Sunday's Best

Make the most from the final preseason roster moves

By James Quintong, SI.com

Olandis Gary hasn't been a regular starter since 1999, but is now rising up the draft charts again. Brian Bahr/Getty Images

As expected, there were few individual performances worth noting from the final week of the preseason, as plenty of top players were benched or saw very few plays. But yet again, there was another major injury to a potential fantasy starter, forcing more roster shuffling and rearranging on draft sheets just days before the start of the regular season.

Here's the rundown on this weekend's action, most of it seen on the transactions wire:

• The Lions lost starting running back James Stewart for up to six weeks with a dislocated right shoulder during Thursday night's game. Detroit made a solid move on Sunday by acquiring Olandis Gary from Buffalo, and there's a good chance he could take over as the starter in Week 1, although he faces some stiff competition from veteran Shawn Bryson and rookie Avon Cobourne.

Gary rushed for 1,159 yards in just 12 games for the Broncos in 1999 after replacing the injured Terrell Davis, proving almost anyone can have a 1,000-yard season in Denver. He's rushed for only 425 yards since then, as he backed up Mike Anderson and then Clinton Portis, but he still has the talent to be an every-down back and could hold on to the job even when Stewart returns.

The move also means that there's a decent chance Willis McGahee will play this year for the Bills. Gary was going to be Travis Henry's primary backup before the trade, leaving McGahee somewhat out of the picture. That's changed. Still, McGahee is a huge risk because of that knee injury, although he's a nicer bet for keeper leagues.

• Plenty of starting quarterback jobs were decided this weekend, and a few merit some fantasy attention. Rookie Kyle Boller grabbed the starting role in Baltimore and has at least a few decent weapons at his disposal that should help his value. He looked reasonably sharp in the final preseason game against the Giants and worked well with Travis Taylor, who's overdue for a big season. Boller is worth a look as a fantasy backup.

On the other hand, Rodney Peete was named the starting quarterback in Carolina despite Jake Delhomme's having a much better preseason. However, the primary role of the Panthers quarterback is to hand off to Stephen Davis, so there's not much to get excited about at this point. Delhomme still could be the starting quarterback in a couple of weeks.

Mark Brunell officially got the starting nod in Jacksonville despite his name coming up in a couple of trade offers just this week. That likely means Brunell's time is quickly running out, especially with top pick Byron Leftwich coming on at the end of camp. Leftwich likely will be the starting quarterback sometime in the second half of the season. However, the Jaguars' passing game won't scare anyone, especially with Jimmy Smith out at least four games on suspension. It's hard to get excited when J.J. Stokes and Matthew Hatchette are your starting wideouts.

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• You may not think a whole lot of it, but a few kicker situations were settled this weekend as well. The one of most interest to fantasy owners was Mike Vanderjagt retaining his starting job in Indianapolis ahead of Brett Conway despite a poor preseason, not to mention the war of words with Peyton Manning during the playoffs.

Aaron Elling is the last kicker standing in Minnesota and deserves some attention for playing behind a high-powered Vikings offense. Veteran John Kasay is still sticking around with Carolina, while rookie Seth Marler got the job in Jacksonville, but that's really more for information purposes only. There are better options available.

That includes the Giants' Matt Bryant, who reemerged with the job after Mike Hollis was put on injured reserve with a back injury. Despite some of the Giants' special-teams problems last year, Bryant put up solid numbers, going 26-of-32 on field goals. Go ahead and replace Hollis with Bryant either on your team or on your draft lists. If the Giants can figure out the long-snapper situation, Bryant should do just fine playing behind a surprisingly productive offense.

• Revisiting one of the more intriguing battles of the summer, Anthony Thomas claimed the Bears starting running back job over Adrian Peterson, although Peterson had better stats. Both will get plenty of looks this season, however, and should have some value.

It also was confirmed that Trung Canidate will start Thursday night for the Redskins, and Stacey Mack gets the starting nod for Houston in Sunday's opener. Both are on the lower end of the running back totem pole, but both are still worthy fantasy starters, especially in deeper leagues.

One running back job that still doesn't seem to have been addressed is the one in Dallas. Troy Hambrick looks to have the job for now, especially with the Cowboys cutting Adrian Murrell on Sunday. However, the move may have been done for cap reasons, and Murrell could be back in a week or two. If you're desperate for a back, Hambrick is the guy, but it may be best to stay away for now.

• There were few major surprises among the final cuts, with most of the players getting their pink slips barely registering a blip on most fantasy drafts. Of the few cuts worth mentioning, the Falcons cut veteran receiver/returner MarTay Jenkins, leaving Atlanta with just two real threats at wideout in Peerless Price and Brian Finneran. Jenkins should find a job somewhere, possibly back in Arizona, where the Cardinals could use a veteran receiving threat.

The Rams cut perennial disappointment Troy Edwards, which means rookie Shaun McDonald likely gets the No. 3 receiver job and Arena League star Mike Furrey will get some time. Unlike past years, when dependable Ricky Proehl and the exciting but enigmatic Az Hakim were around as third and fourth receivers, the Rams don't have as many alternate targets. It looks like Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce and Marshall Faulk could see even more catches this year because of it.

The pieces are quickly falling into place, and in just a few days, the NFL season finally will kick off for real. So best of luck out there, and be sure to come back to SI.com for all the latest information you'll need to lead your fantasy teams to the title.

James Quintong is Fantasy Sports Producer at SI.com.