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*select the team's helmet to jump to their game recap
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Peyton Manning made quick work of the New Orleans secondary, dicing them up for 288 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 41-10 trouncing. The running game was also in good working order for the Colts, who racked up 164 total yards. The Saints put up 108 total rushing yards, but Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush only had 32 yards apiece in that effort. The Saints offense was basically shut down, as the Colts defense shocked everyone with a better than expected performance. |
Fantasy Impact |
Peyton Manning, Joseph Addai, Marvin Harrison, and Reggie Wayne once again prove why they are premium picks in any fantasy draft. The trendy sleeper pick Anthony Gonzalez was invisible this game, but as the season progresses he should become more of a factor. Dallas Clark had a 15 yard run and a 48 yard receiving day which came as a surprise. The Saints big 3 had a disappointing outing, but they should bounce back. Devery Henderson is going to get a lot of looks being on the other side of Marques Colston, so if he's your starter, keep him starting. |
at 
This game went down to the wire and was decided by Broncos kicker Jason Elam. Marshawn Lynch had a great first outing with 91 yards and a TD and Broncos QB Jay Cutler had his first 300 yard outing. Bills WR Roscoe Parrish had a big highlight with a 74 yard punt return to put the first points on the board. Both rushing attacks were rock solid this game and should continue to be. |
Fantasy Impact |
Jay Cutler is ever-improving, and targets like Javon Walker and Brandon Stokely, who combined for 184 yards receiving he should put up numbers close to this every week. Travis Henry ran for 119 yards and there is no reason to think he won't continue that level of output. The Bills passing attack was subpar, mostly due to the Broncos very improved defensive unit. They pressured Losman all game and made him leave the pocket often. He may not be a good starter if the Bills' offensive line play doesn't improve. |
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I think this game shocked a lot of people. The Jags defense was unbelievably porous, allowing 175 rushing yards by Titans' RB Chris Brown. Even more surprising was the fact the Jaguars only ran the ball 13 times for 72 yards! The quarterback play was mediocre on both sides, as Vince young threw for less than 100 yards and only had 22 rushing yards and no touchdowns. Jags QB David Garrard completed 17 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown against a defense not expected to stop anybody this year. |
Fantasy Impact |
This game was not indicative of the expected output by any of the major fantasy players on either team. Jones-Drew only had 32 yards, and Vince young isn't going to play like this very often. Don't even think about benching either one of these guys. Chris Brown went from not playing last year to looking like he never left, but don't expect him to get close to this output every week while splitting carries. He's a good start if you don't have a non-split carry running back to put in the spot. Dennis Northcutt was the leading receiver for the Jags, with 57 yards on 4 catches. He's a starter, and as Garrard gets more comfortable he will probably look to the veteran receiver as a safety valve. |
at 
The Skins won this game in spite of Jason Campbell's disappointing output. He threw 2 interceptions on 12 of 21 passing, with no touchdowns. Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts combined for 157 yards on the ground, and Campbell contributed 29 yards. Trent Green was average, completing 24 passes for 219 yards and 1 touchdown, but only averaged 5.8 yards per attempt. Antwan Randle-El led the Skins receiver with 162 yards, and Chris Chambers had 6 catches for 92 yards for the Dolphins. 3 Dolphins receivers caught 6 passes, so it looks like they're trying to spread the ball around and not just focus on one guy. The Dolphins running game looked very stagnant, with Ronnie Brown only getting 11 carries for 32 yards in a close game. |
Fantasy Impact |
Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts seem to be splitting carries evenly, as they both had 17. If you haven't handcuffed them yet you probably should get the trade engine started. Jason Campbell has yet to prove he can be a reliable fantasy QB, so don't pull the trigger on him until he does so. Antwan Randle-El is only going to be as consistent as Jason Campbell is, so watch and see if he continues to be the downfield threat he was in this game. The Dolphins offense looked shabby for the most part, but as usual Chris Chambers is producing in spite of a still-mediocre quarterback situation. Ronnie Brown should get more carries in coming games, who knows why he only got 11 this week. Unless he is injured, there is no reason for the coaches to use him so sparingly going forward. |
at 
Jake Delhomme (201 yds, 3 TDs) and company are back to their old habits again. The ragin’ Cajun connected with his favorite target Steve Smith (108 yds, 1 TD) and Drew Carter (2 TDs) to lead the Panthers to a convincing win over the Rams. The Rams defense couldn’t do much to stop the well-balanced game plan of John Fox’s team, and their offense was, well, offensive. Steven Jackson didn’t help the Rams’ cause by fumbling twice on two consecutive carries in the third quarter. |
Fantasy Impact |
Jake Delhomme showed he can be a consistent fantasy performer this season, which should boost Smith’s totals up from last year. Don’t expect Carter to put in a game like this again this season, as he’s still the 3rd WR. DeAngelo Williams and DeShaun Foster were both solid while splitting carries evenly, and are one of the better fantasy RBBC duos in the league. Steven Jackson looked rusty after sitting out the preseason, so it could be a slow start for him as he gets into form. Orlando Pace left the game with a shoulder injury and is now out for the season. It may be the beginning of the end for the perennial Pro-Bowler which could spell problems for the Rams offense. Holt’s knee didn’t appear to cause any problems, start him every week without hesitation until you hear otherwise. |
at 
Would the real Randy Moss please stand up? Or in this case, jump and catch a TD pass in between three defenders like it were second nature. The Pats throttled the Jets once again, showing that they deserve all of the preseason hype so far. They dominated on offense, defense, and chipped in an NFL record 108 yard kick return for good measure. Tom Brady spread the ball around well as expected, and the running game had plenty of room to do its thing. Not a good situation in New York where the always classy Jets fans cheered after Pennington went down with an injury. |
Fantasy Impact |
Randy Moss is for real this season. As long as he doesn’t get hurt he is a must start every week. Still, Brady will continue to spread things around, so don’t be surprised to get a stinker or two from him this year. Laurence Maroney carried the ball well before the game got out of hand (20 carries, 72 yds) and Sammy Morris came in for clean up duty. He should be in line for a good season since opposing defenses have to respect the firepower the Pats possess in the passing game. The Jets looked overwhelmed on offense, but Laveranues Coles still managed to get 2 TDs in the effort. He might be the only sure thing going for the Jets until they solve their offensive line problems. |
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Minnesota trounced Atlanta in the Metrodome and we saw Adrian Peterson emerge as the overwhelming favorite to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year award (163 total yards, 1 TD). There wasn’t much passing going on for either team (unless you count Harrington’s tireless efforts to get the football to the guys in the purple jerseys) as was expected. Minnesota’s defense chipped in six sacks and two interceptions returned for TDs to overtake the Dirty Birds in the Metrodome. |
Fantasy Impact |
Adrian Peterson is legit, especially since Chester Taylor went down with a rib injury, he is now the man in Minnesota this season. Jerious Norwood and Warrick Dunn both turned in less than pleasing performances, but that’s what it’ll be like this year when no one respects your passing game. The Crump got his usual umber of looks in the passing game, but TDs might be harder to come by this year. Minnesota’s defense looked good at home in the dome, but wait until they play a real before labeling the second coming of the Purple People Eaters. |
at 
The Steelers started the Mike Tomlin era off by pounding the hapless Browns in a completely one-sided contest. Big Ben began his comeback tour and completed 12 passes (4 for TDs to 4 different players), while Willie Parker was solid as usual with 109 yards (if he could only stop the fumbling …). Browns fans started chanting for Brady Quinn even earlier than expected, although why they want to sacrifice his body to the opposing defensive players is anyone’s guess. |
Fantasy Impact |
If you need a defense in free agency, it’s a safe bet to take whoever is playing the Browns that week for here on out. Willie Parker looked full speed after some lingering questions about his knee, and Roethlisberger spread the ball around well. On the flip side, nobody on the Browns looked worthy of a roster spot on Sunday. On the opposite sideline, Braylon Edwards still has no one to throw the ball to him, Jamal Lewis had 11 carries for 35 yards – there’s a reason the Ravens didn’t resign him – and the Browns looked pretty much pathetic in every regard. |
at 
From a fantasy standpoint, this one was a real loser - unless you started Green Bay's defense, who scored a touchdown on a fumbled punt return in the first quarter and recovered a muffed punt with a minute left in the game. This game was sloppy from start to finish, and Philadelphia's terrible special teams play lost the game far more than the Packers won it. The majority of GB's points came from turnovers on special teams, and neither McNabb nor Westbrook could come up with clutch plays at the end to make up for it. |
Fantasy Impact |
Both quarterbacks gave lackluster performances, and you have to wonder about McNabb now that there are questions about his knee to go along with his mental issues. He failed to lead a scoring drive yet again with the game close in the 4th quarter, which has been common since the inexplicable Super Bowl letdown in the final minutes. Now that Philly has let their offensive weapons go (TO, Stallworth, etc.), consistency may be a thing of the past. None of Philly's receivers are great fantasy players. Farve didn't look any better than McNabb, and GB had little production from the RB position as well. Brandon Jackson may pan out eventually, but at this point, he isn't worth starting, and with Morency's injury status, neither is he. If the Green Bay DEF/ST is available in your league, pick them up now, because they are a much improved unit. |
at 
After throwing an interception early, Matt Schaub recovered to throw a 77 yard TD pass to Andre Johnson in the second quarter. That would be all the offense Houston would need, as KC lived up to its billing as one of the worst teams in the NFL this year. Andre Johnson looks like he'll have a monster year with 142 receiving yards in addition to the TD, and it will be a big boost for his stats to have a QB who isn't constantly on the verge of concussion. Bad news for LJ owners - it looks like KC may have trouble moving the ball this season, enough so that TD's will be harder to come by. |
Fantasy Impact |
LJ still has ground to make up after his holdout, and hopefully he can pick it up within the next couple games. Other than LJ and maybe Gonzalez, stay away from every player on KC's roster. Matt Schaub is worth at least a backup spot on your roster, and may even be worth starting in some larger leagues. Andre Johnson may end up being the top fantasy receiver this year, reminiscent of TO's first season in Philly before he broke his ankle. Ahman Green is solid, but may benefit you most on the trading block if you can get a good offer from someone floundering for RB support. |
at 
Tampa Bay had a good first quarter, and started the game up 6-0. They couldn't move the ball after that though, and allowed Seattle to score the game's last 20 points. Shaun Alexander rushed for just over 100 yards with a touchdown, and Matt Hasselbeck looks like he's in good form, completing 17 of 24 passes. If Hasselbeck can get his receivers to hold onto the ball a bit better (they had at least 3 drops in the game), Seattle might be a solid playoff team. Tampa Bay has another rebuilding year ahead of them - at some point, you would think they would finally be rebuilt. |
Fantasy Impact |
Tampa Bay looks like a total loser in the fantasy game again this year. Don't expect Cadillac Williams to play more than half a season. Joey Galloway was returning punts and may be worth a bench slot or spot start, especially if your league gives points for return yards. Hasselbeck and Alexander ought to have comparable production to what they had 2-3 seasons ago. The Seahawks have no clear winner at receiver, though. |
at 
The game started slowly, with a lone Chicago field goal in the first half. As the game went on and Chicago's offense kept losing the football (3 lost fumbles and a Grossman interception), LT finally showed his fantasy value by throwing a 17-yard TD pass and rushing for another to put the Bears away. The game was a sloppy season opener, and if SD can't get it together quickly, they will find themselves 1-1 after a visit to New England next week. Chicago's defense still looks like the real deal, but if Grossman can't be more consistent, they will have to find another option to take advantage of the defense's dominance in a weak NFC. |
Fantasy Impact |
You have to wonder how long Lovie Smith is going to stick with Grossman if he's going to play like this every time they face an AFC team. There really weren't any bright spots for Chicago so far, especially with no RB eclipsing 50 yards rushing. Bernard Berrian was the top threat in Week 1, and it would be reasonable to expect good production from him this season. On the other side, Phillip Rivers completed over 70% of his passes, although without a TD and for only 190 yards and an INT. He won't face a defense like Chicago too many times this season though, and he'll do at least as well as last year in fantasy terms. Gates and LT look primed for big seasons once again in 2007. |
at 
Jon Kitna made some bold promises going into the season with prdicting a 10 win season for the Detroit Lions. Well...they are only 9 away from achieving that goal now. In the game, Detroit jumped out to an early 17-0 lead only to have Oakland go ahead in the middle of the 4th quarter by a score of 21-20. The Lions pulled the game out late by converting on some costly Oakland turnovers and getting some late TDs in 'garbage time'. The game was much closeer than the score indicated. |
Fantasy Impact |
Couple of things here. Kitna looked good throwing for 3 TDs (with 2 INTs) including a TD to rookie Calvin Johnson. Josh McCown also threw for over 300 yards and had 3 TDs but hurt his team badly with 2 INTs and 2 fumbles. based on comments from Kiffen, it sounds like he is backing McCown. Here's a quote from Coach Kiffen "Fans have the right to their opinions...After the third touchdown in a row they weren't chanting for Daunte anymore." It also appeared that Ronald Curry was clearly the favorite target of McCown. Tatum Bell looked largely ineffective but got a TD in garbage time to make his fantasy number look decent. A pleasant surprise was the re-emergence of Lamont Jordan who had a combined 159 total yards and a TD. He might be a great guy for the Buy list this week. Seabastian Janikowski missed 3 field goals in the game. Also, TJ Duckett left the game in the 1st quarter with a sprained ankle. |
at 
In the 90 game history of the Dallas/New York series, this game was the highest scoring affair. So much for the tough Defense that Wade Phillips was supposed to bring to Dallas. In the game, New York jumped out to an early 6-3 lead and had a close play that Amani Toomer nearly caught a long TD but couldn't get both feet inbounds. From that point, Dallas took over the game but New York fought back to actually get the game to 38-35 with 4:09 left in the 4th quarter. However, on the next series Tony Romo hooked up with Sam Hurd for a 51 yard strike that broke it open for Dallas. |
Fantasy Impact |
Several significant injuries occured in this game and are noteworthy. Firstly, Brandon Jacobs suffered a knee injury (damage not determined) and RB Derrick Ward filled in admirably for Jacobs. Reuben Droughns only got 1 rushing attempt so it is clear that Ward will get the bulk of carries of Jacobs is out any significant period of time. Also, Osi Umenyiora went down with a knee injury which forced Michael Strahan to play much more than previously anticipated. Eli Manning suffered a bruised shoulder on a failed 2-point conversion late in the game and did not return to the lineup. For Dallas, Romo was very sharp throwing for 4 TDs and 1 INT and also rushing for 1 TD. Jason Witten had a huge day as well. Plaxico Burress answered health questions by having a 3 TD performance with 144 yards receiving to go along with it. TO chipped in on the offensive display with 87 yards and 2 TDs. |
at 
It's a sad day for Raven nation today. The game started with 3 turnovers, a Steve McNair groin injury, and a Ray Lewis bicep injury...all in the 1st quarter. All things considered the Ravens defense stood up to the Bengals attack and limited them to 9 points on the first 3 turnovers. in the 2nd quarter the injuries continued for the Ravens with Johnathan Ogden being sidelined with a toe injury. At half time the game was 12-10 in Cincy's favor. In the second half the blows kept coming for the Ravens with returner BJ Sams severely spraining his knee. However, filling in for Sams, Ed Reed stepped in and returned a punt for a TD giving the Ravens a temporary lead. Cincy, on another turnover, took the lead on a 7 yard TJ Houshmanzadeh TD and then converted a two point conversion to give them a 7 point lead. On the final drive of the game, Kyle Boller came in for an injured McNair and drove the Ravens to the 1 yard line where the Ravens momentarily tied the game on a Todd Heap TD. However, the referres called offensive pass interference on Heap (terrible call). The game ended with Boller throwing a pass on 3rd down to the end zone, hitting Heap in the chest and deflecting into the arms of a diving Michael Myers. On a side note, Chad Johnson had a 1st quarter TD in which he celebrated by placing a mock Hall of Fame jacket over his jersey with the words "Future HOF 20??"... |
Fantasy Impact |
The game was filled with injuries and on Cincy's side Chad Johnson had some cramping early in the game but seemed to work through it just fine. Kicker Shayne Graham hurt his hip in the 1st quarter but only missed an extra point off a Chad Johnson TD shortly after the injury. Chad Johnson and TJ Houshmanzadeh had nice games and Rudi Johnson largely struggled to get any kind of running game going. For Baltimore, the list of injuries is noteworthy including Ray Lewis (bicep - MRI to be performed today), Johnathan Ogden (toe), Steve McNair (groin), BJ Sams (knee). Look for Kyle Boller to possibly get some playing time with McNair injured. If Ray Lewis were to spend any time injured, the Baltimore DEF/ST would certainly suffer significantly. Fantasy disaapointment for Baltimore were Todd Heap and Mark Clayton, however Demetrius Williams got several looks in the game including a few goal line looks. Might be a good guy to keep an eye on. |
at 
It's official, Arizona is still Arizona. in a close game that 90% of the nation missed, the San Francisco 49ers put on a terrible offensive display through 57minutes of the game only to find their groove in the last 3 minutes. On the final drive of the game, Alex Smith hit Arnaz Battle at the 1 yard line and Battle fumbled into the end zone where Darrell Jackson recovered. By rule the ball was placed on the 1 yard line where San Francisco did an end around play to Arnaz battle for the winning score with 22 seconds left. Matt Leinart was intercepted for the 2nd time in the game with 8 seconds left. On a side note, San Francisco honored the late Bill Walsh, who died of leukemia on July 30, at halftime by having a video tribute, unveiled a plaque of Walsh, and added his initials to the ring of honor. |
Fantasy Impact |
Frank Gore looked rusty from missing the preseason with a hand injury and was largely innefective. He ended up with 55 yards and a TD. He is clearly what makes their offense go and the rest of the players suffered as a result. The winds where swirling at the game and both QBs looked terrible, with Leinart throwing for 102 yards on the game and Smith throwing for 126 (60 of which came on the final drive). This game is not an indicator of most of the offensive player's values with the exception of Edgerrin james. He looked good in the game with 92 yards rishing and a TD. |
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