The national story of the day, and one that would have a massive effect on fantasy football, was the six new starting quarterbacks around the league. Whether it was because of injury or bad performances, Tim Tebow, Charlie Whitehurst, John Beck, Kyle Boller, Christian Ponder, and AJ Feeley were going to make their first starts of the year.
Up until week six (I believe) the league set a record for most quarterbacks to start every game up to that point when 30 of 32 teams were still with the same QB that they had in week one. That is no longer the case.
Those six quarterbacks finished 1-5 last week, and if it weren't for the power of Jesus himself in the fourth quarter, they would have gone winless. Yes, it's pretty important to have a good quarterback. (I first typo'd that as it's important to have a god quarterback. Here we go talking about Tebow again.)
These losses include losing to a 1-5 Carolina team, losing to the Chiefs at home, and losing to a Cleveland team that managed six points. You have to be able to move the football, you have to have a quarterback to win in the NFL.
For every time that someone says "Brad Johnson" or "Trent Dilfer" to you when mentioning that you can win a Super Bowl without a great quarterback, make sure to mention to them that the Ravens and Bucs haven't been to the Super Bowl since then. Mention that in the last five Super Bowls the quarterbacks are: Peyton Manning twice, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger twice, Kurt Warner, Eli Manning, and Rex Grossman.
The only one of those quarterbacks that doesn't belong is Grossman, and he played with one of the greatest defenses of this century, and survived in spite of him not because of him.
If you want sustainable success in the NFL, you have to have a great quarterback. At best you can have a good quarterback with a great defense (Big Ben) but you need to have stability at the position. Six teams were forced to move to their second (or third) option yesterday, and they finished 1-5, and it could have very easily been 0-6. Next week some of those teams may be able to move back to option A, some may move onto option C, some have found that option B was better than option A.
Pay close attention, because no matter what, you'll want to have fantasy players on teams that have their best option starting. Onto the games...
Newton Pulling Panthers Out of the Luck Race, Shanahan Pushing the Redskins In
After week four, the Redskins were 3-1 and boasted one of the top defenses in the NFL. Rex Grossman had beaten out John Beck for the starting job and was given a second chance in the league, but he only had to beat out a player who hadn't started since 2007 when he went 0-4 for the Dolphins.
This wasn't exactly Ali versus Frazier. It was more like Bum #1 versus Bum #2 in Underground Bum Fights 42.
Which brings us back to "You can't win in this league without a good quarterback or a great defense." Grossman is a bad quarterback, and only the defense could save him. But they aren't quite that good. So the Skins have dropped to 3-3 and made the switch to Beck. Too bad we already knew that John Beck isn't a savior.
Beck was an admirable 22 of 37 for 279 yards, 1 TD/1 INT, but it comes against the suspect defense of Carolina. Don't get me wrong, I don't think the Redskins are going to wind up with the worst record in the league, they already have three wins, but I highly doubt that they'll finish .500 or better.
Mike Shanahan continues to drive fantasy owners crazy. After it looked like Tim Hightower had dropped out of the committee altogether, he rushed for 88 yards on 17 carries. Beck vultured the only rushing touchdown. Hightower then suffered what could be a major injury (feared to be a torn ACL) so will it be Ryan Torain or Roy Helu? Most likely it will be Shanahan giving 15 carries to Olandis Gary, because Shanahan hates you.
Santana Moss is expected to miss 3 to 4 weeks with a broken bone in his left hand. I wouldn't upgrade any Skins wide receivers because that whole offense is a mess. Fred Davis did have 80 yards and a score, and maybe he will be the benfit of a few more targets as the year progresses.
Meanwhile, Cam Newton led the Panthers to their 2nd win of the season, and even if they beat a banged up Redskins team, I'm starting to believe in Carolina as a threat. Not to make the playoffs, but they're legitimately a tough team to beat.
Newton threw for 256 yards and 1 TD/0 INT, and rushed for another score on 59 yards on the ground. Jonathan Stewart had 68 yards and a TD, DeAngelo Williams had 35 yards on 10 carries. The Panthers lead the NFL in rushing touchdowns, almost all of them going to Cam. He now has 17 touchdowns total in seven games.
Steve Smith added 143 yards on 7 catches and with Wes Welker on a bye, Smith leads the NFL in receiving with 818 yards. Smith hasn't topped 1,000 yards since 2008 when he finished first in the NFL in yards per game with 101.5. He's putting up 116.9 yards per game this season.
Cleveland Indians Beat Seattle Mariners 6-3
Normally I only recap football games, but allow me a moment to talk about the Indians beating the Mariners yesterday in a baseball game. The final score was 6-3 and Colt McCoy pitched 5 innin- wait a minute. No, that can't be right. McCoy is a quarterback, not a pitcher. What the hell is going on here? But the score was Cleveland 6, Seattle 3. That can't be a football game, can it?
Oh crap, it is. Damn you Seattle and Cleveland!
As a Seahawks fan I watched every minute of this God awful game. And trust me when I say it felt like it took all day long. Neither of these teams reached the opponents 30 yard line in the first half. The most exciting play was a blocked field goal by Seattle and other than that, there weren't many other moments you could pick out as memorable. I'm honestly having a hard time remembering one other thing from the first half. There were a couple of exciting plays in the 2nd half, but still these teams went nowhere.
The Hawks scratched Tarvaris Jackson on Friday and Charlie Whitehurst got the start. I was really hoping that wouldn't happen, but believe it or not, Whitehurst still had some fans and people who thought he should be starting over Jackson. He doesn't anymore.
Whitehurst went 12 of 30 for 97 yards, 0 TD/1 INT. The Browns have a very good pass defense and one of the best cornerbacks in the league with Joe Haden, but his performance was every bit as bad as the numbers suggest, if not worse.
Marshawn Lynch was a game time scratch and did not play. Leon Washington had 7 carries for 39 yards and Justin Forsett had 8 for 23. It's hard to say right now if Lynch will miss another game, but if he does, I wouldn't count on the backups. Even if I like them as change-of-pace backs, I don't like them as every down backs and that showed on Sunday.
Sidney Rice led the Hawks in receiving with 2 catches for 38 yards. Yes, that led the team. No other player topped 20 yards. It was terrible to watch.
Colt McCoy was 20 of 35 for 178 yards, 0 TD/1 INT. There were a couple of passes that should have been intercepted and weren't. Plus the Hawks were without their top cornerback Marcus Trufant (out for year) and then lost Walter Thurmond during the game (he will not miss the rest of the year too.) Meaning that McCoy really isn't a very good option right now either.
I thought Montario Hardesty ran well in the absence of Peyton Hillis against a tough run defense, but he still only got 95 yards on 33 carries. Running back Chris Ogbonnaya led the Browns with 5 catches for 43 yards. Mohamad Massaquoi left with a concussion.
As If the City of Detroit Needed More Bad News, Lions Lose at Home and Stafford Gets Hurt
Everything, absolutely everything, was coming up Lions after five weeks. They were 5-0 and Matthew Stafford was finally the picture of health and proving to be a top 10 quarterback in the league at the very least. Two weeks later and Detroit is 5-2 and Stafford got hurt on the Lions final offensive play against the Falcons yesterday.
Stafford will have an MRI and the news may be out before I finish writing this article.
Things just haven't clicked for Detroit in the last two weeks and the news just keeps getting worse before it gets better.
Stafford struggled for the 2nd straight game and went 15-of-32 for 183 yards, 1 TD/0 INT, against a Falcons defense that has not been good against the pass. Calvin Johnson was just fine though and came up with 115 yards on 5 catches with a score. Still, if Stafford misses significant time, it's bad news for Johnson.
Jahvid Best was out, so Maurice Morris and Keiland Williams split carries and combined for 94 yards on 18 carries. Hopefully Best will return soon. The Lions play Denver this week and then get a much needed bye.
The Falcons pulled out a much needed win to get to 4-3 on the year. Matt Ryan continues to do poorly however and was 20 of 34, 218 yards with 1 TD/2 INT. Seven games into the season and Ryan carries only 9 TD against 8 INT. He did rush for his 2nd TD of the year.
Michael Turner put in another good game with 122 yards on 27 carries, but he missed out on that TD. Turner is third in the NFL in rushing now.
Another slow day for Roddy White (5 catches for 52 yards) was saved by a touchdown. Tony Gonzalez had 5 catches for 62 yards. Julio Jones is still out. The Falcons have a bye this week.
Broncos Prove the Existence of God, and His Name is Tim Tebow
Revelations 6:14 says "And God so loved the World that he sacrificed his Son to them. Taking the form of a Gator and then turning into a Horse, My Son will bring the World down to it's knees, and then crush it with his fists and legs of faith. Amen."
Or maybe it's something like that. I'm not a bible expert. But Tebow is and he used that power to bring Denver back from a 15 point deficit in the fourth quarter on the road to win 18-15 in overtime over Miami.
Let us not forget that my twitter was absolutely jampacked all morning with tweets about how Tim Tebow was the worst starting quarterback in the NFL and looked terrible even in comparison to Charlie Whitehurst.
In the first quarter, Denver gained 52 net yards and 0 points. In the second quarter, Denver gained 78 net yards and 0 points. In the third quarter, Denver gained 7 net yards and 0 points. Tim Tebow had rushed for more yards than he had thrown for and at one point I just remember him being 4 of 14 for 44 yards. That may have not even been at his worst.
Denver gained 22 yards on their next two drives that ended in punts in the fourth quarter. Then all of a sudden they put up 136 yards on their final two drives, score on both of them, and added a two-point conversion to tie the game. How? Why? What the?
Never underestimate the power of the Dolphins sucktitude.
Tim Tebow finished 13 of 27 for 161 yards, 2 TD/0 INT and 65 yards on the ground. I have him on my bench behind Stafford, and he doubled the fantasy totals of the guy who has been my hero all season.
Willis McGahee had 76 yards, but broke his hand. Upgrades for Knowshon Moreno I suppose but in this offense, rushing scores could be headed Tebow's way. Daniel Fells and Demaryius Thomas each caught a TD, but not a lot of yards going around. Eric Decker would have seemed like the best option in the post-Lloyd era, but he had 2 catches for 21 yards.
Matt Moore was 22 of 33 for Miami with 197 yards, 1 TD/0 INT. I actually don't think Moore is a terrible QB. Maybe not a great one, but he would make a fine backup in a good offense, but he's the starter on a bad offense.
Daniel Thomas had 53 yards on 19 carries. Bush added 42 yards. Brandon Marshall finished with 6 catches for 61. There's just not a lot of offense or intrigue in Miami, which is why they'll probably be better off continuing not to win. The Dolphins need Luck more than anyone.
Plaxico Burress to be Overrated After Three TD Game in Win over Chargers
Last week I talked about Burress as being "unownable" and so of course he scores three times on Sunday against the Chargers. Let's not forget that he was targeted eight times and he caught four passes for 25 yards. I would still not pick up Plaxico even if he was available on the waiver wire.
This was probably the game of the week, but to be honest I didn't really get the chance to watch it. I think that New York is well on their way to being overrated right now because they beat San Diego, but let's not forget that they need 10 fourth quarter points to beat San Diego on their own turf and that this is October. Where the Chargers always go to die.
Mark Sanchez had 173 yards and 3 TD/1 INT. Sanchez has a 12 TD/6 INT ratio on the season, but I only think that helps hide his flaws and for the Jets to win consistently, they'll need better play at QB.
Shonn Greene had his best game of the year by far, rushing for 112 yards on 20 carries. He's been a disappointment so far this season, but Greene has 20+ carries in three straight games. The Jets have a bye this week and maybe it's a good time to buy on Greene, because the Jets face some soft defenses in the 2nd half.
Tomlinson had 14 yards on 5 carries, Santonio Holmes had 2 catches for 24 yards, and Dustin Keller added 53 yards on 4 catches.
Philip Rivers continues to be a huge disappointment in 2011. After going 16 for 32, 179 yards, 1 TD/2 INT yesterday, he's now at 7 TD/9 INT on the year. Rivers had established himself as a top 5 quarterback coming into the season, but his numbers this season wouldn't put him in the top 15 for QB's in fantasy. Buy/Sell/Hold on Rivers? I'd almost always recommend buying on a player who is usually a star that's playing like a scrub... and I'd probably say the same now. As a Matthew Stafford owner, I might go calling the Rivers owner and seeing what the price is.
Ryan Mathews hurt his thumb but returned later in the game. He had 39 yards on 13 carries. Mike Tolbert carried it 11 times for 58 yards and a TD. Vincent Jackson finished with 15 yards on a single catch. Antonio Gates returned though with 5 catches for 54 yards and a TD.
Hello Mate, Goodbye Football: Bucs and Bears Combine for 7 Turnovers in London
Last season the game in London was quite sloppy because the field was, well... slop. This season, the two teams just couldn't find anyone but the defense and Tampa Bays comeback bid fell short, with the Bears winning 24-18.
Jay Cutler was 17 of 32 for 226 yards, 1 TD/2 INT. I hear a lot of praise on Cutler from announcers and Bears fans, but let's just finally be honest about the guy. He's a poor mans version of Brett Favre and it's doubtful that he'll ever be anything more than that. While he'll make some good plays, he'll never overcome his bad decisions with greatness. That's why he'll always sit below a 90 QB rating, that's why he'll always hover around 15-20 interceptions, that's why the Bears may not go to the Super Bowl with him.
If the Bears do go to a Super Bowl, more credit will have to go to Matt Forte: 145 yards rushing, 1 TD, 2 catches for 38 yards. Forte is tops in the NFL in yards from scrimmage with 1,091. Roy Williams caught his first TD as a Bear and finished with 59 yards on 4 catches.
After seemingly starting to figure things out against the Saints last week, Josh Freeman went 29 for 51, 264 yards, 2 TD/4 INT against Chicago.
The Bucs found themselves on the Bears 12 yard line to start a drive in the first quarter, and Freeman threw an interception on the first play. The only reason he was able to throw two touchdowns at the end of the game was because they started in Bears territory on both drives, otherwise the Bucs were unable to move the ball at all during the game. Freeman ended the comeback with his fourth interception to end the game.
Earnest Graham started the game for an injured LeGarrette Blount and then got hurt himself early. Kregg Lumpkin came in and had 15 yards on 8 carries. Grahams season may be over, and the only Buc RB I'd want to own is Blount. We'll have to see what happens after their bye week.
Mike Williams had his best game of the year with 6 catches for 75 yards. Desmon Briscoe had 73 yards and a score. Kellen Winslow added a TD.
Titans Gracefully Pull Themselves Out of Division Race in Blowout Loss to Texans
Okay, I of all people, know that the week to week changes of expectations in the NFL is so extreme (the Chiefs are 3-3!) that we have no idea what we'll think of the Titans in, say, five weeks. But this 41-7 loss had to hurt. At home no less.
Matt Hasselbeck had his worst game of the year, going 14 of 32 for 104 yards, 1 TD/2 INT. The comeback season has hit a bump in the road. Jake Locker made his first career pass, but I don't think the Titans have a new starter or anything.
Chris Johnson held out for more money before the season, and he's barely lived up to what his rookie contract was paying him. He had 18 yards on 10 carries, and now has 268 yards in six games. Johnsons quote after the game basically is taking no blame at all:
"Basically, if you are watching the game and you really can’t tell what is going on with the run game then I would say you really don’t know football,’’ Johnson told The Tennesseean. "I wouldn’t say I am the issue. I am very confident I have been doing the things ... I do."
Way to step up and be held accountable Chris.
Lavelle Hawkins led Titans receivers with 3 catches for 24 yards. Jared Cook caught a TD pass.
The Texans ended a two game losing streak behind the strength of the preseason #1 player in fantasy: Arian Foster. He had 115 yards on the ground with 2 TDs and 5 catches for 119 yards and another score. In five games Foster has 420 yards rushing. He's so far ahead of Chris Johnson that its ridiculous that they could have been considered neck-and-neck before the season.
Ben Tate was still strong as a backup with 104 yards rushing. Think about that: Tate had almost half as many yards in one game as a backup that Johnson has for the entire season.
Owen Daniels added 71 yards on 4 catches and Joel Dreessen added a TD. Matt Schaub had one of his better games of the year: 18 of 23, 296 yards, 2 TD/0 INT. The Titans were one of the better pass defenses in the league, but they have slowly gotten worse and worse.
Steelers at Cardinals Could Star in a Show Called "Games I Don't Care About"
I'm sorry, but did this game happen? The Steelers, an underwhelming team but still a team we know is way better than Arizona, went on the road and beat the Cardinals 32-20. The Steelers were in control the entire time, and if Miami or Indy win a couple of games this year, then maybe Arizona do get the opportunity to replace Kevin Kolb after just one season.
Kolb was 18 of 34 for 272 yards, 2 TD/1 INT. I mean, how ridiculous is this season getting when 272 yards passing is just a "meh" statistic? It doesn't change the fact that Kolb is still having a bad season, even if he's topped 230 yards passing in every game, he's throw 7 TD/7 INT in six games this year. Kolb signed a $63 million deal before the year, but Arizona would have to jump at the chance to draft Luck and find an exit strategy with Kolb.
Larry Fitzgerald seemed like he would benefit the most from having a capable QB this season, but he had "just" 78 yards on 4 catches. He hasn't scored since week 3, and he's had less than 80 yards in four of six games.
Even more frustrating for Arizona was the loss of Beanie Wells. He left with a knee injury, which means Alfonso Smith is the add for fantasy owners, but they face Baltimore next week. If Smith is still playing when they play the Rams in week nine, then that's the only viable matchup to be concerned with. Smith had a goal-line score against Pittsburgh but was otherwise stopped cold.
LaRod Stephens-Howling caught a 73-yard TD pass, and Early Doucet caught a late TD pass.
Ben Roethlisberger was 26 of 39 for 361 yards, 3 TD/0 INT, which gives him 9 TD/1 INT in his last three games. The Steelers get another good defensive matchup against New England next week, but then Ben faces a tough test against Baltimore.
Rashard Mendenhall was stuffed for 32 yards on 13 carries. Mike Wallace caught a 95-yard TD pass and finished with 3 catches for 118 yards. Wallace is third in the NFL in receiving yards with 730, and is just behind Steve Smith for yards per catch, with 20.3.
Antonio Brown had his first big game of the year with 7 catches for 102 yards, and he's a prospective spot start based on matchup, but he still hasn't scored this season. Heath Miller and Emmanuel Sanders added scores.
Kyle Boller Proves Anything is Possible, with 28-point Loss at Home to Kansas City
Four weeks ago the Chiefs were 0-3, they had lost their first two games by a combined 89-10, and Todd Haley was going to be the first coach fired. It just goes to show that you should never check "That's a WIN" off your teams schedule until the game is actually played.
KC has won three straight games and unbelievable sit only .5 game back of Oakland and within striking distance of San Diego. The Chiefs went on the road and beat a Raiders team without its quarterback 28-0, thanks to either a good defensive performance by KC or a terrible offensive performance by Oakland, most likely a combination of both.
Matt Cassel was 15 of 30 for 161 yards, 0 TD/2 INT, after coming into the game on a hot streak. A TD pass to Dwayne Bowe was an inch short after review, and so he was unable to find the end zone.
Jackie Battle rushed 16 times for 76 yards, but did not score. Dexter McCluster had 38 yards on 10 carries. Javier Arenas and LaRon McClain each vultured a TD.
The KC defense was the best play of the day, pitching a shutout and scoring two touchdowns.
The two big factors that came into play to allow that to happen were Kyle Boller and an injury to Darren McFadden. Boller threw three interception and was 7 of 14 for 61 yards. He was replaced by newly acquired Carson Palmer, and it's no surprise that Palmer sucked to the tune of 8 of 21 for 116 yards, 0 TD/2 INT. You just can't come QB a team after three practices. You just can't. Not unless you're Tim Tebow.
McFadden had only two carries before spraining his foot. Early reports indicate he may be okay though, and that's great news for fantasy owners. Michael Bush was decent, with 99 yards on 17 carries. Darrius Heyward-Bey had his fourth straight productive day with 89 yards on 5 catches. That's 385 yards in the last four games. I, of course, dropped him before the game, and now he should be owned universally. At least until the hot streak ends.
No other Raiders receiver was even decent.
DeMarco Murray has Twelve Less Yards than Dallas and Did That Really Just Happen?
Yes it did.
Fantasy-breakout-OMG Player of the Day DeMarco Murray had 253 yards rushing but only 1 TD because you can't have your cake and eat it too. (Why can't I eat this cake? Your rules are BS.) How this shakes out when Felix Jones is healthy will be determined by the continued play by Murray, but the rookie looks like the best option right now by far.
The Cowboys obliterated a Rams team that has a legitimate chance at picking 1st next year, 34-7.
Tony Romo wasn't great by going 14 of 24, for a season-low 166 yards, but he had 2 TD/0 INT including a late-game hookup with Dez Bryant that saved a lot of worried owners. Bryant had 5 catches for 90 yards, and Jason Witten had 5 for 35 and a TD. Miles Austin had only 16 yards.
The Rams had to play without Sam Bradford for the first time since 2009, and they just looked terrible. It doesn't help that Dallas has a pretty solid defense. AJ Feeley was 20 of 33 for 196 yards, 0 TD/1 INT. New guy on the block Brandon Lloyd had 6 catches for 74 yards.
Steven Jackson was decent against a solid D, with 70 yards and a TD.
The Rams are dead last in the NFL in scoring with 9.3 points per game. How seriously would they take Andrew Luck into consideration? More seriously than I would have thought a month ago.
Vikings Show Signs of Life Without McNabb, Proving He is a Zombie
I have been thinking all season long that Donovan McNabb was amonst the walking dead, and now I'm sure of it. The former quarterback-turned-flesh-eater was benched in favor of rookie Christian Ponder and the Vikings nearly beat the best team in football.
Ponder was only 13 of 32 for 219 yards, 2 TD/2 INT, but that's still the Vikings 2nd best passing performance of the season, only topped by last week in Ponders debut against Chicago. The offense was moving for the first time and Michael Jenkins had 111 yards, 72 of which came on the first play of the game.
Adrian Peterson had 175 yards on the day to take the lead for the rushing title. He leads the NFL in yards per game for the first time since 2008. Visanthe Shiancoe added a score.
Will the Vikings, at 1-6, finish with the worst record in football? I'll say no after seeing them narrowly lose to the Packers 33-27 and seeing signs of life with Ponder. They've got some winnable games coming up, including Carolina this week.
Aaron Rodgers continues to be the best player in football. He's locking up MVP before the midway point of the season, after 335 more yards, 3 TD/0 INT yesterday. His QB rating is a ridiculous 125.7. When Tom Brady had his record-breaking 2007 season, his QB rating was 117.2.
Rodgers is on pace now for 5,421 yards, 46 TD/7 INT, and he's completing 71.5% of his passes.
Greg Jennings moved to fifth in the NFL in yards with 7 catches for 147 and a score. He's got 677 on the year. Jermichael Finley had only 13 yards, but saved his day with a TD. I'm not sure why things aren't quite working between Finley and Rodgers this year. Maybe my expectations were too high, but Finley has only 128 yards in the last four games.
James Starks had 75 yards on 13 carries.
Colts Request Permission to Join SEC after 62-7 Loss to Saints, SEC Declines
So... well... that was embarrassing.
You know things are bad when the World Series gets higher ratings than Sunday Night Football. The Colts dropped to 0-7, and whether you are with or without Peyton Manning, you can't excuse a performance like this.
I would have thought that Jim Caldwell could have kept his job no matter what, but if you can't field a competitive football team just because you're missing one guy, then you've got some serious questions to answer. The Colts are 30th in the NFL in both offense and defense, and giving up the most points per game.
Curtis Painter was 9 of 17 for 67 yards, 0 TD/1 INT. That gave Dan Orlovsky some garbage time to go 3 of 5, 35 yards. Delone Carter was the lone brightspot with 89 yards rushing and a TD. Every other player was terrible.
The Saints, meanwhile, did absolutely anything they wanted all game long. They led 21-0 after the first and 34-7 at half. Drew Brees was a ridiculous 31 of 35, 325 yards, 5 TD/0 INT.
The 62 points is a franchise record and the most in the NFL since 1966. The 55-point margin of victory is the 2nd most since 1989. 557 yards is the 2nd most in franchise history, and the Saints have had a pretty remarkable offense for the last few years. Brees is now two games short of tying Brett Favre for 2nd place in the record of straight games with a TD pass. He's still 13 shy of Johnny Unitas and 47 straight games.
Marques Colston had 7 catches for 98 yards and 2 TDs. Colston has been as productive as ever when healthy this year. Jimmy Graham had a season-low 54 yards, but caught 2 TDs as well. He's still sixth in the NFL in receiving.
Mark Ingram had a season-high 91 yards on 14 carries, Darren Sproles had 88 yards rushing with a TD and 19 yards receiving with another TD.
This was as lobsided an NFL game as you'll ever see.
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MORE NOTES
- Last weeks predictions go like this for sleepers: Keiland Williams, Curtis Painter, Tim Tebow, Roy Helu, and Steve Breaston. Tebow turned in a very good fantasy performance at the end of the game. Helu got nothing, but could be viable starting now. Williams split carries with Mo Morris, and they both were just decent without a TD. Painter was awful, terrible, gross. Breaston was decent with 5 catches for 64 yards.
- Five players I didn't like were: Montario Hardesty, Cam Newton, Maurice Jones-Drew, Vincent Jackson, and Steven Jackson. Hardesty was okay, but needed a lot of carries to get there and did not score. Newton was good, and Steven Jackson was good thanks to a TD. Vincent Jackson was held on lockdown, and MoJo will see the Ravens tonight.
- Five players I loved were: Mark Ingram, Tony Romo, Ryan Mathews, Brandon Marshall, and Rashard Mendenhall. I predicted that Ingram would get his first 100 yard game, but he fell short. He did set a career-high 91 though. Romo was goood. Mathews got hurt. Marshall was decent in PPR leagues, but not that good. Mendenhall was shutdown.
- I should put Arian Foster on that list next week and every other week.
- Seriously though, the Chiefs were far and away the worst team in the NFL after three weeks and injuries just seemed to get worse. They haven't had the toughest schedule in their three straight wins, but a win is a win. They're out of the Suck for Luck race, officially.
- That race is now: Indianapolis, Miami, Jacksonville, Minnesota, Arizona, and St. Louis wall with 0 or 1 wins on the year. The Vikings and Cards don't seem quite terrible enough, but that comes down to how Arizona does in their two remaining games against the Rams. The Colts still play the Jags twice. The Colts have the obvious advantage right now, being the only 0-7 team in football, but I still think back to how bad the Chiefs looked after two weeks.
- Will Jim Caldwell survive the season?
- If Andrew Luck, the greatest QB prospect maybe since Peyton Manning, gets to learn from Peyton Manning, should every other city boycott the NFL?
- My Miracle on Monday Night is this: I have Torrey Smith and Maurice Jones-Drew, he has Ray Rice and a 10-point lead. That's why I called it a "Miracle" so, no, I don't have my hopes up.
- My worst play of the day was dropping Darrius Heyward-Bey from my team for Torrey Smith. Not because of Smith necessarily, but because I kept and started Nate Washington. I didn't think Heyward-Bey would do anything with Kyle Boller, but DHB surprised me.
- I think this is the longest recap from me this season, and there are six teams on a bye. WTF?