WEEK 8 - Sunday Recap

-LaDainian Tomlinson is still running .... another three-TD special from LDT, and 183 rushing yards to boot.

-The Rams-Chargers game had just about everything you could want from a fantasy perspective ... except for Shaun McDonald and Kevin Curtis scoring TDs instead of Torry Holt. But that's just me.

-Larry Johnson did his best to keep pace with Tomlinson, scoring thrice against the Seahawks. The Big Three are finally starting to pay dividends on a weekly basis ... hopefully Shaun Alexander will keep up his end of the deal soon, as he is expected to return next Monday night against the Raiders.

-Speaking of Oakland ... 132 total yards compared to Pittsburgh's 390, and they still beat the defending Super Bowl champs! Once again the Raiders' skill players were basically untouchable... Willie Parker put together a pretty nice day (83 rushing yards and a receiving TD) for the Stillers.

-Colts-Broncos was another exciting matchup with lots of fantasy implications. Peyton Manning was his typical awesome self, with Reggie Wayne (three TD catches) being the prime recipient.

-The most intriguing aspect might have been the RB situations. Tatum Bell's turf toe problem flared up, and he was held to just 27 yards on 13 carries. That led to Mike Bell finally exploding for 136 yards and two TDs. Keep in mind that Indy entered the game ranked next-to-last in rushing defense, but Mike's outburst and Tatum's injury can't be ignored. Mike is an obvious handcuff for Tatum owners as insurance, and he's a good pickup for anyone looking to catch lightning in a bottle.

-On the other side of the ball, the Colts' backfield was tossed into chaos. Dominic Rhodes had ZERO yards on three carries, while rookie Joseph Addai rumbled for 93 on 17 carries (against a very tough Broncos D, mind you) and added 37 receiving yards for good measure. These two had been splitting carries pretty much down the line up to this point, but Addai had been steadily knocking on the door for the bulk of the work. For better or worse, this is the clarity fantasy owners had been looking for. Addai looks like he's the guy to own in the second half.

-The Bears had another monster game, both offensively and defensively. The D couldn't hold onto an early shutout, which would have taken the cake, but it was again impressive against the poor Niners. Even more impressive was another offensive outburst from Rex Grossman (three TDs) and Co.

- Mike Vick (291 yards, three TDs, 55 yards rushing) has taken his game to a new level. I'm not saying it's going to be a permanent change ... but I'd sure as heck want him in my lineup the next two weeks against Detroit and Cleveland.

-The Browns may have had to sweat out their win over the Jets, but they can breathe easier about their offensive woes after finally showing some signs of life under new offensive coordinator Jeff Davidson. Reuben Droughns got something going on the ground (125 yards, TD) for the first time in a long time - and all it took was a career-high 33 carries. I don't know that Droughns is a lock for your starting lineup now all of a sudden, but he deserves a roster spot in just about every league, if for no other reason than he faces Tampa Bay and Houston in Weeks 16 and 17.

-A week after his big breakout, Jets rookie RB Leon Washington didn't exactly distinguish himself against the Browns. He managed just 58 yards and had a costly fumble, but he got the majority of the carries by far (15 to Kevan Barlow's five) and will still have value down the stretch.

-The Bucs' offense was predictably poor in the swirling winds of the Meadowlands. If you own Joey Galloway or Cadillac Williams, there's not much you can do but shake your head. Same goes for Tiki Barber owners, as he surprisingly ran for just 68 yards and not so surprisingly gave way to Brandon Jacobs on the goal line and late in the game. Cheer up though: Barber's playing the Texans next week.

-As for Houston, its game against Tennessee was a bit of a head scratcher. Start with a Sage Rosenfels sighting: the QB replaced Texans starter David Carr (three turnovers) and threw three TDs, two to breakout TE star Owen Daniels toward the end of the game. Rosenfels isn't a fantasy option, as coach Gary Kubiak said after the game he's sticking with Carr as his starter. Daniels, on the other hand, is about as good an option as you can find on the waiver wire for TEs, as the rookie now has five TD catches on the year.

-The RB situations were also worth noting in this clunker. A week removed from back-to-back 100-yard rushing efforts, Travis Henry fizzled for only 29 yards on 15 carries. LenDale White (seven for 35) got some looks, meaning Henry isn't quite the fantasy lock some thought he was. And for the Texans, rookie Wali Lundy (116 yards) had another strong effort, but he conceded the goal-line work to Ron Dayne. If Lundy can get it done on the road against the Giants and/or Jaguars the next two weeks, then I'll really be sold.

-Another underwhelming day for Edgerrin James, although his 84 yards (on 24 carries) and a TD look OK on paper. The Cardinals' passing game was even worse, and if Matt Leinart, Anquan Boldin and Co. couldn't get it done against the Packers - ranked last in the NFL in pass defense - there's not much hope for this offense.

-Green Bay, on the other hand, was surprisingly run-heavy against Arizona. Ahman Green and Vernand Morency both topped 100 yards on the ground, with Green throwing in two TDs. Green owners can sleep peacefully: the hamstring issues weren't a concern, he's getting the touches in the red zone, and Morency left the game late with a back injury that has coach Mike McCarthy concerned.

-Anyone else surprised by the amount of points put up in the Ravens-Saints game? Everything went right for Baltimore's offense with Brian Billick calling the plays; Steve McNair had three TDs (one rushing), and Jamal Lewis (remember him) broke the 100-yard barrier for the first time since Week 15 of 2005. If this is what we can expect with Billick running the offense from here on out - and keep in mind this was on the road against a tough Saints defense - we might have to move the Ravens' skill players up a peg.

-The Ravens were even better on defense, returning two INTs for scores and taking Reggie Bush (21 yards from scrimmage) and Deuce McAllister (19 total yards) - literally, in the case of Bush, who exited with an ankle injury but should be OK - out of the game. Drew Brees did rack up a ton of yardage and offset his three INTs with three TD passes, two to fantasy sensation Marques Colston in garbage time.

-Both QBs had games to forget in the Eagles-Jags tilt. David Garrard didn't do much (10 for 17, 87 yards, zero TDs, zero INTs, 36 rushing yards) in his call to duty and will probably yield the starter's spot to Byron Leftwich as soon as possible. More shocking was Donovan McNabb's performance - 18 for 34, 161 yards, zero TDs, zero INTs, 37 rushing yards. He was hurt by a bunch of dropped passes -three by Reggie Brown, two straight by Brian Westbrook. Give McNabb the bye week to clear his head, and he should be back on his MVP pace against the Redskins and Titans in Weeks 10 and 11.

-See what I meant about Tony Romo? Not a bad line Sunday: 270 yards, one TD, one pick. He didn't set the world on fire, but he got the job done, and you could do worse for a QB2. Expect more OK numbers when he's on the road against Washington and Arizona the next two weeks.

- If you've got Terrell Owens or Jason Witten, you've got to be a Romo fan so far. T.O. had his best day with the 'Boys (nine catches, 107 yards), and Witten's had his two best games of the year with Romo under center.

-As always, share your comments or questions at jbartolone@semosportsweb.com or post them right here on this blog.