Who will win, step up and get beat down in Week Three of the NFL season...

These fantasy musings and game predictions do not reflect the opinion of FFToolbox.com but just a solo fantasy writer who is thrilled that 30 Rock was back on the ball this week. Tracy Jordan in the Cash Cab equals comedy gold!

As a reminder, email any questions, be it about lineup fantasy decisions, trades, strategy or free agents, to podcast@fftoolbox.com and I will respond before the start of Sunday's action. Also do not forget to check out the weekly FFToolbox.com podcast - hosted by yours truly - every Tuesday or anytime via ITunes.

Home Team in CAPS

Last week: Straight (8-8), Spread (6-10); Overall: Straight (29-19); Spread (25-21-2)

TENNESSEE 27 (-6.5) Denver 17: The Kyle Orton experience will continue to run with great reviews even against a stout Titans defense, but the lack of a running game dooms the Broncos. That and Chris Johnson left, Chris Johnson right and Chris Johnson in the open field…FANTASY ANGLE – Even though the Titans pass defense currently ranks fifth in the NFL, allowing only 178 yards per game, Orton will top 290 yards for the fourth straight game this season.

Baltimore 13 (+2) PITTSBURGH 10: What should be a great NFL game will not exactly provide an explosion of fantasy points. The Ravens defense will not allow Charlie Batch to get away with some of his errant throws the way the Bucs did last week and they lead Baltimore to a key road win…FANTASY ANGLE - Even though you still start Rashard Mendenhall and – if active – Ray Rice, do not count on either stud running back finding the end zone; both teams have allowed only one rushing touchdown on the year, best in the NFL. Anquan Boldin is another must start, though his QB Joe Flacco should be planted on fantasy benches.

Cincinnati 23 CLEVELAND 21 (+3): Former Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer will not need to give back the award, in spite of his putrid play early on, but he should no longer be viewed as a fantasy starter. Frankly, I'd go with the likes of Josh Freeman, Matt Cassel and perhaps Bruce Gradkowski as my QB2 over Palmer. Still, the Browns simply do not have enough offense to put them over the top in this one and the Bengals ground game and defense lead them to the win…FANTASY ANGLE – Most fantasy squads should be covered with a viable fantasy tight end this season, but if you have Visante Shiancoe or Jason Witten on a bye, look to Jermaine Gresham this week. The Bengals rookie led the team last week with 59 yards and the Browns are allowing the third most fantasy points to tight end's this season (this comes per the FFToolbox Matchup Analyzer).

GREEN BAY 38 (-14) Detroit 22: It sure felt like the Packers were going to score a ton more points against a good Bears defense than they actually did Monday night. Against the Lions woeful secondary, the actual results will match the perception as Aaron Rodgers throws for three scores, including the first TD of the year for Jermichael Finley…FANTASY ANGLE – The Packers ground game has been less than exciting since this season, but with an early lead likely, this is a game where both John Kuhn and Brandon Jackson could shine as flex options. Give the slight edge to the fullback Kuhn based on him being first in line for goal line totes.

NEW ORLEANS 27 Carolina 14 (+13.5): The Saints offense has hardly resembled the Super Bowl winning version and now is dealing with injuries to Drew Brees and Pierre Thomas. The lack of crispness in the attack might come back to bite them in the coming weeks, but they are good to go against the Panthers toothless attack…FANTASY ANGLE – The late word is that Ladell Betts will be the starter if Thomas is inactive. Betts might get the start and more snaps over Chris Ivory due to his experience and being the better pass blocker, but Ivory was given ample touches a week ago with Thomas in the lineup. I'm rolling with Ivory at this point.

ATLANTA 28 (-6.5) San Francisco 17: Matt Ryan has no issues on the road last week and Michael Turner looked no worse for wear coming back from injury. Meanwhile the Niners fired their offensive coordinator and look to be another bad result or two away from letting the season get away from them. As the saying goes, don't catch a falling knife, meaning we are taking the dirty birds…FANTASY ANGLE - Tony Gonzalez finally showed up this season with a 100+ yards and a score against the Saints and now faces a Niners defense that has allowed touchdowns to tight ends the past two weeks. Expect more of the same this week. All of your Falcons starters should be active this week.

ST. LOUIS 27 (+1.5) Seattle 24: The two expected NFC West bottom feeders came up with impressive wins a week ago and someone is going to have get the W in this one (well, in theory). Still not ready to buy in Pete Carroll's crew and while the likely absence of Steven Jackson puts a damper on the Rams chances, I'm rolling with the home team…FANTASY ANGLE – This will be one of the higher scoring games this week – if not the season – that will have so few players in actual fantasy lineups. Justin Forsett, John Carlson and Matt Hasselbeck (bye week option) are the best options on Seattle while Danny Amendola is a sneaky PPR WR3 play. RB Kenneth Darby does not excite me even with Jackson out.

NY Jets 27 (-5) BUFFALO 17: Darrelle Revis has been ruled out of this game with a lingering left hamstring injury, but the Bills passing game will still not come close to putting a scare into the Jets defense. That's all you need to know about this game, Jets easy…FANTASY ANGLE - LaDainian Tomlinson is the Jets back to own right now, but both he and Shonn Greene will be in line for solid fantasy numbers against a Bills defense that is allowing 141 yards per game. They have also given up five touchdowns on the ground, tying them with the Lions for most in the league.

Indianapolis 35 (-7) JACKSONVILLE 17: The Jaguars secondary has already allowed seven TDP this season and now the Colts aerial assault comes to town. This one normally is a division battle, but Indy turns it into a laugher, or at least makes it non-competitive after halftime…FANTASY ANGLE - As the Colts deal with injuries to their running backs and receivers, others get to shine and since anyone that plays with Peyton Manning has a shot to be a playa, you have to take notice. That means receiver Blair White, who scored a touchdown last week, is a WR3 sleeper in deeper leagues. The sleeper tag also can apply to backup runner Mike Hart now that Joseph Addai (knee) is listed as questionable and Donald Brown (hamstring) is iffy at best to play.

Houston 28 OAKLAND 27 (+3.5): The Texans offense will be limping into the Bay Area with both Andre Johnson (ankle) and Owen Daniels (hamstring) looking like game-time decisions while their defense is 31st in the league against the pass. Good for them that Arian Foster continues to run well and now gets to do so against a Raiders defense that is allowing 133 rush yards per game…FANTASY ANGLE – Bruce Gradkowski has been aggressive in the passing game and with the Texans giving up yards but the boat load, he makes a for sneaky fantasy start this week. Louis Murphy should be the prime beneficiary now that his clavicle injury is not expected to keep him out of the lineup.

SAN DIEGO 30 Arizona 23 (+8): Who said Philip Rivers' fantasy numbers would pale in comparison to his previous season totals without Vincent Jackson and Marcus McNeil? Not me, that's for sure. Through three games, the Chargers emotional passer stands third in scoring among fantasy quarterbacks. What should have been clear before now is officially; Rivers makes his receivers, not the other way around. Look for 275+ yards and two scores against the Cardinals, who will have a harder time keeping up without receivers Steve Breaston (knee) and Early Doucet (groin)…FANTASY ANGLE - After practicing on Friday, Ryan Mathews (ankle) is looking like he will return to action this week. Though there is a risk of a re-injury and Mike Tolbert remains in place to snag some goal line looks, Mathews is at least a RB2 play, on paper at least. Afterall, the Cards are 31st against the run, allowing 146 yards per game. Let's just hope the rookie doesn't fumble the ball away like he did once in each of his first two games.

PHILADELPHIA 24 Washington 23 (+6.5): The return of Donovan McNabb is the major story line in this one, but the inspired play of Michael Vick has threatened to steal some of the attention. Both are clearly QB1 options this week and both deliever, but the difference in the game is that even though the Redskins defense will play better than their current dead last ranking would suggest, Vick has the more explosive weapons. By far…FANTASY ANGLE – Whether Ryan Torain is the answer to the Redskins ground game woes or not, look for this to be the week that we get to find out. Mike Shanahan said on Monday that the plan in week three was to use Torain more, but that the game circumstances prevented the Redskins from running much at all in the second half. Even though Torain and Clinton Portis each received seven carries, Shanahan said the discrepancy in carries would have been much more pronounced at the game been closer. The risk is high for this week, but I'd roll with Torain over Portis this week.

NY GIANTS 24 (-3.5) Chicago 20: This may not be a circle the wagons type moment, but the Giants are desperate for a win. With the Bears coming off an emotional Monday night win, the Giants urgency - and their passing game - fuels the win and the cover...FANTASY ANGLE – Greg Olsen has scored two weeks in a row and caught five passes for 64 yards against the Packers in the Monday night win. Look for more of the same against a Giants defense allowing over 10 fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends.

MIAMI 34 (+1.5) New England 31: Perhaps I am a little slow coming to this realization, but after seeing the Patriots give up 30 points to a usually punch-less Bills attack, it is clear the Super Bowl winning defense is clearly a thing of the past. Considering the Dolphins always seem to show a wrinkle or two against their division nemesis, I look for the Ronnie Brown-Ricky Williams combo to have their best game on the season. ..FANTASY ANGLE – Per ESPN.com's Tim Graham, the Dolphins are on pace to allow opposing tight end's 69 receptions for 1,099 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. Ouch. Rookie Aaron Hernandez has already shown to be a factor for the Pats and Tom Brady will be looking for him plenty against this defense.

Survivor Picks: These are my personal picks each week for my various (cough, cough) pools
***The only rule that I follow almost religiously involves taking home teams. Most of the upsets occur when the favorite goes on the road, so other than in scenarios where I have no other options or say the Colts are at the Rams, I am taking home favs.

Week 4 – Green Bay: Looking at the home game factor, this is clearly the Packers best remaining option at Lambeau unless the Niners continue to be brutal. Thus they get the nod over the Saints, who still have home dates against the Browns, Seahawks, Rams and Bucs on the schedule. The Chargers are also decent play if you still have them available.
Week 3 - New England
Week 2 – Dallas, San Diego.
Week 1 - Tennessee, NY Giants

What's up fellow Fantasy Football Fanatics...since I will be out at Redskins Park on Monday and won't have time to post my Monday observations report, I thought I'd go with a all-day blog post. Chime in with email's (podcast@fftoolbox.com), tweets (@benstandig) or comments at the bottom of this post...

4:01 - Queried before as to why Jahvid Best has posted scant numbers. Well it turns out he has been out much of the second half with a toe injury. Doesn't sound serious, but Maurice Morris is surely going to be a name to watch this week...OK, Redskins-Rams about to start and I'm going to go focus there for now. Will be back later with updates and thoughts about this high-scoring week three...

3:53 - BenJarvus Green-Ellis was a waiver wire name mentioned on the podcast this week and right now is just at 94 yards and a TD while Fred Taylor has six carries for 16 yards. The Law Firm will be owned in all leagues after this week...a deep league fantasy RB to ponder this week; LeGarrette Blount scored a TD and at this point leads the Bucs with 27 rush yards on six carries. Haven't watched much of this game and the Bucs got rolled, but Blount has a punchers chance of getting serious run going forward. Not a fan of Cadillac so wouldn't be a shocker to me if at some point the Bucs let youth be served...

3:42 - Moments after a 40+ yard run put him over the century mark, Chris Johnson scampered in from eight yards around the left end for his second score of the game. With the game almost over, CJ has a 32-125-2 stat line (no catches). Beastly.

3:37- Any hope of a Panthers win ended when Jonathan Stewart fumbled and the Bengals quickly turned that into a Palmer-to-Benson scoring pass. "Daily Show" has a score, but eight carries for 13 yards and should be planted on fantasy benhces until further notice...

3:33 - Romo and Roy Williams hook up again, this time it goes for 63 yards when the defender fell down covering a short slant. Even though I went for the Texans this week when the line dipped under three, it seemed like the Cowboys were destined to win this game. Couldn't go 0-3, no matter how much we wanted it...

3:28 - I haven't seen Jahvid Best on the RedZone channel since the first quarter. That can't be a good sign. Nine touches, 39 yards..TD Roddy White on a great pass to the corner of the end zone by Ryan. Perfect timing between those two. White had only two fantasy points when that drive began, now up to 12...

3:26 - Flacco to Boldin, count it. This one was a perfectly thrown lob down the field over the secondary. Three scores for that combo. And I was sooo trying to trade for Boldin in one league this week. Oh well...

3:23 - Another 4pm roster update; Addai is active...now that we are into the 4th, its time to start rooting for favorites to lose for my Survivor pool. I have the Pats which is looking better, but still within one score. Lots of folks have the Ravens so go Brownies!!!

3:17 - Tony Moeaki, wow. Dude made a silly back of the end zone grab. Two scores on the season. And the Chiefs, up 24-3. What is more shocking, Chiefs 3-0 or Niners 0-3? I'll say the former; you could talk me into Alex Smith bringing the Niners down, but no way did i see the Chiefs being undefeated.

3:10 - Roster updates for 4pm games; Beanie Wells, Clinton Portis are active. Laurent Robinson is out. Also Braylon Edwards is reportedly going to get a one play punishment for his DUI. Weak Rex, weak. Another note in Redskins game, rookie LT Trent Williams is also inactive...

3:03 - Andre Johnson is back, whew. Too bad Schaub badly overthrew him and right into the arms of Cowboys corner Mike Jenkins. That turnover led to a Roy Williams score, 17-3 Dallas. Schaub right now is 11-17, 112 yards, one pick. This would be two weeks out of three with scant fantasy production. Not worried, just saying...

2:57 - in my "advanced" league, was trying to get a receiver upgrade since my core of Maclin, Bowe, Celek and Tony Gonzalez was brutal for the most part. Now Gonzo has 99 yards and a score, and Bow just hauled in a long TD off a gadget play. Was told all week no interest in these guys, especially Gonzo. Just goes to show you that you can't let what just happened dictate your look-ahead thoughts; Gonzo was a legit top-7 TE three weeks ago so why folks non-producing donkey's wouldn't be interested is beyond me. Then again, I was the one looking to make a move...Yes, this game drives me crazy.

2:54 - Interesting note in the 4pm games; Redskins punter Josh Bidwell apparently pulled up lame during warmups so rookie kicker Graham Gano is gearing up to pull double duty. Bidwell also the holder so Gano's day is looking a lot more complicated than it did yesterday when a certain someone picked him up to use against the lowly Rams.

2:51 - After the Pats score, Spiller runs the following kickoff all the way back for a score, Bills down 24-23. Owners in non-return yards leagues will get excited when they see the score and then get bitter when they see it was on teams...After Clausen throws incomplete in the end zone, Jonathan Stewart sneaks in from the one, Panthers down 10-7...

2:46 - Back to New Orleans where the Saints go for it on 4th-and-one at the Falcons 32 and Chris Ivory is stuffed...Wait, Chris Ivory is stuffed? And he has four carries to Pierre Thomas' five? Seriously, Sean Payton is the most maddening coach when it comes to fantasy backs. You never know what Bill Belicheck will do, but the Pats coach doesn't have a stud like Thomas either...A Kenny Britt sighting! The former Rutgers star gets a score at the Meadowlands. Dude has crazy talent, but the 'tude has been the issue. Well, that and the Titans don't throw a ton, but this will put him back on the waiver wire reports this week...

2:43 - Had to cut that stat update short with the vision of Andre Johnson lying on the ground in pain. Covered the Texans locker room last week and he was walking gingerly afterwards, but toughed it out. As a Schaub owner, breathlessly awaiting this update...Randy Moss strikes again, this time with a rare catch in traffic. Looks like the Pats offense has it clicking now...

2:35 - Since most of the games are at halftime, good time to do a quick fantasy look-around...

NYG-Ten; Eli Manning is 17-20 for 188 yards, but two of his misses have gone to the Titans. Chris Johnson has a TD, but a pedestrian 54 yards on 17 carries. Bradshaw 57 total yards and a TD...

Cin-Car; Carson Palmer is a brutal 10-24, 116, 2int, but the Bengals are up 10-0 because Jimmy Clausen is 1-5, 14 and one pick in his NFL debut. Steve Smith owners are linging for the good old days of Jake Delhomme right about now...

Pit-TB; Mike Wallace is getting the bulk of Batch's production, 3-100-2. Mendenhall is 9-40-1.One ray of sunshine for Bucs is rookie receiver Mike Williams, who has 4-53. Steeleers up 28-6 at half.

Buf-NE; Pats get last second field goal for a 17-16 lead in a surprisingly tight first half. Moss and backup RB Danny Woodhead have the Pats scores. Woodhead is clearly another candidate to pick up Kevin Faulk snaps, though his fantasy value remains limited for now. Aaron Hernandez 3-52.

Cle-Bal; already into third quater where Boldin just had another big gain and is already at 6-102-2. Hillis is over 100 total yards and has scored while Ray Rice has 56 yards on nine carries, 12 yards on three grabs.

2:20 - I would have been laughing so hard if any of my opponents had gone with Batch this week that peeing in the pants would have been on the potential menu for the day so I can't even imagine how bitter I'd be now that the Steelers fourth-string QB has thrown for three TDP and 177 yards in the first half. Last time he threw that many scores in a game? Opening week of the 2006 season.

2:17 - Turner pounds it home, 14-all. On the positive side, Turner is dominating Jason Snelling with touches (19-3) and has a score. On the other hand, he is averaging just over two yards a carry and 47 total yards...

2:10 - Adrian Peterson scores a shorty for Vikes, Hillis the same for the Browns (first TD allowed by the Ravens this season). Michael Turner is trying to join the fun, but got stopped at the one then gets horse collared. The refs call it, 1st and goal at the one. And...into the pile for nothing. Brian Billick called for a play-action pass on first down and I bet he gets it here.

2:05 - Only parts of Cle-Bal game I've seen has been the Boldin scores so I am downright giddy to see that Peyton Hillis is running all over the Ravens vaunted run defense to the tune of 10-71. Oh wait, he is leading the Browns w/ five receptions totaling 27 yards, the last grap getting the added battering ram finish. Love watching this guy. Also a James Davis sighting with Jerome Harrison inactive. At this point I think it will take a lot for Jerome to back into the mix, at least in terms of fantasy viability while Hillis is knocking on the RB@ door step...

1:58 - My Survivor pick is struggling early as the Pats are about to fall behind the Bills - THE BILLS...and there it is, a swing pass to C.J. Spiller for his first NFL score. Not sure I understand what is going on with the Pats. Maybe the killer instinct is gone, but no way should they be close with this team, let alone trailing minutes before halftime. Someone find a padded room for Bill Simmons, just in case...Mike Wallace does it again, this time catching a deflected pass in the end zone for another loooong score and the Steelers are cruising 21-6 against the Bucs...Marion Barber introduces himself to the end zone for the first time this season. Cowboys 7-3.

1:55 - Anquan Boldin gets another score. I don't think anyone will be fretting about the Ravens passing game after this week...

1:51 - What is with these QB's fliiping the ball like a shortstop tossing it to the second baseman for the putout. First Eli, now Brees with an incredibly poor decision that also gets picked off. Rarely see Brees make that kind of gaffe...Dez Bryant makes a silly leaping catch on a deep ball at the end zone, but the pass forced him to drift out of bounds. Then he comes back with a physical grab over the middle. Scary talent. Also scary that the Cowboys-Texans game is 3-0 late in 2Q. Where are all the points we were promised!!!...1:47 - Moments after Chris Johnson powered his way in for a short score, Rashard Mendenhall slams his way into the end zone. Obviously everyone likes CJ, but I liked Mendenhaall a lot this year and its impressive he's been able to do anything with little help from his QBs and injuries along the oline...Dexter McCluster, the Percy Harvin of this rookie class - was scary explosive taking a pass in the flat 3 yards for a score. It will take a little time for him to be fantasy viable, but defenses MUST account for him when he is on the field. Huge mismatch against linebackers.

1:45 - If its possible, Palmer's second pick was waaaaaaaay worse than the first one Seriosuly folks, why are using him. Move away from the the Bengals #9 jersey...Favre to Harvin! Have Harvin in "injustry" and at the Favre "sleeper" pick stays alive...

1:39 - Drew Brees is insanley accurate. So much so that I'd rather him pick games instead of some random monkey or octopus no matter how cutre people think that is...oh, Brees and Lance Moore connected for an 80-yard TD, which was about a 25-yard slant and a 55-yard run. Saints 14-7.

1:35 - Brett Favre throws his fifth pick of the season. Didn't see what happened, but a defensive lineman caught it. My sleeper pick of the week, not off to a good start (by the way, here are the other "sleeper" picks; Evan Silva from Rotoworld took Redskins RB Keiland Williams. Brian Murphy took Lee Evans and George Bissell took Fred Jackson. Some off-the-wall calls for sure, but hey, that's what sleepers are all about. The first two weeks (Peyton Hillis, Kyle Orton) worked so let's see if Favre can rally and keep my streak going...

1:26 - Lots of early scoring as now Anquan Boldin (from Flacco) gets on the board. Sweet over the top pass from Flacco...Cedric Benson just benefitted from a PI in the end zone and bounced to the outside for TD. I still am waiting to cash my Bernard Scott lottery ticket so this won't help.

1:22 - All the owners that sad Mike Wallace are bitter after him seeing catch that long bomb for a TD from Charlie Batch. Didn't know CB could still throw that far...nobody sat Randy Moss, who just scored. Its a "name your final number" kind of game for the Pats, so expect more, much more from Tom Brady and friends (speaking of the Pats, heard Tim Hasselbeck this morning talking about Julian Edelman as a possible Kevin Faulk replacement down the line. Interesting...)

1:19 - Tony Gonzalez lives! Wasn't quite sure after that horrid start, but he just hauled in a 34-yard pass and then a 13-yard TD catch! He had five points on the season; got 10 on that drive alone...Eli, what was that. Even Brett Favre and Tony Romo can't believe you were so carless with that sideways flip into traffice in the end zone. Ouch.

1:11 - and the first TD of the goes to Jeremy Shockey on a short pass from Drew Brees. Considering Shockey is always overvalued, I would talk him up all day to my friends that need a TE and then ship him off this week. Love the early scores that will get shown over and over and over again for this reason!

1:09 - and Jimmy Clausen fumbles the third snap of his career to give the Bengals the ball right back. Obviously you can't count on the former Golden Domer this week or likely this season, but I was higher on Clausen then apparently the NFL minds were. And trust me, I do not root for Notre Dame. I like his moxie and you want your QB to have attitude (after dealing with Jason Campbell's lukewarm vibe, trust me, you want some spunk)

1:06 - three early picks, the worst coming from Carson Palmer who missed his target by five yards. Not sure why folks are still buying Palmer has fantasy starter; he can win games, but only as a Trent Dilfer type effort (i.e. no mistakes, but no aggression)

12:33 - Thank god for the RedZone Channel since the only 1pm game here is Cle-Bal. That one will be Darryl Talley ugly. 4pm, Skins-Rams and Colts-Broncos, then the SNF game NYJ-Mia. Other than Graham Gano and NYJ defense, I don;t have anyone going in any of those games. Again, thank you RedZone channel.

Otherwise, did the egg/pancake thing this morning with some out-of-town relatives so belly is full. Alas I have no midday snack option other than popcorn (that kind of error is equivalent of Andy Reid's poor end of game clock management. No excuses).

Obviously every game and most viable fantasy options have interest, but in general here are the guys I am most focused on, at least at 1pm:

***oh, first let me say that like you out there, I have multiple leagues and while I try not to talk about my teams on the podcast, some of that talk will leak out today. Basically I have four leagues; the venerable (started in 1993, defending champ, the former office (defending champ) the advanced (smart setup, but I'm 0-2) and the industry (league with other fantasy writers). Let me know which players we are bonding over and where we are on the other sides of fence...

QB: Brett Favre; he was my Podcast "sleeper" pick this week abd its now or never. If he doesn't light up the Lions, its likely pull the rip cord time...For - Rodgers, Schaub, Vick(2); Against Vick, Ryan (2), Flacco,

RB: Michael Turner (advanced); anytime your guy leaves in-game it is always a blow, especially when the backup comes in and puts up insane stats like Jason Snelling did last week. Barring a blowout loss, I will be very disappointed if Turner doesn't get 20+ touches...For - Best/McFadden, C. Johnson/P.Thomas, Turner/Hightower, Thomas/Mendenhall/Bradshaw...Against - Turner, McCoy, Rice (2), MJD, Forte, D. Williams

WR/TE: For - White/Nicks/Finley, Jennings/S.Smith (Car)/Finley, Maclin/Bowe/Celek/Gonzalez); Against - Jennings (2), Austin, Colston, Fitzgerald, Bryant

OK, let's do this!!!

Who will win, step up and get beat down in Week Three of the NFL season...

These fantasy musings and game predictions do not reflect the opinion of FFToolbox.com but just a solo fantasy writer with too much time on his hand now that he now officially will not be a judge on American Idol.

As a reminder, email any questions, be it about lineup fantasy decisions, trades, strategy or free agents, to podcast@fftoolbox.com and I will respond before the start of Sunday's action. Also do not forget to check out the Tuesday AND Thursday FFToolbox.com podcasts- hosted by yours truly - or anytime via ITunes.

Home Team in CAPS

Last week: Straight (8-8), Spread (8-7-1)

Overall: Straight (21-11); Spread (19-11-2)

NY GIANTS 21 Tennessee 20 (+3): Wanted to initially pick the Giants to cover, but I think this Titans team is pretty tough across the board and Chris Johnson needs to get back on track. Still, Eli to Nicks once again rules the day.

NEW ENGLAND 38 (-14) Buffalo 17: Bad enough the Bills felt compelled to go to Ryan Fitzpatrick already (seriously, why bother giving Trent Edwards the reps in preseason if you bail on him so soon?), but they also have to face a Patriots team coming of a beat down to the Jets. This will be a name your number game for Tom Brady and the offense. Randy Moss, Aaron Hernandez, Rob Gronkowski score through the air, BenJarvus Green-Ellis on the ground and rookie Devin McCourty takes a pick back to the house.

BALTIMORE 27 (-10.5) Cleveland 10: Similar to the game above, the better team is coming off a loss and now faces a team with a backup QB. Ray Rice finds the end zone for the first time and Joe Flacco's 16-21, 210 yards, one TD, zero INT day silences the NFL doubters.

Pittsburgh 20 (-3) TAMPA BAY 13: The MVP of the season so far is arguably the entire Steelers defense and their argument gets stronger after they lead the black and gold to another win even with Charlie Batch at QB and the offensive line battered. Hines Ward and Mike Wallace owners don't care; they just want Big Ben back already.

Cincinnati 23 (-3) CAROLINA 14: Carson Palmer has looked so blah for most of the first two games and at times he looks to be the second worst QB in this game despite Jimmy Clausen making his NFL debut. Still, the kid makes enough mistakes and Bengals defense picks off another three passes to set the offense up with short field after short field.

NEW ORLEANS 24 (-3) Atlanta 17: How can the Saints be undefeated with their offense looking as pedestrian as they have? Not quite sure, but they get it done again with a heavy dose of Pierre Thomas. On the other side, Matt Ryan once again completes less than half his throws in the Superdome and the Saints snatch two of his errant tosses.

KANSAS CITY 22 (+3) San Francisco 20: The Niners run defense once again looks rather stout, especially up the middle. That's why Jamaal Charles is the Chiefs back to own this week as he picks up 125+ yards overall and scores from 35+ yards out. Even at 0-3, Niners still favorite to win the pathetic NFC West.

MINNESOTA 31 Detroit 24 (+12.5): Brett Favre is my fantasy "sleeper" pick of the week, simply because 1) he won't go away, no matter how much I wish he would and 2) the Lions can't cover anyone. Still, Detroit's offense has shown that they can score and thus they get a late score to cover.

HOUSTON 27 (-2.5) Dallas 24: With the Texans coming off two big and emotional wins and the Cowboys desperate to get their first, this game screams "upset", but Houston surely wants to knock off their in-state foe. Both passing games will be in high gear, but Matt Schaub simply makes plays down the stretch that Tony Romo will not.

Washington 24 (-3.5) ST. LOUIS 16: Chris Russell from ESPN980 in Washington reported his sources said that Albert Haynesworth apparently looked beastly in practice at the end of the week. Ron Jaworski said Donovan McNabb played the best game of his NFL or college career last week. The Redskins blew a 27-10 last week. Put all of that together and factor in the Rams rookie QB and this game has a Washington win and cover written all over it.

JACKSONVILLE 27 (+3) Philadelphia 24: The Jaguars play better at home and the Eagles defense has been less than stellar this year. So even though Michael Vick has another strong fantasy day, but Garrard throws for three scores, one each to MJD, Mike Thomas and Mike Sims-Walker.

Indianapolis 34 (-6) DENVER 24: Still scratching my head why some folks were thinking the Colts were going to fall to 0-2 last week. Even if Champ Bailey can play for the Broncos, their defense will not be able to slow down Peyton Manning and the passing game. No Pierre Garcon means a lot of Austin Collie. On the other side, Kyle Orton throws for over 290 yards for the third straight game. Correll Buckhalter is worth adding if desperate following the news that Knowshon Moreno is out, but I would rather have (gulp) Laurence Maroney long term.

San Diego 28 (-4.5) SEATTLE 20: September has been the worst month for the Chargers under Norv Turner, but that trend is trumped when the opposition lacks a formidable offense. Philip Rivers has a field day against a secondary that continues to give up pick chunks of yards through the air and Mike Tolbert's second straight two-TD game makes the phrase "running back controversy" a trending topic in Southern California.

ARIZONA 17 Oakland 16 (+4.5): Derek Anderson vs. Brad Gradkowski, yeesh. Expect both teams to rely on the ground games, meaning Darren McFadden (as RB2 even if Michael Bush is active) and Tim Hightower (at least a flex and more if Beanie Wells is limited or out ) should post solid numbers. Speaking of McFadden, unless he has some kind of setback here, expect him to have no less than a 70-30 share of the carries going forward.

MIAMI 16 (-2.5) NY Jets 13: All the preseason AFC East talk focused on the publicity seeking Jets or the been there done that Patriots, but it will be the Dolphins standing alone with a 3-0 mark when this game is done. One week after looking like a stud, Mark Sanchez is closer to dud against the Dolphins underrated defense.

Green Bay 30 (-3) CHICAGO 23: Both teams are dealing with injuries along the offensive line, but the Packers defense will take greater advantage of the situation with the red-hot sacker Clay Matthews. Jay Cutler will have his moments, but that pass rush will force him into mistakes while Aaron Rodgers makes very few and throws for three scores.

Survivor Picks: These are my personal picks each week for my various (cough, cough) pools

***The only rule that I follow almost religiously involves taking home teams. Most of the upsets occur when the favorite goes on the road, so other than in scenarios where I have no other options or say the Colts are at the Rams, I am taking home favs.

Week 3 - New England...bad enough to lose a Survivor pick, but even worse when you do it taking a team you loathe to root for. Serves me right taking the Cowboys. This week we go with the Patriots as they have face the lowly Bills and also do not have what appears to be an easy home game the rest of the season. Baltimore is also a fine play if you have already used the Pats and the Vikings should win, but I do not trust them right now.

Week 2 – Dallas, San Diego.

Week 1 - Tennessee, NY Giants