Suspensions Rain Down and Other News

The NFL has brought down 4-game suspensions on 6 players for taking a dietary supplement spiked with the illegal substance Bumetanide.

Three of these suspensions will have an impact on fantasy football.

First off, Duece McAllister has been suspended. Hopefully, you were not planning on starting Duece, who has been averaging roughly 5 touches per game for the past several weeks, but this does mean that Pierre Thomas should maintain some value (10-15 touches per game), even as Reggie Bush is phased into the offense.

Also, Vikings defensive tackles Kevin and Pat Williams have been suspended. The Vikings have a great run defense (-34% TPV rating), and the ability of these monsters to be immovable objects on the offensive line is a big reason why. Fred Evans and the undersized Otis Grigsby are listed as the Willams' backups on the Vikings web site, and it is hard to believe that they will be able to clog the line (or the toilets) like Kevin and Pat. So an average running back that would have been an instant bench decision against the Vikings before this week might be worth a second look now. Keep on eye on this to see how it develops.

Other news heading into week 14:

Kellen Winslow (ankle), Carson Palmer (elbow), Ben Utecht (foot), and Plaxico Burress (dumbass-itis) have already been ruled out for this week.

Trent Edwards (groin), Ryan Grant (thumb), Marion Barber (toe), Ahmad Bradshaw (neck), and Clinton Portis (neck) all have injury situations that bear watching as the week wears on.

Matt Schaub looks likely to play this week, and Peyton Hillis will be the featured back in Denver, at least for one more game. After that, who knows what Shannahan will do.