Week 13 marks the end of the regular season to many fantasy leagues with the playoffs just a few days away. We’ll have some Thursday night football for a second straight week, as the Browns take on the Steelers in some mid-week football. This Sunday’s headlines include the Titans’ improbable, comeback win against the Colts, Reggie Bush’s four-TD breakout performance and Cowboys clutch win over the G-Men in an NFC East battle. In this edition of Chutes ‘n’ Ladders, we’ll break down the top performers from the waiver wires and recap the big injuries from week Sunday’s action.

Free Agent Possibilities
Quarterbacks
David Garrard, JAC 16-for-22, 229 yards, two TD, 24 yards rushing
Vince Young, TEN 15-for-25, 163 yards, two TD, two INT, 78 yards rushing
Derek Anderson, CLE 12-for-21, 171 yards, two TD, INT, 44 yards rushing
Jay Cutler, DEN 10-for-21, 171 yards, two TD, two INT, 10 yards rushing, FL
Chad Pennington, NYJ 25-for-35, 263 yards, two TD, two INT
J.P. Losman, BUF 21-for-37, 184 yards, two TD, two INT, 26 yards rushing, FL
Joey Harrington, MIA 27-for-42, 267 yards, TD, two INT
Jason Campbell, WAS 18-for-38, 217 yards, TD, two INT, 15 yards rushing
Aaron Brooks, OAK 25-for-42, 238 yards, two INT, 13 yards rushing
Bruce Gradkowski, TB 20-for-34, 175 yards, three INT, 26 yards rushing
Josh McCown, DET two receptions, 15 yards
Brooks Bollinger, MIN 7-for-9, 70 yards

The Lions experimented with using Josh McCown at wide receiver a lot on Sunday against the Patriots. Although he did catch a pair of passes for 15 yards, he was also whistled for a big offensive pass interference in the fourth quarter. … I give Cutler a C in his first pro start. His stats were inflated when the Seahawks let Brandon Marshall get 71 yards for a game-tying touchdown in the closing minutes thanks to some very sloppy tackling. He’ll take on the mighty Chargers defense next week. … Young led the Titans on another miracle come-from-behind win against a Manning-led team this week. Down 14-0 early on, the Titans got a 60-yard FG from Rob Bironas in the closing seconds to cap the 20-17 win. Young rushed for a career-high 78 yards on just nine carries, while also throwing for 163. He’s now won three straight and is 5-2 in his past seven starts. … Anderson is a nice addition if Charlie Frye cannot play because of a wrist injury. He looked amazing in Cleveland’s comeback win over KC this weekend.

Running Backs
Cedric Houston, NYJ 22 rushes, 105 yards, two TD, three rec, 24 yards
Kevin Faulk, NE eight rec, 59 yards
Jerious Norwood, ATL nine rushes, 107 yards, TD
Marcel Shipp, ARI seven rushes, 21 yards, three TD
Ciatrick Fason, MIN 11 rushes, 75 yards, TD, two rec, seven yards
Vernand Morency, GB six rushes, 14 yards, three rec, 43 yards
ReShard Lee, OAK six rushes, 42 yards, five rec, 57 yards, FL
Noah Herron, GB seven rec, 51 yards
Cedric Benson, CHI nine rushes, 60 yards, TD
Justin Fargas, OAK 14 rushes, 49 yards, TD, rec, nine yards
Mewelde Moore, MIN three rushes, 13 yards, five rec, 51 yards
Jason Wright, CLE 11 rushes, 25 yards, two rec, 70 yards
Ron Dayne, HOU 18 rushes, 95 yards, rec, five yards
LenDale White, TEN four rushes, 35 yards, rec, two yards
    
Jets coach Eric Mangini gave Cedric Houston the start in the Jets backfield Sunday, and he responded with a career-high 105-yard performance. He found the end zone twice and seems to have emerged as the Green Machine’s latest primary ball carrier. … If you have Marcel Shipp in your starting lineup, I think you are the luckiest person on the planet. Shipp had gone 44 games without a TD, then BAMMM – he scores three against the Rams. Although coach Dennis Green awarded Shipp the goal line back, don’t expect a ton of production from him down the home stretch. … Falcons rookie RB Jerious Norwood is averaging an amazing 6.7 yards per carry and has now rushed for 518 yards in a very limited role behind Warrick Dunn and Michael Vick. He’s a nice option in deeper leagues as a RB3 or flex, while also being a must-own handcuff if also have Dunn on your roster. … If Laurence Maroney cannot suit up next week because of his injury, Kevin Faulk would get more time as New England’s third-down back. He came through with eight receptions in Sunday’s comeback win.

Wide Receivers
Eddie Kennison, KC seven rec, 117 yards, TD
Reche Caldwell, NE eight rec, 112 yards
Mike Furrey, DET nine rec, 123 yards, TD
Matt Jones, JAC six rec, 128 yards, TD, FL
Brandon Marshall, DEN one rec, 71 yards, TD
Marty Booker, MIA five rec, 61 yards, TD
Michael Jenkins, ATL four rec, 43 yards, TD
Joe Jurevicius, CLE six rec, 75 yards
Nate Washington, PIT three rec, 78 yards
Wes Welker, MIA five rec, 42 yards
Michael Clayton, TB four rec, 57 yards

Caldwell has definitely emerged as Tom Brady’s favorite wide receiver option this season. He compiled 112 yards receiving on eight catches, both season-highs. … Furrey was Jon Kitna’s favorite target all game against New England. He came through with a career-high 123 yards and a five-yard TD. The Lions have some nice matchups against weak pass defenses, so Furrey is a viable WR2 option down the home stretch.

Tight Ends
Steve Heiden, CLE five rec, 27 yards, two TD
Chris Baker, NYJ four rec, 50 yards, TD
Heath Miller, PIT two rec, 27 yards, TD
Stephen Alexander, DEN two rec, 16 yards, TD
Bryan Fletcher, IND three rec, 56 yards
Randal Williams, OAK six rec, 46 yards, two FL

Major Offensive Injuries    
Tiki Barber revealed that his thumb was broken, not sprained like he originally said it was. He sustained the injury four weeks ago – when the Giants started their losing streak – and has been playing hurt since. He said when he originally got hurt, he thought for sure his season, and career, might be over. Despite the injury, he still came through with 90 yards rushing and another 53 yards through the air on five catches. He’s a warrior – and still a must-start against Carolina in week 14. Brandon Jacobs continues to see a bigger role though – both are fine plays for the week.

Laurence Maroney left Sunday’s game after just the second offensive series after he “got the wind knocked out.” That’s what the Patriots initially diagnosed at least. The fact that he didn’t return makes us think that the injury was much worse than that though. There was some speculation that he suffered a head injury, but that hasn’t been confirmed yet. … Joe Horn re-injured his groin against the Niners Sunday and was unable to return. Teammate Marques Colston (ankle) also sat out the contest. Reggie Bush racked up four touchdowns picking up the slack for the Saints offense. … Willis McGahee was in and out of the game with a rib injury against the Chargers. He finished with just 26 yards rushing on 16 carries, but did find the end zone once too. … Keenan McCardell re-aggravated a calf injury and missed a lot of the second half.

Charlie Frye hurt his right wrist early in Sunday’s game and was forced to the sidelines quick. There was some talk that it was broken, but coach Romeo Crennel confirmed initial tests came back negative. The Browns play on Thursday this week, so Derek Anderson might get his first start if Frye cannot suit up. Anderson went 12-for-21 for 171 yards and two touchdowns in a thrilling comeback win over Kansas City, including two rushes for 44 yards. At 6’6”, 245 pounds, he’s a monster at the position. He’s worth picking up in two-quarterback leagues.

Week 14 Schedule
Thursday, Dec. 7
Cleveland at Pittsburgh 8:00 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 10
Atlanta at Tampa Bay 1:00 p.m.
Baltimore at Kansas City 1:00 p.m.
Indianapolis at Jacksonville 1:00 p.m.
Minnesota at Detroit 1:00 p.m.
New England at Miami 1:00 p.m.
N.Y. Giants at Carolina 1:00 p.m.
Oakland at Cincinnati 1:00 p. m.
Philadelphia at Washington 1:00 p.m.
Tennessee at Houston 1:00 p.m.
Green Bay at San Francisco 4:05 p.m.
Seattle at Arizona 4:05 p.m.
Buffalo at N.Y. Jets 4:15 p.m.
Denver at San Diego 4:15 p.m.
New Orleans at Dallas 8:15 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 11
Chicago at St. Louis 8:30 p.m.

Questions, comments, quandaries? Contact me at tycoon4477@hotmail.com