Here we are Week 7! Time to step it up and separate the true championship challengers from the pretenders as we start the back half of our fantasy season.

As we head into our Week 7 IDP LB Rankings I am starting Paul Posluszny. Poz has finally stepped up after a slow start and he now faces a Baltimore team that works the middle of the field a lot and also will run the ball all day if they can. He will be very busy this Monday night.

I am also starting Derrick Johnson this week. The Raiders will go run-heavy as they try to incorporate a brand new Carson Palmer into the fold and/or protect Kyle Boller from dooming them. I expect DJ to carry the torch and rack up a ton of tackles as this happens. Also, Palmer may rely on his TE Kevin Boss early on as he gets acquainted to things. If so, DJ has a chance to help in the passing game too.

I am definitely benching Lawrence Timmons until further notice. He has fallen way off since his shift to OLB and nobody wants James Harrison to retunr more quickly than Timmons owners. Keep him on your bench until he shows something at OLB or until Harrison makes it back.

This is how I feel this morning trying to write about fantasy football after six weeks. I feel like in many ways, we have more questions now than we did in week one. But, this is the life of prognosticating- in reality, an impossible endeavor with plenty of pitfalls. One question I received last week, for example: Jordy Nelson or Marques Colston? I had a strong feeling about Colston and recommended the Saint and was correct: by one point. (Keep in mind, however, apart from a 93 yard catch and run where the defense fell over or asleep or both, Nelson had one catch for 11 yards.) At any rate, the point here is simply to interpret the rankings accordingly. These are my best guess. Anyone who ranks a player and tells you differently is selling something… probably swampland. If you’re curious, I wrote extensively about my method for establishing my ranks in a previous top-75.

With a lot of top fantasy options sidelined due to byes, this week’s rankings are harder (and perhaps more important) than ever. Many marginal decisions will affect your results and so I have attempted to include, whenever possible, as much statistical or logical backup for my rankings as I can provide. Want more or have a question? You can always tweet me: @petethegreekff.

MY MISSION STATEMENT
(or, to read more about how I detest mission statements, click here.
What frustrates me above all else are so-called fantasy advice columns that fit into one of two categories:
1) They refuse to stray from conventional wisdom, often until it’s weeks too late to save or help your season or
2) They only offer rankings commentary on the “big-name” guys that everyone knows to play anyway. Gee, Adrian Peterson will have a bounce back week and I shouldn’t bench him for Danny Woodhead? Thanks!

Each week I will examine what I consider to be the most pressing issues facing fantasy owners. I will try to focus only on issues that you may actually be concerned with, namely: marginal flex players, tough matchup decisions, and above all else, how to assimilate new information from the previous week. This is a column of the people, by the people, for the people (thanks, Abe). And as long as I’m offering oaths, I promise to always tackle the difficult questions as I see them, not be chained by conventional wisdom, and not allow traditional or draft-position bias to affect my weekly rankings.

1. Darren McFadden
2. Matt Forte
3. Calvin Johnson
4. Ray Rice
5. Arian Foster
6. Adrian Peterson
7. Michael Turner
8. Chris Johnson
9. Earnest Graham
10. Greg Jennings
11. Rashard Mendenhall
12. Beanie Wells
13. Maurice Jones-Drew
14. Mike Wallace
15. Darren Sproles

The Big Boys
McFadden finally finds his way to the number one spot. I expect Carson Palmer to have the same effect on McFadden’s fantasy value as he will on the rest of the Oakland Raiders: absolutely none. I don’t see him as much of an upgrade from Jason Campbell. At best, he may develop a “favorite receiver” whose targets (and thus value) may increase slightly. That’s it. I stubbornly refuse to put Mendenhall in my top-10… yet. He had one nice week and has an absolutely cake matchup against the little league Cardina… I mean Arizona. Everything screams that he’ll have a monster week… which is exactly why I’m ranking him as if he won’t. If there’s anything that has been consistent about Mendenhall this year it has been his ability to disappoint. Take, for example, his 18 carries for 37 yards against Indianapolis in week 3. So, I’ve put Earnest Graham in his place instead. The Bears are notorious for giving away short underneath stuff, and if Blount doesn’t play (which again I doubt he will), Graham will get a ton of touches. Sproles in the top-15? Well, on a bye week, looking around, who do I like above him? Ryan Matthews possibly should be up there, but with injury questions and not the best matchup, I don’t mind doing it this way:

16. Ryan Matthews
17. Marques Colston
18. Steven Jackson
19. Willis McGahee
20. Steve Smith
21. Jimmy Graham
22. Roddy White
23. Jackie Battle
24. Jason Witten
25. Daniel Thomas
26. Miles Austin
27. Dez Bryant
28. Larry Fitzgerald
29. Jermichael Finley
30. Dwayne Bowe

Tight Ends, Cont.
I like Colston to keep it going with another strong week, but really Jimmy Graham may be the top target in New Orleans. Just as Jason Witten may be the no. 1 receiving option in Dallas. Witten has scored in double digits in four out of five weeks and even though St. Louis is giving up less than 3 fantasy points/game against tight ends I suspect 1) that is primarily because they give up points to everyone else and 2) that will change this week. Jermichael Finley had 6 catches for 128 yards and a score in his last game against Minnesota… albeit back in 2009. Still, I like him to have a good week in divisional play. Seeing some of the above names in the top-30 is a bit scary- Daniel Thomas for example- but reminds us that we often have to get creative during the bye week. While my rankings reflect I like Austin slightly better than Bryant, I’d start both in all leagues.

31. Jahvid Best
32. Shonn Greene
33. Pierre Garcon
34. Vincent Jackson
35. Owen Daniels
36. DeMarco Murray
37. Brandon Marshall
38. Tony Gonzalez
39. Anquan Boldin
40. Jordy Nelson
41. Brandon Lloyd
42. Brandon Pettigrew
43. James Starks
44. Ryan Torain
45. Santonio Holmes
46. Santana Moss
47. Eric Decker
48. Reggie Wayne
49. Mark Ingram
50. Marshawn Lynch

Maybes
What to do with Jahvid Best? I really think he should be higher than this, but with as many other weapons as Detroit has, it’s hard to put him in the top-30 consistently, even on a bye week. Shonn Greene has received 42 carries the past two weeks. 42. It’s also the meaning of life, some might say. Tony Gonzalez has been held out of the endzone two weeks in a row, but I think he’ll get back to his scoring ways this week against a Lions team giving up almost 8/game to opposing tight ends. Ryan Torain? Why not. I have to rank one Redskins running back, at least, though I’d prefer not to. And with John Beck taking over for Rex Grossman, I would expect a lot of handing the ball off. Jordy Nelson turnes one to two catches into fantasy glory each week. I just have the sensation it’s going to stop at some point, but this week is not that “some point.”

51. Mike Tolbert
52. Johnathan Stewart
53. Sidney Rice
54. Nate Washington
55. Greg Olsen
56. Mike Tolbert
57. Julio Jones
58. Peyton Hillis
59. Greg Little
60. LaDanian Tomlinson
61. Percy Harvin
62. Monterio Hardesty
63. Mike Williams
64. Darrius Heyward-Bey
65. Ryan Grant
66. Hines Ward
67. Tashard Choice
68. Plaxico Burress
69. Kevin Walter
70. Pierre Thomas
71. Dustin Keller
72. James Jones
73. Mike Thomas
74. Tim Hightower
75. Doug Baldwin

A Strange Finish
More questions, again. Even if Peyton Hillis plays, we have no idea what his usage or impact will be, which of course also impacts Monterio Hardesty. In fantasy- avoid uncertainty as much as possible. Meanwhile, I’d love to put Julio Jones much higher in a bye week but I simply don’t know if he will play or how limited he may be if he does. Christian Ponder’s installation can’t possibly hurt Percy Harvin, and may be just what he needs. Same logic for Carson Palmer and Darrius Heyward-Bey. Though I’d prefer to stay away from any Oakland receivers until we see more, you may not have a better choice. I think the two biggest upside plays of this bottom group are Greg Little and Doug Baldwin. Both could have a nice week and Baldwin is coming off two strong performances in a row. No, I have no idea what to make of Tim Hightower, and he finds his way on this list more because of potential than actual value. Again, if you have better options, use them. I keep waiting for Mike Williams to bounce back, but even in a week when Josh Freeman blew up, Williams was hardly involved. Greg Olsen, meanwhile, still had five catches in a week where Cam Newton looked human again. Olsen remains the Panthers second best receiver behind Steve Smith, and Carolina will throw the ball.

Best of luck! I look forward to your tweets.

_PDK

Carson Palmer, however, isn’t the only name addition to this week’s QB rankings, but for more on that, you’ll have to ready further.

Please remember that Buffalo, New York (Giants), Philadelphia, 49ers, Patriots and Bengals all have the bye this week.

And now onto the rankings.

With a divisional matchup against the Chiefs on deck, Darren McFadden comes in at No. 1 going into Week 7.

One of the best things regarding fantasy football is that there will always be a at least one option that comes out of the woodwork, especially at running back. In Week 5, we saw Jackie Battle make a name for himself. Last weekend we saw Earnest Graham showing us he still has some legs left. And now that Felix Jones is dealing with a high-ankle sprain, rookie DeMarco Murray has a chance to make it big against the Rams.

Below are my running back rankings going into Week 7.

TOP FIVE WEEK-SEVEN MATCHUPS (MUST START)

1. Darren McFadden (OAK) vs. KC: Like last week, McFadden is the head of the pack going up against AFC West rival Kansas City. The Chiefs are giving up over 22 fantasy points a game thus far, so I expect big things from McFadden playing at home. The Raiders figure to use the run heavily while Carson Palmer gets used to playing again..

2. Ray Rice (BAL) @ JAX: Rice may have lost a touchdown to Ricky Williams against the Texans, but he still chipped in 161 total yards and 5 receptions. Rashard Mendenhall torched the Jaguars Defense last weekend. Expect Rice to do the same in Week 7.

3. Adrian Peterson (MIN) vs. GB: The Packers run defense is starting to look a bit shell shocked after Steven Jackson came four yards short of a 100-yard game in Week 6. Christian Ponder will get the start this week, but that might be good news considering how bad Donovan McNabb has looked. The Vikings are going to run-run-run a lot to give Ponder some confidence.

4. Rashard Mendenhall (PIT) @ ARI: Mendenhall finally broke out of his fantasy slump, putting up 146 rushing yards and a touchdown against the Jaguars last week. He faces an Arizona D that is giving up close to 119 rushing yards a game. I smell another 100+ from Mendy this week.

5. Arian Foster (HOU) @ TEN: Foster played horrendous last week against the Ravens, chipping in a measly 49 yards on the ground. The Ravens only give up 11.2 fantasy points to running backs, so he did have an excuse. It could have been much worse, but Foster managed to salvage some of his value with his 6 receptions and 52 receiving yards. Foster even admitted that he played “terrible,” but I expect him to bounce back this week.

DeMarco Murray cracks the top 20 amongst fantasy running backs for Week 7, coming in at No. 18 against the Rams.

BEST OF THE REST:

I wish everyone the best of luck this week. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to post below.

Carson Palmer becomes a must-grab fantasy option now that he will be wearing Raider black.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Bengals have traded quarterback Carson Palmer to the Raiders for a first-round pick in 2012 and a conditional first-round pick in 2013. It might be a pretty hefty price to pay for a player already past 30 (31). But with the Raiders sitting at 4-2 and a half game behind the AFC West leading Chargers, it’s all in for Raider Nation and a playoff berth this season.

I had reported Monday in our waiver wire article that the Raiders got on the phone with the Bengals right after their win over the Browns. And now that Jason Campbell is set to be out for the next six weeks with a broken collarbone, the time was right for the Raiders to make a m0ve. It also helps that Hue Jackson is familiar with Palmer when Jackson was the team’s receivers coach from 2004-2006.

So what does this mean in the fantasy world? Well, Palmer becomes an instant must-grab fantasy option obviously. In a new dynasty league that started up this year, I nabbed Palmer late with the hope that the Bengals would eventually release him or trade him. Looks like my wish came true. This is also great news for the Raiders offense itself. Players like Jacoby Ford and Darius Heyward-Bey get a bump in fantasy value. And with a stronger quarterbacking option, this will open up some more opportunities for Darren McFadden and the running game now that defenses have to pay more attention to the pass.

For owners who are in desperate need of quarterback help, make sure to add Palmer in your waiver-wire requests.

As fantasy football writers, it’s very difficult to navigate through the countless amounts of starving headlines that are designed to be supplemental stories rather than actual advice that fans can actually use.

It’s not our fault, have you seen the price of ground meat  lately?

Ergo, it is up to us writers to really nitpick what we hear and read about before presenting it all to you; such as the recent speculation that Carson Palmer still has a place in the 2011 NFL season, and his potential to be reunited with Pete Carroll in Seattle.

I know, it’s a very enticing consideration to think that Palmer might actually play again this year, and yes, if he were to be traded, I can safely assume the majority of fantasy football writers would be lining up for their seat on the “breaking news” meat wagon concerning a situation that has been speculated over since April—yeah that’s right, it’s been THAT long.

But whether it will happen before Tuesday’s trade deadline is a totally different beast.

NFL.com’s Gil Brandt suggest a trade scenario that would send Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin to Cincinnati for Palmer which would satisfy both sides, giving Seattle the veteran quarterback that Tarvaris Jackson is NOT, while supplying the Bengals with another young receiver for the future.

*Cough!*

Conversely, however, Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer speculated about a possible trade involving Seahawks linebacker Aaron Curry for Palmer, and suggested it wasn’t going to happen.

Shortly after the fact, Curry was traded to the Oakland Raiders in exchange for a seventh-round pick in 2012 and a conditional mid-round pick in 2013, leaving the speculative Palmer trade wide open.

See what I mean?

The underlying issue at hand, though, is that it’s also widely accepted that Bengals owner and GM Mike Brown doesn’t want to set a precedent for unhappy players to dictate their own will; an act that would leave the ownership’s credibility in question.

So what does this all mean for fantasy owners who are trying to keep their finger on the pulse of the Carson Palmer situation?

Well, for one, it means everyone has roughly one week before they find out if Carson Palmer is yet again a viable fantasy football option off of the waiver wire.

But unless you are completely devoid of a QB2, and assuming that the suspected trade does in fact happen, Palmer’s actual fantasy value will not be felt for a few weeks afterwards.

Yes, Palmer has been working since August, but that “work” only means his own conditioning and approach which is vastly different from working with an actual playbook—Donovan McNabb anyone?

• Would Palmer be an upgrade over current quarterback Tarvaris Jackson? Yes. But again, the trade idea has been perpetually stuck in speculation mode since what…forever, and we don’t even know if the Seahawks would just rip Jackson out of the starting role unless he royally screws up over the next week or so.
• Would the presence of Palmer finally provide some legitimate fantasy value to the Seahawks receivers like Sidney Rice and Ben Obomanu? The potential is certainly there, but it will take a few weeks to really decide whether or not it is worth using the pooper-scooper to grab him.
• Would Palmer under center add value to Marshawn Lynch since Palmer is more threatening of a quarterback than Jackson? No, Lynch was washed up two years ago, and if you are still riding that horse you may want to put him out to pasture and contemporize, man!

In the end, this story might be more fodder for starving writers than actual news we all can latch onto, but in the same vein, it’s intriguing enough to stay abreast of the situation in regard to fantasy football.

Remember, unexpected options that come traipsing along can sometimes be that shot-in-the-arm particular fantasy football teams are in search of, and this situation would certainly suggest such a shot.

For more specific fantasy football advice, be sure to check out our Week 6 Rankings and Week 6 IDP Rankings.

After a strong Week-One performance against the Saints, Aaron Rodgers is our No. 1 fantasy quarterback this week.

Your usual fantasy guru Ray Tannock is taking a break from the rankings this week, so I am here to give you the lowdown on what’s going to go down in Week Two. We had a lot of surprises at quarterback in Week One. The biggest one, obviously, being Cam Newton’s breakout performance against the Cardinals. Things should settle down this weekend, but we could have a surprise or two that pop up out of nowhere.

Before I start, I would like to congratulate Ray for coming in first place in Fantasy Football Crystal Ball’s Week One Accuracy Score for Quarterbacks last week. Way to go RAY!!!!!!!

Below are my quarterback rankings going into Week Two.

TOP FIVE WEEK-TWO MATCHUPS (MUST START)

1. Aaron Rogers (GB) @ CAR: Is there any reason to not put Rodgers at No. 1 this week? I know Tom Brady had that huge game against Miami, but my money is on Rodgers to lead the charge against a Carolina Defense that gave up 309 yards and two scores against Kevin Kolb.

2. Tom Brady (NE) vs. SD: Putting Brady any lower than No. 2 would be ridiculous. The guy simply doesn’t stop at putting up big games. Hell, he even made Deion Branch look like a stud Monday night. The Chargers Defense will come back down to Earth after facing Donovan McNabb in Week One.

3. Michael Vick (PHI) @ ATL: Vick didn’t throw for very many yards (187) against the Rams, but his two passing touchdowns and 98 rushing yards made up for it. Vick showed he still has plenty left in the legs. He will need that in, what figures to be, a very emotional game against his old team the Falcons in their house.

4. Matthew Stafford (DET) vs. KC: Stafford had a huge Week One, throwing for three touchdowns against the Bucs. Kansas City didn’t have an answer for Ryan Fitzpatrick. And after losing Eric Berry to a torn ACL, Stafford should have his way with the Chiefs’ secondary.

5. Philip Rivers (SD) @ NE: The Chargers’ receivers were held in check by the Vikings, but Rivers still had a huge fantasy day, using both Mike Tolbert and Ryan Mathews in the passing game. If Chad Henne can look like a Pro Bowler against the Patriots D, Rivers should have a field day in Foxboro.

Kevin Kolb had an excellent regular-season debut.

Despite throwing for two scores in Week One against the Bengals, Colt McCoy is better off on your bench.

BEST OF THE REST:

THE BOTTOM FEEDERS:

I wish everyone the best of luck this week. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to post below.