Receiver Kevin Walter has hauled in 15 passes and scored three touchdowns through this year's first three games for the Texans. AP

By Chris Ryan, RotoExperts.com, SI.com

Tiering your players on a weekly basis not only is a good way to determine whom to draft in fantasy football, but also is great way to break ties for tough lineup decisions each week. Delving into the tiers this week, we look at the impact of old quarterbacks, young running backs and the fact that Drew Brees won't stop throwing 300-yard games.

Quarterbacks

Ready ...

Tony Romo vs. Cincinnati
Peyton Manning @ Houston
Jay Cutler vs. Tampa Bay
Drew Brees vs. Minnesota
Philip Rivers @ Miami
Donovan McNabb vs. Washington
Kurt Warner vs. Buffalo
Jake Delhomme vs. Kansas City
Ben Roethlisberger @ Jacksonville
Eli Manning vs. Seattle
Matt Schaub vs. Indianapolis
Gus Frerotte @ New Orleans

Set ...

Kurt Warner vs. Buffalo
Trent Edwards @ Arizona
Brian Griese @ Denver
Jon Kitna vs. Chicago
Matt Hasselbeck @ New York Giants
Jason Campbell @ Philadelphia
Aaron Rodgers vs. Atlanta (if he plays)
Kyle Orton @ Detroit
Matt Cassel @ San Francisco
Chad Pennington vs. San Diego
David Garrard vs. Pittsburgh

No!

J.T. O'Sullivan vs. New England
Kerry Collins @ Baltimore
Damon Huard @ Carolina
Carson Palmer @ Dallas
Joe Flacco vs. Tennessee
Matt Ryan @ Green Bay
Matt Flynn vs. Atlanta (if he plays)

Who says the NFL is no country for old men? Frerotte, Huard, Collins and Griese are all over 35 years old (well, Griese's only 33, but he's been concussed enough to qualify him for this analogy), and they've all been handed the keys to their respective offenses. Each brings years of starting experience, and with that experience comes wisdom, leadership and an intricate understanding of how an offense is supposed to function. On the flip side, experience also brings arthritis, brittleness, slowing of muscle reaction and ummmm, how do I put this nicely ... the inability to "perform" on a regular basis. In other words, if you catch one these guys on the right day, they're still capable of cooking up some delectable fantasy yum-yums. But if you get them during one of their "senior moments," you'll be eating a robust platter of turnovers, back injuries and fantasy losses. Are any of these football geriatrics capable of helping your squad out this week? Let's put on some comically thick-lensed glasses and take a look:

Griese seems like the best choice to give your team a Metamucil-infused explosion, but after seeing what Kansas City did on the ground against the Broncos, and considering Griese is coming off back-to-back three interception games, count on Jon Gruden calling on the country singing duo of Graham and Dunn to move the ball rather than the gun-slingin' Griese. Faced with the right matchup, Huard and Collins still have the ability to put up 300-yard games, but against top-seven pass defenses like Baltimore and Carolina, they'll be asked to not over-exert themselves and focus on methodically maintaining the offense. You'll get no help from either this week. That leaves Frerotte. "Good ol' Gus" had a nice outing against the tough Titans defense (266 yards and a touchdown), and he's already developed a strong rapport with resident deep threat, Bernard Berrian, and utility man Bobby Wade. The Saints will be forced to put extra guys in the box to stop Adrian Peterson, and that's going to leave their woefully undermanned secondary in precarious positions. Frerotte, using his experience, wisdom and still lively arm, will exploit it to the max. If you're missing Brett Favre and his salt-and-pepper beard this week, this may be the next best thing.

Other notables:

Speaking of old quarterbacks, can we start taking bets as to how much longer Warner remains uninjured/starting? Last week, he was sacked five times, put the ball on the turf four others, and completed passes to Jets defenders on three occasions. I'm not sure he makes it through two quarters against the Bills ... Campbell's yet to throw an interception, and is coming off three quality outings, but I'm not forgetting that he was awful against the Giants on opening night and has faced New Orleans, Arizona and an overrated Cowboys secondary since. I've said all along that he's a spot player, and against Philly, his spot will be on my bench ... The undressing began last week, and now Bill Belichick and his enraged defense get to rip the mask completely off O'Sullivan, revealing him as the under-protected over-his-head, journeyman QB that he really is. If you're in a league where the goal is to get negative points, O'Sullivan is a great play this week.

Running backs

Ready ...

Adrian Peterson @ New Orleans
Marion Barber vs. Cincinnati
LaDainian Tomlinson @ Miami
Marshawn Lynch @ Arizona
Matt Forte @ Detroit
Joseph Addai @ Houston
Frank Gore vs. New England
Steve Slaton vs. Indianapolis
Brandon Jacobs vs. Seattle
Michael Turner @ Green Bay
Larry Johnson @ Carolina
Chris Johnson @ Baltimore
Felix Jones vs. Cincinnati
Earnest Graham @ Denver
Jonathan Stewart vs. Kansas City

Set ...

Correll Buckhalter/Brian Westbrook vs. Washington
Clinton Portis @ Philadelphia
Laurence Maroney @ San Francisco
Julius Jones @ New York Giants
DeAngelo Williams vs. Kansas City
Edgerrin James vs. Buffalo
Ryan Grant vs. Atlanta
Reggie Bush vs. Minnesota
Deuce McAllister vs. Minnesota
Ricky Williams vs. San Diego
Rudi Johnson vs. Chicago
Warrick Dunn @ Denver
Le'Ron McClain vs. Tennessee
LenDale White @ Baltimore
Chris Perry @ Dallas
Mewelde Moore @ Jacksonville
Tim Hightower vs. Buffalo
Michael Pittman vs. Tampa Bay