Most of Week 4 is behind us and there are several clear choices for this week’s Headliners and Flatliners. One QB torched his former coach’s new team, while a diminutive WR had a HUGE game against a pretty damn good defense. On the other hand, the QB situation in Arizona is a complete mess and a speedy Minnesota wideout can’t hold onto the ball. But enough with the tease, let’s get to this week’s Headliners and Flatliners.
HEADLINERS
Mark Bulger (328 yards, 3 TD)
After throwing for an average of 237 yards and 0.7 TD in the first three games, Bulger exploded against the Lions, exacting revenge on his former coach, Mike Martz. I don’t know if there is any bad blood between the two, but the way Bulger played, it certainly looked like he wanted to beat his old coach. The Rams are more of a ball control team now than they’ve been in the past decade, so I wouldn’t expect these kinds of numbers on a regular basis.
Honorable Mention: Mark Brunell (329 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT), Byron Leftwich (289 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT), Drew Brees (349 yards, 1 TD), Jon Kitna (280 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT), Peyton Manning (217 yards, 1 pass TD, 1 rush TD), Charlie Frye (192 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT), Damon Huard (208 yards, 2 TD), David Carr (230 yards, 1 pass TD, 1 INT, 1 rush TD)
Larry Johnson (34 touches, 142 yards, 2 TD)
Fantasy owners who drafted LJ over LT2 were rewarded today with a stellar effort from Johnson and the rest of the KC offense (while LT2 had a quiet day, thanks to Marty Schottenheimer’s propensity to sit on a lead). Of course, LJ put up these numbers against a suspect San Francisco defense, which simply looked clueless today. Still, it has to be encouraging for his owners after two outings without a TD to start the season.
Honorable Mention: Laurence Maroney (16 touches, 140 yards, 2 TD), Kevin Jones (24 touches, 97 yards, 2 TD), Steven Jackson (28 touches, 146 yards, 1 TD), LaMont Jordan (22 touches, 141 yards, 1 TD), Clinton Portis (29 touches, 140 yards, 1 TD), Julius Jones (23 touches, 122 yards, 1 TD), DeShaun Foster (17 touches, 111 yards, 1 TD), Joseph Addai (23 touches, 99 yards, 1 TD)
Santana Moss (4 rec, 138 yards, 3 TD)
Moss was hands-down the best WR on the day, torching the Jags for 138 yards and 3 TD, including the game winner in overtime. He caught TD passes from 55 yards and 68 yards out, making two terrific runs after the catch. The Jags have a pretty good defense, so it looks like the Washington offense is starting to catch on to Al Saunders’ complicated system.
Honorable Mention: Mike Furrey (8 rec, 82 yards, 2 TD), Reggie Williams (5 rec, 93 yards, 2 TD), Marques Colston (5 rec, 132 yards, 1 TD), Andre Johnson (9 rec, 101 yards, 1 TD), Torry Holt (6 rec, 102 yards, 1 TD), Isaac Bruce (7 rec, 100 yards, 1 TD), Steve Smith (10 rec, 87 yards, 1 TD), Roy Williams (9 rec,, 139 yards), Eddie Kennison (6 rec, 86 yards, 1 TD), Terry Glenn (5 rec, 54 yards, 2 TD)
Todd Heap (4 rec, 60 yards, 1 TD)
Heap was dinged up most of the week, but managed to grab four balls, including the game-winning TD with just less than three minutes to play in the game. Steve McNair has always leaned on his tight end, and it looks like he and Heap are developing a nice rapport in Baltimore.
Honorable Mention: Ben Troupe (3 rec, 39 yards, 1 TD), Kellen Winslow (3 rec, 31 yards, 1 TD)
FLATLINERS
Kurt Warner (128 yards, 1 INT, 1 fumble), Matt Leinart (49 yards, 1 INT, 1 fumble)
I can’t choose between Warner and Leinart, so the Flatliner goes to both players, who combined for 177 yards, two INT and two fumbles in a horrific loss to the Falcons. It will be interesting to see which player Dennis Green starts next week – it’s not like Leinart did anything to earn the job. Given all the offensive weapons on the Arizona roster, these kinds of numbers are inexcusable.
Dishonorable Mention: Alex Smith (92 yards, 2 INT), Vince Young (155 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT, 1 fumble), Andrew Walter (68 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT), Phillip Rivers (145 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT)
Fred Taylor (8 touches, 23 yards)
The Redskin defense shut down Taylor, who pulled one of his disappearing acts this week. Maurice Jones-Drew continues to cut into his time, so it’s not clear how much value Taylor will have the rest of the season.
Dishonorable Mention: Jamal Lewis (15 touches, 34 yards), Chester Taylor (13 touches, 37 yards), Warrick Dunn (20 touches, 65 yards), Reggie Bush (15 touches, 70 yards), Edgerrin James (25 touches, 72 yards), Frank Gore (16 touches, 79 yards)
Troy Williamson (2 rec, 27 yards)
Anyone watching Minnesota this year knows that Williamson has been plagued with drops thus far. He had nine targets against the Bills and was only able to turn that into two catches. He has the speed to get open whenever he wants against single coverage, but his hands are a big problem right now.
Dishonorable Mention: Antonio Bryant (2 rec, 29 yards), Derrick Mason (4 rec, 37 yards), Anquan Boldin (4 rec, 42 yards), Randy Moss (1 rec, 5 yards, 1 TD)
Jason Witten (2 rec, 19 yards)
How exactly do the Cowboys put up 45 points yet Witten only catches two passes for 19 yards? It seems like some weeks he’s involved in the gameplan and, in others, he’s just an afterthought. It appears that the arrival of Terrell Owens has hurt Witten more than Terry Glenn.
Dishonorable Mention: Antonio Gates (4 rec, 41 yards), Alge Crumpler (2 rec, 30 yards), Ben Watson (1 rec, 35 yards)
