Two weeks ago, Dallas Clark was put on Injured Reserve and an unknown 3rd year tight end named Jacob Tamme took his place in the lineup. It has only taken Tamme two games to replace Clark in fantasy lineups as well. He has seen is Dynasty and Re-draft value skyrocket after an impressive 11 catches, 108 yards and a TD. Week 9 was full of hard hits, emerging talent and established Beasts showing their worth. Playoff pictures are starting to clear up a bit, as they are in your fantasy league. It's time to look at making a few moves as you get geared up for a championship run. Week 10 is the last for bye weeks, so most lineups will be back to full strength for the home stretch. Or at least as full strength as one could be at this point in the season.

Quarterbacks

The return of Michael Vick reminds us all of one thing, he is among the top tier of fantasy QB’s. When healthy, his play has been nothing short of electric. In only four full games he has outscored some of the leagues most solid fantasy QB’s such as Matt Schaub, David Garrard, and Chad Henne. The Eagles rushing attack combined with a big time arm translates into a balanced attack and big time fantasy stats. Vick's long term is looking up with solid play that should find him a starting role either in Philly or on another one of the many QB starved teams in the league. Vick will always be an injury risk as he will never break free from his propensity to run under pressure, but that is his game, so we suggest riding it while it lasts.

Is there a bigger disaster than the QB situation in Arizona? Yes, welcome to Carolina Dynasty Fans.  The Carolina Panthers and myriad of underwhelming QB's including Matt Moore, Jimmy Clausen and Tony Pike.   Matt Moore opened the season as the starter, where he went on to spend some time injured.  Upon his short lived return which lasted 2 games, Moore landed himself on IR this past weekend.  Jimmy Clausen found himself thrust into the starter role in the absence of Moore and was inept to say the least.  Clausen is a long way from any value and should be placed on the fantasy trade block immediately.  A team desperate for a QB may be willing to spend a bit more being that he is a starter.  Take what you can get.  Lastly, we'll touch on another rookie who we will likely see before season's end.  Tony Pike also saw action on the field this weekend, however in his defense, his inability to move the offense is understood.  Tony Pike is a tall player at 6'6" however has a lanky frame at only 210 lbs.  In an opportunity to start, Pike will surely take a similar beating as his Carolina predecessors.  The terrible QB situation in Carolina renders each of the Panthers skill position players almost useless.  Steve Smith, DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart have been generally fantasy irrelevent to date, so their fall from fantasy existence in 2010 shouldn't come as much of a surprise.  Out of the three Panthers QB's, Clausen's upside is the highest although he is clearly a long term project.  Expect big changes in Carolina in the coming offseason, so this situation overall remains a volatile one for the next couple seasons.

Even though he only has one passing TD in 3 starts, Colt McCoy has been an impressive rookie. He has led the Browns to victories over the Saints and Patriots, and held his own fantasy-wise against the Steelers in his first career start. McCoy was at times overlooked in Dynasty Drafts and did not seem to immediately endear himself to the Cleveland organization. His upside is that of a QB2 in fantasy leagues, but he can become a very serviceable player in time. He is the winningest QB in Division I's college football history, and what he lacks in arm strength he makes up for in athletic ability and grit. He is not going to be asked to win many games this year with his arm, but he is gaining valuable experience. He may not have cemented his status as the Browns QB of the Future, but he is well on his way. His value is high right now coming off back-to-back impressive victories, so if you want to acquire him, perhaps you should wait a few weeks.

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Running Backs
After 3 weeks of mediocre performances, Peyton Hillis was back at it with a career best 184 yards rushing and two TD against the leagues best team.  As his Dynasty value was a little shaky earlier in the season, it seems it is okay to view this guy as a low-end RB1 for the rest of this season. He is making the most of his opportunities in Cleveland after being used seldom in Denver last year. He is built like a fullback and bruises through defenses like he did this week fighting off defenders for a few extra yards, but he also has soft hands out of the backfield. Hillis might be the best waiver pickup/cheap acquisition of the season so far. He is an every week starter, as he showed against Baltimore in Week 3 that he can run through anyone. He clearly has increased his Dynasty value immensely, but beyond this season it is still very much debatable. Will Cleveland keep pumping him the ball as the featured back? That remains to be seen, but he has assured himself of being in the mix for touches.

Through the first 8 games for the Ravens this season it is clear that Ray Rice is the workhorse and will get the most of the touches, but Willis McGahee has still been in the mix. Rice only has 2 TD's this season and McGahee has 5, with one in each of the last 4 games. This not only makes him a potential play in TD-heavy and deeper leagues, but it also hurts Rice's value. Willis is still the backup but one of the most productive in the league, who should get the ball 10+ times each week if he keeps his play up. Expect him to get the ball in red zone territory because he has proven he can score it when they need him too. With that said his dynasty value is far-gone as he is prone to injury and already 29 years old. There is a chance he is out of Baltimore next season because of his escalating salary and he may get a shot at more carries on a different team. Still, try to move him to the Rice owner or one that is desperate for some RB depth.

Ahmad Bradshaw's impressive season continued Sunday with 2 TD's and 92 total yards. Most importantly both of the TD's came from inside the 5, meaning he could get more redzone looks moving forward. Brandon Jacobs has been pounding the ball in limited carries, but Bradshaw is a high upside RB2 with no signs of slowing down. The Giants offense is firing on all cylinders right now and Bradshaw is benefiting in a big way. Be slightly concerned about his injury history and rugged running style, especially because he is on pace to just about double his previous workload, but that seems like the only thing that will be able to stop him this year. His play has likely earned him a new contract from the Giants and he should be a reliable Dynasty option, health permitting.

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Wide Receivers

The San Diego Chargers have been crippled with injuries this season, but that has not slowed down Philip Rivers. He has dominated despite playing without many of his targets from last season.  The injuries, though, provide opportunity for others. One back up receiver made a name for himself with his opportunity in Week 9.  Seyi Ajirotutu compiled 111 yards and two scores on Sunday. With River’s extraordinary play this season almost any Chargers receiver out on the field will have some value.  With injuries to Malcom Floyd, Buster Davis, Legadu Nanee and the suspension to Vincent Jackson new faces has played in the receiver slots for the Chargers. Ajirotutu big play ability plus the inability for defenses to stop Phillip Rivers makes him a nice fantasy play when he is on the field. His long term value is not guaranteed, but if he can get on the field for the rest of this season and prove himself he might be able to earn more playing time in 2011. Keep in mind that Malcom Floyd is 29 years old already and Vincent Jackson will likely be on another team next year. There is opportunity in San Diego and Seyi could seize it.

Jacoby Ford produced a few of the most exciting plays of the week on Sunday.  Ford brought a kick off back, and then made two amazing catches to set up the game tying and game winning field goals. He also produced in the fantasy department as well.  Return touchdowns are fluky and shouldn’t be counted upon for fantasy points but Ford had a great day receiving the ball. He caught six balls for 148 yards and was targeted nine times. Ford hadn’t even caught a pass until week 7 but he is now a guy that needs your attention. With the lack of firepower (and the inability for the wideouts to stay healthy) at the receiver position in Oakland, Ford could solidify himself as a solid deep play threat for Jason Campbell.  This rookie provides a nice upside play in Dynasty leagues as a player that many overlooked in the 2010 NFL Draft despite being the fastest man a the combine with a 4.28-40 yard dash.  If he is not owned in your Dynasty league, he is worth a stash.  While Louis Murphy remains sidelined and Chaz Schilens maintains one start per season, opportunity exists for us to see what kind of game Ford has got.  Ford will remain difficult to start in 2010 for competing teams, however the resurgence of the Raiders plus Ford’s unbelievable speed could translate into late season fantasy success in variable spots if he and Campbell continue to gel.

Nate Buleson caught 7 balls this week for 113 yards and a TD vs. a tough Jets defense.  Three decent weekends in a row now for the 29 year old.  This is not a love session however, and we would suggest moving Burlseon while his value is as high as it will likely ever get again.  Following an extremely slow start, Burleson finally took advantage of constant double and triple teams Calvin Johnson experiences on every play.  Burleson has three touchdowns in his past four games and has caught seven balls each of the past two weeks.  Burleson does not have long term dynasty value for the simple fact that he isn’t that talented and is nearly 30.  Should the injury to Matt Stafford prove to be anything more than a 1-2 week absence, Burleson must be severly downgraded as he clearly wasn't the favored target with Shaun Hill under center.

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Tight Ends

The Colts arguably lost the biggest part of their receiving offense two weeks ago when Dallas Clark was placed on season ending IR.  Have no fear with the Sheriff at the helm however as unknown TE Jacob Tamme has stepped in to perform as one of the leagues top players at his position the past two weeks.  Tamme burst one the scene last week for 64 yards and a TD. Manning liked him so much he decided to throw to him 17 times this week, for a remarkable one third of Manning’s pass attempts. Tamme had 11 catches for 108 yards and a score leading all TE this week. He was in the league for 3 years without a TD and out of nowhere, he has become a huge player for the Colts and a reliable weapon for Peyton Manning.  With Clark out for the season expect Tamme to be a #1 TE for the remainder of 2010.  Despite the inevitable return of Dallas Clark in 2011, Tamme is watching his Dynasty value skyrocket with each passing week.  The potential exists for Clark and Tamme each lining up on the field in an effort to put yet another receiving weapon on the field for Manning.  Additionally, with an aging Clark, the more gametime Tamme experiences in the next few seasons as a receiving option for Manning, the better player he will become for the long term.  He's no longer a secret for his TE1 value for the remainder of 2010, so grab him if you can.

The leagues youngest player scored his first TD this weekend on an acrobatic reception that was deflected in the end zone.  Aaron Hernandez recorded his second career TD reception in this game as well.  Hernandez has shown us he is a valuable option for Brady and arguably the best big play receiving option in New England.  Hernandez is leading all rookie TE's in receiving yards and should remain the top rookie TE for the remainder of the season. Overlooked coming out of Florida following a few character issues entering the NFL Draft, Belicheck stole himself a legit weapon and emerging Dynasty Beast.  Consider Hernandez a low end TE1 at this point as he will remain heavily utilized in the Pats offense.  His long term upside is that of a weekly must start TE1.

Visanthe Shiancoe got into the end zone again this weekend, and ironically enough, his TD came upon the removal of Randy Moss from Viking land.  Favre trusts Shiancoe and will be much more heavily relied upon without the presnece of Moss - unfortunately, it took Favre three full quarters to remember Shanks and his ability to score TD's.  He was targeted 5 times all in the fourth quarter and caught a game tying 25 yard catch with less than a minute to send the game to OT. It is clear Shiancoe has an increased role with Moss gone, as Favre relied on him in the clutch much like he did in the 2009 glory days. He could be getting back to his #1 TE role soon but he is still a #2 TE until he has another performance like this week again. His upside is limited and his age makes his Dynasty value quite limited.  If you are looking for a TE to fill a void as the fantasy playoffs approach, consider Shanks, but only for the right price.  Rebuilding teams would be smart to steer clear.