– Kevin Smith (19 carries, 30 yards, 2 TD) was banged up coming in, but ended up having a nice fantasy day against a pretty good Bears defense. He needs to be in lineups because he’s one of the few true featured backs in the leagues.
– Don’t worry about Maurice Jones-Drew’s lack of touches (9 touches, 40 yards, TD). The Jags jumped out on the Titans and decided to rest him.
– Predictably, Matt Forte (14 touches, 140 yards, TD) had a great game against the Lions.
– Jerome Harrison (34 touches, 152 yards) was the featured back with Jamal Lewis out. James Davis is done for the season, so as long as Lewis is sidelined, Harrison should be the main guy and a pretty good start. He’s especially sneaky in PPR leagues given how active he is in the Browns’ rushing game.
– Darren McFadden (7 touches, 2 yards) was a total bust in a great matchup against Houston’s terrible run defense. The Texans loaded up the box and showed no respect for JaMarcus Russell. Complicating matters, Justin Fargas (11 touches, 38 yards) was productive and received more touches. McFadden will be out 2-4 weeks with a knee injury.
– Steve Slaton (23 rushes, 89 yards, 2 TD) was bound to bounce back after a few tough matchups to start the season and he broke out in a big way. He’s back to Top 10 to Top 15 status going forward.
– Joseph Addai and Donald Brown split the carries 12 to 9, but Addai had seven catches for 50 yards and scored on the ground, so he’s still a solid start in most formats, but especially PPR leagues.
– Ray Rice (16 touches, 152 yards) really got it going on the ground with 103 yards on 11 carries against a pretty good Patriot defense. Willis McGahee only had six touches (for 24 yards) but he did have a 13-yard TD reception.
– With Derrick Ward out, Cadillac Williams (20 touches, 99 yards) was the workhorse back. Expect him to dominate the carries as long as Ward is sidelined.
– Ronnie Brown (20 carries, 115 yards, 2 TD) and Ricky Williams (16 rushes, 85 yards, TD) gashed the Buffalo defense over and over in the running game, which is a bit of a surprise since the Bills defense has been playing pretty well this season.
– Fred Jackson (9 carries, 42 yards) and Marshawn Lynch (8 carries, 4 yards) split the rushing work, but Jackson was far more productive. However, Lynch was a big part of the passing game with 43 yards on five catches. Jackson (3-26) was involved too.
– Pierre Thomas (23 touches, 132 yards, TD) looks like an every-week start as long as Mike Bell is out and is not able to vulture any carries. The Jets’ rush defense had played really well prior to lining up against the Saints. Thomas was also targeted in the passing game as much as Reggie Bush. Each player was targeted four times.
– Keep an eye on Correll Buckhalter’s (11 touches, 92 yards) status this week. If he’s out or hobbled, Knowshon Moreno (16 touches, 76 yards, TD) becomes a virtual must-start.
– Glen Coffee (28 touches, 106 yards) didn’t score a TD, but he got a ton of work.
– With Willie Parker out, Rashard Mendenhall (31 touches, 191 yards, 2 TD) went nuts against a Chargers defense that can’t stop the run. Don’t get too excited about Mendenhall unless it looks like Parker is going to be out a while. The Steelers are still just a mediocre rushing team (though they want to be a good one).
– The Steelers have a great rush defense, so LaDainian Tomlinson’s (7 rushes, 15 yards) aren’t that surprising. It is surprising that Darren Sproles only received one touch.
