Westbrook, Betts return to the NFL

Here is some NFL news with fantasy football relevance:

New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez solidified his status as a solid fantasy back-up quarterback Monday, completing 13 of 17 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown in a game against the crosstown rival New York Giants. He also threw an interception.

Two familiar running backs found new homes this week. Former Philadelphia Eagles standout Brian Westbrook signed with San Francisco and former Washington runner Ladell Betts has caught on with the New Orleans Saints. Westbrook will likely be used as a third-down guy which slightly hurts starter Frank Gore's value. Betts is a third or fourth-string player who replaces the injured Lynell Hamilton (knee) and doesn't  have much worth in fantasy.

Veteran receiver Steve Smith (arm) of the Carolina Panthers came off the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list on Monday but head coach John Fox said he probably won't compete in a preseason game anytime soon. The goal is to get Smith ready for the regular season. Considering Matt Moore is his quarterback, Smith is no more than a No. 2 receiver in fantasy.

T he Arizona Cardinals have all but shut down star wide out Larry Fitzgerald (knee) for the remainder of the preseason. Fitzgerald's value was already slipping with Kurt Warner's retirement and now it slips even more.
He's a still a mid-to-low-end No. 1 fantasy receiver if healthy.

Cincinnati's Carson Palmer showed he still has something left over the weekend, completing 12 of 15 passes for 105 yards. Although his days as a marquee fantasy quarterback are over, he's still a solid back-up.

Rookie Victor Cruz may have thrust himself into the New York Giants wide receiver derby Monday, catching six passes for 145 yards and three touchdowns. Steve Smith and Hakeem Nicks are expected to be the top two starters but keep tabs on Cruz to see if Monday was just an aberration.

Check out Tuesday's print edition (Aug. 17) for my Fantasy Forum on five undervalued/sleeper players for 2010.