It’s Tuesday, and with all games having been played, it’s time to get going on our weekly routine of looking at targets from the previous day’s NFL action.

- Michael Crabtree, San Francisco 49ers: Early in the game between the 49ers and the Bears, it looked like Crabtree was going to have a monster contest, as San Francisco quarterback Alex Smith seemed intent on pumping the ball into Crabtree as often as possible. But that plan soon dissipated and Crabtree received just seven targets fr the game. Still, it’s an indicator of what the 49ers think of their young first-round pick, and how big a part of the game plan he’ll be moving forward.

- Nate Washington, Tennessee Titans: With Justin Gage hurt, it’s tempting to want to look towards Washington as a viable fantasy option, especially since he caught a touchdown pass last week. But he was only targeted twice by Vince Young, though Washington caught both. In fact, of the 25 passes Young threw in the Titans’ win over the Bills, just nine throws were meant for wide receivers.

- Brandon Gibson, St. Louis Rams: Gibson saw his first extended NFL action in the Rams’ loss to the Saints, and he was targeted nine times, which was tops among St. Louis wideouts. He wound up with seven catches for 93 yards, and now that Keenan Burton is out for the year, Gibson likely becomes a starter.

- Jerricho Cotchery, New York Jets: Cotchery was targeted 11 times, which is notable because it was more than double the amount of looks Mark Sanchez gave to Braylon Edwards, who received just five targets. And Cotchery was productive as usual, catching six passes, including one for a touchdown.

- T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Seattle Seahawks: Houshmandzadeh had wanted the ball more often, and he certainly got his opportunities last week. He was targeted 17 times by Matt Hasselbeck, and was productive with nine receptions for 165 yards. You just have to wonder how much that hurt Nate Burleson, who killed fantasy owners by failing to catch a single pass on just five targets.

Other Week 10 target numbers of interest: DeSean Jackson, 16; Devin Hester, Santonio Holmes, 14; Dwayne Bowe, Brent Celek, 11; Anquan Boldin, 10; Pierre Garcon, 9; Bernard Berrian, Muhsin Muhammad, 8; Terrell Owens, Davone Bess, Roy Williams, 7; Dallas Clark, 5; Mohamed Massaquoi, Vincent Jackson, 3; Marques Colston, 2.

It’s Monday, so it’s time to get going on our weekly routine of looking at targets from the previous day’s NFL action.

- Nate Burleson, Seattle Seahawks: Matt Hasselbeck looked Burleson’s way 12 times in the Seahawks’ loss to the Cowboys on Sunday; he caught six of those throws for 89 yards. Burleson’s 12 targets were double the amount T.J. Houshmandzadeh received, and it vaulted Burleson past Housh in targets for the season. Burleson is now sixth in the NFL and third in the NFC with 66 targets.

- Michael Crabtree, San Francisco 49ers: A week after getting targeted a total of six times, which was the most (tied with Isaac Bruce) among San Francisco wideouts but was fewer than tight end Vernon Davis, Crabtree received nine targets to lead the entire team in the 49ers’ loss to the Colts. He thusly went on to lead the team with six catches and 89 receiving yards. Clearly, it’s only a matter of time before he forays into the end zone.

- Terrell Owens, Buffalo Bills: Owens was targeted eight times by Buffalo quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick on Sunday, and the formerly potent wideout wound up with five catches, but for just 39 yards. Those eight targets were four more than any other Bills receiver got, and six more than Lee Evans. As for Owens, yes, he scored a touchdown, but that was on a running play; he’s still scored just one time on a reception all season, and that was back in Week 2.

- Dustin Keller, New York Jets: Mark Sanchez looked in Keller’s direction 13 times in the Jets’ loss to the Dolphins on Sunday. Of those looks, Keller came up with a team-high eight catches for 76 yards with a touchdown. Keller had five more targets than both Braylon Edwards and Jerricho Cotchery, and the tight end is now tied for 18th in the AFC with 49 targets, which is just one fewer than Edwards has, though some of Edwards’ looks came with the Browns.

- Justin Gage, Tennessee Titans: With Vince Young behind center, Gage received a team-leading five targets as Tennessee won their first game of the season over the Jaguars. Gage wound up with three catches for a team-high 41 yards. He was basically a forgotten man with Kerry Collins at the helm, so we’ll see if his fantasy value gets restored now that Young is at the helm.

Other Week 8 target numbers of interest: Reggie Wayne, 20; Steve Smith (NYG), Vincent Jackson, Greg Jennings, 12; Kevin Boss, 9; Eddie Royal, Bryant Johnson, Austin Collie, 8; Percy Harvin, Zach Miller, 7; Mike Thomas, Keenan Burton, 6; Sidney Rice, 5; Ted Ginn Jr., 1.

1. The 49ers’ offensive line cannot create any running lanes.  Frank Gore only ran for 32 yards on 13 carries vs. Houston and he was often stuffed at the line of scrimmage-a sure indication of a poor run-blocking unit.  Some people may ask the question, “How did Gore run for 200 yards vs. Seattle?”  Well that was entirely Gore’s efforts (and Seattle’s lack of effort) as his two big runs were due to poor angles by the Seattle free safety.  What should have been eight yard runs turned into 80 yards runs because the safety was undisciplined.  If you take away those two plays, Frank Gore only has one rush of over 10 yards this season in 50 attempts.  With the insertion of Alex Smith and Michael Crabtree into the starting lineup the 49ers may turn to a more pass-friendly offense which will hurt Gore’s stock even more.
2. You can blame the Packers’ O-line for Greg Jennings lack of production.  Since Aaron Rodgers is not getting much time in the pocket due to the oncoming rush, the Packers have almost eliminated Rodgers’ 7-step dropbacks.  Those are the plays that Rodgers and Favre hooked up with Jennings with for many of his 21 touchdowns over the last two years.  Since there’s not much time for Rodgers to allow his WRs to run deep routes, the Packers have gone to a true west-coast offense which specializes in short-to-intermediate routes and running after the catch.  That makes Donald Driver the de facto #1 receiver in Green Bay as YAC is pretty much the only statistic that he beat Jennings in over the last two seasons.
3. LaDainian Tomlinson better not say a peep if he’s pulled during a goal line situation again.  A week after LT displayed his frustration on the sideline after being replaced by Darren Sproles during a goal-to-go situation, LT failed to score on all nine of his attempts inside the seven yard line vs. Kansas City.  For the season, Tomlinson has only scored one TD on 14 attempts inside the 10 yard line.  Even in 2008’s “down year” LT had more success as he scored 7 TDs in 25 attempts within the 10 yard line.
4. Sam Aiken, not Julian Edelman, is the Patriots’ #3 wide receiver.  Even though Edelman has more receptions and yards than Aiken, it’s only because he received more opportunities to play when Wes Welker was injured.  Both Welker and Edelman are slot receivers so Edelman naturally advanced to Welker’s slot position when he went down earlier in the year.  Aiken has assumed Joey Galloway’s old position of flanker and even when Edelman returns from his arm injury, he will likely only play when Welker needs a rest or in four-wide sets.  Although Aiken is third in the pecking order among Patriots’ wide receivers, this position has traditionally been very productive as former Patriots Donte Stallworth and Jabar Gaffney combined for 1600 yards and 10 TDs in 2007 and 2008.
5. The Bears are definitely a pass-first team now and it’s not only because they have Jay Cutler at QB.  The offseason addition of LT Orlando Pace and promotion of RT Chris Williams changed the culture of this Bears’ offense.  Williams is a finesse (pass) blocker and Pace no longer has the acceleration to get to the second level to block LBs.  Also, Greg Olsen has replaced Desmond Clark as starting tight end and while no doubt Olsen is the better receiver, Clark is by far the better run-blocker.  The numbers don’t lie: through six games Matt Forte has 35 fewer carries than what he has through the first six games in 2008.  These changes in mentality and personnel may ultimately make this Bears team better than last year’s, but it may also make Matt Forte a fantasy bust relative to the position he was drafted.
6. The Dolphins wide receivers scare absolutely no one and Tony Sparano does not seem to notice it.  After running for 80 yards and 3 TDs on his first nine carries, Ricky Williams touched the ball only one more time in the game-and it was on a reception.  Instead, Sparano had his QB who had started all of 2 career games throwing to the likes of Ted Ginn, Davone Bess, Greg Camarillo, and Brian Hartline-none of whom are over 6’1” or weigh more than 190 lbs.  Ginn looked particularly bad while dropping two passes and has yet to show that he’s anything more than a return specialist, and he doesn’t even do that well.  Hopefully Sparano will notice what got him the 21 point lead and go back to doing more of that.  In the two games Henne has won, the rushing attempts outnumbered the passing attempts 81-48.  In the loss to the Saints Henne threw 36 times compared to 30 rushing attempts (25 by Brown and Williams).  With a rematch with the Jets ahead, expect to see more of Ricky and Ronnie and less of the Ginn Man.
7. Jeff Reed can’t tackle.  ‘Nuff said

It’s Monday, so it’s time to get going on our weekly routine of looking at targets from the previous day’s NFL action.

- Owen Daniels, Houston Texans: Daniels was targeted nine times in Houston’s 24-21 win over the 49ers on Sunday, and he caught seven of those throws for 124 yards and one score. Daniels has been targeted 56 times this season, which is ninth in the NFL and more than any other tight end in the league.

- Sidney Rice, Minnesota Vikings: Rice was mentioned in this space last week when he had seven targets. He deserves special mention this week for getting double that amount, 14, and catching 11 of those passes for 136 yards. Percy Harvin was targeted 10 times but caught just three of those passes, and Bernard Berrian was targeted only three times. Rice has now crept past Berrian in targets for the season, and is 11th in the NFC with 48.

- Michael Crabtree, San Francisco 49ers: Crabtree was targeted six times in San Fran’s loss to the Texans, and he came up with five catches for 56 yards. Vernon Davis led the way for the Niners with 11 targets, but Crabtree’s six were tied with Isaac Bruce for the second-most on the team, and two more than fellow wideout Josh Morgan.

- Devin Hester, Chicago Bears: Hester was targeted nine times on Sunday as Chicago was blown out by the Bengals, 45-10. He wound up with eight catches for 101 yards and one touchdown. Hester has received 18 targets over his last two contests after not getting more than seven looks in any other game this season.

Other Week 6 target numbers of interest: Larry Fitzgerald, 13; Roddy White, 11; Antonio Bryant, Lee Evans, 9; Ted Ginn Jr., Miles Austin, Mohamed Massaquoi, Bobby Wade, Pierre Garcon, Sammie Stroughter, 8; Hakeem Nicks, 7; Bernard Berrian, 3; Braylon Edwards, 2.

It’s time to check out another week of targets, to see which wide receivers their quarterbacks are trusting, and which ones they aren’t.

- Miles Austin, Dallas Cowboys: Austin received 15 targets in the Cowboys’ overtime win in Kansas City, which was seven more than Patrick Crayton got, who was second on the team in that statistic. And considering what Miles did with those 15 looks – 10 catches, 250 yards, two touchdowns – he’s likely to get a lot more in the coming weeks, even when Roy Williams returns to full health. Miles’s ability to pick up yards after the catch is something that won’t go unnoticed by Dallas coaches.

- Josh Morgan, San Francisco 49ers: Though Vernon Davis continues to lead the 49ers in targets, and is in fact among the NFC leaders in that statistic, Morgan finally plenty of opportunities to make plays as well. He had nine targets on Sunday in the 49ers’ blowout loss to the Falcons, and wound up with four catches for 78 yards. It was the first time this season that Morgan had more than five targets, and hopefully, for his fantasy owners’ sake, a trend will start.

- Mohammed Massaquoi, Cleveland Browns: Braylon Edwards has departed for the Big Apple, well actually, the Garden State, but the point remains this – Massaquoi seems to be the best receiving option for Cleveland. Unfortunately, that means little when the quarterback play is so inept. Derek Anderson had as pathetic a stat line as you’ll ever see in the Browns’ win over the Bills on Sunday. He completed two passes in 17 attempts, for 23 yards. Six of those throws went to Massaquoi, who caught one of them for 16 yards. Okay, it was windy, but still, two completions? Massaquoi is obviously the No. 1 target for the Browns, but take that with a grain of salt.

- Eddie Royal, Denver Broncos: It was shocking, really. That’s the best way to describe the start Royal had to this season – a start that included a high of 20 receiving yards in a game through the first four weeks. Royal finally got going in the Broncos’ overtime win against the Patriots on Sunday, catching 10 passes for 90 yards after being targeted a whopping 15 times. Hey, if Kyle Orton is going to look for him that often, then Royal will retain at least some of his preseason fantasy value. So don’t drop him just yet. But if, in a few weeks, we see that this game was an aberration, then it’s time to cut your losses.

Other Week 5 target numbers of interest: Wes Welker, 15; Anquan Boldin, 12; Roddy White, Chad Ochocinco, Muhsin Muhammad, 10; Austin Collie, Keenan Burton, 9; Dennis Northcutt, 8; Larry Fitzgerald, 6; Randy Moss, 4; DeSean Jackson, 3; Derrick Mason, 1.

Another week in the National Football League is (nearly) completed, which means another look at how targets around the league stacked up. Let’s see who all those quarterbacking William Tells chose as their proverbial apples this week.

- Ted Ginn Jr., Miami: The former ninth overall pick was targeted a total of six times on Sunday by the Dolphins’ quarterback duo of Chad Pennington and Chad Henne in their loss to the Chargers. Ginn’s total number of catches? Zero. This is significant considering that only three players in the AFC, and seven players in the entire NFL have been targeted more than the 27 times Ginn has this season. Unfortunately, he has just 13 catches to show for it. It means he’s unreliable as a fantasy option, and if you do have him on your squad, he should probably only be used if injuries or bye weeks force you into playing him.

- Vernon Davis, San Francisco: Davis, the sixth overall pick in the 2006 draft, is finally proving to be a worthy fantasy option after so many years of relative disappointment. Davis was targeted 10 times by Shaun Hill in the 49ers’ loss to the Vikings in Week 3, which were double the amount looks anyone else on the squad received. Davis, who is 16th in the NFC in targets, came down with seven of those passes, good for 96 yards and two touchdowns. He’ll be a good bet to thrive again next week when San Francisco takes on the lowly Rams.

- Justin Gage, Tennessee: Gage was targeted 10 times on Sunday in the midst of another Titans loss, this time to the Jets, but came up with only four catches for 37 yards. He’s been targeted 25 times so far this year, the sixth-highest total in the AFC, yet has only caught 13 of those passes for a measly 142 yards. After a very good showing in Week 1, many thought that Gage would have a year that could make him a possible WR2. That doesn’t seem to be the case, however. Considering how often Kerry Collins looks in Gage’s direction, he’s worthy of a roster spot on your fantasy squad, but only as a spot contributor.

- Mike Sims-Walker, Jacksonville: In a win over the Texans this week, Sims-Walker was targeted 10 times by David Garrard, and he hauled in six of those throws for 81 yards. It was the second week in a row he caught six passes. Sims-Walker is 20th in the AFC with 20 targets, and it seems obvious that he is the most dangerous receiving threat on the team, despite the presence of veteran Torry Holt. If for some reason he’s available in your league, snatch him up quickly.

- Other Week 3 target numbers of interest: Santana Moss, 14; Larry Fitzgerald, 13; Nate Burleson, 12; Bryant Johnson, 11; Derek Fine, Andre Caldwell, 9; Michael Jenkins, Mike Wallace, 8; Jeremy Maclin, 6; Eddie Royal, 3.

St. Louis (0-2) at Washington (1-1): Washington, 9-7

Preseason predictions aren’t always correct, but the St. Louis Rams are turning into a prophesy: the team has scored 7 points in its first two games of the season. In addition, Steven Jackson is off to a solid start with 171 rushing yards and 15 receiving yards; as predicted before the season, he might be the team’s only viable fantasy option.

That said, wide receiver Laurent Robinson is turning some heads — or at least he should be. Through the first two games without Torry Holt, Robinson has racked up 141 receiving yards and the team’s only touchdown of the season. There’s no catch, either; Robinson has caught 5 and 6 passes in the first two games of the season, suggesting that, discounting Jackson, he is the most consistent fantasy option on the roster.

On Washington’s end, it appears the Redskins may be in for another long season on offense. Only St. Louis has scored fewer points this season (go figure) and Jason Campbell has just one passing touchdown and one interception. As noted before the season, unless he can turn it on and get his yards per attempt up — it was 6.9 this week — and this team in the end zone, the Redskins are going to struggle.

Having said that, his yards per attempt is up from last season’s dismal 6.4. His favorite target has been tight end Chris Cooley, something that is unlikely to change in the near future. Cooley has been on the receiving end of 7 completions in each of the first two games of the season; he also caught Campbell’s only touchdown pass.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-2) at Buffalo Bills (1-1): Buffalo Bills, 33-20

I wonder if the Buccaneers regret firing Jon Gruden. Tampa Bay has put up some great numbers on offense so far this season — 286 passing yards per game, for example — but the team is struggling mightily in one area: stopping anything on defense. Dallas and Buffalo put up a combined 67 points in the first two games of the season, and despite Byron Leftwich’s best efforts (like his 4 touchdown passes) the Bucs haven’t been able to keep up. They’ve been forced to throw the ball 92 times while running it about half as many times. 67-33, pass isn’t the ratio we expected before the season; Tampa Bay’s defense needs to step up to the plate soon. If they don’t, treat them like the Lions: if you have fantasy players going up against them, don’t hesitate to start them.

As Buffalo is concerned, the offensive coordinator switch prior to the regular season is looking like a great move. The team is this close to 2-0 if not for a foolish kick return against the Patriots week one. Trent Edwards is drawing some attention for his passing: he’s thrown 4 touchdowns through the first two games and his completion percentage is a sharp 64.3. He lit the Bucs up with the deep ball after Fred Jackson forced the team to respect the run with his 163 yards on 28 carries.

Speaking of which, Jackson is turning into a great RB1. His quickness and catching ability make him a great option in PPR leagues, and in all others he’s still impressive: 220 rushing yards and 108 receiving yards so far, and in neither game has been held to under 140 yards from scrimmage. He’s only scored one touchdown so far, but if this offense keeps it up he’ll see the endzone much more before this season is over.

Last note: the Bills have surrendered a lot of passing yards on defense. Keep that in mind this weekend when they face New Orleans.

Seattle Seahawks (1-1) at San Francisco 49ers (2-0): San Francisco, 23-10

How does one peg the Seahawks? They shut out St. Louis while tacking 28 on the board week one, but, then again, is that a real accomplishment? After all, a week later the ‘Skins held St. Louis to 7 points. While that was happening the ‘Hawks were busy getting shut out in the second half by San Francisco; they put up 10 points this week. Attribute it to Matt Hasselbeck’s injury if you must; I’m just saying, don’t expect division title contention this year.

From a fantasy perspective, there is one gem on the roster so far. Tight end John Carlson put up big numbers week one — including his two touchdown receptions — and this week he still managed 6 more receptions. He’s going to be a big target on offense all season, especially in the red zone. Aside from that, everyone took a step back this week. It may be attributed to Hasselbeck’s cracked rib, so it’s best to watch his health and production in the upcoming weeks and play it safe with key components on offense (like Nate Burleson, who dropped from 13 fantasy points last week to 5 this week).

I don’t want to say I called it just yet, but I wrote an article back in March praising head coach Mike Singletary and noting that he was steering the team in the right direction. So far so good, no?

Singletary has his team off to a 2-0 division record with tough defense and a smart, balanced offense. Frank Gore has 237 rushing yards and 3 rushing touchdowns through the first two weeks of the season, while quarterback Shaun Hill has done his part, passing for 353 yards and 1 touchdown (and no interceptions). Gore padded his numbers this week with a 207 yard performance, but Hill was the star week one, racking up 209 passing yards and a touchdown.

All things considered, this team’s fantasy star is Frank Gore; he’s scored twice in each of the first two games of the season and has 294 yards from scrimmage so far. Everything after him is something of a crap shoot on a week-to-week basis. Vernon Davis and Isaac Bruce are the only two players besides Gore with more than 3 receptions so far and neither has a touchdown. If you’re a fantasy player, stick with Gore and leave the rest on waivers.

Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1) at Chicago Bears (1-1): Chicago, 17-14

Pittsburgh might be the league’s biggest disappointment through the first two games of the season. Not on defense, necessarily, but Big Ben, Fast Willy, and the rest of the un-nicknamed offense is off to a slow start. Ben has passed for 584 yards but just 2 touchdowns; Willie is averaging 2.4 yards per carry; and though both Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes have combined for 374 receiving yards, they have one touchdown between them.

From a fantasy perspective, only Holmes, with 14 receptions, 214 yards, and 1 touchdown, has wowed so far. Ward has 14 receptions, too, but this week he finished with just 64 yards; it doesn’t help that he’s still scoreless. As Roethlisberger is concerned, his 3 interceptions are frustrating fantasy owners more than his passing yards have impressed them. The Steelers must establish a running game at some point this season; Roethlisberger can be far too erratic otherwise.

Bears fans, I present you with an NFL quarterback, Jay Cutler. Number six put up solid numbers in his home debut against one of the league’s toughest defenses, passing for 236 yards, 2 touchdowns, and, more importantly, 0 interceptions. He also led the team to a win, setting up kicker Robbie “Good As” Gould with a 44-yard, game-winning field goal that left seconds on the clock.

The secret? Cutler didn’t take as many chances in this one. His passes were underneath, something the Steelers seemed almost content to give him. His decision-making kept the Steelers off-balance throughout, and kept the Bears driving. Chicago’s receivers still struggled at times to make catches, but one player emerged: Johnny Knox. He seemed to have the surest hands on the field, catching 6 passes for 70 yards and 2 touchdowns. Keep an eye on him and the rest of Chicago’s receivers to see who Cutler favors most in the weeks ahead.

6’3”, 254 lbs., 4.38 40, 33 reps at 225.  Those are the measureables that Vernon Davis put up at the 2006 NFL Combine and he has been trying to translate those physical tools into on-field success ever since.  Taken number six overall Davis was seen as the prototypical tight end that could outrun defensive backs and overpower linebackers.  Except, so far, it hasn’t quite worked out.  Through three seasons Davis has averaged 34 receptions, 377 yards, and three touchdowns per year, hardly stats worthy of a top 10 pick.  So Davis has been a monumental bust, right?  Yes, in terms of fantasy, but no in terms of reality.  Contrary to popular belief, Vernon Davis is universally praised by NFL offensive coordinators and tight end coaches for his superb blocking.  But he is also labeled a bust by fans because most of them only pay attention to the stats a player puts up.  That could all change in 2009 as a schematic adjustment may perhaps allow Davis to finally get the same acclaim from the stat-heads that he gets from the coaches around the league.

During an interview with the NFL Network in June, former 49ers OC Mike Martz claimed that Davis was the best blocking tight end in the league.  Martz certainly utilized his blocking skills last year as according to ProFootballFocus.com, Davis pass blocked on 126 plays in 2008, the most among starting tight ends.  Because of that, he had limited opportunities in the passing game and had only eight receptions on third downs due to his blitz-pickup responsibilities.  But now that Martz is gone, head coach Mike Singletary and new offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye have initiated a more tight end-friendly offensive scheme in order to utilize Davis’ eye-popping measureables.  Singletary has even openly praised Davis and named him a team captain, which is a far cry from the infamous scene last year when Singletary banished Davis from the bench and proclaimed in his post-game press conference, “I want winners!”

So what can you expect from Davis in 2009?  I think the floor for Davis is the numbers he put up in 2007 (52 rec., 509 yds., 4 TD) when he finished among the top 10 tight ends in both receptions and receiving ypg.  Jimmy Raye believes that the tight end position should be the focal point of the offense and he is certainly adept at making them so.  He was the one who first lined up Tony Gonzalez in the slot and out wide as coordinator of the Chiefs from 1992-2000.  Last year Davis only had 15 receptions when lined up in the slot or out wide, but in 2007, when Martz was not OC, Davis had 36 receptions from the slot or out wide.

Another factor that should lead to improved numbers from Davis, and all 49ers offensive players, is having Shaun Hill at quarterback.  After suffering through Alex Smith (career passer rating of 63.5) and J.T. O’Sullivan (71.0), the 49ers finally have someone who can get the ball into the hands of the playmakers.  Hill’s passer rating of 87.5 last season was the highest for a 49ers quarterback since Jeff Garcia had a rating of 94.8 in 2001.

Sometimes all a player needs is a little motivation to succeed and it seems as Mike Singletary has provided that for his team, and specifically Vernon Davis.  That extra motivation, combined with the peripheral changes to the offense, should enable Davis to shed his “bust” label and finally get the same respect from those outside the 49ers locker room as what he gets from those within it.

With the third week of preseason games getting underway, it’s time to take a look around the league to see what’s going on, and what use it will be for the upcoming fantasy season.

- Reggie Brown (and His Fantasy Value) on the Move? The Philadelphia Eagles have too many receivers than they know what to do with, and the Philadelphia Daily News says that both the Jets and Ravens are interested in Reggie Brown. Brown is a former second-round draft pick who looked like he was going to blossom into an excellent player before getting injured and falling back on the depth chart last season. If he is moved, his fantasy value would rise by leaps and bounds, to the point where he would be worth drafting as a reserve.

- Jermichael Finley Pushing Donald Lee for Playing Time: Last season, Packers rookie and third-round pick, tight end Jermichael Finley, did loads of nothing, as fellow tight end Donald Lee helped fantasy owners to the tune of five touchdowns. Things could be quite different this season for both of them, as Finley has made people take notice with his play, or so says the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. This could be either beneficial or harmful to fantasy owners. If Finley steps up and takes the job outright from Lee, He has value as a big target who could be useful in the end zone. However, the most likely scenario is that the two split time, and neither puts up fantasy-worthy numbers. Keep that in mind when thinking about Lee as a TE2.

- Chiefs and Jags Talking Trade for Tyler Thigpen: NFL.com says that Thigpen (see his fantasy points per game last season on graph), the Kansas City quarterback and hero to many fantasy owners last season, may be on his way to Jacksonville. Apparently the NFL’s J.D. Drew Award winner (for yearly injuries), Brodie Croyle, is going to be the No. 2 quarterback behind Matt Cassel, leaving Thigpen out in the cold.

- Michael Crabtree Offered Fair-Market Deal: According to Santa Rosa Press Democrat reporter Matt Maiocco, the 49ers have offered Crabtree, the 10th overall pick in the draft, somewhere “in the neighborhood of five years, $20 million base, $26.5 million maximum, with $16 million guaranteed.” Which, as Maiocco points out, is solidly in between what No. 9 pick B.J. Raji got and what No. 11 pick Aaron Maybin got. Crabtree’s agent seems to think this is a fair deal as well, but Crabtree does not. Fantasy owners should not count on seeing him any time soon, it sounds like. His fantasy value has taken a major plunge since the beginning of training camp.

- Walter Jones Not Headed for Retirement: The longtime Seattle Seahawks left tackle is expected to be back with the team, reports the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. There was some speculation that Jones may hang ‘em up after undergoing another operation on his balky knee.

Quarterbacks 

Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger, whose achiles has been in some question, practiced Tuesday in pads and a helmet. Coach Mike Tomlin expects his franchise quarterback to be “fine”, so barring another injury, expect Roethlisberger to play preseason ball.

In case you missed it yesterday, Shaun Hill is going to start at quarterback for the 49ers. I’m one of the legions who believes this is the right move after watching Hill’s performances last season, and coach Mike Singletary cited his leadership qualities as another factor in the decision. Hill finished 2008 with 2,046 passing yards, 13 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions, adding up to an 87.5 passer rating.

Running Backs

In order to make room on the roster for Edgerrin James, the Seattle Seahawks are opting to release power running back T.J. Duckett. Duckett rushed for eight touchdowns last season on 62 attempts as the team’s goal line and short yardage back. James scored three touchdowns and averaged 3.9 yards per carry in Arizona last season, and his likely role in Seattle will somewhat mimic Duckett’s last season. He’s the goal line back in Seattle and Julius Jones’ change of pace in the committee approach.

Bills running back Fred Jackson aggravated a thumb injury during Tuesday’s practice and is going to undergo tests. Per Adam Schefter, the extent of the injury is currently unknown, but Jackson was in “obvious pain.” If it’s a sprain, he should be in the clear, but a dislocation could make him a question mark for Buffalo’s season opener. If Jackson is a no-show and Marshawn Lynch is suspended, the next in line is Dominic Rhodes.

Cleveland may have a running back controversy on its hands, in addition to the one at quarterback. Rookie James Davis is attempting to move ahead of incumbent Jamal Lewis, who had a disappointing 2008 season with 1,002 rushing yards and four scores. Per the report, Lewis looked “a little tentative and decidedly unquick” Saturday, while Davis was “quick, decisive and aggressive” rushing for 112 yards on 12 carries. Though it’s not expected the team will release Lewis in favor of Davis, don’t be surprised if Davis plays a bigger role in the offense than originally suspected, especially with Jerome Harrison riding a stationary bike in practice the past two weeks.

Wide Receivers

For the record, the Tennessee Titans are not interested in wide receiver Marvin Harrison. Per the Tennessean’s Jim Wyatt, coach Jeff Fisher has been “adamant about his non-interest in Harrison.” Only the media has kept the rumor alive to this point, so fans shouldn’t expect the team to sign the aging receiver who finished last season with 636 receiving yards and five touchdowns.