Matt Bryant – A little less football and a little more life. Matt Bryant may not play this weekend and for good cause. Bryant's three-moth-old son was found dead Wednesday morning in his crib. Anyone with a child can only hope and pray that they never have to deal with this, but the unfortunate truth is that it does happen occasionally. Here are thoughts and prayers for the Bryant family and I hope the readers can send some too.

Scrubbing Off the Plax – The Giants may be looking to repeat their Super Bowl run of last season, but week 5 will have to be without Plaxico Burress. The Giants suspended Burress after he missed Monday and Tuesday's practices without calling. Of course, the NFLPA has already stepped in and issued a grievance. As of right now, Burress is expected to be suspended for this week (bye) and week 5 (Seattle).
If Burress does miss the game, it is expected that Dominik Hixon will start in his place. Still, most would expect Steve Smith to see the bulk of the time after a solid Sunday that saw him grab seven catches and 60 yards. This could be an interesting week and a half as people try to figure out exactly how the Giants will handle this situation.

Colonel Sanders Extra Tender – Bob Sanders will be feeling like a caged chicken for the next few weeks after undergoing knee surgery this past week. Sanders is expected to miss upwards of four weeks. As of this writing, it is neither known why he had the surgery or which knee it was on. Still, Sanders will be noticeably missed as he has been one of the leagues better run-stopping safeties in the league. For an Indianapolis team already having its troubles, this loss could prove to be very costly. The Indianapolis defense has not been very effective thus far and taking Sanders out for an extended period of time will only hurt more.

A Fresh Slaton - Even with Ahman Green possibly being able to play this Sunday, rookie Steve Slaton will still get the start Sunday for the Texans. After rumbling for 116 yards and a TD. Slaton, a third round pick in this year's draft, had shown good abilities in college and has transferred those talents over to the NFL. As for Green, he may not even suit up for this game as he slowly slides down the depth chart. Chris Taylor will most likely be backing up Slaton as the Texans look to slowly move forward with what they expect to be their future at running back.

Philadelphia Freedom – Donovan McNabb is expected to play this coming Sunday against the Bears, but it looks as though the Eagles will be without McNabb's go-to guy, Brian Westbrook. Westbrook has not been able to practice this week and is looking less and less likely to suit up period. In stead, the Eagles will look to Correll Buckhalter and Lorenzo Booker to pick up the slack. On top of all this, the Eagles are still easing Reggie Brown back into the lineup after a hamstring injury and hoping that Kevin Curtis can resume playing in the next few weeks. Once the team gets healthy, they could be looking at one of the best offenses in the league.

What Did Brown Do For You? –The Patriots ex-wide receiver, cornerback and kick returner Troy Brown retired Thursday after an incredible 15 year career with the New England Patriots. While Brown may have never been a superstar, he was the perfect player for Coach Bill Belichik's system. He was a solid second or third receiver who was never afraid to go over the middle. He's the franchises leader in receptions, set up Adam Vinateiri's “Snow Bowl” kick with a punt return and even will go down in Patriots' stat books with three interceptions. Brown did it all for New England and only had one wish.
“The only colors you'll ever see on my back as a football player, that's the red, white and blue of the New England Patriots, and I'm proud to say that,” said an emotional Brown.

MAIL TIME

This week's email comes in from the great state of Pennsylvania. And it's a two-parter:

Hey, your Cards don't stink. What week do you expect that to change?

I don't really expect this to change. The next three weeks will be tough with the Jets, Bills and Cowboys and I could see us losing two of those three (we could also take two of three), but after that we get a bye and I could see us grabbing 6-7 wins out of the final 10. I think a 10-6 or 9-7 record could actually win this division. And if the Cardinals can stay reasonably healthy and maybe even grab a surprise win, they could be looking at the playoffs for the first time in a long time.

And I have another question. When the Rays and Phillies meet in the World Series, what player should the Phillies concern themselves with more: Longoria, Kazmir, Pena, or the awesomely awesome team MVP pick by the Tampa Bay BBWAA, Jason Bartlett?

I would worry more about BJ Upton. The power hasn't been there but in August and September he's hit .286 and .302 respectively. He has 44 SB on the season and could become a force if Longoria and Pena decide to hit in the playoffs. And of course, any team facing the Rays will have to worry about the fact that they can throw 6 or 7 starters at you and just eat innings away. Kazmir, Shields, Jackson, Sonnanstine, Price and Garza will be able to ease the usual bullpen problems while JP Howell continues his dominance. The question will be who to throw out there at the end of the games if Troy Percival's back can't hold up. Still, I believe this could be an interesting series if both teams can navigate their way to the Series.

Jake Gott is a writer for FantasyPlaymakers.com. An all around fan of sports, Jake follows the Cardinals of both St. Louis and Arizona as well as the Boston Celtics and the whole NHL. A proclaimed "fantasy nerd", he has hoisted many a belt above his head in league championship glory. To reach Jake, email him at pick_six@hotmail.com or by sending him a message on the FPM site under the name of TheSnake.