Despite not playing the past two weeks, he somehow managed to steal the headlines once again.

After a thought-to-be suicide attempt earlier in the week, Terrell Owens (hand) was somehow able to return to practice and is expected to be available for this week’s contest against Tennessee. He told coach Bill Parcells that he is ready to return after breaking his hand in week two’s contest against Washington. With a plate screwed into his broken right ring finger, T.O. just has to be cleared by the Tuna and Cowboys trainers.

"The injury status has not changed, and we're going to make some game-time decisions as to who's going to participate," said Parcells. A decision is expected to be made late Saturday or early Sunday, but all signs appear to be pointing towards Owens playing. The Titans are allowing 222.3 passing yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions through three games, so he’s a fine play if given clearance. Be sure to monitor this situation until the 11th hour – he’s a must-start if available.

Shaun Alexander, Aaron Brooks, Trent Green and Vernon Davis don’t appear to be as lucky with their playing status this week though. Each has been deemed out for Sunday’s slate, but Reuben Droughns and Adam Vinatieri are expected to return to action. This week’s action features heavyweight matchups between 3-0 Cincinnati and 2-1 New England, 3-0 Seattle and 3-0 Chicago and 2-0 San Diego and 3-0 Baltimore. In this edition of The Weekly Forecast, we’ll break it all down for you to help you set your best lineup.

SF TE – No. 1 selection Vernon Davis is expected to miss a month after cracking a bone in his leg during last week’s action, so backup Eric Johnson will fill in as the Niners' starting tight end in the interim. He missed the entire 2005 season with a leg injury after leading the team in receptions the prior year. He replaced Davis in San Francisco’s loss to Philadelphia and came through with seven catches, 87 yards and a touchdown. The Niners play Kansas City, Oakland and San Diego the next three weeks, so Johnson is once again a quality fantasy option.

SEA RB – The Madden curse struck again last week as reigning MVP Shaun Alexander suffered a cracked bone in his foot during a blowout win over the Giants. He’s considered out indefinitely, but might just miss Sunday night’s marquee matchup against the unbeaten Bears. The Seahawks have a bye the following week, so it’s possible Alexander the Great could return October 15th against St. Louis. Last year, he rambled for 284 yards and five touchdowns in two contests against the Rams. Maurice Morris will fill in at halfback in his stead, but is not an advisable play against one of the league’s stingiest defense. Chicago is surrendering 82.0 yards on the ground through thee games and the only rushing TD they allowed was a one-yard plunge by QB Jon Kitna during a 34-7 whitewash against Detroit in week two.

OAK QB/WR – Andrew Walter will get his first start in the NFL this Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. With Aaron Brooks (torn pectoral muscle) out for possible another three weeks, Walter will try to lead the league’s most anemic offense and snap a franchise eight-game losing streak. Oakland is averaging just three points and 82.5 passing yards per contest. With Jerry Porter likely in the doghouse for the duration of the season, the weight of the team’s offense will fall heavily on Randy Moss and LaMont Jordan. Both have been fantasy studs in the past, but have seen a major drop-off in value with Oakland’s ineptitude. If you have a Raider on your squad, it’s heavily advisable to keep them stashed on your bench until they prove they find the end zone again.

JAC RB – The Jaguars were planning on using a two-headed monster in their backfield again this season. Although a season-ending injury to fullback Greg Jones temporarily halted those plans, Jacksonville has to be thrilled with the production they received from rookie Maurice Jones-Drew against the Colts last week. He rambled for 103 yards on 13 carries, while adding four receptions, 32 yards and a touchdown through the air. With Fred Taylor’s much publicized track history for injuries, the UCLA product has a ton of upside in the Jags backfield. He’s a decent RB3 or flex option against Washington this week – they are giving up 95.0 rushing yards per contest in ’06.

Tidbits - Vince Young will make his first start for Tennessee this week against Dallas. Kerry Collins turned out to be a major bust through three weeks – Drew Bennett and David Givens are not great options this early in his career though. … Ron Dayne and Samkon Gado will split carries for Houston this week against Miami. Wali Lundy appears to be exclusively used on returns at this time. … Chris Henry could be deactivated for Sunday’s game against New England after his involvement in teammate Odell Thurman’s DUI arrest.

Injuries
Quarterbacks
Aaron Brooks (shoulder) – out, return uncertain, Andrew Walter will start
Trent Green (head) – out, might return in week six
Chad Pennington (calf) – probable, will start

Running Backs
Shaun Alexander (foot) – out, return uncertain
Chris Brown (toe) – questionable, expected to play
Reuben Droughns (shoulder) – questionable, he said he’ll play, practiced Fri
Ahman Green (ribs) – questionable, game-time decision, Vernand Morency is backup
Frank Gore (ribs) – probable, will start
Maurice Jones-Drew (ankle) – probable, will play
Chester Taylor (ankle) – probable, will play
Brian Westbrook (knee) – questionable, expected to play

Wide Receivers
Mark Bradley (ankle) – doubtful, downgraded Friday
Reggie Brown (shoulder) – probable, expected to play
Laveranues Coles (calf) – questionable, expected to play
Doug Gabriel (hamstring) – probable, will play
Devery Henderson (shoulder) – doubtful, game-time call
T.J. Houshmandzadeh (heel) – probable, will play
Joe Jurevicius (ribs) – probable, expected to play
Keenan McCardell (hamstring) – questionable, expected to play
Terrell Owens (finger) – questionable, expected to play
Tab Perry (hip) – out, week-to-week
Marcus Robinson (hamstring) – doubtful, not expected to play
Steve Smith (hamstring) – probable, will play
Donte Stallworth (hamstring) – questionable, returned to practice Friday
Brandon Stokley (hamstring) – questionable, isn’t expected to play

Tight Ends
Desmond Clark (ankle) – game-time decision
Vernon Davis (leg) – out, might return in week eight
Todd Heap (ankle) – probable, expected to play
L.J. Smith (shoulder) – probable, will play
Jeremy Stevens (knee) – return mid-October
Kellen Winslow (knee) – questionable, expected to play

Kickers
Adam Vinatieri (groin) – questionable, returned to practice Friday

Best/Worst Matchups in week 4
(rankings determined by 2006 statistics exclusively)
Up against toughest run defenses
1. Baltimore (34.4 YPG) – LaDainian Tomlinson, Michael Turner
2. Seattle (58.7 YPG) – Thomas Jones, Cedric Benson
3. Jacksonville (59.0 YPG) – Clinton Portis, Ladell Betts
4. San Diego (71.0 YPG) – Jamal Lewis, Mike Anderson
5. Pittsburgh (78.3 YPG) – BYE
6. Detroit (80.0 YPG) – Stephen Jackson, Stephen Davis

Up against easiest run defenses
32. Tampa Bay (170.0 YPG) – BYE
31. Oakland (166.0 YPG) – Reuben Droughns, Jason Wright
30. Tennessee (163.7 YPG) – Julius Jones, Marion Barber
29. Houston (163.0 YPG) – Ronnie Brown, Lee Suggs
28. Indianapolis (161.7 YPG) – Kevan Barlow, Derrick Blaylock
27. Carolina (152.0 YPG) – Deuce McAllister, Reggie Bush

Up against toughest pass defenses
1. San Diego (102.5 YPG) – Steve McNair, Derrick Mason, Mark Clayton
2. Oakland (117.0 YPG) – Charlie Frye, Braylon Edwards, Kellen Winslow
3. Kansas City (146.5 YPG) – Alex Smith, Antonio Bryant, Arnaz Battle
4. Baltimore (163.0 YPG) – Philip Rivers, Antonio Gates, Keenan McCardell
5. Tampa Bay (164.3 YPG) – BYE
6. Carolina (167.7 YPG) – Drew Brees, Joe Horn, Marques Colston

Up against easiest pass defenses
32. Houston (320.7 YPG) – Daunte Culpepper, Chris Chambers, Wes Welker
31. Green Bay (301.0 YPG) – Donovan McNabb, Donte Stallworth, Reggie Brown
30. New York Giants (281.0 YPG) – BYE
29. Detroit (269.0 YPG) – Marc Bulger, Tory Holt, Isaac Bruce
28. Arizona (260.7 YPG) – Michael Vick, Alge Crumpler, Michael Jenkins
27. New York Jets (253.0) – Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne

WEEK FOUR
GAME/TIME/WEATHER
Sunday, October 1 High/Low, Chance of Precipitation
Arizona at Atlanta 1:00 p.m. Dome
Dallas at Tennessee 1:00 p.m. 81/56, 30%
Indianapolis at N.Y. Jets 1:00 p.m. 66/57, 30%
Miami at Houston 1:00 p.m. Dome
Minnesota at Buffalo 1:00 p.m. 59/51, 60%
New Orleans at Carolina 1:00 p.m. 75/57, 20%
San Diego at Baltimore 1:00 p.m. 71/60, 30%
San Francisco at Kansas City 1:00 p.m. 83/57, 0%
Detroit at St. Louis 4:05 p.m. Dome
Cleveland at Oakland 4:15 p.m. 62/53, 10%
Jacksonville at Washington 4:15 p.m. 70/55, 20%
New England at Cincinnati 4:15 p.m. 67/49, 60%
Seattle at Chicago 8:15 p.m. 67/48, 60%

Monday, Oct. 2
Green Bay at Philadelphia 8:30 p.m. 68/54, 40%

Bye Weeks in Week Four: Denver, N.Y. Giants, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay
Bye Weeks in Week Five: Atlanta, Cincinnati, Houston, Seattle

Questions, comments, quandaries? Contact me at Matt@CREATiVESPORTS.com.