Player Notes

Philip Rivers (SD - QB)

Nov 3 - QB Philip Rivers heads into his showdown with Eli Manning coming off a so-so game -- for Rivers. He still had a 93.6 rating in completing 16-of-25 passes for 249 yards and a score. He was sacked once and picked off once, although the interception came off a deflected pass.

Nov 2 - Rivers was 16-for-25 for 249 yards and one touchdown and one interception on Sunday against the Raiders.

Recommendation: It wasn't a huge game for Rivers since LaDainian Tomlinson was able to convert two rushing touchdowns, but Rivers was solid as usual.

Nov 2 - Rivers had a season-low 249 yards but threw for a touchdown in his fourth straight game in Sunday's 24-16 win over visiting Oakland. He also had his first interception in five games.
Advice: Rivers, one of five players with 2,000 yards, has 11 TDs and four interceptions this season.

Michael Turner (Atl - RB)

Nov 5 - RB Michael Turner leads the team in rushing with 138 carries for 554 yards and eight touchdowns. Turner had with 100-yard games against Carolina (105) and New Orleans (151) while adding a three-touchdown performance against the 49ers.

Nov 4 - RB Michael Turner has eight rushing touchdowns and has now scored at least one touchdown in six consecutive games. He rushed for a franchise record 17 touchdowns last season. His 151 yards rushing against the Saints was his second 100-yard game of the season and 10th in two seasons with the Falcons.

Nov 3 - RB Michael Turner posted his highest first quarter rushing total of the season with 44 yards on six carries. Turner also posted his longest rush of the season with a 37-yard scamper in the second quarter. He finished with 151 yards on 20 carries.

Nov 3 - Turner had 151 yards rushing, including a 13-yard touchdown, in the Falcons' 35-27 loss in New Orleans on Monday night.
Advice: Turner has been a huge disappointment after his breakout 2008 season, but this performance is a good sign. Look for it to continue the next two weeks as Atlanta faces Carolina and Washington.

Nov 2 - Turner carried 20 times for 151 yards and a touchdown in Atlanta's 35-27 loss to the Saints on Monday night.

Recommendation: The Michael Turner of 2008 finally showed up as he got to the edge repeatedly against a fast New Orleans defense. Had the Falcons not been playing from behind for much of the second half, Turner could have easily piled up 200 yards in this one.

Nov 2 - Turner carried 20 times for 151 yards and a touchdown in Atlanta's 35-27 loss to the Saints on Monday night.

Recommendation: The Turner of 2008 finally showed up, as he got to the edge repeatedly against a fast New Orleans defense. Had the Falcons not been playing from behind for much of the second half, Turner could have easily piled up 200 yards in this one.

Frank Gore (SF - RB)

Nov 3 - RB Frank Gore is averaging 5.6 yards a carry with 364 yards on 65 carries. He has four rushing touchdowns on the season, with three of them coming on carries of 80, 79 and 64 yards. Gore has 15 receptions for 115 yards and one touchdown.

Nov 2 - RB Frank Gore has touchdown runs of 79, 80 and 64 yards this season. Those three runs have accounted for 223 yards. His other 62 rushing attempts have netted just 141 yards.

Nov 2 - Gore carried the ball 13 times for 91 rushing yards and a touchdown in Sunday's loss to the Colts. He also caught five passes for 43 reception yards.

Recommendation: Gore salvaged his otherwise mediocre day with a brilliant 64-yard touchdown run. Take that away and he averaged a mere 2.3 yards-per carry (12 rushes for 27 yards). The 49ers have really begun to get away from that run-first offensive philosophy over the past two weeks, which has really limited the opportunities that Gore has had to produce big-time numbers. Since averaging 19 carries per game in Weeks 1 and 2, he has received an average of 13 carries over the past two weeks.

Nov 2 - Gore had a 64-yard TD run in San Francisco's 18-14 loss to Indianapolis on Sunday.
Advice: Gore finished with 13 carries for 91 yards and five receptions for 43 yards.

Reggie Wayne (Ind - WR)

Nov 5 - WR Reggie Wayne (rest) did not practice Thursday. He did take part in Wednesday's workout. Wayne is expected to start against Houston on Sunday.

Nov 4 - WR Reggie Wayne (groin) took part in Wednesday's workout. Wayne missed some practice time last week but was able to start against the 49ers. He will start Sunday against Houston.

Nov 3 - WR Reggie Wayne had a whopping 20 passes thrown his way against the 49ers. Wayne hauled in 12, tying his single-game career high, in the process. He played in the game despite missing two days of practice last week with a strained groin. He didn't know until Friday if he would even be able to start the San Francisco game.

Nov 2 - Wayne caught a 22-yard TD pass from running back Joseph Addai 7 seconds into the fourth quarter to give Indianapolis an 18-14 win over San Francisco on Sunday.
Advice: Wayne had a career-high 12 catches for 147 yards. He has scored in five straight games and has six TDs on the season.

Nov 2 - WR Reggie Wayne (strained groin) came through the San Francisco game in relatively good shape. While his practice time may be limited this week, Wayne is expected to start against the Texans on Sunday. Wayne hauled in 12 passes (tying his single-game career high) for 147 yards and a touchdown against the Niners.

Nov 1 - Wayne (groin) had 12 receptions for 147 yards with a touchdown in Sunday's 18-14 win over San Francisco.

Recommendation: Interestingly, Wayne scored the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter on a pass from Joseph Addai, not Peyton Manning. Wayne missed a couple of practices during the week, but his status for Sunday's game was never truly in doubt. He should be fine moving forward.

Nate Washington (Ten - WR)

Nov 3 - WR Nate Washington caught his fourth touchdown pass of the season Sunday and his first from Young, a 6-yarder. Washington's TD was the Titans first touchdown in nine quarters.

Nov 2 - Washington had two catches for 22 yards and a touchdown Sunday in the Titans' 30-13 win over Jacksonville.
Advice: Washington has four touchdowns this season, but there's not enough stability under center in Tennessee for him to develop into a reliable fantasy receiver this season. He may score more, but yards and receptions will be hard to come by in this offense.

Nov 1 - Washington (quad) is listed as active for Sunday's game against the Jaguars.

Recommendation: Washington found the end zone in Weeks 2-4, but it might be a good idea to see what kind of chemistry he has with Vince Young before rolling with him again.

Nov 1 - Washington (quad) played and caught two passes for 22 yards, one for a touchdown Sunday against the Jaguars.

Recommendation: Washington caught the only touchdown pass for the Titans in their first win of the season. He has not had any big yardage games so far this year but he has been productive so far in terms of touchdown catches, four this year.

Hines Ward (Pit - WR)

Nov 3 - WR Hines Ward ranks fifth in the NFL with 603 receiving yards and has not missed a game since 2007. At 33, he is off to the fastest seven-game start of his career.

Jason Witten (Dal - TE)

Nov 4 - TE Jason Witten has had a history of big games against the Eagles. In 11 games against Philadelphia, he has caught 63 passes for 792 yards and three scores. Has three career 100-yard games vs. the Eagles.

Neil Rackers^P (Ari - K)

Nov 6 - Rackers (right hamstring) is probable for Sunday's game at Chicago.

Recommendation: He was a full participant in Thursday's and Friday's practices and he should be fine to play on Sunday. Rackers and the Cardinals seem to be lucking out, since good weather is expected.

Nov 5 - Rackers (right hamstring) was a full participant in Thursday's practice, the Arizona Republic reports.

Recommendation: This is a very good sign after he was limited on Wednesday. Rackers strained his right hamstring during pregame warmups last Sunday. He was able to fill his normal role in Week 8 and he should be able to do so again this week at Chicago. It sounds like Rackers and the Cardinals will encounter pleasant weather conditions, something that is not always the case in Chicago in November.

Nov 4 - Rackers (hamstring) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, the Cardinals' official site reports.

Recommendation: We're optimistic that he will be able to fill his normal role on Sunday at Chicago.

Nov 3 - K Neil Rackers has been reliable this season, missing only one field goal. Rackers didn't have an attempt last week.

Nov 1 - Rackers didn't attempt a field goal on Sunday, but he did connect on all three of his extra-point tries.

Recommendation: He faces a tough matchup (at Chicago) next week. After that, Rackers and the Cardinals will play six of their final eight games of the regular season indoors. The Cardinals' offense hasn't been as potent as it was last season and Rackers' field-goal attempts are down as a result. He is averaging 1.3 field-goal attempts per game this regular season after averaging 1.8 last regular season. Still, the Cardinals' offense is a threat to break out at any time.