Author: John Paulsen (Page 825 of 937)

Chris Simms had his spleen removed after the Bucs’ loss to the Panthers. Let me repeat: Chris Simms had his spleen removed. Talk about gutsy – the guy hasn’t played that great this season, but he finished a football game with a spleen so bad that had to be removed. That’s simply mind boggling to me. I don’t know about you, but I’m rooting for this kid now. He’ll probably miss most of the season, but I’m sure he’ll get another chance to start in this league, whether it be with the Bucs or another team. Bruce Gradkowski will take over at QB for Tampa Bay…Frank Gore missed much of the second half with a strained abdomen, but may be available for Week 4. Michael Robinson carried the load (5 carries, 29 yards, 2 TD) in Gore’s absence…According to the AP, Vernon Davis is going to miss four weeks with a cracked bone in his leg. Look for Eric Johnson to step in and provide good production during that span…So much for Najeh Davenport stealing goal-line touches from Willie Parker. Davenport was active for the game, but didn’t get a carry…Corey Dillon left the Sunday night game with an arm injury. He seems to be getting nicked up quite a bit, which is good news for Laurence Maroney owners. The Pats weren’t able to run against Denver, but the Broncos have one of the best rush defenses in the league…According to ESPN, Darrell Jackson could be used as trade bait before the deadline because the team is bored with his contract complaints. Apparently, he wrote “I need DB [Deion Branch] money” on his cleats before Seattle’s game against the Giants. D-Jax is the team’s best receiver but has had trouble staying healthy. Still, it would be surprising to see a Super Bowl contender trade away a WR of his caliber…Skeletor has apparently decided that Tatum Bell is his featured back (for now). Tatum Bell received 27 carries compared to just four for Mike Bell. If this holds, fantasy owners who had the guts (or bad information) to draft him in the fourth or fifth round are going to get great value for that pick…With his job in jeopardy, Jake Plummer responded with a good game against the Pats, throwing for 256 yards and 2 TD. He was just 15/30 from the field and the two TDs came on nicely thrown bombs to Javon Walker, so Plummer will need to increase his accuracy to get the Denver press off his back. Walker had just three catches on the day, but finished with 130 yards and two scores. The Broncos need to get him the ball more consistently to give him more opportunities to make big plays. He looks to be completely back from the knee injury he suffered last season.

I thought I had a couple of sure Headliners after the first set of games. A grizzled vet quieted retirement talk with a second straight great game, leading his team to a win over the Lions, while a Redskin with a bum shoulder ran wild against the Texans. But then, in the late games, a Seahawk sliced and diced the Giants and a little guy who hadn’t practiced all week exploded for three touchdowns. Practice? Who needs practice?

Here are this week’s Headliners and Flatliners:

HEADLINERS

Matt Hasselbeck (227 yards, 5 TD, 3 INT)
After a couple of so-so games, Hass threw four TDs to four different receivers in the first half against the Giants. He did throw three picks in the game, but connected a second time with Darrell Jackson to finish with five scores on the day.

Honorable Mention: Brett Favre (340 yards, 3 TD), Jon Kitna (342 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT), J.P. Losman (328 yards, 1 pass TD, 1 INT, 1 rush TD), Carson Palmer (193 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT), Eli Manning (275 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT), Donovan McNabb (296 yards, 2 TD), Charlie Frye (298 yards, 1 pass TD, 1 INT, 1 rush TD)

Brian Westbrook (12 touches, 164 yards, 3 TD)
Westy was questionable all week, then went apeshit in the first half against the 49ers, scoring two TDs – one on a brilliant 71-yard scamper where he stiff-armed a defender to hit paydirt. When San Francisco crept back into the game in the second half, he scored from the 8-yard line to seal the victory. For the game, he averaged an incredible 13.7 yards and .25 TD per touch.

Honorable Mention: Clinton Portis (18 touches, 164 yards, 2 TD), Willie Parker (32 touches, 146 yards, 2 TD), Ladell Betts (19 touches, 151 yards, 1 TD), Maurice Jones-Drew (17 touches, 135 yards, 1 TD), Ahman Green (30 touches, 131 yards, 1 TD), Willis McGahee (28 touches, 153 yards), Kevin Jones (22 touches, 125 yards, 1 TD)

T.J. Houshmandzadeh (9 rec, 94 yards, 2 TD)
If you took my advice, you probably sat Housh today. He was supposed to play third fiddle behind Chad Johnson and Chris Henry. If it’s any consolation, I sat him as well and watched as he and Carson Palmer played pitch and catch against a normally stout Pittsburgh defense. The bad news is he went off on most owners’ benches. The good news is that he went off, and the heel looks fine. If he practices this week, he should be a great start next week and for the rest of the year.

Honorable Mention: Keyshawn Johnson (7 rec, 97 yards, 1 TD, 1 rush TD), Roy Williams (7 rec, 138 yards, 1 TD), Andre Johnson (11 rec, 152 yards), Chris Henry (5 rec, 69 yards, 2 TD), Darrell Jackson (7 rec, 57 yards, 2 TD), Torry Holt (8 rec, 120 yards, 1 TD), Braylon Edwards (5 rec, 116 yards, 1 TD), Roscoe Parrish (4 rec, 104 yards, 1 TD), Greg Jennings (3 rec, 101 yards, 1 TD), Anquan Boldin (10 rec, 129 yards), Derrick Mason (7 rec, 132 yards)

Special Honorable Mention: Lee Evans (8 rec, 107 yards)

Last week in The Postgame, I wrote:

Other than Steve Smith, has there been a bigger disappointment in the world of wideouts than Lee Evans? In the first two games, Evans has four catches for 44 yards. Of course, J.P. Losman is at least partly to blame, and it’s hard to expect anything from Evans if the Buffalo passing game continues to put up numbers like these. But you know – as soon as you bench him – he’ll have a 130-yard day. So somebody bench him…please!

I benched him. Moving on…

Eric Johnson (7 rec, 87 yards, 1 TD)
Vernon Davis injured his calf in the game, and EJ stepped in without a hitch, providing Alex Smith with a big, sure-handed threat over the middle. If Davis is out for an extended amount of time Johnson will be a nice option at TE.

Honorable Mention: Kellen Winslow (7 rec, 92 yards), Todd Heap (5 rec, 31 yards, 1 TD)

FLATLINERS

Ben Roethlisberger (208 yards, 0 TD, 3 INT)
I wonder how many more awful games it will take before the announcers stop stroking Big Ben and start laying some blame. His QB rating on the season is a dismal 34.3 and it makes one wonder if the Steelers would be better off with Charlie Batch leading the team, at least until Roethlisberger is all the way back.

Dishonorable Mention: Brad Johnson (194 yards, 0 TD), Kurt Warner (256 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT, 1 fumble that cost his team the game)

Rudi Johnson (21 touches, 57 yards, 0 TD)
Fantasy owners didn’t expect a big game from RJ going up against a good Steelers defense, but they expected more than 57 total yards and zero TDs. Still, it’s hard to fault Rudi after the show he put on in the first two weeks of the season. He’ll bounce back next week against the Patriots.

Dishonorable Mention: Thomas Jones (21 touches, 65 yards), Frank Gore (22 touches, 74 yards), Tiki Barber (18 touches, 78 yards)

Hines Ward (2 rec, 17 yards, 0 TD)
Plaxico Burress’ benching aside, Ward had the worst day comparing expectations to execution. He seems oddly out of synch with Roethlisberger and doesn’t seem to be very involved in the offense.

Dishonorable Mention: Plaxico Burress (1 rec, 23 yards), Michael Clayton (1 rec, 14 yards), Antonio Bryant (4 rec, 36 yards), Chris Chambers (4 rec, 39 yards), Troy Williamson (4 rec 39 yards)

Randy McMichael (2 rec, 15 yards)
Daunte Culpepper used to throw to his TEs in Minnesota quite a bit, so I’m not sure what the problem is for McMichael. He’s a talented receiver on a team in need of good passing options, so he should be doing better. Of course, the Dolphins only put up 13 points against one of the worst defenses in the league, so the problems in Miami run deeper than play at the TE position.

Dishonorable Mention: Chris Cooley (4 rec, 18 yards), Desmond Clark (2 rec, 21 yards), Heath Miller (3 rec, 34 yards)

T.J. Houshmandzadeh is expected to play, but Chris Henry will probably start. Housh will play as much as his heel will allow, which doesn’t make him a very dependable fantasy start…After warming up his sore hammy, Ahman Green is expected to start today…Steve Smith bristled at the possibility that his hamstring injury was his way of looking for a new contract. He’s expected to start today, so let’s hope he’s not coming back to early…Matt Jones didn’t practice much this week but he is going to start today.

12:20 PM update: Laveranues Coles will start with his sore calf…Chris Brown is inactive today…T.J. Duckett is inactive, but Clinton Portis claims he’s 105% healthy.

Troy Williamson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh have been upgraded to probable and both players are expected to play on Sunday…Plaxico Burress is also listed as probable, but missed practice again on Friday, so be sure to pay attention to his status Sunday morning…Matt Jones missed practice on Friday and is still questionable to play on Sunday. It’s not looking good for Jones, so look elsewhere for WR help this week…Laveranues Coles is “all but certain” to play in Week 3, according to the New York Post…Chris Chambers has apparently been dealing with a sprained thumb but says it is almost healed. His production has been less than acceptable for fantasy owners drafting him in the third or fourth rounds…Reuben Droughns will give it a go on Sunday, but should be avoided at all costs. He faces a Ravens defense that is first in the league in rushing yards allowed.