The NFL’s concussion epidemic is wreaking havoc on this fantasy football season.
Will Cardinals QB Kurt Warner make it back this week? Lingering light post-concussion vision issues prompted him to sit out the Titans game.
Will Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger to be fit to play at his usual high level? He practiced last week, but then sat out the game due to his post-concussion syndrome – a decision that confused WR Hines Ward, along with some fantasy GMs.

After another week of wild ups and downs in the NFL, we must start the discussion with Saints QB Drew Brees. How remarkable is this guy?

He put an exclamation point on his epic statistical season by strafing the once-mighty Patriots defense for five touchdowns on “Monday Night Football.” That was one of the great statement performances in recent memory.

Blockbuster trades have become increasingly rare in the NHL. Teams simply cannot move large-salaried players due to salary cap complications.


As a result, many struggling players are stuck right where they are – getting increasingly stale in their current situations.


A great example is Hurricanes center Eric Staal, who has scored just three goals (with four assists and a minus-7 rating) in 16 games this season.

Quarterback injuries have complicated matter for fantasy GMs this week, especially with three Thursday games to analyze.
Cowboys QB Tony Romo has been hampered by a back injury, which helps explain why Dallas scored just one TD in each of its last two games. WR Roy Williams had no touches in Week 11. Fortunately, Romo won’t have to face the stingy Oakland secondary without TE Jason Witten -- who seems recovered from his sprained foot.

The unpredictability of the NFL keeps fantasy general managers coming back for more. Just when you believe you have it all figured out, remarkable things occur and shake your analytical confidence.
Did anybody really expect Lions QB Matthew Stafford and Browns QB Brady Quinn to pile up massive point totals during the Cleveland-Detroit showdown?
Stafford became the first NFL rookie since 1937 to throw five touchdown passes in one game, rallying the Lions from a 24-3 deficit to a 38-37 victory. He passed for 422 yards.

Broncos QB Kyle Orton is hobbled by a sprained ankle. He couldn’t practice Wednesday, but he said still wanted to play Sunday.

Back-up QB Chris Simms got the reps in his place – which he needed after playing horrendously (3 for 13, 13 yards) in relief of Orton last week. Will Orton play? If he does play, could he be effective on one leg? If Simms plays instead, will he subtract fantasy value from WR Brandon Marshall and his other teammates?

This was an ugly, ugly week for NFL running backs. Many fantasy general managers endured a black armband weekend.
Eagles RB Brian Westbrook suffered his second concussion in three weeks. That blow could finish him for this season and beyond. He has also struggled with ankle and knee injuries that cut into this productivity. Between stints on the injured list, he has just 381 yards from scrimmage this season with just two TDs.

Jonathan Cheechoo once scored 56 goals in a season. No, seriously, he did that for the Sharks – leading the NHL in goal scoring in 2005-06.

But his numbers have gone down since then, to 37, 23 and 12 the next three seasons in San Jose. This season he has one goal in 17 games for the Senators after arriving with Milan Michalek (10 points in 17 games so far) in the disastrous Dany Heatley trade.

Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt upset WR Anquan Boldin – and many fantasy GMs looking to start him – by holding him out of last week’s game.



It appeared that Boldin would play, despite his ankle injury. He got through warm-ups without incident.But Whisenhunt feared Boldin could aggravate that injury playing on soft turf, so he held him out – hoping that the one-week break would get him back to full speed for the stretch run.

If you had members of the Cardinals on your fantasy team, you had to fret about QB Kurt Warner’s six-turnover game in Week 8. Did the former MVP finally realize how old he is and how many miles are on his odometer? Was he finally drifting toward the sunset of his career?


As it turned out, this was not the case. Warner bounced back nicely Sunday, blasting Lovie Smith’s once-proud Bears defense with five touchdown passes.

All the casualties this season forced fantasy general managers to scramble for replacements. Roster openings gave you a chance to shop for the Next New Thing, those young players making a big splash in the early going. You also gobbled up lots of reliable veterans, those middling performers with modest performance ceilings but a history of reassuring steadiness.

But don’t lose track of those potential breakout players who went down with injuries in this young season, causing them to assume lower profiles.

Fantasy general managers are keeping a close watch on the Texans this week. Last Sunday, starting RB Steve Slaton got benched after coughing up his fifth fumble of the season. Ryan Moats finished up the game, rushing for 128 yards and scoring three touchdowns.

So what does Houston coach Gary Kubiak do this week? And should fantasy GMs go “all in” to add Moats to their roster for the second half of the season?