MADISON, Wis. -- Bart Houston began the season as Wisconsins starting quarterback before losing his job to Alex Hornibrook.With Hornibrook listed as questionable with a head injury for the Big Ten title game against No. 8 Penn State (10-2, 8-1 Big Ten) on Saturday, the No. 6 Badgers (10-2, 7-2) may have to turn back to Houston. A fifth-year senior, Houston rallied the Badgers to a 31-17 victory over Minnesota last Saturday.No doubt hes given us a spark a number of times, its been good to see, Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst said Monday.Houston took over for Hornibrook when he was injured late in the second quarter against the Golden Gophers and led Wisconsin to 24 second-half points. Wide receiver Jazz Peavy said Houstons fun-loving persona helps keep the team loose no matter what the situation is.In the fourth quarter we were going into one of these drives and Bart comes into the huddle telling jokes and stuff like that, Peavy said with a laugh. Im thinking this guys really relaxed right now and Im locked in and focused.Peavy, whose 71-yard scamper on a jet sweep set up Corey Clements 2-yard touchdown run to snap a 17-17 tie, said Houston has a fun, goofy personality that bodes well in pressure situations.Bart brings that ease to the group of guys in the huddle. He allows us to be a little more freely and not uptight, Peavy said.Chryst has come to appreciate his senior quarterbacks approach to the game on and off the field.One thing I have enjoyed and appreciate from Bart is I think he is having fun playing the game, Chryst said.Houston, who scrambled 12 yards to sustain a third quarter scoring drive, has proven he can make plays with his arm and his feet.Bart does a great job of being in the moment, Chryst said. He cares about this team and has confidence in himself. He wants to contribute and believes he can contribute and help.When Chryst was asked what would happen if Hornibrook cant go on Saturday and Houston gets dinged he replied Well be all right.Game notes Offensive lineman Jacob Maxwell has been ruled out for Saturday with a right shoulder injury.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25. Custom Carolina Hurricanes Jerseys Cheap . Jason Zucker and Matt Cooke also scored for Minnesota, which has won five of six. Kuemper made five saves in the first, nine in the second, and nine in the third. The rookies best save came with 2:17 left in the third period when he denied former Wild forward Matt Cullen from just outside of the crease on the right side. Custom Dallas Stars Jerseys Cheap . -- Adam Snyder returned to the San Francisco 49ers this season because the offensive lineman thought it was his best opportunity to win a championship. http://www.hockeyjerseyscustom.com/ . Galatasaray said in a statement on its website Monday that Mancini signed a three-year contract and will be paid 3.5 million euros for the upcoming season, with his salary upped to 4. Custom Chicago Blackhawks Jerseys Cheap . Louis Cardinals. Victorino is batting sixth and playing right field after missing two games because of back tightness. Custom Colorado Avalanche Jerseys Cheap . -- Jaye Marie Green shot a 4-under 68 on Thursday to increase her lead to five strokes after the second round of the LPGA Tours qualifying tournament. The end is drawing near. The final Thursday of the regular season brings us a decent 12-game slate. Its a little light at the top, but there are some decent options in the lower tiers to help make up for it, although many of them are suited more toward GPPs than cash games. If you were hoping for some bona fide fantasy aces like Kershaw or Bumgarner to build your cash lineups around, well, thatll have to wait until Friday.PitchingEliteThree hurlers draw an identical 60 Game Score on Thursday, but it should come as no surprise that Johnny Cueto is the preferred cash-game option. The right-hander has held an ERA of 3.38 or lower in all but one month this season, and so far in September his ERA sits at 1.59 in four starts. Only once in his past seven starts has he allowed more than two earned runs. Cueto is as reliable as they come. Against a Rockies team that withers away from Coors Field (84 wRC+, 24 percent whiff rate), Cueto should be locked into cash lineups.Chris Archer might be teetering on the edge of 20 losses with his highest ERA since he made six appearances as a rookie in 2012, but most of that damage came in the first half. Since the All-Star break, he owns a 3.19 ERA and 0.99 WHIP. His 10.5 K/9 is also second-best in the American League. Although traveling to U.S. Cellular Park isnt ideal, Archer, who is a threat for double-digit whiffs every time he takes the mound, matches up well with a White Sox club that struggles against right-handed pitching (91 wRC+). On a shortened Thursday slate, hes one of the days top options.The last pitcher who draws an elite Game Score is Jon Gray, who gets a road start against the Giants. Grays upside has been on full display of late, as hes whiffed a whopping 26 batters during his past two starts, spanning 13 innings. The trouble is that, despite whiffing 10 Dodgers in his last start, he didnt make it out of the fourth inning. In fact, his 16-strikeout complete game shutout against the Padres two weeks ago was his lone quality start in his past four tries. The matchup against the Giants on Thursday is a mixed bag. On one hand, the Giants offense has collapsed in September, as their 68 wRC+ is by far the worst in baseball. On the other hand, the Giants sport the lowest strikeout rate in the National League. Ultimately, Id still consider Gray in tournaments, but Im looking elsewhere in cash.SolidStop me if youve heard this before, but theres plenty of validity in fading the top tier entirely and anchoring your cash-game lineups with Jose Quintana. The left-hander has followed up his 3.21 first-half ERA with a nearly identical 3.20 mark in the second half, showcasing the stability he offers. Hes also in a tremendous spot, facing a Rays team that whiffs 26 percent of the time versus southpaws, so theres a nice ceiling here, too.Julio Urias draws a tasty road matchup with the Padres. In his past seven outings (five starts), Urias holds a 1.47 ERA. He doesnt typically pitch deep into games, which lowers the upside a bit, but thats partly offset by the fact that hes whiffing 9.6 batters per nine innings. The matchup is still favorable, but its worth noting that while the Padres are the worst offense in baseball against righties, theyre average against lefties. That said, their 25 percent whiff rate versus lefties is worst in the National League.Danny Duffy has hit a few rough spots of late, but hes still highly appealing Thursday thanks to a home matchup against Minnesota. While the Twins are an average offense against left-handed pitching, they strike out at a 24 percent clip, including a 26 percent clip so far in September. Armed with his 9.6 K/9 rate, Duffy carried double-digit strikeout upside in this matchup. In fact, the lefty fanned 10 when he last faced the Twins earlier this month.If you can get past the 4.7 walk rate (which, admittedly, is hard to do), then its easy to get excited about Alex Reyes and his home matchup against the Reds. In 40 big-league innings, the young right-hander sports a 1.58 ERA and 10.4 K/9 rate. Against the cellar-dwelling Reds, who are well below average against right-handed pitching, Reyes brings intriguing potential..dddddddddddd The high walk rate has me apprehensive about using him cash, but the rookie is a fine tournament play.StreamersMarcus Stroman has been on a nice little roll lately. Since the beginning of August, the right-hander holds a 3.06 ERA with a strikeout per inning. A matchup against the Orioles, who lead baseball in homers and are one of the games toughest teams against right-handers, is far from ideal. Still, Stroman has regained his form after a brutal first half (4.89 ERA), which leaves him in play for Thursdays slate.The owner of a 3.26 ERA since the break, Daniel Norris gets a home tilt against the Indians, who have been league average against lefties this year. Since joining Detroits starting rotation, the young left-hander has allowed more than three runs in a start ... never. Hes yet to pitch more than 6 1/3 innings in any outing, but his 9.1 K/9 rate still gives him a nice ceiling. Norris is a free agent in 71 percent of ESPN.com leagues.The Cardinals have scored the third-most runs in the NL, but since the All-Star break theyve been a below-average offense (96 wRC+) with an above-average whiff rate (23 percent). That sets things up nicely for Dan Straily, who owns a 3.00 ERA since the break, including a 2.87 mark in September. Hes also produced an 8.2 K/9 in the past two months are holding a 7.2 K/9 from April-July. Strailys current ownership sits at just below 50 percent.AvoidThanks to his 11.4 K/9 that ranks second in baseball, Robbie Ray is always a tournament consideration. However, considering he holds a 7.66 ERA and 1.62 WHIP in his past five starts, its hard to trust him in anything else. Against the Nationals, an above-average offense versus righties, Ray is not a hurler to target if you value safety over upside.HittingRyan Merritt is on track to make his first big league start Thursday against Detroit. He has pitched well in relief for Cleveland this season, but hes still a soft-tossing lefty with no strikeout potential (5.8 K/9 in 24 Triple-A starts this year) who will be tasked with facing a right-handed heavy Tigers lineup that hits lefties hard. Needless to say, its a tough spot for the 24-year-old. As a result, itd be a good idea to get some exposure here, with Ian Kinsler, Cameron Maybin, Miguel Cabrera, J.D. Martinez and Justin Upton all carrying plenty of appeal.Its almost always a good idea to target left-handed swingers against Ubaldo Jimenez, who has allowed a .381 wOBA to lefty hitters this season. Its unfortunate that the Blue Jays lineup is so right-handed, but lefty Michael Saunders is an awfully intriguing play, especially considering hes 9-for-19 (.474) with a double and four homers in his career against Jimenez.Its also advantageous to target lefty hitters against Kyle Gibson, who sports .382 wOBA allowed and a 5.06 second-half ERA. With the Royals playing host to the Twins on Thursday, left-handed hitters Jarrod Dyson, Eric Hosmer, Alex Gordon and switch-hitter Kendrys Morales are all in play.Weve already discussed Robbie Rays strikeout potential, but he also has plenty of blowup potential, especially against a right-handed heavy lineup like Washingtons. The loss of Wilson Ramos to a season-ending knee injury hurts, but righty hitters Trea Turner, Jayson Werth, Anthony Rendon and Ryan Zimmerman still offer plenty of potential in this matchup.Most likely to go yard: Brandon MossDan Straily is a worthwhile streamer Thursday, but the fact remains that the Cardinals lead the NL in homers and Straily has allowed 29 of them. Moss has been in a funk of late, but this is a good spot for him to break out of it. Of his 27 homers this year, 24 have come against righties.Most likely to swipe a bag: Kevin PillarUbaldo Jimenez has been one of the worst pitchers in baseball at keeping baserunners honest. His 25 stolen bases allowed are third-most in baseball, behind only Noah Syndergaard and Jimmy Nelson. With the Blue Jays on tap, Pillar is the most likely to take advantage. In 16 career at-bats against Jimenez, he has three swipes. ' ' '