Author: John Paulsen (Page 822 of 937)

QUARTERBACKS

Chad Pennington, David Carr, Jon Kitna and Charlie Frye are probably not available in most 12-team leagues, but all four have continued to play well and should serve as decent spot starters…Alex Smith had a very tough game against an improved Chiefs defense and actually has a difficult schedule the next several weeks…Rex Grossman looks great, maybe the best of this group, but I wonder how his numbers will hold up later in the season when the wind really starts to blow at Soldier Field…Mark Brunell really lit it up this week, which was his second consecutive good game. It looks like the Redskins are catching on to Al Saunders’ offense sooner rather than later. Brunell has three nice matchups before Washington’s bye in Week 8…J.P. Losman has been decent over the first quarter of the season and is a capable option if you are desperate for QB help…Matt Leinart is probably sitting on someone’s roster already, but he’s been named the starter next week, so it will be interesting to see what he can do with a ton of great weapons and a horrible offensive line…Damon Huard can be used as a spot starter for the next couple of weeks while Trent Green continues to recover. If Green is hanging out on the WW, it’s a good time to snatch him up.

RUNNING BACKS

I mentioned Maurice Jones-Drew in this column last week, and more and more it looks like he may be the future RB in Jacksonville. He’s short, but he has tree trunks for legs and pretty good quickness…Maurice Morris will probably find the going easier against a defense not named the Bears. It looks like Shaun Alexander is going to be out for a little longer than expected, so if Morris is still on the WW, he’s a smart pickup…Cedric Houston looked like the best RB on the Jets roster this Sunday, but he left the game with a hyperextended knee and the team has yet to update his condition. If he’s out, Leon Washington would take over the #2 role and could beat out Kevan Barlow later in the season…After Gary Kubiak said that he wanted to split the carries equally between Ron Dayne and Sam Gado, Dayne carried the ball 22 times for just 58 yards against Miami, while Gado only garnered six carries for nine yards. Only the desperate should dive into this situation…Brian Westbrook missed the Monday night game and Correll Buckhalter took his spot in the starting lineup, rushing for 49 yards on 11 carries. Unfortunately, he fumbled twice near the goal line and lost carries to Ryan Moats later in the game. It’s not clear anymore who Westbrook’s handcuff should be…Vernand Morency got the start in place of an injured Ahman Green and rushed for 99 yards on 26 carries, while catching six passes for 19 yards. He doesn’t run with good balance or patience, but he hit the hole hard and earned some tough yards. If Green’s injuries continue, Morency will be a hot commodity in performance leagues.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Marques Colston, Jerricho Cotchery, Reggie Williams and Bernard Berrian shouldn’t be on your WW, but if they are, they are all solid adds, in that order…I mentioned Mike Furrey last week, and his two touchdowns against the Rams will certainly help his stock. It appears that he is a solid second receiving option alongside Roy Williams in Mike Martz’ offense…Doug Gabriel was also listed in last week’s column and Tom Brady looked his way nine times against the Bengals. Gabriel finished with four catches for 57 yards and a score…Joe Jurevicius returned to action this week and caught three passes for 22 yards and a touchdown. He should find plenty of room to roam playing alongside Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow.

TIGHT ENDS

Desmond Clark returned this week after missing a game due to injury. He’s a nice third option after Muhsin Muhammad and Bernard Berrian…Chris Cooley is probably still on some patient owner’s roster, but if he’s on the WW, he’s a great pickup. He caught four passes for 77 yards and will benefit from the improvement in the Redskin offense…Ben Troupe might have been cut after a dismal start, but he caught a touchdown pass this week. Maybe Vince Young will look his way more than Kerry Collins did, but so far, Bo Scaife still leads the Titans TEs in production.

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)

ESPN has reported that Terrell Owens will start this week against the Titans. There has been talk of limiting his work, so don’t be surprised if he doesn’t play much if the Cowboys get out to a big lead…Vince Young is set to make his first start against the Cowboys…ESPN reported that it would be a surprise if Chris Henry is inactive for today’s game. Unfortunately for fantasy owners, the Bengals play in the late game, so we won’t know for sure until around 3 PM ET…Donte Stallworth doesn’t sound as sure that he’s going to play Monday night, using phrases like “you’ve got to be careful” and “I’m definitely encouraged” when describing his hammy. He’s got a great matchup against the Packers, but if you have a good option on your bench, it might be a good idea to exercise it…According to ESPN, Adam Vinatieri is out today with a sore groin. Get another kicker in there for him if he’s your starter…Travis Henry is a surprise inactive this week. He wasn’t on the injury report, so it appears that LenDale White has moved past him on the depth chart. It’s possible that last week’s featured role was meant to lead to a trade.

Reuben Droughns is still questionable, but he practiced fully on Friday and should have plenty of room to run against a poor Oakland rush defense…Todd Heap returned to practice on Friday and has been upgraded to probable. Heap is a must-start when he plays…Houston HC Gary Kubiak intends to split the carries between Samkon Gado and Ron Dayne. Hopefully for fantasy owners, one of these guys will separate himself from the other and earn the bulk of the work. If that doesn’t happen, expect this RBBC to continue throughout the season…Donte Stallworth returned to practice Friday and should play against the Packers on Monday night. An MRI revealed a slight strain in his hamstring. Stallworth has had hamstring problems his entire pro career, so this is an injury to watch. Stallworth has a great matchup this week against the Packers…After a strange week, Terrell Owens is officially a game-time decision for Sunday. The Dallas Morning News speculates that he’ll play, but he will be limited…Brian Westbrook returned to practice on Saturday and, barring a setback, looks good to go Monday night. Westbrook owners should have Correll Buckhalter on their roster for the rest of the season as Westbrook insurance…Desmond Clark will be a game-time decision Sunday night…Matt Jones practiced all week and should see his workload increase from last week, when he barely played at all…Kellen Winslow didn’t practice fully all week. He’s listed as questionable and it’s not clear whether or not he’s going to play. There is speculation that the Browns are holding him out to rest his knee…Steve Smith practiced fully all week. This is good news for Smith owners who were worrying about how that hammy would react after Sunday’s game…Frank Gore practiced all week and was upgraded to probable. He needs to hold onto the ball in short yardage to avoid losing those duties to Michael Robinson…Reggie Wayne will play against the Jets in Week 4 after dealing with his brother’s death this week…Corey Dillon is not listed on the injury report and is expected to start against the Bengals…The injury to the knee of Jevon Kearse is not nearly as bad as initially reported. The surgery revealed only torn meniscus and a fractured tibia. Kearse could have returned this season if he hadn’t already been placed on injured reserve.