By Dalton Del Don
Jamaal Charles totaled 238 yards on just 26 touches Sunday, and heâs now averaging a whopping 6.5 YPC. Heâs getting a highly impressive 3.4 YPC after contact, has yet to commit a single penalty this season and is a superior blocker than Adrian Peterson and Chris Johnson, so thereâs a legitimate argument Charles is the best running back in football. Nothing has fundamentally changed with his fantasy prospects recently, as Thomas Jones will continue to frustrate his owners, but Charles is on pace to finish the year with 1,959 total yards on just 272 touches. If he were ever given a full workload, the history books could be rewrittenâ¦Buffalo may be 0-7, but this team is no doormat, especially with the vastly improved passing attack. Those who took Kansas City in their survivor pools were extremely fortunate, to say the least. Check out the gameâs crazy WP graphâ¦Tamba Hali might be the best defensive player few people know about, as heâs been playing out of his mind this season. His 36 quarterback pressures are the second most in the NFL.
The run blocking has taken a major step back, but whatâs up with Jonathan Stewart? Heâs looked like a top NFL back over the past two years, and now supposedly fully healthy for the first time ever, heâs just not breaking tackles like in the past. Of course, itâs probably safe to say at this point that offseason surgery has had a lingering effect, and Carolinaâs offense has been a huge problem. If DeAngelo Williams is out again in Week 9, Iâd still roll with Stewart in fantasy leaguesâ¦The Rams are a surprising 4-4 thanks not only to Sam Bradford, but their defense has allowed just two rushing scores while yielding only 6.4 YPA and recording 23 sacks. Itâs been one of the most improved units in all of football in 2010.
Really interesting read about the late night wars between Jay Leno and Conan OâBrien.
Troy Smithâs final stat line looked strong, but that was quite a vanilla game plan. Of course, San Francisco fans have a low bar to clear when it comes to getting excited about QB play, so might as well see what he can do while Alex Smith is dealing with a bum shoulder (and maybe even after Smith is healed)â¦Fun fact: Frank Gore has been targeted (59) more than Wes Welker (56) this seasonâ¦Brandon Lloyd already has more receiving yards this year than he did over the past four seasons combined. Lloyd is on pace to finish with 1,757 receiving yards, which would be the third highest mark in NFL history. Remarkable.
Over the last four games, Calvin Johnson has racked up 24 catches for 387 yards and seven touchdowns. His talent and the high expectations are finally being matched by his production on the field. Johnsonâs eight receiving scores are tied for the most among all wide receivers this year, and it was encouraging to see him have a nice rapport with Matthew Stafford, who returned to the lineup in Week 8. Johnsonâs shoulder is still bothering him, and heâs an injury risk moving forward, but there isnât a more talented receiver in football, and he should continue to dominate in the red zone. He must be considered a top-three fantasy WRâ¦Donovan McNabb struggled again Sunday, completing just 56.7 percent of his passes with one touchdown against a vulnerable Detroit secondary, which resulted in him getting benched in favor of Rex Grossman in a six point game with two minutes left. Varying explanations have been given as to why, and none of them make any sense, mainly because the alternative was Grossman. Still, McNabb has posted a 7:8 TD:INT ratio over eight games, and heâs fortunate none of his four fumbles have been lost. Heâs also taken 22 sacks and has produced a QB rating below 80.0 in seven of eight contests. McNabb has yet to throw multiple touchdowns in any game this year and put simply, heâs been one of the least effective quarterbacks in 2010â¦It doesnât get much dumber than Washington jumping off sides when Detroit was lined up to kick a field goal on 4th and 1 at the Redskinsâ 7 yard line in the third quarter Sunday.
This is a ridiculously crazy ending to a CFL game. And while youâre watching, note that Montreal was favored by 4.5 points.
Entering Week 9, the Jets hadnât allowed a single point in the first quarter this season. That is until a failed fake punt on 4th and 18 from their own 20 yard line led to a Green Bay field goalâ¦It was definitely an impressive performance by the Packersâ defense, especially considering the Jets were coming off their bye, but Santonio Holmes dropped what would have been a sure 40 yard touchdown, which was a killer. It was on a short cross and not a tough catch, but that said, I like buying low on Holmes right now in deep leagues.
One was an absolute gift that should have been intercepted, but Terrell Owens recorded two more touchdowns Sunday, giving him five over the past four games. His 85 targets are the most in the NFL, and thereâs little reason not to expect that to continue considering the Bengalsâ declining defense and mediocre rushing attack. Owens is defying the odds remaining so productive at age 36, but itâs clear heâs got plenty left in the tankâ¦Davone Bess leads all wide receivers with eight broken tackles this year.
This state house candidate had himself quite a weekend.
While it may not seem like David Garrard is having a good season, over his last three games (not counting the one he left with a concussion midway through the second quarter) heâs posted a 9:1 TD:INT ratio. Heâs also completed 79.4 percent of his passes, got 9.5 YPA and also produced two TDs on the ground over that span. After the teamâs upcoming bye, Jacksonville gets home games against the Texans and Browns (and they also have a highly favorable playoff schedule), so Garrard is suddenly a factor in fantasy leagues. The Jaguarsâ poor defense and inability to run block are both positives for Garrardâs valueâ¦Jason Witten was targeted 12 times during Jon Kitnaâs first start for the Cowboys on Sunday, and heâs likely to be relied upon heavily moving forward. With Dallas Clark joining Jermichael Finley on IR and Zach Miller and Vernon Davis both banged up, Witten could easily be considered the No. 2 tight end in fantasy leagues right nowâ¦Having allowed zero before Sunday, Doug Free gave up two sacks against the Jaguars, leaving Jake Long as the NFLâs only left tackle yet to allow a sack this seasonâ¦Make no mistake, the Cowboys have one of the worst defenses in the NFL.
At this point, itâs only news when Charlie Sheen doesnât get drunk, naked and harass some poor girl.
Itâs comical the Chargers had yet another punt blocked for a safety less than two minutes into Sundayâs gameâ¦Kenny Britt clearly has the talent to be a No. 1 WR for years to come, but the hamstring injury he suffered in Week 8 appears to be significant. The team is hoping it wonât land him on IR, and while heâs worth holding onto if you have the roster space, those in a crunch should probably just cut bait. The subsequent claiming of Randy Moss off waivers suggests the Titans arenât banking on Britt returning to action anytime soonâ¦Speaking of Moss, heâs on pace to finish with just 626 receiving yards this year. Getting claimed by Tennessee is a pretty good real life situation with the Titans a playoff contender and entering the teamâs bye week, but they have attempted just 26.1 passes per game this season, so itâs hardly an ideal landing spot for Mossâ fantasy value. He also deserves a downgrade for berating that catering company, which isnât cool at allâ¦Seyi Ajirotutu is a deep sleeper for those desperate for wide receiver help in Week 9.
LeGarrette Blount totaled 129 yards and two touchdowns on 24 touches Sunday. Heâs averaging 5.2 YPC during his rookie season, exhibiting a nice blend of power and speed that will make it increasingly more difficult to keep him off the field. Heâll continue to lose work to Carnell Williams during passing situations, but Blount simply has to be Tampa Bayâs primary ballcarrier at this point. He looks like a future starâ¦Itâs pretty clear Derek Anderson currently gives Arizona its best chance of winning.
Over the last four games, Tom Brady has gotten just 6.6 YPA with four touchdowns, averaging a paltry 211.0 passing yards over that span. The offense has been dramatically different with Randy Moss gone, as defenses have been able to defend a less than 100 percent Wes Welker with ease, and a hobbled (and aged) Deion Branch hasnât been the answer. With no downfield threat, New England plans to win games like they used to, which has certainly worked in the record column, but itâs bad news for Bradyâs fantasy value. Heâs still a top-10 option, but heâs no longer in the top-fiveâ¦With a little more than three minutes left and 1st and goal at the 1 yard line with the Pats up 21-18, Bill Belichick had Brady run back-to-back QB sneaks in which he clearly tried not to score, effectively taking the game down to the two minute warning. It would have been interesting to see if New England would have gone for it had BenJarvus Green-Ellis not scored on third down. Itâs crazy no other coach is willing to think outside the box like Belichick. Heâs playing chess while the rest are playing checkersâ¦After leading the NFL with 48 sacks last season, the Vikings havenât recorded one in any of their past three games and are tied for a league-low with six on the year.
âEastbound & Downâ hit a lull during those two Don Johnson episodes, but it totally redeemed itself with the penultimate episode last week, which killed me. The opening with Adam Scott was a home run, and Stevie Janowski is simply one of the best characters ever.
After failing to score a touchdown in Week 6, the Raiders have somehow scored 92 points over the past two games, thanks to Darren McFadden continuing to look like one of the best running backs in football, and Jason Campbell suddenly playing well. Since posting a lower QB rating in Week 6 than JaMarcus Russell ever did, Campbell has gotten 10.9 YPA with a 4:0 TD:INT ratioâ¦The Seahawks have a winning record and are currently alone in first place in the NFC West, but they have been outscored 104-43 on the road this season.
Prop 19 didnât pass, but I have a sneaking suspicion which way Tim Lincecum voted.
After gaining just seven yards on seven carries before suffering a concussion, Chris Ivoryâs momentary fantasy value could soon come to an end. Both Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas could return after the teamâs Week 10 byeâ¦Facing a mediocre Saints secondary that was banged up physically in a dome environment in primetime, it was surprising to see Ben Roethlisberger post such a pedestrian line. Expect him to bounce back with a big game this week in Cincinnati.
I still canât believe the Giants won the World Series. Even as a homer, I never saw it coming. As crazy as that outcome was, the subsequent celebration took it up a notch!
He may not have been totally 100 percent, but Donald Brown was badly outplayed by Mike Hart on Monday night â itâs too bad Hart suffered what looked like a serious ankle injuryâ¦It sounds like Austin Collie may actually have a chance of returning to action in Week 9, which would be a remarkably quick recoveryâ¦One interesting prop bet my friend who lives in Vegas hammered was Pierre Garconâs over/under last week, which was 57.5 yards. That seemed incredibly low considering the opponent and how decimated the rest of Indyâs receiving corps wasâ¦Making his first career start, Jacob Tamme wasted no time, catching a touchdown in the first quarter of Mondayâs win over the Texans. He finished with six catches for 64 yards, and while that came in a favorable matchup, Tamme immediately becomes a viable weekly TE option in fantasy leagues because of Peyton Manning. With a depleted receiving corps, Tamme is going to remain involved in the Coltsâ offense moving forward, and there are few better setups in the leagueâ¦Since throwing for 497 yards and three touchdowns in Week 2, Matt Schaub has gotten just 6.8 YPA with a 6:4 TD:INT ratio over five games. Heâs taken a major step back compared to last seasonâ¦I realize complaints like this have become repetitive, but what was Houston thinking punting down 13 points with six minutes left Monday night? On what planet does that decision give them their best chance of winning? Even if they fail on fourth down, a subsequent field goal by Indy still leaves it a two score game. NFL coaches really need to grow a pair and quit playing for the friendliest loss. Itâs an epidemic that needs to stop.
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