Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better

Earlier in the year, I mentioned here at the Buzz that the best two fantasy wide outs were Steve Smith and Chad Johnson. But, instead of that turning out to be true, everything has gone retro and the two best receivers in the game are once again Randy Moss and Terrell Owens. Owens had an incredible day today, totaling 173 yards and scoring four touchdowns. Only a few hours later, Randy Moss embarked on a similar journey and as I write this, Moss has scored four touchdowns of his own while piling up 128 receiving yards.

A couple of sidebars to consider here: If you had asked me prior to this season if I thought Randy Moss and Terrell Owens would someday be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, I would have said “no”. Moss was coming off a couple of dreadful seasons in Oakland and Owens was more talk than production last year much of the time. Oh, what a difference eleven weeks can make.

It would be difficult to say now that both won’t end up eventually in the Hall of Fame. And, if both do make it, we can point to November 18th, 2007 as the day we knew it for sure. Four touchdowns apiece, that’s a big deal.

Second sidebar: Where will Randy Moss be next year? Does he truly want titles or dollars? Moss could command a ton of money on the open market and I don’t know if the Patriots will make him the best offer that he’ll see. If you are in a keeper/dynasty league, don’t automatically retain Moss based upon what is turning into a record-breaking season. I don’t think he would sign with a non-contender, but he needs an elite quarterback to play at an elite level at this point in his career. Stay tuned. For now, though, enjoy the benefits of having Moss or Owens on your team. If you were fortunate enough to draft both this year, you may have set your league’s all-time scoring record today.

More Than Coachspeak

Man, when Mike Holmgren said that the Seahawks were going to become a passing team from now on, he wasn’t kidding! Matt Hasselbeck attempted 44 passes today to follow up on the 40 passes he tried last week. It looks as if Hasselbeck is going to be one of the top five QBs to have down the stretch, so if you’re having a tough time choosing whether to make your run with him or with someone else, bank on Matt. With all his wide receivers now healthy and a more passing game-friendly RB in the backfield, it’s going to be fun to follow this team’s aerial success in the weeks to come. D.J. Hackett is also making it hard for guys who have him on their teams to leave him out of a weekly lineup.

On a similar note, Andy Reid noted that if Brian Westbrook were indeed healthy enough to play today, they would not hesitate to use him. I think Andy Reid was telling the truth.

A Match Made In Heaven

Remember those commercials back in the day when some guy was running around with a chocolate bar in his hand and another guy was running around (for whatever reason) with a jar of peanut butter? The two magically merged so that the great taste of a Reese’s Cup could be discovered. Well, today was the fantasy version of the Reese’s Cup and I hope you got to take advantage. The Minnesota rushing attack vs. the Oakland rushing defense: A perfect scenario. I know Adrian Peterson is a great, great running back. But, that Vikings offensive line knows how to maul defensive lines and Oakland’s smallish front four simply had no chance today. The beneficiary of that today was obviously Chester Taylor, whose 164 rushing yards and three TDs was the best day of any running back in the league.

So, if the Oakland defense is the chocolate bar in this analogy, which teams are the jars of peanut butter in the weeks to come? Take a look....

Week 12 - vs. Kansas City (START WHOEVER IS THE KANSAS CITY RB!!!)
Week 13 - vs. Denver (START THE DENVER RUNNING BACK!)
Week 14 - vs. Green Bay (GOTTA START RYAN GRANT)
Week 15 - vs. Indianapolis (JOSEPH ADDAI OWNERS REJOICE!)
Week 16 - vs. Jacksonville (FRED AND MJD...FRONT AND CENTER)

Don’t miss out on these golden opportunities! Conversely, please start any and all QBs and WRs you have vs. the Vikings’ pass defense. That was Oakland that threw for 340+ yards today. Have you been tracking Oakland’s passing yardage this year? Don’t be fooled into thinking that Daunte Culpepper made some kind of move today towards being fantasy-relevant again. The Minnesota pass defense is just that bad. The true test will be in Week Fourteen, though when they play San Francisco. If the awful, awful 49ers offense can put up 200+ passing yards on somebody, that’s a bigger sign than anything Culpepper can produce.

Another Ugly Day For Running Backs

Aside from the Chester Taylor’s and Brian Westbrook’s of the world, there wasn’t much to cheer about today if you’re an owner of a supposed “elite” fantasy running back. Frank Gore, Willie Parker, and Marion Barber, none of these guys produced all that much. I think Barber will rebound fine, but I’m worried about Parker and beyond worried about Gore. The word on the street is that Fast Willie may be hitting a wall so don’t be surprised if he and Najeh Davenport split carries down the stretch. Bottom line: I hope you’re not relying on Parker to win you a title at this point, because it’s not going to happen. As for Gore, what else can you say? That 49ers offense is one of the most pitiful sights I’ve ever laid eyes on. No touchdowns vs. the Rams? Yuck, yuck, yuck.

So Nice To See You Again

If you’re an Andre Johnson owner, congratulations! I can only hope that you’re still in your league’s playoff chase, because if you are, you may be able to get over the top and win a title with this guy in the lineup. Johnson’s absence has been felt in fantasy lineups all over the country, but this morning the birds are singing a little more sweetly if you’ve been anticipating AJ’s return. He’s the real deal.

Random Buzz:

• I know it’s cool to basically avoid all Jaguar wide receivers without exception, but Reggie Williams is looking worthy of being in a three-WR starting fantasy lineup of late. Late bloomer? Maybe so…

• Did anybody see Cedric Benson’s 43-yard touchdown gallop today? I didn’t...I’m just wondering if the defense all laid on the ground in unison to allow such an anomaly or if Benson actually has speed that hasn’t been seen until now.

• Is there anything more frustrating than being a Kevin Jones owner? (Oh yeah, being a Laurence Maroney owner...I forgot)

• Here’s a question you’re going to be seeing a lot of people ask before Thursday: Should I bench Peyton Manning? Answer: I’m not sure...I guess it depends on who else you’ve got. E-mail me if you’d like and let me know what you think about Manning right now.

• Joey Galloway is the perfect #2 wide receiver for any fantasy team. His time in Tampa has proved to be very fruitful for a guy that Dallas essentially didn’t want anymore. Yet another TD today.

Well, that’s it for another week. I’ll bet Tom Brady and Randy Moss threw some games into utter chaos tonight with their performances. Maybe you thought you had your game won until Brady or Moss destroyed your day. Or, maybe the day was lost and one of these two salvaged your ship. Hope that the latter applies to you and not the former. Have a Happy Thanksgiving, everybody. Tell those you love that you love them & enjoy the time you have with them later this week. God Bless from the Buzz!