On the Rise, On the Fall - Week 11 Nov 18, 2009 | More

It was a rough week in the league for starting running backs. Brian Westbrook, Cedric Benson, Julius Jones, Ronnie Brown and Michael Turner all suffered injuries. Therefore, it leads to several backups on the rise.

UP - Justin Forsett, RB, Seahawks – If he was not owned before this week, he will be now. His impressive 100+ yard game against the Cardinals showed that he can be the primary ball carrier. If Julius Jones is going to miss time, Forsett will be a good fill-in.

UP - Jason Snelling, RB, Falcons – Same goes for the back from Atlanta. If Turner is to miss any time, Snelling can be a valuable option in a high-octane offense. However, the Falcons have seemed to calm down of late. Nevertheless, a starting running back available on the wire at this time of the season is something to be desired.

UP - Bernard Scott, RB, Bengals – Benson was another injury victim on Sunday. The rookie from Cincinnati, Scott, took over and had 13 carries for 33 yards. However, Brian Leonard from Rutgers also had some carries as well. Cincinnati will probably go to the passing game a bit more if Benson is to miss any time, but Scott is worth a pickup.

UP – Beanie Wells, RB, Cardinals – He looked great on Sunday carrying the ball 16 times for 85 yards and two touchdowns. However, Tim Hightower continues to get the ball and is active in the passing game. Wells may benefit from not being used much in the first part of the season and could be ready for a big second half. Keep in mind Hightower won’t go away, though.

UP – Laveranues Coles, WR, Bengals – With Chris Henry out, there is one less target in the receiving corps in Cincinnati. Coles has caught 11 passes for over 130 yards in the last two weeks. After being dropped earlier in the season, Coles might have some value down the stretch, especially considering their schedule. Cincinnati faces Oakland, Cleveland and Detroit in the next three weeks.

DOWN – Atlanta Falcons – Two teams on the decline collide in the Meadowlands on Sunday as the Giants face the Falcons. Both teams are 5-4 and the winner will hold the tiebreaker and attempt to make a run to keep their postseason hopes alive.

DOWN – Marion Barber, RB, Cowboys – As he was last week, Barber continues to decline along with the entire Dallas backfield. You cannot feel comfortable starting any of them at this moment. His offensive counterpart, Jason Witten, also has been a big disappointment this season. The highest drafted Cowboys this summer have not lived up to their fantasy projections.

DOWN – Brian Westbrook, RB, Eagles – This looks to be the year that fantasy studs of this decade will decline. Although LaDainian Tomlinson had a big day against these same Eagles, he has regressed this season. Westbrook suffered another concussion on Sunday and this has become a very serious issue. Don’t expect Westbrook to have any impact the rest of the way for your fantasy team as two concussions within a month is something that you cannot ignore. Not to mention that his numbers are unimpressive when he has been active.

Look ahead to Week 11

The Thursday night game features the Dolphins and Panthers. Don’t expect to see Ronnie Brown this week if his injury turns out to be minor. We’ll see how DeAngelo Williams feels on Monday, but he appeared to look fine in the win over the Falcons. The Falcons face the Giants in a game with huge NFC playoff implications. The Giants can also get right back into the NFC East hunt with a win. Dallas hosts Washington while Philadelphia goes to Chicago for Sunday night football. The Monday night game should be entertaining for Chris Johnson owners. The Titans will face the Texans in Houston. The Jets owners claimed they would make the playoffs before Sunday’s game, but unless they win out, that appears to be far-fetched. The Jets travel to New England on Sunday. Slumping Denver hosts scorching hot San Diego in a big AFC West battle. In another big AFC game, the Ravens will host the Colts, who are coming off their emotional Sunday night game against New England.

Early Playoff Picture

The NFC East just got a whole lot closer after the Cowboy (6-3) and Eagle (5-4) losses. All three teams, including the Giants (5-4) to that mix, are still alive for the division and Wild Card. The Vikings have a chokehold on the NFC North while the Packers are in the wildcard hunt at 5-4. The Saints are in and now the Panthers (4-5) have kept themselves alive while the Falcons (5-4) are trying to hold on to a Wild Card spot. Arizona sits atop the NFC West at 6-3 as the 49ers (4-5) trail them. There are eight teams that are 5-4 or better looking to play football into late January. It appears just four spots will be open as the Saints and Vikings will occupy the top two berths.

In the AFC, the Patriots control the East after it looked like the tide was changing in the Jets’ favor after just three weeks of play. The Bengals (7-2) own the tiebreaker and a one-game lead in the AFC North. Pittsburgh (6-3) and Baltimore (4-4) are behind them. The Colts have a stranglehold on the AFC South with the Texans and Jaguars tied for second place at 5-4. Thanks to a three-game losing streak by Denver and a four-game win streak by the Chargers, the AFC West rivals are both 6-3 with a Week 11 matchup looming. As of now, both Wild Card teams are 6-3 in the AFC, compared to the NFC where 5-4 gets you in.

Monday Night Football

Have fun watching this one if you own Joe Flacco, Ray Rice, the Ravens defense, etc. However, other than the Eagles-Redskins game a few weeks ago, there have not been any other bad Monday night games this season.