Stephania Bell

  (11:08 AM)

Hi Sports Nation! Sorry -I was lost in the wrong chat room - answered a couple posts and then realized there were no more - didn't have my coffee this a.m. and look what happened...Well I'm with you now so let's get going...

Brandon (Holland)

I've been pondering making a move to aquire Chris Chambers thinking I can get him cheap. Do you think he can get back to 100% and produce like he did the first couple weeks?

Stephania Bell

  (11:09 AM)

Brandon: Providing international flavor this morning. Yes, I think he can. I think he's better and the Chargers wanted to bring him into the fold slowly. But I expect his work to increase starting this week.

Carolyn (Philadelphia, PA)

Not Clinton Portis too?!?!? He's been such a stud all year. Are we going to see him on the bench this week? In future weeks on the basis of this injury?

Stephania Bell

  (11:12 AM)

Carolyn: Yes, Portis too. Bound to happen with the incredible workload he's been handling. Apparently he has a knee sprain that was aggravated during the 11/3 game. He didn't practice Monday so Zorn called him 50-50. He wants to play and if he can rest enough this week to be good enough to go, he will. Betts will likely be out again. If neither could go it would be Cartwright and ALexander. I'm still holding out hope for Portis though - but if you're a Portis owner, make sure you have a backup b/c this could come down to a gtd.

Bryan (Pittsburgh)

How healthy is reggie bush for this weekend, and if he does play how do you see the saints using him

Stephania Bell

  (11:14 AM)

Bryan: Bush is doing well from a rehab perspective - right on track. Whether that ends up being good enough to play this week is still in question. He said he thought he would "definitely" be ready, but alst week was his first week of ground running and it was only straight line. You know Bush. He needs to be able to make sharp cutbacks, stop/start quickly and take hits. He will need to show that he can do all that before he can play. I expect he might be active, but play in a limited fashion. I expect his big game to be the following Monday night.

Keaton (IA)

Hi Stephania, thanks for the chat this morning! Any updates on Parker's status for the upcoming weeks? Thanks!

Stephania Bell

  (11:16 AM)

Keaton: You're welcome!! Parker reportedly has a torn labrum,, which he denied but it's been reported multiple palces. In any case, this is not something that should keep him off the field b/c he's not an overhead thrower. It may hurt when he takes hits, it may be a little weaker, but Chad Johnson is playing with a similar injury. Parker is still expected to play this week.

ADam SLC

THE BELL: (Ding)FWP Follow up Question How valuable would M Moore be in a trade to a FWP owner? Enough value to get me any of the following receivers? L Coles, M Jones, A Bryant, T Owens

Stephania Bell

  (11:17 AM)

Adam: Glad you're listening to the podcast! Yes, Moore should be owned by all fantasy owners. Use this stat. In his last 5 games, Parker has suffered 3 major injuries. You need Moore around - very valuable.

alex(Happy Valley)

What's the scoop on Sammy Morris? BJGE has been huge for me!

Stephania Bell

  (11:20 AM)

Alex: I expect he will continue to be. It is the Patriots so we don't get a ton of specifics, but with it being a THursday night game this week, I expect Green-Ellis to carry the rock again.

John, Chicago

Saw the Portis answer. Now what is the forecast for SJax? If neither go, my only RB is Grant against CHI (Ugh).

Stephania Bell

  (11:22 AM)

John - and EVERYONE else since so many of you wondering about Sjax. He did some running Monday and apparently the team is hopeful that he will play against my 49ers (still suffering from last night) this weekend. I need to see more to believe it - but this is the first week that he has started the week off doing some running. Remember, Haslett said full practice before he plays.

Jonathan (Plano, TX)

Morning Steph! PLEASE ANSWER! Is anything wrong with Lynch these days? He is really struggling and I am not sure if I should trade him or not. Thanks a lot!

Stephania Bell

  (11:26 AM)

Jonathan: I've heard nothing on the injury front. THe Bills o-line has been struggling though which I think is part of the problem in getting the running game going. I think Lynch has lost some value, not sure who you could get for him. Could be a hard sell at this point with the entire Bills offense anemic.

Andy (Philadelphia, PA)

Any update on the Lary Johnson vs. Jamaal Charles situation in Kansas City? Could LJ be worth a start?

Stephania Bell

  (11:29 AM)

Andy: Well we do know that he returned to practice (LJ), but it still looks at this point as if it's an organizational decision as to whether he plays this week vs the Saints. PRoblem with Charles is that the ankle is more of an issue than initially let on - and it kept him out of the game extensively last week. Watch practice reports later in the week, but it looks as if LJ could start.

Jeff (Philly)

How's Schaub's MCL? Any IR rumors?

Stephania Bell

  (11:31 AM)

Jeff: Still early in the healing process. I would expect 3-4 weeks (not 2). And I have not seen any real evidence that they're considering IR yet.

Greg (Chicago)

Morning Starhania! Hope the coffe kicks in. I read that Cadillac Williams is due to come back PUP list. I got Torain to drop. Whats your take?

Stephania Bell

  (11:33 AM)

Greg: The coffee can't kick in fast enough...Yes, it appears that TB could activate Cadillac Weds. Still not confirmed but looking good after he went through contact drills Monday - and liked how he felt. I think he could be a decent pickup for your fantasy plasy offs, but don't expect too much too soon. He will not be overutilized early b/c he is coming off of a major, major injury and they will not bring him back fast. So, even if he comes back, wait and watch - but if you have room on your bench you can pick him up and stash him now.

Tom (Houston)

With Rosenfels inept performance last week, I bet the Texans wait as long as possbile before putting Schaub on the IR. Whats up with Big Ben? Are they gonna keep throwing him out there with that shoulder problem, or would a week or two off help it heal?

Stephania Bell

  (11:36 AM)

Tom: You may be right. I think Ben is going to keep going out there. A week or two won't be enough to gfully heal it (as seen after his total rest during the bye week and it's still an issue). He gets hit or takes some kind of contact on it weekly and it just repeats the cycle. Personally I think his dropoff in the 4th quarter has a lot to do with that as well, and that any swelling late in the game hinders his rotator cuff effectiveness and then he is unable to make his throws (at least that's a part of it). I think you may see him start, and Leftwich finsih it off if this continues.

Chuck (Dayton)

Hi Stephania! I got zip from Bernard Berriam and Steve Smith this week. Did they just have a bad week or is there anything injury related behind this? Thanks!

Stephania Bell

  (11:37 AM)

Chuck: Bad, bad luck in both cases. Both were not limited because of injury, just their respective situations.

Dave (San Diego, CA)

What should we expect from Witten going forward? Playing in pain the rest of the way? How effective can he be?

Stephania Bell

  (11:40 AM)

Dave: I'm far more optimistic about WItten this week. He is still healing from his fractured rib but says he is feeling a lot better. He may play with some extra protective padding but he should play this week and move around much better. Barring an unusually direct hit or some freak situation, this should actually continue to heal and he should get better over the next few weeks.

Justin (NJ)

Romo or Matt Ryan this week? I normally always start my "studs," but Romo's coming off the injury and Ryan's matchup looks great! Thank you!

Stephania Bell

  (11:44 AM)

Justin: TOugh call. Matt Ryan does have a great matchup and is hot right now. I'd probably go with him. THat being said, for all the Romo owners out there, he has reportedly been looking better and better in practice. He's approaching the point of full healing, and he will be a welcome addition to the lineup. But Dallas has looked bad for a number of reasons, the QB situation being just one of them. And it's always a little tough after being away from the game for 4 weeks. So he may be a bit rusty. But that still may be an improvement.

Bryan(Huge 49ers fan what a heart breaker)

Young going to be healthy enough to play or Hillis the starter? I need a RB bad and they are both available.

Stephania Bell

  (11:46 AM)

Bryan: Yes, I'm still depressed - it was soooo close. But as for your RB situation, do not expect Young. He left the stadium on crutches alst week. The groin is clearly far from healthy, and if anything may have gotten a little worse when he tried to step it up when Torain went down.It will probably be some combo of Hillis and Pope.

Alex( Bend)

Any news on Santana Moss? Thank you!

Stephania Bell

  (11:47 AM)

Alex: Moss is still recovering from the hamstring. He did not practice Monday but supposedly is feeling overall better and is expected to play this week. He's another one to watch in practice reports as the week goes on.

Matt (ATL)

What's the update on Orton? what can we expect performance-wise for the rest of the year?

Stephania Bell

  (11:50 AM)

Matt: Orton is a bit of a mystery b/c I am hearing some conflicting reports about his ankle. Originally reported as a high ankle sprain, a relatively minor one, that would keep him out 3-4 weeks. He implied he thinks he could go this week - but keep in mind, he hasn't done anything yet. Yes, the ankle feels pretty good, but he may get a big surprise when he tries to move around. He will probably push himself this week to try to go, but I need to see him do things in practice before I believe. As far as rest of year, depends if he comes back too soon. That could set him back. If indeed this is really just a minor sprain and he comes back fine, then I would say it's a non-issue going forward.

Joel ( Roscommon MI)

Is there any hope that Hasselbeck can be productive the rest of the year now that he's back ? I would like to stash him as insurance for Warner.

Stephania Bell

  (11:53 AM)

Joel: He's a ways away from being back. He's practicing, which is great. But this is an endurance issue and they ahve to be sure that he has enough strength to manage a full game, and that he does not go backwards as he tries to increase his intensity this week. Back problems are notorious for going up and down, so it's a little premature to think this is behind him. If he is able to come back and play well in a game, then I'd consider it.

Tim (Minneapolis)

Good morning Stephania. Follow up on the Bucs RB's. This week and forward who will start? How is Graham and or Dunn looking and what is the chance they play, and play well? Thanks

Stephania Bell

  (11:56 AM)

Tim: Dunn looks better than Graham right now. Dunn returned to practice Monday and it looks like the rest helped him. Sounds as if they think he could play this weekend. Graham still could not practice Monday b/c of his knee sprain and his status si questionable right now. I would be concerned if Graham suits up that he is less than 100%. If he's not practicing by Weds, don't plan on him. Dunn however I think has a better chacne of playing well since he was back right away at the start of the week. His symptoms were more pain-related (his pinched nerve) than weakness related, which is usually a good sign in terms of recovery.

Skip (Fennville)

Felix Jones didn't practice yesterday, should we assume he'll be out? Is his hammy more serious than previously expected?

Stephania Bell

  (11:58 AM)

Skip: The hamstring is still a problem. Remember back when it originally happened and we heard the tear was lower, near his knee, and I said these take longer to heal, they're tougher to return from. This is playing out that way and he was not able to practice Monday. Not ruled out yet, but that's not a good sign.

Dave (GA)

Any word on Scheffler's groin injury? He is a great TE but seems to battle injuries all season THANKS

Stephania Bell

  (12:00 PM)

Hi Dave: No official word, but it was clear that he was still bothered by the groin when they played their last game. That being said, he was still quite effective and the good news is that he had a few extra days to rest, so I expect him to play this week. The unknown is really what percentage of healthy he'll be and how much risk he's at for a setback.

Jon PLEASE! (dallas)

Stephania PLEASE help out with one more question if you dont mind. What are your thoughts on ADDAI the rest of the way? Worth trading Lendale and Eddie Royal for?

Stephania Bell

  (12:01 PM)

Jon: I think Addai is much better, but the Colts will be cautious about not overextending him and will continue to be split with Rhodes to balance his work. I'm not sure I make that trade. I think Addai could have a couple of big scoring games, and then some duds.

Marcos (Dublin, Ohio)

So what about Westbrook will Phili rest him since they are only playing Cinci?

Stephania Bell

  (12:02 PM)

Marcos: I don't think they take a chance. He's been a little less than his usual self, but I expect him to play. If anything, the Eagles want him to have a big game, get going and feel like his old self.

Stephania Bell

  (12:06 PM)

OK everyone - have a wonderful rest of your day. I will be back to chat with you more on Friday - and hopefully we'll know more about the practice status of some of our top injury concerns. See you then and thanks so much for coming!!