Every week we host a pregame chat/call-in show where we discuss the Game Day Inactives for the early Sunday games along with dispensing advice on who to start or bench. We welcome calls from anyone with a question and try to get everyone on the air.

To listen, just point your browser to http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Fantasy-Sports-Group.

The channel page features a Chat window where you can discuss anything football related that you care to.

Or, if you want to be heard on the air, the number to call in is (347) 826-9620. Your call, along with the show, will go into the archive so you can point your family and friends to it. This way you can display your on-air personality and fantasy football acumen!

News
Lewis Calls Out Teammates
Jamal Lewis called out his teammates saying some of the quit in last week’s game. In fact he said some had quit two weeks in a row.

“This is the NFL, you can’t call it quits until the game is over,” the running back said. “But it looks to me like some people called it quits before that.”

Romeo Crennel did not agree but then it is his job to make sure his team doesn’t quit. I doubt Lewis would say this unless he was very upset by something and I have rarely heard anyone be upset at losing when everyone is doing their best to win.

Game Day Advisor: Lewis didn’t name names but it is clear there is dissension in the lockerroom. Be very careful of this situation and watch closely to be sure this doesn’t get worse.

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Black Power Salute
In 1968 Tommie Smith and John Carlos shocked the nation and the world when they raised a fist in salute after winning medals at the Olympic Games. This was seen as a sign of unity and black power.

Following Barrack Obama’s historic election into the highest position in the United States, Brandon Marshall wanted to repeat the gesture. But he was stopped by white teammate Brandon Stokley. Stokley figured the game was too close to risk a 15-yard penalty. Some folks would be upset with Stokley — some probably are. But not Marshall.

“That’s what a good, old veteran is for,” Marshall said.

Game Day Advisor: Marshall was able to make a very eloquent statement after the game that more than made up for not getting his salute in. And the Broncos managed to win the game which made it all that much sweeter. No one can fault any African-American for being especially proud at this moment in time. I certainly don’t and would not have been upset in the least by the BPS had he done it. But the fact that it might have garnered a major penalty, and that Marshall showed he is finally growing up when he put aside his personal opinions for what was best for his team — this shows a level of maturity that has to be pleasing to his team. Remember, this was the guy that Jay Cutler called out in the off-season for his immaturity. Way to go Brandon — you did good.

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On Bye
Cinncinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington Redskins

Week Eight Early Games
DEN @ CLE
What a game — 34 - 30 final after Denver trailed 23 - 13 when the fourth quarter started. This game may have salvaged the Broncos season. For sure it restored faith in their players from a fantasy perspective. Unfortunately the news wasn’t all good. Rookie RB Ryan Torrain blew out his ACL and is lost for the season. For Cleveland, Brady Quinn looked pretty darn good even though he didn’t throw the ball to Braylon Edwards much. Maybe if Edwards would catch the ball a bit more consistently, Quinn would look to him a bit more often.

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TEN @ CHI
Tennessee is for real. Let there be no mistake. Their problem this week is they go on the road against a good team that is missing their own starting quarterback. The Titans need to take Rex Grossman and the Bears seriously or this will be the week the win streak ends. Grossman is a Jeckyll/Hyde type quarterback. If he is on, the Bears will score some points. And the strength of the Bears defense lies in their ability to stop the run — the Titans strength.

Inactives
TEN: QB Chris Simms, WR Chris C. Davis, RB Chris J. Henry, LB Colin Allred, DL Kyle Vanden Bosch, OT Mike Otto, WR Paul Williams, CB Reynaldo Hill

CHI: DL Anthony Adams, WR Brandon Lloyd, OT Fred Miller, LB Hunter Hillenmeyer, QB Kyle Orton, CB Marcus Hamilton, DL Matt Toeaina, FS Terrence Holt

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JAC @ DET
Let the Culpepper era begin. Daunte Culpepper will likely be under center for the Lions against the Jaguars defense. In previous seasons Jacksonville was known as a team that was strong running the ball and playing defense. Both aspects have been lacking this season. Both should be back this week.

Inactives
JAC: CB Brian Witherspoon, RB Chauncey Washington, C Drew Miller, DL John Henderson, LB Mike Peterson, WR Mike Walker, OG Milford Brown, CB William James

DET: DL Andre Fluellen, TE Casey FitzSimmons, QB Dan Orlovsky, C Dominic Raiola, QB Drew Henson, FS Dwight Smith, FB Jerome Felton, DL Landon Cohen

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SEA @ MIA
Seattle does not travel well. In three east coast games they have been outscored 98 - 26. The closest game? A 20 - 10 loss to Tampa. Their defense is in disarray and their offense can’t score. Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams should have a decent day against an undersized front seven.

Inactives
SEA: PK Brandon Coutu, LB David Hawthorne, WR Deion Branch, OL Mansfield Wrotto, QB Matt Hasselbeck, DL Patrick Kerney, DL Red Bryant, TE Will Heller

MIA: OT Brandon Frye, WR Ernest Wilford, TE Joey Haynos, QB John Beck, DL Lionel Dotson, OL Nate Garner, DL Rodrique Wright, OG Shawn Murphy

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BUF @ NE
Trent Edwards is completing 60% of his passes — in every game. But over the past two weeks he has been sacked seven times, been intercepted three times, lost two fumbles, taken a sack and thrown for just one TD. All against 3-4 defenses, the same scheme he faces today in Foxboro. Uh oh.

Inactives
BUF: DL Aaron Schobel, OL Brad Butler, OT Demetrius Bell, SS Donte Whitner, QB Gibran Hamdan, WR Josh Reed, LB Teddy Lehman, RB Xavier Omon

NE: OG Billy Yates, LB Eric Alexander, SS James Sanders, RB LaMont Jordan, QB Matt Gutierrez, RB Sammy Morris, CB Terrence Wheatley, OT Wesley Britt

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NO @ ATL
Atlanta has outscored their opponents 68 - 14 in the first quarter. This allows them to turn to the running game and protect their rookie quarterback. They will need to do this to win against an opponent that has won four straight against them. And don’t expect their corners to hold the Saints to 10 net passing yards like they did the Raiders.

Inactives
NO: DL Antwan Lake, CB Jason David, OT Jermon Bushrod, QB Joey Harrington, C Jonathan Goodwin, RB Reggie Bush, DL Remi Ayodele, WR Robert Meachem

ATL: WR Adam Jennings, QB D.J. Shockley, CB David Irons, OL Quinn Ojinnaka, OL Sam Baker, DL Simon Fraser, CB Thomas DeCoud, LB Tony Gilbert

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GB @ MIN
With Chicago facing the unbeaten Titans, this game is probably for first place in the NFC North division. These two teams typically play close games but Green Bay has won four of the past five in the Metrodome. The Packers defense is getting healthy again so neither team should run away with this game. Don’t expect much from Ryan Grant — Minnesota only allows about 70 yards rushing per game.

Inactives
GB: OG Allen Barbre, LB Brandon Chillar, OT Breno Giacomini, QB Brian Brohm, LB Danny Lansanah, RB DeShawn Wynn, DL Jason Hunter, CB Patrick Lee

MIN: LB Dontarrious Thomas, LB Erin Henderson, TE Garrett Mills, QB John David Booty, DL Letroy Guion, OT Marcus Johnson, CB Marcus McCauley, WR Robert Ferguson

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BAL @ HOU
Joe Flacco has gone 88 passes without a pick. His last two very good games in a row and his running game should be very strong against a Texans team that is allowing over 125 rushing yards per game. We will know after this week if Ray Rice has moved ahead of incumbent starter Willis McGahee.

Inactives
BAL: LB Antwan Barnes, CB Chris McAlister, TE Daniel Wilcox, SS Dawan Landry, DL Lamar Divens, WR Marcus Smith, OL Oniel Cousins, QB Todd Bouman

HOU: DL Amobi Okoye, WR Andre’ Davis, LB Chaun Thompson, OG Kasey Studdard, TE Mark Bruener, QB Matt Schaub, OL Rashad Butler, FS Will Demps

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STL @ NYJ
The Rams have won seven straight in this series — that streak should end today. The last time the Jets beat the rams was 1983 — sounds like a 25 anniversary present in the form of Brett Favre. Thomas Jones should have a large output as should Favre. With Stephen Jackson sitting out, the Rams will be hard pressed to score.

Inactives
STL: QB Brock Berlin (3rd), RB Travis Minor, RB Steven Jackson, LB Chris Draft, G Roy Schuening, T John Greco, DE Eric Moore, CB Tye Hill

NYJ: QB Brett Ratliff (3rd), K Mike Nugent, WR David Clowney, CB Justin Miller, RB Marcus Mason, SS Eric Smith, LB David Harris, TE Bubba Franks

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Late Games
CAR @ OAK
Darren McFadden is hurting so bad the Raiders are considering letting him take the rest of the season off — or at least long enough for his turf toes to heal. Unbelievable. They cut Deangelo Hall last week. And their passing game is non-existent. Carolina may be without rookie RB Jonathon Stewart but they still have DeAngelo Williams to shoulder the load. And with Steve Smith in a groove, look for a blowout win by the Panthers.

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KC @ SD
Tyler Thigpen has actually looked very strong the past two games. If he can keep this up this week we could have another shootout on our hands. San Diego’s defense certainly hasn’t been that strong this year. Jamaal Charles showed he can have a big game last week so with Thigpen and Charles supplying some scoring capability, look for this to be a high scoring game.

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IND @ PIT
Mewelde Moore will get another start this week and against a porous rush defense should have a very good game regardless of whom the starting quarterback is. The Colts have beaten two pretty good 3-4 defenses already but will need some success from Joseph Addai if they want to improve on their 1 - 10 record against the Steelers in Pittsburgh.

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NYG @ PHI
From an NFL fans perspective, this could be the best game of the week. Don’t expect the Giants offensive line to be surprised by any Jimmie Johnson blitz package — they have seen it all before. But likewise don’t expect 12 sacks on Donovan McNabb like last year. With Brian Westbrook back, the Eagles offense is much better than it has been. He will be featured as will both Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward of the Giants.

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SF @ ARI
Shaun Hill gets his first start under the biggest spotlight, outside the playoffs, that the NFL has. Kurt Warner will continue to throw the ball 40 times but Tim Hightower should get about 25 touches against the 49ers. Expect a very entertaining game with lots of points on Monday night.

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From the Fans
While we would love nothing more than to be able to focus entirely on callers to the show — this blog needs a little meat to it so each week we select several questions to answer here. We receive these questions from email, YIM and bulletin boards that we frequent. Here are this week’s questions to consider. This week I will also include a trade question I was asked.

fballman (FantasySharks.com)
Who should I start — Jake Delhomme vs. Oakland or Joe Flacco vs. Houston?

Game Day Advisor: Delhomme has topped 20 fantasy points in four of his past five starts. Flacco has had two straight good games but has only outscored Delhomme once in week where both players played. Start Jake Delhomme this week.

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Titewad (FantasySharks.com)
Donovan McNabb vs. the Giants is kind of a scary matchup. My other option is Jake Delhomme vs. the Raiders who made Matt Ryan look good but will the Panthers need to pass at all?

Game Day Advisor: You are in a pretty good position this week. Both quarterbacks should have pretty good games. Last year the Giants battered McNabb with 12 sacks — six by Osi Umenyiori. Umenyiori is out for the year so McNabb is probably breathing a little easier. When in doubt, go with the hometown boy. Donovan McNabb is playing at home. Start him.

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johnitors (FantasySharks.com)
I need to start two in a non-PPR league. Marshawn Lynch, Joseph Addai, Willis McGahee and Thomas Jones. Which two please?

Game Day Advisor: McGahee may not even start but should definitely lose quite a few touches to Ray Rice so you will want to bench him. It would be tough for me to start Addai against Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh. So I would start Marshawn Lynch and Thomas Jones.

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kmstyf (FantasySharks.com)
I have a pretty solid group of 4 RB, with LaDainian Tomlinson, Brandon Jacobs, Ronnie Brown, and Matt Forte.

Forte has been a beast this year, but he faces the Titans, the number one defense in the league. Jacobs’ matchup doesn’t look much better, as he faces the Eagles, who are pretty stingy as well.

Ronnie Brown and LT both have good matchups, with LT having a great one, and the Seahawks are banged up up front so Brown could have a great day.

So, my question is, should I start Forte or Jacobs? Or both and sit Brown?

Game Day Advisor: Forte will also be used in the passing game but the Titans are scary tough. I think I would go with Brandon Jacobs this week as he should get plenty of touches in a gameplan designed to feature the running game. No way do I sit Brown against the Seahawks.

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steelpanthers571 (FantasySharks.com)
Who has the better week in a PPR league? I need my WR3 (already started Braylon Edwards and have Anquan Boldin)

Vince Jackson
Lance Moore
Wes Welker

Game Day Advisor: Sorry about your loss. Braylon Edwards may be this year’s biggest bust. Chris Chambers is supposed to be back this week but Jackson has been solid — he has scored in each of his last three games. Welker is getting lots of receptions — he is averaging over 7 per week in his last four games. But he isn’t scoring nor getting lots of yards. Moore has been more up and down recently but he has Marques Colston back in town and head coach Sean Payton is promising a bigger role for him (Colston). I prefer to play it safe and would take the reception points that Wes Welker offers.

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spanishricer (FantasySharks.com)
Which would you play this week?

Calvin Johnson vs Jacksonville with Daunte Culpepper throwing him the ball

or

Marques Colston vs Atlanta

PPR league with 1 point per 20 yards receiving.

Game Day Advisor: Colston is supposed to have a bigger role in today’s game. And who knows what Daunte Culpepper will do? But he should be able to drop back and throw long to Johnson who is getting open deep. You might not be aware of that since Dan Orlovsky wasn’t able to get the ball to him deep. Calvin Johnson has scored in each of his past three games whereas Colston has done nothing to date. You have to start him until you see something from Colston.

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Final Thought
Fantasy Sports Group’s Game Day Advisor is your resource for last minute information on Game Day Inactives, starting lineup questsions and analsyis of the day’s games. Starting at noon ET and running for an hour, the FSG hosts will provide advice and discussion on any of your questions.

Point your browser at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Fantasy-Sports-Group or call in at (347) 826-9620.

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