Week 11 recap - Pt. 1

PATRIOTS 56, BILLS 10: Is anybody really surprised by this at this point in the season? The Pats are pretty much unstoppable. Witness Tom Brady's five TDs, four to Randy Moss ... they didn't even need to run the ball much, although Laurence Maroney scored his first TD of the season. Amazing. And you were probably smart enough to sit your Bills, especially with Marshawn Lynch out. Right?

COWBOYS 28, REDSKINS 23: Speaking of amazing QB-WR connections, Tony Romo hit Terrell Owens for all four of the Boys' scores. In one league I actually played against a dude who had both Romo and Owens in his lineup. Yeah, it hurt as much as you imagine. I did have Owens in another league, so that helped soften the blow. ... Santana Moss (nine catches, 121 yards, TD) and Chris Cooley (eight catches, 89 yards, TD) put together nice games for the Skins. The RBs on both sides aren't worth mentioning.

VIKINGS 29, RAIDERS 22: Hope you took my advice and started Chester Taylor. Three TDs and 169 yards for the guy ... think he's been secretly seething about this whole Adrian Peterson thing this season? No word on Peterson's status right now, so Taylor looks like a decent start against the Giants next week, though he probably won't have quite as much room to run.

GIANTS 16, LIONS 10: Nobody really had a standout game in this one, outside of Roy Williams and Shaun McDonald, who each topped 100 receiving yards. Calvin Johnson did hit the end zone (first time since Week 7, for those keeping track), but he's still only getting his average three catches and 40 yards a game or so - not quite the fantasy impact some (not me) predicted. Another guy who should be having a huge fantasy impact, Plaxico Burress, isn't right now. This ankle ailment that's been keeping him from practicing is starting to affect him on game days - no TDs in his past four games now after eight through Week 6. You might have to consider benching him next week against Minnesota if you have other options. ... Brandon Jacobs ran for only 54 yards but surprisingly got involved in the passing game (four catches, 49 yards, TD). The bad news is he left the game with an apparent hamstring injury. Keep an eye on it.

BROWNS 33, RAVENS 30 (OT): Question: Who is Devard Darling, and how did he manage 107 yards and a TD in this game? Answer: He's a little-used, fourth-year receiver, and he was playing the Browns. Don't go running to the waiver wire for this guy, especially with an extremely tough upcoming schedule on his plate (at San Diego, New England, Indy in the next three weeks). It had to be a little disheartening for those who started Derrick Mason, who seems allergic to 100-yard games and TDs. ... No TDs for Derek Anderson or his receiving corps, either, but I expect that to change next week against Houston. And I can't go without mentioning Phil Dawson's game-tying field goal, one of the strangest I've ever seen. It even had the announcers a bit confused.



TEXANS 20, SAINTS 10: Welcome back, Andre Johnson! The Houston receiver couldn't return to the lineup soon enough, rewarding patient owners with 120 yards and a score. He's now got 382 yards and four TDs in three games played this season. If you had been skittish, rest assured it's safe to start Johnson next week against the Browns. In fact, I encourage it. ... Drew Brees threw for 290 yards and one TD, but it went to the enigmatic Devery Henderson, his only catch of the game. Henderson's still too inconsistent to count on.

JAGUARS 24, CHARGERS 17: Welcome back, David Garrard! OK, maybe he's not as fantasy relevant as Johnson, but he did look in control of this offense and threw two touchdowns. I'd start him next week against the reeling Bills if I was really in a pitch. ... One guy who IS fantasy relevant: LaDainian Tomlinson. He had a vintage game, with 155 total yards and a TD. He almost threw for another one, too, but got taken down on a fourth-down try. Questionable call, but we've seen it work plenty of times.

BUCS 31, FALCONS 7: I don't know if the Bucs defense is this good, or the Falcons offense is this bad. Probably a little of both. This whole Byron Leftwich/Joey Harrington QB controversy doesn't really get my blood pumping. Now Atlanta's got a short week to prepare for the Colts on Thanksgiving night (only on the NFL Network, call your local cable provider!) - I'm staying away. As for the Bucs' O, Joey Galloway caught another of his long trademark TDs (44 yards), and Earnest Graham looked comfortable again as the feature back with his second straight 100-yard game with a score. Michael Pittman is back from his ankle injury, and he did get 10 carries to Graham's 17. That seems like the kind of mix we'll see down the stretch, at least ideally, for the Bucs, which mean Graham has more value.

Photos by The Associated Press