Confess to the Priest...

Well, it's official...my favorite story of the last month is getting his chance to shine this week.

Priest Holmes will likely be starting against the Broncos this week (you mean those same Broncos that gave all those yards up to Ryan Grant?) - with Kolby Smith stealing some touches here and there.

The latest word from ESPN is that Johnson has a foot sprain, but there is a report from a station in Denver that LJ is out for the season with a broken right foot.

If you are a LJ owner and were fortunate to pickup Priest when I mentioned him a couple of weeks ago...I would also hedge your bets with Kolby Smith - he might turn out to be OK if Priest can't handle the workload.

The injuries this year are unbelievable! The only team that I have that has bounced back from all of these is in a 10 team league - where it's not hard to find someone to pickup.

News from around the league...

This report quoting Chiefs President Carl Peterson makes it sound like Priest Holmes has a lot left to bring to the field.

Chris Henry (CIN WR) is going to be back on the field soon. Ted Carlson reminds us why we should pick him up.

Joe Echemandu is a name you might want to look out for as well, as long as he can stay healthy. This game recap points to the fact that Ahman Green's knee doesn't seem to be getting better - someone has to carry the ball in Houston. Ron Dayne is glacially slooooooowwww.

Ryan Grant is going to be on a lot of people's radar this week - for these reasons. DeShawn Wynn can't stay healthy and his shoulder injury doesn't sound good. According to one report his shoulder went numb.

Wednesday updates...

Well folks, if you're like me and were pretty happy with Sammy Morris and his efforts filling in for Laurence Maroney...this report from ESPN says he'll likely be out a month. I like the chances that Maroney comes back this week.

There is also news that the Patriots worked out Kevin Barlow on Monday...just when you thought Maroney might be in for all the goal line carries...

The Raiders defense is allowing the most yards per carry to opposing backs. This report from Inside Bay Area has some good analysis about the Raiders defense. Might be good news for those Larry Johnson (and maybe Priest Holmes) owners out there. Also note that the Raiders are on pace to give up 2300 yards for the year. Ouch.

The Saints looked pretty good on Sunday night. Pierre Thomas scored on a fumble recovery - but on special teams duty. Aaron Stecker's injury might open for the door for Pierre to get some more carries in relief of Reggie Bush.

A number of people, like this guy...believed Adrian Peterson would be a great player this year. You don't have to sell me, I was on the bandwagon in the preseason.

Reasons why we'll see Priest suit up...

I'm back from my trip for a friends wedding in Martha's Vineyard to post a few reasons why I think Priest Holmes might be a factor this year (BUT maybe not until playoff time)...

1) Larry Johnson ran for 119 yards on 31 carries this past Sunday. But wait you say, Larry IS BACK! He went over 100 yards in a game! Surely he's gotten this thing figured out. Ah - not so much. Larry ran for 106 yards on 16 carries in the first half. He then ran for 13 yards on 15 carries in the second half. Numerous mistakes, indecision and other things clouded Larry's performance this weekend. Do we need anymore reasons to give Mr. Diapers a slice of humble pie?

2) According to numerous reports, the Chiefs have traded Larry's backup Michael Bennett to Tampa Bay.

3) Herm Edwards has a lot of good things to say about Priest, and according to SI, he's been in almost daily contact with his Priest.

4) Coach Edwards said "You've got to find a way to get him in the game."

5) Because I told you about it last week.

We won't know for sure if Priest will play this week against Oakland until after he practices on Wednesday and Thursday.

Put a waiver request in...if you have someone expendable on your fantasy bench.

Is your fantasy football team hurting? Do you need a priest?

Priest Holmes recently said that he is 90% and ready to go.

Not sure if many of you saw Hard Knocks on HBO this past summer...but there was one piece with Dick Vermeil talking with Herman Edwards that sticks out for me. Dick was saying to Herm that when Priest says "I'm at this percent" he believes him. Dick went on to say that Priest knows his body better than anyone he ever coached.

This report from the Kansas City Star goes into more detail about Holmes' current situation.

Larry Johnson isn't exactly blowing things up right now. Maybe....exactly why we might not have seen the last of Priest Holmes. Yeah, he turns 34 this month. Sure, he wasn't drafted. He's gotten older and slower. But that stuff just motivates Priest. It's hard to forget 66 touchdowns in three years.

Keep an eye on him, and stash him on your IR if it's available. After week six when he comes off the PUP, the Chiefs have three weeks to evaluate him to see if he's ready to play.