Week 11 — Late-week fantasy tips

Denver Broncos — FB Howard Griffith, Terrell Davis’ lead blocker, is out with a knee injury. The running game did fine with Detron Smith leading the way two weeks ago at Cincinnati. … Bronco QB John Elway will be out this week and maybe next week with sore ribs. Bubby Brister has played very well in place of Elway, but there’s a feeling Brister might be due for a stinker.

Kansas City Chiefs — Rich Gannon will start at quarterback for the Chiefs this week. If the team wins under Gannon, he likely will remain the starter. If the Chiefs fall out of playoff contention, look for Marty Schottenheimer to return to Elvis Grbac. … RB Donnell Bennett (shoulder) is questionable for this week’s game, which could be the coming-out party for Bam Morris.

Oakland Raiders — Donald Hollas will start at quarterback this week in place of the injured Jeff George (groin). George is out indefinitely. … Rookie CB Charles Woodson is expected to play at least a few snaps on offense. He could be a big-play guy who takes scoring opportunities away from James Jett.

San Diego Chargers — Craig Whelihan starts at quarterback in place of Ryan Leaf, who will sit, watch and think for a while. If Whelihan plays well, he could keep the job for the rest of this season. … Charlie Jones will start at wide receiver in place of Bryan Still, who’s currently in head coach June Jones’ doghouse. This is not expected to be a long-term situation.

Seattle Seahawks — WR James McKnight is finally healthy and should take time away from Brian Blades. The Seahawks are hoping to finally get McKnight on track. … The Seahawk defense should be played every week. Seattle has five interception returns for touchdowns this season.

Dallas Cowboys — ORT Erik Williams should return to the starting lineup this week, though it’s not as if the Cowboys skipped a beat without him last week. … QB Troy Aikman is playing with a finger injury that is not expected to hamper him.

Arizona Cardinals — PK Joe Nedney is having the best season of his career and might be worth considering, at least as a backup kicker. Nedney is capable of making 50-yard-plus field goals.

New York Giants — Look for the Giants to give rookie WR Joe Jurevicius more playing time in the coming weeks.

Philadelphia Eagles — The Eagles have allowed an individual 100-yard rusher in 12 of their last 22 games.

Jacksonville Jaguars — QB Mark Brunell is likely to play this week, despite an injured groin. … WR Keenan McCardell remains questionable with a shoulder injury. Speedy Alvis Whitted stepped up in McCardell’s absence last week.

Washington Redskins — Jamie Asher had knee surgery this week, thrusting rookie Stephen Alexander into the starting TE role. … WR Michael Westbrook should start this week now that he has escaped Norv Turner’s doghouse. … Rookie Skip Hicks should start at running back again this week, as Terry Allen is questionable with an ankle injury.

Baltimore Ravens — TE Eric Green is expected to return this week from a finger injury. … The running game seemed to turn the corner last week after RB Priest Holmes challenged his offensive line, but this week the Ravens face the Chargers’ No. 1-ranked run defense.

San Francisco 49ers — Look for the 49ers to pass the ball a ton vs. the Falcons this week. The Falcon secondary is the weakest area of their defense, and the 49ers — especially WR Jerry Rice — always seem to light up the skies vs. Atlanta.

Atlanta Falcons — RB Jamal Anderson went over 100 yards last time vs. the 49ers, but look for the Falcons to also go airborne vs. a very vulnerable 49er secondary. … Opposing strong safeties have been creeping up to the line of scrimmage to stop Anderson, opening things up for TE O.J. Santiago, whom Atlanta’s coaches are really high on.

New Orleans Saints — Kerry Collins will start at quarterback this week and possibly for the rest of the season. In Carolina, Collins’ favorite target was TE Wesley Walls, so it stands to reason that impressive rookie TE Cam Cleeland will be Collins’ No. 1 target in New Orleans.

Carolina Panthers — Tim Biakabutuka will get some carries this week as head coach Dom Capers searches for ways to kick-start his running game. … PK John Kasay has really been off his game this year, but things could turn around now that the Panthers have a new long-snapper.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers — WR Bert Emanuel is listed as questionable with a concussion, but he practiced Thursday and should play.

Minnesota Vikings — QB Randall Cunningham is expected to start this week, even though he had minor knee surgery on Monday. Cunningham looked just fine in practice and has been upgraded to probable on the injury report. … Minnesota’s WR scoring has been cyclical. When Randy Moss was up, Jake Reed was down. Lately, it’s been the other way around. Don’t be surprised if the trend reverses again in the coming weeks.

Green Bay Packers — With Raymont Harris less than 100 percent and generally ineffective this season, the Packers probably will turn to Darick Holmes this week. Holmes has been itching for a chance to show what he’s got. He’ll likely run out of a lot of two-TE sets, something he’s familiar with from his days in Buffalo.

Detroit Lions — Barry Sanders will play with a flak jacket this week to protect some sore ribs, but it is not expected to hinder his play.

Chicago Bears — Steve Stenstrom will start at quarterback again this week. He’ll be joined in the backfield by Edgar Bennett, who is replacing the injured Curtis Enis (knee; out for season) and will get the majority of the carries the rest of the way.

Tennessee Oilers — QB Steve McNair has really been on a roll lately, but he could have a tough time this week vs. the blitzing Steelers now that starting OLT Brad Hopkins is out (groin).

New York Jets — RB Curtis Martin revealed this week that he is still not 100 percent after suffering a hamstring injury in the preseason and a thigh injury early in the regular season. However, he said he’s very close to regaining his burst. Martin’s longest run this season is 17 yards.

New England Patriots — None of the following Patriot skill-position players is expected to be back this week: WR Terry Glenn (hamstring), WR Vincent Brisby (finger), WR Troy Brown (ankle), FB Tony Carter (knee). The running game has suffered with those guys out of the lineup and the offensive line not playing up to snuff.

LATE, LATE TIP:
Pittsburgh Steelers — PK Norm Johnson (calf) has been deactivated. Newly acquired Matt George will kick field goals and extra points this week.

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