Groin Shot of the Week Candidates

Chad Pennington. Or perhaps the official Groin Shot candidate should be Curtis Martin? Owners have been disappointed pretty much all year with Martin's high draft status but low production. Sunday he was having a great day though rushing for 112 yards. However, Pennington throwing TD passes of 10, 15, 4(!) and 1(?!?) yards hurt what could have been an absolutely stellar day for CuMar. Thanks, Chad.

Donovan McNabb. McNabb really outdid himself this time to make our list. First, he rattles off a 4 TD game causing intense anguish to fantasy opponents. This on the heels of back-to-back poor performances (you know it's bad when the media keeps bringing up your contract). Then, news "breaks" after the game that McNabb suffered a broken ankle on the third play of the game and will miss 6-8 weeks! Now fantasy owners heading straight for the playoffs with their star QB are scrambling for a replacement solution. And folks, I don't think Koy Detmer quite fits the bill.

Hines Ward. The Titans seemed to take notice of the huge receiving day by Steelers Plaxico Burress last week, and therefore paid extra attention to him. What they failed to do though, was understand that Hines Ward has been a receiving threat the entire season. This sparkplug finished with 10 catches for 168 yards and 2 TD, including a 72 yard TD just 15 seconds into the game. You know your day is starting off on the wrong foot when your opponent rattles off a 70+ yard TD before the head is off your beer.

Comments From The Couch

• So, did anyone lose all three of McNabb, Tommy Maddox and Brian Griese yesterday? In those circumstances, I guess you probably wouldn't have felt the need to insure them with their respective backups because, well, what really were the chances of losing all 3 in one week? Ha ha ha...(trailing off). Oh boy.

• I particularly like the news out of the Denver camp on Griese's status. Scheduled to have an MRI today (Monday), he could miss up to a month...or he could play next week?!? Ah, that Mike Shanahan. He is quite the card, isn't he?

• Let's not forget Deuce McAllister's sprained ankle which is currently leaving him uncertain for next week. The Deuce, must be loose, or I'm a cooked goose.

• Suspense is not something I need with regards to my fantasy teams. What were Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison doing? A 3-3 game through 3 quarters, after coming off a huge game against the Eagles. Why the trouble with the Cowboys? Finally, with less than 5 minutes to go, Manning connected with Harrison for 2 TD. Whew, that was a close one.

• Not a great day for the RB position Sunday but, taking a line from Sum of All Fears, "the bomb is in play." Quickly breezing through the box scores I see 7 TD passes over 50 yards. Shoddy tackling does wonders for a player's fantasy performance, doesn't it?

• Bengals WR Chad Johnson went and guaranteed a victory over the Browns but it didn't happen. Just what the opposition needs. A little extra motivation so they don't come in to Cincinnati and take the Bengals for granted. There is not a single role model on this team, from the front office all the way down, is there?

• Actually, I would have thought FB Lorenzo Neal would be a pretty good role model, but apparently he jumped ship at some point. How else to explain Corey Dillon getting stopped at the Browns 1 yard line twice which would have tied it up. Was Neal in the game? Someone help me out here.

• Is Michael Bennett the real deal? He can't keep getting those single long runs in a game which boost his yardage total for the day, can he? Kind of reminds us of Robert Smith. Unfortunately for Bennett owners the Vikings also found a Leroy Hoard replacement in Moe Williams.

• Sure the Patriots lost Sunday night, but who would really want to face this team in the playoffs, should they get there? That pass by Gannon, which looked like a deliberate throw away, bouncing off a player's foot and up in the air to Tedy Bruschi returned for a TD. Ridiculous. Then down by 14 just after ESPN shows the updated standings for a Pats loss and Raiders win, Kevin Faulk runs back a kickoff for an 86 yard TD. Horseshoes, man. That team has horseshoes.

• It only took 4 games, but Ray Lucas finally figured it out that if the QB limits mistakes by not throwing an INT or fumbling, the team has a great chance to win the game. Why didn't someone tip him off to this before now?

• Quite a comeback by the Chargers over the 49ers. Watching the game, I believe the comeback was queued just after Fox flashed up some question, "are the 49ers the best team in the NFC?" The 49ers might want to find themselves a new kicker before a title like that is bestowed on them.

• The Saints-Falcons game wasn't near the shootout as they had a few weeks ago, but Joe Horn continues to eat crow for negative comments about the Falcons. This past week, "Michael Vick can't make them a Super Bowl contender. Not now, not this year." Well, we'll see, but I wouldn't bet against it at this point.

And The Winner Is...

Let's give it to Donovan McNabb. Doing one incredible Bobby Baun impression, McNabb probably provided the most sweeping fantasy pain this week to owners and opponents alike. Plus, it doesn't look like he'll have a chance to get back on the list unless we do an FF In The Groin playoff edition.

:: comments to mike macgregor