Author: Jamey Codding (Page 18 of 25)

Quick: Who’s the best rookie in the league? Cadillac Williams, obviously. After ripping off three-straight 100-yard games to open his career, Williams not only looked like the best choice in this year’s mega-hyped RB draft class, he also looked like a top-10 back in fantasy leagues and a weekly must-start. But after gaining just 13 yards on 11 carries and leaving the game early with a hamstring injury Sunday against the Lions, there are suddenly some serious questions surrounding the Caddy, the main one concerning his durability. Not the healthiest back in college, Williams was given an insane workload during those first three NFL games, topping out at 37 carries last week against the Packers. Already nursing a sore foot, Cadillac now must deal with a hamstring problem. No word yet on how serious the injury is, but if Jon Gruden doesn’t cut down a bit on Williams’ workload, this most likely won’t be the last time we’re talking about an injury to the explosive rookie this year.

SUNDAY HEADLINERS

The Manning Brothers
Eli arrived Sunday and Peyton reestablished himself as the game’s best quarterback. Playing a weak St. Louis defense, Eli Manning threw for 296 yards and four touchdowns, leading the Giants to a 44-24 win. Don’t look now, but the Giants have one of the game’s best offenses and Eli, with nine touchdowns and just two picks through four weeks, looks like a more than capable #2 fantasy quarterback and a fine start depending on the match-up.

Meanwhile, older brother Peyton torched the Titans for 264 yards and four touchdowns of his own. After a two-week touchdown drought, this is exactly the kind of game Manning owners needed.

Eight touchdowns, no interceptions and two wins? I’d call that a great day for the Manning clan.
ALSO: Donovan McNabb (369 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT), Marc Bulger (442 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT)

LaDainian Tomlinson: 25 carries, 134 yards, 2 TD; 3 catches, 34 yards
After a slow start, Tomlinson now has 326 rushing yards and five touchdowns the last two weeks. The top overall pick in most drafts, LT is once again proving why.
ALSO: LaMont Jordan (26 carries, 126 yards, 1 TD; 4 catches, 22 yards), Tiki Barber (24 carries, 128 yars, 1 TD), Warrick Dunn (18 carries, 126 yards, 1 TD)

Plaxico Burress: 10 catches, 204 yards, 2 TD
A fellow owner in one of my leagues actually laughed out loud when I selected Burress this year, saying the former Steeler didn’t even deserve to be on someone’s roster this year. Pardon the cliche, but look who’s laughing now. At 6-5, Burress is a tantalizing target, especially downfield and in the red zone. The problem is, Burress never had anyone in Pittsburgh who could throw the deep ball. Plax, meet Eli. Burress has quickly established himself as Manning’s favorite target, totaling 396 yards and four touchdowns in four games. With the way the Giants’ offense is rolling, don’t expect a letdown anytime soon.
ALSO: Terrell Owens (11 catches, 171 yards, 1 TD), Marvin Harrison (9 catches, 109 yards, 2 TD), Joey Galloway (7 catches, 166 yards, 1 TD), Eddie Kennison (7 catches, 109 yards, 1 TD), Donte Stallworth (8 catches, 129 yards)

SUNDAY FLATLINERS

J.P. Losman: 75 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT
Losman’s been terrible for the Bills this year, throwing for 358 yards and one solitary touchdown in the first three games of the year, all with a nifty 48.1 completion percentage, and now the second-year QB was benched in the fourth quarter of Buffalo’s 19-7 loss to the Saints after failing to exploit one of the game’s worst defenses. In his brief game action, backup Kelly Holcomb completed three of his six attempts for 28 yards, but Willis McGahee, Lee Evans and Eric Moulds owners should all be praying the Bills make a permanent switch to Holcomb because, with Losman behind center, none of the Bills are playing up to their fantasy potential. Holcomb may not be a superstar but he’s a proven veteran who could certainly kickstart the Bills offense. Head coach Mike Mularkey said Losman was still his starter after the Saints game today, but Holcomb should get a shot soon.
ALSO: Joey Harrington (137 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT), Aaron Brooks (172 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT), Daunte Culpepper (250 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT)

Chris Brown: 10 carries, 31 yards, 0 TD
When Travis Henry was suspended four games, everyone jumped onto the Chris Brown bandwagon, and for good reason. Brown was explosive last year before having his season cut short due to injury. Now with Henry out for the next four games, Brown, who’d been sharing carries with the former Buffalo back in an effort to keep him healthy, would once again be The Man. But in his first game since Henry’s suspension, Brown was unable to get much of anything going against the Colts. He should have an easier go against Houston next week but the Bengals await after that, which means Brown may not be quite as valuable in Henry’s absence as his owners had initially expected.
ALSO: Brian Westbrook (9 carries, 15 yards; 6 catches, 33 yards; 0 TD), Curtis Martin (13 carries, 30 yards, 0 TD), Larry Johnson (7 carries, 34 yards, 0 TD)

Tony Gonzalez: 2 catches, 5 yards, 0 TD
The first or second tight end off the board in every draft this year, Gonzo has failed to deliver, with 16 catches, 129 yards and no touchdowns in four games. Guys like Steve Heiden and Chris Baker have out-produced Gonzalez to this point, and while that’s not likely going to last, we also may be in for a rare down year for Gonzo, perhaps similar to 2002’s 773-yard, 7-TD performance. The good news is, there’s still time to turn it around, but for whatever reason, the Chiefs haven’t seemed all that interested in getting Gonzalez involved in the offense.
ALSO: Michael Clayton (2 catches, 11 yards), Andre Johnson (3 catches, 38 yards), Laveranues Coles (1 catch, 16 yards), Deion Branch (1 catch, 6 yards)

The Bills lost linebacker Takeo Spikes for the year with a torn achilles.

The Patriots lost safety and team leader Rodney Harrison for the season with a torn ACL. Meanwhile, starting left tackle Matt Light could miss most of the season with what is reportedly a broken bone below his right knee.

The Jets lost quarterback Chad Pennington for the season with a torn right rotator cuff. To make matters worse for the Jets, backup QB Jay Fiedler went down the very next quarter with a partially torn labrum and is expected to miss at least six weeks.

So which team had a worse day?

The Bills were in trouble anyway, and until Kelly Holcomb replaces J.P. Losman, their offense will continue to sputter. Losing Spikes means they’ll give up more points but it won’t substantially affect the final outcome of their season.

Harrison is probably the best player of this bunch and, with New England’s already depleted secondary, losing him could be crucial. Then again, the Patriots have proven that they can handle just about any amount of adversity thrown their way, so maybe they rebound from this. Don’t, however, discount the Light injury. Losing your starting left tackle for an extended period is a huge blow. I don’t care what team you are.

Of course, the Patriots will probably figure out a way to still make the playoffs, or at least stay in contention until the bitter end. The Jets, on the other hand, are toast. The Pennington injury was bad enough but losing Fiedler in the same game is downright crippling. Hello…Brooks Bollinger? The guy’s played in exactly one NFL game during his three-year career, attempted a total of nine passes, and completed five.

So who do the Jets call first, Vinny Testaverde or Jeff George?

Heading into the season, there were some who insisted that Peyton Manning should be the top overall choice in fantasy football. Coming off his record-setting 49-TD performance, that argument certainly carried at least some validity. Even if Manning failed to match last season’s remarkable numbers, 40-45 touchdowns seemed like a virtual lock.

Fast forward to week three of the NFL season and, if you happened to choose Manning over LaDainian Tomlinson or even Shaun Alexander in your draft, you’re likely looking for the nearest ledge to jump from. Going up against a Cleveland defense that allowed Brett Favre to throw for 342 yards and three touchdowns a week after Carson Palmer totaled 280 yards and two scores, Manning failed to throw for a TD for the second game in a row this week. In comparison, Manning threw for at least two touchdowns in all but two games last season: a week 15 win against Baltimore (one TD), and a 33-14 loss to Denver in the final game of the year, in which Manning only attempted two passes before resting up for the playoffs.

So is it time to panic? In a word, no. Manning could still lead the league in touchdown passes by the end of the year, after ripping off a few five-TD performances in the next 13 games. But while there was little chance of him repeating his record-breaking campaign from last season, the 40-45 TDs that just a month ago seemed like a virtual lock now appear to be a long shot. Manning would have to average 2.92 TDs per game going forward to hit 40 by the end of the year, which would nearly match his 3.06 per-game output from last season. When you consider he threw for 26, 27 and 29 TDs in the three years leading up to last season, Manning now looks destined for 30-35 touchdowns, which are still good numbers but hardly worthy of the top pick in the draft, or even a selection in the top-five.

HEADLINERS

Daunte Culpepper: 300 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT; 36 rushing yards
Speaking of ledges, all Culpepper owners can now step down from theirs. The best part about Culpepper’s line against the Saints is the absence of any turnovers. The loss of Nate Burleson, who may be out for another week or two with a knee injury, certainly is cause for concern but the best news for Culpepper this week may have been the emergence of RB Mewelde Moore, who started for the ineffective Michael Bennett and ran for 101 yards on 23 carries. If Moore, an excellent runner and receiver out of the backfield, continues to start and produce, the Vikings offense, and Culpepper, should rebound nicely.
ALSO: Drew Bledsoe (363 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT; 1 rushing TD), Donovan McNabb (365 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT), Kerry Collins (345 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT)

Shaun Alexander: 22 carries, 140 yards, 4 TD
LaDainian Tomlinson: 21 carries, 192 yards, 3 TD; 6 catches, 28 yards; 1 passing TD
Remember when Alexander only ran for 73 yards in the opener against the Jaguars? Nervous owners nationwide were wondering if they should deal the Seattle back. I wish someone would’ve offered Alexander to me after that week-one performance, especially in the leagues that Alexander single-handedly beat me this week. Coming off a great performance last season and playing in a contract year, Alexander should be the second-best back in fantasy land this season, and may challenge LaDainian Tomlinson for the overall title by the end of the year.

Then again, maybe not. Football fans across the country wondered what the Chargers were thinking. After their miraculous playoff run last season, the Bolts were 0-2 and their star back had only gotten 19 carries in each of those two losses, topping out at 72 rushing yards in week one. Even more puzzling, Tomlinson failed to record a single reception in either game, and we’re talking about a guy who caught 100 balls just two years ago. Then the Chargers beat up on the Giants on national TV Sunday night and LT got off, ripping off a 62-yarder to cap off his night. All apparently is right in San Diego again.
ALSO: Brian Westbrook (13 carries, 68 yards, 1 TD; 6 catches, 140 yards, 1 TD), Willis McGahee (27 carries, 140 yards, 1 TD), Ronnie Brown (23 carries, 132 yards, 1 TD), Cadillac Williams (37 carries, 158 yards, 0 TD)

Steve Smith: 11 catches, 170 yards, 3 TD
Any questions about Smith’s ability to return from last year’s season-ending injury? Smith tied franchise records with his 11 catches and three touchdown receptions and should continue to produce like a quality #1 fantasy receiver this season, especially if Carolina keeps falling behind early.
ALSO: Brandon Lloyd (4 catches, 142 yards, 2 TD), Torry Holt (9 catches, 163 TD, 1 TD), Hines Ward (4 catches, 110 yards, 2 TD)

FLATLINERS

Matt Hasselbeck: 242 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT
Hasselbeck’s numbers weren’t ugly (check out Chad Pennington’s line below for that), and the Seahawks aren’t complaining after thumping the Cardinals 37-12, but fantasy owners (like me) expected big things from the Seattle quarterback against a weak Arizona team. Instead, Hasselbeck moved the ball effectively (20 for 31) but Shaun Alexander got all the scoring glory.
ALSO: Chad Pennington (76 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT), Aaron Brooks (199 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT), Brett Favre (195 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT), Kyle Orton (149 yards, 0 TD, 5 INT)

Willie Parker: 17 carries, 55 yards, 0 TD
Somebody finally slowed Fast Willie down. The general feeling coming out of last week’s solid performance was Parker had become a must-start in most situations, depending on who your other backs were, but this outing against the Patriots proves that Parker still isn’t a sure thing, at least not against top defenses. The return of Duce Staley should have Parker owners somewhat concerned, even if Staley didn’t log a single carry Sunday. Still, Jerome Bettis may be back after Pittsburgh’s bye next week, which would leave the Steelers backfield looking awfully crowded. If you’re nervous, now may not be a bad time to start shopping Parker while his value is sky high. Just be warned that the Steelers may very well stick with the younger, faster and fresher Parker for the rest of the season.
ALSO: Stephen Davis (16 carries, 36 yards, 0 TD), Steven Jackson (12 carries, 48 yards, 0 TD), Ahman Green (19 carries, 58 yards, 0 TD)

Joe Horn: 1 catch, 11 yards
Donte Stallworth: 0 catches
Horn’s poor showing is nothing to be concerned about and should be attributed more to Aaron Brooks’ struggles against the Vikings than anything else. Stallworth’s donut, on the other hand, is certainly noteworthy coming off his monster eight-catch, 141-yard performance against the Giants last week. Criticized for his maddening inconsistency and spurned by most fantasy owners for the same reason despite his undeniable talent, Stallworth looked like he may have turned the corner last week in the second game of his fourth NFL season. Instead, he now looks like the same guy: a risky fantasy option who can’t be counted on for anything more than the occasional tease game.
ALSO: T.J. Houshmandzadeh (2 catches, 13 yards), Laveranues Coles (4 catches, 17 yards), Larry Fitzgerald (3 catches, 41 yards), Jerry Porter (5 catches, 40 yards)