The Bears are no doubt certain Rex Grossman's rotten play of late is just a phase, but impatient fantasy football players have another thought: Grossman just might have to go.

Grossman is in the middle of his best season with a career-high 14 touchdowns, but when he's bad he's really, really awful.

Just look at Chicago's last three games, all against weaklings. Grossman ripped the 49ers, but in the other two games he went for a total of 1 TD, seven interceptions and three fumbles. He's also had countless rookie-type goofball plays, which is understandable considering the fourth-year player just finished his 16th game.

The question now is: What do you do with him, especially since deep threat Bernard Berrian is out for at least a couple of weeks?

The answer, if you have another decent option at QB, is to trade Grossman. He hasn't faced a tough defence yet, and the Giants, Patriots and Vikings are coming up. Just don't get rid of him too cheap because the schedule gets much softer in weeks 13-15, when fantasy leagues are in their playoffs.

As you ponder the greatness of Ditka, here are some players to start in Week 10, some to avoid, and a few long shots who could pan out:

QUARTERBACKS

A SAFE BET

_ The Eagles have had two weeks to fix the offence, and Donovan McNabb has at least one great game against the Redskins every year. Last year he went for 300 yards, and in each of the three years before he had three-touchdown games.

_ Last time we saw Carolina's Jake Delhomme, he was learning that his receivers could drop short, long, hard or soft passes. There should be more catches against Tampa Bay's once-proud but now-droopy pass defence.

_ If your league doesn't penalize too much for turnovers, unleash Ben Roethlisberger for his next 400-yard, four-turnover performance as the Steelers rack up more big numbers before finding a way to lose.

_ Maybe Jacksonville's better off with David Garrard, who's 6-1 as a starter with seven touchdowns passing and two running. (And what are the chances of any offence struggling twice in one season against the Texans?)

_ The Kansas City-Miami matchup features the ultimate fantasy showdown: perfect Damon Huard against unstoppable Joey Harrington. Seriously. At least they were last week anyway, when both threw three TDs.

TAKE A SHOT

_ Charlie Frye usually scrapes up a few garbage-time points in Cleveland losses. The Browns are sure to be behind early at Atlanta, but the Falcons have the NFL's second-worst pass defence.

BACK AWAY SLOWLY AND NOBODY GETS HURT

Please, in the name of Kyle Orton, don't start these guys:

_ Bench New England's Tom Brady, but not because of his many passes to defenders last week. He'll be so busy handing off against the Jets' 30th-ranked run defence that he may not ever throw.

_ Bench everybody in the Old Timers Game in Minnesota. Brett Favre is fresh off another turnover binge and always struggles at the dome. Brad Johnson has been a very bad caretaker, turning it over like crazy and failing to complete four-yard passes to stone-handed receivers.

_ Arizona's Matt Leinart should pick up right where he left off before the bye and make the Dallas defence look good again.

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RUNNING BACKS

ALL DAY LONG

_ Overthinker Alert: Never bench the Giants' Tiki Barber, even though he's playing against the Bears and based on his recent pattern he won't find the end zone until the last game of the season.

_ Detroit's Kevin Jones is solid again now that his line's healthier, with 323 yards rushing and four TDs the past three games. Don't overestimate the 49ers' defenders he faces, either; they stopped a Minnesota offence not really interested in the end zone.

_ In keeping with the Joneses, Julius should have a big day when his Cowboys play Arizona. The last time the disinterested Cards played they allowed not one but two 100-yard backs.

_ Inspired by Fred Taylor's courage in guaranteeing a win over the Texans, I'll likewise guarantee a big game for him. (I won't go out on the big limb, though, and guarantee he stays healthy.)

_ The Colts will go 9-0 against Buffalo, passing the time by practising up on the running game. So start Joseph Addai, who has taken over as the primary back.

HE COULD FIND A SEAM

_ Mike Bell appears to be the starter of the moment in Denver, a good thing against the loose confederation of athletes known as the Raiders. (Make sure Tatum Bell's still hurt before starting Mike, though.)

RED FLAGS

_ The Packers' Ahman Green has had struggles in Minnesota before he was this old and before the Vikings had this good a run defence. He hasn't hit 65 yards his last two visits there.

_ The Colts' run defence looks like it has improved all the way to crummy, so don't expect much from Buffalo's Anthony Thomas, who's replacing the injured Willis McGahee. Indy's big lead should force the Bills to concentrate on J.P. Losman bounce passes.

_ Keep New Orleans' Reggie Bush on the bench until he has as many touchdowns as TV commercials and his yards per carry surpasses 2.6.

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WIDE RECEIVERS

THROW HIM THE DARN BALL!

_ The Bengals are desperate, but Chad Johnson must really be panicking now that his stats aren't even as good as Mike Furrey's. A beat-up Chargers defence could help him reach the end zone uno or dos times.

_ The last time we saw Chad Johnson's cousin on national TV, he was dropping a probable touchdown then being ignored by his quarterback. Carolina's Keyshawn Johnson, who likes being on national TV and being thrown to, should bounce back.

_ The Rams' Torry Holt hasn't done squat in the two weeks since he went for over 150 yards and three scores against the Seahawks. He should get back on track this week against ... the Seahawks.

_ Also in that game, Seattle's Deion Branch could have another big game in another shootout. Branch caught two TD passes the last time he faced the Rams.

_ The Steelers are still a scary defence on paper, but their defensive backs are apparently unaware of that. Fourth-to-last 2006 draft pick Marques Colston should continue his unlikely quest for a 1,400-yard season.

MAYBE THROW HIM THE DARN BALL?

The Lions actually have been decent against the pass recently, allowing two TDs the past two weeks. The 49ers haven't scored recently and have looked terrible. And the NFL makes no sense, so it all adds up to a good day for Antonio Bryant.

SHOW HIM THE DARN BENCH

_ This is a good week to sit Giants receivers, since the Bears' defence won't be awful two weeks straight. Plaxico Burress plans to play, but he's hurting. Tim Carter and David Tyree, playing in place of the injured Amani Toomer, aren't exactly big threats.

_ The Jets' Jerricho Cotchery went over 100 yards with a score the last time he faced New England, but hasn't done it again since.

_ Buffalo's Lee Evans scored last week, so what are the odds?

FREE AGENT SHOPPING LIST

Pick up these guys if they're available in your league:

David Garrard of Jacksonville (3 TDs), Anthony Thomas of Buffalo (95 yards, TD), Ernest Wilford of Jacksonville (2 TDs), Devery Henderson of New Orleans (2 TDs).

WHAT DO I KNOW?

Big Hits: I expected big games from Drew Brees (314 yards, 3 TDs), Jon Kitna (321 yards, TD), Marques Colston (123 yards, TD), Ahman Green (122 yards) and Corey Dillon (2 TDs).

Big Misses: I expected big numbers for Tom Brady (4 INTs), and I expected Derrick Mason (20 yards) to at least participate. I thought all Broncos _ and Javon Walker (3 TDs) in particular _ would be stifled in Pittsburgh. I also expected failure for Garrard (3 TDs).