Category: Fantasy Football (Page 197 of 324)

Fantasy Fallout, Week 4: Monday Night Football

Ravens 20 @ Steelers 23
Ben Roethlisberger (191 yards, TD, INT) didn’t finish with great stats, but he played pretty well against a tough Ravens defense and his numbers would have been better had his receivers not dropped the ball a couple of times…Santanio Holmes (3-61-1) had a nice game which included a wonderful 38-yard catch and run for a score…Hines Ward (2-57) was rather quiet but almost scored on a 49-yard pass where he just needed to make one Baltimore defender miss to hit paydirt…Heath Miller (2-8) was a disappointment…Rashard Mendenhall (10 touches, 36 yards) left the game with an injury…Willis McGahee (16 touches, 51 yards) looked pretty good until he left the field gingerly with what looked like a painful chest injury. He returned for a single carry, but didn’t play after that…Le’Ron McClain (19 touches, 89 yards, TD) took over and looked strong, especially on his 2-yard TD run. He should be picked up in all leagues; he’s clearly the RB2 in Baltimore, not Ray Rice…Joe Flacco (192 yards, TD) looked pretty sharp all night, connecting with Derrick Mason (8-137) numerous times…Neither Mark Clayton nor Todd Heap caught a pass. Heap has been a huge disappointment this season and I can only assume that he slept with Flacco’s girlfriend…Both defenses looked strong and should be owned in all leagues.

Rams fire head coach Scott Linehan

Unlike Al Davis and the Raiders, the St. Louis Rams follow through on their word to fire their head coach after a loss. Scott Linehan was let go Monday after the Rams dropped their fourth straight game Sunday, a 31-14 loss to the Bills.

Scott LinehanDefensive coordinator Jim Haslett will replace Linehan on an interim basis. The Rams scheduled a news conference later Monday.

The Linehan era was mostly a dreary time for the franchise, especially on the heels of the wild highs and lows of predecessor Mike Martz, who helped the Rams win their lone Super Bowl after the 1999 season and led them to a second Super Bowl as coach in the 2001 season.

The Rams were 8-8 in 2006, Linehan’s first season. The team rallied to win four of its last six games after Linehan turned over play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Greg Olson.

Numerous offensive line injuries, beginning with seven-time Pro Bowl tackle Orlando Pace’s season-ending shoulder injury in the opener, paved the way for last year’s poor season. Linehan reclaimed play-calling duties that year after three games.

Linehan, 45, again relinquished the play-calling this season after replacing Olson with Al Saunders, among several moves in a staff overhaul. Other changes were made, with training camp moved to a remote location in Mequon, Wis., and Linehan attempting to inject more energy into a his low-key personality.

On Sunday, he benched quarterback Marc Bulger, the highest-paid player in franchise history, and went with 38-year-old backup Trent Green. That was one of six lineup changes for the Bills game.
None of it worked.

Linehan seemed overmatched these last two years and that’s usually a telltale sign that someone wasn’t ready to become a head coach. Even when a team is losing, the mark of a good head coach is to keep things from falling apart. Given how much the players spoke out in criticism of Linehan’s personal decisions, Linehan didn’t do his job in keeping the team together. The team really has no choice but to remove the head coach and attempt to start over.

Haslett is a good choice as the interim. He has experience as a head coach and when he was in New Orleans, his teams didn’t always win, but his players respected him. He should at least be able to get the players re-focused and make the most out of the 2008 season. What’s left it, that is.

Bears come up with goal line stand to top Eagles 24-20

Despite the best efforts of the offense to give the game away, the Bears held on to a 24-20 win over the Eagles Sunday night after the defense came up with a huge goal line stop on 4th and 1 late in the game.

Eagles-BearsFollowing a Robbie Gould field goal that gave the Bears a 24-20 lead with just over 10 minutes remaining in the game, Donovan McNabb and Correll Buckhalter led Philadelphia on a 70-yard drive down to the Chicago 4-yard line. But the Bears’ defense held the Eagles out o the end zone on four straight rushing attempts, including stonewalling Buckhalter on 4th and 1 with just under four minutes to play.

In two previous games against the Panthers and Bucs, the Bears blew double-digit leads in the fourth quarter, largely because the offense couldn’t gain first downs late in each game. But they were able to move the ball successfully on their final possession Sunday night, eating up three minutes of the clock and leaving the Eagles with only one last desperation pass at the end. It was clear not having Brian Westbrook really hurt Philly’s offense, even though Buckhalter did finish with a 4.1 YPC average.

While Chicago will take the win, Philadelphia can look at several blown opportunities to come away with a victory. Bears’ QB Kyle Orton threw two interceptions, including one in the end zone that could have netted Chicago points, and also fumbled twice (one was just as much Kevin Jones’ fault after a botched handoff). But the Eagles could only turn Chicago’s gaffs into field goals and came up short in the end. The Bears’ defense was once again the stars, keeping Philly out of the end zone and covering up the offenses’ mistakes. The score doesn’t indicate it, but Chicago’s effort was probably one of the better defensive efforts of the year.

Fantasy Fallout, Week 4: Sunday’s Games

Everything you need to know (and some stuff you don’t) about the fantasy implications of Week 4.

Eagles 20 @ Bears 24
Matt Forte (24 touches, 85 yards) continues to be the Bears’ workhorse back, even though he failed to score…Kyle Orton (199 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT) has his second straight high-scoring fantasy game, throwing scores to Greg Olsen (4-35-1), Devin Hester (3-27-1) and Marty Booker (1-23-1)…Brandon Lloyd was injured this week but finished with two catches for 33 yards…Donovan McNabb (262, TD, INT) had a decent game, but DeSean Jackson (receving: 5-71-1, rushing: 2-35) was the Eagles’ offensive star…Correll Buckhalter (18 touches, 90 yards, TD) filled in admirably for the injured Brian Westbrook, but failed to score on a 4th and goal that would have given Philly the late lead…Reggie Brown (6-79) looks like he’ll be the guy targeted most aside from Jackson.

Chargers 28 @ Raiders 18
LaDainian Tomlinson (22 touches, 115 yards, 2 TD) had his second consecutive multiple TD game and looks to be almost 100% healthy…Phillip Rivers (180 yards, TD, 2 INT) didn’t have a great day throwing the ball against what should be a pretty solid Oakland secondary…Antonio Gates (5-58-1) had a nice game, but both Vincent Jackson (3-52) and Chris Chambers (2-42) were relatively quiet…JaMarcus Russell (277 yards, TD, INT) finished with pretty good passing stats, but he still seems to be struggling with his accuracy at times…Michael Bush (21 touches, 128 yards) filled in for Darren McFadden (9 touches, 37 yards) who was hobbled with an injury…Zach Miller (5-95-1) finally broke out with a big game. It’s not clear if he’s worth picking up, though if you’re hurting at TE, you could do worse. It seems like the entire Oakland passing game will be pretty spotty week to week.

Bills 31 @ Rams 14
Marshawn Lynch (23 touches, 81 yards) had a relatively quiet game and failed to score…Fred Jackson turned 10 touches into 55 yards and a TD…Trent Edwards (197 yards, TD, INT) yet again posted solid numbers, hooking up with Lee Evans (2-88-1) on a 49-yard TD late in the game…Josh Reed (4-47) might be worth a pickup in large PPR leagues…The Buffalo defense (4 sacks, INT return for a TD) continues to play well…Trent Green (236 yards, INT) wasn’t the answer at QB. With Scott Linehan reportedly out after the loss, it will be interesting to see if Marc Bulger is reinstated as the starter…The Rams wisely featured Steven Jackson (29 touches, 188 yards, TD) but Torry Holt (4-65) just had a so-so day. Linehan’s possible departure should be good news for Holt since the two reportedly don’t get along…Donnie Avery (3-22) also had a 37-yard TD scamper.

Redskins 26 @ Cowboys 24
Jason Campbell (231 yards, 2 TD) and the entire Washington offense was impressive in the win…Santana Moss (8-145) continues to be the main threat in the passing game, with Antwaan Randle El (4-36-1) and Chris Cooley (4-28) chipping in with the occasional strong game…Clinton Portis (23 touches 135 yards) racked up some major yards, but didn’t score…Tony Romo (300 yards, 3 TD, INT) continues to put up stud numbers in the passing game…Jason Witten (7-90-1) scored a TD and continues to post solid stats as the league’s best tight end…Patrick Crayton (7-87) had a good game and Terrell Owens (7-71-1) posted decent numbers despite a couple of drops…Miles Austin (3-45-1) had another nice game out of the Cowboys’ WR3 position…It was a very quiet day for Marion Barber (10 touches, 37 yards) who failed to score…Felix Jones didn’t get a touch offensively.

Falcons 9 @ Panthers 24
The Carolina passing game looked great. Jake Delhomme (294 yard, 2 TD) hooked up with Muhsin Muhammad (8-147-1) and Steve Smith (6-96-1) all day. Muhammad should be owned in all leagues…DeAngelo Williams (18 touches, 66 yards) and Jonathan Stewart (14 carries, 52 yards, 1 TD) split the backfield duties again, though Stewart looks like the Panthers’ goal line back so he carries more value…Donte Rosario (2-18) and D.J. Hackett (2-24) were minor factors…Roddy White (7-90) was the lone bright spot for the Falcons’ offense…Matt Ryan (158 yards) didn’t throw a TD or a pick, and Michael Turner (18 carries, 56 yards) is starting to look like a back that you bench against good defenses and start against bad ones.

Browns 20 @ Bengals 12
Since he got the win, Derek Anderson (138 yards, TD, INT) may live to start another day…Jamal Lewis (27 touches, 94 yards, TD) had a very solid game…Kellen Winslow (5-54) and Braylon Edwards (3-22-1) were the only major players in the Browns’ passing game…Carson Palmer was the team’s third QB this week with elbow problems; Ryan Fitzpatrick (156 yards, TD, 3 INT) didn’t play very well in his place…Chris Perry (17 touches, 43 yards) had a disappointing day against a suspect defense…T.J. Houshmandzadeh (6-50) and Chad Johnson (3-28-1) had decent days.

Texans 27 @ Jaguars 30
David Garrard broke out with a nice game (236 yards, pass TD, rush TD) and threw a TD to Matt Jones (5-71-1) who is developing into the Jags’ best receiving threat…Maurice Jones-Drew (9 touches, 49 yards) and Fred Taylor (13 touches, 46 yards) both had surprisingly quiet days against a mediocre (at best) Texans defense…Steve Slaton (18 touches, 116 yards, TD) continues to be the main main in the Houston backfield…Matt Schaub (307 yards, 3 TD) had a great day throwing the ball to Slaton (8-83-1), Owen Daniels (7-87) and Kevin Walter (8-76-2)…Unfortunately for Andre Johnson (3-38) owners, he continues to struggle.

Broncos 19 @ Chiefs 33
Larry Johnson (28 carries, 198 yards, 2 TD) had a huge game against a bad Denver rush defense. He also had five catches for zero yards…Damon Huard (160 yards, TD) was efficient in the win…Dwayne Bowe (7-85) continues to shine and is a must-start in PPR leagues…Tony Gonzalez (3-47-1) had another solid game…Jay Cutler (361 yards, TD, 2 INT) finished with pretty good fantasy numbers but struggled against the Chiefs defense…Eddie Royal (9-104), Brandon Stokley (7-80) and Brandon Marshall (7-77-1) split the receiving duties…Selvin Young led the Broncos in rushing with 49 yards on 11 carries, and it doesn’t look like any of the Denver RBs are solid starts right now…Matt Prater (4/5 FG, including a 56-yarder) continues to shine.

49ers 17 @ Saints 31
Drew Brees had a great day (363 yards, 3 TD, INT) throwing to Lance Moore (7-101-2) and Robert Meachem (2-99-1). Moore looks to be a fantasy starter as long as Marques Colston is out…Reggie Bush (15 touches, 37 yards) had a quiet day but Deuce McAllister (20 carries, 73 yards, TD) took over for Pierre Thomas as the Saints’ between-the-tackles back…Frank Gore (18 touches, 113 yards) had a relatively quiet day…J.T. O’Sullivan (257 yards, TD, 2 INT) finished with decent fantasy numbers, but was sacked six times…Arnaz Battle (7-120) and Isaac bruce (5-54-1) were the only big players in the passing game…Vernon Davis (1-19) continues to disappoint.

Cardinals 35 @ Jets 56
Rumors of bad weather didn’t really affect this game…Brett Favre (289 yards, 6 TD, INT) had a huge game throwing to Laveranues Coles (8-105-3) and Jerricho Cotchery (4-67-2)…Favre also threw a TD to Dustin Keller (1-24-1)…Chanci Stuckey (2-12) was a non-factor for the first time this season…Thomas Jones (20 touches, 69 yards) had a quiet day…Kurt Warner (472 passing yards, 2 TD, 3 INT) had a good fantasy day but turned the ball over six times (3 INT, 3 fumbles)…Larry Fitzgerald (8-122), Anquan Boldin (10-119-1) and Steve Breaston (9-122-0) led the way in the receiving game. Boldin left with a scary neck injury but apparently was just knocked out and should be fine…Edgerrin James had a solid game, rushing for two TD and catching five passes for 37 yards…Tim Hightower vultured a TD again.

Packers 21 @ Bucs 30
Brian Griese (149 yards, TD, 3 INT) was shaky but got the win…Earnest Graham finished with 111 yards on 20 carries and a TD, but doesn’t seem to get regular carries unless the Bucs are ahead late in the game. For that reason, he’s sometimes a questionable fantasy start…Warrick Dunn turned 18 touches for 86 yards…Alex Smith (2-26-1) caught the Bucs only passing TD, while Antonio Bryant (4-39) led all TB receivers in yards and catches…Ike Hilliard (2-21) was basically a non-factor…Aaron Rodgers (165 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT) had a rough day. He looked great on the opening drive, but for the rest of the game, the Packer offense never got in synch…Greg Jennings (6-109-2) had a huge day and has officially taken over WR1 duties from Donald Driver (1-8)…Jordy Nelson (4-31) was the next best threat in the Green Bay passing game…Ryan Grant (15 carries, 20 yards) once again struggled in the running game, though he looked a lot better than he did two weeks ago against the Lions. The holes just weren’t there…

Vikings 17 @ Titans 30
Chris Johnson (20 touches, 75 yards, 2 TD) continues to thrive in the Titans run-heavy attack…LenDale White (11 carries, 13 yards, TD) scored but struggled rushing between the tackles…Kerry Collins (199 yards) had a quiet game, but Justin Gage (5-92) returned from injury to post a solid game. He should be owned in most PPR leagues as long as Collins is under center…Adrian Peterson (22 touches, 101 yards, 2 TD) was listed as questionable, but had a nice game…Chester Taylor (1 carry, 0 yards) was a non-factor…Gus Frerotte (266 yards, INT) finished with good yardage, but failed to throw a TD…Bernard Berrian (5-78) and Bobby Wade (7-75) were decent, and TE Visanthe Shiancoe (4-47) had his second consecutive solid game.

NFL Week 4 Recaps

Below are snippets of all the Week 4 action in the NFL. For more analysis and discussion on each game, click on the links provided.

Brett Favre– Brett Favre threw six touchdown passes as the Jets routed the Cardinals 56-35 in New York.

– The Jaguars won their second game in a row, edging out the Texans 30-27 in overtime.

– The Panthers dominated the Falcons 24-9 to improve to 3-1 on the year and share the NFC South lead with the Bucs.

– Larry Johnson nearly rushed for 200 yards on the ground as the Chiefs upset the Broncos 33-19 to notch their first win of the year.

– The Browns beat their AFC North division rivals the Bengals 20-12 to earn their first victory of the season.

– The Bucs bruised and battered Aaron Rodgers in a 30-21 win over the Packers. Tampa is now 3-1 to start the year.

– Drew Brees threw for 363 yards and three touchdowns as the Saints crushed the 49ers 31-17 in New Orleans.

– The Titans are one of only two teams still undefeated in the AFC as they beat the Vikings 30-17 on Sunday.

– It wasn’t pretty, but the Chargers earned their second win of the season, beating the Raiders 21-18. San Diego scored 18 fourth quarter points.

– With Scott Linehan’s job on the line, the Rams still couldn’t muster a win, falling to 0-4 after losing to the Bills 31-14.

– One of the more impressive wins of the day was in Dallas, but it wasn’t by the Cowboys. The Redskins are now 3-1 on the year after pulling off an upset, beating the ‘Boys 26-24 at Texas Stadium.

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