Week 9 pickups

What would we do without Randy Moss? Three teams in one season. So far. And Brett Favre with his repeated embarrassments. And let’s not forget Vincent Jackson who refuses to play and Ben Roethlisberger who plays too much. A lot of unnecessary off-field drama jeopardizing our teams in the fantasy world.

Imagine a game that gave points for bad off-field behavior, allegations and headlines. Is that two points for banned substances and four points for arrests? And what about inappropriate text and picture messages? They’re like defensive touchdowns – you have to give big points for those. Wait, never mind. I’m already tired of this game.

As we look ahead to week nine, here are a few good men to consider for your team.

Darren Sproles – Ryan Matthews is a disappointment, and even though Mike Tolbert is getting most of the goal-line carries, Sproles is getting his fair share of work – 77 yards and a touchdown on Sunday. Sproles is especially valuable in PPR leagues. Plus, Tolbert is a little banged up. Available in 60 percent of Yahoo leagues.

Josh Freeman – Plays a weak Atlanta defense, and still widely available (43 percent).

Jacob Tamme – Scored on a two-yard catch in Monday’s contest vs. Houston . Filling in for Dallas Clark, Tamme had six catches for 64 yards. Available in 42 percent of Yahoo leagues.

Javaris James – The cousin of Edgerrin James could land the starter tag for Indy as Joseph Addai (neck), Donald Brown (hamstring) and Mike Hart (ankle) are likely all out. Not saying he’ll be great, but I’m not too picky right now. Are you? Available in 99 percent of Yahoo leagues.

LaGarrette Blount – On last week’s list too. If you didn’t listen then, listen now. While he matches up against a solid Atlanta run defense, he’ll still net you 60-70 yards and possibly a score. A good second or third running back option. Available in 35 percent of Yahoo leagues.

Other notes

Randy Moss - If Kenny Britt can put up 72 yards per game, a mediocre quarterback won’t damage Moss’s production. Only Moss will. But let’s remember Moss is averaging only 45 yards per game. This stat is skewed, however, because it includes games which Moss completely loafed.

Michael Crabtree – Three touchdowns in four games.

Arian Foster – Currently ranked as the No. 3 fantasy player by Yahoo. No one knew his name in August.

Beanie Wells – Weird allergic reaction to medication. Check his status on Sunday. If he plays, he’ll have a ton of carries against Minnesota . The Vikings are soft against the run.

Brent Celek – Leads the league with seven drops.

Aaron Rodgers – He’ll bounce back. Dallas is yielding 8.0 YPA. Only Jacksonville is worse than that.

Percy Harvin – With decoy Moss gone, expect a decline in production.

Chiefs and Raiders – The two top rushing teams face off. Start them all.

Have a question for Erin Skelley? E-mail her at erskelley@yahoo.com. Also, tune in to Erin 's fantasy advice on Sports Radio 610 every Friday morning at 9:00, or during the Texans pre-game show every Sunday at 9:30.