11/12/08
- Colts running back Joseph Addai had another rough outing
this week, rushing 12 times for 34 yards and picking up two
receptions for 13 yards against the Steelers. Addai has picking
up just 66 yards on 29 carries over his last two games since
returning from a hamstring injury and is averaging just 3.1
yards per carry this season. However, a closer look reveals
that Addai has faced the top four run defenses in the league
in the seven games he has played in addition to the Patriots
who currently rank 12th. Up next for the Colts - Houston, road
games against San Diego and Cleveland, followed by the Bengals
and Lions and then Jacksonville on the road. The Texans, Browns,
Bengals and Lions are among the worst ten teams in run defense
and Jacksonville is ranked 13th worst.
- Since being acquired from the Loins, Cowboys wide receiver
Roy Williams
has been targeted just seven times in three games, catching
three balls for 38 yards and a touchdown. The arrow is clearly
pointing up with quarterback Tony
Romo expected back this week and the team coming off a bye
which provided Williams additional time to learn the playbook
but the bottom line is that the odds of Williams being a major
component in the Cowboys passing attack likely hinges on tight
end Jason
Witten's ability to be effective playing with a rib injury.
If he's good to go, Williams isn't likely to be heavily involved
in the game plan.
- The Browns are coming off a pathetic two week stretch where
they blew a 14-point lead against the Ravens and then followed
that up by blowing a 13-point lead against the Broncos. Head
coach Romeo Crennel's future with the team was likely sealed
with that loss because the team will need to win their remaining
seven games to get to 10-6 and have a chance at the playoffs.
With their season pretty much over, the gloves came off this
week with running back Jamal Lewis and return specialist Joshua
Cribbs stating that the team quit against the Ravens and Broncos
and that some players had inflated egos. Just a guess but maybe
they were talking about tight end Kellen
Winslow and wide receiver Braylon
Edwards, two players who are among the top five most talented
players at their positions but who are about as emotionally
intelligent as a pre-schooler. Winslow let an easy third down
pass go through his hands late in the fourth quarter against
the Broncos, not to mention his lost fumble earlier in the quarter.
A week earlier, Edwards dropped a bomb in the fourth quarter
against the Ravens. Both players haven't nearly approached their
2007 performances and Edwards has been particularly bad, catching
just 27 attempts on 70 targets this year. Of course, he also
leads the league in drops with 13.
- The Cardinals passing offense kept rolling this week against
the 49ers, with quarterback Kurt
Warner going over 300 yards for the third straight game
and his three touchdown passes moved his streak of throwing
for at least two scores to nine games. Going back to last season,
Warner has thrown for at least two touchdowns in sixteen of
his last seventeen games and went over 10,000 yards passing
as a Cardinal,becoming only the 11th quarterback in league history
to surpass 10,000 yards passing with two teams. Wide receivers
Anquan
Boldin, Larry
Fitzgerald and Steve
Breaston are each currently on pace to top 1,000 yards receiving
which would mark the first time that has occurred since the
Colts trio of Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne and Brandon Stokely
managed the feat in 2004. Oh, and Boldin's two touchdowns gave
him receiving touchdowns in six straight games, a franchise
record. The Cardinals are certainly regretting not signing Warner
to a contract extension early in the season because it is going
to cost them a bundle to keep him from hitting the free agent
market in March. The Jets set the market for aging quarterbacks
when they traded for Brett Favre knowing that his 2008 salary
was $12-million.
- Clinton Portis owners might want to note that Ladell Betts
could be returning this week and that head coach Jim Zorn has
said the backup job is his when he's fully healthy. Of course,
with Portis suffering from a bone bruise on his femur and a
2nd degree MCL sprain, there is a strong likelihood that Betts
is returning at less than full health meaning he will almost
certainly split carries with Shaun Alexander if Portis isn't
in the line-up this week. However, the bottom line is that Portis
has been nicked up all season and has remained tremendously
productive and he's one of the toughest players in the league
so it won't be a surprise if he's in the line-up this week against
the Cowboys.
- If one of the quarterbacks on your roster is the Rams Marc
Bulger, it might be time to think about adding another quarterback.
Bulger has been ineffective in almost every game this season
and was benched by head coach Jim Haslett this week against
the Jets. After the game, Haslett backed Bulger and announced
he would start going forward but Bulger's two first half turnovers
resulted in Jets touchdowns (his fumble was returned for a score)
so it's likely he will remain on a short leash.
- If you're looking for a quarterback, it appears that Tyler
Thigpen is the real deal in Kansas City. Thigpen looked
completely out of this element early in the season, hurrying
throws, not being accurate and making poor reads. However, he
hasn't thrown an interception during his last five outings and
has 710 yards passing and six touchdowns over his past three
games. It's worth noting that the Chiefs faced the Jets, Buccaneers
and Chargers, not exactly a weak crop of defenses, and that
Thigpen is the second ranked FF quarterback over that stretch.
- Here's another quarterback option - Ravens rookie Joe Flacco,
the fifth ranked FF quarterback over the past three weeks.
- And if you're wondering why Thigpen has been successful,
have a look at wide receiver Mark Bradley's numbers over the
past three weeks. The former 2nd round pick of the Bears is
making general manager Jerry Angelo regret dumping him early
in the season. Bradley has 196 receiving yards in just four
games this season which look impressive compared to the 333
yards the Bears top wideout (Rashied Davis) has put up over
the entire season. Over the past three games, Bradley has 188
yards receiving and two touchdowns and he has been targeted
21 times over the last two games which is five more than Dwayne
Bowe over the same stretch.
- It appears the Rams plan on taking a cautious approach with
running back Steven Jackson. Jackson aggravated his strained
thigh muscle two weeks ago against New England and was held
out this week against the Jets. Haslett isn't going to let him
play until he's had one or two full practices without incident.
With recently backup Kennth Darby losing two fumbles against
the Jets, Travis Minor suffering the effects of a concussion
and Antonio Pittman playing with an injured hamstring, there's
no clear cut handcuff in St. Louis.
- If you've been carrying Saints tight end Jeremy
Shockey on your FF roster hoping that he'll eventually turn
things around, it's time to give up on him. Since returning
from a sports hernia three games ago, Shockey has just eight
receptions for 72 yards to go along with a lost fumble while
Billy
Miller has 16 receptions for 203 yards since Shockey's return.
Shockey also earned quarterback Drew Brees' ire by missing a
block and then making a middling effort to catch Brees' dump
off pass. The two exchanged words and Shockey didn't see the
field for the rest of the game. The incident marked the second
time this season the two players have exchanged words and at
this point it wouldn't be a surprise if Shockey finds himself
put on the injured reserve list given that it's pretty clear
that he's more bother than he's worth.
- Patriots rookie running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis scored
another touchdown this week, making it four weeks in a row that
he has found the end zone. While he hardly looks like a player
that's going to hold onto the position over the long haul, the
bottom line is that he is currently the team's number one option
at running back and he is averaging over 10 fantasy points a
game since being given the opportunity.
- Another running back who looked good this week and figures
to see increased touches over the balance of the season is Lions
rookie runner Kevin Smith. The third round pick put up 123 total
yards and a touchdown this week against the Jaguars and it appears
he will be the main man in Detroit over the balance of the season.
Backup Rudi Johnson only carried the ball twice this week and
has made comments that suggest that the coaching staff has told
him that his role will be reduced.
- Keeping with the ending the committee theme, Seahawks running
back Julius Jones had his best week since week three, racking
up 90 total yards this week against the Dolphins. Jones had
18 touches to only two for Maurice Morris and it appears Morris
man the team's third down role.
- Looks like Chiefs rookie Jamaal Charles has blown his opportunity
to solidify his status as Larry Johnson's backup and potentially
his successor should the team decide to part ways with Johnson
after the season. With Kolby Smith out and Johnson suspended,
it was rookie free agent Dantrell Savage that led the team in
rushing with 44 yards on 12 carries. Picked in the third round
this year, the speedy Charles posted just one decent game in
Johnson's absence and it appears that durability may be a concern
with him.
- Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams seems to have locked
down the starting job in Carolina. Williams has 58 touches over
the past three weeks to just 34 for rookie first round pick
Jonathan Stewart. With the increased workload, Williams is now
on pace to finish with just under 1,200 yards rushing and 11
touchdowns. Better yet, the Panthers have the Lions, Falcons,
Packers and Broncos on the schedule over the next six weeks.
- Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron spent the week telling
the media the team had to increase the role of rookie third
round pick Ray Rice and that the team would employ a committee
approach. Rice ended up with nine touches to Willis McGahee's
26 and it appears that McGahee will be the focus of the team's
rushing attack when healthy. Of course, he dressed in week nine
and never saw the field so he probably shouldn't be started
unless there is absolute certainty regarding his health particularly
considering their remaining schedule which includes the Giants,
Eagles, Redskins and Steelers.
- Tossing aside a 290 yard performance against the Chiefs,
Jets quarterback Brett
Favre's yardage totals over the past four games are 167,
201, 197 and 189. In those four games, he's thrown five interceptions
against two touchdown passes.
- If you're looking for help at linebacker in an IDP league,
you should consider Jamie Winborn of the Broncos. Always known
as a talented but clueless defender, Winborn has 17 tackles,
five assisted tackles and four passes defensed over the past
two games since replacing the injured Boss Bailey.
- Another linebacker that has put together a string of good
games is the Cowboys Bradie James. James has a sack in three
straight games to go along with 20 tackles, four assists, a
fumble recovery and a pass defensed.
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