Raiders WR Jerry Porter is expected to start today, after an extended stay in head coach Art Shell's doghouse. Porter has been either benched or suspended in every game so far this season.

While he may take a week or two to ramp up, if you need help at WR, Porter may not be a terrible player to grab off the waiver wire. He's a talented receiver, and the Raiders offense seemed, at least against the Cardinals, to be starting to come together. If you aren't going to be giving up too much, Porter could be a good high-risk/high reward investment.

Chiefs QB Damon Huard suffered an undisclosed injury during practice on Thursday, putting his status for Week 8 in doubt. Since Trent Green is not expected to return for another few weeks, rookie Brodie Croyle is expected to start if Huard can't go.

Monitor this situation closely; if Huard sits, downgrade the remainder of the Chiefs offense, especially the wide receivers. Even Larry Johnson could be negatively affected if the Seahawks decide to give up the pass to shut down the run.

This week, a rant on arbirary NFL television regulations, why you shouldn't put undue weight on matchups, the Tony Romo era begins, big injuries for Hasselbeck and Big Ben, whether Leftwich's ankle is worse than he lets on, and why they may be holding open tryouts at Lambeau.

Podcasts Mentioned:
Philosophy Guy Show
Podsafe Comedy Countdown

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E-mail us at ExtraPointsPodcast@gmail.com, call our voice mail line at 206-339-8723, or join our message board at http://extrapoints.forumup.com!

Rudi Johnson was added to the injury report as probable after not participating in team practice Thursday. If you're counting on Rudi, you should at least start to prepare a Plan B just in case. He is probable, which is a good sign, but any addition to the injury report mid-week is never good, and it never hurts to be prepared for the worst...

Bill Parcells made it official today: Tony Romo will start at QB for the Cowboys thiscoming Sunday. Since Romo has had such little NFL experience, all bets are off concerning Terry Glenn and (cringing) Terrell Owens, though I'd imagine Romo would throw to Glenn a lot since he's a veteran and can probably do the most with poor throws.

All we can say is good luck Tony, you're going to need it...

First Shaun Alexander breaks his foot, and now QB Matt Hasselbeck is expected to be out for two to four weeks with an MCL sprain. Seneca Wallace will start in his place, and he supposedly is a decent replacement, but he turned the ball over three times in a quarter and a half of relief following Hasselbeck's injury.

We will, of course, have full analysis on the next episode of Extra Points.

Eagles RB Brian Westbrook also downgraded to questionable on the injury report, though that was after he completed a full day of practice on Friday. Westbrook has been all over the injury report the last few weeks and has still played, and reasonably well at that, each of the those weeks, but the situation bears monitoring. Of course, if you're a Westbrook owner, you should be used to this drill by now.

So remember how we were talking about a risk of Leftwich getting injured on this week's show? Well, he experienced soreness in his left ankle--the same one that kept him out of 5 games last season--and did not practice today. He is listed as questionable for Sunday's game vs. Houston.

David Garrard is Leftwich's back up. Follow this situation closely if you were planning to start Leftwich.

OK, so I screwed up.  On this week's show, I apparently was looking at the wrong stats for Eric Parker and stated that he'd had a series of big games including a receiving TD in every game.  That's obviously not the case.  Nevertheless, he has had two big games over the past two weeks, coinciding with Rivers' improvement at QB, and while he hasn't, in fact, reached the end zone, it looks like something of an inevitability given his increased role in the passing game.

So, in short, Parker's still worth grabbing if he's available, but he's not quite the second coming of Jerry Rice like I made it seem on the show.

Big thanks to Matt from Colorado for keeping me honest. 

This week, Steve starts up the Rex Grossman support group, why Eric Parker deserves a long look, whether Matt Lienart is worth starting from now on, why you should have cut Neil Rackers already, Steve McNair's injury and the triumphant return of Kyle Boller, Koren Robinson gets suspended again, and Tiki Barber starts talking retirement.

Podcasts Mentioned:
Redboy Podcast
Shelly's Podcast
The Big Show

Links:
Dennis Green Tirade
Bonus Link: Great NFL Post-Game Rants

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This week, whether Leon Washington is worth a flier, the Joey Harrington era begins in Miami, Larry Fitzgerald hears his hamstring pop, Larry Johnson gives us a scare, Kevin Jones gets a concussion, and we dig into the mailbag to answer your questions!

Podcasts Mentioned:
The Mind of Men
Soccer Champions

Links:
FFToday Schedules
Rotoworld

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Patriot Nation's dream could just come true this Sunday; the Miami Sun-Sentinel is reporting that Daunte Culpepper could sit out Week 5's game against New England due to a shoulder injury. HC Nick Saban insists that the decision to bench Culpepper would be purely medical, and would have nothing to do with the fact that he's been playing abysmally so far this season.

If Culpepper does sit, Joey Harrington would likely start in his place, prompting the question of whether an injured Culpepper would be more or less effective than a healthy Harrington. In either case, Ronnie Brown aside, the Miami offense as a whole will likely be extremely disappointing against the NE defense this Sunday. If you have any other options, it is highly suggested that you use them. If you have no choice but to start Culpepper, pay very close attention to the Sunday inactives this week.

This week, how Matt Leinart and Vince Young will affect their respective offenses in their new starting roles, the hoopla surrounding the upcoming Cowboys/Eagles matchup, Vernand Morency's new role in the Green Bay rushing offense, and answers to your questions!

Podcasts Mentioned: Barely Podcasting
Podcast Peers Awards
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After another pitiful performance by Kurt Warner, Dennis Green finally said enough is enough and named Matt Leinart Arizona's week 5 starter against Kansas City. He even announced it in the Week 4 postgame news conference, no less!

Kansas City has the #2 pass defense in the league right now (who knew!?), so this week might not be the best to start Leinart. And the next several weeks don't get any easier, as AZ plays Pittsburgh, San Diego, and Seattle. Plus he's a rookie in his first NFL start.

So if you have another QB option, I'd hold off on Leinart. But if you're in a bind, be aware that he will be starting.

Seeking to recover from their 0-3 start, the Titans have named Vince Young as their starter against Dallas this weekend. It goes without saying that you should no longer have Kerry Collins in your lineup.

Rookie QBs often struggle, and the Cowboys defense is not only good, but also coming off a week of rest, so it might be wise to reconsider starting Drew Bennett or David Givens if you have other options. Vince Young himself could be a decent spot starter for you this week if you're really desperate, but try to look for any other options first.