Category: Fantasy Football (Page 292 of 324)

Terrell Owens broke his right ring finger and needs surgery. He’s going to be out 2-4 weeks, but with Dallas’ bye in Week 3, he may not miss any games. If he is out more than two weeks, the roles of Terry Glenn and Patrick Crayton would likely increase…Kevan Barlow should start in Week 3. He hasn’t been great, but he’s been more effective than Derrick Blaylock and is a servicable RB3…Aaron Brooks is scheduled to have an MRI on his shoulder. The Raiders are on bye next week, but if Brooks is healthy, he would get the start in Week 4. I’m not sure that the bye week could come at a better time for the Raiders, who are in serious trouble just two weeks into the season…Rod Smith reportedly suffered a concussion against the Chiefs. This is his third in the past year, so it would be wise to keep an eye on Smith’s status this week. Once 30+ year-old players start suffering multiple concussions, they are often scared (wisely) into retirement. It’s not worth playing if permanent brain damage is a distinct possibility…The Denver post is reporting that Jake Plummer might be out as QB for the Broncos sooner rather than later. After playing well the last two years, Plummer has looked pretty awful this season and needs to get the ship righted against a good New England team if he has any hope of finishing the season. The Broncos have Super Bowl aspirations, and I’m not so sure rookie Jay Cutler can get them there, but the same could be said about Plummer…Joshua Cribs replaced Kellen Winslow on third downs on Sunday. This is a curious move after Winslow’s solid play in the first game. Don’t you want your athletic pass-catching tight end on the field in passing situations? Maybe there’s something else (disciplinary?) going on here…Reggie Brown injured his hamstring on Sunday. It’s not clear how serious the injury is. Brown has two touchdowns on two catches this season. While that’s quite the pace, Brown owners were expecting more production outside of the redzone this season…Don’t be surprised if Joseph Addai is starting for the Colts at some point in the next few weeks. He’s shown ability that Dominic Rhodes has not, and is a good pass blocker for a rookie.

Most of Week 2 has come and gone, and several players put up some HUGE numbers on Sunday. The Manning brothers carved up a couple of defenses, Rudi ran roughshod over the Browns, while several wideouts had 100+ yard days. But enough chitchat, let’s get right to this week’s Headliners and Flatliners.

SUNDAY HEADLINERS

Peyton Manning (400 yards, 3 TD)
Today’s game is why people draft Peyton Manning in the first or second round. Anytime one of your guys hits the 400-yard barrier, you know he had a big passing day. Manning completed at least one pass to nine different receivers, throwing TD passes to three different guys (Joseph Addai, Brandon Stokley and Bryan Fletcher), while helping two others (Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison) each go for at least 127 yards. I bet the Texans’ plane ride home is a quiet one.

ALSO: Rex Grossman (289 yards, 4 TD), Eli Manning (371 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT), Michael Vick (92 pass yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 14 touches, 127 rush yards, 1 TD), Brett Favre (340 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT), Donovan McNabb (350 pass yards, 2 TD, 31 rush yards), Drew Brees (353 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT)

Rudi Johnson (28 touches, 148 yards, 2 TD)
“Come on, guys. Get on my back. I’ll carry us home.” Johnson killed the Browns in the fourth quarter, rushing eight times for 73 yards and two touchdowns in the final period. His performance in the quarter took his stats from pedestrian to headliner status, and he did it all without Levi Jones blocking for him. RJ is off to a great start this season.

ALSO: LaDainian Tomlinson (26 touches, 122 yards, 2 TD), Frank Gore (31 touches, 137 yards, 1 TD), Brian Westbrook (26 touches, 124 yards, 1 TD, 1 Fumble), Larry Johnson (32 touches, 167 yards), Michael Turner (15 touches, 155 yards)

Amani Toomer (12 rec, 137 yards, 2 TD)
The old man isn’t done yet. Toomer continues to thrive as the third or fourth option behind Tiki Barber, Plaxico Burress and Jeremy Shockey (when Shockey isn’t limping around on the sideline). Even though Toomer has lost a step, he continues to find ways to get open and has become one of Eli Manning’s favorite targets. There were a ton of huge numbers put up by receivers today, but Toomer’s line stands out.

ALSO: Antonio Bryant (4 rec, 131 yards, 1 TD), Plaxico Burress (6 rec, 114, 1 TD), Joey Galloway (9 rec, 161 yards), Donald Driver (8 rec, 153 yards), Darrell Jackson (5 rec, 127 yards, 1 TD), Jericho Cotchery (6 rec, 121 yards, 1 TD), Laveranues Coles (6 rec, 100 yards, 1 TD)

Desmond Clark (5 rec, 89 yards, 1 TD)
Clark is probably still available on most waiver wires, and is thriving now that Rex Grossman is playing like he has a clue. The tight end has caught 10 passes for 162 yards and a score in the last two weeks and is definitely worth a pickup.

ALSO: L.J. Smith (7 rec, 111 yards)

SUNDAY FLATLINERS

Aaron Brooks (0 yards, 2 Fumbles)
I pity the fool that was counting on Brooks today. He came in with a bum knee, fumbled twice, and then left the game for good without even attempting a pass. The Raiders offense looks like it’s in serious trouble and should be avoided if at all possible. Randy Moss and LaMont Jordan are still worth roster spots, but that’s about it.

ALSO: Kerry Collins (57 yards, 2 INT), Damon Huard (133 yards), Charlie Frye (244 yards, 2 INT, 1 Fumble), Andrew Walter (162 yards, 3 INT), Jake Plummer (173 yards, 1 INT), J.P. Losman (83 yards, 1 TD), Jake Delhomme (181 yards)

Carnell Williams (15 touches, 37 yards)
This honor could have easily gone to Jordan, but I’d rather not send any more Raider fans to the ledges just yet. Carnell Williams has his second straight poor outing, and one has to wonder if that back is bothering him more than he’s letting on. The Tampa Bay passing game showed some signs of life, so hopefully Caddy will find the onramp next week.

ALSO: LaMont Jordan (19 touches, 35 yards), Chris Brown (7 touches, 9 yards), DeShaun Foster (15 touches, 43 yards), Jamal Lewis (19 touches, 70 yards)

Lee Evans (2 rec, 19 yards)
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!

ALSO: Rod Smith (2 rec, 16 yards), Eddie Kennison (2 rec, 39 yards), Larry Fitzgerald (4 rec, 52 yards)

Tony Gonzalez (2 rec, 7 yards)
I really thought with Huard under center, that the team would lean on Gonzo even more. Let’s see, Herm Edwards, Tony Gonzalez is your best receiver – wouldn’t you want to throw more than four passes to him? After a big game last week, Gonzo’s performance was a huge letdown.

ALSO: Alge Crumpler (1 rec, 22 yards), Ben Watson (3 rec, 39 yards), Antonio Gates (4 rec, 55 yards)

Steve Smith did not make the trip and is out for today’s game…The Seahawks will not activate Deion Branch in Week 2…Brian Westbrook is listed as probable, but the training staff is concerned with his swollen knee, so keep an eye on this as we get closer to gametime. If he doesn’t go, Correll Buckhalter will get most of the carries, but Ryan Moats might take his place in the passing game.

11:37 AM: ESPN reported that Brian Westbrook is “good to go” for today’s game.

12:09 AM: As expected, T.J. Houshmandzadeh is out. Chris Henry should see extra snaps…Carnell Williams will start today. He’s been dealing with back spasms this week…Ron Jaworksi, ESPN’s new “fantasy guru,” says to sit Larry Johnson this week.

According to Joe Gibbs, Clinton Portis is out for Week 2. Portis didn’t practice this week due to soreness in his shoulder and Gibbs’ policy is that if a player doesn’t practice, he doesn’t play. For his part, Portis says he’s a game-time decision. It seemed like Portis owners, especially those who drafted him after his shoulder injury in the second or third rounds, really got good value considering he played in Week 1 and looked good. But now one wonders how long the shoulder is going to be an issue. If Portis doesn’t play, look for Ladell Betts to take most of the snaps, with T.J. Duckett possibly handling the goal line duties…Ben Roethlisberger practiced all week, but remains questionable for Monday’s game. The general feeling is that he’s going to play…Expect to see Wali Lundy, Samkon Gado and Ron Dayne share the load on Sunday, making the Texans’ RB situation a RBBC nightmare. Gary Kubiak isn’t going to go with one of these guys until they separate themselves from the other two…With all that’s going on with Reggie Bush and his family right now, expect him to have either a huge game or a very quiet game against the Packers. When players have these kinds of off the field problems, their game usually goes to one extreme or the other…Brian Westbrook missed practice on Friday, but is still listed as probable and is expected to start. Keep an eye on this one Sunday, and be ready to insert Correll Buckhalter into the lineup if Westbrook can’t go…Cadillac Williams returned to practice on Friday and is expected to start, but those back spasms are starting to become worrisome…Steve Smith did not practice again on Friday and it isn’t looking good that he’s going to play Sunday, though it will be a Sunday morning decision…T.J. Houshmandzadeh did not practice on Friday and has been downgraded to questionable, making it unlikely that he’ll play. Chris Henry would get the start, but fantasy owners can’t be encouraged by the 1 catch for -5 yards he put up last week…Deion Branch has picked up the offense quickly and might play some this weekend, but he’s not a dependable fantasy start…Nick Saban promoted Lee Suggs to #2 on the depth chart and said that he will be the featured back every third series, which is the same way that the team used Ricky Williams last season. This is not good news for Ronnie Brown owners, but Suggs doesn’t figure to steal any of Brown’s goal line touches. Still, Brown owners should add Suggs to their roster as a handcuff. He’s a very capable back when he’s not dinged up.