Who’s the best tight end in football? If you haven’t paid attention the past year and a half, you’ll likely say Tony Gonzalez. Hell, even if you have noticed what Antonio Gates has been doing for the Chargers, you may say Gonzo’s still the best simply because he’s been the best for so long. But not anymore. Gonzalez has been complaining about his lack of activity in the KC offense, and rightfully so — coming into this week’s game, Gonzalez had just 25 catches for 209 yards and no touchdowns. Gates, meanwhile, had 33 catches for 430 yards and three touchdowns.
But if there was any real debate about the identity of the NFL’s best tight end coming in to this week’s Chargers/Chiefs game, that debate is now officially dead. Gonzalez delivered his best line of the season, catching seven balls for 97 yards and his first score of the year, but Gates was even better, snagging 10 catches for 145 yards while reaching the end zone three times. You know Gonzo wanted to show up big against Gates and the Chargers, but apparently Gates wanted the same thing.
For Gonzalez owners, though, a silver lining can be found in the game’s box score. Not only did Gonzo have a solid performance but the Chiefs’ passing game, which had been rather lackluster this year, found a groove. Eddie Kennison had 115 yards and a score, Chris Horn caught seven passes, and Trent Green completed 31 of his 47 attempts for 347 yards. But even if Gonzalez finally starts delivering the kind of numbers owners expected from him on draft day, he’ll still play second fiddle to Antonio Gates.
SUNDAY HEADLINERS
Jake Plummer: 309 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT
Okay, this is getting crazy. It’s now been six weeks since Jake Plummer has thrown an interception. Six! We’re talking about a guy who’s thrown at least 20 picks five different times in the last eight years. We’re talking about a guy who, coming into this season, owned a 132-141 career TD-to-INT ratio. But this year, Plummer now has 12 touchdowns vs. just three interceptions. Not coincidentally, the Broncos are now 6-2 after thumping the Eagles 49-21 Sunday.
ALSO: Jake Delhomme (341 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT), Trent Green (347 yards, 2 TD, O INT), Drew Brees (324 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT), Kerry Collins (238 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT)
Tiki Barber: 24 carries, 206 yards, 1 TD
Is there a more underrated back in football? Is there a more underrated back in fantasy football? Barber now has 689 rushing yards and 5 TD on the season, and while the Giants’ potent downfield passing game has put a big dent in Tiki’s receiving totals, he’s still well on his way to another monster season. I bet you didn’t know that Barber’s averaged at least 4.4 yards/carry every year since 2000. This season? Try 5.3.
ALSO: Steven Jackson (25 carries, 179 yards; 2 catches, 21 yards, 1 TD), Marion Barber (27 carries, 127 yards, 2 TD; 2 catches, 15 yards), Fred Taylor (22 carries, 165 yards, 1 TD), Mike Anderson (21 carries, 126 yards, 1 TD)/Tatum Bell (14 carries, 107 yards, 2 TD)
Jerry Porter: 6 catches, 123 yards, 2 TD
Finally. The good news is, with Randy Moss limited by several injuries, Porter finally delivered the kind of stat line fantasy owners expected when they drafted the Oakland receiver this year. The bad news is that Porter was virtually invisible leading up to this game (25 catches, 303 yards, 0 TD), which means that owners who hadn’t given up on Porter completely most likely had him sitting on their bench for his breakout game. But if Kerry Collins and the Oakland offense can build off this strong performance, Porter may rebound nicely over the second half of the season.
ALSO: Steve Smith (11 catches, 201 yards, 1 TD), Joey Galloway (8 catches, 149 yards, 1 TD), Ernest Wilford (6 catches, 145 yards, 1 TD), Terrell Owens (3 catches, 154 yards, 1 TD)
SUNDAY FLATLINERS
Mark Brunell: 65 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT
From Headliner to Flatliner in one week. And what a miserable week it was for Brunell and the Redskins. Washington got embarrassed by the Giants Sunday, 36-0, thanks in large part to Brunell’s ineffectiveness. The leading candidate for Comeback Player of the Year completed just 11 of his 28 pass attempts Sunday and even gave way to Patrick Ramsey late in the blowout loss. Brunell owners shouldn’t get too worried just yet — it is, after all, just one game — but with Washington’s next two games coming against the Eagles and in Tampa Bay, you may want to send him to the bench for a couple of weeks.
ALSO: Brett Favre (279 yards, 1 TD, 5 INT), Eli Manning (146 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT), Josh McCown (161 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT), Aaron Brooks (181 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT)
Rudi Johnson: 22 carries, 72 yards, 0 TD
Admittedly, this one’s a bit personal because Rudi is absolutely killing me in one league. To quote our friends at Rotoworld.com: “…Rudi was held to 90 yards or less without a touchdown for the sixth time in eight games this season.” Ouch. Johnson’s been consistent and remains among the league leaders in rushing yards, but he hasn’t delivered a big performance yet. After scoring 13 touchdowns last season and nine in 13 games the year before, Johnson’s got just two in 2005. For owners in TD leagues (like me), that just doesn’t cut it.
ALSO: Priest Holmes (14 carries, 38 yards, 0 TD; 3 catches, 15 yards), Cadillac Williams (13 carries, 20 yards), Antowain Smith (6 carries, 33 yards), Marcell Shipp (12 carries, 44 yards)
Michael Clayton: 4 catches, 30 yards, 0 TD
I’m getting personal again, but I know I’m not the only one who curses Michael Clayton whenever he reads the Tampa Bay box score each week. Against the pathetic 49ers defense and coming off a bye, which not only gave Clayton time to sync up with his new QB but to also rest his injured shoulder, this should’ve been the week Clayton busted out of his season-long slump. Instead, he laid another egg. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m ready to cut the guy.
ALSO: Nate Burleson (1 catch, 6 yards), Randy McMichael (3 catches, 20 yards), Randy Moss (3 catches, 26 yards), Santana Moss (4 catches, 34 yards)
