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It’s Thursday and time to get that lineup submitted. Here are some players to not drag upward and crack in your starting lineup.

Quarterbacks

Matthew Stafford-
The Detroit Lions sharp decline to a mediocre season in 2012 has started with Stafford. The whole team seems off-beat and might stem from the teams lack of discipline off the field and on the field. It’s never easy winning in the NFL but Detroit seemed to come into 2012 expecting to win football games. They’re not going to be handed to them. This weekend’s matchup against Philadelphia will be a true battle tester. Philadelphia has kept every game close but this may be the one they finally break open.

Sam Bradford-
Miami’s defense is wreaking havoc on opposing quarterbacks, from their front line to their secondary they’ve had a balanced defense thus far. It’s allowing for Miami to dictate their offense to a ball control style. Jeff Fisher’s Rams defense has been great at home, but on the road they’re not as good. Bradford is missing his favorite target Danny Amendola and will have a tough time finding someone to fill his shoes.

Russ Wilson
There is going to be that game where the wheels fall off on Russ Wilson’s bandwagon. He has been the epitome of a game manager that has thrived off a potent running game and 12th man crowd. A couple of years ago when things were going bad offensively the 12th man didn’t matter. The Atlanta Falcons and New York Giants blew out the Seahawks in 2010 on their home turf. New England is in too much of a rhythm offensively to be disturbed by the Seahawks home crowd.

Running Backs

Alfred Morris-
It’s amazing what confidence Mike Shanahan can instill in a young back. His system has worked again and again on drafting backs out of nowhere that end up doing well. Whether RG3 returns or not, Minnesota’s defense makes Morris a likely sit this week. They’ve been stout against the run. You should have proper depth on your bench to make a roster upgrade in your starting lineup for the weekend.

Jackie Battle-
The Chargers way of listing Battle as the starter is all a show. It appeared as if Battle was just on the field in the first quarter and disappeared after that in last weeks contest against the Saints. He does not have the shiftiness to be an every down back. Surprisingly Ronnie Brown’s hard work has seemed to payoff, as he looks to be in the best condition he has been in years. Don’t be surprised if Brown starts to steal more snaps away from Battle. Clearly though this team needs to rely on Ryan Matthews more until he fumbles the football again.

Wide Receivers

Larry Fitzgerald-
Buffalo’s defense may be atrocious, but the game plan Sunday should primarily be on doubling up Larry Fitzgerald. The Cardinals offensive line can’t hold up for more than a few seconds, meaning Kevin Kolb will be looking for many hot route throws. Larry does better stretching out his routes to get an advantage over the defender. With the Cardinals breaking in a new running back the offensive line woes should continue for poor Kevin Kolb and Fitzgerald.

Darrius Heyward-Bey
Part of the Raiders old style was drafting speed receivers. Based on their current status as one of the leagues worst at throwing the football downfield, that tendency may change. Bey is a home run threat or nothing, and last year Denarius Moore was much of the same. Palmer is forced to have to check the football down time and time again because his receivers just aren’t able to get open and run proper routes.

Jerome Simpson-
It’s amazing how balanced Minnesota’s fantasy talent on offense is actually doing. Christian Ponder has not had any stellar games, but is making the most of his mediocre stats amongst Percy Harvin, Jerome Simpson, and Kyle Rudolph. I expect this game to not be a display of high action as most would expect with RG3 on the field. Expect a lot of punts and for one of the Vikings studs to take a hit in terms of fantasy points, and that will be Simpson.

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Bye Weeks: Dallas, Detroit, Tampa Bay, Oakland

The first month of the season flew by. October is a month where we will find out which teams are the real deal, and others that were over hyped. From a quarterback standpoint there are many stars that need to rectify some woeful performances to get their fantasy GM’s back in the running. Barring injury those studs drafted in round one will get their teams back in the thick of things to attempt to sneak into the fantasy playoffs. What are their true separations in terms of fantasy with the starts of Joe Flacco, RG3, and others?

1. Aaron Rodgers
2. Mike Vick
3. Tom Brady
4. Matt Ryan
5. Joe Flacco
6. Drew Brees
7. RG3
8. Philip Rivers
9. Cam Newton
10. Alex Smith
11. Peyton Manning
12. Jay Cutler
13. Matt Schaub
14. Eli Manning
15. Christian Ponder
16. Andy Dalton
17. Ben Roethlisberger
18. Kevin Kolb
19. Russell Wilson
20. Sam Bradford
21. Andrew Luck
22. Brandon Weeden
23. Ryan Fitzpatrick
24. Blaine Gabbert
25. Ryan Tannehill
26. Matt Hasselbeck
27. Matt Cassel
28. Mark Sanchez

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Here are the top twenty fantasy relevant quarterbacks for week four. Aaron Rodgers will finally make fantasy owners that drafted him with a top four pick extremely happy against the Saints. Joe Flacco will continue his hot start. A couple of tier two quarterbacks that will crack the top twelve this week will be Andy Dalton and Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Mike Vick’s struggles will continue. It will be interesting to see Andy Reid at the podium following Sunday Night’s game, and Monday afternoon once Vick struggles. Ryan Tannehill bottoms the list of the top twenty but I believe he will lead Miami to a quality victory on the road, to give the Cardinals their first loss of the season.

1. Aaron Rodgers
2. Tom Brady
3. Eli Manning
4. Joe Flacco
5. Cam Newton
6. Matt Ryan
7. Robert Griffin III
8. Ryan Fitzpatrick
9. Philip Rivers
10. Andy Dalton
11. Drew Brees
12. Peyton Manning
13. Josh Freeman
14. Tony Romo
15. Mike Vick
16. Matt Schaub
17 Matthew Stafford
18. Jay Cutler
19. Carson Palmer
20. Ryan Tannehill

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Has the fat lady begun singing for your fantasy team(s)? Did you over indulge in drafts with your buddies and plan on exiting by dodging logging in to a certain league? That’s not the way to participate in a fantasy league. Fight every week by making the proper moves via the waiver wire and necessary roster adjustments. Here is a look at week two’s waiver wire pickups.

Quarterbacks

Joe Flacco-
Flacco is dazzling to start the year. Even in a loss he outdid Mike Vick by a large margin, and had a touchdown called back on an offensive pass interference that shouldn’t have been. I listed Flacco as the top breakout quarterback performer this year, and still believe he will continue to perform strongly. He has the faith of his organization that has finally translated into pass play calls. With the weapons around him and his increased confidence Flacco may be on his way to the Pro Bowl.

Sam Bradford
Last year Bradford looked like he might be headed for doom with constant injuries. The change to head coach Jeff Fisher seems to be what the doctor ordered. He has his health back and the team seems to be responding much better with the overall change. Remember just a few years ago Bradford had the Rams in a battle to almost get the last spot in the playoffs over Seattle. Seattle snuck in and made history by defeating the Saints, but it’s not a far stretch to see Bradford resurge and turn things back around.

Andy Dalton
By no means is Dalton to be considered a fantasy starting quarterback. He has a ways to go to get there, and the offense the Bengals run will likely prevent him from being a major fantasy threat. His strengths are with his accuracy, and natural chemistry with his team of receivers. By next year Dalton will be beyond a sleeper for many draftees to think about as their signal caller.

Alex Smith
Smith was on the list last week but comes back on as he is available in 50% of Yahoo leagues. The flash isn’t there but the consistency is. San Francisco seems more balanced than ever offensively, at a time when Alex Smith just is not making mistakes. It’s as if this team knows there going to be right back where they were in the NFC Championship game in January.

Ryan Tannehill
As the season stretches Tannehill may be right behind RG3 and Andrew Luck for rookie quarterbacks in terms of fantasy numbers. Russ Wilson’s impact in Seattle’s offense is going to remain on a small scale. As the team will rely on their defense and Marshawn Lynch each and every week. Tannehill just seems unrattled by whatever occurs on the football field. With the backfield weapons he has, Tannehill will be able to mature on the field and grow properly as a quarterback. His advantage for fantasy points comes with his legs as he has the capability to stretch out plays.

Running Backs

Mike Goodson-
If you’re in a PPR league Goodson has value right now. Most of the minimal owners that own Goodson are just handcuffing Darren McFadden. With the issues the Raiders are having at receiver, Carson Palmer has checked down to his running backs plenty of times in the first two games. The bonus with Goodson will be if McFadden misses anytime like he has his entire career.

Andre Brown-
Brown did a solid job filling in for the injured Ahmad Bradshaw against the Buccaneers. Who didn’t have a great fantasy day for the Giants? Brandon Jacobs had fantasy value that tapered off as his seasons dwindled with the Giants. With the Giants limiting the carries of David Wilson after his early season fumble, Brown is the guy until reassuring news unfolds for Bradshaw.

Vick Ballard-
In the Colts old coaching regime, Donald Brown had fallen on thin ice based on performance. Delone Carter was drafted and had a chance to take over Brown’s job. Now he is the one that is not in good view with the Colts coaching staff. Brown had a decent preseason but has had two poor outings to start the regular season. One more poor game and Ballard may start to get closer to the ten carry mark and turn the backfield more into an even share.

Wide Receivers

Danny Amendola-
There won’t be a player hotter than Amendola trying to be snared in half the leagues that he is currently available in. No one knew who would rise in the Rams receiving group, or if anyone would even be fantasy worthy. Two games in and Amendola has had a start that would make Larry Fitzgerald owners jealous. He did fumble against the Redskins that led to a defensive touchdown, but his play more than made up for that and led to the Rams gaining a victory.

Brian Hartline-
The past two years the Miami receiver that had the highest value was Brandon Marshall. With him gone everyone expected Davone Bess to continue to rise for the Dolphins. Tannehill had different thoughts, and his main target after two weeks is Brian Hartline. A big game with minimal catches is a fluke, but one with nine catches is not. Tannehill is looking his way often and will continue to do so.

Martellus Bennett
How did the Cowboys not implement Bennett all those years? Eli is obviously coming off a prolific passing day, but Bennett is a new found weapon for Eli. His size and ability to get down field have just added another deep threat weapon for the Giants passing attack. At this point if you drafted a tight end after the big five, you may want to make a change and snag Bennett.

Robert Meachem
Meachem went without a catch week two and some of you are likely puzzled on how he is on the waiver wire report. For whatever reason Rivers just has not looked his way yet. An NFL season is long though and there are still fourteen games. Rivers is likely going to be in the top ten in pass attempts this year and you have to figure Meachem will be involved sooner or later. With him being available in 25% of leagues and probably more after his week two performance, it’s a gamble worth taking for a receiver in a high impact offense.

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Don’t get over anxious for your fantasy starters submissions. There is always that hole of a fill in spot that you’re undecided about. It comes down to the best matchups, and flex or lower tiered starters that you can get the highest point value out of. Eye the right guy. Here are some names that likely won’t dot anyones starting lineups. Be the contrarian fantasy owner and take a risk with one of your last starting fill in spots.

Quarterbacks

Matt Cassel
Kansas City hung in with Atlanta for two quarters before the offense sputtered and couldn’t keep pace. Kansas City has talent on offense now and Cassel is finally starting to settle in as the Chiefs quarterback. Buffalo gave up a ton of yardage against a Jets team that struggled mightily in preseason action. That trend is not goin to end this week.

Christian Ponder
The Vikings second year man does not get the notoriety that Cam Newton and Andy Dalton have. Ponder replaced McNabb a year ago and showed a knack for evading pressure and holding steady in the pocket. Both of those traits had been impossible for McNabb to do on aging legs. While the focus of this matchup is going to be shined on Andrew Luck, Ponder will be the one that steals the spotlight and outshines Luck.

Kevin Kolb
Kolb is one of those guys that can perform well when the pressure is off him. As a backup in Philadelphia he played terrific, well enough that Andy Reid almost named him starter officially over Donovan McNabb. With Skelton out for a limited time frame Kolb is the starter for at least a game. The pressures off and Kolb has nothing to lose. He can regain the Cardinals coaching staffs confidence in this one.

Josh Freeman
Freeman is many prognosticators favorites to have a bounce back year and be relevant from a fantasy perspective. Week one was a defensive battle where Freeman handled the lead and played within the stages of the game. Things will be different this week against a Giants team that is going to put up points. Freeman’s arm will be on display, and that he will hook up with Vincent Jackson quite often against a banged up Giants secondary.

Running Backs

Curtis Brinkley
This is a head scratcher at first glance from many people, as Brinkley is not known by anyone. This of course will be up to the injury update of Ryan Matthews. If Matthews does not go, than Brinkley is my breakout canidate of the week. The undrafted player out of Syracuse will get some looks, probably a higher amount than week one. Ronnie Brown just does not have anything left. Brinkley will get ten plus fantasy points this weekend.

Kendall Hunter
Hunter had an impressive nine rushes week one. The 49ers want to secure their health throughout this season and into the post season. In order to do that Hunter’s involvement is only going to rise. Veteran running backs such as Gore face all types of minor injuries as the season goes on. Hunter is going to rise up running back weeks every week. In a game where there will likely be points put up by both teams, you have to figure Hunter can get in on the action. Expect a solid eight to ten fantasy points from Hunter. Solid numbers in deep leagues if you’re looking at a flex option.

DeAngelo Williams
Carolina abandoned the rushing attack early after no success against Tampa Bay. Cam Newton sometimes is more of a threat on a weekly basis out of the backfield than any one on the Carolina roster. Week one Newton and the offense struggled for obvious reasons. The balance of playcalls was horrible. They’ll go back to the basics and get the running game its proper amount of play call selections.

Jonathan Dwyer
Pittsburgh is unsettled on who to give their carries too. It will be a split carry load until one of the backs stands out. Dwyer seems like the back that can do the most with the football over Isaac Redman. All it takes is that one game for an unsure backfield to be overtaken. In a prime time game against the Jets the Steelers will look to run, run, and run the football more to control the clock. They did a very good job of controlling the clock against the Denver Broncos, but were out done by a Peyton Manning with a chip on his shoulder.

Wide Receivers

Kevin Ogletree
This one is really going to get all the Ogletree waiver wire owners drooling and hyping up his trade bait. Seattle’s defense is typically good, but an area they struggled against the Cardinals was covering the third receiver. Cardinals receiver Andre Roberts had several key catches including the game winning touchdown. Tony Romo is a considerable upgrade over Skelton or Kolb. When Romo gets a connection developed it continues. Miles Austin came out of nowhere a few years back and so did Laurent Robinson last year.

Jared Cook
San Diego’s secondary was either impressive or Carson Palmer has lost it completely. After minimal starts as a rookie Tennessee will keep things simple for Jake Locker. A young quarterbacks best friend is always at tight end. Cook has the skillset to have a strong year, and in this game against San Diego don’t be shocked to see him have more fantasy points than Antonio Gates.

Brandon LaFell
Teams are geared up to do everything they can to force Cam Newton into discomfort. It’s going to be hard to do on a weekly basis, but division rivals saw Newton twice last year. Tampa Bay made sure the third time was difficult last week. New Orleans gets their third shot as well. You’d expect them to be ready to shutdown Steve Smith better than any other team, as Smith had two of his seven total touchdowns on the Saints a year ago. LaFell is a breakout game away from being considered a top thirty to thirty five fantasy receiver.

Sidney Rice
By no means will Seattle be in this game vs the Cowboys. In fact I expect it to be the ugliest game of the weekend. Ugly blowouts do not eliminate fantasy value from a team, especially at wide receiver. Rice seems to finally be healthy and displayed impressive routes week one against the Cardinals. As the game gets uglier look for Rice to rack up the most garbage fantasy points of the weekend.

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The percentage of fantasy football owners that likely sat AP week one over starting him was likely sky high. Minnesota kept it under wraps until near kickoff that Adrian Peterson would start. Even hearing that Peterson would start, the idea of him getting a significant amount of carries seemed minimal. Maybe ten carries if he looked okay on his first few carries.

For a player coming off a major knee injury and having zero reps in preseason, the precaution red flags were up for fantasy owners. Minnesota had barely let the team tackle him in practice leading up to the week one game. Peterson had set a goal to make it out on the field by week one when he first got hurt, and it looked like the Vikings were giving him the start to feed his appetite and fulfill his goal.

Not only did Peterson boost his teams confidence with his presence, he was one of the top fantasy backs of the weekend. Rushing for over eighty yards with two touchdowns. He had a burst through the line and though he did not make too many sharp cuts that were use to seeing, he had enough straight ahead runs to show that he had a very dedicated recovery to get back out onto the field.

Dedication and how the body responds after his first football game are going to be two different things. Bodies have a hard enough time responding to a football game when healthy. Now will see how the knee responds in week two and beyond. Many NFL players have said it takes a full two years to come back 100 percent from tearing up their knee.

A great deal of Peterson’s week one success likely could be attributed to adrenaline and his first appearance on the football field. That is going to go away sooner than later, as adrenaline can’t fuel the body alone. It’s hard to put Adrian Peterson on a fantasy wonder performance but week one may have been just that. Short yardage plunge touchdowns are one thing, but the amount of carries and impact in every down situations is going to be an up and down battle.

For most of the game Jacksonville had kept Peterson’s yards in check, until the fourth quarter and overtime was when Peterson started getting some longer runs.

So was week one a mirage from Peterson? I believe a fall off will occur with him over the next few games to a month. An athlete just cannot turn it on suddenly with minimal practice and a full nine months off the football field. Peterson is a freak athlete but even his body is going to go through the agony of pushing his knee to certain levels throughout the season.

Minnesota will likely tone down his practicing throughout the year, as he will need to continue to be monitored. Peterson is a tier one fantasy back from the standpoint that he will be a “Leroy Hoard” for touchdowns. Games of 130 yards or more that have been typical from Peterson just are not going to happen this year. I wouldn’t be shocked to see Peterson have more games with sixty to seventy yards rushing than he does of games over 130 yards.