Method Man should have seen it coming.
He should have seen it when Shaun Alexander turned up on the cover of "Madden '07," becoming the latest target of the Madden jinx. Or he should have seen it in that commercial from ESPN (the folks good enough to host our league, by the way) that featured Alexander suffering a fall at home.
Yes, Meth had at least a few warning signs — all of them leading to this week when he found out that the year's most sought-after running back is now out indefinitely with a broken foot.
But Meth isn't the only one facing roster issues this week. The game's biggest wide receiver was rushed to the hospital after a problem with pain medication. Elsewhere, underperforming quarterbacks are being benched, meaning big changes for all of the players around them.
So what do you do when these players are your players too? (See how it all went down! Method Man, Paul Wall and the others fight to draft the best players in this video, only on Overdrive.)
Fantasy football is all about adjustments — tapping the right guy from your bench on the week he happens to bust out for three TDs ... finding a gem in free agency when your MVP needs an MRI ... adjusting to injuries, real-life roster changes, bye weeks, arrests and every possible type of football-related drama. Sitting and doing nothing isn't an option — it's a recipe for failure. Look, no one ever said team ownership was easy. Eventually, these adjustments either guide you to the promised land (a.k.a. the playoffs) or an early fantasy exit (and nonstop trash talk from your fellow owners).
So who's got it all figured out, and who's about to crash hard? (For last week's wrap-up, see "Joc's Still Number One; Paul Wall Can Finally Smile: Fantasy Football Week Three Recap.") Here's how this week's matchups break down — and don't forget to check back on Tuesday, after the dust has settled from all of this weekend's games, to check out the winners, losers and latest standings:
| Liz Hernandez (1-2) vs. Tyrese "Black Ty" Gibson (2-1) | ||
| Michael Vick, Atlanta | QB | Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia |
| Steven Jackson, St. Louis | RB | Tiki Barber, New York |
| Rudi Johnson, Cincinnati | RB | Thomas Jones, Chicago |
| Randy Moss, Oakland | WR | Torry Holt, St. Louis |
| Donte Stallworth, Philadelphia | WR | Matt Jones, Jacksonville |
| Chris Cooley, Washington | TE | L.J. Smith, Philadelphia |
| San Diego Chargers | D/ST | New England Patriots |
| John Kasay, Carolina | K | Olindo Mare, Miami |
| Cool & Dre (2-1) vs. Method Man (1-2) | ||
| Peyton Manning, Indianapolis | QB | Carson Palmer, Cincinnati |
| Ronnie Brown, Miami | RB | Jamal Lewis, Baltimore |
| Ahman Green, Green Bay | RB | Dominic Rhodes, Indianapolis |
| Steve Smith, Carolina | WR | Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis |
| Donald Driver, Green Bay | WR | Chris Chambers, Miami |
| Dallas Clark, Indianapolis | TE | Todd Heap, Baltimore |
| Carolina Panthers | D/ST | New Orleans Saints |
| David Akers, Philadelphia | K | Robbie Gould, Chicago |
| Uncle Luke (1-2) vs. Lil Wayne (1-2) | ||
| Byron Leftwich, Jacksonville | QB | Daunte Culpepper, Miami |
| Edgerrin James, Arizona | RB | Larry Johnson, Kansas City |
| Warrick Dunn, Atlanta | RB | Reggie Bush, New Orleans |
| Chad Johnson, Cincinnati | WR | Marvin Harrison, Indianapolis |
| Antonio Bryant, San Francisco | WR | Muhsin Muhammad, Chicago |
| Desmond Clark, Chicago | TE | Tony Gonzalez, Kansas City |
| Chicago Bears | D/ST | Atlanta Falcons |
| Ryan Longwell, Minnesota | K | John Carney, New Orleans |
| Paul Wall (1-2) vs. Yung Joc (3-0) | ||
| Drew Bledsoe, Dallas | QB | Drew Brees, New Orleans |
| Corey Dillon, New England | RB | LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego |
| Fred Taylor, Jacksonville | RB | Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia |
| Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona | WR | Anquan Boldin, Arizona |
| Roy Williams, Detroit | WR | Joe Horn, New Orleans |
| Antonio Gates, San Diego | TE | Alge Crumpler, Atlanta |
| Indianapolis Colts | D/ST | Seattle Seahawks |
| Shayne Graham, Cincinnati | K | Adam Vinatieri, Indianapolis |
Check back on Tuesday to see who came out on top (and who got their ass handed to them). In the meantime, here's how the race shapes up so far:
| Standings: Gridiron Gangstas | ||||
| Team | Wins | Losses | Points For | Points Against |
| Yung Joc | 3 | 0 | 317 | 244 |
| Lil Wayne | 1 | 2 | 247 | 291 |
| Liz Hernandez | 1 | 2 | 220 | 213 |
| Method Man | 1 | 2 | 210 | 246 |
| Standings: Crunchtime Zone Firing Squad | ||||
| Team | Wins | Losses | Points For | Points Against |
| Cool & Dre | 2 | 1 | 239 | 190 |
| Tyrese "Black Ty" Gibson | 2 | 1 | 222 | 218 |
| Uncle Luke | 1 | 2 | 208 | 227 |
| Paul Wall | 1 | 2 | 203 | 237 |
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