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The amount of evidence we need to believe something as fact is a sliding scale depending on how much we were predisposed to believe said fact in the first place.

Take food for an example. You see a perfectly cooked steak sitting on your plate and you probably don't even need a bite, or a whiff, to make you believe it's going to taste amazing. On the other hand, if a new dish is introduced that is presented in a less appetizing way you may not believe your taste buds on the first bite.

Football is the same way.

We get a player back from injury and we want so badly to believe they can help our team right away that we ignore the (growing) mountains of evidence to the contrary. By contrast, we know rookie wide receivers aren't generally elite, especially when forced into situations with well-established receivers. So it might take us a half a season to believe our eyes.

We'll tackle those issues and the struggling Vikings in this week's edition of Believe It or Not.

Ben Roethlisberger isn't ready and you shouldn't trust him until he proves otherwise.

We've seen this all year. Rob Gronkowski, Jamaal Charles and many others have come back from injury and in their first week either see very little action or struggled in the action they did see. Not every player who has returned from a long absence has followed this trend but Roethlisberger certainly did.

It was obvious watching the Steelers' quarterback that he wasn't himself. The Steelers did everything they could early on to get the ball out of his hands early and Roethlisberger was anything but comfortable -- or accurate. You can't trust Roethlisberger as your starter until we see him look more confident on that knee.

Verdict: Believe it. Don't be fooled by his Fantasy points. They were buoyed by a rushing touchdown, as unlikely as that sounds. The fact is that Roethlisberger looked awful until the Ravens had a two-score lead late and then he performed well in garbage time. People have compared Blake Bortles to a young Roethlisberger, but the comparison went the other way in Week 9 and that's not a compliment.

The Steelers face a talented Cowboys defense in Week 10 that has not given up more than 23 points in a game this season. I just can't feel comfortable starting Roethlisberger in that situation, even with him playing at home.

The Vikings defense is no longer one to fear.

It was a great story to start the year. The Vikings lost their starting running back, their starting quarterback, half their offensive line and they were the last undefeated team in football.

That seems like forever ago.

Matthew Stafford had a decent day on Sunday but Eric Ebron, Theo Riddick and Golden Tate all had good games as well. This comes a week after Jordan Howard shredded the Vikings, Zach Miller was very solid and Alshon Jeffery scored his first touchdown. There's still plenty of talent on this defense but it's time to stop treating them like an elite unit you have to avoid.

Verdict: Believe it. It doesn't really even have much to do with the defense or the injuries they've suffered recently. The real problem is the Vikings' incompetent offense and the short fields they're providing.

I referenced the Cowboys defense earlier in the article. They aren't nearly as talented as the Vikings but they have an elite run offense that drains the clock and rests the defense. The Vikings have nothing of the sort and it's catching up with them.

I will still downgrade No. 1 wide receivers against Xavier Rhodes as he did a number on Marvin Jones once again. But I'm not scared of pass-catching running backs or tight ends and I don't think you have to automatically bench QBs either.

Frank Gore is a must-start vs. any matchup.

I was more worried about Gore than most this week against a bad matchup in the Packers. Green Bay had been holding opposing running backs to 3.3 YPC, which was tied for the best mark in the league. That didn't seem to bother Gore as he scored two touchdowns on the ground and 19 Fantasy points.

Despite his age, Gore has been a solid Fantasy back and this performance against a very good Packers run defense only solidifies his role as a must-start No. 2 back each and every week.

Verdict: Don't believe it. The game script worked very well for Gore this week so he saw a lot of volume. That was helped a lot by the Colts starting the game with a special teams touchdown. The touchdowns were great, but not something you can rely on. We saw in Week 8 what happens to Gore's role when the game script doesn't go his way.

If you started Gore this week I'm glad it worked out well for you, but I'd be looking to sell high. That won't be easy going into a bye, but I'd certainly be making offers. I don't buy that a back his age will keep this up down the stretch and I don't buy the Colts getting into this many positive game scripts with their defense .

It's time to give up on everyone in the Dolphins passing game.

This is the second time I've wanted to give up on the Dolphins, but for different reasons. Earlier in the season it was because they simply looked awful and their offensive line was a disaster. Now the offensive line is a behemoth in the running game and that's part of the problem.

It's pretty clear the Dolphins want to to run the ball far more than they have in the past and with the way Jay Ajayi is going that makes a world of sense. It's just terrible news for Ryan Tannehill and the passing game.

Verdict: Believe it. Part of it is a volume problem and part of it is a talent problem. Tannehill has not taken the step forward we thought he might this season and DeVante Parker looks lost. With Jordan Cameron on IR and Kenny Stills inconsistent at best there just isn't a reliable second option behind Jarvis Landry.

I'm still starting Landry every week in PPR but no longer as the surefire No. 2 in standard leagues. For anyone in this passing offense to be productive you need too many variables to hit, including a bad game script and a good opposing run defense. Looking at the Dolphins' schedule there aren't too many of those games left.

Devontae Booker isn't going to live up to our expectations.

We get so excited about new options at running back, especially if they're rookies who have never failed before. When Booker took over for C.J. Anderson it looked like a dream situation. Booker would get all of the work in a run-first offense with an elite defense providing good game scripts. Through two games that hasn't been the case at all.

We viewed Booker as a borderline No. 1 back heading into Week 9 and now he looks more like a matchup-dependent No. 2.

Verdict: Believe it. I thought after the game against San Diego that maybe Booker was just running tentatively because his shoulder still wasn't right. While that could be the case we've now seen two weeks in a row where he's looked less than decisive hitting the holes.

He's being used differently and just doesn't looked ready to be a feature back between the tackles. Now, he's also a rookie and that could change at any time as he continues to grow as a running back. I'm still starting him in Week 10 against the Saints but then I'm trying to sell before a very difficult closing schedule.

Michael Thomas is the No. 1 WR in New Orleans.

Man, I love this kid.

I don't know what I love more. The catch or the fact that Drew Brees trusts him enough to throw it there. Regardless, Thomas has now played half an NFL season. He's on pace for 94 catches, 1,146 yards and 10 touchdowns. There's exactly one receiver who has ever reached those marks as a rookie -- Odell Beckham. Thomas is Brees' favorite target and the best receiver in New Orleans. Start him with confidence each week.

Verdict: Believe it. But be careful. There is a ton of talent in New Orleans and Brees is going to spread the ball around. If teams start treating Thomas like a true No. 1, I could see a decrease in targets for him. Also, it's not uncommon to see a rookie fade in the second half of their first season.

As a huge fan of Thomas I'd say you should absolutely start him every week until something changes, but I'd also keep my ears open. I view Thomas as a high-end No. 2 wide receiver down the stretch. If someone wants to offer you No. 1 WR value I would take it.