Category: NFL (Page 1183 of 1282)

Most of Week 9 has come and gone, and one of the league’s undefeated teams has already fallen – will the other one survive the day? Before the Pats/Colts battle begins, let’s talk about this week’s Headliners and Flatliners.

HEADLINERS

Drew Brees (314 yards, 3 TD)
Brees continued his fine play against the Bucs. He has benefited from the development of Marques Colston and his play this season has to make Miami fans wonder, “what if?”

Honorable Mention: Jake Plummer (227 yards, 3 TD), Tony Romo (284 yards, 2 TD). Marc Bulger (354 yards, 1 TD), David Garrard (177 yards, 3 TD), Damon Huard (148 yards, 3 TD)

LaDainian Tomlinson (21 touches, 192 yards, 3 TD)
LT was unbelievable in the second half after a very quiet first half. Unfortunately for Antonio Gates owners, the Chargers didn’t need to throw the ball very much in the second half since LT was running so effectively.

Honorable Mention: Steven Jackson (32 touches, 219 yards, 1 TD), Kevin Jones (30 touches, 140 yards, 2 TD), Larry Johnson (27 touches, 172 yards, 1 TD), Tiki Barber (20 touches, 155 yards, 1 TD), Ronnie Brown (31 touches, 190 yards)

Javon Walker (6 rec, 134 yards, 2 rec TD, 1 rush, 72 yards, 1 TD)
Walker was a dual threat today, catching six passes while also scoring on a long rush TD against a normally stout Steelers defense.

Honorable Mention: Roy Williams (6 rec, 138 yards, 1 TD), Devery Henderson (3 rec, 111 yards, 2 TD), Joey Galloway (4 rec, 97 yards, 2 TD), Marques Colston (11 rec, 123 yards, 1 TD), Ernest Wilford (3 rec, 44 yards, 2 TD), Donald Driver (9 rec, 96 yards, 1 TD), Terrell Owens (7 rec, 76 yards, 1 TD)

Tony Gonzalez (5 rec, 63 yards, 2 TD)
Gonzo is scheduled to become a free agent at the end of the season and would command big dollars in a short contract. He has played well with Damon Huard, and it’s not a sure thing that he’ll be able to keep it up with Trent Green back under center.

Honorable Mention: Jeremy Shockey (8 rec, 66 yards, 1 TD), Chris Cooley (3 rec, 66 yards, 1 TD), Alge Crumpler (4 rec, 47 yards, 1 TD)

FLATLINERS

Alex Smith (105 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT)
Smith squandered a very nice matchup against a Vikings defense that is pretty bad against the pass, costing this writer at least one win this week. Bastard.

Dishonorable Mention: Brad Johnson (136 yards, 1 INT), Carson Palmer (195 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT), Vince Young (163 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT), Eli Manning (179 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT)

Willis McGahee (4 touches, 15 yards)
McGahee left the game with a rib injury and left his fantasy owners in a pinch. Anthony Thomas came in and played well against the Packers.

Dishonorable Mention: Reggie Bush (15 touches, 17 yards), Carnell Williams (13 touches, 44 yards), Wali Lundy (23 touches, 59 yards), Travis Henry (19 touches, 67 yards), Frank Gore (24 touches, 77 yards), Fred Taylor (13 touches, 79 yards)

Chad Johnson (4 rec, 32 yards)
While Antonio Bryant certainly blew a good matchup this week, Chad Johnson simply isn’t meeting the expectations of those who drafted him in the second round this season.

Dishonorable Mention: Antonio Bryant (2 rec, 24 yards), Troy Williamson (1 rec, 4 yards), Amani Toomer (2 rec, 16 yards), Eddie Kennison (2 rec, 19 yards), Derrick Mason (2 rec, 20 yards), Torry Holt (3 rec, 50 yards)

Antonio Gates (2 rec, 22 yards)
LT ran the ball with ease in the second half and the Chargers didn’t need to use Gates very much.

Dishonorable Mention: Alex Smith (2 rec, 8 yards), Owen Daniels (3 rec, 34 yards)

The Denver Post has reported that Mike Bell will receive a majority of the workload against the Steelers on Sunday…Greg Jennings still has some soreness in his ankle and may not play this week…LaMont Jordan practiced fully on Friday and should play against the Seahawks Monday night…Reggie Bush also practiced on Friday and should be a go against the Bucs…Speaking of the Bucs, they put Chris Simms on IR, ending his season…Darrell Jackson returned to practice on Friday and declared himself ready to play on Monday night…Santana Moss is listed as doubtful and it doesn’t look like he is going to play with his bad hammy…Plaxico Burress was downgraded to questionable after missing practice all week with a bad back. This would make Amani Toomer a better play against the Texans. Burress has apparently been dealing with a sore back since Week 2, so this is something to keep an eye on Sunday morning and for the rest of the season…Chester Taylor is losing third down work to Mewelde Moore, who has been explosive in that role…Laurence Maroney is expected to play against the Colts Sunday night despite being listed as questionable with a thigh injury…Joe Horn has missed practice all week, but the local papers seem to think he’s going to play on Sunday. Be sure to check the inactives before finalizing your roster…After an ankle scare two weeks ago, Clinton Portis is good to go for Sunday’s matchup with the Cowboys…Todd Heap was upgraded to probable even though he missed practice on Friday.

Each week in the Pregame, I’ll provide a few players to start and a few to bench. These recommendations are based on that player’s strength of schedule (SOS) for that particular week or that player’s specific situation.

I’m a strong advocate of always starting your studs, so I won’t be telling you about LaDainian Tomlinson’s tough matchup or how Peyton Manning and company will light it up against a bad defense. Anyone can make those calls. I’ll be discussing marginal fantasy starters – guys that can start for you, but only under certain circumstances.

START

TONY ROMO, BRAD JOHNSON, DREW BREES and DAVID CARR are all marginal starters that have nice matchups this week against subpar pass defenses…If he plays, LAMONT JORDAN should be a nice start against the Seahawks, who have had trouble stopping the run in recent weeks…JAMAL LEWIS and WILLIS MCGAHEE also have good matchups, but don’t bench a stud that’s playing well for any of these guys…MIKE FURREY, EDDIE KENNISON, ANTONIO BRYANT and LEE EVANS are good options this week. They all face subpar pass defenses.

BENCH

PHILLIP RIVERS has a tough matchup against a Browns defense that is pretty good against the pass. Likewise, SENECA WALLACE, MARK BRUNELL and BEN ROETHLISBERGER should probably ride the pine this week…RUDI JOHNSON, RONNIE BROWN, THOMAS JONES and FRANK GORE all have tough matchups this week, but only bench these guys if you have another good option. In fact, I’d probably still start Rudi over the disappointing Jamal Lewis at this point…The NEW ENGLAND RECEIVERS might find the going tough against a Colts team that is pretty good against the pass. The Pats should be able to run at will, so Tom Brady and company may not have to throw it much…SANTANA MOSS also has a bad matchup, but he can explode at any time, so it’s wise only to bench him if you have another good option.

Be sure to check back Saturday for a full injury update. In the meantime, feel free to post your questions on our Fantasy Q & A.