POOR, POOR STEVE SMITH

	The Carolina Panthers' quarterback problems have hurt Steve Smith's fantasy impact. AP
	REACT: Send Gary all your Fantasy Football questions Your name: Your e-mail address: Your home town: Make your case:

Talk all you want about Randy Moss and Terrell Owens. There's not a more talented wide receiver in football than Carolina Panthers WR Steve Smith ($11,720,000). He can not only burn you deep, but he can take a short pass and make opposing defenders look silly before dancing into the end zone. And unlike a lot of star receivers, Smith will sacrifice himself to make a catch over the middle. So readers like Henry from Massachusetts have been wondering: how the heck is Smith just 10th place in SIKIDS.com Fantasy Football scoring among wide receivers? The answer is simple: Carolina's quarterbacking has stunk. Big time. Early in the season, Smith was doing great with long-time Panthers QB Jake Delhomme throwing him the ball. In Week 1, Smith had 118 yards and a TD. In Week 2 it got even better: 153 yards and three scores. But then Delhomme went down for the year with an elbow injury in Week 3. Everything turned sour. David Carr has been whipping passes into the ground for Carolina. In four games with Carr as his QB, Smith averaged 28 yards and caught just one TD. But there was a bright spot. It came in Week 6, when 43-year-old QB Vinny Testaverde started in place of Carr and Smith caught 10 passes for 136 yards and a TD. Testaverde got hurt early in the next game, but he'll be back in Week 10 while Carr will be on the sideline. Testaverde isn't exactly a star. But maybe, just maybe, he and Smith can recapture that Week 6 magic over the rest of the season.

SIT YOUR PATRIOTS

I'm calling it now: The New England Patriots will not score a single point this week. No Tom Brady lasers to Wes Welker. No graceful floaters to Randy Moss. Not even a Kyle Eckel end zone plunge. Have I blown your mind? Why such a bold prediction by the Fantasy Wizard? The New England Patriots are one of four teams with a bye this week (you can find the full list right above the Injury Report at the end of the mailbag). And as you know, if you don't play, you can't score. So find some replacements for your Patriots, then get Brady, Moss, and Co. back in your lineup for Week 11.

NFL TRIVIA CHALLENGE CHAMPIONS

Last week's question: Everyone knows that San Diego Chargers TE Antonio Gates was a great college basketball player at Kent State. But there's another NFL starter in the same division as Gates's Chargers who wasn't too shabby on the court either. This guy played in the NCAA Tournament twice, and was a starter on a team that won an Atlantic Coast Conference regular season title. Who is this mystery player? Why, it's Oakland Raiders WR Ronald Curry. He was the starting point guard for the University of North Carolina in 2000-01 when the Tar Heels won the ACC regular season title. There were some good guesses (Kansas City Chiefs TE Tony Gonzalez was close, but he played his college ball for California in the Pac-10 Conference). But only three people got it right: Steven from Michigan, Seth from Kentucky, and Matt from Mississippi. You each have my respect and admiration, and I officially proclaim the three of you to be "Awesome."

The Trivia Challenge will return next week. But for now, this week's Trivia Challenge Champions get to kick off the mailbag...

MAILBAG

Is San Diego Chargers TE Antonio Gates ($10,530,000) the best choice at tight end?
-Steven, Michigan

Indeed he is, Steven, although the gap between Gates and the rest of the tight ends has been shrinking. Unfortunately for Gates, Chargers QB Philip Rivers ($6,420,000) has been very inconsistent all season. That's why Gates has had four great games, three good games, and then an awful game last week when he had just one catch for 10 yards. Meanwhile, Dallas Cowboys TE Jason Witten ($6,920,000) and Kansas City Chiefs TE Tony Gonzalez ($9,920,000), and Cleveland Browns TE Kellen Winslow II ($9,300,000) have almost caught up to Gates. And if you're looking for a really cheap alternative, Indianapolis Colts TE Dallas Clark ($5,600,000) is having a fine year, although he's dealing with some injuries right now. And Pittsburgh Steelers TE Heath Miller ($6,240,000) has bounced back nicely after a poor 2006 season.

Who is a better pick: Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo ($7,650,000) or New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees ($8,650,000)?
-Matt, Mississippi

Boy that's a tough call, Matt. Brees started the season off so poorly, but right now he's the hottest quarterback in football not named Tom Brady. As for Romo, he's just been consistently great all season. But at the same time, Romo is $1 million cheaper than Brees. On Sunday, Romo gets to face a Giants defense that he torched in Week 1. But the G-Men have been playing much better D since that Week 1 loss and the wind might be whipping in the Meadowlands, making it tough to pass. Meanwhile, Brees gets to tee off on the Rams, maybe the worst defense in football outside of Cincinnati. That's why I'd give Brees an ever-so-slight edge in Week 10.

Dear Wiz, I got rid of St. Louis Rams QB Marc Bulger ($7,770,000), RB Steven Jackson ($13,140,000) and WR Torry Holt ($10,730,000) and I got San Diego Chargers RB LaDainian Tomlinson ($15,170,000), Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning ($9,050,000) and Cleveland Browns WR Braylon Edwards ($7,280,000). Do you think I should keep my team as it is now or get back my favorite Rams players? (I am the biggest Rams fan in the world!)
-Jared, Kansas

Poor Jared. Getting a bunch of Rams was a good idea going into the season, but that team has just been destroyed by injury. The good news is that Bulger and Jackson should be a little healthier coming off their bye week. But considering your beloved Rams are some of the most expensive players in the game, I wouldn't take a chance on them until they put together a good game or two. And that hasn't happened this season. Definitely hold on to your new players for Week 10, and maybe you can get your Rams back later this season.

Hey, Gary, great job with the prediction on Minnesota Vikings RB Adrian Peterson ($5,750,000) last week. I guess the Chargers really shut him down. You are a genius.
-Mike, Missouri

Oh, a wise guy, eh Mike? I was actually right on with my Peterson prediction until Chargers defensive end Luis Castillo, one of football's best run-stuffing linemen, got injured. Early in the third quarter, Peterson had carried 14 times for 49 yards and was well on his way to one of his worst performances of the season. But then the Chargers star hurt his ankle and didn't return to the game. That's when Peterson went off: 16 carries for 247 yards over the rest of the game. That's not to say Stinky Pete didn't have an amazing performance anyway. He and LaDainian Tomlinson are head and shoulders better than any other running back in the world right now. But no, Peterson would not have blown up if Castillo hadn't gotten hurt, and I would still get to wear my "Genius at Work" t-shirt proudly.

Guess what? My dog had 11 puppies! What would you name one of them?
-Axel, Wisconsin

Wait a minute here Axel. So last week, Bobby from South Carolina tells us his dog had 10 puppies. Now you're telling me your dog had 11? Don't any of you listen to Bob Barker? Every day at the end of the Price is Right he specifically asks us to "Help control the pet population. Have your pet spayed or neutered." You know what's going to happen with all these puppies being born? There's going to be a superhuman race of dogs. We regular humans will actually get along with these superhuman dogs just fine. They will actually be pretty cool and friendly because as I'm sure you know, dogs are outstanding. But I'm not sure if they'll have fantasy football. That could be a problem. But anyway Axel, if the puppy is a boy, I would definitely name it Joffrey. If it is a girl . . . I'd definitely go with Aunt Helga.

Is it bad to go without a kicker for a week? I've got a lot of the top players, but I ran out of money before I got a kicker. Is that OK?
-Noah, California

Well Noah, it's okay in that going without a kicker isn't going to cause the world to be overrun with droughts or floods or poison monkeys. But as far as maximizing your fantasy football performance, it's not a good idea. Kickers aren't going to get a ton of points, but almost any kicker will at least get you some points every week with a field goal or a couple extra points. You'd have to get great days from almost all of your position players to make up for the points you'd lose at kicker. Bottom line Noah: going without a kicker isn't the worst thing in the world, but I definitely wouldn't recommend it.

T.J. or T.O. (Houshmandzadeh or Owens)?
-Emily, Wisconsin

First Emily, let me congratulate you for being yet another reader to correctly spell "Houshmandzadeh." Second, let me tell you that both those receivers should be in for very good days on Sunday. Cincinnati Bengals WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh ($11,270,000) gets to face a Baltimore Ravens secondary that is struggling with a ton of injuries right now. The one red flag with Housh is that Bengals WR Chris Henry ($7,490,000) will play his first game of the season on Sunday, and he usually gets a lot of looks in the end zone. But even if he doesn't get a touchdown, I'd still expect Houshmandzadeh to catch a bunch of passes on Sunday. As for Dallas Cowboys WR Terrell Owens ($11,250,000), I don't think the New York Giants have a defensive back that can consistently cover him. T.O. had three catches for 87 yards and two scores when Big D and the Giants faced off Week 1. But one thing does worry me: The game will be played on the road at the Meadowlands, and that stadium can get really windy this time of year. It might be a little tough for either team to establish a passing game if it is. I'd say T.J. is the safe choice this weekend, but T.O. has a better chance to really blow up.