SUNDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

The quarterback carousel is in full effect as we enter week number six.

It was announced earlier in the week that Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme (elbow) will be out for the season. After flying across the country for the Cardinals game, David Carr was downgraded to questionable with a bad back. This means recently signed forty-three year old Vinny Testaverde could get the start. This is one quarterback mess you should be sure to steer clear from.

The Cardinals also dipped their toes into the free agent pool this week. With Matt Leinart (shoulder) out for the season, the Cardinals brought Tim Rattay back into the league with the fragile Kurt Warner now at the helm. Next to be signed is veteran Tim Hasselbeck, who will be playing in the same division as his brother Matt. With Warner prone to concussions, this is another quarterback situation to avoid.

After getting benched last week, Joey Harrington maintains his starting job as Byron Leftwich (ankle) has been ruled out this week.

It appears that Ravens quarterback Steve McNair (back) will not play on Sunday and Kyle Boller will get his second start of the season. Boller took snaps with the first team, while McNair sat out practice this week.

Tarvaris Jackson (groin) returns to the starting line-up for Minnesota. Kelly Holcomb goes back to holding the clipboard.

Good ‘ol Gus Frerotte (ankle) will start despite injury as he continues to fill in for Marc Bulger (ribs) and Daunte Culpepper starts once again in place of Josh McCown (toe).

Keep an eye on Jets quarterback Chad Pennington this week. Another lousy outing and/or Jets loss could finally cost him his job. The coaching staff has had high praise for Kellen Clemens and the fans have been calling for the backup for weeks. The pressure is mounting.

Cleo Lemon verses Derek Anderson is actually a key fantasy matchup this week, as both quarterbacks could put up solid fantasy numbers on Sunday.

The Patriots will be without Laurence Maroney (groin) once again this week for their showdown with New England. Sammy Morris; play’em if you got’em.

It has been announced that Jamal Lewis (foot) will not play Sunday. Jason Wright will get the start for Baltimore.

It appears as if LaMont Jordan (back) will be out Sunday. Look for Justin Fargas and Dominic Rhodes to split the carries in his absence. Rhodes is seeing action for the first time this season as he comes off a four-game suspension.

Those of you in deep leagues planning to play Kenneth Darby this week, the Buccaneers pulled a switch-a-roo. Darby was released on Saturday and the team activated Lionel Gates from the practice squad to serve as the backup to Earnest Graham. Michael Pittman (ankle) will be out at least two months. Zack Crockett was also signed.

Fred Taylor (groin) will most likely play, but if he re-aggravates the injury, look for Greg Jones to be in the mix for carries in addition to a heavy dose of Maurice Jones-Drew.

Maximize your use of Brian Leonard, as he gets one more solid start against a porous Dolphins team before Steven Jackson returns.

Rams wide out Torry Holt admitted this week that his current knee condition is an injury that he’ll just have to deal with for the remainder of his career. Holt is no longer in the top fantasy wide out conversation and has also been hurt by bad quarterback play.

Speaking of stud wide outs, it looks like Texans wide out Andre Johnson (knee) is plotting his return for week eleven after the team’s bye week.

The Seahawks will be without Deion Branch (foot) for two weeks. Bobby Engram steps in as the starter. D.J. Hackett (ankle) is expected to play, with former Auburn standouts Ben Obomanu and Courtney Taylor serving as the number three and four guys.

Despite Anquan Boldin’s public proclamation that he is healthy enough to play, head coach Ken Wisenhunt stated that Boldin needs to practice before he suits up for game action.

Need a second half sleeper at the tight end position? You may want to scoop up Tony Scheffler off the waiver wire. With Denver on a bye this week, chances are that Scheffler is sitting in your league’s free agent pool. With Nate Jackson out for the season, Scheffler becomes the top receiving target at the tight end position in Denver and could produce a handful of touchdowns over the second half of the season.

Where Are They Now: Former first-round pick Akili Smith was released by the Calgary Stampeders of the CFL this week.