The Scoop

By Dalton Del Don

Roddy White is on pace to finish the season with 123 catches, 1,707 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. He’s clearly established himself as the No. 1 fantasy receiver right now…Carson Palmer hasn’t played well this season, getting just 7.0 YPA, but thanks to a ton of attempts, he’s on pace to surpass 4,500 passing yards…Tony Gonzalez has topped 41 yards receiving just once over seven games this season, and his current 10.1 yards-per-catch mark is a career low. It’s not time to give up on him, but on a run first team and with White getting most of Matt Ryan’s attention, it’s pretty clear his owners are going to be left disappointed. The 34-year-old is starting to show his age…With two minutes left in the third quarter, Marvin Lewis should not have gone for two down 24-19…Matt Ryan is now 16-1 at home during his career.

As a Californian, I’m a fan of In-N-Out Burger (I go with “animal style” and “extra toast”). I know there’s been some backlash (which happens to all things that become too popular), and it’s pretty common to hear it called “overrated,” and while I understand that sentiment, the truth is, there’s a bigger discrepancy between In-N-Out and any other fast food chain than any two restaurants. I bring this up because “Five Guys,” which I’ve heard is a pretty close rival, recently opened about 30 minutes from me. So, is “Five Guys” worth the trip? Which one is better? Speaking of fast food, here’s a pretty interesting read.

With an extremely shaky performance (4.8 YPA, 1:2 TD:INT ratio), Kevin Kolb made Andy Reid’s decision easy. Michael Vick owners rejoice…According to Pro Football Focus, the Titans have had by far the worst run blocking in the NFL this season, so don’t blame Chris Johnson for his 4.1 YPC mark…Kenny Britt should get into bar fights more often. Seriously, what a performance. Britt has now scored in five straight games and is clearly the team’s best offensive weapon after Chris Johnson…Tennessee has won 12 straight games versus NFC opponents.

Just an FYI, I’m writing this article while sitting on the Hawaii Chair.

Ryan Fitzpatrick completed 67.4 percent of his passes, got 8.7 YPA and threw four touchdowns Sunday against a Ravens defense that entered having allowed just four TD passes over six games. Fitzpatrick has thrown a whopping 14 touchdowns over his past five games. While that is obviously unsustainable, his 7.6 YPA mark suggests it’s also not a fluke. These are eye-opening numbers that need to be taken seriously, and he’d hardly be the first quarterback to come out of nowhere with great success, especially at this stage of his career. Playing in Buffalo, late season weather is a concern, and defenses will start taking the Bills’ passing attack more seriously, but it’s also worth noting Fitzpatrick has averaged 29.0 rushing yards per game, which is second in the league only to Michael Vick. With Buffalo’s defense allowing an NFL-high 33.0 points per game, the Bills are going to remain pass heavy. I currently have Fitzpatrick ranked around 10th among fantasy QBs – ahead of Jay Cutler, Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco…Fitzpatrick became the first Bills passer to throw for 300 yards in 60 games…After two more touchdowns by Todd Heap on Sunday, Buffalo has now allowed seven scores to tight ends this season. No other team has allowed more than four…For those of you who backed Baltimore in your survivor pool, consider yourself blessed. What breaks! Forward progress was clearly stopped on that overtime “fumble.” And how is that play not even reviewed?

Watched “Catfish” this week, which I thought was brilliant. Who would have thought the two best movies of 2010 would be about Facebook. Run, don’t walk to see “Catfish.”

Thankfully, I switched away from New Orleans to Kansas City in my survival pool (although that now leaves me with an incredibly tough choice in Week 8), as this Browns team scared me for some reason. Also, it’s awfully tough trusting this Saints squad…With 11:49 left in the fourth quarter Sunday, Sean Payton challenged a 12-yard catch by Chansi Stuckey after Cleveland declined an illegal hands to the face penalty on the same play, and while the Saints won the challenge, it’s hard to see what Payton was thinking there since the penalty was an automatic first down anyway. Was it really worth the seven yard difference? Payton has made some head scratching decisions this year, to say the least.

Your move, Old Spice.

Jay Cutler got off to a nice start this season, but things have turned quite ugly since. Over the last three games, he’s produced one touchdown while committing seven turnovers. The 8.2 YPA mark is nice and continued high yardage totals can be expected, but the TD production has been unacceptable, and with the NFL’s worst pass blocking unit (he’s been sacked 27 times over 5.5 games), Cutler is a long shot to stay healthy over the rest of the year…The Bears have scored zero points in the third quarter this season…Washington’s defense is on pace to allow the second most yards in NFL history this season (Houston has actually been even worse), yet they are somehow 4-3. The team that allowed the most finished 2-14, and the team that allowed the second most finished 0-16…How does Lovie Smith not challenge that Cutler TD run? Talk about being asleep at the wheel. And it only added salt to the wound when a subsequent pick six by Chicago was taken away thanks to a delay of game by the Redskins.

Right now, Vegas currently has the AFC favored by just 2.5 points over the NFC in the Super Bowl, which seems mighty low to me. There’s a profit to be made here.

Jamaal Charles’ career 5.8 YPC mark is the highest in NFL history among running backs. Of course, we are talking about an awfully small sample, but the next best mark is Bo Jackson with 5.4 YPC…Sunday marked the second straight week the Chiefs were screwed by a horrible pass interference call. Mike Thomas played the role of Andre Johnson this time around…Nice to see Maurice Jones-Drew be so involved as a receiver. His owners might not be so happy to see David Garrard retake the job this week.

Ronnie Brown hasn’t had the easiest schedule, but unless Ricky Williams gets hurt, he’s essentially unusable in fantasy leagues…More touchdowns are coming Brandon Marshall owners, I promise…Mike Wallace may be a one trick pony, but he sure is good at that trick (going deep).

Jonathan Stewart has been a huge disappointment so far this season, getting just 3.0 YPC while being totally useless for fantasy owners. However, DeAngelo Williams left last week’s game with a painful foot injury, and he sat out Wednesday’s practice while still dealing with the sprain. He’s questionable to play in Week 8, and if he’s forced to sit, then Stewart immediately becomes a viable RB2 option, especially against a Rams defense that has yielded 4.6 YPC this year. With Matt Moore back at QB and Steve Smith back from injury, Carolina’s offense is fast improving as well…With news of Alex Smith (shoulder) being out 2-to-3 weeks, Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis (and also Frank Gore, to a lesser extent) have to be downgraded. Smith is hardly any good, but the alternative is worse, and in this case, coach Mike Singletary has elected to go with Troy Smith instead of David Carr. While Smith is a long shot to have much success, at least he’s an unknown, while we already are well aware of how bad Carr is. Either way, Crabtree is probably not worth using in fantasy leagues, and Davis’ production could take a hit as well (although raw QBs often target their tight ends heavily, so Davis is still worth using, of course).

This story is nuts.

LeGarrette Blount is back on the scene after rushing for 72 yards on 11 carries Sunday and should be among the top waiver wire adds this week. Blount still has plenty of work to do with his pass protection, so at a minimum, he’ll cede work to Carnell Williams on all third downs and obvious passing situations. However, Williams has gotten just 2.5 YPC this season, and Blount looked highly impressive when given the opportunity last week, showing good speed and burst for someone who is listed at 247 pounds, so he could start dominating early down work as soon as this week. He’s a massive upgrade as a ballcarrier…Unfortunately, it appears there may not be a true No. 1 receiver who emerges for St. Louis over the rest of the year.

Tim Hightower’s fumble was a welcome sight for Beanie Wells owners. Let’s see if the sophomore back can take advantage of it moving forward…Especially in PPR formats, Mike Williams sure looks like he can be a difference maker from here on out…What a drop off from Kurt Warner to the current pu pu platter Arizona is running out each week at quarterback. Max Hall may have a future in this league, but right now, this position is a glaring weakness for the Cardinals. It’s unclear if Hall or Derek Anderson currently gives the team its best chance to win.

Just when I thought this Chargers team couldn’t get any worse or more undisciplined, they literally give away two fumbles Sunday (someone please tell Richard Goodman that in the NFL, there needs to be contact to be considered down)…Nice to see Darren Sproles utilized more in the passing game recently, as he was really underused earlier this season…If he’s healthy enough to start, Legedu Naanee isn’t the worst WR option for desperate owners this week…Wes Welker is averaging a paltry 8.0 yards per catch and hasn’t scored since Week 2…No one should give up on Ryan Mathews, and there’s little reason trying to trade him now with his value so low, but fantasy owners who have kept starting him over the past four games are surely tired of hearing about his potential or his upside. Mathews has topped 65 yards rushing just once this season and has averaged 8.6 carries over five games since Week 1. He practiced fully Wednesday, which is a good sign he’s finally getting close to 100 percent healthy, but San Diego’s offensive line has performed terribly this season, and Mike Tolbert remains the team’s goal-line back. The perceived upside is real while playing for the league’s No. 1 offense, but until Mathews actually gets 20 touches in a game, the safe play is to keep him benched…San Diego has somehow lost 12 of its 15 fumbles this season, which is crazy bad luck (normal rate is about 50%).

Well, at least she could drive in the carpool lane.

I have to say Oakland dropping 59 points in Denver through three quarters has to be one of the most shocking things of the 2010 season so far. Since starting last year 6-0, the Broncos are 4-13…Playing his second game back from a hamstring injury that sidelined him Weeks 3-5, Moreno totaled 90 yards with two scores on 17 touches Sunday. Further removed from the injury, he looked back to full strength, and while his YPC (3.3) remains pathetic this season, it’s important to note he was the only running back on Denver’s roster to receive a carry in Week 7. He’s clearly the team’s workhorse, and since that means he’ll also get goal-line carries as well as be active as a receiver, Moreno can be plenty valuable in fantasy leagues even if he’s just an average back in real life…What a game by Darren McFadden, who is clearly Oakland’s feature back when healthy. No other RB has averaged as many total yards per game as McFadden this season (150.0 ypg), and his 5.5 YPC mark is tied for third best in the NFL. Finally the track star speed has translated onto the football field, and his newfound ability to break tackles has been a welcome sight. Put simply, he looks like an entirely different running back than in years past and more like the runner that made him worth being selected fourth overall in the 2008 draft. His balky hamstrings will seemingly always be a worry, but while healthy, calling McFadden a top-10 fantasy player seems conservative…In the Yahoo Friends & Family league, I had McFadden on my bench. My opponent benched Kenny Britt.

Aaron Rodgers entered Sunday just 1-11 in games decided by four points or fewer during his career, so it was nice to see him pull out a close one (although Percy Harvin was awfully close to making him 1-12)…Anyone can tell Brett Favre hasn’t been very good this year, but this illustrates just how truly bad he has been so far in 2010.

Tony Romo will miss the next 6-to-8 weeks after suffering a broken collarbone Monday night, and with the 1-5 Cowboys now turning to Jon Kitna at quarterback, there’s a decent chance Romo is held out the rest of the year. Romo was in the midst of another nice season, although his 7.5 YPA mark was actually a career low. It’s a crushing blow to a Dallas team that has been the most disappointing in football. Fantasy owners who lost Romo should be all over Ryan Fitzpatrick this week….Dez Bryant reached paydirt three times Monday, twice as a receiver and another on an impressive 93-yard punt return. The entire Dallas offense needs to be downgraded a significant amount with Romo out, but Bryant may finally be close to 100 percent healthy, and it’s clear he’s highly talented. He should have little trouble pushing Roy Williams aside from here on out, and it sure seemed like Kitna had a good rapport with the rookie wideout. At a minimum, Bryant should be a force inside the red zone…Playing on the road against a stingy Dallas defense that was desperate for a win to save its season, Eli Manning completed 71.4 percent of his passes, got 8.7 YPA and tossed four touchdowns Monday night. He needs to protect the football better, having already thrown an NFL-high 11 interceptions, but his 14 TD passes also lead the league. Manning has taken just three sacks over the past three games, and he’s thrown nine touchdowns over that span. With Hakeem Nicks, Steve Smith and Mario Manningham emerging as one of the best wide receiver groups in football, Manning has become an elite fantasy QB.

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