Fantasy & Reality: Pulling the second string

We go nine weeks without many injuries impacting Fantasy studs, then we get bombarded with ankle sprains, strained hips, Lisfranc fractures and concussions.

Just in time to watch the trading deadline pass in most leagues. Wicked sense of humor the Fantasy gods have.

Week 11 was all about the second stringers, be it legitimate second-string players putting up solid stats or the second-stringers riding our benches in Fantasy play. Granted, a fair share of studs also did well, but it's the fill-in and should've-started types that we'll be buzzing about after this week, especially with another round of injuries potentially sidelining some quality stars.

Let's start with last week's trio of waiver wire running backs, Jason Snelling, Justin Forsett and Bernard Scott. Not only did all three put up good games in Week 11, but if given the chance to keep playing they could take some touches away from the running backs they're starting in place of. This is to be expected with Forsett, who was totally ineffective on the ground (nine carries, 9 yards, touchdown) but contributed plenty through the air (eight catches, 80 yards). He's going to eventually overtake Julius Jones. But Snelling (89 total yards and two touchdowns through the guts of the Giants defense) and Scott (119 yards on 21 carries with another 32 yards on three catches) really opened some eyes. Granted, both run behind solid offensive lines and in the case of Scott didn't have a tough matchup. But it could be assumed that once Michael Turner and Cedric Benson get healthy, both will chip in up to 10 touches per week. That's not great news for those owners who already had to play Week 11 without Turner and Benson.

And get this -- Forsett, Snelling and Scott, if they start in Week 12, all have incredible matchups: Forsett at St. Louis, Snelling at home vs. Tampa Bay and Scott at home in the Buckeye battle with the Browns. They're all going to have a great shot to match or exceed their Week 11 totals, and because the matchups are cake it could be assumed that their respective head coaches will be comfortable running them out there while not exposing their starters to a potential injury aggravation.

Stunningly, these guys are owned in less than 80 percent of CBSSports.com leagues. You might luck out and find one or more of them on the waiver wire.

The only other waiver wire running back from last week was Ladell Betts, who tore several knee ligaments against the Cowboys on Sunday. So guess what? Rock Cartwright (140 total yards at Dallas) will be this week's hot commodity off the waiver wire, especially for those owners desperate for a running back, since he'll be the Redskins' likely starter with Clinton Portis and Betts now sidelined.

Moving on, chances are you had a guy on your bench that blew up on Sunday. And, chances are it was someone you more of less penciled in as a benchwarmer for the next couple of weeks because they had failed to help your team. Again, great timing by these guys as now we're all going to second guess whether or not to start them in the coming weeks. Here's a glimpse at guys who were benched in at least half of the leagues they were owned in this Sunday, but probably won't be come next week:

With lineup decisions more crucial than ever because we're close to the Fantasy postseason, the last thing we need to do is second guess. Are any of these guys reliable going forward?

Let's start with the Chiefs players, who both saw their weeks made on single plays -- Chambers on a 61-yard catch to set up the game-winning field goal in overtime and Charles on a short shovel pass for a touchdown that the Steelers weren't prepared for. A grain of salt should be taken when considering those guys going forward, although there's no reason to believe they'll struggle at San Diego next week. Burleson was targeted eight times against Vikings cornerback Karl Paymah, catching his six passes and re-energizing his Fantasy value. He's got St. Louis next week. And Meachem has been a touchdown magnet over the last three weeks: Eight catches, four touchdowns.

But for everyone else, the truth is that they all took advantage of their matchups. Yes, this means you're going to hear my favorite Fantasy mantra once again, but it rings true: It's all about the matchups. Granted, that's the reason why you sat guys like Charles, Chambers and Burleson in Week 11, but the rest of the guys had pretty good matchups, most notably Owens against the Jaguars, Massaquoi against the Lions and the Giants' trio against the Falcons.

And it's with that same train of thought that you can't risk starting any of these players without a favorable matchup. A lot of people will be ramped up to start Manning, Manningham and Boss in Week 12 at the Broncos, but Denver's secondary hasn't trailed off like its run defense has and could keep them in check. On the flip side, T.O. has the Dolphins at home, which gives him a shot at some good yardage, and Jennings will play at Detroit in four days. He should continue to be very effective.

Just because these guys blew up on your bench doesn't necessarily mean you play them next week in place of a disappointing starter. Remember, the decision to make a player a starter in the first place was based on how he had been playing, just like the decision to bench a player was based on how he had been playing. Going forward, be sure to factor in the matchups -- from the strength of a team's offensive line all the way down to the weather conditions and such. It's a key to success in Fantasy.

Fantasy & Reality

Quick observations about the misconceptions (Fantasy) and truths (Reality) during the week's action.

Fantasy: It's 2009. You've all been tricked into thinking that we're in 2009. Actually, we're in 2003. How else can you explain humongous stats for Ricky Williams, Brett Favre, Terrell Owens and LaDainian Tomlinson in Week 11?

I hate to go on and on about Favre because, well, everyone else does, but you have to give him credit for playing way above expectations this season. His arm looks great, he's making the most out of all of his receivers, and he's on pace to finish with a career-best six interceptions (he has three so far vs. 21 touchdowns -- one fewer than his entire 2008 total. Love him or hate him, you've got to admit that he's the reason why the Vikings are playoff bound, not so much Adrian Peterson.

Reality: The Broncos are toast. I remember sitting in my editor's office when the Broncos were 6-0 and he boldly stated "They're going nowhere." Four straight losses, all by at least 10 points, with three offensive touchdowns in those games, and who can argue that they're not falling apart? Moreover, we felt the Kyle Orton ankle plague last year and saw his stats dive. It's happening again this season. The Broncos only have two decent matchups left this season, both with the Chiefs, and once in Week 17. It's going to get ugly there, especially for Knowshon Moreno and Brandon Marshall's Fantasy owners.

Fantasy: Joe Flacco is a No. 1 Fantasy quarterback. What a fall from grace for Flacco, who went from averaging 279 yards and nearly two touchdowns per game over his first six contests to 195 yards per game over his last four with one touchdown total. It's not the matchups with him as he struggled against the Browns and Colts secondaries. With matchups next with the Steelers and the Packers, there's not much hope for a turnaround until Week 14 vs. the Lions.

Reality: Miles Austin has come back to earth -- and so have the Cowboys. We're all getting a lesson in Football 101 here: Austin has scored in five of the Cowboys' seven wins, including the four games where he broke out and emerged as a top target and their Week 1 win over the Buccaneers. But he's gone scoreless in his last two, and frankly he's been more of a decoy than anything else as he has gotten off to a slow start in his last three games. Additionally, Tony Romo hurt his back last week and won't be at 100 percent for the Cowboys' Week 12 game on Thursday. And while the Raiders are coming for Thanksgiving dinner, chances are that Dallas will run, not throw, to beat them. This might not be the best time to count on Austin as a must-start.

Strategy Session

Will anyone who played big in the Browns-Lions throwdown have solid value going forward?

The best aspect of that game was Calvin Johnson playing like the beast we've come to know him as, grabbing seven passes for a career-best 161 yards and a touchdown. There aren't any more worries about not being on the same page with Matthew Stafford but hopefully he can get on the same page as Daunte Culpepper since all signs point to him starting for the Lions against the Packers on Thursday (Stafford has a serious shoulder injury). That is, if Johnson plays as he's dealing with knee and hand issues. We might be without him another week, but at least he's bouncing back from early season doldrums.

But there are more Lions worth your time. Kevin Smith redeemed himself after a slow 2009 with 149 total yards and a touchdown, easily his best game of the season. And tight end Brandon Pettigrew has earned his spot as a matchup nightmare for opposing secondaries. In time, he'll prove to be a lot like Vernon Davis, but hopefully not as long as it took Davis to be a strong Fantasy option.

Detroit's schedule is fairly challenging for the rest of the season, especially in the case of Smith. If you can still make trades, the time to dump him is right now. If you can't, then play the matchups with him since he still has dates with the Packers, Bengals, Ravens and Cardinals -- in that order over the next four weeks.

Now, for me, evaluating Browns players is like evaluating VCRs: Sure, they can do something for you, but would you really ever use one? OK, bad example for those of us who still use VCRs (would cassette players be more acceptable? How about typewriters?).

But that said, is there a place for Mohamed Massaquoi? What about Brady Quinn?

There is a place. The bench.

Massaquoi had his second 100-yard game of the season against Detroit and will take on the team he had his first 100-yard game against in Week 12, the Bengals. But consider Massaquoi's five games in-between his 100-yard performances: no touchdowns and four games with 30 or fewer yards. Let's just chalk up his game against the Lions to "he played the Lions" and leave him alone. Same thing goes for Quinn, especially since he threw one touchdown in Week 1 and none since. Use Browns players at your own risk.

The Saints and Colts are 10-0 -- can we start talking about Week 16 and 17 replacements now?!

Look, I get it. You're worried that the Colts and Saints will begin resting their starters for the NFL postseason and not give more than a quarter or a half of play to the Fantasy studs you're relying on to win games. I'm all for planning ahead, but trying to find a quarterback, running back or wide receiver to use late in the season right now might be a futile exercise.

Let's start with some basic facts: Both teams are undefeated. Citing how the Patriots played their starters for 16 games with minimal rest, it's safe to say that if the Colts and/or Saints are going for a perfect regular season that their starters will play more than a quarter. That's not to say they will go undefeated -- both have some tough opponents coming up (especially the Saints) and both haven't been blowing the doors off of the teams they've been playing lately.

Let's just say the Saints and Colts each lose a game before Week 16. In the case of the Saints, the pressure would still be on to win games because the Vikings are a one-loss playoff contender that would like home-field advantage throughout January. The Saints can't afford to take their feet off the pedal, so I wouldn't worry if you had any of them. But the Colts have a three-game lead on everyone in the AFC, so it would take two losses for them to get nervous about losing their No. 1 seed.

And it would take one loss for Fantasy owners to get jittery about losing Manning & Co. Thus, if you're really meticulous about making sure you have all your bases covered for the Fantasy postseason and you're looking for teams with easy schedules in Weeks 16 and 17, look no further than the 49ers (vs. Detroit, at St. Louis), the Falcons (vs. Buffalo, at Tampa Bay), the Packers (vs. Seattle, at Arizona, which might be resting its starters) and even the Lions (at San Francisco, vs. Chicago). Lo and behold, Peyton Manning might have led you to the brink of a Fantasy championship but it could be Alex Smith or someone else who might lead you to the trophy.

Parting shots

• Jay Cutler is playing with the confidence of a high school nerd. He looked great on his touchdown pass to Kellen Davis, putting the ball right where it needed to be in the back corner of the end zone, but most of his other passes were completely off target. Worse yet, he's seemingly playing with, as Marv Levy used to tell me, a "cavalier attitude." On many of his attempts last night he didn't even plant his feet and didn't seem to work with much intensity.

I doubt the Bears would want to take their April trade with the Broncos back, but I bet they wish they hadn't given Cutler that rich extension. Since landing that two-year deal with a bunch of bonus bucks, the Bears have won one game (the Browns at home) and Cutler has totaled five touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

I didn't agree with Jamey Eisenberg last week but I'm with him now: Cutler doesn't deserve to start in Fantasy. That goes double for Week 12 at Minnesota.

• I spent a long chunk of my Sunday afternoon watching the Seahawks. I want a long chunk of my Sunday afternoon back.

• Those of you who drafted LaDainian Tomlinson with a Top-20 pick are finally getting the player you thought you'd see: A good enough rusher with end-zone potential, minus the trademark receptions. He has five touchdowns in his last four games and takes on the Chiefs at home in Week 12.

• NFL Network should replay the Browns-Lions game. It was that much fun, especially the end. Seriously, Matthew Stafford, you won over Detroit with that effort. Now heal up.

• I still believe in Brandon Gibson, especially after Marc Bulger targeted him 17 times on Sunday, but the young man needs to do a better job hauling in end-zone throws. He's got a lot of potential for PPR leagues.

• Sweet! Jason Witten had another game without a touchdown and less than 50 yards receiving! That's what we were all hoping for, right? Right?!

(Bench him already!!)

• Best Tweet from Sunday: @bblack311 Marvin Lewis (hurt) me twice this week. Once when he picked up L.J., and twice when he gave it to Palmer at the 1 -- twice. I had Bernard Scott. (Note to bblack311 -- Scott wasn't too bad all things considered.)

• Marvin Lewis wasn't lying about L.J. being an insurance policy. Just two carries on Sunday. If you blinked you missed him.

• No Ben Roethlisberger for the Steelers will mean some potentially ugly stats for the Steelers receivers, and by extension the running backs. Be prepared.

• Had a really fun chat with you guys on Friday. We needed to do something to make our Fantasy strategy sessions fun, and we did. We'll do it again on Black Friday at 3 p.m. ET, right here on CBSSports.com. The theme? You'll have to show up to find out (or read the transcript later).

• The Bengals blew their best chance to close out their division, falling to the Raiders in spectacular fashion. I got news for you -- any time Bruce Gradkowski pulls off a game-winning drive against your defense, you're not a legit Super Bowl contender. And I am a big, big fan of offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski, but how in blazes does he not utilize Carson Palmer's arm more than 22 times? Sure, he played the matchup against the Raiders' poor run defense, but at some point you've got to take advantage of Palmer's talents.

I hope Palmer isn't seriously hurt and the Bengals are knowingly hiding it.

• Another week, three more concussions, all to starting quarterbacks. These are the times where I'm glad I didn't play organized football (I did suffer a mild concussion playing unorganized football in college, which might explain some of my picks this season). You can see the pressure right away for these guys to play even though they get their bell rung. And they want to play -- Kurt Warner was prowling his sideline in the second half looking for a chance to get back in.

Concussions are extremely serious injuries, and I'm glad to see the NFL take steps to improve how players are treated for them with independent neurologists and extensive testing. I'm just as impressed with how the Eagles are taking care of Brian Westbrook after his second concussion of the season: They sent him to independent doctors and got an idea of how serious his injury is, and before Westbrook could even get back into the film room or running back meetings, the team sent him home to rest.

We're probably not far from having players who suffer a concussion miss a league-mandated minimum of one week of action. And until some revolutionary helmets are made to help absorb the impact of the punishing blows these guys take from week to week, it's probably for the best.

Anything to keep football players as healthy and active as possible.

Got a football gripe or a Fantasy misfortune to vent about? Or even something good to brag about? Drop Dave a line at dmfantasyfootball@cbs.com and put Attn: Fantasy & Reality in the subject field and include your full name, hometown and state. Or, shout it out to Dave on Twitter at @daverichard.