Today's Morning Buzz is a double shot of espresso, because diaper duty and such postponed yesterday's post, but there's plenty of news to cover, so let's get to sippin' that fantasy Joe.

TRAGICALLY HIP

So who had anyone other than Old Man Favre as the first Vikings player to need hip surgery this season?

Yeah, me neither.

But unless your league has ample IR spots, you'll want to knock Vikings WR Sidney Rice down quite a few pegs on your draft board. After emerging as one of the league's top receivers last year with 83 catches for 1,312 yards and eight TDs, Rice is expected to miss at least half the season after needing surgery on his hip, which was injured in the Vikings' loss to the Saints in the NFC Championship game.

The domino effect here dings Favre quite a bit, too. He does, after all, lose his top receiver for at least half the season. But it should have a positive fantasy impact on several Vikings.

So who will be the lucky recipients of Favre's steely gaze with Rice sidelined?

It is good news for WR Bernard Berrian and TE Visanthe Shiancoe, who figure to pick up a lot of Rice's targets, especially in the red zone, and to a lesser degree WR Percy Harvin, who should get more looks from Favre if he ever overcomes those pesky migraines, but also will draw more attention from top defensive backs.

It also could be a boon for RB Adrian Peterson, who is already among the top two or three backs in the league in fantasy terms.

ANOTHER WR OFF THE BOARD

He's certainly not on the same level as Rice, but Raiders WR Chaz Schilens also could miss half the season after having his knee scoped Tuesday. You were probably naive if you were counting on Schilens to stay healthy this season, even though it's fair to assume the Raiders will boast an improved passing game with Jason Campbell replacing sizzyrup-sippin' JaMarcus Russell.

You could still do well by targeting a handful of Oakland receivers in the later rounds -- in fact, Schilens' loss is WR Louis Murphy's gain, and it won't hurt WR Darrius Heyward-Bey or TE Zach Miller, either.

YOUNG CINCY PITCHERS SEEING RED

If you haven't already cut ties with Reds P Mike Leake, it's probably time, unless you're in an awfully deep keeper league. If you jumped on Leake early this year, you got a nice boost for the first half of the season, but the rookie has allowed eight runs in 2 2/3 innings since being moved to the bullpen, and now he seems more likely to be shut down for the season than reinserted in the starting rotation.

If that happens, it looks like Leake's spot in the bullpen could be filled by Edinson Volquez, who is in danger of losing his turn in the rotation after getting knocked out in the first inning Monday at San Francisco and lasting only 4 1/3 innings in his previous start.

THIS AND THAT

Tigers OF Magglio Ordonez is done for the year after making plans to have surgery on the ankle he broke sliding into home plate July 24. Unless you long ago abandoned your team, you didn't have Ordonez on your active roster for the past few weeks anyway, but now it's safe to dump him even from the DL. ... The Pirates' closer situation got a little muddy Tuesday, when Joel Hanrahan came in to get out of a seventh-inning jam and pitch the eighth, while Evan Meek allowed one run and loaded the bases in the ninth before locking down his second save. Unless you're desperate for saves, neither of these guys is a great option, because the Pirates don't exactly provide ample save opportunities for one closer, let alone two. ... Desperate for a catcher for the stretch run? You could do worse than new Dodgers C Rod Barajas, who went 3-for-4 with two doubles and a go-ahead three-run homer in his debut in Dodger blue Tuesday. If he keeps hitting, Barajas should continue to get lots of playing time ahead of aging Brad Ausmus, who is hitting .196.