The Fantasy Factor

The breakout fantasy star of Week 8? It's got to be Houston running back Ryan Moats, who took advantage of Steve Slaton's incurable case of fumble-itis to rescue the Texans in Buffalo. Moats' final line was shocking: 126 yards, three touchdowns. Not bad for a five year veteran with just one 100 yard day in his entire career.

So now everyone should rush to their computer and pick up Moats, right? Well, not exactly.

First, consider the opponent: the Bills are woeful at stopping the run. This week's enemy, the Colts, are just a tad bit better than Dick Jauron's bunch.

It's not like the Texans have committed to Moats, either. Coach Gary Kubiak seems set to deploy a running back carousel including Moats, Slaton, and local product Chris Brown.

All of this is to say don't expect Ryan Moats to score two more touchdowns again this week. With a bye week coming after the Colts game, Moats probably isn't worth your time.

1) RB Chris Johnson -- Titans
Vs. Jags

Vince Young will probably grab the headlines in Nashville, but he maybe had 1 percent as much to do with the Titans' first victory of the season as his running back did. We throw around the "he's like a video game player!" tag too much these days, but really, Chris Johnson is awesome. Dude may be the fastest running back I've ever seen.

Did you see his highlights from Sunday? If not, check them out after the jump. The clips are even more impressive than the numbers, and the numbers (228 yards rushing, two touchdowns) were about as good as anything we've seen this year.

Fantasy bust of the season? Matt Forte, no doubt about it. Of course, since I'm writing this entry from Chicago, this news doesn't come as a surprise to anyone. Forte's struggles have been just as frustrating to fantasy owners as they have been to Bears fans. The Bears were expecting their second-year back to turn into one of the best runners in the league. Fantasy owners were counting on the same thing. Forte was a consensus top five pick in most fantasy leagues. Those owners can't be happy now.

There are many reasons for this, of course. The Bears are throwing more - and, as a Bears fan, I contend it's still not enough. The offensive line is also putrid. Forte is getting less chances, and they're worse chances. It doesn't look he'll break out of this funk any time soon.

Besides for this week, that is. The Cleveland Browns are the vaccine that cures all.

The Browns will enter Sunday as the second worst unit in the league when it comes to defending the run. Backs are averaging 4.9 yards per carry against them, to the tune of over 170 yards per game.

You may remember that it hasn't been all bad for Forte this season. He was actually quite good against the cringe-worthy Lions in Week Four, rushing for 121 yards and a touchdown on just 12 carries. The Lions are currently the 13th worst team against the run. Again, Cleveland is the second worst.

So, yeah: start Matt Forte on Sunday, and watch him (probably) run wild. At this point, he owes you.

1) WR Miles Austin - Cowboys
Vs. Falcons

Without question, Austin has been the waiver wire pickup of the year thus far. If you've had him during his last two games, you've probably won.

Austin broke onto the scene in Week 5 with 10 catches for 250 yards and two touchdowns against Kansas City. During the bye week he replaced the ever-steady Patrick Crayton as a starter, and Austin proved his worth once again. Against a shoddy Falcons pass defense, Austin put up big stats: two more touchdowns, 171 yards, six catches.

At this point, Austin has become a must-start every week.

If you drafted New Orleans wide receiver Lance Moore and still have him sitting somewhere on your bench, congratulations. You're about to be rewarded handsomely.

Moore, of course, was one of the breakout stars of fantasy football '08. In the absence of Marquis Colston, Moore burst onto the fantasy scene, catching 79 passes for nearly 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns. Every year a fantasy league is swung by a major waiver wire pickup, and last year was the year of Lance Moore.

This year, Moore has been hampered by injuries, and he hasn't been very productive. Through the first five weeks, he had just three catches for 39 yards and no touchdowns. But Moore was apparently feeling better after the Saints bye week in Week 5, and it showed against the Giants: Moore caught six passes for 78 yards and a touchdown. Welcome back, man.

Yahoo!'s Brad Evans summed it up perfectly:

Obviously, Colston is Drew Brees'(notes) main flame, but in the Saints' seemingly unstoppable spread-the-wealth attack he should continue to net at least 6-9 targets per contest. Miami has performed marginally against the pass allowing the seventh-most 20-yard pass plays. Throw in the Fins' inflexibility up front, and Moore could be a vertical slayer on South Beach.

Moore should make another big impact on Sunday.

I know we're all knee-deep in fantasy football at the moment, but I want to take a second to thank everyone who participated in the first ever Fantasy Factor fantasy baseball league this summer. The final standings are after the jump...

1) QB Tom Brady - Patriots
Vs. Titans

Greatest fantasy quarter of all-time? Probably. By throwing five touchdown passes in the second quarter in the snow against the lifeless Titans, Brady set a new NFL record and gave fantasy owners everywhere a reason to celebrate. Brady has been a bit of a disappointment in the fantasy world thus far, so hopefully this will get him going and he'll be able to sustain this success.

Also, any quarterback looks like a strong start against Tennessee right now. My how have the mighty have fallen. Not every NFL QB is Tom Brady, of course, but seriously, that was some of the worst coverage I've ever seen on Sunday. That secondary is Grade-A terrible.