Analysis of Week 13 in the NFL

Game Recaps

Jets 18 Bills 13

It wasn’t a fantastic game, but the Jets pulled it out and are back in the wildcard hunt. What Jets fans will remember from Week 13 is how much they miss Mark Sanchez when he’s gone, because Kellen Clemmons was simply awful. Rex Ryan turned to hard-nosed football on this one – good old fashioned defense and an in-your-face run game will always get you places. 249 rushing hards holds on to the game for you, while the defense ate Ryan Fitzpatrick alive. The Jets are at .500, and I don’t think they care how they did it.
Game Ball: In a world where there are only two touchdowns, Thomas Jones had 23 carries for 109 yards.

Falcons 7 Eagles 34

Everyone is talking about Michael Vick and his return to Atlanta, but let’s get one things straight: Reggie Brown caught that ball, which could have easily been an embarrassing interception and the hole he ran through was large enough for the Partridge Family’s bus to go through. That being said, it was great to see the Eagles come together on both sides of the ball. Donovan McNabb was shaky, but you couldn’t tell by the points he put up, and their savior was Leonard Weaver, who the Eagles had yet to use to his ability (until, you know, this week). Leave it to the defense to stay flashy, but the Eagles stunned Atlanta and it looks like the Falcon’s season may be in shambles after losing their two offensive stars.
Game Ball: Although Vick is getting all of the attention, Weaver ha 63 receiving yards and a touchdown, along with 37 yards rushing on only five carries (that’s an average of 7.4 yards per carry).

Rams 9 Bears 17

The Bears should have won this game, and it’s no big surprise they did. The scary part is that St. Louis and their field goal happy offense almost came back on them. Cutler wasn’t fantastic, but is he every anymore? Their defense kept a horrible quarterback from completing enough passes to get the Rams into the red zone. At the end of the day, it was nothing to write home about for Chicago. St. Louis, on the other hand, is in desperate need of offensive weapons besides Steven Jackson, who was one yard away from equaling Kyle Boller’s total passing yards on the day. They also need to start putting some of their players in time out… 85 yards worth of penalties and two turnovers will never win you a game.
Game Ball: Jackson had 112 yards on the day.

Lions 13 Bengals 23

Interesting fact: The Lions have scored first in seven of their games this season, and that has only translated into two wins. What looks like an excellent start to every game eventually comes crashing down, as it did again this week. Cincinnati had a horrible game from Carson Palmer, but enjoyed the services of their defense, Matthew Stafford’s injury, and a returning Cedric Benson to combine for the win.  If you watched the game, it looked like a bad dance where everyone was off rhythm the entire time. The penalties only made it work. Bush league, my dear Bengals.
Game Ball: Chad Ochocinco pulled in nine catches for  137 yards and a touchdown, and one very entertaining sombrero celebration.

Titans 17 Colts 27

It was too good to be true, but don’t give up on the Cinderella story just yet. Indianapolis had to put up monsterous numbers just to score 27 points, and their running was established and used in the right ways with Joseph Addai scoring two touchdowns and running for 79 yards. Vince Young looked in pain and he was forced to air it out (nine receivers had over 10 yards) even though Chris Johnson had yet another 100+ yard game. What more do they have to do? Maybe, stop Peyton Manning.
Game Ball: Pierre Garcon didn’t have a touchdown, but his six catches for 136 yards took the wind out of Tennessee’s sails.

Broncos 44 Chiefs 13

We wish we could say that the Broncos are back on track, but this was against the Chiefs wasn’t it. Forty-four points are enough, but they way they got them was even better. Denver had 245 rushing yards, thanks largely in part to Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter, which essentially led them to control the entire game.  It was, however, a relief to see Todd Hailey bench Matt Cassel for Brodie Croyle, especially after Cassel went 10 for 29 with two interceptions. He just wasn’t worth the money, and now it has been proven.
Game Ball: Buckhalter may have had 113 yards, but Moreno used his 86 yards for two touchdown runs.

Pats 21 Dolphins 22

The mainstream media this morning acted like the sky was falling, but is this really that surprising? The AFC East is weak and up in the air as of now, and seeing New England’s second half collapse just proves it. What was interesting, however, was seeing Miami go traditional passing game (yet again, trying something different). Chad Henne put up numbers that Miami hadn’t seen since the great Dan Marino, and it eventually helped them win. We guess people just aren’t used to seeing New England look ridiculous, constantly pushing the envelope and coming away with nothing. Even Tom Brady looked miserable. Maybe trading away/letting go all of your top veterans wasn’t the best idea.
Game Ball: Devone Bess had 10 receptions for 117 yards and a touchdown.

Raiders 27 Steelers 24

We could regail you with the same stories of how the Steelers are taking a turn for the worse, but we are more concerned with the Raiders and their new game plan. They have four wins this season – but think about who they beat (while Kansas City is a throw away, they pulled out wins against Cincinnati, Philadelphia, and now Pittsburgh). Bruce Gradkowski is a pleasure to watch, considering we’ve watched JaMarcus Russell not complete a pass all season. Gradkowski and relative unknown Louis Murphy tag teamed the Steelers, who are floundering and know it. At this rate, we would sooner bet on Pittsburgh to tank and miss the playoffs than any other scenario.
Game Ball: Gradkowski went 20 for 33 with 308 yards and three touchdowns.

Saints 33 Redskins 30

This is why they invented the phrase “by the skin of their teeth”. The Saints pulled this win out, and it wasn’t any less exciting than their first 11 wins. What is the ironic part: for being the worst in the NFC they have a great defense. The entire Saints team returned to normal in the last five minutes of the game, and, of course, in overtime. The only problem was that if the ‘Skins had any semblance of a team they could have ended the game on a 23 yard field goal, or on that interception (the fumble that was returned to the Saints). It just proves: You can play the best game of your life, but at the end of the day it’s the little things that kill you.
Game Ball: Robert Meachem was unstoppable. He had eight catches for 142 yards and a touchdown as well as a fumble return for a touchdown when he rescued the game for the Saints in the fourth quarter.

Buccaneers 6 Panthers 16

Rookie quarterback vs. second-stringer. And you wondered how this game would go. Josh Freeman throws five interceptions, and Matt Moore manages barely 160 yards of offense. The only thing that actually saved this game from being completely scoreless and played completely at the 50 yard line was running back Jon Stewart, who managed 100+ yards. Tampa Bay got what it deserved when they  made Freeman throw so much, especially after Cadillac Williams and Derrick Ward ran for 120 yards combined. They were 0-4 in the red zone, a statistic that isn’t surprising at all.
Game Ball: We’re going to give it to the only touchdown of the game, Stewart, who had 120 yards on the day.

Texans 18 Jacksonville 23

As the Texans continue on their road of inconsistency, the Jags are making their way into playoff contention very quietly. Jacksonville did blow a 17-0 lead, but their ability to hang on and complete the game is uncanny. After a shaky start last week, David Garrard came back to throw two touchdowns and nearly 240 yards to nine different receivers. The Texans did find out one thing: Rex Grossman is still horrible. On only his second throw of the game in relief of Matt Schaub, Grossman threw an interception.
Game Ball: Garrard went 15 for 28 with 238 yards, two touchdowns, and a completely turnover-free game.

Chargers 30 Browns 23

It took a fantastic game for Philip Rivers and another stellar performance by LaDainian Tomlinson to overcome a second straight decent performance by Brady Quinn. It’s not hard to run through a non-existent defense. Quinn went 25-45 with 271 yards and three touchdowns for his third straight game without an interception. The Chargers aren’t getting a lot of credit for being the kings of the West, but with Denver playing well again they are going to need more games like this one.
Game Ball: Rivers went 18 for 25 for 373 yards and two touchdowns.

Cowboys 24 Giants 31

The Cowboys are going to try and convince you that this win wasn’t the start of their December woes, but isn’t that what they always do? Their fans will only stop cringing when the Cowboys prove them wrong. How the Giants won this game when Eli Manning completed only eleven passes is beyond us, but it has something to do with their defense and Dallas’ turnovers.  Tony Romo had an incredible game – he threw over 100 yards to both Jason Witten and Miles Austin. It was in the end the running game that killed Dallas – they were held to only 46 yards and an embarrassing fumble.
Game Ball: Romo went 41 for 45 with 392 yards and three touchdowns.

49ers 17 Seahawks 20

Holding Frank Gore to only 25 yards is a feat in and of itself, but making him the reason the Niners essentially lost this game is a big deal. His fumble at the end of the game was a deal breaker – oh how quickly the mighty fall. With a performance as good as Alex Smith’s you would think San Fran had this game won, but you never know with this team. Seattle didn’t look strong necessarily, but Matt Hasselbeck led the last charge and got them the win, even if it was by just three points.
Game Ball: Vernon Davis had six catches for 111 yards and a touchdown

Vikings 17 Cardinals 30

The Vikings looked like they were a sub-.500 team against Darnell Dockett and the Arizona defense. Everyone is giving the defense props, but Kurt Warner, Tim Hightower and Larry Fitzgerald took their offense to a new level on a defense that has been very sketchy as of late. The Vikings have a lot to take care of, but we like how Brett Favre came out after the game and took the blame. His two interceptions proved costly, but it was his first multiple-interception game of the season. Minnesota’s entire rushing game, including the great Adrian Peterson, were held to 62 yards in total – something we never thought was possible.
Game Ball: Larry Fitzgerald had eight catches for 143 yards and one touchdown.

Baltimore 15 Packers 27

What we saw? A pretty boring Monday Night Football game and exactly what Aaron Rodgers can do when he’s not on his back the entire game. Yes, he threw two interceptions, but Rodgers was definately the shining star here. We agree with Trent Dilfer on this one (but don’t tell anyone that): If Rodgers wins a playoff game he has to be in qlite group of quarterbacks. The defense, however, was incredible – they held the Ravens to only 185 total yards, including limiting Ray Rice to only 54.
Game Ball: As Aaron Rodgers’ target of choice this weekend, Jermichael Finley caught seven passes for 79 yards and two touchdowns.

Week 13 Wrapup

- Injury Report: Vikings linebacker EJ Henderson had surgery Monday on a broken left leg. His return this season is improbable… After diving for a first down Thursday, Jets QB Mark Sanchez sprained his PCL (a knee ligament). Coach Rex Ryan is optimistic he will start Sunday… Steelers receiver Hines Ward strained his hamstring late in Sunday’s loss. He is questionable for Thursdays game, although we think that no matter what, he should play…Matt Stafford is thinking about taking a couple weeks off to heal his aging shoulder. The Lions have not released whether or not he will play… Rams safety OJ Atogwe may be out for the rest of the season after dislocating his right shoulder. The injury may require surgery…
- Notre Dame stars Golden Tate and Jimmy Clausen have announced that they will be going out for the 2010 Draft on Monday. They will both bypass their senior year.
- It’s been reported that ex Notre Dame Charlie Weiss is interested in the Bears offensive coordinator job. For the record, it isn’t open.

And the UDU Game Ball Goes to…

Robert Meachem’s game on Sunday was one that receivers dream of. He caught eight receptions for 142 yards and a touchdown, but stripped the ball off of an interception and returned it for a touchdown to tie the game and send it into overtime.

Today I want to look at a book that for the most part flew under the radar. It received a review in Sports Illustrated after it came out in 2006, but it never reached bestseller status. The Draft by Pete Williams is an interesting book that more people should take a look at.

The Draft focuses in closely on the 2005 draft, telling the story from as many different sources and angles as possible. The book chapters alternate, some focusing on the NFL front office of the Atlanta Falcons, some dealing with specific draft entrants, and others covering the world of agents. The author dedicated a year to following these groups, and it gives a unique perspective. First, Williams reminds you how fluid draft status can be. In covering Chris Canty, a defensive end from Virginia, he was covering a likely first round draft pick. Then Canty blew out his knee in October, and he wrapped up by getting hit in the eye with a beer bottle in January. Because of this, Canty dropped to the Dallas Cowboys in the 4th Round. That cannot be predicted the summer before the draft.

Second, Williams gives the draft a sense of history. He meticulously describes the creation of the draft in the 1930’s, with its origins in ensuring competitive balance and lowering players’ salaries (by decreasing competition over signing them.) He details where the draft combine came from, the nature of college’s pro days, the origins of player-agent relations, and the origin of $10,000 pre-combine training regimens. This puts the draft in its proper context. As the book makes clear, the draft is not simply a two-day event in April. It is the culmination of a more than year-long process of scouting, evaluation, training, planning, and effort. That year-long process, in turn, is the culmination of a decade-long process that created what is now a multi-million viewer television extravaganza on ESPN.

What does the book do poorly? If you are interested only in the world of first round draft picks, they get short shrift here. Williams gives some attention to Auburn running backs Ronnie Brown and Cadillac Williams, but they are distinctly away from the book’s focus. The book can also be repetitive. If you read an historical anecdote once, expect to see it again in a couple of chapters. Nevertheless, I would recommend the book for its wealth of information about all of the aspects of the draft process.

Finally, a bit of trivia. Who invented the 40-yard dash? Paul Brown. The innovator who invented the guard shuttle as a method of calling plays from the sideline figured that 40 yards was the max players would be expected to run on a normal play. Given that he began coaching in the world of single-platoon football, all of Brown’s players had to cover punts. On a punt, he expected players to have to run approximately 40 yards. The rest is history.

YouTube – Auburn Football – Runningback U: On Fire.

A little preview for Bama fans about what to expect tomorrow.

The view that the Bama defense will remember from the Iron Bowl 2009 will be the rear of McCalebb and Tate.

The team with the most rushing yardage has won the last 12 games.  Auburn will outrush Alabama on Friday….

War Eagle!  Beat Bama!

Over the next several weeks, we’re going to look at several different positions (I can’t yet promise all) to identify the best players wearing each jersey number at each position. If this goes as planned, we’ll then compile a list of the best player wearing each jersey number in the league.

If you have quibbles, or want to add someone I forgot, leave a comment and we’ll update this post. And please have patience – this is a big job.

We started this project with wide receivers in this post and then with tight ends in this post and quarterbacks in this post. Now we move to running backs, who wear numbers between 20 and 49.

20 – Thomas Jones, Jets – It was surprising to hear during this week’s Jets/Patriots game that Jones had moved into the top 30 of all-time NFL rushers. That’s an impressive accomplishment, especially for a guy who struggled as a top-10 overall pick in his first stop in Arizona. But in subsequent stops in Tampa Bay, Chicago, and now New York Jones has proven he can produce. He’s an easy choice here over young whippersnappers Steve Slaton of Houston and Darren McFadden of Oakland. Other notable 20: Justin Forsett, Seahawks

21 – LaDanian Tomlinson, Chargers – LDT is no longer the dominant force he was in his prime years, but if one of the top 10 backs of all time is playing in the league, we have to give him the number nod, even over a stud like Frank Gore of San Francisco or a long-time producer like Fred Taylor of the Patriots. Other notable 21s: Mike Bell, Saints; Ryan Moats, Texans; Javon Ringer, Titans; Melwede Moore, Steelers

22 – Matt Forte, Bears – Forte had an outstanding rookie year last year, but this year he’s been stymied by a subpar offensive line. Still, he gets the nod at this point over Julius Jones of the Seahawks and Fred Jackson of the Bills. Other notable 22s: Peyton Hillis, Broncos; Jacob Hester, Chargers; Chris Brown, Texans; Clifton Smith, Buccaneers

23 – Ronnie Brown, Dolphins – Before suffering a season-ending injury, Brown was continuing to prove himself as one of the league’s top-10 backs. Throw in the fact that he can throw it out of the Wildcat, and Brown gets the nod over Marshawn Lynch of the Bills and Pierre Thomas of the Saints. Other notable 23s: Willis McGahee, Ravens; Shonn Greene, Jets

24 – Marion Barber, Cowboys - Marion the Barbarian isn’t having a dominant year, but he’s still a really good back. We have no choice but to give him the nod over comeback story extraordinare Cadillac Williams of Tampa Bay.

25 – Ryan Grant, Packers – While Reggie Bush’s 25 is a best selling jersey not just in New Orleans but league wide, Grant has been the more consistently productive back over the past three years. So we’ll give Grant the nod over Bush. Other notable 25s: Justin Fargas, Raiders; LenDale White, Titans; Garrett Wolfe, Bears; Jamaal Charles, Chiefs

26 – Clinton Portis, Redskins – Although he’s sidelined by a concussion at the home, Portis’ long and productive career makes him an easy choice here over promising rookie Beanie Wells of Arizona.

27 – Ray Rice, Ravens – Brandon Jacobs of the Giants has a bigger profile, and Larry Johnson of the Bengals has a longer career, but Rice is the best back wearing this number right now. Rice is a threat running and receiving, and he can move the chains as well as bust the big play. So he gets the nod over Jacobs, Johnson, and rookie Knowshon Moreno of the Broncos.

28 – Adrian Peterson, Vikings – This is a close call, because Peterson and Chris Johnson of the Titans – probably the two best backs in the league – both wear the same number. We’ll stick to conventional wisdom and lean toward Peterson in this close call. Otehr notable 28s: Jonathan Stewart, Panthers, Correll Buckhalter, Broncos; Felix Jones, Cowboys; Derrick Ward, Buccaneers; Maurice Morris, Lions

29 – Joseph Addai, Colts – Addai isn’t a great back, but he’s good both as a runner and a receiver when he’s healthy. With Leon Washington of the Jets hurt, Addai is an easy choice at this number. Other notable 29s: LeSean McCoy, Eagles; Michael Bush, Raiders; Glen Coffee, 49ers, Chester Taylor, Vikings

30 – John Kuhn, Packers – Green Bay’s fullback is the only notable back currently wearing 30. Thankfully, he has gotten into the end zone often enough to make this selection look respectable.

31 – Jamal Lewis, Browns – Lewis isn’t the back he once was, but the former 2,000-yard rusher has had a terrific career. He’s the clear choice at this number over rookie Donald Brown of the Colts. Other notable 31s: Rock Cartwright, Redskins; Jason Wright, Cardinals

32 – Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars – Jones-Drew has moved seamlessly from being a part-time back to a full-time guy this year while still producing big numbers in terms of yardage and touchdowns. That gives him the nod over Cedric Benson, who is having a terrific season with the Bengals. Other notable 32: Jerious Norwood, Falcons

33 – Michael Turner, Falcons – The Burner has been incredibly productive since joining the Falcons in 2008, and that makes him the best back wearing 33 over pass-catching specialist Kevin Faulk of New England and short-yardage specialist LeRon McClain of Baltimore. Other notable 33: Justin Griffith, Seahawks

34 – Ricky Williams, Dolphins – Ricky wins the battle of the Williamses over DeAngelo Williams of Carolina based on Ricky’s longer career track record of production. Both are outstandingly talented backs. Other notable 34s: Rashard Mendenhall, Steelers; Kevin Smith, Lions; Tim Hightower, Cardinals; Ovie Mughelli, Falcons; Sammy Morris, Patriots

35 – Jerome Harrison, Browns – It’s slim pickings at this number, so we have to give the nod to Harrison, who has had a moment or two as Jamal Lewis’ backup. Other notable 35s: Owen Schmitt, Seahawks; Dan Kreider, Cardinals; Chad Simpson, Colts

36 – Brian Westbrook, Eagles – Westbrook, who has been a terrific multipurpose back for many years now, is the easy choice at this number. He’s a truly great player. Other notable 36: LaRod Stephens-Howling, Cardinals

37 – Jason McKie, Bears – McKie, the Bears’ fullback, gets the nod here over recent Bengals signee Fui Vakapuna, another fullback. Neither will make fans forget a great fullback wearing 37 – Larry Centers of the Cardinals.

38 – Samkon Gado, Rams – Gado has had a few moments in the league, so although he’s just a backup in St. Louis now, we opt for him over Vikings fullback Naufahu Tahi and injured Dolphins back Patrick Cobbs.

39 – Steven Jackson, Rams – Jackson plays for a terrible team, but he remains a terrific bellweather back for St. Louis. He gets the nod over the declining Willie Parker of Pittsburgh and the inconsistent Laurence Maroney of the Patriots. Other notable 39: Madison Hedgecock, Giants

40 – Brian Leonard, Bengals – As we get into the 40s, we’ll have a harder time finding backs wearing these numbers. Leonard, the Bengals’ do-everything back is the only notable runner wearing 40.

41 – Lorenzo Neal, Raiders – Neal has long been one of the league’s best blocking fullbacks, but his career is winding to a conclusion, which is why he’s bounced around in recent years.

42 – BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Patriots – The law firm, as Green-Ellis is called, has done a good job when called on by the Patriots. Other notable 42s: Tony Fiametta, Panthers; Mike Cox, Chiefs; DeShawn Wynn, Packers

43 – Darren Sproles, Chargers – Sproles, the mite-sized, dynamite-powered Chargers back, gets the nod here over underrated Eagles fullback Leonard Weaver.

44 – Ahmad Bradshaw, Giants – Bradshaw, once the speedy portion of the Giants’ RB trio, has emerged as the team’s best runner this season. He gets the nod over a batch of fullbacks here. Other notable 44s: Heath Evans, Saints; Luke Lawton, Raiders; Vonta Leach, Texans; Moran Norris, 49ers, Jason Snelling, Falcons; Mike Karney, Rams

45 – Mike Sellers, Redskins – In a batch of fullbacks, Washginton’s Sellers gets the nod because of his short-yardage acumen and special-teams impact. Other notable 45s: Ahmard Hall, Titans; Brad Hoover, Panthers; Jerome Felton, Lions

46 – Ladell Betts, Redskins – Betts is the only notable back wearing 46. Thankfully, he’s a solid player who has produced when he has gotten the chance to fill in for Clinton Portis.

47 – Lawrence Vickers, Browns – Vickers, a fullback, is the only notable NFL back wearing 47 right now.

48 – None – Poor Stephen Davis. (We went to the same high school.) No current back is making his former number 48 proud.

49 – Tony Richardson, Jets – Richardson has long been one of the league’s better fullbacks, and he now plies his trade with the Jets after stints in K.C. and Minnesota. He’s the only back currently wearing 49.

It's been funny for me. Not so much for Panthers fans

There are many good things that come out of all the wretched teams in the NFL right now. Comic relief is tops on that list. I mean, you couldn’t help but laugh while watching the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. You could basically predict when Jake Delhomme was going to throw an interception. In that moment, you feel as if you have a psychic gift.

But for fantasy purposes, these bad teams are more likely to play backups. Specifically, quarterbacks. Vince Young may be replacing Kerry Collins soon. Delhomme could finally be benched. Alex Smith is the new starter in San Fran. Josh Freeman may see time as a rookie. Ryan Fitzpatrick will get another start in place of Trent Edwards.

And somehow through all of this, JaMarcus Russell is still on the field. What’s not to like about Bruce Gradkowski anyway?

But the point is that if you are having problems at QB, there should be at least some starters available in your league who you can use as a bye-week fill-in or short-term bandage. They may not be very good, but in leagues such as mine that start two quarterbacks, every starting quarterback has value.

Here are some quick thoughts I have on every game in week seven.

Packers 31, Browns 3

For the love of God, sell high on Ryan Grant. Take that predictable effort against Cleveland and sell it for all it’s worth. His fantasy playoff schedule is not favorable.

It’s sad, but Greg Jennings just isn’t an every-week starter any longer. He got more looks and catches than Donald Driver against Cleveland, but it was all short stuff.

Tight end Jermichael Finley was starting to become a nice fantasy player, but it looks like he will be out a few weeks.

You don’t want any Browns player in fantasy. And apparently, some in Cleveland don’t want Eric Mangini.

Texans 24, 49ers 21

It was the right move to name Alex Smith the starting quarterback in San Francisco. All you needed was 30 minutes to see that no matter how much of a draft bust he is, he is still better than Shaun Hill.

To that point, I have to give Vernon Davis’ value a bit of a boost. He and Smith have a clear love connection. And next time, the Texans may want to cover a tight end who runs the skinny post.

Don’t let go of Glen Coffee just yet. I don’t think we’ve seen the last of him. Frank Gore did not look good against a beatable Houston defense.

The Texans should just stop running the ball. They can’t do it. It doesn’t work. Just stop. Please.

I still love Steve Slaton on those screens though.

Outside of Brees and the older Manning, there isn’t a QB I trust more in fantasy right now than Matt Schaub. That sounds weird, but the quality and quantity of weapons at his disposal is just unbelievable. It’s like the AFC edition of the New Orleans Saints. Not considering the matchup, I have no problem starting him over the likes of Brady and Rodgers.

Andre Johnson left with a bruised lung, but he should be OK. As the Arizona Cardinals can attest, Johnson is made of steel.

Chargers 37, Chiefs 7

To no one’s surprise, Larry Johnson has been told to stay away from the Chiefs. But he might have no reason to come back in a few days.

GO PICK UP JAMAAL CHARLES NOW!! Screw Shonn Greene, Alex Smith, Fred Davis, etc. Charles is the biggest pick-up this week and should be owned in all leagues. He is fast, quick and can catch passes well. He just needs to improve his ball-handling.

LaDainian Tomlinson. Ten carries inside KC’s 8-yard line. Nine times, he didn’t score and the one time he did, it was nullified by an illegal substitution penalty. He is cooked.

It’s stunning that the Chiefs are ranked just 27th against the pass. With the coverage they played, they should be ranked 35th. Yes, there is 32 teams in the league, but did they even know Vincent Jackson was on the field?

Colts 42, Rams 6

Colts: Great

Rams: Retractable

Keep an eye on injuries to Reggie Wayne and Donald Brown. It sounds like Wayne’s strained groin will be OK, but the news isn’t as optimistic with Brown.

Brown’s injury gives Joseph Addai’s value a bit of a boost, but he’s still a nice No. 2 RB. You shouldn’t really care about backups such as Mike Hart or Chad Simpson.

Steven Jackson ran hard and ran well. He’ll score one of these days, but he should be given a medal of honor for how well he is playing on this wretched team. He is really the only offensive threat on the Rams and is on pace for more than 1,800 total yards.

Sunday: Rams @ Lions. Be there!

Patriots 35, Buccaneers 7

Man, the British must be starting hunger strikes until they get an NFL team after this one. How exciting!!!

Or not.

We were all fooled again! This game taught us to never trust the Patriots’ running game (again). Everyone thought that Laurence Maroney would have a monster day. Instead, a cheap, late TD saved him from a four-point outing.

It was still better than BenJarvus Green-Ellis (seven carries, six yards).

Derrick Ward gets more carries than Cadillac Williams, but neither are very effective. Both guys should still be owned but not started unless you are completely desperate.

I’m still not buying into Antonio Bryant (two catches, 51 yards, touchdown), not with so much uncertainty at quarterback for the Bucs.

Say hello to my newest desktop wallpaper

I say that the Bucs should just keep teaching Freeman and get him ready for 2010. If they play him in this lost season, I think they run the risk of messing with his confidence. Just continue to let Josh Johnson do what he can do and move on.

Steelers, 27, Vikings 17

I know you’ve seen this 10,000 times, but it never hurts to see this again. So pretty. And I love the primal scream at the end.

But Andre Johnson’s massacre still holds the advantage for clip of the year.

Brett Favre throws the ball 50 times in a game for the first time in 2006. Absolutely horrid play-calling by the Vikings, but fantasy owners like it.

How about Adrian Peterson receiving for 60 yards!? Could that mean less of Chester Taylor on third downs?

Sidney Rice leads the week in looks (14) and now has 312 receiving yards in the past two games. He’s a top-20 fantasy WR for the rest of the season, no doubt.

The likely absence of Bernard Berrian may hurt Rice a bit though.

Rashard Mendenhall ran for only 69 yards, but had just 10 carries. I’m not worried about him. With Willie Parker getting just one touch, Mendenhall is the clear No. 1 back in Pittsburgh and a decent No. 2 RB in fantasy.

I’m also not worried about Hines Ward (one catch, three yards). That’s mighty ugly, but just a bump in the road.

Bills 20, Panthers 9

Steve Smith gets 99 yards and fantasy owners celebrate? That’s how bad it’s gotten in Carolina. Continue to try to sell him for whatever. His week seven performance will probably end up being one of his best of the season.

If Delhomme is taken out of the starting lineup, you have to ask yourself if you really think Matt Moore or A.J. Feeley will mean better things for any Panthers wide receiver down the road.

Quick answer: Well, that’s a stupid question, idiot. Absolutely not.

Who is the bigger WR disappointment: Smith or Terrell Owens? I think it’s close, but it’s probably Smith. He was still considered a stud in August while many thought that Owens was over the hill. Owens has shown that he is not only over the hill, but he is tumbling down the side.

The Bills won, but Fred Jackson has to get more than five carries. It wasn’t like Marshawn Lynch played exactly like Eric Dickerson (17 rushes, 40 yards, TD).

Jets 38, Raiders 0

I have a lot to say about what may have been the worst game of the weekend.

You’ve probably asked the question before, but I’ll say it again: Do the Raiders watch their own game tape? I mean, just look at these two quotes about JaMarcus Russell.

From head coach Tom Cable: “I thought he was, for the first time, I thought he was really out of sorts early in the game.”

First time when? First time since Thursday’s practice? Since last week’s game ? He couldn’t have possibly meant first time all season. He has a 47.2 quarterback rating, people!!

And then from Russell on taking blame for a loss: “I don’t think it’s me personally, I really don’t. It’s a bad combination of one guy doesn’t do something right one time.”

First of all, that second sentence makes NO sense. And if you look at this video from 0:56-1:00, what about that play isn’t Russell’s fault????

I hate the Raiders, but talk like this just frustrates the hell out of me. But it’s the Raiders, so I should learn to expect it.

I haven’t seen a very gruesome angle to it, but there are some who compared Leon Washington’s leg injury to the one that ended Joe Theismann’s career. Washington’s lucky he is only 27 years old. He could be a “quick” healer. Still, there may be an outside chance his career is over.

Shonn Greene made a brilliant splash onto the scene Sunday, but he doesn’t do much to affect Thomas Jones’ value because they have pretty similar styles. Greene is still a good pick-up because he’ll probably get 10-15 touches per game.

I really liked what I saw out of Justin Fargas in this game (eight rushes, 67 yards). It’s a shame that he will probably take on a much smaller role once Darren McFadden returns from injury in a few weeks. It is clear that Fargas is the best running back in Oakland right now.

Are we really going to make a big deal about Mark Sanchez eating a hot dog on the sidelines? This is the most meaningless story of the month. I’m sorry, I just don’t get it.

The honeymoon is clearly over for Braylon Edwards (one catch, 14 yards). Oh, and the judge will see you now.

Bengals 45, Bears 10

Thanks for showing up, Chicago!

I’ll give Matt Forte ANOTHER pass this week. The Bears just couldn’t afford to run the ball after halftime.

You probably think this is a good time to sell high on Carson Palmer, but don’t. He has a ton of easy matchups coming up soon. He may not have another five-TD game, but he could be a top-5 QB in the season’s final six weeks. And that should also mean good things for Esteban Ochocinco

Cedric Benson: Fantasy stud. Man, that should make you feel dirty.

That’s another three-turnover game by Jay Cutler. He is certainly not in any trouble of losing his job, but he’s now not looking like the top-10 fantasy QB we thought he was a couple of weeks ago. Jay Cutler is not who we thought he was!

Cowboys 37, Falcons 21

Which surprise WR would you rather want? Sidney Rice or Miles Austin. I think it’s Austin. He has a bit more talent running alongside him to take away some attention and he just looks unstoppable right now. Four touchdowns and 421 yards in two games??? Disgusting.

The Cowboys’ running game is a horse race. Do your homework, pick your horse and hope for the best when they come to the line. I still like Barber the most out of the three, but it’s not a solid endorsement.

Tashard Choice didn’t get a carry because he had to stay into block the Falcons’ blitz. He needs to pray for another injury to Barber or Felix Jones if he wants to get some meaningful playing time.

Seriously scary athleticism

Michael Turner was decent (18 carries, 50 yards, TD) but he continues to show how he was not worth the No. 2 pick in your draft. And he still has about five or six tough matchups left on his schedule.

Saints 46, Dolphins 34

Reggie Bush is still overrated in fantasy, but I don’t think you can make enough out of his jump to the end zone on Sunday. Kid FLEW six yards!

Lance Moore, Jeremy Shockey and Devery Henderson are fine receivers, but with so many hands available in the Saints’ passing game, they aren’t dependable. Only Marques Colston is an every-week start out of this whole group.

Pierre Thomas gets eight carries for 30 yards; Mike Bell gets 12 carries for 80 yards. I’m cautious right now, but I’ll wait one more week before completely panicking about Thomas.

With everything I am saying, it’s hard to believe the Saints won this game.

Ted Ginn is probably headed to the bench after another horrible game, which included this inexcusable gaffe.

Ronnie Brown is a must-start. But I wouldn’t mind looking out there to see what I could get for Ricky Williams after a three-touchdown game. I’m still not a believer in him, even though he handles the ball about 15-20 times a game.

Cardinals 24, Giants 17

Finally, Beanie Wells overtakes Tim Hightower. We knew at the beginning of the season that he was the better runner but injuries slowed him. Now he’s a must-add and I think he is going to have a good second half. Except for a week 13 meeting against the Vikings, the rest of his schedule is absolutely delightful.

Steve Smith got 10 targets, but only caught four balls for 69 yards. But at least Eli Manning is looking for him again after a couple of negligent games.

Before you hype out Hakeem Nicks for a great game, make sure you know that he got had a healthy dose of luck on his side.

This seems to be a little too early for Eli Manning to start his annual late-season slump. But you know that’s still coming,so I would start looking for takers

Brandon Jacobs finally scored! I still think he will score 10 touchdowns this year.

Anquan Boldin does it again. He plays hurt and still puts up some solid numbers (75 yards). He’ll probably be questionable for the rest of the season, but at least it looks like he didn’t suffer a setback.

Hang wit 'em

Eagles 27, Redskins 17

So, was Sherman Lewis responsible for the Washington Redskins’ offensive protection breakdowns, six penalties, bad snaps or dropped passes? This team is not bad because of its coaches. It just has nothing on the offensive line and Jason Campbell is too hesitant in his decision-making.

Still, he needs to be this team’s quarterback, NOT Todd Collins. I can’t stress that enough.

With the offensive line ineffective and Campbell indecisive, no one in that Redskins’ passing game should be starting in your lineup. And the most dependable guy in that air attack is now hurt. At first, it sounded as if Chris Cooley was going to be out for the season with his broken ankle. But now?

Clinton Portis is trying his best, but he is not getting much help and those bone spurs on both of his ankles are going away. Much like with the Panthers’ Steve Smith, just get a fair return for them as soon as possible.

Can someone tell Jon Gruden that DeSean Jackson is not 21 years old? He must have stressed that three times during the broadcast. Jackson is 22 and is less than two months away from being 23. Always fact check, kids.

No matter his age, Jackson had a gigantic game and should be fine after spraining his foot, but Brian Westbrook is almost guaranteed to miss at least one game. LeSean McCoy, anyone?? I love McCoy as a solid flex start in almost any week if Westbrook is out.

Thanks for reading! I think it’s clear that I do not have enough tags for this post.

Good news Tampa Bay Buccaneer fans! Despite the team’s 0-6 start, things may be looking up. Today it was reported that the team has discovered a film room, as well as the storage container holding all of their playbooks.

“This is awesome!” said head coach Raheem Morris. “We have really struggled trying to prepare our team without a film room and without playbooks. Now that we have both, hopefully we can turn things around.”

Cadillac Williams, one of the team’s running backs, agrees.

“A film room and playbooks?!? This is such good news. I was kind of getting tired watching our interns try to act out our opponents plays as though they were actual game film. Hopefully this puts us on the right track. It was kind of hard to have any success when our two offensive playcalls were ‘running-type play’ and ‘passing thingy’.”

There was a flash flood in San Francisco yesterday. Parts of the city was flooded including the basement of the apartment I live in. Just so happens that people have storage areas in the basement and the flood affected those areas. It was only a few inches of water, enough to soak the bottom of a few boxes, but not enough to ruin the stuff inside them. The goal was simple, move the boxes out and figure out a way to elevate them off the ground so the boxes don’t just sit in the few inches of water.

Just so happens that my parents remodeled the closets last Friday and the old closet shelves were being stored. My dad and I decided to lay them on the floor and create a “floor” with them. It worked well as the shelves kept the boxes elevated about the water and offered enough support that we were able to stack the boxes pretty high.

If my dad had not decided to keep the old closet shelves, we would’ve been S.O.L and been stuck with the boxes just sitting in the puddle of water. Same can be said at times with your Fantasy Football roster. Stashing trash sometimes works, especially if you play in a deep league like me.

Here are a few players that I’ve had my eye on and they either have value or will have value really soon in just about every fantasy league -

1. Laurence Maroney – My RB depth in my 16 team league is really piss poor. I stashed Maroney at the beginning of the season and after he did nothing the first few weeks, I dropped him for Tashard Choice. My decision worked well in the short term, but now Maroney is on everyone’s waiver list. He looks like he could have value for the rest of the season. Just to note – Razzball did note in its pre-season ranking Laurence Maroney had the highest ceiling of all the Patriots RBs.

2. Cadillac Williams – Pretty much nobody wanted him coming into the season. Two weeks ago I was engaged in trade talks and the other owner “wanted nothing to do with Tampa’s running back situation.” That same owner has proposed me 2-3 different trades with Williams involved.

3. Miles Austin – I actually drafted him in my 12 team league but dropped him before the season started for Steve Smith (NYG). Circa Maroney above, good move in the short term but Austin has the highest big play potential of all Dallas receivers. Yes, I am no fan of the Dallas Cowboys version of Roy Williams. Give me the Longhorns version any day.

4. Sidney Rice – I actually think he’s more valuable than Bernard Berrian right now. Favre is loving Rice’s size and throwing to him often. How many leagues other than my 16 team league had Rice on waivers at one point or another? He’s got staying power.

5. Jamaal Charles, Justin Forsett, Ladell Betts – These three RBs could explode into fantasy relevance at any time. Charles is the biggest playmaker outside of Bowe in Kansas City. His negative? He has fumblitis and it’s keeping Larry Johnson in the starting lineup. Justin Forsett is the same as Charles and he can actually hold on to the football. Not sure how much longer the Seahawks can hand off to Julius “I teased everyone in Week 3″ Jones but Forsett is worth stashing. Ladell Betts plays for the Redskins and Jim Zorn is a moron. Perhaps Sherman Lewis will give more carries to Betts once he realizes Portis is a shell of his former self.

Each week, we dive into the stat sheets to see which weekly performers fantasy owners should applaud and which fantasy owners should write off as frauds. You can read past applaud or a fraud analyses in the category listing. And if we’re changing a past recommendation, we’ll include it here as well.

Quarterbacks

Marc Bulger, Rams – Bulger returned from injury and threw for 213 yards and a touchdown. But those numbers came against one of the league’s worst secondaries. Bulger is still injury prone, and he still plays with a below-average offensive line and receiving corps. He’s not a top-20 fantasy quarterback. Verdict: A fraud

Joe Flacco, Ravens – We discussed Flacco in this post on the Vikings/Ravens game, so here we just want to reiterate that Flacco is worthy of starting in fantasy leagues that have 12 or more teams. Verdict: Applaud

David Garrard, Jaguars – Some fantasy analysts will try to convince you that Garrard is a fantasy starter, and this week’s 335-yard passing game (with 31 yards rushing) would seem to be evidence. But there are many other guys I’d rather start than Garrard. To me, he falls between 10 and 14 on the fantasy quarterback list, so if you have to start him, you’re at a disadvantage. Some are selling, but we’re not buying. Verdict: A fraud

JaMarcus Russell, Raiders - Russell has worlds of talent, but he’s been worlds of terrible so far this season. He finally had a decent fantasy game Sunday – 22-of-34 for 213 yards and a touchdown – but that could easily end up being his best game of the year. Stay far, far away from Russell on the waiver wire. Verdict: A fraud

Running backs

Justin Fargas, Raiders – In the absence of Darren McFadden, Michael Bush had a representative fantasy game last week, and this week Fargas had 23 carries for 87 yards. Fargas isn’t a terrible back, but he’s running behind a terrible line, and the Bush factor makes it impossible to predict whether Fargas will actually deliver on any given week. Still, Fargas is worth a speculative pick-up if you’re desperate for RB help just in case McFadden ends up being put on injured reserve for some strange reason. Take that risk if you want, but don’t put Fargas in your lineup until the McFadden situation is clear. Verdict: A fraud

Larry Johnson, Chiefs – Johnson had his first decent fantasy game with 83 yards on 23 carries against the Redskins. But the Chiefs won’t be in most game as they were in this one, and Johnson is far from dependable in fantasy leagues. He’s ownable – barely – but you shouldn’t start him unless bye weeks and injuries leave you no choice. Verdict: A fraud

Thomas Jones, Jets – Jones isn’t the kind of back you feel wonderful about putting in your starting lineup, in large part because he often takes a while to get going. But he has generally been productive this year, with Sunday’s 220-yard effort against the Bills, highlighted by a 71-yard touchdown run, being his best of the year. Jones isn’t a No. 1 fantasy back, but he’s staved off the Leon Washington challenge (for now) and established himself as a solid No. 2 fantasy back. That means he should be starting for you. Verdict: Applaud

Laurence Maroney, Patriots – Where did that come from? In the snow and ice against the Titans, Maroney went wild, breaking a 69-yard touchdown run early and finishing with 123 yards. But we don’t believe. The Titans gave little to no real effort in this one, and Maroney hasn’t show he can run against anyone else this year. Note this performance, but don’t act on it by claiming Maroney until he has another good game. This smells too much like a fluke. Verdict: A fraud

Rashard Mendenhall, Steelers - We haven’t been recommending Mendenhall, who had 62 yards and a touchdown against the Browns. But now that it appears that Mendenhall has taken over from Willie Parker as the Steelers’ No. 1 back, there’s far more reason to start him. As long as he keeps this role, Mendenhall is a borderline No. 2 fantasy back – and therefore a starter for most owners. Verdict: Applaud

Ray Rice, Ravens – We discussed Rice in this post on the Vikings/Ravens game, so here we just want to reiterate that Rice has emerged into an every-week starting running back both in yardage and scoring-based leagues. Verdict: Applaud

Jonathan Stewart, Panthers – Stewart ran for 110 yards and scored for the second straight week against the Buccaneers. As the Panthers have won two straight, they have been able to rely once again on their running attack, and that has gotten Stewart more chances. That makes Stewart a No. 3 running back and a nice flex option against favorable matchups. Finally, his arrow is pointed up. Verdict: Applaud

Leon Washington, Jets – Washington got a lot of buzz as a sleeper this year because he made so much out of limited carries over the past couple of seasons. But this year, he hasn’t done much – avoiding the end zone entirely. So while he had 99 yards on 15 carries against the Bills Sunday, he’s still not worthy of starting or even of flex-spot consideration in most leagues right now. Verdict: A fraud

Cadillac Williams, Buccaneers - The Bucs are epically bad, but Cadillac has been a nice story for them. He’s emerged as their best back, and he’s delivered fantasy production, such as his 77-yard, one-touchdown day against the Panthers. It’s now at the point where Cadillac becomes a nice flex option against bad defenses like the Panthers’ D was Sunday. If you picked him up, you got a nice little find. Verdict: Applaud

Wide receivers

Bernard Berrian, Vikings - We discussed Berrian in this post on the Vikings/Ravens game, so here we just want to reiterate that despite his touchdown Sunday, Berrian is a No. 4 fantasy wideout and not a regular starter for most fantasy leagues. Verdict: A fraud

Josh Cribbs, Browns – You’ll have to check where Cribbs is eligible in your league, but note that he had 45 rushing yards in addition to a kickoff return for a touchdown against Pittsburgh. If Cribbs keeps getting 8-10 offensive touches, he’s worth owning in larger fantasy leagues because he’s got such great ability to break big plays. He’s a fantasy sleeper you should notice. Verdict: Applaud

Derrick Mason, Ravens – We discussed Mason in this post on the Vikings/Ravens game, so note that he’s the only Ravens’ receiver worth starting. He slips under the radar, but he’s a true No. 1 receiver for the Ravens and a borderline No. 2 fantasy receiver now that Joe Flacco is flinging the ball around like crazy. Verdict: Applaud

Lance Moore, Saints – Moore is finally healthy from his hamstring injury, so it’s no surprise that he had his best game of the year with a six-catch, 78-yard day that included his first TD of the year. He fits in as New Orleans’ No. 2 receiving target, and even with the Saints’ sharing mentality he still is a No. 3 fantasy wideout. Verdict: Applaud

Hakeem Nicks, Giants – Nicks scored his third touchdown of the year and had 114 receiving yards against the Saints. His numbers were the epitome of garbage-time production, but the fact that he’s showing up on the scoresheet so frequently is worth noting. At this point, he’s worth a pickup as a No. 5 fantasy wideout. Verdict: Applaud

Sidney Rice, Vikings – We discussed Rice in this post on the Vikings/Ravens game, but suffice it to note here after his breakout game (six catches for 176 yards) that he’s now a No. 3 fantasy receiver who could grow into a No. 2 by the end of the season. Grab him now if he’s available, and if you have him consider putting him in your starting lineup. Verdict: Applaud

Sammie Stroughter, Buccaneers - Stroughter had a kickoff return for a touchdown, and he also had 65 receiving yards against Carolina. The rookie is an interesting prospect, but he’s still only the Bucs’ No. 3 wideout. Pass for now, but keep an eye to see if Stroughter moves up the depth chart. Verdict: A fraud

Tight ends

Todd Heap, Ravens – We discussed Heap in this post on the Vikings/Ravens game, so here we just want to reiterate that Heap should not be starting for your fantasy team. Verdict: A fraud

Zach Miller, Raiders – Sunday’s game against the Eagles – six catches, 139 yards and a touchdown – reminds everyone that Miller is a really good player. Just don’t forget that JaMarcus Russell is a really bad quarterback. As talented as Miller is, his offensive situation keeps him from being a starting fantasy tight end. Sorry,  Zach. Verdict: A fraud

Visanthe Shiancoe, Vikings – We discussed Shiancoe in this post on the Vikings/Ravens game, so here we just want to reiterate that Shiancoe is worthy of being an every-week starter at tight end. Verdict: Applaud

I am going out on a limb.  No one has been harder on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the past few weeks, but I believe a change may be in the air.  I think the Bucs may have found something that can work.

There is no doubt that I thought Byron Leftwich was a capable, if uninspiring, quaterback option for the team.  When Leftwich was benched, he was 6th in the league in passing yards.  In retrospect, he’s faired better than many quarterbacks who are still getting snaps.  One such QB is on his way to town this week: Jake Delhomme.

So, what’s new in Tampa?

Somehow, the Buccaneers have figured out a way to sustain drives.   Consider this:

• Against the Eagles, the Bucs had drives of 16 plays, 9 plays, 10 plays and 11 plays.  Those are incredible statistics for a team playing on the road with a rookie QB.
• Two of those extended drives ended in touchdown passes to tight end Kellen Winslow.
• The Buccaneers led the Eagles in time of possession.  Bucs (34:33) – Eagles (25:27)

The Buccaneers have a lot of new pieces in place — the coach, the QB, the tight end, the backup running back, the offensive coordinator, the defensive coordinator.   The rookie QB threw 3 interceptions against the blitzing Eagles (Who doesn’t??)  So, there is plenty of room for growth.  Few teams blitz as often and as well as Philadelphia.

If the Buccaneers can continue this trend and get some actual ground yardage (a solid prospect against Carolina’s pourous run defense), they can turn the tide on Sunday.

ADDENDUM — OCTOBER 21, 2009

If only I had known this before writing this post:

TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay Buccaneers fullback B.J. Askew will miss the remainder of the season because of injuries suffered in a car accident.

The Bucs placed the seventh-year pro on the non-football injury list Tuesday. The team also signed cornerback Marcus McCauley and released cornerback Derrick Roberson before re-signing him to the practice squad.

Askew started two of five games he played in this season, carrying the ball once for no gain.  He sat out Sunday’s 28-21 loss to the Carolina Panthers because of neck and back pain.
Last week, Bucs coach Raheem Morris said Askew had been injured in a “fender bender” accident.

McCauley was released by the Detroit Lions on Sept. 28. He entered the NFL as a third-round draft pick of the Minnesota Vikings in 2007.

Posted: October 16, 2009

Per the definition, a “Sleeper” has sudden unexpected success after initially attracting little attention.  In fantasy football, a true sleeper is owned in less than a majority of leagues.  As the season rolls on, it becomes more-and-more difficult to pinpoint players in that realm who could have a fantasy-impact.  That said, here are some diamonds in the rough for Week 6:

QUARTERBACK

Marc Bulger @ Jacksonville - Projection: 22-36, 265 yards, 2 TD
Bulger’s bruised rotator cuff is seemingly doing better, as his 7-7, 88 yard, 1 TD Week 5 mop-up performance would indicate.  This week, he’s back under center and facing a porous Jags’ defense that ranks 30th against the pass.

Jason Campbell vs. Kansas City – Projection: 19-30, 235 yards, 2 TD, 1 Int
Campbell hasn’t thrown much over the last 2 weeks (29-45, 315 yards, 3 TD, 3 Int), but the 2 weeks prior were a different story (50-76, 582 yards, 2 TD, 1 Int).  I’m betting he gets to throw a bit more against the 29th ranked pass defense.

RUNNING BACK

Sammy Morris vs. Tennessee – Projection: 15-54 rushing, 4-39 receiving, 1 TD
Chances are, the Patriots will be slinging it all day against the league’s 31st ranked pass defense, especially since the Titans are 3rd against the run.  When they’re forced to run, the Pats will feed Morris the ball, and he should end up with a decent day.

Derrick Ward vs. Carolina – Projection: 9-41 rushing, 2-12 receiving, 1 TD
Earnest Graham is going to play, and Cadillac has been seeing the bulk of the touches recently (36 to Ward’s 13).  However, Cadillac’s 13 Week 5 touches resulted in just 16 yards, whereas Ward’s 6 went for 37.  Carolina ranks 30th against the run.

Jamaal Charles @ Washington – Projection: 6-31 rushing, 5-46 receiving
Washington has the 3rd best pass D in the league, which means the Chiefs will have to run, and they (Larry Johnson) haven’t run well thus far in ‘09.  Last week, Charles was targeted 7 times out of the backfield.  The trend should continue this week.

WIDE RECEIVER

Muhsin Muhammad @ Tampa Bay – Projection: 6-78, 1 TD
Muhammad has been consistently average this season, but he’s been targeted frequently (19 times over his past 2 games), and against a Tampa Bay defense that ranks 21st against the pass, those targets should turn into productive stats.

Bryant Johnson @ Green Bay – Projection: 5-63, 1 TD
There’s a good chance Calvin Johnson won’t play Sunday, which will mean more opportunities for the other Johnson, who has averaged more than 8 targets per game over his last 3.

Donnie Avery @ Jacksonville – Projection: 5-62, 1 TD
The Rams are in disarray, but their passing attack looked formidable in Week 5, nearly notching 300 yards.  Avery was the top dog, hauling in 5-87 and a score.  This week, he has a good matchup, and should continue to be the Rams’ number 1.

TIGHT END

Jermichael Finley vs. Detroit – Projection: 5-65, 1 TD
Finley went off in Week 4 for 6 catches, 128 yards and a TD.  In Week 3, he pulled down 4 balls for 56 yards.  Coming back from their bye, the Pack faces a poor Lions‘ secondary, so Finely should be able to pick right up where he left off.

KICKER

Jason Hanson @ Green Bay – Projection: 3-3 FG, 2 PAT (1 FG 40+)
It may surprise some to know, Hanson is a top 5 fantasy kicker.  He’s 9/10 on the season, and 10/10 on extra points.  Green Bay ranks 18th overall in team defense, so despite Detroit’s offensive injury issues, Hanson should still get some chances.

DEFENSE

Washington Redskins vs. Kansas City – Projection: 16 points allowed, 2 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries
All together now, [yawn].  Reminder: the Redskins are a boring defense.  In 5 games, they have forced but 7 turnovers and created just 10 sacks.  But most importantly, they’ve given up just 74 points (14.8/game).  The Chiefs average just 16.8.

While the San Diego Chargers lick their wounds over being manhandled in Pittsburgh and worry about their 2-2 record at the quarter pole of the NFL season, it’s natural to wonder where to get your pro football fix while the Chargers enjoy their bye.

I’ll tell you where to find it: The SEC.

The Southeastern Conference basically is pro football in the South. If you travel down through the Confederacy (get rid of that flag, South Carolina) and ask someone about their favorite team (except in Nashville), you won’t have comments about Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints or Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons or Ronnie Brown and the Miami Dolphins.

And I’m pretty sure you can surmise the answer will have nothing to with Jake Delhomme and the Carolina Panthers or Maurice Jones-Drew and the Jacksonville Jaguars or Cadillac Williams and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

No, the SEC is where Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators reside. And where terrific coaches like Urban Meyer, Nick Saban, Les Miles, Steve Spurrier, Mark Richt and Houston Nutt earn a living. It’s the conference where you can find SIX teams (count them if you must) in the Top 25 with one of the unranked teams being the Georgia Bulldogs, a squad that would win the Atlantic Coast Conference or the Big East if it were a member of those two BCS conferences.

Think about it, the teams that are considered eighth, ninth or tenth best (pick your own order among the Tennessee Volunteers, Arkansas Razorbacks and Kentucky Wildcats) would win conferences such as the Mountain West Conference, Western Athletic Conference or Conference USA.

The SEC is where the big boys play and the big men coach and that’s why the conference will help you get through the bye week. Check out the CBS doubleheader — the No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide meet the No. 20 Ole Miss Rebels early in the afternoon and No. 1 Florida meets the No. 4 LSU Tigers in the evening.

That’s a better tandem of games than what CBS or Fox can provide you during Sunday’s NFL slate.

Basically, the SEC is kind of like a miniature NFL with tougher matchups and a fervent following that can’t be matched. While the Chargers struggle to sell out home games in a stadium that seats just under 70,000, Lane Kiffin’s Tennessee squad attracts more than 100,000 fans for every home game. While the Jacksonville Jaguars can’t fill two-thirds of its stadium, fans of programs like Alabama, LSU, Florida and Georgia need to consider selling their first-born children just to get on a waiting list.

Ask an ardent football fan in the South which day they most look forward to watching football and the answer is simple — it’s Saturday, the day where SEC games dot the calendar.

While the top four teams in the SEC play each other Saturday, how can one overlook the undefeated No. 17 Auburn Tigers (playing the Arkansas Razorbacks) or the No. 25 South Carolina Gamecocks (hosting the Kentucky Wildcats)? Mississippi State is the SEC’s 11th-best team and the Bulldogs would be c0-favorites (along with Boise State) to win the WAC, while the Vanderbilt Commodores (the program that produced Jay Cutler) would likely be a 9-win team if it played in Conference USA.

It’s too bad we can’t test the strength of the SEC by requiring Boise State or Mountain West teams like Utah, Brigham Young and TCU to play an eight-game conference slate against SEC foes. If any of those teams were to win eight games with a 5-3 conference mark, it would be a major accomplishment. More likely, they would struggle to win five or six games and be left reeling with a 2-6 conference record.

Yes, I’m aware Utah slaughtered Alabama in last season’s Sugar Bowl — I predicted the Utes would win so I’m not suddenly going to forget that victory — but it’s a much different deal to play an SEC team each week for eight straight weeks than it is to get a once-in-a-lifetime bowl opportunity.

Check out the SEC closely and you’ll see there are no foes like San Diego State, Wyoming, UNLV, Utah State, and New Mexico State to beat up on (it feels really odd not to be typing in Idaho here) . Each week in the SEC is like a fierce MMA fight — a brawl until the end.

So no problem to me that the Chargers aren’t playing. I see the CBS doubleheader and not only are all four coaches involved (Meyer, Miles, Saban and Nutt) better coaches than Norv Turner, but their teams might beat Turner’s Chargers as well.

 Watch the games closely than try to figure out what place the Chargers would finish in if they played in the SEC.

Yesterday, we went back through our preseason top-35 running back rankings to determine whether fantasy owners should applaud these backs or consider them frauds going forward. You can read that post here.

In this post, we’re going to look at running backs outside of the preseason top-35 and determine whether we should applaud these backs or consider their numbers fraudulent. Read the individual reports to see whether the verdicts mean you should start a player, hold him on your bench, pick him up, or drop him. We’ve listed these players alphabetically.

Mike Bell, Saints – Bell burst onto the scene in Week One when Pierre Thomas was hurt, and over the first two weeks he had 229 rushing yards and a touchdown. But he has missed the last two games with injury, and Thomas has reestablished himself as the main back in New Orleans. Bell will be a role player when he returns to action, and that limits his fantasy value. Verdict: A fraud

Ahmad Bradshaw, Giants – Bradshaw is now a solid No. 2 behind Brandon Jacobs in New York, and that will get him 12-15 carries a game. But Bradshaw’s not a touchdown threat unless he breaks a long run. So his current average of 66 yards per game is probably all you can expect from him. That’s OK No. 3 fantasy back production, but it’s not starter worthy. Verdict: A fraud

Correll Buckhalter, Broncos – Buckhalter had a good start to the season with 363 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown in the first four games of the season. But he will miss the next two games with injury, and that will give rookie Knowshon Moreno a chance to seize more carries in Denver. Despite his solid numbers thus far, Buckhalter isn’t more than a bye-week fill-in going forward for fantasy owners. Verdict: A fraud

Tashard Choice, Cowboys – Choice started the season as the Cowboys’ No. 3 back, but injuries first to Marion Barber and then to Felix Jones have given him chances. He has 215 yards from scrimmage thus far with one touchdown, showing that he’s good enough when he gets the ball in his hands. As long as Barber is healthy, Choice isn’t really a starter, but he’s worth hanging onto in most leagues because you never know if Barber and Jones will stay healthy. Verdict: Applaud

Felix Jones, Cowboys – Jones has had solid numbers as a change-of-pace back and an injury fill-in thus far, but he missed the Week 4 game vs. Denver and will miss some more time with a knee injury. So despite his 232 yards from scrimmage, he’s droppable in fantasy leagues right now. Verdict: A fraud

Julius Jones, Seahawks – Jones is the best back Seattle has, which isn’t saying much. But he has been a decent fantasy performer thus far with 316 yards from scrimmage and three total touchdowns. That makes Jones a solid No. 3 fantasy back or flex option, which is a nice find, and we can assume that he’ll have similar fantasy value moving forward. Verdict: Applaud

Tim Hightower, Cardinals – Hightower has held off Beanie Wells for the Cardinals’ starting RB job, and he’s produced 279 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. He’s not a great fantasy back, but as long as he holds this role he’ll be a flex option or No. 3 back in most leagues. That’s decent value. Verdict: Applaud

Willis McGahee, Ravens – McGahee has been the biggest surprise for fantasy owners this year with seven touchdowns in the first four games. It will be hard for McGahee to continue this torrid TD pace, but you should be starting him until he starts to go through an extended scoring drought. Ray Rice is the better overall back, but McGahee’s production is impossible to ignore. Verdict: Applaud

Rashard Mendenhall, Steelers – After doing next to nothing in the first three games of the year, Mendenhall went crazy in Week 4 against San Diego with 165 yards and two touchdowns. But he has just 210 rushing yards total, and when Willie Parker returns Mendenhall shouldn’t be in your fantasy lineup. He’s only valuable as a Parker handcuff, not as a part-time player on his own. Verdict: A fraud

Darren Sproles, Chargers – With LaDanian Tomlinson out for one week and hobbled for a couple others, Sproles has stepped up with 287 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns. But now that Tomlinson is coming back, Sproles becomes a feature player. Sproles will probably end up with around 800 yards from scrimmage and six TDs, and that’s not enough to make him a starting-caliber player unless Tomlinson gets hurt again. So we’ll turn a thumbs-down on him continuing his current level of production. Verdict: A fraud

Fred Taylor, Patriots – Taylor has had one 100-yard game, but other than that he’s been a role player in the Pats’ RB-by-committee approach. The problem with Taylor for fantasy owners is that it will be all but impossible to figure out when his chances will come. That makes him hard to start despite his still-existent talent. Verdict: A fraud

Cadillac Williams, Buccaneers – Coming back from an atrocious knee injury, Williams has burst back on the scene with 272 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns in four games. Williams has established himself as the best back in Tampa Bay, and that role will allow him to be a fantasy contributor as a flex option or No. 3 back. Verdict: Applaud

Ricky Williams, Dolphins – I was surprised to see Williams end up on this list, but he’s legit with 310 yards from scrimmage and three TDs. The fact that both Williams and Ronnie Brown continue to produce shouldn’t surprise us, because that’s the Dolphins’ formula to win. That means Williams will be a decent No. 3 back in all fantasy leagues going forward. Verdict: Applaud

We normally don’t preview any games here, but this week is a bit different. For the first time in our friendship, Lady and I get to see our two favorite teams pitted against each other. While we’ve been on the opposite sides of battle before in college basketball (I think Vasquez is being locked down by Memphis), there’s more passion this time around. There’s something about football that brings the best and worst of us all. This week has been rather pleasant considering the Bucs are whooping some Redskin ass tomorrow. But Lady and I finally discussed the game the other night through instant messages. Instead of writing up some big preview, we’re going to let you into our convo. And before anyone hits me up about this, yes…she owned me. I’m use to it by now.

Like most of our convos we’re all over the place. Hopefully, you can keep us…we barely did.

Crunk: I’m saying it right now, our offense is putting up atleast 24 on yall. We got Cadillac running the ball like a heavy Chevy. Derrick Ward weeding his way thru defenders, and our offensive line may be banged up but it’s the Skins. All yall got is Haynesworth.

Lady: What makes you think that? We might give up yards, but we haven’t given up many points. 16(offense) to NY away. 7 to the Rams at home and 19 to Detroit away.

Crunk: 19 to the Lions…we’re better than the Lions

Lady: Ok, you just named your two backs, but your running game is ranked 25th, lol

Lady: It is? lol

Crunk: The Giants were still figuring out what they were doing. And if I remember correctly, didn’t Steve Smith drop some balls in that game?

Crunk: Stats mean nothing. We had a bad game against the Giants with a bunch of injuries on offense.

Lady: The Giants didn’t need to figure out anything. It wasn’t like their offense was new.

Lady: booo.

Lady: And no he didnt drop enough to make a difference.

Crunk: They needed to figure out their receivers. You don’t replace a Plaxico Burress and Armani Toomer in the preaseason.

Lady: Lol @ well dressed armani

Crunk: Yea, gotta love Berman…NOT!

Lady: lol

Crunk: Real talk, you can’t even compare our offense to Detroit.

Lady: Again, there was nothing to figure out. Seemed like they knew what they were doing to me. lol. Manningham had a good game.

Crunk: Our running game will be at full strength Sunday, and that’s gonna open things up for our receivers. I feel bad for Orakho cause we’re gonna rape him Sunday.

Lady: Josh Johnson is basically a rookie. Matt Stafford has more starts than him. Kevin Smith is comparable to Caddy. Calvin Johnson is one of the best receivers in the league.

Lady: Stop callin him Orakho.

Crunk: Kevin Smith is no Caddy

Lady: What’s the difference between the offense that put up 86 yards last week, compared to this week, aside from the opposition?

Lady: I never said he was Caddy, but he’s comparable. Both tough runners.

Crunk: Caddy is a beast when he’s healthy. He’s added some new dimensions to his game this year. He’s better at catching the ball out the backfield, and picking up the occasion blitz.

Crunk: It’s the QB. Byron Leftwich has gotten progressively worse each of his 3 starts. Throw out the stats. If you looked at the stats you’d think he was having a pretty good year. The dude was missing wide open receivers and placing the ball in spots they couldn’t do anything with. Plus the guy is a statue with a long windup.

Lady: That’s all good and well, but what has he done for you this year? He had a good game against Dallass, but they’ve been weak against the run so far.

Lady: He played great against the Skins when he was with the Steelers. The Bucs should stay with him for this week, lol. Josh Johnson is an unknown. He played terribly last week and you’re depending on him to put up 24 in an away game in his first start?

Crunk: Josh is one of the 4 or 5 most athletic players on our team. He’s gonna go out there and show you his accuracy, mobility, and his ability to lead this offense. He didn’t play terrible last week. The kid came in and led the offense down the field. If Michael Clayton hadn’t dropped a for sure TD pas, You’d be singing a different tune.

Lady: Ok, fine. Y’all would’ve just lost 24-7, lol.

Crunk: I could start for the Bucs and beat yall. All I have to do hand off the ball, and when it’s time to pass, find #98. That would be cadence. “ALL DAY 98!!!!”

Lady: I’m sure Josh is talented and athletic and all that good stuff, but he is essentially a rookie. And starting on the road. The one thing the Redskins defense hasn’t done has gotten pressure on the QB but word is, Zorn talked with our DC this week and told him we need to be more aggressive, i.e…..blitz more. If we put #98 at DE we’re he is SUPPOSED to be, he’ll find your boy JJ. Please believe it.

Lady: And I’d like to see Josh scramble up the middle and take a hit from London Fletcher, the leading tackler in the league. Just ask Brandon Jacobs.

Crunk: Only thing Orakho can find is the back of our jerseys cause we’re running past his ass on every pass play. London Fletcher still plays football?

Lady: Whatever.

Lady: And yes, London still plays football. And he’s been a beast again this year. You’ll find his pic in the record books, right next to Ronde……and Jesus.

Crunk: Yea…whose HOF resume looks better…Fletcher or Ronde. Shhhhh….shots fire!!!!

Lady: Ehhh who cares. London is a beast and deserves HOF consideration. He’s been slighted for Pro Bowls all his career. He played on a Super Bowl runner up. Would Ronde still be in the same boat if the Bucs didn’t win the SB?

Lady: Just ask the Rams and Bills how much their defense missed him when he left.

Crunk: And ask the Bills what he did while he was there, right?

Crunk: I’m afraid of two kats on that defense, Haynesworth and Landy. We’re still beat up on the o-line and we are starting a rookie. If Josh finds a way to combat the nerves, I like his chances.

Lady: Even without being 100%, Haynesworth will destroy your O Line. Sorry.

Lady: Landry will light someone up, no doubt. He’s gotta tackle better though. He’s so used to just throwing his body around as he goes about his self-proclaimed “Suicide Mission”

Crunk: You give me a healthy Jeff Faine and Aarons Sears not losing his damn mind, Haynesworth wouldn’t penetrate a dam thing.

Lady: But they’re not there. You were saying?…….

Crunk: I’m confident in what we’re bringing to the table on offense. I’m not sure what Skins are planning to do. Will there be more screen passes? lol

Lady: Lol. We only do the screen play on 3rd and 18.

Lady: I’m not even sure what the game plan will be for this weekend, but what I do know is that we have to get the running game back on track. We’ve passed the ball 65% of the time this year. That’s not us. That’s not Redskins football. Part of that is playcalling, but part of that is also from playing from behind. Clinton Portis has been saying all week, that he plans to break out sooner than later. Why not this week?

Crunk: Uh huh, I refuse to defend the 31st ranked defense. I can blame on Jim Bates scheme but I won’t. This is a personnel move that’s why I admit their undermanned.

Prediction

Lady: Redskins: 27 Bucs:13

Crunk: Bucs 27 Redskins 24

There you go. Two passionate fans with unrealistic views of their teams, is there anything better than that? Check back in to see which of us is right. I’m sure the loser will have a lot to say.

Listen Up, if your mind has been wandering throughout the week because you feel your fantasy team resembles the St. Louis Rams, I am here to help. If you have had trouble sleeping as a direct effect from your 0-1 start, don’t freak out just yet. Here is some Kool-Aid for your thoughts, so chill the fuck out.

Don't even think about it...yet.

I know what it’s like to feel all alone, but please remind yourself, first and foremost…it’s only week 1. You need atleast three weeks to truly evaluate your team, even if you have someone like McNabb. Remember, you can play with broken ribs and D has the cajones to do it. It’s not the time to claim Mike Vick as your savior either. There are still better options out there even in deep leagues. I am a fantasy legend not because I have the perfect drafts every single year, but because stay calm and play the game.

For example, we have a big money league that we play in every year sponsored by www.wickedthreadz.com who happens to have some of the sickest vintage sports tees ever produced (sorry for the lame plug). I lost my number two Marques Colston last year in week 1. I finished first because I saw other opportunities and didn’t trade away the bank. The guy who lost Brady in our league finished third and got his money back because he didn’t freak. Hell, I went 0-4 to start the ‘06 season and came out on top. Give yourself sometime to evaluate your squad before you regret it later.

Here are three ways to stay focused and get your squad on the right track.

1. Buy Low/Sell High. Yeah yeah…we’ve all heard it before, but seriously, this is a surefire way to dominate your league. Just because you’re not willing to give in and you remain unfreaked by week 1, doesn’t mean others aren’t. Maybe Steve Smith didn’t pan out, but he’s still an elite wideout and even though Jake Delhomme looked as if he was drugged the night before, he still looked his way 13 times. Same with Calvin…and they are going to be airing it out in Detroit all year long. People are trading CJ straight up for Greg Jennings after week one. You didn’t draft it this way and you sure as shit shouldn’t give it up that easily either. We’re talking about Mega-tron. If somebody wants to ditch him like a junior high girlfriend after one week because you couldn’t get a handjob then let them. They always regret it later. Package up Santonio Holmes and Nate Burleson and see what you can get.
2. Be the hunter, not the prey. It’s tough to take a loss, but some are taking it harder than others. Especially those who may have lost a player. If you drafted Flacco or Hasselbeck late, go look at the guy who had McNabb or Cutler. If you do this on a weekly basis you are bound to strike gold. I made a trade last year for Fitzgerald on his bye week, because the guy who had him could not afford another loss and had no one at wideout. Anthony Gonzalez could be sidelined for a while, go prey on the weak. If there’s somebody you wanted on Draft Day this is the best way to go get him. No one is untouchable on a banged up squad.
3. Don’t give in to the week 1 breakouts. There is the guy in every league who drafted five late round running backs hoping to strike gold with at least one of them. Then they try to trade them league wide for one of your prized picks. They’re doing the right thing - selling high and preying on the weak. I don’t care who you are though, it is not time to trade Brandon Jacobs for Cadillac Williams and Darren Sproles. Now who knows, it may look better down the road, but you can’t tell something like that after week 1, so hold on to your pants. You can’t show weakness and make sure the trade being proposed benefits you no matter who is trying to sell it to you. You paid good money to be in your league, now don’t lose your return after week one.

If you are freak’d out, please follow these rules and  you will surely have a much more enjoyable season. Did you know, that only five backs hit the 100 yard mark last week. Nearly everyone struggled in that department. So once again, please remind yourself that it is only week one.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are clearly in rebuilding mode. It is easy to see that making NFL predictions on this team will be based on how bad they will be. They haven’t had a franchise quarterback since Vinnie Testaverde, and will now be starting a Jaguar’s throw-away. Byron Leftwich will try his best to lead this team to a better record then they had a year ago, which isn’t saying a lot.

Leftwich hasn’t been a regular starter since the 2005 season. He has a long delivery, and tends to stay in the pocket too long. He will have a difficult time this season behind a weak offensive line that gave up 32 sacks last year to a mobile Jeff Garcia. He has never passed for more than 3000 yards in his career, and will be expected to keep the Bucs afloat until they draft their next franchise QB.

Cadillac Williams is back after two knee surgeries. If he can stay healthy this season he will take a lot of pressure off of Leftwich. The addition of Derrick Ward from the Giants (over 1000 yards rushing last season), should help balance out the Buccaneers ground attack. Expect big seasons from both Williams and Ward as Tampa Bay sticks with a run first offense to keep themselves in games.

Michael Clayton will be expected to increase his roll in the Tampa passing game with the loss of Ike Hilliard. Antonio Bryant has been a beast for most of his career and will receive double coverage most of the time. Bryant had 1248 receiving yards in 2008 and will need to get close to that number this year if the Bucs want to contend in the NFC South. Clayton will be open often this season, and will need to be sure handed. I anticipate a down season for both of these receivers as the run game takes precedence.

The Bucs still have a dominant defense that ranked in the top 10 of the NFL last season. They allowed just 187 passing yards per game due to an outstanding secondary. Ronde Barber and Jermaine Phillips lead the way in the Tampa secondary, and are back at full strength this season. Tampa will need to improve on their 9th overall defensive ranking to stay competitive as they will struggle on offense. Look for a couple of the 4 rookies on defense to contribute immediately.

The Vegas oddsmakers have set the Bucs 2009 win total at 6.5. This is a significant drop from the 9 wins they had in 2008, but the switch at quarterback will make it tough to get to .500. Tampa has an extremely difficult schedule out of the gate this season. They play each of the 4 NFC East teams in a 5 game stretch to start the year, and play New England, Carolina and Green Bay at home in consecutive weeks. I don’t see anyway that this team gets to 7 wins this season. Take the under as the Bucs struggle with Leftwich under center. These NFL predictions are my opinion as an NFL handicapper.

What an amazing weekend. The 49ers get a win on the road, the Oregon Ducks get a W, Brett Tomko throws a shutout for the A’s, Tom Brady resumes his place as an NFL God, and my fantasy football teams go 3-0. Could life get any better? I submit that it cannot.

So now that week 1 is over, and every team has taken the field, there is some actual in-season analysis to go along with preseason projection. Mind you, there is a lot of football left to be played, as one game doesn’t make or break a season. As much as a douche-nozzle as he is, I don’t think Jay Cutler is that bad or the Seahawks are that good.

But let’s get it on. On to the rankings (you can see my week one rankings here and here):

32 (Last week 32) – Bengals – Their top pick breaks his foot in his first day of practice; not good. They are shut out in the first three quarters by a team who gave up 28 points per game last season; bad. Carson Palmer, who’s arm is toasted more than Michael Richard’s comedy career, managed to lead the Bengals to a go-ahead touchdown with 0:38 seconds left; promising. But then on a play straight out of NFL films, the Bengals clutch defeat from the jaws of victory, giving up a back-breaking 87-yard touchdown to a white wide receiver. Ouch.

Fantasy update: Cedric Benson – YPC wasn’t good but finished with over 100 total yards and still has a firm grip on the starting job.

31 (31) – 0-1 – Lions – What do ya know, it’s the same old Lions. The running game sucks, the defense sucks, and the hotshot rookie throws for three INTs.  On the bright side, Stafford was only sacked once. Too bad moral victories in the NFL are worth just as much as a poopy-flavored lollipop.

Fantasy update: Calvin Johnson – Despite an inexperienced passer and a non-existent running game, Megatron still got his. He numbers will go up as Stafford improves.

Big weekend for the best white wide receiver in the AFC West. Man, look how gritty he is!

30 (30) – 0-1 – Rams – When you give up more yards in penalties than you gain on the ground, you’re in for a long day. Clearly, Bulger and Jackson can’t do it by themselves. This team is going nowhere; time for the Rams to start looking for a QB of the future.

Fantasy update: James Laurinaitis – If you play in an individual defensive player league, pick this guy up. He is a tackling machine and their only true playmaker on defense.

29 (29) – 0-1 – Browns – Is it just me or does it seem like every single huge game by a running back is against Cleveland. If Willis McGahee played in the AFC North, the Browns run defense could single-handedly revive his career. Oh wait, he already is. Nevermind.

Fantasy update: Braylon Edwards – Just a shove out of bounds away from being fantasy relevant. He will continue to tantalize next week.

28 (27) – 0-1 – Chiefs – Gave up 501 yards of offense to the perennial offensive juggernaut Baltimore Ravens. In other news, Larry Johnson is still awful.

Fantasy update: Larry Johnson – Stay. Away.

27 (26) – 0-1 – Buccaneers – Offense impressed, led by has-been’s Byron Leftwich and Cadillac Williams. Defense torched, by Tony Romo and Roy Williams. Don’t believe in the offense, but I believe in the defense. At least I believe in something.

Fantasy update: Kellen Winslow – Good day for Miami tight ends, well at least two of them. You can do better than 8 yards, Greg Olsen.

26 (28) – 0-1 – Raiders – The running game is for real and the defense looked surprisingly good, holding the Chargers to under 100 yards rushing. But in typical Raider fashion, they choked down the stretch. How has Al Davis not had a heart attack yet?

Fantasy update: Zach Miller – Say hello to Zach Miller, the Raiders only 1,000 yard receiver this season.

25 (16) – 0-1 – Panthers – To put it positively, Jake Delhomme answered a lot of questions about his ability to still play quarterback in the NFL. Unfortunately, the answers weren’t pretty; kind of like watching Rick Fox or 90210’s Jennie Garth on Are You Smarter Than a 5^th Grader this month. Makes you wonder why Carolina didn’t take a flier on Jeff Garcia.

Fantasy update: Jake Delhomme – If he was your sleeper backup QB, don’t kid yourself. You can stick a fork in Jake, he’s done.

24 (23) – 0-1 – Jaguars – Yeah, they only lost by two points at Indy, but man did their offense look pathetic. Wonder if Matt Jones gave David Garrard a discount on the good stuff.

Fantasy update: Maurice Jones-Drew – If Garrard can’t get it together, this could turn into a Steven Jackson-like situation.

23 (22) – 0-1 – Dolphins – Aside from the fact that I just don’t think they are any good, Miami goes from a .465 SOS last year, to the most difficult schedule in the league this year, at .594. I don’t see one game where I can guarantee a Dolphin victory.

Fantasy update: Devon Bess – Had over 550 yards in his rookie season, and has a nice first week grabbing 7 catches. Sleeper

22 (25) – 1-0 – Jets – Mark Sanchez looked good on Sunday. Do it two weeks in a row and then I might start to believe it. Until then, I’m not buying.

Fantasy update: Dustin Keller – He could be someone to keep an eye on. Sanchez might have found a favorite target in his super-athletic tight end.

21 (20) – 1-0 – Broncos – What an inspiring play for white people all around the world.

Fantasy update: Correll Buckhalter – Took advantage of Moreno’s poor day and had a nice 10 touches for 57 yards. Workload may increase.

20 (19) – 0-1- Texans – This is just one of those games where you forget about and move on. Kind of like that night where you had a few too many drinks and hooked up with a girl so ugly your friends don’t even say anything.

Fantasy update: Matt Schaub – I wouldn’t worry about him unless he does it again. Just a really, really bad day for the Texans.

19 (21) – 0-1 – Bills – God is a Patriots fan.

Fantasy update: Fred Jackson – Playing for his future workload. Motivation does crazy things to people.

18 (18) – 0-1 – Redskins – Game really wasn’t as close as the scoreboard suggests, as Campbell hooked up with Cooley for a late TD pass in garbage time. Should lower them just because they made Eli look good.

Fantasy update: Chris Cooley – Even though his TD was in garbage time, I like him as a solid tight end  you can count on week in and week out.

17 (24) – 1-0 – Seahawks – Played against the worst team in the NFC in the one stadium with a true home field advantage. We’ll learn a lot more when they travel to San Francisco next week.

Fantasy update: Julius Jones – Looks like Jones might have found a home in Seattle. Not too worried about Edge.

16 (11) – 0-1 – Bears – ESPN couldn’t have said it better in their power rankings, “The loss to Green Bay was tough. The loss of Brian Urlacher for the season was devastating.”

Fantasy update: Matt Forte – Never really bought into him as a top-5 pick. Be happy if he duplicates his stats from ’08.

You never know what will happen when Shaun Hill drops back for a pass, but hey, that's part of the fun!

15 (17) – 1-0 – 49ers – After getting swept by the Cards in three of the past four years, getting a win in Arizona is a great start for Mike Singletary. San Francisco certainly wasn’t flashy, but they controlled the clock (31:47 TOP) while Shaun Hill and defense stepped up when they were needed.

Fantasy update: Shaun Hill – Will never sell an instructional video on the 7-step drop, but he gets it done. Solid #2 quarterback.

14 (12) – 0-1 – Cardinals – Still have too much firepower to not be competitive in the NFC West. Boldin wasn’t at full-strength and they were without Steve Breaston. But even though Tim Hightower had 12 receptions for 121 yards, Arizona needs to improve the ground  game.

Fantasy update: Tim Hightower – 49ers were leaving the flat open all day. Hightower didn’t just suddenly become Marshall Faulk.

13 (15) – 1-0 – Packers – Made a $20 bet with Alon that the Vikings would finish with more wins than the Packers. You can now add Aaron Rodgers and Greg Jennings to my anti-man crush list.

Fantasy update: Aaron Rodgers – With that being said, I like Rodgers much better than Favre this season.

12 (14) – 1-0 – Saints – Is there anything more fun to watch than Drew Brees playing the Lions? Yes, actually. Watching Drew Brees play the Lions when you have him on two of your three fantasy teams. Dear diary: jackpot.

Fantasy update: Jeremy Shockey – Has Drew Brees found a new red zone target?

11 (9) – 1-0 – Giants – Along with Miami tight ends, I have an unhealthy obsession with Michigan receivers. My hate for Eli Manning was assuaged by the fact Mario Manningham made his first career touchdown.

Fantasy update: Mario Manningham – Is 800 yards and 6 TD’s out of the question?

10 (10) – 1-0 – Cowboys – Who needs T.O.? Romo, Barber, Williams and Witten provide plenty of weapons for Dallas’s potent offense. The defense, though, is a little frightening.

Fantasy update: Tony Romo – Pretty solidly locked in as the #3 QB right now, I’d say.

9 (5) – 0-1 – Titans – Could you really have asked for more going into the defending champion’s house on opening night? Yea, a win would have been nice. (Mandatory argument for a change in the playoff system).

Fantasy update: Kerry Collins – How is he still alive, let alone a decent quarterback in the NFL? Isn’t he like 40, and an alcoholic?

8 (8) – 1-0 – Falcons – All this game proved to me was that Miami is not good. I still need to see more from Matt Ryan to have Atlanta as a legitimate NFC title contender.

Fantasy update:  Michael Turner – I apologize if you bought into the Matthew Berry hype.

7 (13) – 1-0 – Ravens – Joe Flacco is really good. (I’m already at 1,700 words, give me a break).

Fantasy update: Joe Flacco – I have no problem with starting Flacco against a mediocre defense.

6 (3) – 1-0 – Chargers – I think the Raiders are better than what San Diego expected, but what worries me are the injuries to the O-line. The absence of Nick Hardwick and Marcus McNeil could turn LT into Sean Alexander.

Fantasy update: Antonio Gates – Is there a more consistent player in fantasy?

5 (6) – 1-0 – Colts – The Jags always give Indy a good game. Defense was impressive without Bob Sanders, can they keep it up?

Fantasy update: Reggie Wayne – Yeah, he’s pretty good.

4 (7) – 1-0 – Eagles – The McNabb injury hurts, but I love Garcia as an insurance policy. The scheduling Gods are watching over Philly; after playing the Saints in week 2, they’re at home against the Chiefs, a bye, at home against the Bucs and then at Oakland. Even a convicted animal killer could win two of those games.

I'm not 100% sure God is a Pats fan, but I know this guy is.

Fantasy update: Defense/ST – Forced 7 turnovers. Nuff said?

3 (4) – 1-0 – Vikings – I said it: Adrian Peterson for MVP.

Fantasy update: Bernard Berrian – Don’t worry, the  chemistry will come.

2 (2) – 1-0 – Steelers – Has there ever been a defending Super Bowl champ that gets less love than the Steelers?

Fantasy update: Santonio Holmes – Finally emerging as the Steelers #1 WR.

1 (1) – 1-0 – Patriots – It’s so true I’m going to say it again: God is a Patriots fan.

Fantasy update: Pats RB’s – Stay away, you don’t want any of them.

Here is our Football Relativity comparison after Week One. We’ve noted where we’ve moved teams up a level or down a level from the season-opening comparison.

10 -  New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers – Both teams won tight games, with the Steelers beating a really good team (the Titans) and the Patriots beating a who-knows-how-good-they-are team (the Bills). The fact that both teams found a way to win says a lot. Both teams have questions on defense, with the Steelers losing Troy Polamalu for at least 3-6 weeks and the Patriots looking undisciplined and slow. I expect the Patriots to get better on defense if ILB Jerod Mayo stays on the field. But if he’s out, the Patriots will have to prove they have a way to replace their best player. For now, though, we’ll leave both teams atop our rankings.

9 – New York Giants, Tennessee Titans – The Giants jumped out to a big lead over the Redskins and then played more conservatively to finish off the win. They’ll get a better test at Dallas this week, but that was a good opener. Tennessee looked pretty good at Pittsburgh despite the loss. The Titans showed more explosiveness offensively in the passing game, and they should get the run game going more against a less stringent front 7. We’ll see how Tennessee bounces back, but I still believe.

8 – Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers (UP A LEVEL), Philadelphia Eagles, San Diego Chargers – The Falcons put together a solid performance against Miami. New TE Tony Gonzalez added a dimension to the offense as expected, and the defense created more pressure and more turnovers than it did much of last year. Green Bay had a come-from-behind win, overcoming the close-loss tendency that plagued it last year. The defense’s switch to a 3-4 looked good in the opening effort, which is a really good sign. The Eagles’ defense is still a pressure machine under Sean McDermott — Trent Cole is a great underrated factor on that unit — but the injury to Donovan McNabb keeps us from moving the Eagles up right now. The Chargers had to come back to beat the Raiders, but they got the win on the road, which is always a good thing.

7 – Baltimore Ravens, Minnesota Vikings – The Ravens looked explosive offensively against Kansas City, with Joe Flacco throwing for 300 yards and three TDs. That’s a good sign, but the defense’s inability to completely shut down the Chiefs is a bit of a warning flag. We’ll leave the Ravens in place right now until we see a more dominant defensive performance. The Vikings won according to their best-case formula – run the ball with Adrian Peterson and stop the run. That’s the way Minnesota needs to play to be at its best.

6 – Arizona Cardinals (DOWN A LEVEL), Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers (UP A LEVEL) – The Cardinals lost to the 49ers, with the offense sputtering more than expected. If the Cards’ offense isn’t dominant, their playoff chances aren’t great. The 49ers, meanwhile, played hyper-solid football, and that’s going to be their recipe for success all year. We think that Mike Singletary can keep that recipe going all year. Dallas featured a big-play passing game in its win over Tampa Bay, but it didn’t create a lot of pass-rush pressure on defense. We’ll see how good the Cowboys really are against the Giants this week. The Saints had a huge offensive day from Drew Brees, but the defense didn’t seem to have solved the problems it had last year. The Dolphins lost a tough road game, and they’ll have to do a much better job of holding onto the football if they’re going to be contenders again this year. The Colts eked out a win over the Jaguars, but their passing game was Reggie Wayne and not much else. The defense was better than I expected, and if the Colts can maintain that trend they’ll move up this comparison.

5 – Carolina Panthers (DOWN A LEVEL), Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets (UP A LEVEL), Seattle Seahawks (UP A LEVEL) – The Panthers looked awful against the Eagles and must address their QB crisis quickly or else they’ll lose this season. The Bears had an inconsistent performance from QB Jay Cutler, but they were in position to win on the road in Green Bay, which is a good sign. The Bengals had their game vs. the Broncos won until the ultimate fluke play, but the solid defensive performance is a good sign going forward. They’re still a dangerous team. The Jaguars lost a close game to the Colts, showing that they’re at least in the running so far. The Jets got a solid performance from Mark Sanchez and a great performance by the defense (especially CB Darrelle Revis vs. Andre Johnson) to beat the Texans on the road. That combination will work all year if the Jets can keep it going. The Seahawks overcame offensive line troubles to shellack St. Louis. That’s a good start for a team hoping to bounce back this year.

4 – Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans (DOWN A LEVEL), Washington Redskins – The Bills’ young offensive line held up against the Patriots, and the defense was able to get pressure on Tom Brady. Those are good signs, but choking a game they should have had away was not. We’ll see how the Bills bounce back, but they showed more than I expected. The Texans showed less than I expected in losing handily to the Jets. They need to show more both offensively and defensively. The Redskins’ remade defensive line wreaked a little havoc, but the offense started slow and never really got going. Washington’s going to need more from that unit to compete in the tough NFC East.

3 – Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos (UP A LEVEL), Kansas City Chiefs – The Browns put up a fight but ultimately lost to a better team in the Vikings. Aside from Joshua Cribbs, the Browns just don’t have enough playmakers on either side of the ball. The Broncos got a miracle win in Cincinnati, but they move up a level in this comparison because the defense played better than expected. It’ll be interesting to see if they can repeat that performance. The Chiefs played OK against the Ravens even without Matt Cassel, so they stay in place as well.

2 – Detroit Lions, Oakland Raiders (UP A LEVEL) - The Lions showed a pulse offensively against the Saints, but the defense melted under the high-octane pressure of New Orleans’ passing game. The Raiders competed hard against the Chargers, and their offense showed some good signs. Richard Seymour made a difference as well. But they must cash in on opportunities to move up the comparison more significantly.

1 – St. Louis Rams (DOWN TWO LEVELS), Tampa Bay Buccaneers - I expected St. Louis’ defense to be better, but they were awful against Seattle. The fact that the offense got shut out at the same time does not bode well for the Rams going forward. The Bucs got a good game out of Cadillac Williams, but the secondary was terrible, and I still don’t believe Byron Leftwich can move the team when faced by pressure.