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Bye Weeks: Carolina, Chicago, Jacksonville, New Orleans
Grab a Helmet
McFadden has surprised this season... not
in a good way.
Darren
McFadden @ ATL: Nobody’s performance (or lack thereof) has surprised
me more in the early going than Mr. McFadden’s, a guy you’d think
would be a no-brainer start every week. Indeed, I
pegged him as a possible candidate for top RB honors in the
preseason and really thought he only needed a clean bill of health
to start displaying his multifarious talents. His healthiest season
to date, however, has turned out to be his least productive. So
far, that is. We won’t give up on the former Razorback just yet
but it sure would be nice to see him get more than the 15 or so
carries he’s been averaging so far. I’m gonna trust the Raiders
did some deep thinking over the bye week and came up with a plan
for attacking Atlanta’s surprisingly exploitable run defense (5.4
yards/rush) with Run DMC this Sunday. Yup, said it with a straight
face.
Rashard
Mendenhall @ TEN: The running game, that bread and butter of
Pittsburgh football for so many years, had been pretty anemic the
first three games of the 2012 season, averaging a very un-Steelers-like
65 yards per contest. Then, Mendenhall returned in Week 5, miraculously
healed from a so-late-it-was-early ACL tear on New Year’s Day, and
promptly toted the pigskin 14 times to the tune of 81 yards and
a score against the Eagles. Well, I guess that fixes THAT problem,
huh? You wouldn’t think he’d be ready to resume carrying a full
load but, assuming you take out the abbreviated appearance in Week
17 of last year (when he actually damaged the knee), Mendenhall
only averaged about 14 carries per tilt last year anyway. 14 or
so touches should work out just fine against a Tennessee defense
getting routinely gouged on the ground thus far (144.2 rushing yds/game).
Start him.
Stevan
Ridley @ SEA: The fantasy world was abuzz with talk of Brandon
Bolden last week, the waiver wire darling du jour. I guess most
folks forgot Ridley is still the inarguable meal ticket in Foxboro,
huh? Or rather, he’s the closest thing to it for an offense predicated
on strategic deception, myriad personnel groupings, and overall
matchup optimization. Your Brandon Boldens, Danny Woodheads, and
Shane Vereens may come and go, but Ridley has been the only constant
so far in 2012, averaging over 20 carries per contest and topping
the century mark three times thus far. Oh, and he’s also scored
four times. You may be worried about his competition for touches
but there are more than enough to go around in New England. The
reason why is quite simple and really quite fascinating. Go
read this if you’re at all interested and…GO DUCKS!
Grab a Gatorade
DeMarco
Murray @ BAL: The Ravens defense is actually not as good as
you think, statistically speaking, against opposing rushers this
year. Though they’re yielding only 3.5 yards/rush, they’re giving
up almost 120 yards/game and have already surrendered six rushing
TDs. So the very capable Murray is a great start against them,
right? Well, there’s also this to consider: Dallas’ offensive
line is really, really bad right now. The Pokes are averaging
just 67.8 yards/game and 3.4 yards/rush at the quarter pole and
it ain’t because Murray forgot how to carry the rock. There simply
aren’t any holes for him to run through. I’m sure the bye week
afforded Dallas shot callers an opportunity to straighten some
things out, but this group is a far cry from those great offensive
lines of the mid-1990s. Don’t expect miracles from them or the
guy they’re theoretically paving the way for.
Steven
Jackson @ MIA: Believe it or not, the research I do for this
column is sometimes more time-consuming than the actual writing
itself. Though I’d love to think some read the Report for sheer
literary stimulation...yeah, I wouldn’t even do that and I write
the danged thing. I guess what I’m trying to say is that there’s
a lot going on behind the scenes and since I also want to a have
a life during the season, I’m constantly looking for ways to cut
down on the amount of intelligence-gathering and fact-checking
I need to do before grabbing the laptop and cranking it out. Here’s
a shortcut I’ve discovered for 2012: Take whichever running back
is facing the Dolphins and recommend a benching. I’m not even
sure how clever I need to be about that, if at all. The Fish are
giving up just 61.4 rushing yards/game. Jackson is averaging just
54.2 and hasn’t scored in five games. Any questions?
Chris
Johnson v. PIT or William
Powell v. BUF: You’re probably wondering why
I’m combining these two guys in one recommendation, right?
Allow me to explain. Johnson is an erstwhile superstar who once
rushed for over 2000 yards in a season. Powell is somebody I just
learned about yesterday who (apparently) went to Kansas St. and
once rushed for 9 yards in a season. This season, to be exact.
If you’re wondering which back I’d rather have in
my lineup at this point, however, I’d actually have to think
about it. I’m being serious. Johnson is fresh off another
15-carry, 24-yard “performance” (and I use the term
loosely...and I told you to trade him) and now faces the fearsome
Pittsburgh front seven. Powell, first in line to inherit the Cardinals’
carries, faces a Buffalo defense giving up 5.7 yards/carry, or
roughly double what Johnson averages on the season. Give me a
sec here. Still thinking....
Wide Receivers 
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