Elsewhere around the NFL:

Kansas City: Chiefs WR Lance Long is drawing comparisons to Wes Welker in Kansas City Chiefs, most notably from quarterback Matt Cassel who played with Welker in New England. “He’s a great slot receiver,” Cassel said of Long. “He’s got tremendous quickness, he gets in and out of his breaks well, he catches the ball, he’s a tough guy.” Clearly earning the trust of his quarterback as well as his head coach, Long should be on the radar for a 2010 sleeper.

San Francisco: Though Isaac Bruce was ostensibly deactivated Thursday night due to an ankle injury, the San Francisco Chronicle believes the decision had more to do with Jason Hill. The Chronicle called it “the clearest indication yet that the San Francisco 49ers are moving in a younger direction” at receiver. Expect Josh Morgan to continue starting, with Hill remaining in the slot for the rest of the season. Neither player has fantasy value for 2009.

Oakland: Raiders WR Javon Walker has asked the Raiders for his release. “That would be nice,” Walker said, “because, the thing about it is, it’s not that I can’t play. I can play.” The Oakland Raiders have opted to go young at receiver, but they’ve ironically hung onto Walker for injury insurance. He’ll likely get his wish this offseason, although he will most likely get a non-guaranteed deal in the offseason.

Carolina: According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Panthers consider DeAngelo Williams (knee) a “game-time decision” for Week 10. Williams, who is presently walking around without a limp, has a tough matchup this week against the Falcons. Being banged up is not helping his fantasy value.

Tampa Bay: Bucs RB Derrick Ward (knee) was a late week addition to the teams injury report. Ward, who has battled injuries all season, is in danger of falling out of the rotation and losing more carries to Cadillac Williams.

Tampa Bay: Bucs WR Antonio Bryant (knee) missed Bucs practice again Friday and is listed as doubtful for week 10. Bryant continues to have setbacks after offseason knee surgery. He can be dropped in most leagues. Maurice Stovall will start against the Dolphins.

Philadelphia: Eagles RB Brian Westbrook (ankle) practiced again on Friday and is listed as probable for Week 10 at San Diego. Westbrook was able to practice for two consecutive days and is on track to play against the Chargers No. 26 run defense. Rookie LeSean McCoy will share carries with Westbrook, but both backs should be considered strong starts this week.

Detroit: Lions coach Jim Schwartz wants to see more “explosive plays” from his running backs.
Kevin Smith, averaging just 3.3 YPC, is beginning to come under fire in Detroit. “To get those type of runs you have to break tackles,” said Smith. “I guess I’m not breaking any tackles to get those explosives.” While Smith is in no danger of a decreased workload this year, the Lions may look to upgrade in the 2010 draft.

Cassel doesn’t have to win the game for the Patriots, just not lose it for them. Many quarterbacks in the NFL have a great team around them and they are average at best, case in point the 2007 with Rex Grossman. Grossman was a sub-par QB and the Chicago Bears made it to the Super Bowl in spite of him with a good running game and stellar defense. All Grossman had to do was not make stupid mistakes by taking wild chances and it gave the Bears a chance to win every game. Cassel shouldn’t pretend he is anyone else and work within the offense and not try to be the “hero” so to speak. Being what the AFC is playoffs spots will be at a premium so falling back in the lose column will cause problems for the Patriots if they can’t pick up wins against the Raiders, Rams, and Cardinals.

Matt Cassel is in a very difficult position filling in the shoes of a future Hall of Fame player, but on the bright side nobody expects him to be Tom Brady, so with the expectation lowered some of the pressure will be off Cassel and he will perform better. Football is a very unpredictable game so maybe Cassel will take the opportunity he has been given and succeed, only time will tell. He is on a one season term because Tom Brady will be back next season, Cassel should make the most of his starting job while he can. Great quarterbacks in the NFL are few and far between and Cassel, while he isn’t a great QB yet this might be the chance he can prove that one day he will be.

Pittsburgh Steelers vs Jacksonville Jaguars
These are two of the most physical teams in the NFL and you should look forward to a smash mouth game. Defense will be the name of the game and the game will be one by the QB who manages to move the ball in key situations. The Steelers are banged up in the back field, which will force Rothlisberger to beat the Jags through the air. The Jags win games with defense and a solid running game, and they will have to follow that game plan to win this week. Both these teams have had a tough start playing a lot of close games and being in stressful situations. This will be a low  scoring game and if you like to watch good defense this will be he game for you this week. I am concerned about the running game in Pittsburgh and I think if Jags QB David Garrard can avoid big mistakes the Jaguars will win this game. The game will be low scoring and will be won in the fourth quarter. My pick is the Jags, by maybe just a field goal.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Denver Broncos
An NFC South match up, both team are 3- 1 and will be looking to be first in the division at weeks end. This is a game about momentum, the Bucs are coming off a big win against Green Bay while the Broncos had a surprising loss last week. Both the teams QB’s have been playing very well and they will be looked at lead there respective teams to victory this week. Denver is off to a good start, but not because of there defense who are near last in almost every category. Denver will have to be extremely better then they were last week, if they want to have a chance on Sunday. Look for the Bucs to run the ball with Graham and Dunn all day, and make Denver’s poor defense try to stop them. For Denver to win they will need a big game out of Cutler and some turnovers on defense. I am not sold on Denver and think Tampa will win this game easily. Look for Ernest Graham to have a big game, but the key for the Bucs will be whether or not Griese can take care of the ball at QB. The Buccaneers will win and take control of the NFC South for the rest of the year.

Tennessee Titans vs Baltimore Ravens
The Titans are off to a 4 -0 start and will be looking to prove to the league that they are real contenders. Baltimore is 2  – 1 and are led by one of the leagues best defenses. The Titans defense is also very good, and this game looks like it will be low scoring affair. The Titans get a lot of pressure on the QB led by Albert Haynesworth, which might mean trouble for Ravens rookie Joe Flacco. To get some pressure off Flacco look for the Ravens to run a lot and if they do throw look for short passes and bootlegs. I don’t think the Ravens will score a lot of points so the key there success will be stop the Titans on offense. The Titans will also look to run the ball a lot, but they will take some deep chances to stretch the field. I think the Titans will be 5 -0 after this week, I just don’t like Flacco playing against the Tennessee defense. There won’t be a lot of points in this one and the team that runs the ball the best will win the game.

Minnesota Vikings vs New Orleans Saints
Monday night game this week and it should be a high scoring affair. The Saints lead the league in passing yards and attempts. The Vikings defense is 17th against the pass and the Saints QB Drew Brees will look to take advantage of that. Minnesota will try and slow this game down by running the ball a lot with Adrian Peterson. Peterson should be able to have a big game, the Saints defense is 20th against the run so far. These team have contrasting styles on offense and the winner will have to figure the other one out to win. The Saints will throw the ball all over the field and Peterson will have a great day. Look for Peterson to have a fantastic day along with Brees from the Saints. My pick is the Saints to win in a shoot out, if you like offense you will like this game. If the Saints want to win they cannot allow Minnesota to have any success throwing the ball, Peterson is going to get his yards, but do not let them get big plays threw the air.