During NBA playing days, all-star Gary Payton developed a knack for getting under the skin on his opponents. That skill carries over to other ventures, like the celebrity draft he hosted at the World Championship of Fantasy Football at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. This event, staged to benefit charity, brought an assortment of former athletes, sports media personalities and entertainers to the table.

Once again, the NFL’s preseason – as limited as it is – ended with a massive casualty list.

Several injured players are still hoping to play in Week 1, but fantasy general managers will have to keep a close eye on these guys.

Once the Obama Administration gets done fixing our health care system and brokering world peace, perhaps it could tackle the irksome RB-by-committee trend in the NFL. More teams are going with a group of running backs rather than riding a feature back until he drops. Just look at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Pro Football Talk noted that the team established Carnell “Cadillac” Williams as his starting running back.

The NFL’s annual final cut weekend generated the usual amount of news as real-life general managers adjusted their rosters. In Pittsburgh, the Steelers hung on to disappointing power back Rashard Mendenhall. He made some strides late in the preseason, but coach Mike Tomlin is still looking for more. So when the season starts, Mendenhall will fill the third back role behind starter Willie Parker and passing down specialist Mewelde Moore.

There has been some shuffling at this position, especially in the middle of the rankings. Brandon Marshall hurt his stock by throwing his fit in Denver and Michael Crabtree tanked his stock with his preseason-long holdout. Here is the update at wide receiver:

The high-end running backs have gotten through this preseason in one piece, so we haven't seen much shuffling at the top of most draft boards. Here is an update on to-ranked RBs:

As the NFL season nears, we haven't seen much shifting atop the quarterback fantasy rankings. Here is how they shape up after three weeks of preseason play:

Michael Vick made his much-publicized NFL return for the Eagles, filling in at quarterback, lining up at wide receiver and generally flashing his versatility for fantasy general managers. How will Philadelphia use him? Could his occasional use as a “Wildcat” make much of an impact? Will he have any real statistical value if Eagles QB Donovan McNabb remains healthy? And, of course, when will NFL commissioner Roger Goodell let him play?

After another week of preseason play, a number of developments caused shuffling on fantasy draft boards. The headline news, of course, was Brett Favre making his Vikings debut. The team rushed him onto the field with limited preparation and it showed. He looked as lost as you would expect him to look after skipping training camp. What does Favre have left? Is his surgically repaired arm better now? Can he really play with a slight rotator cuff tear? Can he really restart his engine at this advanced age?

The first week of the NFL preseason brought lots of news, headlined by the successful return of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. Has the perennial fantasy hero made a full comeback from major knee surgery? Earlier indications are very positive. He completed 10 of 15 passes for 100 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.

This has already been a difficult summer for wide receivers. Tampa Bay sent Antonio Bryant in for repairs, knocking out of the rest of this preseason. Bryant caught 83 passes for 1,248 yards and seven TDs last season after missing the 2007 campaign. That was an epic breakthrough, a transformational performance for thousands of WR-starved fantasy teams. He suffered a left knee injury last December, though, and lingering meniscus problems prompted the club to shut him down.

We’re just a few days into training camps and already we have some newsy developments to digest.