Are you ready for some football, Daunte Culpepper?!?

Fortunately for Miami fans, the answer appears tobe YES. Culpepper will start theDolphins' exhibition opener Saturday, less than 10 months after a serious knee injury ended his 2005 season, coach Nick Saban said Thursday.

When the Dolphins acquired Culpepper in March from the Minnesota Vikings, there were concerns he might not healthy for the start of the regular season. But he has participated in every training camp practice and received medical clearance to play Saturday against Jacksonville.

"He has done everything in practice that he needs to do," Saban said. "And he wants to play."

Like all starters, though, he won't see very much action. Saban will give snaps to other quarterbacks on the roster, including new backup Joey Harrington, Cleo Lemon and Brock Berlin.

Where should you draft Reggie Bush in your fantasy football league? It's probably the most common question
The Files staff receives.

On one hand, we have no idea how many touches the phenom will have in New Orleans per game. Or how the speed of NFL defenses may catch up to him.

On the other hand, have you seen some of this guy's cuts? He could sprint circles around any team.

Now there's a third hand. What about off the field distractions slowing Reggie down? Sources close to Nia Long claim her and Bush are not seeing each other … but hey took a picture together at a party and speculation has not stopping swirling since.

The plot thickens, however, as a TMZ.com source identified Reggie as the unknown man who Nia was with last month at an LA mall when a fight broke out between the running back and Long's ex, Massai Z. Dorsey.

Oh, snap! And not the football kind! It's hard to say how dating a famous beauty will affect the Saints star, but it could be worth keeping your eye on.

Marshall Faulk looks to be on his way out of football. Priest Holmes is questionable. And the latest veteran, running back standout to have his future in doubt?

Curtis Martin.

Two sources close to the Jets star told the New York Daily News that the running back talked about retirement before deciding to give it a go for another season, while one of the sources told the newspaper: "I'd be really shocked if he came back."

Martin was placed on the physically-unable-to-perform list at the start of training camp after he underwent arthroscopic right knee surgery in December. At the time of the surgery, he said he expected to start running again in February. He also said there was no ligament or structural damage.

However, according to several reports out of the New York area, Martin's knee has virtually no cartilage left.

"The guy is bone-on-bone on the knee and can't play," a source told Newsday.

As far as fantasy football drafts go, well Martin shouldn't have been in your top 10 running backs anyway. His replacement would be Derrick Blaylock, an average veteran. He could be worth a third RB position on your squad because someone needs to run the ball in New York.

Uh-oh, Dallas fans. Terrell Owens missed practice Friday with a sore left hamstring. He was nowhere to be found on the field, but rather on the exercise bike.

Sadly, for all TO haters, the injury doesn't appear very serious. He said Thursday he wasn't sure whether he'd be ready to practice for Friday's two workouts or Saturday's controlled scrimmage. However, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he's not too worried and there are no plans for Owens to undergo an MRI.

He's still our top-rated wide receiver and probably worthy of a first round selection in your fantasy football draft. But he still sucks big time.

Maybe this will satisfy Terrell Owens:

While we hate him as much as any athlete on the planet, that hasn't stopped The Files from recommending TO be the first wide receiver chosen in upcoming fantasy football drafts. See, the media isn't entirely out to get him, as Owens stated recently on "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel."

"The only thing I can really think of is maybe it was the way I grew up, you know," he said. "I got picked on so much, and it's like I feel like I'm still constantly being picked on."

That must be it. Owens said he doesn't think reporters are necessarily conspiring against him as much as using him "to gain viewers' attention." Also, the man who once compared his free agent plight to the struggles of Rosa Parks says he's "misunderstood."

So, why has Owens been supposedly hated upon by journalists?

"That's the million-dollar question," he said. "Why me? … At some point it does get to me. And I can't say it enough. Dude, I'm human and that's what I'm trying to get people to understand."

We understand - he's a human being (an awful human being) - who's very good at catching footballs. It leaves fantasy football owners with a difficult question: Can you tolerate such a presence on your squad if it leads to many victories?

Thank goodness Ben Roethlisberger is okay - now we can return to what's really important: where should you select the Pittsburgh quarterback in your fantasy football draft?

In his first public appearance since a motorcycle accident, Big Ben explained how close he was to landing in the Super Bowl in the sky:

"They told me that I was literally seconds, maybe a minute away from dying because I slit a vein or artery in my mouth or my throat and it was draining blood right into my stomach and luckily the paramedic noticed it and stopped it or else I would have had too much blood in my stomach," he said.

Ouch. Amazingly, Roethlisberger is on pace to start the season for the defending champions. He also won't make a bad fantasy player.

Although The Files do not have him among our top 10 fantasy football quarterbacks, a player may be well-served to focus on other needs and grab the Pittsburgh star in a later round. With a surge and confidence - and a newfound appreciation for life - this would be a solid starter for any squad.

As if the decision to select Larry Johnson first in your fantasy football draft were not already a no-brainer, news from KC is as follows:

The career of Priest Holmes may be over. While the former star has four years remaining on his contract, he has yet to be cleared for contact, stemming from neck and head injuries sustained halfway through last season.

Holmes was a fantasy stud for three years, averaging over 1,500 yards and 18 touchdowns for the Chiefs. But Johnson took the ball and literally ran with it in 2005. He compiled 20 TDs in spot duty as a starter.

Even if Priest can eventually take the field, there's no reason to waste a draft choice on him. New coach Herman Edwards would be asking for a pink slip if he ever took LJ off the field.

After a few months of controversy - during which his own team didn't let him into its training facility - Steve McNair has been traded to the Ravens. In exchange for a fourth round draft pick in 2007, Baltimore has finally found a replacement for Kyle Boeller, the poor man's Joey Harrington.

Is McNair worthy of a selection anywhere in your fantasy football draft this season?

The Files wouldn't recommend it. Despite having a slew of quality targets, such as Todd Heap, the Ravens will focus on their running attack. McNair also hasn't made it through a season uninjured in a couple years.

Dolphins running back Ricky Williams was smoked by the NFL yesterday, so to speak. The eccentric star lost the appeal of his fourth NFL substance abuse policy violation and will be suspended for at least the entire 2006 season, a league spokesman said Tuesday.

Williams, who tested positive for an unknown substance in December, can't apply for reinstatement until after the entire 2006 season is completed. Despite the devastating news, a not-surprisingly mellow Williams issued a statement through the team saying he is planning another comeback once the suspension has run its course.

"I'm disappointed with the decision, but I respect it," Williams said. "I'm proud of my association with the National Football League and look forward to returning to the Dolphins in 2007."

Williams, who also missed the entire 2004 season after a positive drug test and a decision to smoke herb instead of pile up rushing records, will be 30 by the time he can next take the field. Whether or not he actually does so will hinge upon a couple of factors:

1. Williams' ability to stay in playing shape (questionable).
2. The federal court judgment that Miami holds against Williams that requires he repay his $8.6M signing bonus for breach of contract (significant).

In addition, the former Heisman winner has three children to care for, one of whom requires a monthly child support payment of $4,200. His longtime girlfriend, Kristen Barnes, is also pregnant with Williams' fourth child. Sounds like a good arrangement Ricky's got going.

I believe if someone offered me several million dollars in exchange for not smoking weed, I would be able to hold up my end of the deal. But that's just me. Considering most NFL players retire in their thirties, is it too much to ask of a man to put down the blunt for a couple of seasons, carry the ball a few hundred times, and amass an eight-figure nest egg? Which could actually help him realize his dream of a living in a perpetual drugged-out haze thereafter?

Forget it. At least Ron Mexico never jeopardized his earning potential with his off-the-field shenanigans. Good riddance, Ricky.

 
Shows what Troy Aikman knows.

After the former Dallas quarterback stated his belief that Brett Favre would retire, sources are reporting that our favorite gun slinger will return for a final season in Green Bay. General Manager Ted Thompson is pleased with the decision:

"The Green Bay Packers are very pleased that Brett has come to this decision, and look forward to a successful 2006 season," he said.

But will he going back to an improved team? It's unlikely. Javon Walker has asked to be traded and there are glaring holes everywhere on defense. Fantasy owners in leagues where interceptions count negatively may wish to avoid Favre and his 29 picks from a year ago.

Of course, Ahman Green has chosen to stick around. But he's really old.