The Scoop

By Dalton Del Don

Tyler Thigpen was unimpressive, but this Bears defense is legit. Should be interesting to see how they fare against Michael Vick and company in Week 12…Brandon Marshall hasn’t reached 65 yards receiving since Week 6 and is now dealing with a hamstring injury that could sideline him for a while. He’s quietly been one of the biggest busts this season.

Over the last three weeks, Mike Wallace has racked up 16 catches for 362 receiving yards and four scores. At 6-0, 199 lbs, Wallace is far from an ideal red-zone target, but thanks to an NFL-high 23.0 yards per catch, his eight touchdowns are tied for the sixth-most among wide receivers. He’s averaged 91.3 yards receiving (with six TDs) over six games since Ben Roethlisberger returned from his suspension, a season’s pace good for 1,461 yards. This is Wallace’s second year in the league, so the sky is the limit…That was a highly questionable penalty that took away a James Harrison pick six…At this point, Adrian Peterson and Arian Foster would become candidates to sit if they faced this Steelers’ run defense.

Maurice Jones-Drew has averaged 164.0 yards and a touchdown over the past three games, as he’s looked far healthier than earlier in the season. David Garrard, who has thrown 13 touchdowns over the last five games he’s finished, has improved Jacksonville’s passing attack, and Jones-Drew has benefitted. After a tough upcoming two-game stretch, the Jaguars’ schedule is highly favorable over Weeks 14-16 (Oak, @ Ind, Was). Jones-Drew isn’t going to live up to his preseason ADP as a top-three pick, but he could still finish with first round value…Both back to health, why in the world is Eric Mangini choosing to start Jake Delhomme over Seneca Wallace? I’d shy away from Cleveland in survivor pools as a result.

Keiland Williams managed just 3.0 YPC in a tough matchup in Tennessee in Week 11, but thanks to his involvement as a receiver, he’s totaled 234 yards (with three scores) over the past two games since taking over as Washington’s lead back. With Clinton Portis and Ryan Torain out indefinitely, the job could be Williams’ for the foreseeable future, making him a top-20 fantasy back. James Davis is on the radar as well…It’s become clear Vince Young and Jeff Fisher can’t coexist. Owner Bud Adams may have to make a decision during the offseason, and right or wrong, don’t be surprised if he chooses the quarterback…Randy Moss has one catch for 26 yards over two games with Tennessee. He entered his age 33 season averaging 77.8 receiving yards per game during his career, which is the second most in NFL history. He’s averaged 33.9 yards per game in 2010. Meanwhile, Terrell Owens, who will turn 37 years old in two weeks, has averaged 89.7 yards per game this season…Having Tennessee in a teaser, let me just say rooting for Rusty Smith (“I once knew a horse named Rusty. No offence.”) was a terrifying experience. How about Graham Gano coming up short on the 47-yard field goal attempt? And on Washington’s game-winning drive in overtime, a whopping 35 yards came via penalty.

Houston’s pass defense is truly embarrassing, but New York deserves a ton of credit, even if they have been a bit lucky this season. The cardiac Jets will have to fight off overlooking a dead Bengals team on Thanksgiving with an upcoming matchup in New England on Monday night in Week 13…Joel Dreessen is a TE1 as long as Owen Daniels is sidelined.

The biggest market inefficiency in the NFL these days might just be bad character guys. Dez Bryant, Michael Vick, Mike Williams and LeGarrette Blount were all huge bargains.

Mike Goodson has totaled 264 yards over the last two games, including getting 5.5 YPC against Baltimore last week despite having Brian St. Pierre as his quarterback. The team has always been high on the former fourth round pick, but he’s never gotten much of a chance stuck behind two running backs who have arguably both been top-five talents in the league over the past two seasons. However, Goodson’s fantasy value hinges on the health of Jonathan Stewart, who returned to practice Wednesday. Whoever is Carolina’s starting RB in Weeks 14 and 15 (at home against Atlanta and Arizona) will be strong starts during the fantasy playoffs…If T.J. Houshmandzadeh is getting behind your secondary for a 56-yard score, you know you’ve got problems.

Aaron Rodgers has been fantastic, but it’s worth noting just how well Green Bay’s defense has played. They have allowed just 10 points total over the past three games…There’s an argument to be made that Brett Favre has been the worst player in football this season.

After committing more turnovers than touchdowns last year, it’s pretty surprising to see Matt Cassel post an 18:4 TD:INT ratio in 2010…That marks 10 touchdowns over the past six games for Dwayne Bowe. How high will he go in fantasy drafts next year?…Remember when the Max Hall led Cardinals beat the Saints by 10 points back in Week 5? Seems like seasons ago. Arizona is battling Carolina as the best fantasy matchup for opposing defenses.

Jahvid Best’s three-carry, two-yard performance in Week 11 may be the final nail in his 2010 fantasy coffin. It was worth questioning at the time whether the two turf toe injuries he suffered earlier this season would hinder him all year, and especially in hindsight, the result appears obvious. He’ll be much cheaper in 2011 drafts as a result…What a horrible horse collar penalty on Ndamukong Suh when he clearly tackled Marion Barber by his hair, which is perfectly legal…Dallas has won both games (including their first at home all season Sunday) since Jason Garrett took over as head coach, averaging 34.0 points in the process. This team still has plenty of flaws, namely the offensive line and defense, but it’s safe to question why Jerry Jones took so long to fire Wade Phillips…With less than one minute remaining in the first half at their own four-yard line, why would Dallas call a run play for Felix Jones and not just kneel it? What’s more likely – a fumble or a 96-yard TD run? And of all teams, Dallas should know better after what happened in Week 1 against Washington.

Cincinnati became the first team in NFL history to lead by at least 17 points at halftime and lose by 18 or more…Carson Palmer has thrown multiple touchdowns in seven consecutive contests, so Cincy is dangerous for backdoor covers…Sunday marked the first interception by a Bills defensive back this season…Stevie “Why so serious?” Johnson now has nine touchdowns over the last eight games. Who saw that one coming?

Chris Ivory emerged from New Orleans’ bye as the team’s featured back, getting 23 carries compared to just four for Julius Jones. While Ivory is worthless in passing situations (he has just one catch on the year), he ran for 99 yards and a score against Seattle, and more importantly, Pierre Thomas (ankle) doesn’t appear close to returning to action. Ivory is hardly a guarantee, as the Saints’ running back situation has been fluid all year, but if a workhorse were ever to emerge for this team, there would be top-10 upside…Drew Brees is coming off a huge game, but his 7.1 YPA mark is an extremely low number for him, and he’s been intercepted in six straight games, totaling 12 over that span…Earl Thomas leads all safeties with five interceptions, has been an asset in run defense, and passers have accumulated a 48.7 QB rating during throws into his coverage. It looks like Seattle hit a home run with the 14th pick of last year’s draft…All five of Garrett Hartley’s misses this season have been wide left.

Pitchfork gave Kanye West’s new album a 10.0. That’s their first perfect score ever. Wow.

The 49ers were shut out at home for the first time since 1977, as Troy Smith took a major step backward. Should be interesting to see if San Francisco can lure a big name coach this offseason….DT Gerald McCoy hasn’t gotten nearly the pub that fellow rookie Ndamukong Suh has, but according to Pro Football Focus, he’s been the better player…The 49ers punted on 4th-and-4 from Tampa Bay’s 33-yard line Sunday. Good riddance, Mike Singletary…San Francisco has scored nearly as many points in the fourth quarter (77) as they have over the first three quarters combined (80) this season.

Matt Ryan has a 9:1 TD:INT ratio over the past four games, and impressively, has been sacked just twice over that span. His ability to avoid sacks really helps offset the mediocre YPA…Thanks to an utter lack of goal-line opportunities, Steven Jackson has just three touchdowns this season after scoring only four all of last year. For such a great player, it’s pretty crazy he’s scored more than eight TDs just once during his career.

While it doesn’t sound like Austin Collie suffered another concussion in Week 11, he obviously experienced a setback. He’s already been ruled out for Week 12, so this is clearly serious. It wouldn’t be a shock if Collie didn’t play another snap this season, which is a shame since he’s arguably been the Colts’ best receiver. Disappointing Pierre Garcon is going to have to step up…Tom Brady has totaled eight touchdowns over the past three games, and he hasn’t committed a turnover since Week 6…Peyton Manning’s 7.0 YPA mark is his lowest since his rookie season despite facing a remarkably friendly schedule against pass defenses.

If your league doesn’t use fractional scoring (0.1 points per rushing/receiving yard), it’s making a mistake.

After fumbling for the sixth time this season (and losing his fifth), Ahmad Bradshaw has lost his starting job to Brandon Jacobs. Fantasy owners shouldn’t panic, however, as even Jacobs has conceded he doesn’t expect the change to be permanent. As long as Bradshaw improves his ball security, it will be tough to keep him off the field. But Jacobs is suddenly back on the map…Asante Samuel is horrible in run defense, but opposing passers have accrued an NFL-low 35.3 QB rating when throwing into his coverage. That’s pretty good…Hakeem Nicks will miss at least three weeks after being diagnosed with compartment syndrome. It’s a massive blow to fantasy owners, since they’ll be losing a top-three fantasy wide receiver during crunch time. The good news is that the injury will lower his price tag at draft tables in 2011, although he’ll still almost certainly be gone by the end of the second round.

Mike Tolbert racked up 153 yards and a touchdown during the Chargers’ win over the Broncos on Monday night, as he took advantage of Ryan Mathews’ continued ankle problems. Since Tolbert is in line for goal-line carries anyway, fantasy leaguers who own both shouldn’t be rooting for Mathews to return anytime soon. Tolbert might not be quite as explosive as the rookie, but he’s surprisingly adept as a receiver for his size, and the aforementioned GL duties are huge. Mathews has averaged 2.3 YPC after contact this season, breaking nine tackles, while Tolbert has averaged 3.5 YPC after contact, forcing 15 missed tackles…It’s crazy how much better Brandon Lloyd has played compared to Brandon Marshall this season…While there’s some risk involved using someone who’s yet to play a single snap this year right away, it’s not like Vincent Jackson is returning from an injury, and he’ll be extra motivated with eyes toward a huge contract entering 2011. With Malcom Floyd Antonio Gates and Patrick Crayton all banged up, Jackson is going to be a major part of San Diego’s offense. It’s a terrific situation to be in considering how Philip Rivers has played this season (9.0 YPA, 23 TDs). Jackson immediately becomes a must-start in fantasy leagues.

My picks for the Thanksgiving games: Patriots -7 at LIONS, Saints -4 at COWBOYS and BENGALS +9 at Jets

Follow me on Twitter.