Shockey Won't Be Benched

[Hache Man]

Shockey Won't Be Benched
The local media speculated that coach Tom Coughlin would bench Jeremy Shockey as punishment for the negative comments he made about the Giants being "out-coached" leading up to their bye week. Coughlin has a history of taking away snaps as punishment for various things over the years, but told reporters Tuesday that Shockey won't be losing any playing time over his big mouth.

Now the only question is whether or not Shockey is healthy. He practiced Tuesday and it sounds like the bye week gave his injured ankle a chance to heal a bit. After a five-catch, one-touchdown game to open the season, Shockey caught a total of six passes without finding the end zone in the next two weeks as his tender ankle clearly limited his effectiveness.

You'll want to monitor his status throughout the week to make sure he doesn't suffer a setback of any sort, but barring that it'll be safe to get Shockey back into your lineup. Shockey's matchup with the Redskins is a decent one, as Washington gave up seven catches for 93 yards to Jacksonville tight ends in Week 4 and six catches for 37 yards to Minnesota tight ends in the season opener.

While the world waits to see if Shockey will do anything about the Giants being "out-played" now that he's healthy and relatively tight-lipped, here are some other notes from around football …

* Brian Westbrook was a late scratch Monday night because of ongoing knee problems, ruining a lot of fantasy teams' chances, but it sounds like the Eagles expect to have him back in the lineup for Week 5. Westbrook is reportedly unlikely to practice until late in the week, if at all, but coach Andy Reid told reporters Tuesday that "we think he's going to be all right this week."

Unfortunately, Philadelphia plays the late set of games Sunday afternoon, which means Westbrook being another game-time decision this week could cause problems. Having backup Correll Buckhalter ready to go in case Westbrook is scratched again isn't such an appealing option after Buckhalter fumbled twice Monday night, and it's not even clear that Buckhalter would get the bulk of the touches in his place again.

While Reid was relatively optimistic about Westbrook's status, his outlook for Donte' Stallworth wasn't as bright Tuesday. Reid wouldn't reveal any information about the MRI Stallworth had on his injured hamstring, but said the receiver is "day-to-day." Given Stallworth's inability to shake hamstring problems in the past and likely questionable status this week, preparing receiver alternatives is the smart play.

* Brett Favre throwing for 680 yards and six touchdowns between Weeks 2 and 3 had people jumping back onto his bandwagon after it had more or less been cleared of passengers over the past couple years, but it came to a screeching halt Monday night. Not only did Favre complete just half of his 44 throws against the Eagles while being picked off twice, he left the game in the fourth quarter after suffering what the Packers are calling a "stinger."

Of course, as you'd expect from a guy who has started 225 straight games, Favre will be listed as probable on the injury report and will likely play against the Rams Sunday. The days of Favre being an elite fantasy quarterback are long gone and he's shown himself to be a very risky play against anything resembling a solid defense, if only because a three-interception game is never out of the question.

With that said, a home game against St. Louis is a solid matchup, although less so with the Packers' receivers banged up. Jon Kitna and the Lions had plenty of success passing against the Rams in Week 4 and they coughed up 256 yards to Kurt Warner on just 28 throws in Week 3 (they also picked Warner off thrice, but that stopped being impressive a while ago). The next three weeks (St. Louis, Miami, Arizona) should answer whether or not Favre will be a fantasy asset down the stretch.

Two-Minute Drill: After saying Monday that he's "not concerned about football right now," Randy Moss now reportedly wouldn't mind being traded out of Oakland … With the Philadelphia secondary still banged up, the Dallas media is already starting to hype a big game against his old team from Terrell Owens ... Warrick Dunn said Tuesday that part of the Falcons' red-zone problems come from not running the ball enough, which is surely music to his owners' ears … Coach Mike McCarthy praised Aaron Rodgers for his brief stint in relief of Brett Favre Monday night, suggesting Rodgers still has a decent grip on the team's "quarterback of the future" label … Coach Jim Mora indicated that Ashley Lelie may hold onto the starting job based in part on his solid blocking in the running game … First Clinton Portis stops the ridiculous characters and now this? Steve Smith says he's done doing post-touchdown celebrations.

Red Zone: Plaxico Burress (back) said Tuesday that he's "off the injury list" and "back to normal" … Cedric Houston can be dropped in most leagues now that he's out for 2-4 weeks with a hyper-extended knee … Robert Ferguson (foot) will be listed as doubtful for Week 5, moving Koren Robinson up the depth chart and back onto the fantasy radar … Pro Bowl kick returner Jerome Mathis (foot) is reportedly expected to be moved soon from the PUP list to injured reserve, officially ending his season … Donald Driver (ribs, hip) is expected to be listed as questionable for Week 5 after having a rough Monday night.