If you're in need of last-minute advice for Week 11 (lineup decisions, financial dilemmas, recipes, etc), please consult the accredited experts of Fantasy Football Live. The show kicks off on Sunday at noon ET.

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Second Quarter

It may have been a short day for Brett Favre, but he was obscenely productive.

Minnesota destroyed Seattle, 35-9, as Favre completed 22 of 25 pass attempts for 213 yards and four TDs. That 88 percent completion rate was a career high for the 40-year-old. (It was presumably a career high for any 40-year-old). Favre connected with four different receivers for touchdowns. There were "M-V-P" chants. There was childlike enthusiasm. There was gunslinging.

Sidney Rice caught a 7-yard TD from Favre in the third quarter, then added a 34-yard score in the fourth on a ball thrown by Tarvaris Jackson. Rice handled most of the heavy lifting on the second touchdown, picking up 26 yards after the catch. Highlight here. The Vikes should get another layup victory next week when they host Chicago.

• New Orleans remains one game ahead of Minnesota in the battle for home field advantage in the NFC playoffs after mauling Tampa Bay, 38-7. Drew Brees threw three touchdown passes, per his usual, connecting twice with Robert Meachem. The Saints' backfield situation continues to be an unpredictable theater of pain, at least for Pierre Thomas owners. PT again had an edge over Mike Bell in rushing yardage (92 to 75), but Bell took the goal line carries, breaking the plane twice.

• Matthew Stafford authored a spectacular finish to the Browns-Lions tilt, throwing a game-winning 1-yard TD pass to Brandon Pettigrew with no time on the clock. Stafford was in obvious pain after hurting his non-throwing shoulder on the previous play. He was driven to the turf by 305-pound CJ Mosley after a desperation last-second heave, then got up clutching his left shoulder. An interference penalty on the Browns kept the game from ending, however, allowing Stafford to throw his fifth touchdown and his 422nd passing yard.

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Each week the Noise will guide desperate, deep-thinking owners into the dark corners of the waiver wire to mine a last-minute diamond. Turn on your helmet light and pack a pickaxe. We're digging for drop-jaw surprises owned in fewer than 10 percent or started in five percent or less of Yahoo! Plus leagues.

What a difference a year can make.

This time last season, Antonio Bryant was on the precipice of a legendary fantasy playoff run. The journeyman receiver, whose troublemaking background had burned bridges in previous stints with the Cowboys, Browns and Niners, had finally matured mentally, unlocking his beastly talents. Through Week 10 he had already accumulated three 100-yard games and pierced the invisible pool twice. Undoubtedly, he was Jeff Garcia's most reliable weapon.

But after a career year, Bryant's '09 campaign has been marred by injury. Hampered by persistent knee swelling and pain, a repercussion of August surgery, the downcast wideout has played just six games, netting a per game average nearly half of what he finished with a season ago. But after being mass dropped several weeks ago, there's still time for the popular early-round pick to salvage his season. With Josh Freeman behind center and the Tampa defense an embarrassment, he should attract ample targets.

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The Knicks have shunned AI, Bogut is back on the shelf, and the Curry Line's namesake is back in action. All that and notables from Friday's action in bullet form …

• The Knicks will not make an offer to Allen Iverson, with Mike D'Antoni citing their young roster as the main reason:

“With the development of some of our young guys and with Gallo and Wilson and Toney Douglas and Eddy, we just didn't think right now we wanted to have that dominant force on the team."

It will be interesting to see what is next for AI. With neither the Heat nor the Bobcats looking like they are ready to bring him aboard, he's looking at unemployment for at least the near future. Perhaps it will take a major injury to a team's starting guard to eventually move the needle here. Or perhaps Iverson's rant after just one game with the Grizz this season will prove to be to be his ultimate undoing. Those of you that added AI in recent days can think about another player off the wire (Ersan Ilyasova? Jared Dudley?) – even if he were to sign with Miami or Charlotte, the fantasy potential won't approach what might have been in New York.

• Eddy Curry played all of 12 minutes on Wednesday, but he's already generating enough buzz to have D'Antoni bring his name up with the likes of Gallinari and Chander. So who does Curry take minutes from in the event that he's playing 25 per game? They will most likely come from Jared Jeffries first, Larry Hughes second, and Al Harrington third. I'll stop short of an endorsement – the Curry Line exists for a reason – but it'd be unwise to completely ignore a player with offensive talent in the Knicks' system, and the organization would certainly like for him to succeed. Deep-leaguers with a roster spot in play should consider a move here, particularly if they are short on bigs or need help in FG%.

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In this week's expanded episode, Dokken rocked the house, Behrens licked random callers and the Noise temporarily lost consciousness after the Million Dollar Sleeper applied his patented finishing move.

We were also kindly joined by Curb Your Enthusiasm's Jeff Garlin who forecasted a banner week for Devin Hester(notes) and repainted his sprawling Los Angeles estate Battle Red. A down week for the Texans and our next encounter with the comedian will definitely be a "Larry David moment." Punchlines about the Noise's prognostication skills are sure to flow freely (As if they didn't already).  

Click. Consume. Purge. 

Freak Show Opening Segment

Freak Show Hour 1

Freak Show Hour 2

Bonus Time!

Jeff Garlin Chat/Team Remodeling Project

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Photo via Getty Images 

Ricky Williams is clearly possessed. Probably by an ancient Hittite demigod. Williams nearly reached his age (32) in fantasy points on Thursday night in a three-touchdown performance against the Panthers. He carried 22 times for 119 yards and added two receptions for 19.

It was a dominant performance from Williams, highlighted by a 46-yard fourth quarter TD run. Video here via NFL.com. After a slight miscalculation by Carolina linebacker Jon Beason, Williams legitimately outran a pair of NFL corners on his way to the goal line for his third score

Ricky is not to be benched for the foreseeable future, not with Ronnie Brown on IR. Williams was No. 6 in the Yahoo! composite running back rankings this week, and he'll likely be higher in Week 12. (And by "higher" we mean, you know, in the ranks). Miami travels to Buffalo next Sunday to face the NFL's worst run defense.

Lex Hilliard looked strong as well. He picked up 31 total yards on six touches and lost a 13-yard gain due to a penalty. If you're handcuffing Ricky – or simply looking for a desperation flex option in a giant league – Hilliard is your guy. Pat White was only a rumor on Thursday.

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This week we're varying our cadence. We'll focus on situations where two Yahoo! experts strongly disagree on a player's Week 11 value. Let's play the feud…

Greg Jennings - Funston's rank 5, Pianowski's rank 23

Brandon says: Sunday’s matchup with San Francisco sets up particularly well for Jennings. The 49ers have limited opponents to just 3.3 yards per carry, the best mark in the league. The odds are against the Packers being able to pound away successfully on the ground, which means QB Aaron Rodgers should have to throw it often – it’s not surprising that the 49ers have witnessed the third-most passes attempted against them. And key for the Rodgers and Jennings connection is that San Francisco doesn’t get to the QB with much success – the Niners have the 7th-fewest sacks in the league. That goes a long ways towards explaining why they've allowed the 7th-most pass plays of 20-plus yards.

With the likelihood that Rodgers, the most sacked QB in the league, will actually be afforded some time in the pocket, expect Jennings, 6th in the league with three receptions of 40-plus yards, to be on the receiving end of some big gainers.

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Elton Brand's big game on Wednesday takes center stage as we scan the league for news-worthy items from over the past few days.

• Okay, so it was just one game. Good luck convincing Elton Brand's fantasy owners to limit their exuberance after his 19 points, 11 boards, 3 steals, and 6 blocks in 42 minutes (!) against the Bobcats on Wednesday night. When you also consider that there was talk of his being moved to the bench – for Rodney Carney, of all people – in the days leading up to the game, then it's pretty easy to see what the fuss is all about. Perhaps it's just coincidence, but Brand finally got the Marreese Speights treatment (getting run at center in a small lineup), and he delivered his first substantial line of the season.

So now we need to qualify things. It's unrealistic to expect Brand to see 42 minutes per game, even while Speights is sidelined, and a single game against a small Bobcats lineup isn't a true litmus test in terms of expectations going forward. Brand's fantasy owners should keep their fingers crossed and an eye on the schedule – upcoming matchups include the Grizzlies, Cavs, Wizards, Celtics, Hawks and Spurs and will be a much truer test of Brand's game (not to mention Eddie Jordan's rotation). Jordan had this to say after Wednesday's win:

People have been pushing us around. Elton and I had a couple conversations and at first I said, 'Just play hard and execute and sort of be the physical fulcrum for us, the guy that gets it done physically for us.' When you're a pro like him, there's a lot of things you can call upon to motivate you. You can summon up other experiences to get you going. Hopefully this is one of them. He's a pro, man. He's got a lot of confidence and a lot of pride.

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If I were drafting from scratch tonight (standard scoring, non-PPR), here's how I'd attack it. I welcome your respectful disagreement in the comments, but bring your A Game – if you disagree with a rank, offer a solid reason why and your preferred order of the players in question

Quarterback
1. Peyton Manning
2. Drew Brees
3. Aaron Rodgers
4. Tom Brady
5. Philip Rivers
6. Matt Schaub
7. Ben Roethlisberger
8. Kurt Warner
9. Brett Favre
10. Tony Romo
11. Donovan McNabb
12. Jay Cutler
13. Carson Palmer
14. Eli Manning
15. Matt Ryan
16. David Garrard
17. Matt Hasselbeck
18. Joe Flacco
19. Alex Smith
20. Vince Young
21. Matt Cassel
22. Kyle Orton
23. Jason Campbell
24. Mark Sanchez
25. Jake Delhomme
26. Josh Freeman
27. Chad Henne
28. Matthew Stafford
29. Marc Bulger
30. Ryan Fitzpatrick
31. Kevin Kolb
32. Matt Leinart
33. Bruce Gradkowski
34. Brady Quinn
35. Daunte Culpepper
36. Trent Edwards
37. Seneca Wallace
38. JaMarcus Russell

Comments: It's been a smooth year for this position at the top end, lots of production, not a lot of injuries . . . Hard to deny Aaron Rodgers this spot based on how he's producing, but you better have a reliable backup, just in case. He's getting the tar kicked out of him weekly . . . Donovan McNabb's value probably gets a volume push if Brian Westbrook can't make it back . . . Sophomore slumps for Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco, so it seems. Ryan really could use a pass-catching back to ease the pressure, while Flacco is trying to make a go of it without a legitimate No. 1 wideout.

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REMINDER: The deadline to make trades in public leagues is Friday, November 20. After that date, you won't be able to get Smoot On A Boat to deal Beanie Wells, even if he finally agrees that TJ Houshmandzadeh is fair compensation. Act now! 

Larry Johnson practiced with the Bengals for the first time on Wednesday. He'll reportedly be active on Sunday if Cedric Benson (hip) can't go, though Bernard Scott and Brian Leonard are expected to get more touches. Benson reportedly did not dress for Thursday's practice.

Everyone seems to be using the word "guarded" to describe Benson's reaction to the LJ signing, but really, his comments seem reasonable and harmless:

Benson was guarded in his first comments since Johnson joined the team. He said that he realizes that football can be more of a business than a game.

"I didn't know I was supposed to be jumping out of my seat or anything. I really have no feelings about it," Benson said. "They made a move they felt they needed to do, and that's fine with me. It's not going to affect me in any kind of way. Whatever happens from here on, I can guarantee you I'll definitely be making the best of it.

"In most cases you hold your fate in your own hands. I'm not letting up in any aspect of what I'm doing. I would imagine that I would continue to be the first guy, and if not, I'll make it that way."

That seems OK. Nothing to see there. Unless of course LJ finds the end zone against the Raiders, which isn't all that far-fetched. If that happens, we'll need to reevaluate Cedric's mood.

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