Week 8 Recap - Pt. 2

PATRIOTS 52, REDSKINS 7: Are you serious? You might as well just give yourself a loss every time you face somebody who owns Tom Brady. He's unreal, and so is his team. You still have to explain to me how the Skins let Mike Vrabel slip into the end zone for his TD catch. He's now caught 10 NFL passes in his career, each for a TD. I'm not going to say anything else because all this Boston stuff is making me ill right now. And there's nothing on the Skins' side worth mentioning, other than Chris Cooley's TD in garbage time. Whoop-de-doo.



CHARGERS 35, TEXANS 10: I thought my satellite reception was acting up when I kept seeing Antonio Gates and Antonio Cromartie touchdowns on the Red Zone Channel on Sunday. Then I realized San Diego was just dominating this game. They didn't need to do a whole lot either after jumping out to a big lead. Philip Rivers attempted only 11 passes, and new Bolt Chris Chambers caught two of them (second only to Gates' three receptions), one for his first TD as a Charger. Pretty small sample size to figure out the role he'll play, but it was encouraging to see them go to him in the red zone, and Vincent Jackson had no catches, if that tells you anything.

SAINTS 31, 49ERS 10: The Saints look like the old Saints (the old Saints of last year, not to be confused with the old old Saints, who sucked). It helps when Drew Brees can connect with big Marques Colston for three TDs. You didn't give up on them, did you? ... Meanwhile, should you give up on Frank Gore (12 carries, 41 yards)? Well his ankle's obviously bothering him, so sure, I'm worried, but I'd consider using him against Atlanta as long as he can practice this week. We'll see.

JAGUARS 24, BUCCANEERS 23: Not much stands out in this one, just a bunch of decent efforts. A few annoying TDs - LaBrandon Toefield runs one in for the Jags instead of Maurice Jones-Drew or Fred Taylor, and Michael Bennett scored on one of just two carries while Earnest Graham did the dirty work. Joey Galloway had a nice day thanks to one of his trademark 58-yard scoring bombs.

BILLS 13, JETS 3: I was expecting a big more out of the Jets in this one, like, gee, I don't know, a touchdown. Kellen Clemens got his chance but didn't do anything with it, so who knows where that QB controversy is headed. ... Speaking of which, the Bills have one of their own now that newly appointed starter Trent Edwards got hurt and J.P. Losman was effective in his absence. It helped that he was able to throw one of these to Lee Evans, who's now had two nice games after really getting on everyone's nerves in Weeks 1-5. I'd probably start him the next two weeks against the Browns and Dolphins and see what happens.

TITANS 13, RAIDERS 9: I'll spare you the ugly details of this one and focus on one interesting area, the Tennessee backfield. LenDale White is the go-to guy, as his career-high 133 yards would indicate, but don't discount rookie Chris Henry, who many thought would win the job outright at the beginning of the year. Henry now has 105 yards and two TDs in the two games he's dressed for while Chris Brown (ankle) sits. Gotta take a good look at him in deep leagues.

Week 8 Recap - Pt. 1

BROWNS 27, RAMS 20: This one might not have captured the imagination of most football fans, but it certainly had its intrigue for fantasy purposes - lots of offensive stars and two bad defenses. Nice to see Steven Jackson back in action, and he even managed a TD ... before getting hurt again. Apparently he started getting back spasms because he was overcompensating for that bum groin. Good news is it doesn't sound serious right now and he's got a bye week to heal up ... bad news is he lost another offensive lineman (world-class bad-ass and television enthusiast Richie Incognito.) ... Marc Bulger even gave us a passable effort (310 yards, TD), even though he got even more banged-up, bruising a thumb and missing a series ... Braylon Edwards is no joke (117 yards, 2 TDs), and neither is Derek Anderson (3 TDs) at this point. They're both guys I'd look to trade for if possible, because the last for weeks of the schedule set up pretty nicely for the Brownies (Jets-Bills-Bengals-49ers).

GIANTS 13, DOLPHINS 10: If this game doesn't win over the British, nothing will! OK, maybe not. It was a pretty ugly affair all around. How's this for a whacky stat line: Eli Manning, 8 for 22, 59 yards, 1 rushing TD. Not exactly what you'd expect, but it makes sense with the constant rain making a mess of the soccer field they played on. Obviously the Giants receivers were no help, but Brandon Jacobs was, rushing for a career high 133 yards. He's a must-start, folks. Jesse Chatman wasn't too shabby in his first start for the Fins (16 carries, 79 yards, plus three catches for 21 yards), in fact he was pretty much all they had going for them. I wouldn't hesitate to use him again in two weeks against the Bills.

EAGLES 23, VIKINGS 16: Our friend Brian Westbrook continues to amaze. He touched the ball a total of 25 times for a combined 92 yards - and scored twice. Donovan McNabb threw for 333 yards but only the one TD. Take away that big game against the Lions and he's only got four TD passes in six games this year. ... Adrian Peterson had a ho-hum 70-yard day. Remember, we can't expect 200 yards every time out. But can we please get this kid a nickname? "AD" (for "All Day") just isn't doing it for me.

COLTS 31, PANTHERS 7: Still think Kenton Keith is going to play a bigger role in the Colts' O? Joe Addai's three TDs say otherwise. Peyton Manning had a rough first half but still put two TD passes on the board. Marvin Harrison was out - luckily we had some advance notice - so Reggie Wayne was the main beneficiary (seven catches, 168 yards, TD). ... Vinny Testaverde couldn't make it through two games with Carolina (shocking!), so David Carr was pressed into action again. The end result is two catches, 18 yards and a whole lot of aggravation for Steve Smith and his owners.

LIONS 16, BEARS 7: Just when I get on the Brian Griese bandwagon, he rewards me with a whopping four interceptions. Against Detroit, no less! That's what I get for trusting a Michigan Man. And how bout that Cedric Benson (13 carries, 50 yards)! He's not even on pace to crack 1,000 yards this season, and that's awful for a full-time starting back in today's NFL. ... On the flip side, Kevin Jones (105 yards, TD) is getting the job done and deserves to be in most lineups until further notice. Jon Kitna had his third straight zero-TD game, so I hope you've made other plans by now.

STEELERS 24, BENGALS 13: Savvy owners who started Ben Roethlisberger and/or Hines Ward against an atrocious Cincy pass D were rewarded with two TDs. Willie Parker had a predictable 126-yard, one-TD game. Carson Palmer wasn't bad (205 yards, TD), and T.J. Houshmandzadeh (7 catches, 81 yards, TD) is what Chad Johnson (5 catches, 51 yards) used to be. Kenny Watson (88 rushing yards, 21 receiving yards) fared surprisingly well, and there's even speculation he's supplanted Rudi Johnson as the starting tailback. Watson did get a bit beat up in this game but there's no word it's anything serious, so if for some reason he's still a free agent in your league, get him.

Photos by The Associated Press

Hot pickups - Week 8

We've already chatted about Jessie Chatman. He should be owned in just about all leagues. FIVE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)

Brian Griese is averaging 300 yards a game since taking over for Rex Grossman with eight TDs vs. six INTs. Time to take him seriously, especially against the Detroit Lions this week. FOUR STARS

Brandon Stokley will continue to see a little more action for the Denver Broncos with Javon Walker sidelined. THREE STARS

Miami Dolphins receivers Ted Ginn Jr. and Derek Hagan should get a few more balls thrown their way with Chris Chambers now in San Diego, but hold off on starting either until they show us something. TWO STARS

Brown Out

And you Dolfans thought things couldn't get any worse this year.

As if the 0-7 start and the bombardment by the Patriots weren't bad enough, Miami learned Monday that Ronnie Brown, the one bright spot in a dreary South Florida season, is out for the year with a torn ACL.

Brown's been a fine fantasy performer this year, much better than expected. Entering Sunday he led all players in yards from scrimmage and had five straight 100-yard rushing games, along with five total TDs. I was a little higher on him that a lot of prognosticators out there, but even I didn't see that kind of consistent production from the kid, and he was obviously a big boost for anybody who took him in the second round or later

And what's with the Auburn RBs getting hurt? Cadillac Williams, Browns' former Tigers teammate, is done for the season too. Maybe it's just bad karma for all those bogus classes they used to take.

So anyway, now what for the Fins? Well we pretty much know Jesse Chatman is the No. 1 guy. He took over for Brown on Sunday and did a decent job overall (seven rushes, 73 yards, TD). Cam Cameron even toyed with the idea of giving Chatman the starting job during the preseason, but who knows if that was really just a smokescreen by the new coach to motivate Brown and the rest of his guys.

So Chatman's pretty much a must-add for anybody who had Brown, or anybody in a league where starting RBs are hard to find. We can be fairly confident Chatman will get the bulk of the touches for Miami over Patrick Cobbs and Lorenzo Booker. The Fins are at least going to try to run the ball a lot with Cleo Lemon at the helm. The only problem is this: of Miami's remaining nine games, six are against teams ranked in the NFL's top 10 in rushing defense, beginning with the Giants this Sunday in merry old England. I see three nice matchups, at least on paper, where Chatman should excel: Week 10 against Buffalo, Week 13 against the Jets, and Week 17 against Cincy when you might not be playing anymore. So good luck with that.

Week 7 Recap

SEAHAWKS 33, RAMS 6: Nothing to say about St. Louis here except yuck. Perhaps Randy McMichael put it best: "Right now I am embarrassed to be a (Ram). It is pathetic." Marc Bulger's return really didn't make much of a difference. The only thing St. Louis can hang its hat on is the pending return of Steven Jackson, and what better way to turn things around than by running wild against the Browns in Week 8? We can dream, can't we? ... It wouldn't hurt Shaun Alexander (19 carries, 47 yards) to make like Emeril and turn it up a notch either. He didn't get outrushed by Leonard Weaver this time, but ol' Maurice Morris (10 carries, 42 yards) wasn't far behind.

GIANTS 33, 49ERS 15: The New York defense had a big game as I thought they would against Trent Dilfer and a banged-up Niners line. Frank Gore had another blah day (88 yards) - I'm really not happy with him, or how they're using him, this year. Remember, this is a guy who was the league's leading rusher last year, and he hasn't cracked 90 in a game yet. For the Giants, they do have three competent runners (Brandon Jacobs, Reuben Droughns, Derrick Ward), but make no mistake, Jacobs is the leader of the pack: 107 yards and a TD for the big guy.

TITANS 38, TEXANS 36: This was actually a pretty crazy game, with Tennessee leading 32-7 entering the fourth quarter, Houston storming back to tie it in the final minute, and Kerry Collins leading the Titans on a game-winning drive. Rob Bironas made eight FGs in this game, setting an NFL record, so congrats if you started him - if you get 26 points from your kicker, you should usually win. Collins wasn't anything special, fantasy-wise, in a spot start for Vince Young, but Sage Rosenfels (four TDs) was after he replaced Matt Schaub.

PATRIOTS 49, DOLPHINS 28: Tom Brady makes me gag. SIX TD passes for the Chosen One today. Of course he spread them out (two to Randy Moss, two to Wes Welker, one to Donte' Stallworth, one to Kyle Brady of all people). Does this dude ever stub his toe or forget to zip up his fly, or is every aspect of his life perfect? The Pats didn't have much of a running game, even with Laurence Maroney returning, but it didn't really matter. The Dolphins had three rushing TDs - by Cleo Lemon, Jesse Chatman and Patrick Cobbs, if you Ronnie Brown owners were wondering. Brown's now out for the season (more on that later) - as if things couldn't get any worse for the Fins.

BILLS 19, RAVENS 14: Willis McGahee had a succesful return to Buffalo (114 yards, first TD of the season), but it was the Bills who had the last laugh. Marshawn Lynch (84 yards, TD) almost matched him on eight more carries. Lee Evans even did something (five catches, 98 yards), but his QB, Trent Edwards, was nothing more than adequate, so I'm not exactly buying it.

COWBOYS 24, VIKINGS 14: Tony Romo was good enough (31 for 39, 277 yards, 1 TD), certainly better than Tarvaris Jackson. Patrick Crayton didn't get involved much (two catches, 19 yards), but I guess it's a trade-off, because Terrell Owens (103 yards, TD) and Jason Witten (10 catches, 86 yards) did. And Marion Barber even hit paydirt against a stiff Vikings D. Adrian Peterson (63 yards, TD) was really all the Vikes had going on offense, which doesn't say much. He only managed about a fourth of last week's yardage - still not bad though.

LIONS 23, BUCS 16: If you had to pick one Buc to have a breakout game against the Lions' D, who would you pick? Joey Galloway? Nope, a very ordinary five catches for 56 yards. Ike Hilliard? He was good like I thought he would be (92 yards, TD) against that weak passing defense. But there was somebody better: Earnest Graham. Nineteen rushes for 92 yards, and, get this, 13 catches for 99 yards. Think he wants to give up that starting job to Michael Bennett? Doesn't look like it. For Detroit, Kevin Jones (15 carries, 76 yards, TD) and T.J. Duckett (four carries, 30 yards) basically shut the door on Tatum Bell (zero carries) doing anything useful from here on out. Think he's steaming right now after not getting traded at the deadline? Oh, and Jon Kitna didn't even throw for a TD in this one. Thanks a bunch.

SAINTS 22, FALCONS 16: Drew Brees (two TDs) is back everbody! Start him next week against San Fran. Reggie Bush finally made a play, bullying his way into the end zone for a key TD and salvaging a decent fantasy day. Byron Leftwich and Joey Harrington were both just OK against a poor Saints passing D. Roddy White was the main recipient (110 yards, TD). And you started the Saints' Pierre Thomas (28 rushing yards, TD) right?

REDSKINS 21, CARDINALS 19: Kurt Warner started after all, throwing two TDs, both to Anquan Boldin. Clinton Portis bullied his way to two TDs, and Ladell Betts (three carries, 12 yards) still isn't seeing the field. Jason Campbell (12 for 18, 95 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT) really wasn't helpful at all.


BENGALS 38, JETS 31: Somebody stop Kenny Watson! He rumbled his way to 130 yards and three TDs while subbing for Rudi Johnson. Not bad - in fact, that's better than anything old Rudi's done in a long time. It's weird, I was at Penn State around the same time as this guy and I have little-to-no recollection of him as a player, let alone an NFL player, yet he's stuck around the league for six years now. ... Laveranues Coles was a rare bright spot for the Jets (eight catches, 133 yards, two TDs) - I'm kicking myself for not starting him in one of my leagues. I know the Bengals' pass D is tissue-thin, but Coles had ONE catch last week. I thought I had a better option, but I should have known better.

CHIEFS 12, RAIDERS 10: Wow, a real barnburner in this one huh? My favorable forecast for Larry Johnson was spot on: 112 yards, TD against his own personal doormat, Oakland. Priest Holmes is back, but he's not exactly scaring me if I own Johnson. Good to see the old guy still breathing though.

BEARS 19, EAGLES 16: This was a battle of field goals until the fourth quarter, with Donovan McNabb hitting Matt Schoebel for a TD and Brian Griese returning the favor, hooking up with Muhsin Muhammad for the game-winner. Is it time to take notice of Griese after another 300-yard day? Perhaps. He does get the Lions next week, which is enticing .... Cedric Benson better do something in that game, too, because my patience is wearing thin, and so is the Bears'.

Photos courtesy of The Associated Press.

Week 7 start/sit

START

The New York Giants defense is full of sack machines, and the Niners have allowed 18 of those this year. Oh, and Trent Dilfer is starting at QB.

Carson Palmer apologized to his team for his disappointing play. He's still one of the top fantasy options out there, a guy you use every week no matter when - especially when he's playing the Jets.

Speaking of the Jets, Thomas Jones finally showed a pulse last week against the Eagles, and the Bengals D can be run on.

Larry Johnson is an obvious start against the Raiders. He's averaged over 100 yards in six career games against Oakland with nine TDs. Gotta be feeling good about LJ right now.

Patrick Crayton has four TDs in his past three games. He'll get another one against the Vikings, who have some difficulty against the pass (see Brian Griese last week).

SIT

On the other hand, Minnesota hasn't allowed a rushing TD all season. Not great news for Marion Barber or Julius Jones.

Jay Cutler hasn't lived up to the fantasy hype this season. Pittsburgh's D is no joke, the Broncos' O-line is banged up, and Cutler will be without the services of Javon Walker again.

Granted, Lee Evans did somehow torch the Ravens last year (145 yards, TD). But this is 2007, Evans has done nothing this year to give you any confidence in him, and Trent Edwards is in at QB for the Bills. And it's still the Ravens D.

There's a slim chance Rudi Johnson might play against the Jets, but I try to avoid those game-time decisions whenever I can. Even if Rudi suits up, he only got eight carries (for six yards) last week, so it's hard to expect much out of him. If you're really in a pinch, try Kenny Watson (55 yards and 68 yards the past two weeks).

LJ Smith has been maddening this year. He finally played last week after missing two games, caught one pass for eight yards, and is hurt again and doubtful this week. I wasn't very high on him to begin with this season but figured he was at least worth owning. Not anymore.

Enter the 89 Chambers

I've had a few days to ruminate on the Chris Chambers trade. Here are some thoughts.




The move to San Diego is an obvious upgrade for Chambers. He'll be the go-to receiver on that team, bumping Craig Davis for a starting spot alongside Vincent Jackson, and he's the type of playmaker that offense was missing. He's familiar with the offense, which Dolphins coach Cam Cameron installed in San Diego, and he gets to work with a QB (Philip Rivers) who's more talented than any Chambers played with in Miami - an illustrious bunch that includes Jay Fiedler, Ray Lucas, Sage Rosenfels, Brian Griese, AJ Feeley, Gus Frerotte, Joey Harrington, Cleo Lemon, an old Trent Green and an awful Daunte Culpepper. Chambers had to be pinching himself during the flight out West.

The convenient bye week will give Chambers more time to catch up to speed on the offensive system and acclimate himself with Rivers, and I expect him ready to go in Week 8 against Houston. He should make due on the potential you saw in him when you drafted him this year.

As for Jackson owners, this isn't particularly good news, as Chambers will only take away balls that were already being spread out to Antonio Gates, LaDainian Tomlinson and Jackson. Chambers' acquisition may open up some coverage for Jackson, and the big guy remains a legit end zone threat, but his total number of receptions will probably decline.

Photo courtesy of Chargers.com.

HOT PICKUPS - Week 7

RB Michael Bennett, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Bennett, acquired at the trading deadline from the Chiefs, is the kind of explosive runner the Bucs haven't had in a while and thought they needed now that Cadillac Williams and Michael Pittman have been sidelined. Pittman is a former sprinting champion and 1,000-yard rusher, but he's also been a bit of a journeyman lately. I believe eventually he's going to take the starting job in Tampa and relegate Earnest Graham to a short-yardage role, but that might take a while. Pittman recently compared learning to the West Coast offense to "learning Chinese." There may be some truth to that, but it's probably not a good sign that the Lions' Roy Williams, while he was slamming former teammate Jeff Garcia this week, said his 2-year-old understands the West Coast offense. Hmm. FOUR STARS (out of five).

RB Kevin Faulk, New England Patriots: Those who've been relying on a little Sammy Morris magic need to pick up this guy now that Morris has a chest injury and could be out for up to a month. Laurence Maroney (groin) might be back this week - or the secretive Pats might have had him "disappeared" for all we know. And Faulk may lose goal-line chances to Heath Evans or Kevan Barlow (brought in off the street for a workout this week) or, heck, the Pats may put Junior Seau in the backfield for all we know. Still, Faulk is a great speculative play this week against the awful Dolphins. FOUR STARS

WR Kevin Walter, Houston Texans: Walter had a huge day last Sunday out of nowhere against the Jaguars (12 catches, 160 yards) and now faces the division-rival Titans, who are susceptible against the pass. He's a risky play, as fellow wideouts Andre Davis or Jacoby Jones could be the flavor of the week for the Texans, but as long as stud Andre Johnson remains out, there are passes to go around. THREE STARS

WR Ike Hilliard, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Hilliard's shown a bit of a rapport with fellow geezer Jeff Garcia and has been a fairly steady target all year. Of course fellow senior Joey Galloway is the home-run threat in this offense, but Hilliard's held off youngsters Michael Clayton (who had a movie made about him) and Maurice Stovall for the No. 2 WR slot. I like Hilliard as a bye-week fill-in against the Lions (263 passing yards a game, 10 TDs). THREE STARS.

QB Vinny Testaverde, Carolina Panthers: Testaverde was kind of impressive last week, coming in off the street, throwing a TD bomb to Steve Smith and leading the Panthers to victory. It's impressive just to see a 43-year-old non-kicker out there running around. But before you go adding him, realize this guy played in college with Michael Irvin. Yes, the same Irvin who's been retired since 1999. Vinny used to backup Steve DeBerg. He could be most of his teammates' father. He might be good for about one TD to Smith a game. If that excites you, be my guest. TWO STARS

QB Tim Rattay, Arizona Cardinals: No thanks. ONE STAR

Superstars shined in Week 6

Now, that's more like it.

We saw a little normalcy return to the fantasy universe last weekend, from LaDainian Tomlinson's usual superhuman feats (198 yards, four touchdowns) to long-awaited respectable efforts by Larry Johnson, Reggie Bush, Thomas Jones, Maurice Jones-Drew and Drew Brees. Week 6 helped restore a little order to the space-time continuum and bring some balance to what has been a pretty topsy-turvy fantasy season.

That's not to say last week was without its quirks. Perhaps you noticed Leonard Weaver outgaining Shaun Alexander for the Seattle Seahawks, Vinny Testaverde starting for the Carolina Panthers, and Brian Griese airing it out to the tune of 381 yards and three TDs for the Chicago Bears. No need to adjust your TV set - we've come to expect the unexpected on a weekly basis.

Let's examine some other players who made headlines last week and try to make sense of it all as we prep for Week 7:

• Minnesota Vikings RB Adrian Peterson put the league on notice with his 224-yard, three-TD outburst against Chicago. I was a bit hesitant to give the rookie my full stamp of approval, but now there's no denying it: Peterson is a must-start this week against the Dallas Cowboys and from here on out. He's the scariest runner out there not named Tomlinson.

• The New England Patriots' Tom Brady is on the kind of roll most quarterbacks can only dream about. He's on pace for 56 touchdown passes this year - or seven more than Peyton Manning's single-season record. One of these days he'll have a run-of-the-mill, one-TD game, but it won't be this week against the Miami Dolphins. The probability of Kevin Faulk (not a bad fantasy pickup) filling in for Laurence Maroney and Sammy Morris at running back this week will only tempt Brady to decimate the Dolphins' secondary.

• Speaking of the Dolphins, QB Cleo Lemon produced three TDs in Week 6. The two people who started him should be proud of themselves - just don't expect an encore against the Pats

• Derek Anderson had a three-TD day of his own in Week 6, but his was a little easier to swallow. It's becoming a pattern for the Cleveland Browns QB - it helps having a maturing Braylon Edwards at your disposal - and Anderson's in line for another big performance in Week 8 against the St. Louis Rams after this week's bye

• Earnest Graham's starting debut didn't go so well (13 carries, 29 yards), so the Tampa Bay Buccaneers felt compelled to swing a deal with the Kansas City Chiefs for former 1,000-yard rusher Michael Bennett. Graham was running against a tough Tennessee Titans D, so cut him some slack, but Bennett is probably going to win that job eventually.

• Apparently the Chiefs are happy with the resurgent LJ (119 yards, TD in Week 6) and believe they'll get something out of Priest Holmes this year, which made Bennett expendable. If Holmes is activated, he could be worth a flier, if only just for old time's sake.

• Devin Hester's 81-yard TD catch was eye-popping, but unless your league will allow you to count his return yardage and scores as individual points, he's probably not a great fantasy option. That was only Hester's second catch all year - and the first was for 3 yards.

Week 6 recap

PATRIOTS 48, COWBOYS 27: We'll start with the big showdown in Big D. Tom Brady continued his dream season with FIVE TD passes. He really spread the wealth around, with Randy Moss, Donte' Stallworth and Wes Welker all getting in on the action. Even Kyle Brady turned back the clock and hit paydirt (had to be frustrating for Ben Watson owners, but you know the Pats are good at giving TDs to random dudes). ... As for the 'Boys, Tony Romo was aight, T.O. scored, but Dallas' defensive effort made it hard to keep down my popcorn.

VIKINGS 34, BEARS 31: Adrian Peterson, welcome to the big boys club. (Adrian Peterson of the Vikings, of course). Two-hundred and twenty-four yards and three TDs for the young man from Oklahoma. He's arrived. The more shocking thing to me about this game is Chicago's defense ... fellas, what happened? At least you were able to salvage a Devin Hester special teams TD if you started the Bears, otherwise it was pretty bad.




EAGLES 16, JETS 9: Unlike those atrocious things the Eagles wore a couple weeks back, the Jets' throwback New York Titans unis (above) were actually pretty cool. Too bad it didn't help them play any better. Thomas Jones had his first 100-yard day as a Jet (130 to be precise) but that was about all they had going. The Eagles' only score came on a 75-yard Donovan McNabb bomb to Kevin Curtis, and everybody else was just, eh.

CHIEFS 27, BENGALS 20: Larry Johnson finally stumbled upon the end zone for the first time this season. He would have had another score, too, if he hadn't gotten stripped at about the 1-yard line with the ball going out of the end zone for a touchback. He also blew his top later with a costly penalty. Don't worry too much; remember, an angry LJ is a productive LJ, so start him next week against Oakland.

BUCS 13, TITANS 10: Vince Young left the game with a quad injury. No update yet, but no, Kerry Collins is not a fantasy option, if you're wondering. ... The Bucs' running game didn't look so hot, post-Cadillac Williams. Earnest Graham could only muster up 29 yards, but it's probably not a really fair representation of what he can do since the Titans came into the game with the league's third-ranked rush defense.

CHARGERS 28, RAIDERS 14: OK, LaDainian Tomlinson, we get it. You're as good as ever. In fact, he was the entire Bolts offense (198 rushing yards, all four TDs). And for Oakland's backfield, hold off on the Dominic Rhodes bandwagon (zero carries, zero catches in his return from suspension). LaMont Jordan (42 rushing yards, 46 receiving yards) is still atop the depth chart, followed by Justin Fargas.

JAGUARS 37, TEXANS 17: OK, Maurice Jones-Drew, we get it. You're as good as ever. Two TDs, 125 yards rushing, 49 receiving for the human bowling ball. He might be able to shine next Monday against the Colts. Kevin Walter led the Texans in receiving (12 catches, 160 yards), and word is Andre Johnson won't be back until Week 11.

RAVENS 22, RAMS 3: Hope you didn't start Gus Frerotte against Baltimore's D. Six turnovers later, you learned your lesson. Actually, hope you didn't start any Rams in this game ... I was forced to go with RB Brian Leonard in one league and was sorely disappointed (12 carries, 18 yards), but frankly I wasn't expecting much from the rookie in this one. He'll be OK, but Steven Jackson, please get well soon.

BROWNS 41, DOLPHINS 31: Surprisingly a lot of fantasy interest in this one. Braylon Edwards came through with three TDs and is basically a must-start at this point. Derek Anderson might be too, if you can believe that. The guy still gets to play St. Louis and Seattle after an upcoming bye ... Jason Wright scored, rewarding those who gambled that Jamal Lewis wouldn't be able to play. And how about Cleo Lemon? The guy takes a lot of ribbing, mainly just because of his name, but he did produce three TDs (two rushing). If you started him, for whatever reason, congratulations.

PANTHERS 25, CARDINALS 10: Just when you thought things couldn't get any weirder, Vinny Testaverde beat Tim Rattay in this game. Testaverde was signed this week to replace David Carr, who replaced Jake Delhomme ... and Rattay was signed this week and replaced Kurt Warner, who replaced Matt Leinart. What does it all mean? Well it's not the best news for any of the receivers involved, even though Vinny had the whole chemistry thing going with Steve Smith (65-yard TD grab). Warner (sprained elbow) broke fantasy owners' hearts again, getting hurt just as they got excited about using him, but the good news is the injury is to his non-throwing arm. You have to figure the Cards will try to get him back in there ASAP (since Rattay is awful and all), but still, I'm pretty down on Warner now.

SAINTS 28, SEAHAWKS 17: The Saints finally looked good for a change, with just about everybody getting a piece of the action. Even the overhyped Reggie Bush had a nice day ... did you realize his 22-yard run in this one was a career high?! You'd assume the guy's had like hundreds of those already. Not so. Maybe he'll top it next week at Atlanta. Meanwhile, Bush's counterpart, Shaun Alexander (35 yards) was outgained by fullback Leonard Weaver (40) ... just doesn't have the same ring as "Mack Strong," huh? We'll miss that guy. Matt Hasselbeck had one of those misleading stat lines (362 yards, two TDs) that don't describe how awful he and the 'Hawks looked. Bobby Engram (120 yards) did come through as I predicted, though I suspect a lot of people would rather have one of the TDs go to him than some fellow named Ben Obumanu. But hey, that's fantasy for ya.

Start/Sit - Week 6

START

Bummed about Terrell Owens' performance the past two weeks (five catches, 58 yards, no TDs)? So am I. But there's no way in heck I'm sitting him for Sunday's marquee matchup against the Patriots. I can just see him and Randy Moss going toe-to-toe with a couple TDs each ... as T.O. himself said, "getcha popcorn ready."

Vincent Jackson has been coming into his own the past couple weeks as a dependable target. He might be able to find the end zone again this week against Oakland.

Maurice Jones-Drew finally showed a little life last week. It still doesn't justify that high pick you probably used to get him though, but maybe he'll starting paying you back this week against Houston, especially if backfield mate Fred Taylor (groin) can't go.

Laurence Maroney is a game-time decision, so I'm not rolling the dice with him unless I've really been zapped by the bye week. I am, however, starting Sammy Morris no matter what. At least we know the Pats are going to give him the rock for sure.

The always-reliable Bobby Engram is option No. 1 for the Seahawks this week with Deion Branch sidelined. I have a feeling he'll do some good things against the Saints on Sunday night.

SIT

Brandon Jackson's back this week, but I'm staying away from that three-headed monster in Green Bay.

Just when Rams rookie Brian Leonard was starting to show off his potential, he runs into the Ravens' D this week. Tough to ask him to replicate last week's 100-yard effort.

I'm getting a little fed up with Thomas Jones. These 30-yard games aren't what we had in mind, but I wouldn't be surprised to see another one this week against Philly.

Chris Chambers will probably bounce back from last week's awful showing (he is playing the Browns, after all). But QB Trent Green's injury really hurt Chambers' value since we don't know what to expect from Cleo Lemon. The matchup is really enticing, but just realize you could be in for a letdown.

There's a good chance Ahman Green will be back this week for the Texans. But the Jaguars' run D has been like a brick wall lately and is still flying high after holding the Chiefs to just 10 yards on the ground.

HOT PICKUPS - WEEK 6

QB Kurt Warner. Arizona Cardinals: Nope, this isn’t a misprint. With apprentice Matt Leinart out for the remainder of the season, the old Jedi master takes over the reins full time. Since the Cards instituted their QB timeshare, Warner’s been responsible for five TDs (one rushing) and just two turnovers. As long as that ratio holds up, Warner has the supporting cast and favorable schedule (beginning with the Carolina Panthers this week) to be a very competent fantasy player. FIVE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)

QB Damon Huard, Kansas City Chiefs: The veteran has a bum shoulder, but if he’s able to go Sunday, he has a mouth-watering matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, who’ve allowed the second-most passing TDs in the league. Brodie Croyle might even have a chance to do something against those guys. FOUR STARS

RB Jason Wright, Cleveland Browns: Jamal Lewis’ understudy managed 102 total yards against the New England Patriots, and Lewis is currently wearing a boot on his sprained right foot. If Lewis can’t play this week, Wright has some appeal against the Miami Dolphins, who’ve surrendered 172 rushing yards a game and a league-high eight TDs on the ground. FOUR STARS

RBs Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward, New York Giants: Jacobs is back and looking better than ever (TD, first career 100-yard rushing game Sunday) after missing three games with a knee injury, but don’t throw Ward away. Jacobs will see most of the action, but Ward has proven himself as a capable NFL player, and I expect him to still get around 10-15 carries a game. Jacobs - FIVE STARS; Ward - FOUR STARS

TE Greg Olsen, Chicago Bears: The rookie had his breakout performance (four catches, 57 yards, TD) on Sunday night and seems to have recovered from a sprained knee that hampered him all season. Expect the first-round pick to be more involved in the Bears’ offense from here on out. FOUR STARS

HOT PICKUPS - Week 5

RBs Michael Pittman and Earnest Graham, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: With Cadillac Williams out of the picture, Pittman's value spikes. He had been used as a fullback this year after Mike Alstott went down, but now it's unclear how Jon Gruden will use the vetern Pittman and the upstart Graham out of the backfield. We do know, however, that they're supposed to be sharing carries, which means they'll both have some value. If you had to choose one, however, I give Pittman the slight nod. He should be flashing this at least a few more times:





Pittman - FOUR STARS (Out of five); Graham - THREE STARS.

New York Giants defense: When an NFL team breaks out 12 sacks, you have to take notice. Granted, the G-men looked more like the Little Giants (minus Rick Moranis) through Week 2, but they've improved by leaps and bounds the past two games. They'll probably never rack up a dozen sacks again, but with Osi Umenyiora and Michael Strahan working under new coordinator Steve Spagnuolo (who cut his teeth under blitz-master Jim Johnson of the Eagles), that pass rush is no joke. Their schedule sets up nicely, too, with the Jets, Falcons, 49ers and Dolphins looming the next four weeks. FOUR STARS.

QB David Carr, Carolina Panthers: Listen up, David. Remember that guy Andre Johnson you used to throw the ball to back in Houston? I know it's hard to remember after all the blows you took to the head in your days as a Texan, but he was pretty good, and you guys made for a decent pass-catch duo. Well, this guy Steve Smith you've got on your team now is better. Just throw him the ball a lot this week against the Saints, and you should be just fine. Your new O-line may even block for you. THREE STARS.

WR Patrick Crayton, Dallas Cowboys: I know a guy who drafted Crayton late in our 12-team league as his big sleeper. Did he start him last week against the Rams, when he scored two TDs? Nah, he dropped him two weeks ago. But his initial instincts were good, as Crayton is going to get a bunch of looks from superman Tony Romo, especially this week against Buffalo, while Terrell Owens is getting double-covered (thanks for the three catches, 33 yards and three drops last week, bud!!) and Terry Glenn is nowhere to be found. THREE STARS.

Don't judge your mother-in-law ... or your fantasy team

Sometimes life has a way of surprising you.

For instance, take my mother-in-law. I never really imagined I’d have much fun spending almost a whole day alone with her, but I recently had that opportunity, and I’ve got to admit, it was pretty fun. As we spent an afternoon bonding, I learned all about the exciting world of Sudoku puzzles, her love of Def Leppard (right), what it’s like to spend 25 years cleaning up after three kids, and plenty of other valuable life lessons.

See what I mean about surprises? I couldn’t have foreseen that day being very enjoyable, but that’s what life is all about – you never really know how things will play out (and thanks, Mrs. Z, for some fun times).

Now, consider this year’s fantasy season. Raise your hand if, here at about the one-quarter mark of the regular season, you knew you’d be counting on the likes of Derrick Ward or Sammy Morris or David Carr or Trent Edwards to rescue your team. Surprise! If you’re in a 10-team league and you drafted one of those guys – and you’re not a blood relative – I’d like to see that in writing.

Sure, you can play a game of “what if?” and speculate about the possible results if a star player gets hurt and his backup takes over. But to actually have that backup succeed is another matter entirely, and for him to look even better than the starter, well, that much takes the cake.

For instance, let’s examine the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ running back situation. Cadillac Williams is out for the rest of the season after suffering a pretty serious knee injury Sunday. Now, Cadillac hasn’t exactly redefined the position, especially since what’s looking more and more like an overachieving rookie season - but he was his team’s main running threat, which made him more than useful in fantasy play. Now that he’s out, people are flocking to the waiver wire to add either Earnest Graham or Michael Pittman, the men who will replace Caddy in the Bucs’ backfield.

Graham was pretty much an NFL nobody before he rushed for his first two career touchdowns in the waning moments of a Week 3 win over the St. Louis Rams, so we at least know he’s able to locate the end zone. And Pittman, well, he’s gained more than 5,000 rushing yards and 3,000 receiving yards in his 10-year career, so you know he can play a little football.

Pittman is probably the wiser free-agent choice just because he’s a versatile veteran coach Jon Gruden can rely on, but with both he and Graham sharing touches for now, they both should be key fantasy players down the stretch. And if somebody said that to you a month ago, you’d probably laugh in their face.

Another example of a fantasy surprise: A friend of mine told me this week he was dropping Marc Bulger and replacing him with Joey Harrington – and the scary part is, I kind of almost agreed with him. I couldn’t pull the trigger yet on Bulger, even with the news of this week's benching – he’s still got time to salvage something this season – but the mere fact we can utter Harrington’s name with a straight face should tell you something about the very nature of fantasy football, and about life in general.

It’s full of surprises.

Just checking in

I can't offer a whole lot this week in the way of recapping Sunday's action ... I spent much of the weekend moving into a new house and was without cable and the Internet, caveman-style. The good news is by this weekend I should be all settled in and will for the first time have access to DirectTV's wondrous NFL Sunday Ticket, which means my analysis should be better than ever.

In the meantime, I'll give you a few impressions from the action that I did get to see and from the information I gleaned from reading box scores the next day, like they did in olden times:

• I couldn't help but notice that much-maligned Giants defense terrorizing Donovan McNabb. Totally didn't see that coming, and I'm a Giants fan. And how does a team go from scoring 56 points one week to three the next? Does Brian Westbrook mean that much to this offense? Yes, apparently.

• Tough break for Cadillac Williams owners. The running back ranks are thinning before our eyes. I like Michael Pittman a little better than Earnest Graham from here on out. More on that in my next post.

• Before you go nuts over Daunte Culpepper's five TDs (two rushing), realize who they came against (Miami, so it was personal) and how many passing yards he had (75).

• Good signs for two of the three elite RBs we've been watching closely, as Larry Johnson and LaDainian Tomlinson both crossed the 100-yard barrier when their teams played each other. We're getting out of the danger zone with these two, moreso with LT2. And didn't I tell you to get that Dwayne Bowe kid (eight catches, 164 yards, TD for third straight week)? Yes, yes I believe I did.

• OK, I guess I can't fight it anymore. It looks like Adrian Peterson (the good one) is an every-week starter now. Chester Taylor is still going to get some looks like I've said all along, but the thing about Peterson is, he's capable of breaking off those big runs, like his 55-yarder against Green Bay. Too bad the Vikes have a bye week - I'd almost be tempted to play the kid regardless.

• If you had Matt Leinart penciled in as your backup (or starter, in deep leagues) you've probably already considered some alternatives. When you're letting Kurt Warner outplay you and manufacture major upsets, you've got a problem. I'd be looking at guys like Jeff Garcia, David Garrard, even David Carr at this point if they're out there. Sounds like Jake Delhomme might be headed for elbow surgery, so now's the time to act if you're interested in Carr.