Cadillac Williams experienced back spasms after the team’s loss to Baltimore Sunday. The young RB dealt with the same problem early in training camp and is expected to play in Week 2, but the situation is worth monitoring this week…There are rumblings that Jerry Porter is headed to the Patriots, but at this point, they are just that – rumblings. Even if he’s not traded to the Patriots, I don’t think we’ll see Porter in an Oakland uniform anytime soon…Koren Robinson has signed a two-year deal with the Packers. He hasn’t yet been suspended by the league and is free to play until he is. Hopefully, as part of the contract, the Packers will provide him with a personal driver…Fantasy owners with Antonio Gates and Keenan McCardell on their rosters have to be a little worried after witnessing the Chargers’ attack Monday night. San Diego ran the ball 48 times versus only 11 pass attempts. Phillip Rivers looked very efficient running the offense, so expect that to even out over the next few weeks. If it doesn’t, LaDainian Tomlinson is sure to wear down…Two catches for –3 yards is not what Chris Cooley owners were expecting. Mark Brunell did target the tight end seven times, so his numbers should be much better next week…Troy Williamson caught four passes for 77 yards Monday night, but dropped three others, including a 30-yard bomb in the second quarter. It’s clear that Williamson is the best playmaker in the Minnesota passing game and the team will continue to try to get him the ball. Expect several 100+ yard receiving days for the talented, yet unpolished wideout…Owners who drafted Clinton Portis can breathe a sigh of relief. The back carried 10 times for 39 yards and a score and caught a pair of passes as well. He looked healthy and should be a good play as long as that shoulder holds up…On his second consecutive drop, Javon Walker suffered a slightly dislocated finger. Walker looked pretty rusty after being away from football for a year and only getting one preseason game to get ready for the opener. The good news is that he was able to get open, but he just wasn’t able to hang on to the ball. The entire Denver passing game should look better at home against the Chiefs in Week 2.
Category: NFL (Page 1211 of 1282)
With the first week of the NFL season coming to a conclusion with the Chargers 27-0 thumping of the Raiders last night, I give you my NFL Players of the Week:
For the record, the players of the week could have put up large numbers in their respective games, but what I’m really looking for are the guys that seemed to go above and beyond helping their squad win.
So stat guy, take your numbers and go sit in the corner – we’ll call you when we need you.
AFC Offensive Player of the Week: Chad Pennington, QB NY Jets
Chances are pretty good that I won’t be mentioning Pennington or another NY Jet here a lot during the season, so let me give credit where it’s due. This is a guy who is coming off of two shoulder surgeries within an eight-month span and he goes on to throw for 319 yards and two touchdowns against a very underrated Tennessee defense (remember, it’s the Titans offense that is atrocious). Pennington hooked up with receiver Laveranues Coles eight times for 153 yards and finished with a QB rating of 123.2, which (where is my stat guy?) was the best QB rating in week one. The result: A 23-16 victory and a 1-0 start for the Jets.
AFC Defensive Player of the Week: Justin Smith, DE Cincinnati Bengals
With all due respect to San Diego linebacker Shawne Merriman, who absolutely obliterated the Oakland Raiders last night, Smith was a force to deal with all Sunday afternoon in Kansas City. He finished with three sacks, five tackles and a forced fumble (which re-covered himself) in the Bengals 23-10 victory over the Chiefs. Much like Pennington, a lot of people feel that Smith has something to prove this year. He was the fourth overall pick in the 2001 draft, but really has yet to deliver on the promise he flashed as a rookie. If Smith can give the Bengals this type of effort all season, Cincinnati’s defense probably won’t have to lead the league in interceptions again just to get themselves off the field.
NFC Offensive Player of the Week: Donte’ Stallworth, WR Philadelphia Eagles
Boy did the Eagles need a guy like this. Donovan McNabb only needed eight passes to hook up with Stallworth for a 42 yard touchdown pass in the second quarter of Philly’s 24-10 win over the Texans. Stallworth finished with six receptions for 141 yards and a touchdown and for a moment, he made everybody in Philadelphia forget about the man whose name we do not speak of. His production might not last for an entire season, but for one week Stallworth was dominant and showed why he was a former number one selection. Mark Simoneau and a forth-round pick for this guy? Sorry New Orleans, that was a stretch.
NFC Defensive Player of the Week: John Abraham, DE Atlanta Falcons
Abraham must have attended a real estate seminar before his game against the Panthers, because he took up land in Carolina’s backfield all day long. Even without fellow Pro Bowler Patrick Kerney on the other side for most of the afternoon, Abraham was a one-man wrecking crew in the Falcons 20-6 victory. He finished with two sacks, two forced fumbles, five tackles and made Jake Delhomme carry on a five minute tirade on the sidelines in the third quarter because he had no time to throw. Although he suffered a groin injury on the final defensive series of the game, Abraham is going to be a force to deal with for left tackles all season.
Stat guy wants me to list these guys too:
Offense
Kurt Warner, QB Cardinals – 23/37, 301 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INT, 114.8 QB rating
Donovan McNabb, QB Eagles – 24/35, 314 yards, 3 TDs, 1INT, 113.3 QB rating
LaDainian Tomlinson, RB Chargers – 31 carries for 131 yards, 4.2 AVG, 1 TD
Warrick Dunn, RB Falcons – 29 carries for 132 yards, 4.6 AVG
Laveranues Coles, WR NY Jets – Eight receptions for 153 yards
Larry Fitzgerald, WR Cardinals – Nine receptions for 133 yards
Defense
Shawne Merriman, LB Chargers – Three sacks, six tackles
Brian Young, DE Saints – Three sacks, four tackles
DeMeco Ryans, LB Texans – 12 tackles
London Fletcher, LB Bills – Nine tackles, one fumble recovery for a TD
Keith Bullock, LB Titans – Nine tackles, one forced fumble
Andre Dyson, CB Jets – Two interceptions, five tackles
You’ve got questions. We’ve got answers. Sometimes they’re even the right ones.
Post all of your fantasy questions here.
Think your job is done once the draft is over? Think again. Even the best fantasy teams have weaknesses and it’s your job to try to identify yours and try to fix them. Every year, at least one player that starts out the season on the waiver wire ends up having a great season, it’s just a matter of figuring out who’s going to have the best opportunity to shine. Here are a few guys that look like decent prospects after the first week of games, though there aren’t any players here that I would get too excited about.
QUARTERBACKS
Chad Pennington, NYJ
Over the past couple of years Pennington has accumulated a load of doubters, and he played like he had something to prove against the Titans, finishing with 319 yards and two touchdowns. If you’re looking for QB help (pay attention Trent Green owners), Pennington isn’t a bad option, though his matchup with the Patriots’ defense isn’t exactly a good one.
Charlie Frye, CLE
I was impressed with Frye’s ability to make things happen with his feet. He rushed the ball six times for 44 yards and a score, leading the Browns in that aspect of the game. His passing numbers weren’t very good (132 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT), but he’ll likely be leading a comeback most weeks, so he’ll get ample opportunity to pad his stats in garbage time. Expect lots of throws against Cincinnati next week.
Alex Smith, SF
Smith threw for 288 yards and 1 TD against a less-than-stellar Cardinals defense. Like Frye, Smith is likely to be playing from behind most of the time, so big yardage totals are not out of the question. Smith faces a much-improved Rams defense at home next week, but after that, the schedule doesn’t look too bad.
Rex Grossman, CHI
Grossman torched the Packers for 262 yards and 1 TD, completing 69% of his passes. It’s not clear if the Packers D is that bad or if the Bears’ passing offense is that good, but Grossman has a date with Detroit next week that doesn’t look too foreboding.
RUNNING BACKS
Travis Henry, TEN
Henry is probably already on someone’s roster in your league, but if he isn’t, he’s certainly worth picking up. He’s already staked his claim to the goal line duties in Tennessee and Chris Brown’s hold on the starting job isn’t exactly strong, so Henry could see featured back duties at some point this season.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Jerricho Cotchery, NYJ
Pennington targeted Cotchery 12 times on Sunday, and the third-year wideout caught six passes for 63 yards and a score. He had another TD reception nullified by a holding penalty. Cotchery has passed Justin McCareins on the depth chart and will have an opportunity to produce as long as Pennington is healthy.
Reggie Williams, JAX
Williams got the start over Ernest Wilford and caught a lot of short balls, finishing with six catches for 47 yards and a score. The third-year wideout will have plenty of opportunity to play, but keep in mind that Jacksonville prefers to run the ball.
Marques Colston, NO
Drew Brees found the rookie receiver four times for 49 yards and a touchdown. At 6’4”, he’s a big target and is one of the team’s first options down around the goal line. Someone will have to pick up the slack now that Donte Stallworth is gone, and while Reggie Bush promises to get many of those targets, Colston stands to benefit as well.
Dennis Northcutt, CLE
With Joe Jurevicius out 4-6 weeks, Northcutt will start alongside Braylon Edwards and will likely be the #3 option in the Browns’ passing game. Northcutt isn’t terribly explosive, but does have some value in PPR leagues.
TIGHT ENDS
Desmond Clark, CHI
Chris Baker (NYJ) and Daniel Wilcox (BAL) had better numbers, but Clark has the best chance of being a decent long-term fantasy backup. He caught five balls for 77 yards and appeared to be the #2 target in the passing game after Muhsin Muhammad.
DEFENSES
St. Louis Rams
Defenses don’t get a lot of play on the Waiver Wire Watch, but the Rams did a terrific job of shutting down a Denver offense that should be one of the best in the league this season. This might be a sign of problems for the Broncos, but more likely it’s an indication of just how good of a defensive coach Jim Haslett actually is.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals D tallied seven sacks, forced two fumbles and picked off one pass against Kansas City. They also kept the Chiefs’ running game under wraps, allowing Larry Johnson just 68 yards on the ground.
Here are some random thoughts on that 19-16 barnburner that Minnesota and Washington put on this evening:
– T.J. Duckett: zero carries for zero yards and one first round pick given up by the Redskins to acquire him. Hmmm…
– Will Sean Taylor ever get it? He’s a hell of a player and he laid the wood on several people tonight, but he is as much of a risk to help lose a game for the Redskins, as he is apt to win one for them.
– Speaking of laying a crushing blow on somebody – the block that Carlos Rogers made on an Antwaan Randle El punt return in the first half was absolutely teeth rattling.
– Someone please tell Brad “elbow pads” Johnson to relax on touchdown celebrations before he hurts himself or somebody around him.
– Now that I just ripped him, as long as he stays healthy, Johnson is the perfect quarterback for Brad Childress’s offense. He made great decisions with the ball all night and if Troy Williamson didn’t drop two passes right in the breadbasket, Johnson’s stats would have looked even better.
– Minnesota’s offense will scare absolutely nobody this season, but that’s exactly why it should sneak up on teams this year. They just lull you to sleep and before you know it you’ve given up 300+ yards.
– This is just a theory, but I really think Washington’s defense is going to have a tough time going against teams that run the West Coast Offense. Vertical passing offenses and teams that rely solely on the run are probably going to fall victim to the Skins’ D. But a methodical offense like the Vikings run (Eagles too), can eventually wear this squad thin.
That’s just an observation from the preseason and tonight, but it will be something to keep an eye on.
– How bored did Katie Holmes look in the owner’s booth tonight?
– Seriously, I don’t care why he was in the booth, but if I was a Redskin fan and I saw Tom Cruise sitting next to Dan Snyder – I’d be petitioning right now to make sure Cruise and his band of freaks aren’t setting up a scientology booth outside of FedEx Stadium as we speak.
– I still don’t know what Tony Kornheiser brings to the announcers booth, but (and call me crazy) I like Mike Tirico as a play-by-play guy.
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