This and that

• BREAKING NEWS: Bengals sign Cedric Benson. Wow. They just get more and more indifferent about the whole character issue thing. They can't possibly think this guy's got his act together. And people aren't going to just ignore them and the trouble they get in just because they're lousy. I just don't see how they're far enough removed from needing to improve their image to add the troubled Cedric Benson. Crazy.

• I don't know how much it will realistically help the Bengals, but the Cowboys (Week 5 opponent) are going through a lot right now. Sources say T.O. was upset with Tony Romo after the loss to Washington, and Wade Phillips wasn't happy with Romo either, but for different reasons (calling too many passes.

• Another one bites the dust. So if you're still keeping track on Don Banks' coaches on the hot seat, Marvin would be next.

• Colerain is still No. 8 in the USA Today Super 25. The Cardinals are No. 1 in the Ohio AP poll; Elder is No. 7 after Friday's thrashing of St. X.

• With the Reds not invited to the postseason party yet again, who do you root for? Junior (as long as the White Sox win tonight's playoff)? AL MVP candidate Kevin Youkilis - who went to Sycamore High School and UC - and/or former Red Sean Casey? The Brewers? (For some reason, a few of my friends are pulling for Milwaukee even though the Reds almost spoiled it for them.) The Cubs for Lou Piniella? (Maybe not.) The Rays because they've never been there? I could probably come up with some obscure reason (former Red?) for every team but I won't. Speaking of which, look for my position-by-position all ex-Reds team tomorrow. And I'll try to post a fantasy piece too.

This and that

• It's too bad Joey Votto won't win the National League Rookie of the Year award (seems like everyone had their heart set on Geovany Soto by the All-Star break because he's a catcher), but I did enjoy reading Richard Skinner's piece about the top-10 rookie performances for Reds since 1970.

• Vote for Joe. The deadline is tomorrow.

• No love for the Bengals. Not even in a list of five teams with the most tortured fans.

• The Washington Post provides an in-depth look at the situation Jim Bowden and Barry Larkin are in.

• Speaking of former Reds, sounds like Kyle Lohse is about to get a multi-year extension from the Cardinals.

This and that

• Carson has been added to the Bengals' injury report as questionable with an elbow injury.

During the week, he experienced soreness and inflammation in his right elbow, which is his throwing elbow.

Marvin Lewis quote: "Carson has developed some carryover soreness from last week's game. He has told us he's going to be ready to play, but he is missing some practice reps today, so he has to be listed on the injury report."

Carson quote: "It was just a rest day. I'm completely confident in what we're doing. The doctors decided the best thing to do was to be rested and fully healthy for Sunday, and I'll be ready to roll on Sunday."

• Speaking of Carson, SI.Com's Dr. Z has a must-read about how 1988 quarterbacks stack up against their 2008 counterparts that includes a comparison of Boomer and Carson.

• Speculation already has started about who the Reds will go after during the offseason. Rangers catcher Gerald Laird would actually give them a decent bat at that position (it's been a while, and I don't think they necessarily want to just wait for Devin Mesoraco), and this Dallas Morning News article points out that the Reds scouted him before the trade deadline.

John Fay's notebook suggests Colorado's Matt Holliday and Detroit's Magglio Ordonez might be among candidates. He also points out that Philadelphia's Pat Burrell is the top free agent outfielder.

• Hopefully I'm not the only one who finds this item somewhat fascinating ...

Adam Pettyjohn will become the first left-handed pitcher to start a game for the Reds this season Sunday. According to Elias Sports Bureau, it will be the first time since at least 1900 that the Reds went an entire season with only one start by a left-hander. The 2006 Diamondbacks were the last team to finish a major league season with fewer than two starts by a lefty. Phil Dumatrait was the last left-hander to start for the Reds. It was 180 starts ago - Sept. 9 of last year.

• Good piece in the Plain Dealer about Jim Tressel taking over coaching the Buckeyes' offensive line.

Early surprises

In my Yahoo leagues, a few of the fantasy studs - Marion Barber, Frank Gore, Reggie Bush, Marshawn Lynch, Brian Westbrook and Drew Brees - you'd expect to be in the top 15 in scoring through three weeks are there. But guess who else is posting huge numbers? Jay Cutler (who ranks No. 1), Michael Turner (No. 2), Philip Rivers (No. 3), Aaron Rodgers (No. 5), rookie Matt Forte (No. 10) and Kurt Warner (No. 12).

So who are the biggest early-season surprises so far? Who cares, right ... because there's no telling whether they're going to keep it up or break out of their funk. Well, you should care ... so that you know who you can safely buy low or sell high on. Or maybe even so you know who to pick up to replace your guy who's not performing. (Believe it or not, J.T. O'Sullivan - who ranks 12th among QBs in total fantasy points so far - is still available in over 50% of Yahoo leagues.) Or you can pinpoint who to credit for your 3-0 start or who to blame now that you're 0-3.

• Did you know rookie Chris Johnson leads the AFC in rushing through three weeks?

• In addition to Cutler, Rivers, Rodgers, Warner and O'Sullivan (all of whom I've already mentioned), Jason Campbell also has more fantasy points so far than Peyton Manning.

• 29 receivers - including Eddie Royal, Chansi Stuckey, Brandon Lloyd, Ike Hilliard, Hank Baskett and Brandon Marshall - who missed Week 1 - have more points so far than Randy Moss.

• LaDainian Tomlinson's backup, Darren Sproles, has more fantasy points than Brandon Jacobs. The Saints' Pierre Thomas has more than Steven Jackson. The Ravens' Le'Ron McClain has more than Larry Johnson.

OK, great, so those guys are off to slow starts or had one bad week (out of three). What's it really mean? Hard to say. But you have to admit it is pretty unbelieveable that ...

• Torry Holt, who had 1,188 receiving yards in 2006 and 1,189 in 2007, has 122 through his first three games.

• Chad, who's had six consecutive seasons of more than 1,150 yards and had 93 catches for 1,440 last season, has eight catches for 88 yards.

• Braylon Edwards, who had 1,289 yards and 16 TD catches a year ago, has 73 yards and hasn't found the end zone yet.

This and that

• You've got to love that the Reds are so far out of it (even though they've played very well in September) that the biggest news of the day is Dusty bringing up the rumor that Corey Patterson is dating his daughter. Even if it's not true, whoever started it is genius, and it did spread like wildfire. I can't tell you how many of my friends who are Reds fans have mentioned it. And I couldn't disagree more with Dusty that he's HAD to play Patterson. You just don't play a guy who's struggling to hit .200. THERE ARE ALWAYS OTHER OPTIONS!

• Also, Edinson Volquez has been scratched from his final start. Which means there might be an even better chance of him undeservedly finishing fifth or sixth in NL Cy Young voting, as I predicted yesterday.

• Ozzie Guillen is getting annoyed with those questioning his decision to stick with Junior in center field. Did anyone see this coming?

• Dunn and the D'backs are on the ropes. And the Cardinals didn't even start Pujols, Glaus or Ryan Ludwick.

• Hot dogs, a mascot and a bomb scare. Can't make this stuff up.

• Is there going to be a new story about who the Browns' starting QB will be this Sunday every day for the rest of the week?

• Mark Curnutte seems to think Jamar Fletcher might even play on Sunday.

• Here's another Dante Love tribute. And an IndyStar story about how he's already offering the Ball State coaching staff advice on how to fill his shoes.

This and that

• OK, now Romeo Crennel says Derek Anderson will start on Sunday.

• Speaking of the Bengals' upcoming opponent, Peter King examines the possibility of Bill Cowher landing in Cleveland.

• Also, my buddy Stewart Mandel at SI.com had a nice message for former Withrow quarterback Dante Love in his college football mailbag.

• Matt Millen is out as the Lions' GM/president.

• Speaking of the Lions, the Detroit News has a story about former Bengal Jon Kitna insisting he's not to blame for the team's 0-3 start and he shouldn't be benched.

• Hey, Ann Killion of the Mercury News and others, can we at least mention Edinson Volquez's name when we write a column about the Cy Young Award? I realize that Lincecum and Webb are 1 and 2 right now, but Edinson's numbers are right there ... his ERA is a little better than Webb's and he's got 30 more strikeouts than Webb. The only number of Webb's that is better: wins. Webb has 22 to Volquez's 17, which is why it's a darn shame that the Reds didn't give Edinson some run support in those first three September starts (as well as one in late August) that he deserved to win. Anyway, I really hope Volquez finishes third in voting ... he really ought to get more votes than Ryan Dempster, Chad Billingsley, Johan Santana, and maybe even Dan Haren. Haren is the only one in that group whose numbers are about as good as Edinson's. But I have a bad feeling he'll finish about fifth or sixth in voting.

• Also, Kevin Youkilis (Sycamore HS, UC) came through again for the Red Sox in the game that clinched their playoff berth. Great guy to root for since the Reds won't be playing in the postseason.

This and that

• It sounds like there's a good chance Brady Quinn could start for the Browns on Sunday. Either the Browns or Bengals will be 0-4 after their meeting.

• It's been the subject of much debate on local sports talk, and the Star Tribune's Mark Craig is among those picking on the Bengals for clock mismanagement at the end of the Giants' game.

• Bengals.com's Geoff Hobson has a story about all of the sacks the Giants got on Sunday and the offensive line play in general, but oddly enough it doesn't mention Levi Jones, who has been getting slammed repeatedly on sportstalk for his effort.

• Reds.com's Mark Sheldon wrote about the tear Joey Votto has been on lately.

• There's no local tie or anything, but if you've got a few minutes this Lyman Bostock piece is worth a read 30 years after he was shot and killed in Gary, Ind.

Pick 'em up

I know this is similar to my previous Help Wanted post, but there are some guys out there who looked good in Week 3 who you should really consider picking up ASAP (before your opponents) so that you can fill holes as the first bye weeks approach ...

• Correll Buckhalter, Eagles: Someone in your league might have already grabbed him, and there's not quite as much urgency since the Eagles said Westbrook's injury isn't as bad as feared. But he's day-to-day with a strained ankle, which means there's a possibility he'll be iffy for Sunday night against the Bears, in which case you could do worse than to start Buckhalter.

• Brandon Lloyd, Bears: One of the things to pay attention to when considering receivers is whether they've had at least a couple of decent weeks or just one week. Lloyd's five catches for 66 yards in Week 2 would suggest that his six catches for 124 yards in Week 3 were not a fluke - like maybe Miles Austin's 115-yard Week 3 effort was, for instance.

• Rudi Johnson, Lions: Your favorite ex-Bengal and mine quietly had 83 yards on 14 carries (5.9 yards per carry) in the Lions' loss at San Francisco. Lions head coach Rod Marinelli said the team went with Johnson - and not starter Kevin Smith - in the second half because Rudi had the hot hand. Doesn't bode well for Smith because the timing also suggests that they gave Rudi more action now that he's been there long enough to learn the system. Could be a timeshare but I wouldn't be surprised if Rudi unseats Smith, who wasn't terribly impressive Week 1 against the Falcons (16-48) or Week 2 against the Packers (10-40). And Rudi might be slightly motivated to prove to the Bengals and everyone else that he's still got it.

• Anthony Fasano, Dolphins: Eight catches for 84 yards and a TD in Week 1 and 3-66 with a TD yesterday ... with 150 yards, he's already eclipsed his 16-game yardage total of 2007 with the Cowboys (143). And I know of a lot of leagues where he's still available.

• Antonio Bryant, Bucs: I have no idea how long Joey Galloway's foot injury will keep him out, but Bryant was clearly Brian Griese's go-to guy. 10 catches (18 targets) for 138 yards. If Galloway's going to miss any more time, I'd love to have Bryant, who isn't owned in many leagues at all. He could be like Andre Davis was for the Texans last season during those five or so weeks when Andre Johnson was out. And I only remember that because I had Davis last year.

Takes on the Bengals' loss

• First, the recap from CBSSports.Com, which focuses for several paragraphs on Amani Toomer's questionable catch.

• Mark Curnutte talks about how there are no moral victories.

• Daugherty's got a good take about how they were close, but the bottom line is they're 0-3.

• By the way, remember on Friday when I threw up a link to Don Banks' ten coaches on the hot seat. Well, Marvin Lewis is about to move up one spot in line.

• Oh, and the Astros are STILL complaining about having had to play in Milwaukee.

Little of this, little of that

• SI.com's Don Banks has Marvin Lewis at No. 3 (behind only the Raiders' Lane Kiffin, who is reportedly about to get fired, and the Rams' Scott Linehan) among his ten coaches on the hot seat. Banks says Marvin's pink slip potential is 75 percent.

• In his MLB Power Rankings, SI.com's Gennaro Filice suggests that the Reds should give serious thought to making Micah Owings a position player.

• One other item worth checking out from SI.com Truth & Rumors, if you're a Buckeyes fan: Buckeyes backfield a mystery

• It was a very disappointing season for former Red Austin Kearns. Meanwhile, Adam Dunn had a very clutch hit off Tim Lincecum in the Diamondbacks' win last night.

• From the Houston Chronicle: The Astros took a shot at Bud Selig with some T-shirts they had made. They really did get a raw deal if you think about it.

Fantasy football news/notes

I'm resuming my fantasy football blog ... I was a contributor to Cincinnati.Com's old fantasy football blog, but here's the deal ... I don't like to spend a lot of time talking about my fantasy squads (like my co-contributors for that blog used to do) because you don't care and you shouldn't and I know that. Instead, I'll try to provide useful info, including "Who to Start," "Who to Bench," "Help Wanted," "Favorable matchups," etc. I found it's easier to do and predict after about Week 3, once players have shown how useful they're going to be, defenses have shown how strong or weak they are, that sort of thing. So here's the (brief) first installment ...

HELP WANTED (players who might be available in your league, who you might want to consider picking up)

Michael Bush, Oakland: Grab him before they announce (tomorrow) how severe Justin Fargas' groin injury is, because something tells me Fargas will miss at least one game. Darren McFadden is also dealing with turf toe. Bush had 90 yards on 16 carries with a touchdown after Fargas left the game on Sunday. The only problem I'm having (and here's a RARE occasion where I'll actually reference one of my fantasy squads) is figuring out who to drop to make room for Bush in my ESPN league. I have a bad feeling that dropping DeAngelo Williams, Chris Perry or Steve Slaton to make room for Bush might come back to haunt me.

Darren Sproles, San Diego: Did you see his Week 2 numbers? Sick. I know they've got LT, but he's a little banged-up and you never know. I picked up Sproles in two leagues for the same reason I made sure to get Michael Turner when he was LT's backup ... because you never know when he's going to end up with ridiculous numbers for a backup. The trick is knowing when to start him.

John Carlson, Seattle: He had six catches for 78 yards on Sunday, and Mike Holmgren says he doesn't expect Deion Branch or Bobby Engram to return until after the team's Week 4 bye. Which pretty much makes Carlson a top 10 tight end this week, which is something you can't safely say about Dallas Clark right now.

J.T. O'Sullivan/Isaac Bruce/Bryant Johnson, San Francisco: Might be a good time to start believing. And they play Detroit this week.

About the Bengals

• The Enquirer's Dustin Dow did a much more thorough reporting job than we're going to get a chance to do, so here's his take on why Chad can't have Ocho Cinco on his back just yet. Pretty interesting stuff.

Meanwhile, the Bengals are ...

• ... 28th in Dr. Z's Power Rankings.

• ... 25th in Pete Prisco's Power Rankings.

• ... talking smack for some reason. After Keith Bulluck made his 'Oucho Cinco' comments, Chad said, "Man, tell Keith I’ll hit him in the mouth."

And keep in mind this whole Vince Young thing may prove to be a distraction for the Titans even if he's not going to play. Here's Gregg Doyel's column about Vince.

Got plans Sunday?

Riverfront Choice Tickets, aka 333-SEAT, says it's selling tickets to the Bengals' home opener against Tennessee on Sunday for less than face value for a home opener for the first time since the ticket broker opened in 1982.

Tickets are being offered for less than face value on Stubhub, craigslist and eBay as well.

News about Bengals and ex-Bengals

• SI's Truth & Rumors has an item about the health of Rudi Johnson's hamstring from the Detroit News, as well as another about why the Ravens are starting Joe Flacco against the Bengals on Sunday (from the Baltimore Sun).

• Yahoo!'s Jason Cole reports that Reebok is getting 'Ocho Cinco' jerseys ready.

• And check out Sportsline.com columnist Mike Freeman's piece, Jags badder than Bengals, yet still under Roger's radar. I'm not sure how long the Bengals will have to keep their noses relatively clean in order to shed their reputation.