The Scoop

By Dalton Del Don

It remains to be seen if a 32-year-old Ricky Williams can stay healthy with an increased workload, but any Ronnie Brown owner who also had Williams is now sitting with a better team than before Brown’s season-ending injury, as Miami’s backfield is no longer a committee. Williams’ current 5.3 YPC mark is easily a career-high (next best was 4.8 in 2002), and he’s also used in the passing game. Williams should be a huge difference maker down the stretch…I’m generally a passing guy, but it’s inexcusable for Carolina to give DeAngelo Williams just 14 touches last week. He’s averaged 6.9 YPC over the past four games and has already gained more than 100 yards receiving than all of last season, but Williams has gotten 20 carries just three times this year…Up seven points at the 30 yard line with 45 seconds left, the Dolphins went for it on 4th and 3, which would have probably been my third choice. A field goal ends the game then and there, and if it’s missed, you lose just seven yards. And if you’re going to go for it, why not pass? A failed conversion stops the clock either way.

Ben Roethlisberger is having one of the more underrated fantasy seasons, having already thrown 17 touchdowns and on pace to finish the year with 4,587 passing yards, which would best his previous high by more than 1,000 yards. Despite Pittsburgh’s defense remaining highly effective, he’s been asked to throw more than ever, and even with Santonio Holmes failing to score since Week 1, Roethlisberger has become a must-start in fantasy leagues, regardless of matchup…A Kolby Smith sprained ankle during his first carry last Sunday helped, but it was nice to see Jamaal Charles get a full workload, and the team even trusted him between the tackles for the first time. Since the team also relies on Charles in special teams, don’t be surprised if the carries are shared moving forward, but as long as Charles gets the majority of them, he should be able to do plenty of damage with a highly favorable upcoming schedule…The Steelers have now allowed a return touchdown in an NFL-record eight straight games…Chris Chambers is a sneaky WR3 play from here on out, with strong matchups ahead and as the main (only?) option in KC’s passing attack.

Entering the year, I fully expected Donald Brown’s usage to increase toward the end of the season, while Joseph Addai’s dwindled, but the opposite has happened…If there’s a better route-runner in the NFL than Reggie Wayne, I haven’t seen him…There isn’t a receiver more consistent than Derrick Mason, but Baltimore desperately needs another weapon on offense…If you’re a big fan of the field goal, the Colts/Ravens contest was as good as it gets.

If down 20-plus points at halftime, there isn’t a better quarterback in the league than Alex Smith, who put up huge stats in the second half against Green Bay last week, similar production to when he overtook Shaun Hill against the Texans earlier this year. It’s treated as an unrealistic option midseason, but I see nothing to lose with San Francisco switching to the spread offense full-time…Aaron Kampman wasn’t having a very good season while miscast in the 3-4 system, and Al Harris is about to turn 35 years old, but both season-ending injuries are costly. I still say this Packers team is dangerous, but I’m biased, as they were my one “long-shot” bet I placed to win the Super Bowl before the season started…Michael Crabtree is going to be a very good player for a very long time in this league.

Nice to see Terrell Owens finally involved in the Bills’ offense, and I guess the receivers’ backing of Ryan Fitzpatrick makes more sense now. Owens is still a pretty risky fantasy proposition moving forward, however…Buffalo is a banged up football team right now, and the injury to rookie Eric Wood last week was about as gruesome as it gets…I love me some Mike Sims-Walker, who has been worth every penny of the $36 FAAB I spent on him in the Yahoo! Friends & Family league.

Good to see Eli Manning playing well again, and it’s hard to believe that was his first ever 300-yard passing game at home, but both the Giants’ defensive and offensive lines have really disappointed in 2009. Danny Ware is a must-add with Ahmad Bradshaw unlikely to play Thursday…Jason Snelling is not as good as Michael Turner, but he’s a reasonable facsimile who will catch more passes and is in the right situation in Atlanta. He’s a top-10 fantasy back in Week 12 at home versus the Bucs.

Josh Freeman was due for some performances like last week, and it’s worth noting the main difference between past mediocre Saints teams with strong offenses and this one that is a legitimate Super Bowl contender is their ability to create turnovers on defense…There have been 18 different people who have scored touchdowns for New Orleans this year…What made Pierre Thomas even more frustrating last week was the fact Mike Bell left the game early on with a knee injury, and it was questionable if he could even return. Not only did he make it back on the field, but he scored two more touchdowns as Thomas watched from the sidelines. Maybe the strategy keeps Thomas fresh down the stretch, and there’s obviously no glaring reason to change the game plan on an undefeated team, but Thomas has gotten 5.6 YPC on the season (second best in the NFL for those with at least 100 rushing attempts) and has seen more than 15 carries in a game just once.

I joked about the Lions/Browns game entering Week 11, calling it “just like last week’s Colts/Patriots matchup. Only the opposite.” Man did they make me look dumb! How about a 27-24 halftime score? And with a fantastic finish as well (again, why did Eric Mangini call a timeout so Matthew Stafford could return to the game for the final play? Other than the obvious response that he’s clueless)…The difference between Brady Quinn’s play beforehand and his willingness to attack downfield last Sunday was as stark as it gets. I’m beginning to think Detroit’s secondary just isn’t all that good…Matthew Stafford is proving to be a bit injury-prone, and his overall numbers are still ugly, but I doubt many previous busts ever had games like his last week. Encouraging stuff for Detroit fans…Speaking of lacking durability, Calvin Johnson is killing me. I wouldn’t be surprised if he puts up 2,000 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns one season in the future, but he hasn’t been a whole lot of fun to own this year…I’m sorry, I just can’t stop the Mangini hate. Did he really call for a fake field goal with 10 seconds left in the second quarter that was converted for a first down, only to kick a FG on the very next play? And did he really call for a two-point conversion in a 35-31 game with six minutes left? Mangini makes Ray Handley look like Vince Lombardi.

The Cowboys have scored just two touchdowns (with zero field goals) over the past two games, both coming within the final three minutes of action. Despite a banged up Tony Romo and Jason Witten, expect the offense to take out its frustrations in a big way Thursday against the Raiders, especially if they get Miles Austin more involved…Rock Cartwright doesn’t have a good matchup this week, but he’s a No. 1 waiver priority type add right now. He should get the bulk of the workload moving forward, and his performance as a receiver last week revealed upside…It would take some stones, but Felix Jones is a sneaky flex play this week. He got a season-high in carries last week, with his knee supposedly back to 100 percent. Even on limited touches, don’t forget how productive he was last year (8.9 YPC, three TDs on 30 carries) and also earlier this season. Dallas is 14-point favorites Thursday, so they should be playing with a lead during the second half, and Oakland has allowed an NFL-high 16 rushing touchdowns in 2009.

I’m tired of underrating Minnesota, something I’ve pretty much done all year. Can’t wait to see them face New Orleans in the NFC Championship game (of course, predicting such a thing at this stage is a recipe to look wrong)…Make no mistake, Brett Favre is currently having the best season of his career. He’s found himself in a perfect situation, but he deserves a ton of credit as well. A 21:3 TD:INT ratio with an 8.0 YPA and 69.7 completion percentage? Are you kidding me? I now hate the media even more for making me resent him so much, but I guess all that hype and coverage was worthwhile, after all…Julius Jones returning to health is bad news for Matt Hasselbeck owners, as not only is Justin Forsett the superior runner, but he also adds a different weapon to the passing attack, evidenced by his 80 yards receiving last week. If Jones remains sidelined, Forsett has good upside this week in St. Louis.

Was it just me, or did Arizona’s offense get worse once Kurt Warner left last week? Seriously, I know it’s much tougher coming in mid-game as opposed to getting starter reps in practice all week, but even against the lowly Rams, Matt Leinart did not impress…Marc Bulger wasn’t good, but Kyle Boller is bad news for Donnie Avery and the surprising Brandon Gibson…Down 21-3 with 15 seconds left in the third quarter, Steve Spagnuolo thought kicking a field goal from the 3 yard line gave St. Louis its best chance of winning. I disagree.

Over his last five games, Laurence Maroney has scored six touchdowns and is clearly the lead back in New England. It remains to be seen how many touches Sammy Morris takes away when he returns from his knee injury, but it’s worth noting he was playing fullback earlier this season, and Maroney has been a force at the goal-line recently. His YPC could use improvement, but with Carolina, Buffalo and Jacksonville on the schedule during Week 14-16, the perennially disappointing Maroney could really redeem himself…Why does it seem like usually the most gifted wide receivers in the NFL also have flat out bad hands? I’m talking to you Braylon Edwards…OK I admit it, I’m definitely jealous of all Wes Welker owners…I still believe in Mark Sanchez long-term, but these turnovers have become an epidemic. Remember when the Jets were 3-0, coming off victories over the Texans, Patriots and Titans? Feels so long ago…Even if it hurt Rex Ryan’s feelings, pretty funny watching Bill Belichick call a deep pass up 31-14 with 30 seconds left last week.

I admire Kyle Orton coming into last week’s game clearly hurt, but if he was able to do so, why not start him in the first place? The end results may not show it, but a Knowshon Moreno fumble at the goal line somewhat hides the fact just how much better that offense looked once Chris Simms was benched…Has there ever been a 6-0 team (and up three games) such huge underdogs in its division after Week 11 quite like this Broncos squad? I kind of like them getting six points at home against the Giants on Thursday, but what an epic fall…The Chargers seemingly never do it conventionally, but they suddenly look like legit contenders right now.

It was no great shock to see a Cincinnati team unfamiliar with being nearly 10-point road favorites lose a trap game in Oakland last week, but it was disappointing nevertheless. Carson Palmer got 9.4 YPA but attempted just 22 passes and somehow finished with a 75.4 QB rating. Too conservative of an approach from the Bengals…Almost all signs pointed to Larry Johnson getting eased into action, with Bernard Scott the lead back, yet I heard the Bengals’ radio play-by-play guy in an interview last week proclaim LJ was going to be a huge part of the game plan. He really had his finger on the pulse of the team! Seriously, if Cedric Benson has to sit again this week, Scott is an excellent start at home against the Browns…Bruce Gradkowski is an obvious upgrade over JaMarcus Russell, but Dallas D needs to be considered a top-three fantasy this week.

There’s no excusing Jay Cutler’s poor play this year, as he might have had an equally poor performance last week compared to the game before despite throwing four fewer picks – he took fewer chances and missed multiple deep balls for sure scores. That said, take a look at Matt Forte’s 3.3 YPC. The offensive line is also a major problem in Chicago…My favorite part about DeSean Jackson’s 48-yard touchdown catch last Sunday was that it was his shortest score of the season (he has six TDs). Moreover, Jackson has zero receptions in the red zone this year.

Just as the Titans earlier this year were nowhere near 2008’s version, the current team is much better than their 4-6 record indicates. I won’t criticize Jeff Fisher for sticking with Kerry Collins too long, but Vince Young has clearly been an upgrade, and it’s been a pretty remarkable turnaround. Young’s schedule has been mostly favorable, but he’s shown progress as a passer, and there simply aren’t any other quarterbacks in the league with his rushing ability. His presence has also transformed Chris Johnson’s fantasy value from very good to top-three commodity…Because of his ability as a receiver, Steve Slaton can retain fantasy value even as a minority in a timeshared backfield. But come on, if he’s solved his fumbling problem (not a sure thing, of course), why bother with Chris Brown? And why go out of your way to name Slaton the starter beforehand, Gary Kubiak? Just to screw with fantasy owners? How dare you. Don’t blame us Slaton owners for taking some gratification when your ass is canned after the season…After a 53-yard field goal gave Tennessee a 20-17 lead with 47 seconds left, I hated the decision for the short kickoff. Odds are way against a TD return, but the decision to give Houston favorable field position (in this case, the 38 yard line) with a short kick absolutely increased the Texans’ chances of a game-tying field goal.