...Recently though in the last week it has hammered the fuel big time...
...When first started and the first squirt of throttle its taken to stutter a bit and then pick up...
Symptoms of a bad upstream O2 sensor. Free check - locate the sensor just below the manifold, follow the wiring and unplug the connector. Drive it for a couple of days and see if it runs OK. Check engine lamp will probably come on with the sensor disconnected, but mpg might improve and you probably won't get the stutter.
