a possible 105 points... My Survivor picks had mixed resultls as the Texans (My Pick) cruised past the Bengals, but my out a limb choice who'd of left you out of the pool as the Niners failed to show up against the Seahawks... Against the spread I barely hit my under in the JAX/CLE game, but it paid. However, I missed badly on the Niners. The 2-team parly got knocked down to one-game bet as Carolina pushed against Arizona. On the week I won $25, which is better than losing and now puts me over $700 in the account...Here are my picks for this week's action:

CONFIDENCE POOL	SURVIVOR PICK	AGAINST SPREAD
14. BEARS (vs. Det) 13. JAGUARS (@Cin) 12. BUCS (@KC) 11. EAGLES (@Sea) 10. BILLS (vs. NyJ) 9. GIANTS (vs. Dal) 8. COLTS (vs. NE) 7. BRONCOS (vs. Mia) 6. TITANS (vs. GB) 5. VIKIGNS (vs. Hou) 4. RAVENS (@Cle) 3. RAMS (vs. Ari) 2. FALCONS (@Oak) 1. STEELERS (@Was)	MY PICK: BEARS - Lovie Smith's gang had two weeks to prepare for the winless Lions at Soldier Field. Don't think about taking somebody else this week. OUT ON A LIMB: BUCS - For those of you that can't take Chicago this week, take a good look at Tampa Bay. The Chiefs aren't as good as the Jets made them look and Chucky isn't going to stand for two straight losses.	Season Starting Balance: $500 Balance Heading Into Week: $704 $55 Eagles -7 $55 Ravens +2 $30 - 2-Team Parlay --Over 43 Chi/Det --Under 41 Oak/Atl *All lines from Caesar's Palace

Get a full recap on last weekend's college action of one of the Internet's rising stars - the Sports Report Girl:
 

In place of our normal Fantasy Traffic Light this week, we take time to look ahead to the second half of the fantasy season:

QUARTERBACKS
STUD: Peyton Manning – The Colts are getting healthy and he’s thrown for multiple scores in 3 of his last 4 games. A good stretch of games coming up with NE (banged up), PIT (tough), HOU, SD, CLE and CIN on the slate over the next 6 weeks.

DUD: Phillip Rivers – He has looked so good to this point, but the Chargers’ remaining schedule is fantasy-friendly for quarterbacks with tilts against the Steelers, Colts, and Bucs (in final week). The easy match-ups within the division better suit the team running the ball.

RUNNING BACKS
STUD: LaDainian Tomlinson – He showed last year he can be a productive back in the second half. He ran the ball 176 times for 857 yards (4.9 yards per carry) and scored 11 total touchdowns (nine rushing) in the last two months last year. Two of Tomlinson's upcoming opponents this December - the Oakland Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs, whom the Chargers also face in Week 10 - have a poor history against the Chargers back and a porous run defense.

DUD: Marion Barber - In the Cowboys remaining 8 games they will face a top 10 rushing defense 6 of those weeks. In weeks 14-16 the Cowboys will see the league's third, seventh and first ranked rushing defenses.

WIDE RECEIVERS
STUD: Bernard Berrian – If you can get by the next few weeks of tough games, Berrian’s upside in the playoffs is great. Not only does he get three cupcakes in Detroit, Arizona, and Atlanta, he will benefit from playing December fantasy playoff games in either a dome or in the desert.

DUD: Kevin Walter – The Texas No. 2 wideout has excelled of late, but Houston plays a tough schedule down the stretch with the Vikings and Ravens the next two weeks and stingy WR match-ups in the critical 14-16 week stretch with the Packers, Titans, and Raiders on the slate.

TIGHT ENDS
STUD: Greg Olsen – I am still just waiting for this guy to blowup. The fun starts this week against the Lions, who are giving up mass points through the air and big performances to tight ends. Three games at Solider Field during the playoffs could be a problem, but the match-ups suggest a strong second half.

DUDS: Titans’ Tight Ends – Alge Crumpler and Bo Scaife may have been turned to for bye-week fillers, but neither should be counted on as starting options during the second half of the season. Playoff match-ups against Browns, Texans, and Steelers are more troubling than they appear to be.

TEAM DEFENSES
STUD: Jaguars – Their playoff match-ups aren’t as favorable as I would like, but the next few weeks look good, especially the next two games against the Bengals and Lions’ anemic offenses.

DUD: Giants – They still play DAL, WAS, PHI twice, and CAR in Week 16 – all capable offenses.

COMPLETE SCHEDULE ANALYSIS  (from FFToday.com)