TOP 5 NFL NEWS ITEMS FROM THURSDAY 6/3/10 TO WEDNESDAY 6/9/10

We have many great articles planned leading up to the 2010 Fantasy Football season including sleepers, busts, rookies, strategy, full player rankings and projections all wrapped up into a nifty draft kit to help you win your league next year. Below, we analyze the top fantasy football news items from the previous week.

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5. Scheffler, Tony TE DET is back from his knee injury

He could actually have his best season as a pro in this offense, if youngster Brandon Pettigrew is brought along slowly from his ACL injury. Watch the situation as the pre-season progresses, and if things look good come late August, perhaps bump Scheffler up to a low-end fantasy TE1 in deep leagues

4. Keller, Dustin TE NYJ is looking forward to improvement

Keller had a bunch of dud games last season, but perhaps that had to do with a simple playbook for a rookie quarterback. If the team passes more this season, which they say they will, despite the strong receiving corps, perhaps Keller can deliver on his promise and be a solid low-end fantasy TE1.

3. Ward, Derrick RB TB will supposedly get more work in this year

Ward was taken too high in fantasy drafts last year and left a bad taste in the mouths of many. This leaves him undervalued for this year, when he could easily out-earn his low draft position. Take him late for his upside behind a fragile Cadillac Williams.

2. Barber, Marion RB DAL may handle fourth-quarter duties

If the plan is in fact to use Barber at the goal line and in the fourth quarter, he should still have decent fantasy value this season, despite the lack of total touches and yards. Don't discount him too heavily, or you might miss out on a valuable contributor, despite the reduced role.

1. Hamilton, Lynell RB NO could get much fourth quarter work

As the Saints build up leads, and when they want to run out the clock, with Mike Bell out of town, they could easily turn to Hamilton now. This makes him worthy of consideration in deep leagues as a nice reserve fantasy running back.

ALSO

Byron Leftwich QB PIT is expected to start the first four games for the Steelers while Ben Roethlisberger is suspended. Not that he's useful in fantasy -- just a little FYI... Kevin Smith RB DET is progressing well in his comeback from injury.  C.J Spiller RB BUF has been lining up as a receiver. Boost his value in PPR leagues... Dexter McCluster RB KC has also been lining up at WR. He could spend quite a bit of time in the slot this year and be of value in PPR leagues... Felix Jones RB DAL will apparently be more involved in the passing game this season. Again, boost his value in PPR leagues... Donald Brown RB IND is looking better in his second pre-season. As his role increases, bump him up a little and Joseph Addai down a little on your draft board... Anthony Gonzalez WR IND recently suffered a setback. Count on good numbers from Pierre Garcon and somewhat good numbers from Austin Collie. We feel the chances of Gonzalez passing Garcon pretty low. At most he splits with Collie... Brian Robiskie WR CLE has a chance to make some noise this season after a quiet rookie year. Make sure he's sitting there at the end of your WR draft list as an upside pick in deep PPR leagues, as he should start opposite Massoquoi... The Browns seem intent on using Josh Cribbs WR/RB more this season in all sorts of different formations, including the wildcat. Look towards Cribbs as a possible FLEX during heavy bye weeks in deep leagues... Mike Furrey WR signed with WAS. He simply provides veteran depth... Shawn Nelson TE BUF could see an increase in targets this year. He could be usable as a bye-week replacement... Randy McMichael TE (STL) signed with SD. His fantasy career is basically over, but if Gates misses, McMichael could be relevant. It's just a fact to tuck away.

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