If you have Hakeem Nicks, today was a bad day.

If you have Randy Moss, it likely has been a bad year.

Monday, it was announced Nicks will miss at least the Giants' next three games because of a nerve condition in his lower right leg. That takes the Giants receiver out of your lineup through at least Week 14, which means you won't get your No. 1 receiver back until the fantasy semifinals, if at all.

Mario Manningham likely isn't available on your league's waiver wire. If he is, however, he should be priority No. 1, since the Giants also will be without Steve Smith for at least one more week. Manningham -- who had 10 receptions for 91 yards and a TD in Week 10 (New York's first game without Smith) -- is now Eli Manning's top target.

The good news, at least if you have Manningham: Sunday, the Giants will play host to the Jags, who entered Week 11 ranked 28th in the NFL defending the pass.

A few more thoughts as we get set to play the second-to-last week of the fantasy regular season:

-- If you're desperate for a running back, Carolina's Mike Goodson has had back-to-back 100-yard games for a terrible team. Goodson has rushed for 220 yards on 45 carries the last two weeks, and Sunday he will face the Browns, who were No. 21 vs. the run before Maurice Jones-Drew ran over them in Week 11. If you do acquire Goodson, keep this in mind: He's only valuable if Jonathan Stewart is sidelined. The latter has missed Carolina's last two games because of a concussion.

START 'EM

-- Nate Burleson, WR, Lions: He has 31 receptions in his last five games. In his last three, he has a combined 18 catches for 257 yards and two touchdowns.

-- Santonio Holmes, WR, Jets: This is an obvious one, but Holmes likely wasn't in many starting lineups until his recent three-game surge. The former Buckeye had zero TDs in his first three games back from suspension, but has a score in two consecutive games and a combined 17 receptions for 316 yards and three TDs in his last three.

-- Mike Williams, WR, Seahawks: I've never been a believer, but it's hard to ignore the fact Williams has had four big games in his last six. He's had three games with 10 or more receptions in that span, and three with 109 yards or more.

-- Mike Thomas, WR, Jaguars: With Mike Sims-Walker banged up, Thomas has scored in three consecutive games and has 13 catches for 185 yards in his last two contests.

-- Steve Breaston, WR, Cardinals: This is for deeper PPR leagues only. Since returning from a knee injury, Breaston has 20 receptions for 365 yards in four games.

SIT 'EM

-- Steve Smith, WR, Panthers: The Panthers' QBs have combined to crush Smith's value. The volatile one has been held out of the end zone in five consecutive games and has 34 catches for 411 yards and two TDs in nine games on the season. Smith has had 50 receiving yards or fewer in six of his last seven.

DROP 'EM

-- Clinton Portis, RB, Redskins: If you need the roster space, it's OK to let go of Portis even after he returned from a groin injury. The ailment limited him to five carries for 32 yards last week, and Keiland Williams (68 yards rushing, six catches for 27 yards Sunday) has emerged as Washington's featured back with Ryan Torain battling a hamstring injury.

-- Randy Moss, WR, Titans: It's almost unfathomable to consider dropping a healthy receiver you selected in the top 10 overall, but Moss has all of two catches for 34 yards in his last three games. Sunday, he was shut out.

-- Brett Favre, QB, Vikings: It's Legends Week in the drop section, as Favre had another touchdown-less game Sunday. He has 10 TDs and 17 interceptions on the year, and he's thrown for 250 yards or more three times in 10 games.

Stat of the week

15: Total yards receiving by the Cowboys' Dez Bryant (three catches for 8 yards) and Miles Austin (two for 7 yards) on Sunday against the Lions. The pair combined for three TDs -- scores of 1, 3 and 4 yards.

Before we hear a word or two about Brett Favre tonight -- and, for once, the ESPN crew will have to tell us something other than "he's having fun out there" and "Brett Favre is a competitor, and competitors like to compete" -- let's take a look back at another wild Sunday.

Some quick takes from Week 5:

-- Start 'em: Jaguars tight end Marcedes Lewis (five touchdowns in as many games, including three in the last two) and Rams receiver Danny Amendola. The latter is a must-play in point-per-reception formats after catching 12 passes for 95 yards on Sunday. With Mark Clayton (22 receptions for 300 yards and two TDs in the Rams' first four games) done for the season with a knee injury, Amendola is the team's best fantasy weapon aside from Steven Jackson.

-- Free-agent bin: Lions wide receiver Nate Burleson will be one of the most popular Week 6 pickups after catching four passes for 56 yards and one TD on Sunday. Burleson had only two catches for 23 yards in the first two weeks, then sat Detroit's next two games with an ankle injury. Calvin Johnson suffered a shoulder injury that has the Lions "very concerned," according to Coach Jim Schwartz, which could leave Burleson as Detroit's No. 1 wideout.

-- Drop 'em: Giants receiver Mario Manningham, who has been shut out the last two weeks.

-- You're still going to start Lions running back Jahvid Best, but your expectations should be sufficiently tempered after three consecutive games without a touchdown for the rookie. Best had five TDs the first two weeks -- a trend you knew was going to last about as long as Jon Gruden trying to hold back Favre praise.

-- I don't want to jinx it, but it seems Wade Phillips has finally realized Felix Jones (15 carries for 109 yards, four catches for 17 yards Sunday) is the Cowboys' best running back, not Marion Barber (six carries, 19 yards).

-- The We're Getting Impatient Department (which, incidentally, is co-chaired by Reggie Bush and Dwayne Bowe): Packers receiver Greg Jennings has six catches for 63 yards the last three weeks, with two receptions in each game. He's 17 yards shy of 200 for the year.

-- I don't believe in any Bears wide receiver. If Todd Collins is playing, the level of faith is reduced to Browns wide receiver level.

-- You don't need me to tell you the Panthers' anemic passing attack is crushing DeAngelo Williams' value. The running back has 35 carries for 201 yards in the last three games -- an impressive 5.7 yards-per-carry average. But it's hard to count on him week to week because of his lack of touches. Williams has one game with more than 16 touches, and he's scored one TD in five contests.

-- We're Getting Impatient, Take II: Texans quarterback Matt Schaub has had two productive games in five weeks, and one game with more than 241 yards passing.

-- Beanie Wells, we're waiting.

-- Almost as surprising as Felix Jones' expanded role: Cowboys teammate Roy Williams has had two productive games in a row (a combined 11 catches for 204 yards and three TDs). If you have bye-week issues, he's a decent No. 3 receiver.

-- That's more like it, Michael Crabtree.

-- Stats of the week: In four games since a huge Week 1 that was helped by garbage-time production in a 38-24 loss at New England, Chad Ochocinco has a combined 14 receptions for 157 yards and zero TDs. In the four-game span, the proud creator of "child please" hasn't had more than four catches and has failed to eclipse 59 yards in a contest.

While the Brett Favre circus takes on an even wilder life of its own (hint: Google "Brett Favre Deadspin"), the less-talked-about aspect isn't poor Tarvaris Jackson (Favre's backup, who may or may not be a starter in September), Brad Childress or anyone else left twisting in the diva-induced wind.

What about us -- the ones who have a fantasy football draft in the next two or three weeks and don't know if we're drafting the Sidney Rice of 2009 or the Sidney Rice who is battling a bad hip and might be playing in an offense that gets a lot more run-heavy?

Let's take a quick look at the potential impact of Favre not playing in 2010 on five key Vikings, none of whom is named Tarvaris Jackson, who is no more than a lower-level backup in a 12-team league.

-- Adrian Peterson, RB: He scored a career-high 18 touchdowns and caught a career-best 43 passes for 436 yards last season. However, the consensus 2009 No. 1 overall pick had his rushing yards drop from 1,760 in 2008 to 1,383 and he lost a career-worst five fumbles, giving him 12 in three years.

In point-per-reception leagues, Peterson could drop as low as No. 4 overall, behind Chris Johnson, Ray Rice and Maurice Jones-Drew. I wouldn't let Peterson get past me at No. 2, with or without the indecisive one.

-- Sidney Rice, WR: He had 83 receptions for 1,312 yards and eight TDs last year, after totaling 46 catches and eight scores in his first two NFL seasons. Rice isn't practicing because of the hip issue, but he says he'll ready for the regular-season opener.

Combine the injury with the possibility of Favre not playing, and Rice likely drops out of the top 20 at wide receiver. If he's healthy and Favre is as effective as he was last season, Rice is an ideal No. 2 wideout in fantasy.

-- Percy Harvin, WR: He had 60 receptions and six TDs as a rookie, and he should reach 1,000 yards and eight scores in Year 2. Draft Harvin as a No. 3 receiver in 12-team leagues and hope No. 4 is the one slinging passes in September.

-- Bernard Berrian, WR: If Rice is healthy, Berrian is a low-level No. 4 receiver in fantasy. If Favre retires, he's no better than a No. 5. However, should Favre play and Rice sit at the beginning of the season, Berrian -- who had a career-high 964 yards receiving and seven TDs in 2008 -- could be a late-round bargain.

-- Visanthe Shiancoe, TE: The notable difference between the 2008 Shiancoe and the 2009 version with Favre at QB was the tight end scored 11 TDs (Add short TD catches by the tight ends to training camp indecision, running down the sideline like a little kid and Rachel Nichols reporting live from Mississippi as Favre traditions).

Shiancoe was productive in 2008 (42 receptions, 596 yards and seven TDs), but with Jackson at QB, he is an upper-level backup in 10- and 12-team leagues.

For more fantasy updates, follow Kevin Kleps on Twitter.

Sixteen weeks -- or if you're in a league that inexplicably plays its championship game in Week 17, aka The Game The Colts Refuse To Play -- weren't enough, so you entered a fantasy postseason pool.

Whether it's a league in which you have an actual draft or one in which you pick a certain amount of players, but not more than one from each playoff team, there are three questions to keep in mind.

1. How many games will Player X give you? 2. What is his likely lineup of opponents? 3. Do Mark Sanchez and Braylon Edwards really have to get selected?

With that in mind, here are my rankings for the top quarterbacks, with running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, kickers and defenses to follow later in the week.

QUARTERBACKS

12. Mark Sanchez, Jets: He's thrown eight more interceptions (20) than touchdown passes (12), and he hasn't accounted for a score in five games.

11. Carson Palmer, Bengals: Sanchez or Palmer will play into Round 2 at least, but neither should be much of an option unless you're in a 12-team league or you're forced to select two QBs. Palmer has had only five games with two or more touchdown throws.

10. Joe Flacco, Ravens: He's thrown one or zero TD passes in 10 of 16 games, and there's a strong chance his team will be one-and-done.

9. Donovan McNabb, Eagles: The good: He tallied 24 TDs (22 passing, two rushing) in 14 games. The bad: He had one TD in two losses to the Cowboys, whom the Eagles will play Saturday night on the road.

8. Aaron Rodgers, Packers: With 4,434 yards passing, 30 TD throws and five scores on the ground, he's much better than this ranking. But the Pack would have to win at Arizona and likely at New Orleans just for you to get more than two games from Rodgers.

7. Kurt Warner, Cardinals: Rodgers is better, but Warner would seem to be more likely to play a pair of games, and would you really be surprised if the Cardinals beat the reeling Saints in the divisional round?

6. Tom Brady, Patriots: Wes Welker's knee injury bumps Gisele's husband down a couple spots, and then there are the broken ribs and fractured ring finger from which Brady reportedly is suffering. Sixteen of Brady's 28 TD passes occurred in four games.

5. Tony Romo, Cowboys: If Dallas defeats Philadelphia for a third straight time, Romo would face a Vikings defense that has allowed 26 TD tosses. In his last six games, Romo has 1,859 yards passing, 11 touchdowns and two interceptions.

4. Brett Favre, Vikings: He finished the regular season by throwing for a combined 637 yards and six TDs, with no picks, in Weeks 16 and 17, and his NFC playoff opponents could be the Cardinals (No. 23 vs. the pass), followed by the Saints (No. 26).

3. Drew Brees, Saints: This might be one spot too low for an MVP candidate who plays for the NFC's No. 1 seed, but the next QB on the list is playing for a team that has won 11 straight. Brees had mediocre numbers in Weeks 15 and 16 (556 yards and two TDs), then rested in the regular-season finale -- all Saints losses.

2. Philip Rivers, Chargers: His likely Round 2 opponent, the Patriots, have given up 25 TD passes, and he seems to have as good of a chance of any QB to play three postseason games. Rivers accounted for a TD in 15 of 16 games.

1. Peyton Manning, Colts: When the Colts actually cared, Indy was 14-0 and Manning had 4,213 yards passing (300.9 per game) and 33 TDs. Indy's first-round opponent (the Ravens, tied for No. 8; Jets, No. 1; or Bengals, No. 6) is guaranteed to rank in the top eight against the pass, but, barring a huge upset next week, Manning will play two games at home -- and the Colts actually will be trying.

TUESDAY: Running backs

As Donovan McNabb owners, we knew our starting quarterback would get hurt.

We just didn't think said inevitable injury would occur in the third quarter of the first game.

With McNabb -- who played 16 games last season, after missing a combined 15 the previous three years -- out Sunday with a fractured rib, there might be more than a few decent alternatives available on the waiver wire in your league. And Kevin Kolb is not one of them.

Here are four who are available in more than 40 percent of the leagues on ESPN.com:

-- 1. Shaun Hill, 49ers (available in 89.1 percent of the ESPN leagues): In 10 games played since the start of the 2008 season, he has thrown for 2,255 yards and 14 touchdowns, with eight interceptions and two rushing TDs. Sunday, he'll face a Seahawks defense that was the NFL's worst against the pass last year.

-- 2. Trent Edwards, Bills (available in 42.7 percent of the ESPN leagues): He was impressive against the Patriots on Monday night (212 yards and two TDs), and Sunday the Bills host the Bucs, who allowed 462 total yards to Dallas in Week 1.

-- 3. Byron Leftwich, Buccaneers (available in 95.1 percent of the ESPN leagues): He threw for 276 yards and a touchdown against the Cowboys, and the Bills' defense nearly allowed 400 yards through the air on Monday.

-- 4. Jason Campbell, Redskins (available in 78.1 percent of the ESPN leagues): He certainly isn't much help in the scoring department (26 TD passes in 30 games since 2007), but even he should produce in a home game against the Rams.

-- Four likely backups who have favorable matchups this week: Matt Hasselbeck, Seahawks, at 49ers; Kyle Orton, Broncos, vs. Browns; Joe Flacco, Ravens, at the Chargers; David Garrard, Jaguars, vs. the Cardinals.

Linked in: Before we get to the start-and-sit lists, here are a few links. This is the column I wrote for Saturday's print editions about Anthony Gonzalez's knee injury, along with some buy-and-sell performances from Week 1. Here is a recap of the live chat we held Thursday (we'll have another this Thursday at 4 p.m. on the homepage of News-Herald.com), and here is a blog I wrote Thursday regarding LaDainian Tomlinson's injury.

Five to start

Our weekly look at part-time starters and fantasy backups who should benefit from a favorable matchup:

-- Brett Favre, QB, Vikings, vs. Lions: If there is ever a week to start the indecisive one, this is it. The Lions ranked 27th against the pass last season and were quite generous to Drew Brees in Week 1.

-- Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Steelers, at Bears: The Steelers, even if they don't want to admit it, are morphing into a pass-first offense under Big Ben. The Bears ranked 30th vs. opposing QBs last season, and they will play the rest of 2009 without their best defensive player, Brian Urlacher.

-- Fred Jackson, RB, Bills, vs. Buccaneers: Marshawn Lynch better be in shape when he returns from his suspension, because Jackson showed Monday night he can the featured back. The Bucs ranked 19th against the run in 2008 and gave up 118 rushing yards to the Cowboys last week.

-- Nate Burleson, WR, Seahawks, at 49ers: He caught seven passes for 74 yards and a TD last week, and the 49ers ranked 20th vs. the pass in 2008.

-- Isaac Bruce, WR, 49ers, vs. Seahawks: The ageless one continues to produce, and as we mentioned previously, no defense was worse against the pass last season than Seattle.

-- More matchups I like: Larry Johnson, RB, Chiefs, vs. Raiders; Darren McFadden, RB, Raiders, at Chiefs; Percy Harvin, WR, Vikings, at Lions; Julius Jones, RB, Seahawks, at 49ers; Matt Hasselbeck, QB, Seahawks, at 49ers; Cedric Benson, RB, Bengals, at Packers; Justin Gage, WR, Titans, vs. Texans.

Three to sit

If you have a quality backup, these starters should take a seat for a week:

-- Jay Cutler, QB, Bears, vs. Steelers: You already know about his debacle of a Bears debut in Green Bay, and it doesn't get any easier this week against the league's top defense, even with Troy Polamalu out of the lineup.

-- Matt Schaub, QB, Texans, at Titans: Andre Johnson owners were not happy with him in Week 1, and Schaub owners shouldn't rely on the QB this week, either. The Titans are still a top-10 defense without Albert Haynesworth.

-- Kevin Smith, RB, Lions, vs. Vikings: He faces the league's best run defense, and we're going to venture a guess that this game won't be close and Detroit will be throwing quite a bit.

-- More matchups I don't like: Eli Manning, QB, Giants, at Cowboys; Philip Rivers, QB, Chargers, vs. Ravens; Willie Parker, RB, Steelers, at Bears; any Saints running back at Eagles.

-- One matchup I don't dislike or like: Darren Sproles, RB, Chargers, vs. Ravens: I wouldn't have started L.T. in this one even if he would have attempted to play, but I wouldn't be surprised if Sproles has a productive game against Baltimore, especially in point-per-reception leagues. He's a decent flex play this week, but I wouldn't consider him a No. 2 back.

-- How we fared in Week 1: On the start list, Joe Flacco (307 yards, three TDs, one interception, 18 rushing yards), Matt Hasselbeck (279 yards, three TDs, two interceptions) and Cedric Benson (76 yards rushing, one TD, four receptions for 32 yards) were productive. Donnie Avery (six catches for 46 yards, 8 yards rushing) and Reggie Bush (14 yards rushing, five catches for 55 yards) were OK at best in PPR leagues and duds in other formats. The sit list of Santana Moss (two catches for 6 yards), Larry Johnson (20 yards rushing, one catch for 6 yards) and Darren McFadden (68 yards rushing, two receptions for 25 yards) was 3-for-3.

On to the expanded playlist ...

QUARTERBACKS

1. Tom Brady, Patriots, at Jets
2. Aaron Rodgers, Packers, vs. Bengals
3. Peyton Manning, Colts, at Dolphins
4. Drew Brees, Saints, at Eagles
5. Kurt Warner, Cardinals, at Jaguars
6. Matt Hasselbeck, Seahawks, at 49ers
7. Matt Ryan, Falcons, vs. Panthers
8. Tony Romo, Cowboys, vs. Giants
9. Brett Favre, Vikings, vs. Lions
10. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers, at Bears
11. Shaun Hill, 49ers, vs. Seahawks
12. Philip Rivers, Chargers, vs. Ravens
13. x-Matt Cassel, Chiefs, vs. Raiders
14. Carson Palmer, Bengals, at Packers
15. Kyle Orton, Broncos, vs. Browns
16. Jay Cutler, Bears, vs. Steelers
17. Joe Flacco, Ravens, at Chargers
18. David Garrard, Jaguars, vs. Cardinals
19. Matt Schaub, Texans, at Titans
20. Trent Edwards, Bills, vs. Buccaneers
x-Make sure Cassel, who is listed as questionable with a knee injury, plays.

RUNNING BACKS

1. Adrian Peterson, Vikings, at Lions
2. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars, vs. Cardinals
3. Chris Johnson, Titans, vs. Texans
4. Michael Turner, Falcons, vs. Panthers
5. DeAngelo Williams, Panthers, at Falcons
6. Frank Gore, 49ers, vs. Seahawks
7. Brian Westbrook, Eagles, vs. Saints
8. Clinton Portis, Redskins, vs. Rams
9. Ryan Grant, Packers, vs. Bengals
10. Steven Jackson, Rams, at Redskins
11. Matt Forte, Bears, vs. Steelers
12. Steve Slaton, Texans, at Titans
13. Marion Barber, Cowboys, vs. Giants
14. Brandon Jacobs, Giants, at Cowboys
15. Thomas Jones, Jets, vs. Patriots
16. Julius Jones, Seahawks, at 49ers
17. Derrick Ward, Buccaneers, at Bills
18. Larry Johnson, Chiefs, vs. Raiders
19. Ronnie Brown, Dolphins, vs. Colts
20. Cedric Benson, Bengals, at Packers
21. Fred Jackson, Bills, vs. Buccaneers
22. Ray Rice, Ravens, at Chargers
23. Darren McFadden, Raiders, at Chiefs
24. Joseph Addai, Colts, at Dolphins

WIDE RECEIVERS

1. Randy Moss, Patriots, at Jets
2. Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals, at Jaguars
3. Greg Jennings, Packers, vs. Bengals
4. Reggie Wayne, Colts, at Dolphins
5. Roddy White, Falcons, vs. Panthers
6. Andre Johnson, Texans, at Titans
7. Wes Welker, Patriots, at Jets
8. Calvin Johnson, Lions, vs. Vikings
9. T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Seahawks, at 49ers
10. Chad Ochocinco, Bengals, at Packers
11. Steve Smith, Panthers, at Falcons
12. Eddie Royal, Broncos, vs. Browns
13. Marques Colston, Saints, at Eagles
14. y-Anquan Boldin, Cardinals, at Jaguars
15. DeSean Jackson, Eagles, vs. Saints
16. Hines Ward, Steelers, at Bears
17. Terrell Owens, Bills, vs. Buccaneers
18. Derrick Mason, Ravens, at Chargers
19. Dwayne Bowe, Chiefs, vs. Raiders
20. Santonio Holmes, Steelers, at Bears
21. Braylon Edwards, Browns, at Broncos
22. Brandon Marshall, Broncos, vs. Browns
23. Nate Burleson, Seahawks, at 49ers
24. Bernard Berrian, Vikings, at Lions
25. Donald Driver, Packers, vs. Bengals
26. Santana Moss, Redskins, vs. Rams
27. Justin Gage, Titans, vs. Texans
28. Isaac Bruce, 49ers, vs. Seahawks
29. Torry Holt, Jaguars, vs. Cardinals
30. Lee Evans, Bills, vs. Buccaneers
31. Steve Smith, Giants, at Cowboys
32. Devin Hester, Bears, vs. Steelers
33. Donnie Avery, Rams, at Redskins
34. Ted Ginn Jr., Dolphins, vs. Colts
35. Percy Harvin, Vikings, at Lions
36. Michael Clayton, Buccaneers, at Bills
y-Boldin (hamstring injury) is expected to play, but make sure he's active before kickoff.