Midweek update: News you can use from around the NFL

Lots of important stuff going on around the league the last couple of days...

First, you've undoubtedly heard about all the crap swirling around Larry Johnson. He's dug his own grave with a shovel called Twitter, and it doesn't look like he's going to be able to climb out of it any time soon. If you own LJ, you should attmpt to trade him immediately, before he inevitably moves from "banned" to "suspended" and/or "released" and his value plummets to zero. I'd be shocked if he hasn't played his last game in KC (possibly in the NFL, given his age and rapidly deteriorating skills, plus the target he just attached to his back). Meanwhile, if you were relying on him going forward, you might as well grab Jamaal Charles. I doubt any Chiefs RB will provide much fantasy value, but he should do at least a little better than LJ has.

You can also safely release Chris Cooley, even though the team is holding out hope that he'll be rehabbed fully from this week's ankle surgery within a month. That just doesn't sound likely; and besides, nobody else is going to pick him up right away anyway. You should be able to scoop him back up in 3-4 weeks if it starts sounding like he's coming back. Meanwhile, it will be interesting to see whether Fred Davis can step up and produce consistently in Cooley's absence. He looked pretty good on Monday night, but we're talking about the Redskins here. There's not a lot of offensive production to go around.

Ryan Fitzpatrick will get another start this week against Houston, giving him a good chance to lock up the No. 1 role at the expense of the injured and ineffective Trent Edwards. If you've got Edwards as your backup, you need to make a change. And hopefully you have better options than Fitz to pick through, since I'm not convinced he's the answer either and the weather is about to turn nasty in Buffalo.

As covered in Monday's column, Leon Washington is out for the season with his broken leg. If Shonn Greene is still out there, grab him ASAP. He could come in very handy down the road, and certainly makes for a solid bye-week or injury fill-in.

Brian Westbrook will likely miss Sunday's showdown with the Giants after suffering that concussion on Monday night. LeSean McCoy didn't do much in his place against the Skins, but he'd still be a solid starting option this weekend. He did well in Week 3 against the Chiefs (84 yards, 1 TD) subbing for Westy.

Donald Brown could miss 2-3 weeks with his shoulder contusion. That's good news for Joseph Addai's owners. If you need help at RB and can buy low on Addai this week, go for it. He's been solid -- though certainly not spectacular -- and should be an every-week starter while Brown is down.

Heath Evans injured his knee against the Dolphins, meaning the short-yardage TD poacher may not be available for a while. Again, we don't wish injury on anybody, but we have to call 'em as we see 'em. And this enhances the fantasy potential of both Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell.

Heads up: Sammy Morris (knee) could be back after the Patriots' Week 8 bye. This may be a very good time to sell high on Laurence Maroney.

Michael Turner is a scoring machine, but his 3.4 yards-per-carry are nothing to write home about. That's why we might start seeing a lot of Jason Snelling going forward, as he has done well when given the opportunity (and since Jerious Norwood is out for the duration). No need to panic if you own Turner...he's still an every-week starter. Just don't be surprised if you get a lot of 60-70 yard, 1-TD performances for the rest of the season.

Looks like Reggie Wayne (strained groin) will be fine come Sunday. We'll keep an eye on his status, but don't sweat it too much.

Unfortunately, the prognosis is not as optimistic for Calvin Johnson. He was still limping around on his sprained knee earlier in the week, and he's not back to full practice yet. Looks like you'll need to plan to play without Megatron for at least another week.

A bruised lung can't be a good thing, but that's what Andre Johnson is dealing with this week. The Texans are hopeful he can suit up, and AJ is tweeting optimistically, but he's currently day-to-day and you can bet he'll be a game-time decision. Perhaps this is the week we'll see Kevin Walter live up to his draft status. The Bills obviously offer a favorable matchup.

Bernard Berrian's owners should have another option at the ready this weekend as the receiver may not be recovered from the leg injury he incurred Sunday. If he's out, look for even bigger games from both Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin, as Favre returns to the frozen tundra for the first time wearing purple.

As if you weren't wary of him already, there's new reason to be down on Ted Ginn. Following his dreadful performance against the Saints on Sunday (and a career of underachievement), he may have worked himself out of the starting lineup entirely. Look for Brian Hartline to take over his role, with Ginn getting substantially fewer snaps as a WR going forward. Once again, if possible, trade Ginn before you're forced to release him altogether.

Psst, buddy...I'll give you LJ, Fast Willie, Ginn and Cooley straight-up for Peyton Manning...