Need another QB? Check out Orton

Yeah, I'm on the verge of recommending Kyle Orton as your quarterback.

I'm not saying to go out and drop Aaron Rodgers, or even Matt Ryan.

But if you're tired of the inconsistencies of Josh Freeman or even Joe Flacco, take a look at Orton.

He's practicing with the first team, has a legit top receiver in Dwayne Bowe, plus has good secondary receivers like Jon Baldwin.

Orton's likely been cut, so he is worth a look, if not a pickup.

The incredibily talented and frustrating Roy Helu

Yes, I'm still a Roy Helu owner.

No, I did not start him Sunday.

I thought about starting the Redskins running back over the Chargers' Ryan Mathews, but I didn't.

I just couldn't trust Mike Shanahan and his revolving door of running backs. I fully expected Shannahan to start Evan Royster this week, even though Royster was just on the team's practice squad.

Will I start Helu later this season?

I'm not sure.

I think he's very talented. In fact, I've had him in a league where I co-own a team with a co-worker since we drafted Helu in August.

Never cut him. Still hangin' on.

All I wanted to see was one game with Helu as the featured back.

We saw that Sunday with Helu's 108-yard performance that included a 28-yard score. Helu also added seven receptions for 54 yards.

Great game. And he did that against a tough Seahawks run defense.

I'm a Helu believer.

Now we just need Shanahan to believe in Helu, too.

After 11 weeks in fantasy football, here's where we stand

We're getting down to crunch time in fantasy football. Many leagues have just two weeks left before the playoffs begin.

Here's a quick look at my four teams and where they stand:

One-player keeper. I'm tied for the best record at 8-3 and have the second-most points scored. If the season ended today, I'd be the top seed and have a first-round bye. Mike Vick has crushed me the past three weeks. I actually picked up and started Vince Young this past week. He didn't do much, but I squeezed out a win thanks to the Pats' defense. I'm relying heavily on Calvin Johnson, Vincent Jackson and Julio Jones. I have Antonio Brown as a backup at WR. At RB, I'm hurting. I'm mixing and matching with Shonn Greene, Willis McGahee, Mike Tolbert and Brandon Jacobs.

Seven-player keeper. I'm at 9-2, good enough for a one-game lead for tops overall. My team's been scoring at a pretty good clip, I'm first overall, 150 points more than second place. I took at hit at QB with Matt Schaub. I put in Ryan Fitzpatrick last week and have to scramble at that position. My real strength is running back where I have Arian Foster, LeSean McCoy and Matt Forte. At WR, I have Megatron and Roddy White, with Vincent Jackson as a matchup fill-in.

Redraft league. This team is interesting. I'm 6-4-1, which is third overall. I'm third in scoring but I'm first in points allowed. My tie came on a scoring change and I have two one-point losses. I've had Matt Stafford all season at QB, I picked up DeMarco Murray and have put him in the lineup faithfully and have gotten a lot out of LeSean McCoy. At receiver, I have DeSean Jackson and Hakeem Nicks, so it's been a bumpy ride there. I have the Texans defense and picked up the Patriots defense last week while the Texans were on a bye. We have just a four-player bench and I might keep both defenses the rest of the way.


Auto-pick league. This league drafted offline based on my pre-draft rankings. I'm in second place but first overall in scoring. I had Phil Rivers at QB but went away from him weeks ago in favor of Cam Newton. I have Ray Rice and Fred Jackson at RB, but I have Frank Gore and Ryan Mathews backing them up. I'll need to watch Jackson's injury.

Overall my teams have had success, but I know it can be short-lived. Everyone should still be working the waiver wire, as I will.

Good luck down the stretch. I'll post some thoughts on the week coming up later.

Say hello to Helu in fantasy football

About a month ago, I wrote about the Washington Redskins' backfield.

Since that time, Ryan Torain exploded, Tim Hightower suffered a season-ending injury and Torain disappeared.

In the meantime, all I wanted to see was a full game from Helu because I thought he had the most talent of the bunch.

After a 14-catch performance last week, I liked what I saw.

Granted, this is Mike Shananhan's backfield we're talking about, so let's not get too excited. Shanny could start Tashard Choice at any given moment.

But I like Helu.

He had success rushing against a tough 49ers defense, which impressed me. He also displayed the ability to catch the football, so he can be used on any down.

Just be warned:: The Redskins' offense looks horrible.

Still, if Helu's available, grab him.

He could help down the stretch.

Still not convinced Tebow's viable as a fantasy quarterback

I guess there are a couple camps when it comes to talking about Tim Tebow.

There's the camp that loves Tebow. You know, Tebow can do no wrong.

Then there's the camp where they say Tebow's mechanics are wrong and he's not an NFL quarterback.

I'm not a Tebow fan. And when it comes to fantasy football, you don't need to be a fan of a player.

But when it comes down to putting in your starting lineup, especially in the playoffs, do you trust Tebow?

I don't.

I won't let my fantasy league hang in the balance.

In two-QB leagues, yeah, there's value there.

But I don't see him as a QB1.

If you trust him, take the chance. You just won't see me do it.