Tag: Miami Dolphins (Page 29 of 32)

Fantasy Fallout, Week 5: Sunday’s Games

Everything you need to know (and some stuff you don’t) about the fantasy implications of Week 5 NFL action.

Steelers 26 @ Jaguars 21
Ben Roethlisberger (309 yards, 3 TD, INT) was questionable all week, but he played well, hooking up with Hines Ward (7-90-1), Nate Washington (6-94-1), Heath Miller (5-45-1) and Santonio Holmes (4-65) with regularity…Mewelde Moore (20 touches, 116 yards) filled in admirably for Willie Parker, but failed to score. He looks like a starter caliber fantasy back as long as Parker is out…The Steelers defense was a bit of a disappointment, registering just three sacks and a forced fumble while allowing 21 points to the Jags…David Garrard (200 yards, TD) played pretty well and it looks like he’s starting to develop a rapport with second-year WR Mike Walker, who followed up last week’s five-catch, 46-yard effort against Houston with a six-catch, 107-yard performance tonight. He might be taking over the WR1 role from Matt Jones (2-25) who had a disappointing game just as fantasy owners were starting to trust him in their lineups…Fred Taylor (12 touches, 25 yards) was a non-factor, while Maurice Jones-Drew (11 touches, 30 yards, TD) caught six passes and scored a TD on the ground.

Buccaneers 13 @ Broncos 16
Jay Cutler (227 yards, TD) had an efficient, if unspectacular game…Eddie Royal (3-23) and Brandon Marshall (3-25) were quiet, so Tony Scheffler (4-65) and Brandon Stokley (6-52-1) picked up the slack…Royal may miss the next two games with a bad ankle, and Scheffler will likely miss some time with a strained groin…Denver’s running game was once again split up between Selvin Young (11 touches, 39 yards), Michael Pittman (8 touches, 61 yards) and Andre Hall (7 touches, 30 yards). None of these guys are worth starting on a regular basis, though Pittman is worth a look since he’s getting a vast majority of the goal line carries…Brian Griese (88 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT) was knocked out of the game, so Jeff Garcia (93 yards, TD, INT) came in in relief…Antonio Bryant (7-58) and Ike Hilliard (4-29-1) were the main receiving threats…Warrick Dunn (14 touches, 87 yards) and Earnest Graham (15 touches, 80 yards) once again split running back duties.

Bills 17 @ Cardinals 41
Kurt Warner (250 yards, 2 TD) continues to post good fantasy numbers…Larry Fitzgerald (7-52-2) was the star in the passing game, but Steve Breaston (7-77) and Early Doucet (6-42) are proving that the Cardinals have a deep receiving corps…Edgerrin James (23 touches, 78 yards, TD) had a pretty good game but saw two more TD vultured by Tim Hightower (nine touches, 45 yards, 2 TD)…Trent Edwards was knocked out of the game and J.P. Losman (220 yards, TD, INT) had an Edwards-like day in relief. He hooked up with Lee Evans (2-100-1) for an 87-yard TD…Josh Reed (4-45) and James Hardy (3-35) made some short catches…Marshawn Lynch (16 touches, 65 yards) failed to score…The Bills failed to register a sack or force a turnover which is unbelievable considering Warner’s propensity to give the ball to the other team.

Bengals 22 @ Cowboys 31
Tony Romo (176 yards, 3 TD, INT) continues to post great fantasy numbers…Jason Wiitten (8-79-1) and Terrell Owens (2-67-1) were his favorite targets, though Patrick Crayton (1-15-1) also scored on a tipped ball…Marion Barber (25 touches, 92 yards) had a rather quiet fantasy day, while Felix Jones (10 touches, 103 yards, TD) scored on a 33-yard run…Carson Palmer (217 yards, 2 TD, INT) returned to post some good numbers…T.J. Houshmandzadeh (7-85-2) had a huge day, while Chad Johnson (3-43) was rather quiet…Antonio Chatman (7-55) caught a bunch of underneath stuff…Chris Perry (16 touches, 50 yards) fumbled for the fifth time in as many games, and could be in danger of losing his job to Cedric Benson (10 carries, 30 yards).

Patriots 30 @ 49ers 21
Randy Moss (5-111-1) busted out with a big day after struggling for much of the time that Matt Cassel (259 yards, TD, 2 INT) has been under center…Wes Welker (8-73) continues to thrive in PPR leagues with all of the underneath stuff…Once again, Laurence Maroney (10 carries, 26 yards) was a non-factor. Kevin Faulk (11 touches, 61 yards, 2 TD) and Sammy Morris (16 carries, 63 yards) both had more touches…J.T. O’Sullivan (130 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT) continues to post good fantasy numbers despite three picks…Isaac Bruce (3-49-2) continues to surge and is a regular target at the goal line. He has a knack for finding an opening in the back of the end zone…Bryant Johnson (3-27) was the next best 49er WR…Frank Gore (16 touches, 78 yards, TD) had a solid game. He didn’t rush for a score, but he caught a TD.

Chiefs 0 @ Panthers 34
The Carolina defense was my DTBWW pick and they didn’t disappoint, posting zero points allowed, three sacks, two INT and two fumble recoveries…DeAngelo Williams had a huge day (21 touches, 148 yards, 3 TD) but he probably wasn’t in too many starting lineups this week…Jonathan Stewart turned 20 touches into 80 yards…Jake Delhomme (236 yards, 2 TD, INT) had a nice day throwing to Steve Smith (6-96) and Muhsin Muhammad (3-71-1)…Dante Rosario didn’t have a catch…The Chiefs offense was brutal…Damon Huard (86 yards, 2 INT) and Tyler Thigpen (37 yards) struggled all day…Larry Johnson had seven carries for two yards…Dwayne Bowe (5-57) and Tony Gonzalez (3-17) had quiet days.

Ravens 10 @ Titans 13
There wasn’t a whole lot of offense in this game…Kerry Collins (163 yards, TD, 2 INT) posted decent numbers throwing mainly to Bo Scaife (7-72). Scaife is starting to look like a starter-caliber fantasy TE, as long as Collins is under center, anyway…Chris Johnson (20 touches, 48 yards) struggled against a good Ravens defense…LenDale White (4 touches, 4 yards) was a non-factor…Brandon Jones (3-54) seems like the main guy (after Scaife) when Gage is out…Joe Flacco (153 yards, 2 INT) had a predictably rough game against a good defense, but he did finally target Todd Heap (4-41) a few times…Derrick Mason (5-38) and Mark Clayton (4-37) had quiet days…Willis McGahee (23 touches, 65 yards) played, but had a TD run vultured by Le’Ron McClain (13 touches, 63 yards).

Bears 34 @ Lions 0
Kyle Orton was a sneaky good start this week and he didn’t disappoint (334 yards, 2 TD)…Matt Forte (19 touches, 61 yards, 2 TD) had a big day and is a must-start week to week…Rashied Davis (6-97) led the Bears in receiving, but Greg Olsen (3-87) had a big yardage day as well…Devin Hester (5-66-1) might be worth a pickup if you need help at WR…In addition to the shutout, the Bears defense posted four sacks, an INT return for a TD and a fumble recovery…Jon Kitna (74 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT) had a rough day, and might be in danger of losing his job…Roy Williams (7-96) got a ton of looks, and the Lions may have been trying to showcase him for a possible trade…Calvin Johnson (2-16) struggled…Kevin Smith turned 12 touches into 56 yards and a D, while Rudi Johnson posted 32 yards on eight touches.

Falcons 27 @ Packers 24
Matt Ryan (194 yards, 2 TD, INT) played pretty well and would have had a third TD (and no INT) if he hadn’t severely underthrown a wide-open receiver in the second half…Roddy White (8-132-1) caught all of his passes in the first half…Justin Peele (2-15-1) caught the other Ryan TD…Michael Turner (26 carries, 121 yards, TD) had a very nice day…Aaron Rodgers (313 yards, 3 TD, INT) was bothered by a sore shoulder, but managed to post good fantasy numbers…Ryan Grant (18 carries, 83 yards) looked good running the ball…Greg Jennings (4-87-1) and Donald Driver (3-68-1) had solid days, while Donald Lee (4-25-1) and Tory Humphrey (4-67) gave the Packers a good one-two punch at TE.

Colts 31 @ Texans 27
Peyton Manning (247 yards, 2 TD, INT) and the Colts were able to capitalize on Sage Rosenfels’ mistakes…Reggie Wayne (7-97-1), Dallas Clark (5-81), Marvin Harrison (4-32) and Tom Santi (4-27-1) were the main receivers in the Colts’ passing game. Manning and Harrison don’t seem like they’re on the same page right now…Joseph Addai (17 carries, 71 yards, TD) had a solid game, but he’s not very involved in the passing game (1 catch, 3 yards)…Anthony Gonzalez (1-3) had a very quiet day…Rosenfels (246 yards, TD) played pretty well until the final quarter, when two fumbles and an interception allowed the Colts to steal the win…Andre Johnson (9-131-1) had a huge game and Owen Daniels (5-47) had another solid outing…Steve Slaton (16 carries, 93 yards, 2 TD) had a big day against a very bad Colts rush defense…Ahman Green (12 carries, 47 yards) returned from injury and played pretty well…Kevin Walter (2-36) had a quiet game.

Chargers 10 @ Dolphins 17
Chad Pennington was solid (228 yards, TD) throwing mainly to Greg Camarillo (6-68-1) and Ted Ginn (7-55). Camarillo is turning into a good spot starter in PPR leagues and Ginn is starting to show some life…Anthony Fasano (3-47) hada prety good game at TE…Ronnie Brown (24 carries, 125 yards, TD) had another big day…Ricky Williams (14 touches, 39 yards) is taking a back seat in the running game…The Chargers offense was disappointing, starting with Phillip Rivers (156 yards, TD), continuing with Antonio Gates (1-12), and ending with LaDainian Tomlinson (17 touches, 57 yards)…Vincent Jackson (2-56) and Chris Chambers (3-30-1) had decent games.

Seahawks 6 @ Giants 44
Eli Manning (267 yards, 2 TD) continues his strong play…Domenik Hixon (4-102-1) took advantage of the absence of Plaxico Burress to have his coming out party…Amani Toomer (4-64) had a disappointing day, all things considered…Sinorice Moss (4-45-2) scored twice…Brandon Jacobs (16 touches 145 yards, 2 TD) had a monster day, while Ahmad Bradshaw (11 carries, 65 yards) and Derrick Ward (9 touches, 50 yards) spelled Jacobs…Kevin Boss (2-9) was a big disappointment after talk that he’d be getting extra looks with Burress out…Bobby Engram (8-61) had a nice first game back and looks like a WR3-type in PPR leagues…Deion Branch’s return (3-31) was less encouraging, especially considering the score…Matt Hasselbeck (105 yards, INT) had a bad day, and his stock is probably as low as it has been all season…Julius Jones (18 touches, 74 yards) had a quiet game considering how strong he’s been the last few weeks…T.J. Duckett (4 carries, 14 yards) wasn’t much of a factor…The Seahawks defense should only be started when the matchup is favorable.

Redskins 23 @ Eagles 17
Clinton Portis (31 touches, 158 yards, TD) had a huge game against a good Eagles defense…Jason Campbell (176 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT) had a quiet day, but he did connect with Chris Cooley (8-109-1) several times…Santana Moss didn’t have a catch…Antwaan Randle El (3-34) threw the TD to Portis…Shaun Suisham is starting to look like one of the steadier K plays in the league…The Eagles offense didn’t look too good, and it started with Donovan McNabb (196 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT)…DeSean Jackson returned a punt for a TD, but otherwise had a very quiet game (3 touches, 21 yards)…Reggie Brown (4-84) looks like a solid play in most PPR leagues…Brian Westbrook (18 touches, 84 yards, TD) had his normally productive day…L.J. Smith (3-26) is still a TE2 at this point.

New regimes changing the culture in Miami, Atlanta

Ronnie BrownTwo of the worst teams in the NFL last year resided in Miami and Atlanta. So following the 2007 season, the two franchises decided to start fresh with new front office personal, new head coaches and a lot of new faces on their respective rosters.

The Dolphins hired Bill Parcells to run the football operations and former Cowboys’ assistant Tony Sparano to replace Cam Cameron as head coach. The Falcons tabbed former Patriots’ director of college scouting Thomas Dimitroff as GM and ex-Jaguars’ defensive coordinator Mike Smith as head coach.

Few pundits figured that with all of the changes that were made, that the Dolphins and Falcons would compete right away. But that’s exactly what’s happening.

After beating the Patriots two weeks ago, the Dolphins pulled off another big upset on Sunday, knocking off the Chargers 17-10 in Miami. The team once again used the “Wildcat” formation with Ronnie Brown taking direct snaps and gashing San Diego for 125 yards and a touchdown. Chad Pennington (one of those new roster faces) was also solid, completing 22 of 29 passes for 228 yards and a touchdown.

Matt RyanMeanwhile, the Falcons and rookie QB Matt Ryan (one of the many new faces on the Falcons’ overhauled roster) waltz into Green Bay, mounted a 17-7 lead and eventually hung on for a 27-24 win. It was Ryan’s first win on the road as a starter, and the team’s third victory of the season. Not bad for a team that many prognosticators predicted would only have one or two wins total in 2008.

One thing that both of these teams lacked in prior years was toughness and neither franchise was very physical. But Sparano and Smith have changed that in just a short period of time and it’s amazing how much of a difference a year can make. Especially in Atlanta’s case, which was left in complete disarray following Michael Vick’s arrest and Bobby Petrino’s spinelessness.

NFL News and Notes: Rams bench QB Marc Bulger

Marc Bulger– After stumbling to a 0-3 start and looking atrocious while doing so, the St. Louis Rams have decided to make a change. Veteran Trent Green will reportedly start at quarterback this weekend against the undefeated Buffalo Bills as the Rams have decided to bench Marc Bulger. (NFL.com)

– Willie Parker will miss Monday night’s game against the Baltimore Ravens after spraining his knee in last week’s loss to the Eagles. Rookie Rashard Mendenhall is expected to make his first NFL start. (NFL.com)

– Packers’ CB Al Harris could be lost for the entire season with a ruptured spleen, which was the same injury that knocked out former Bucs’ QB Chris Simms for the entire 2006 season. Tramon Williams, a second-year undrafted free agent, is currently Harris’s backup at left corner. (National Football Post)

– RB Brian Westbrook reportedly suffered a high ankle sprain during the Eagles’ win over the Steelers Sunday, a game in which “Westy” had to leave the game in the first half. His status for this Sunday’s game is still up in the air, but Westbrook expects to play. (Rotoworld.com)

– Struggling quarterback Derek Anderson is expected to start in Week 4 for the Cleveland Browns, but the team is prepping second-year backup Brady Quinn to play. Anderson could have a quick hook if he struggles Sunday against Cincinnati. (ESPN’s Chris Mortensen)

– Despite his poor performance in Tennessee last Sunday, Matt Schuab will reportedly keep the starting quarterback job in Houston. Unfortunately for Schaub, things don’t get any easier against Jacksonville this Sunday. (Houston Chronicle)

– After destroying the Patriots with it last Sunday, the Miami Dolphins will keep the ‘Wildcat’ package in their offensive. RB Ronnie Brown shredded New England for over 100 yards and four touchdowns while lining up predominately in that formation last Sunday. (South Florida Sun-Sentinel)


Obviously, the Bulger news is big, but I doubt there were too many owners starting him last week. His numbers are down and I think most of us were expecting him to eventually turn it around and finish somewhere in the top 15. Scott Linehan is apparently desperate and feels like he’s on the verge of getting fired. Trent Green is old, but STL has some weapons so he could be a decent spot starter if he can get in the groove…As for Westy, Correll Buckhalter looks like the primary backup despite all the preseason talk about Lorenzo Booker…Rashard Mendenhall will be a hot pickup this week, but don’t break the bank in Blind Bidding leagues. He faces a tough Ravens defense and Parker could be back as early as next week. But if you can add him cheaply, do so, as you never know with knee sprains…Brady Quinn is a guy to target in larger leagues. The “Bench Derek Anderson” talk seems to be getting louder and louder and Quinn has a chance to be good with all the weapons in the Browns’ offense.

Fantasy Fallout, Week 3: Sunday’s Games

Chiefs 14 @ Falcons 38
If the matchup is good, you have to get Michael Turner in your lineup. He posted 104 rushing yards and three TD against a bad Kansas City rush defense…Jerious Norwood turned 12 touches into 105 yards…Matt Ryan had an efficient day, throwing for 192 yards and a score…Roddy White (5-119-1) had his first big game of the season and looks startable again…The Falcons defense had three picks (and returned one for a score, registered two sacks, and looks like a good start against bad defenses, especially at home…Larry Johnson looked like his old self rumbling for 121 yards and a score, though he’s still (mysteriously) not involved in the passing game…Dwayne Bowe (4-43-1) continues to play well despite the Chiefs problems at QB…Tony Gonzalez (4-35) had a quiet game but was involved…Tyler Thigpen threw for just 128 yards and a score, and was picked off three times.

Raiders 23 @ Bills 24
The Buffalo defense struggled in a game where they shouldn’t have. They gave up 23 points, and only registered a single sack and a single turnover…Marshawn Lynch looked great, turning 27 touches into 115 yards and two TD…Trent Edwards continued his steady play, posting 279 yards, one TD and one pick…Lee Evans (4-65) and Josh Reed (6-72) led the Bills in receiving, though Roscoe Parrish (3-42-1) was the only Buffalo wideout to score…JaMarcus Russell threw for 156 yards, one TD and also had a 1-yard touchdown run…Darren McFadden only had 48 yards on 17 touches, while Michael Bush had 60 yards on 15 touches…Zach Miller and Ronald Curry each failed to catch a ball, but there was a Javon Walker sighting as the gimpy wideout caught two passes for 18 yards.

Bucs 27 @ Bears 24
Brian Griese surprised everyone with 407 yards and two TD. He also threw for three picks, but since the Bucs couldn’t run the ball (Dunn – 31 yards, Graham – 16 yards), Tampa Bay called 67 passes…Antonio Bryant (10-138) seems to be the main beneficiary of Joey Galloway’s absence and is worth a pickup as long as Galloway is out…Ike Hilliard (6-57-1) thrives underneath and Jerramy Stevens (5-61-1) finally capitalized on some of that physical talent he has…Even Michael Clayton (5-54) got into the act…Brutal day for Earnest Graham (16 yards rushing, no catches)…Matt Forte (27 carries, 89 yards; 7-66-1 receiving) is an every week starter…Brandon Lloyd stepped up with 6-124-1, and after 5-66 last week, he’s starting to look like a wideout to roster…Kyle Orton (268 passing yards, 2 TD, 2 INT) had a nice fantasy day.

Panthers 10 @ Vikings 20
Carolina was in control (10-3) until a sack and fumble return for a TD late in the first half…Jake Delhomme (191 passing yards) had a disappointing day, especially with Steve Smith (4-70) back, against a suspect Minnesota secondary…Predictably, the Panthers couldn’t run against the Vikings stout defensive line. Jonathan Stewart (7 touches, 15 yards, 1 TD) and DeAngelo Williams (12 touches, 44 yards) just couldn’t get anything going…Muhsin Muhammad (3-25) and Dante Rosario (2-18) suffered through Delhomme’s bad day…Gus Frerotte (204 passing yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) had a solid if unspectacular day…The same goes for Adrian Peterson (17 carries, 77 yards)…Chester Taylor had 14 touches for 66 yards…Bernard Berrian (3-79) and Visanthe Shiancoe (2-38-1) seemed to benefit the most from Frerotte under center.

Dolphins 38 @ Patriots 13
This was a stunner…Fantasy owners ballsy (or desperate) enough to start Ronnie Brown against a normally stout Patriot rush defense were rewarded with one of the all-time best fantasy lines; he had 17 rushes for 113 rushing yards and four rush TD and also threw for a score…Anthony Fasano followed up last week’s goose egg with nice 3-66-1 day…Chad Pennington was solid (226 passing yards), but failed to throw for a score…Ricky Williams turned 18 touches into 119 yards, but didn’t score…Greg Camarillo (4-60) and Ted Ginn (5-49) led the WR corps…Matt Cassel might be in trouble as the starter if the best he can do against the Dolphins is 131 passing yards, one TD and a pick. He had a rushing TD that was called back because the ref thought he was in the grasp. Bad call…Wes Welker (6-55) led the Patriots in receiving and also had a 19-yard run…Jabar Gaffney (6-51-1) had a nice day but Randy Moss (4-25) did not. It looks like Cassel under center is really affecting Moss…Sammy Morris (10 touches, 27 yards) and LaMont Jordan (6 touches, 22 yards) filled in horribly for Laurence Maroney…The Patriots DT failed to register a sack and only forced one turnover. A horrible all-around day for New England.

Bengals 23 @ Giants 26
Eli Manning got off to a slow start but finished with 286 yards passing and a TD…Plaxico Burress (3-45) wasn’t much of a factor. Amani Toomer (5-64) led the Giants in receiving yards, while Steve Smith (7-60) and Kevin Boss (3-51-1) picked up Burress’ slack…Brandon Jacobs (14 carries, 35 yards, TD) was largely ineffective, while Derrick Ward (12 touches, 106 yards) was the Giants’ best RB on the day…Ahmad Bradshaw only saw three touches on the day…Carson Palmer broke out of his slump with 286 yards and a TD, and T.J. Houshmandzadeh (12-146-1) had a monster day…Chad Johnson (3-29) was quiet…Chris Perry (22 touches, 93 yards and a TD) looks like he’s startable under certain circumstances…Shayne Graham looks like a decent option now that the Bengals offense looks like it’s back on track.

Texans 12 @ Titans 31
LenDale White was the Tennessee RB to shine this week with 49 yards and two TD. Chris Johnson turned 18 touches into 79 yards…With Justin Gage out, Kerry Collins (189 passing yards, TD, INT) focused on Justin McCareins (4-90) and Bo Scaife (3-26-1), who continues to be a better fantasy TE than Alge Crumpler (2-26)…Matt Schaub (188 passing yards, no TD, 3 INT) had a horrible day, and Andre Johnson (2-29) suffered as a result…Owen Daniels (4-71) posted nice numbers, but it was Steve Slaton (22 touches for 124 total yards and a TD) that was the Texans’ offensive star.

Cardinals 17 @ Redskins 24
Things are looking pretty good for Washington’s new West Coast Offense, as Jason Campbell threw for 193 yards and two TD…Clinton Portis (23 touches, 86 yards, TD) had a solid day…Santana Moss (7-75-1) continued his strong play, while Chris Cooley (7-72) had nice numbers for a TE…Antwaan Randle El (3-23) was quiet…Kurt Warner (192 yards, 2 TD, INT) put up nice stats and Larry Fitzgerald (7-109-1) was the main beneficiary…Anquan Boldin (3-25-1) had a quiet day but did score…Edgerrin James (20 touches, 108 yards) didn’t score for the third consecutive week.

Saints 32 @ Broncos 34
Jay Cutler threw for 264 yards, 2 TD and was picked off once in another nice game…Brandon Marshall (6-155-1) had another huge game, but Eddie Royal (4-11) wasn’t very involved…Tony Scheffler (4-32) followed up last week’s huge game with a quiet one…Selvin Young turned 12 touches into 72 yards, but was once again pulled around the goal line. Michael Pittman (5 carries, 2 yards, TD) scored again…Drew Brees (421 yards, TD) had a monster day throwing to Reggie Bush (11-75-1), Jeremy Shockey (8-75), Lance Moore (7-78) and six other receivers…Bush also carried the ball 18 times for 73 yards and a TD, but was pulled at the goal line for Pierre Thomas (9 touches, 23 yards, 2 TD)…Still no sign of Deuce McAllister.

Lions 13 @ 49ers 31
J.T. O’Sullivan (189 passing yards, 2 TD, 32 rushing yards) is turning into a good start against certain competition…Frank Gore (31 touches, 162 yards, TD) continues to play like a beast…Bryant Johnson (1-25) was a disappointment, while Delanie Walker (3-44-1) turned in a nice game…Isaac Bruce (2-19-1) also caught a TD, while Vernon Davis (1-17) had another disappointing game. For some reason, Mike Martz does not like using Davis…Jon Kitna (146 yards, TD, INT) struggled, and Calvin Johnson (4-40) and Roy Williams (2-18) posted bad numbers as a result…Rudi Johnson (17 touches, 131 yards, TD) capitalized on the mysterious disappearance of Kevin Smith from the Lions’ gameplan. Rudi looked spry and should be owned in all leagues pending word of Smith’s status.

Rams 13 @ Seahawks 37
Despite Seattle’s decimated receiving corps, Matt Hasselbeck (172 passing yards, TD) still had a decent day. With Bobby Engram and Deion Brach supposedly back in Week 5, Hass is a guy to try to buy low, especially if his current owner has another good QB to lean on…Julius Jones had another huge day (140 yards rushing, TD) and looks like a good start as long as Maurice Morris remains out…T.J. Duckett (19 carries, 79 yards, 2 TD) was a big factor as well…In the receiving game, it was Billy McMullen (4-75), TE John Carlson (2-38) and Michael Bumpus (2-29-1)…Marc Bulger struggled (184 yards, TD, INT) and Torry Holt (4-37) continues his relatively quiet season…Steven Jackson had 128 total yards on 28 touches, but failed to score.

Browns 10 @ Ravens 28
The Ravens defense racked up four sacks, one fumble recovery and picked off three passes (including an Ed Reed return TD)…Joe Flacco struggled (129 passing yards, 2 INT), but it didn’t matter…Willis McGahee returned to carry the ball 15 times for 64 yards and a score, while Le”Ron McClain carried the ball 17 times for 66 yards and two TD…Ray Rice was a non-factor (5 carries, 21 yards)…Derrick Mason led all Baltimore receivers with 4-42, while Todd Heap chipped in with 2-32…Mark Clayton (2-14) wasn’t very involved…Derek Anderson (125 yards, TD, 3 INT) and Jamal Lewis (15 touches, 77 yards) struggled, as did Braylon Edwards (3-27) and Kellen Winslow (2-14). I wonder when the Brady Quinn talk will start.

Jaguars 23 @ Colts 21
Fred Taylor (26 carries, 121 yards) and Maurice Jones-Drew (19 carries, 107 yards, TD) took advantage of a very bad Colts rush defense that was missing Bob Sanders. Jones-Drew also had 4-59 in the passing game…Despite the win, David Garrard (167 yards, INT) continued his disappointing season…Matt Jones (4-32) should be rostered in bigger PPR leagues…Peyton Manning (216 yards, TD, 2 INT) wasn’t particularly sharp and Reggie Wayne (3-72) and Marvin Harrison (4-40-1) had quiet games as a result…Anthony Gonzalez (2-37) came back to Earth after a huge game last week…Joseph Addai turned 17 touches into 88 yards and two scores.

Steelers 6 @ Eagles 15
This was an all-around ugly game…Donovan McNabb (196 passing yards, TD, INT) finished with decent numbers…Brian Westbrook (five carries, 12 yards) was knocked out of the game with an ankle injury and is iffy for Week 4. The guy to pick up is Correll Buckhalter, who turned 16 touches into 87 yards and a TD…Hank Baskett (8-84) had a nice game, while DeSean Jackson (5-40) was a mild disappointment…The Eagles DT posted nine sacks, two fumble recoveries and an interception and should be owned in most leagues…The Steelers struggled offensively…Ben Roethlisberger (131 yards, 2 INT, 2 fumbles) had an awful game and was knocked out after a wrist injury…Willie Parker (13 carries, 20 yards) was also a disappointment, as was Hines Ward (4-34) and Santonio Holmes (3-32)…The only real bright spot was Heath Miller (4-63).

Cowboys 27 @ Packers 16
The Packers limited Terrell Owens to just 2-17, but Miles Austin (2-115-1) and Jason Witten (7-67) had big days…Patrick Crayton failed to catch a pass, and probably isn’t worth starting unless he can get on track…Tony Romo (260 pass yards, TD, INT) finished with decent numbers…Marion Barber (31 touches, 157 yards, TD) was the star…Felix Jones also contributed with seven carries for 76 yards, which included a 60-yard TD run…Aaron Rodgers (290 yards, rush TD) finished with good numbers but he didn’t have a great game…Greg Jennings (8-115) continues to shine while Donald Driver (4-76) is taking more of a complementary role…Jordy Nelson (4-42) seems to be the team’s WR, while Donald Lee (5-41) is simply a solid backup fantasy TE…Ryan Grant looked a lot better, but only finished with 54 yards on 13 carries. Still the ypc (4.2) is respectable and it looked like he had his burst back. I expect him to pick it up over the next month as long as he doesn’t tweak that hammy.

NFL Week 3 Recaps

Below are snippets of all the Week 3 action in the NFL. For more analysis and discussion on each game, click on the links provided.

Ronnie Brown– Ronnie Brown scored five touchdowns as the Miami Dolphins shocked the New England Patriots 38-13.

– The New York Giants avoided their first loss of season thanks to John Carney’s 22-yard game-winning field goal in a 26-23 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in overtime.

– Matt Ryan and Michael Turner helped the Falcons earn their second win of the season as Atlanta crushed the Chiefs 38-14.

– The Bills needed a 38-yard game winning field goal from Rian Lindell as time expired to beat the Oakland Raiders 24-23.

– Brian Griese attempted a near-record 67 passes as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Chicago Bears 27-24 in overtime. It was the second time in as many weeks that the Bears lost despite having a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter.

– The Vikings used a great defensive effort to beat the Carolina Panthers 20-10, earning their first win of the season.

– The Tennessee Titans flustered Houston QB Matt Schaub in a 31-12 rout of the Texans.

– Jason Campbell and the Washington Redskins earned their second victory of the year, beating the Arizona Cardinals 24-17.

Denver Broncos– The red-hot Broncos won their third straight, beating the New Orleans Saints in a wild, 34-32 shootout in Denver.

– The Eagles harassed QB Ben Roethlisberger all game, coming away with a 15-6 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Philly.

– Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens notched their second win of the year, beating Derek Anderson and the struggling Cleveland Browns 28-10.

– Julius Jones rushed for 140 yards and a touchdown as the Seattle Seahawks crushed the hapless St. Louis Rams, 37-13.

– Offensive coordinator Mike Martz and his San Francisco 49ers beat his former team, the Detroit Lions 31-13.

– The Jacksonville Jaguars avoided falling to 0-3 on the season thanks to Josh Scobee’s 51-yard field goal with less than 10 seconds remaining in a 23-21 win over division rival Indianapolis.

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