Apparently, despite having a bye and week 6 to rest his ankle, Fred Taylor has been downgraded to questionable. As I say every week, being downgraded mid-week is usually a bad sign. Of course, if you drafted or traded for Taylor, you had to know that there would be weeks like this.

Supposedly, if Taylor can't go, Greg Jones and Alvin Pearman would split carries. Either one would be a decent play against the Rams, given how well both produced against Pittsburgh. Keep your eyes open for this one, and try to grab either Jones or Pearman now if you can for insurance if you own Taylor...

It's more or less been all over the news that Alex Smith is sitting out this week and Ken Dorsey is starting in his place. As far as your fantasy team goes this week, this news story should be a non-issue; against the Bucs, I'd recommend sitting all your Niners regardless of who's under center, and even more uncertainty at QB means even more reason to do so. However, keep an eye on this situation. A good game by Dorsey, however improbable that may be, might mean a QB controversy in SF and might make guys like Brandon Lloyd and Arnaz Battle startable again. I wouldn't bet on it, but keep that possibility in mind with respect toward next week's waiver wire...

This has absolutely no fantasy implications whatsoever, but I had to share anyway. Chad Johnson this week on Green Bay cornerback Al Harris: "There are two things for Brother Harris this week," Johnson said. "The bad thing is he has to cover me. The good news is he can save 15 percent by switching his (auto) insurance to Geico."

We may not be undefeated in our fantasy leagues, but we're 10-0 in the podcasting world! On this episode: The Pack thins out, whether the Vikings' ship is back on course, and we mess with Texas. Plus, another overflowing mailbag!

As always, send us your feedback and questions for fantasy advice to ExtraPointsPodcast@gmail.com.

Heads up for Holt owners: He's been downgraded to questionable and Fox Sports is reporting that he's not going to play. I wouldn't panic until they announce the official rosters, but it's good to have a plan B set up just in case. Holt was questionable going into last week's game against the Colts, but he wasn't downgraded at the last minute like this, which is generally a pretty bad sign. If you were worried about Holt's performance with Jamie Martin under center before this morning, this should be the last shove that you need to put him on the bench.

Steve McNair didn't travel with the team to Arizona, so Billy Volek is going to get his first start for the season. Volek filled in admirably for McNair at the end of last season, so this shouldn't hurt any part of the Titans offense except for McNair himself. If you were planning to start McNair or are otherwise in QB troubles this week, Volek would be a fine one-week start. He's a good QB in his own right, and anyone can look like a stud QB when they get to play against the Cardinals...

Make sure to set your lineups ASAP; the NFL has rescheduled the KC/Miami game to 7 PM Friday night due to Hurricane Wilma. Don't get caught off-guard!

The rain has finally stopped in New England, and it's time for the sun to start shining on your fantasy team! On this episode: Harrington on the hot seat, Randy Moss won't be mooning anyone for a while, and whether you should pass on Pass. Plus, we answer a slew of listener questions!

Well, it appears Alex Smith is going to have to be "the guy" for the 49ers. Yesterday (Tuesday) SF traded former starting QB Tim Rattay to the Buccaneers for an undisclosed draft pick. Although Rattay has a few years of starting QB experience--and was actually halfway decent last year when he wasn't hurt--he is currently Tampa Bay's #3 QB, behind newbies Chris Simms and Luke McCown. Apparantly Simms is going to get the nod this weekend, but depending on how he does, and with Brian Griese sidelined for the foreseeable future, Rattay might rise up the depth chart very quickly. Even so, I think Rattay (or Simms for that matter) is still a risky fantasy pick-up at this point... ...as is Alex Smith. Yes, he will now be the undisputed starter, but he is a rookie, he looked very shaky in his first start, and now there is TREMENDOUS pressure on him and him alone to rescue the 49ers. And this isn't like Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh, who could count on a decent offensive line and defense to keep games close. It's a lot for any rookie to handle, even the #1 pick. Welcome to the NFL, Alex Smith!

The Bucs have added Michael Pittman to the injury report as questionable due to a shoulder injury. It's never a good thing when a player is added to the injury report past Wednesday, so keep a close eye on both Pittman and Cadillac's statuses come Sunday. Pittman's injury might make it more likely for Cadillac to play, but if both can't go, either Mike Alstott or second year man Earnest Graham would get the start, but neither is really a reliable play against Miami.

Apparently, Julius missed practice for the third straight day today, and while Parcells won't rule him out, he says he's never played a running back who hasn't practiced at least once that week.

If Tyson Thompson is still available, grab him now; he's likely to get the bulk of the carries and performed will in relief of Julius last week against the Eagles. As an added bonus, the Giants are a pretty good team to run on, so playing Thompson could really help out your week, if not longer. High ankle sprains tend to linger for several weeks, so Thompson could be a good filler player for more than just Sunday.