Reports say Westbrook may miss Week 5
The Washington Post reports that the brother of Brian Westbrook doesn't expect the Eagles RB to play in Week 5 vs. Washington. "I don't think he'll play," Redskins DB Byron Westbrook said. "The ankle injury is more serious than what the Eagles put out. You know how Andy Reid is about injuries."   The Eagles say Westbrook is scheduled to practice on Wednesday, but we'll just have to see how much work he does if he manages to see the field. If Westbrook can't go again, Correll Buckhalter will likely continue to get the bulk of the carries in Philly and could be a useful No. 2 RB or 'flex' option.

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Week 5 Fantasy Stock Watch
Brett Favre, QB, N.Y. Jets - UP
Depending on when you held your Fantasy draft, Favre could have been selected as your backup quarterback. There's plenty of evidence to that since he was only started in 57 percent of leagues on CBSSports.com in Week 4. If Favre is your No. 2 option, now is the perfect time to trade him coming off his six-touchdown performance against Arizona. Or if your starting quarterback has struggled (Carson Palmer, Derek Anderson or Ben Roethlisberger, for example), trade that player and go with Favre as your No. 1 quarterback. He has a great schedule coming up after the bye week.

Philip Rivers, QB, San Diego - DOWN
Now is the time to trade for Rivers after his first bad game. He had one touchdown and two interceptions in Week 4 against Oakland, and some owner may be willing to give up on him. If he struggles in Week 5 at Miami, then definitely make a low offer since Rivers was drafted as the No. 15 quarterback, according to his average draft position on CBSSports.com, which made him a backup coming into the year. He should return to being a solid Fantasy option, but we haven't seen the best of LaDainian Tomlinson yet, and you know that's coming, which will hurt Rivers' production.

Steven Jackson, RB, St. Louis - UP
Several owners have e-mailed about trading Jackson because of the Rams struggles, but it appears like he's ready to get going. Jackson now has 316 total yards and a touchdown the past two games. He has 17 catches in his past three games, so he's back to being the total package at running back. And with Marc Bulger back as the starting quarterback, the Rams offense should improve with the coaching change. If Jackson can avoid the injury bug, he will great for owners down the stretch with a December run against Arizona, Seattle, San Francisco and Atlanta.

Willis McGahee, RB, Baltimore - DOWN
The injuries (knee, eye and now ribs) and a lack of faith from the coaching staff are going to ruin McGahee's year. It already appears the Ravens are down on McGahee, and he might not be able to play in Week 5 against Tennessee. With LeRon McClain coming on strong, McGahee will likely lose touches even when he does return at 100 percent. If you spent a high draft pick on McGahee, you are likely going to regret it. The moment he has a good game, try shopping him around your Fantasy league to see if there are any takers. And if McClain is still available, pick him up now.

Larry Johnson, RB, Kansas City - UP
The reason you want to start Johnson most weeks is he's probably going to touch the ball 20 times a game even when trailing, which means an opportunity to break a long run or at least get close to a good yardage total. He has three games with at least 22 carries this year and has at least 74 rushing yards in those games, with two going over 120 yards. And, despite tough matchups, a subpar supporting cast and a defense that could put the Chiefs behind most weeks, he will still get the goal-line touches. As long as Johnson is healthy, start him despite the matchup.

Darren McFadden, RB, Oakland - DOWN
This toe injury needs to heal over the bye week because right now McFadden is hurting plenty of Fantasy owners. He only has 62 rushing yards the past two games. You want to start him based on his potential, but he's being outplayed by Michael Bush. And once Justin Fargas comes back from his groin injury, McFadden's production will continue to suffer. Hopefully, if McFadden is healthy, new Raiders coach Tom Cable will get him the ball. But if the toe injury lingers, it could be a long year for McFadden and not a lot of production.

DeSean Jackson, WR, Philadelphia - UP
Jackson has become a must-start Fantasy option at this point. He finally scored his first touchdown in Week 4 at Chicago and has three games with at least 71 receiving yards and five catches in each game. He is the No. 12 most targeted receiver with 35 passes thrown in his direction, so Donovan McNabb is counting on him. If an owner is willing to part with Jackson at this point, make an offer because he could be a solid No. 2 Fantasy receiver for the rest of the year. And if you own Jackson, you can safely ask for a lot in return because his value is high and should remain at this level.

Plaxico Burress, WR, Giants - DOWN
We already know about the one-game suspension for Week 5 against the Seahawks, but there's a chance now the NFL can suspend Burress for more games. If that happens, he will severely hamper Fantasy owners who have him and Eli Manning. Burress is obviously a No. 1 Fantasy option on the field, but he needs to play to help owners. If he does receive an additional suspension, he might be worth trading if you can find an owner willing to take him off your hands. And we'll find out how Manning does now without his No. 1 target against the Seahawks.

Dwayne Bowe, WR, Kansas City - UP
There's no sophomore slump for Bowe, who was the best rookie wide receiver in 2007 and is still playing well this year. He is the No. 1 targeted receiver despite playing with three different quarterbacks (Brodie Croyle, Damon Huard and Tyler Thigpen) in a running offense and with no help on the other side of the field in a complementary wide receiver. Still, Bowe has 22 catches for 267 yards and two touchdowns and has been thrown at 46 times. Hopefully that will continue because if he's involved in the offense that much he will remain a consistent playmaker.

Vikings DST - DOWN
The Vikings were the No. 1 DST drafted in the majority of leagues on CBSSports.com, according to the average draft position at No. 65 overall. But so far, they have been the No. 13 DST in a standard-scoring league, and the run defense hasn't been as good as advertised. After Chris Johnson scored two rushing touchdowns against the Vikings in Week 4, they have now allowed six rushing touchdowns for the season. Last year, they allowed only seven rushing touchdowns. The addition of Jared Allen also hasn't helped since they have just seven sacks. The Vikings DST will improve, but they won't finish as the No. 1 unit at this rate.

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Rudi named starter in Detroit
MLive.com reports that the Lions have switched starting running backs, going with veteran Rudi Johnson over rookie Kevin Smith. Johnson rushed 14 times for 83 yards and also caught three passes for 48 yards in Week 3 at San Francisco, including a 34-yard touchdown, giving him the nod over Smith, who has 102 yards on 29 carries with one score on the season. The rookie is not happy with the move. "I don't like it. I think I should be playing a lot more. But it's all about winning," Smith said. "I've got the mindset that I'm going to try to hit a home run on every play now. I might only get one carry. If I only get one carry, I've got to make it count." 

Fantasy owners should consider Johnson a low-end No. 3 Fantasy RB for Week 5 vs. Chicago as the Bears have been great against the run this year. Smith still has value as an insurance policy for Johnson, plus he could regain reps if he does indeed start hitting home runs on his limited reps. Dropping him could be a hasty move this soon after his demotion, especially when you consider that Johnson has been slowed down by a hamstring injury in the recent past.

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