Author: John Paulsen (Page 798 of 937)

It’s playoff time in a lot of leagues. If you’ve got questions, we’ve got answers. (No guarantees.)

Fire at will.

QUARTERBACKS

Tony Romo, Trent Green, Vince Young, Steve McNair, David Garrard, Phillip Rivers, Joey Harrington, Jason Campbell, Chad Pennington, Jay Cutler, Jeff Garcia, Matt Leinart, David Carr, Aaron Brooks, Alex Smith, J.P. Losman, Brad Johnson, Bruce Gradkowski

Jay Cutler wasn’t overly impressive in his debut, but he did manage to throw for 143 yards and two scores. His schedule down the stretch looks fair…Trent Green threw for four TDs against the Browns and has two mediocre matchups the next two weeks before a tough matchup against Oakland in Week 16…If you’re looking for a spot starter this week, Vince Young has a nice matchup against Houston. But he’s been playing so well that he may not be on your league’s waiver wire.

RUNNING BACKS

DeAngelo Williams, Ladell Betts, Cedric Houston, Maurice Jones-Drew, Travis Henry, Mike Bell, Ron Dayne, Wali Lundy, Justin Fargas, Sammy Morris, Cedric Benson, Brandon Jacobs, Jason Wright, Leon Washington, Sam Gado, Jerious Norwood, Michael Turner

DeAngelo Williams’ huge Monday night game keeps him at the top of this list, but he’s not available in too many leagues…On the other hand, Cedric Houston may be available and could be a nice option down the stretch and has a nice matchup with Buffalo in Week 14…Justin Fargas might be productive the next few weeks. He scored on Sunday and has two good looking matchups coming up…There was another Ron Dayne sighting this Sunday. He rumbled for 95 yards on 18 carries. Don’t get too excited about him though; he’s always been a tease.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Mark Clayton, Marty Booker, Reche Caldwell, Chris Henry, Mike Furrey, Marcus Robinson, Devery Henderson, Santonio Holmes, Wes Welker, Arnaz Battle, Terrance Copper, Ernest Wilford, Eric Parker, Patrick Crayton, Doug Gabriel

Mike Furrey’s big game pushes him back up this list, but he’s probably already on a roster in your league…Marty Booker scored again, but Chris Chambers was much more active this week…Devery Henderson was a big disappointment especially considering Marques Colston sat out this week…Reche Caldwell is Tom Brady’s top target right now. On Sunday he caught eight passes for 112 yards…With the Troy Williamson demotion, Marcus Robinson appears to be the Vikings #1 option in the passing game (man, it feels weird to type that) and over the last two weeks, he has caught 12 passes for 119 yards and a score.

TIGHT ENDS

Bo Scaife, Jerramy Stevens, Bryan Fletcher, Randal Williams, David Martin, Vernon Davis, Owen Daniels, Alex Smith, Eric Johnson

With Dallas Clark missing the game due to a mysterious knee injury, Bryan Fletcher caught three passes for 56 yards and should be the main TE target for Peyton Manning going forward…Randal Williams continues to be a top target of Aaron Brooks (6-46) but he fumbled twice, which thwarted a Raider comeback.

Week 13 represents the final week of the regular season in many fantasy leagues, meaning that a ton of fantasy owners around the country needed big performances to land a spot in the playoffs. So who put up big numbers? I’m guessing that two of our Headliners rode the pine in a lot of leagues while three of our Flatliners broke more than a few hearts. But enough with the tease, let’s get to this week’s Headliners and Flatliners.

HEADLINERS

Trent Green (297 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT)
It’s tough to come back and play the QB position well after taking so much time off, but it looks like Green is ready for a playoff run. Fantasy owners playing against Larry Johnson are certainly grateful that they the Chiefs threw the ball so much.

Honorable Mention: Vince Young (163 pass yards, 2 TD, 2 INT, 78 rush yards), Marc Bulger (314 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT), Peyton Manning (351 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT), Eli Manning (270 yards, 2 TD)

Reggie Bush (19 touches, 168 yards, 4 TD)
Owners who drafted Bush in the third or fourth round this summer have been waiting all year for a breakout game. After rushing for one TD all season, he rushed for three and caught another against the 49ers. It’s a good thing he was on my bench in two leagues.

Honorable Mention: LaDainian Tomlinson (31 touches, 192 yards, 2 TD), Cedric Houston (25 touches, 129 yards, 2 TD), Ladell Betts (31 touches, 173 yards, 1 TD), Corey Dillon (9 touches, 25 yards, 3 TD), Marcel Shipp (7 touches, 21 yards, 3 TD), Marion Barber (12 touches, 76 yards, 2 TD)

Marvin Harrison (7 rec, 172 yards, 1 TD)
There were rumblings in Indianapolis that Harrison was none too happy about the two targets he got against the Eagles last Sunday night, but he got the lion’s share against the Titans. Even so, Reggie Wayne’s progress is cutting into Harrison’s consistency.

Honorable Mention: Matt Jones (6 rec, 128 yards, 1 TD), Mike Furrey (9 rec, 123 yards, 1 TD), Santana Moss (7 rec, 123 yards, 1 TD), Eddie Kennison (7 rec, 117 yards, 1 TD), Torry Holt (7 rec, 115 yards, 1 TD), Jericho Cotchery (9 rec, 99 yards, 1 TD)

Tony Gonzalez (9 rec, 105 yards, 2 TD)
So which guy called himself “the best tight end in the league”? Gonzo staked his claim on the title with a monster game against the Browns, but the Chiefs couldn’t get the win.

Honorable Mention: Antonio Gates (7 rec, 90 yards, 1 TD), Jeremy Shockey (6 rec, 65 yards, 1 TD), Alge Crumpler (2 rec, 62 yards, 1 TD), Chris Baker (4 rec, 50 yards, 1 TD)

FLATLINERS

Brad Johnson (73 yards, 4 INT) & Rex Grossman (34 yards, 3 INT)
The starting QBs in the Vikings/Bears matchup combined for 107 passing yards and seven interceptions. I find that stat line amazing.

Dishonorable Mention: David Carr (32 yards), Bruce Gradkowski (175 yards, 3 INT)

Joseph Addai (17 touches, 67 yards)
Talk about falling back to Earth. After a HUGE game last Sunday, Addai crashed hard and I’m sure more than a few fantasy owners were counting on getting more from the young back.

Dishonorable Mention: Frank Gore (18 touches, 68 yards), Fred Taylor (19 touches, 76 yards), Willie Parker (23 touches, 86 yards)

Andre Johnson (1 rec, 9 yards)
It’s not often that you see AJ’s name in the Flatliners section, but a one-catch/nine-yard effort hurt a lot of fantasy teams this week.

Dishonorable Mention: Joe Horn (1 rec, 18 yards), Devery Henderson (2 rec, 14 yards), Greg Jennings (2 rec, 14 yards), Laveranues Coles (3 rec, 28 yards), Randy Moss (4 rec, 44 yards), Roy Williams (3 rec, 50 yards)

Kellen Winslow (1 rec, 26 yards)
This was a pretty brutal performance from Winslow, who had been one of the most consistent TEs heading into the game. Considering how Gonzo completely outplayed him, expect Winslow to come back strong next week. At least his team got the win.

Dishonorable Mention: Chris Cooley (2 rec, 12 yards), Randy McMichael (2 rec, 14 yards)