Parker Hurt, Burress suspended

I can't remember a season where so many players have been hurt and/or suspended. From Tom Brady to Marques Colston to Steve Smith to the Colt's line injuries (which affect Peyton Manning) 2008 has been a year like none other. Anyway, add Willie Parker and Plaxico Burress to the list. Parker will miss the game against the Ravens this week. He has a sprained knee. Burress on the other hand is healthy as can be but was suspended for 2 weeks today by the Giants for no showing and not giving a reason. He will effectively miss 1 game because the Giants have a bye this week.

Fantasy Impact: Mendenhall is good play in Parker's absense. He should be the feature back this week and finally get a chance to show what he can do. What does this mean for the long run? Well is he plays well, he should see more touches. That will hurt Parker's value. If he plays poorly and continues to have the fumbling problems he did in the preseason, Parker will resume getting almost all of the touches.

As for Burress, owners lose him 2 weeks in a row because of the bye. If you need to pick someone up, Amani Toomer should get a lot of looks in his absense. Wide Receiver is a thin position. You might just have to play someone on a hunch and hope they have a nice game or two. For example, Antonio Bryant had over 120 yards for Tammpa Bay this past weekend. He might be someone to take a flyer on.