Week 13 recap Pt. 1

RAMS 28, FALCONS 16: It appears Gus Frerotte has mastered the center-QB exchange. He helped make up for last week's boner by throwing three TDs. Unfortunately ol' Gus banged up his shoulder. If Marc Bulger is still feeling woozy in Week 14, third-stringer Brock Berlin (remember him?) be worth a shot against the Bengals. ... Steven Jackson turned a mediocre day into a very good one by breaking off a 50-yard TD scamper late in the game. ... Roddy White somehow managed 146 yards and a TD with the dynamic duo of Joey Harrington and Chris Redman throwing him the ball - not bad.



CHARGERS 24, CHIEFS 10: This is what we should have seen from San Diego all season: A hellacious defense (eight sacks, four turnovers) and LaDainian Tomlinson running wild (177 yards, two TDs). Nice to see them figuring out their formula for success as we enter playoff time (they meet the Titans, Lions, Broncos, and Raiders in the coming weeks). ... The Chiefs had no answer behind Damon Huard (and later someone named Tyler Thigpen) at QB. Tony Gonzalez still had his fourth 100-yard game, so you don't have to worry about him at least. And Kolby Smith was good (21 carries, 83 yards), not great in start No. 2.

COLTS 28, JAGUARS 25: Four TDs from our pal Peyton Manning. Impressive, especially with Marvin Harrison still out. ... Only 67 yards for Joe Addai, but you knew it was a tough assignment against the Jags' D. Still, Joey hasn't passed the century mark since Week 9 against the Pats. Odds are he won't run for 100 next week against the Ravens, either, but here's betting he does it the following week against Oakland, just in time for most fantasy playoff openers. ... Fred Taylor, on the other hand, had 114 yards, while running mate Maurice Jones-Drew scored four the fourth straight game. That's the kind of streak we like to see.

TITANS 28, TEXANS 20: Vince Young decided to throw some touchdowns this week. Still been a disappointing year for VY any way you slice it. But he does have good matchups with the Chiefs and Jets in Weeks 14 and 15 if that helps. ... This Matt Schaub dude just can't stay on the field. Sage Rosenfels had to relieve him again. Stay away from this duo. ... Don't stay away from Andre Johnson (nine catches, 116 yards, TD).



JETS 40, DOLPHINS 13: Somewhere, the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers were gathered together around a plasma set with the champagne on ice. They all thought this would be the day Miami would get in the win column, preserving the Bucs' place in history as the last winless NFL team. But no, the Jets had to go and ruin those old guys' party. Maybe next week, fellas. ... Anyway, not much going on here fantasy-wise. One item of note: Thomas Jones finally scored a TD. Yeah!!

VIKINGS 42, LIONS 10: Guess Adrian Peterson feels OK (116 yards, two TDs), even with a knee brace on. Start him with confidence from here on out. ... Sidney Rice scored for the second straight week. Not I guy I'd count on in most leagues, but he's a young player to watch. ... Roy Williams left the game with a knee injury. Early reports say he's probably for Week 14 against Dallas.

SEAHAWKS 28, EAGLES 24: Shaun Alexander was back and looked alright (20 carries, 65 yards, TD). Only problem is Maurice Morris looked just as good (64 yards, TD) on one-fourth the carries. Alexander is still probably the smarter play from here on out if he's healthy, assuming the disparity in carries stays this way. ... A.J. Feeley wasn't very good (one TD, four INTs), but it didn't hurt Brian Westbrook (93 yards rushing, 46 receiving, TD) or Kevin Curtis (111 yards, TD), so that's a good sign if you own those guys.

Mr. Fix-It

Sorry, no Week 12 recap, I've been too busy the past two days doing my Bob Vila impersonation and redoing my bathroom. To make it up to you, I offer this help in repairing your broken fantasy team:

Is it just me, or is it getting harder and harder to find two able-bodied running backs to fill out your starting lineup on a weekly basis?

Think about it. In any given season you’re going to have a few season-ending injuries (see Ronnie Brown, Cadillac Williams), and you learn to accept it and move on. Sometimes we hardly even get a glimpse of the guy (Priest Holmes, Ricky Williams) before he flares out as quickly as he announced his comeback.

And then you have the nagging injuries that seem to sap your stars of their strength week after week and drive you crazy with all the “questionable” tags and the dreaded “game-time decision” kiss of death. Rudi Johnson, Shaun Alexander, Laurence Maroney, Travis Henry and LaMont Jordan have spent more time on the injury report than in the end zone – they’ve combined for nine TDs, or as many as Minnesota Vikings rookie Adrian Peterson has scored this year.

The latest running back to go down is the Chicago Bears’ Cedric Benson. OK, maybe he wasn’t Gayle Sayers, but at least Benson was a warm body you could insert into your lineup with a reasonable expectation of about 60 yards or so and a touchdown if you were lucky. The good news is with the underachieving Benson out of the way, the “other” Adrian Peterson has a chance to shine. Peterson should have little trouble eclipsing Benson’s mediocre numbers – he’s a more explosive back, he catches passes, and unlike Benson, his teammates and coaches like him. Grab him while you can.

Here’s an update on some other injury situations:

• The Denver Broncos backfield has always had a revolving door, but this year’s turnover has been especially high – emphasis on high thanks to Henry’s potential drug suspension, which could come at any day. Henry’s also been hampered by injury, and so have talented backups Selvin Young and Andre Hall. The bottom line is you must monitor Denver’s practice reports carefully this week – whoever’s healthy enough to play is in line for a big day against the wet paper towel known as the Oakland Raiders’ run defense.

• The New York Giants’ backfield has become almost as muddled thanks to another injury for stud Brandon Jacobs, who’s likely to sit again in Week 13. Reuben Droughns is Jacobs’ steady if unspectacular replacement, but he could be sharing carries this week with Derrick Ward, who’s also working his way back from injuries. If healthy, Ward is a better option against the Chicago Bears as he’s more apt to break off a big run or two.

• The chances of Larry Johnson returning from his foot injury are looking dim, but rookie replacement Kolby Smith (150 yards, two TDs for last week's Hot Pickup!) looked LJ-esque in his first career start. Keeping in mind that came against the Raiders, Smith still looks like a decent option going forward.

• It’s not all bad news when it comes to injured running backs. First-rounders Steven Jackson and Frank Gore have been hurting most of the year, but they’re showing sings of life as we approach the fantasy playoffs. Gore had 20 carries for the first time since Week 2, and he also had a career high 11 receptions for 98 yards. Jackson went for over 70 yards and a TD, and should've had another to win the game if not for Gus Frerotte's incompetence. Both RBs have some favorable matchups down the stretch, and their respective coaches are figuring out their workhorse backs are their best options if they want to retain their jobs in 2008. If you've put up with them all season, it looks like that decision is finally paying off.