Eventually, San Diego was bound to cover one of those crazy spreads, and Oakland was more than happy to oblige. The Raiders look competent at times, but when they are bad, they are awful. To think, they drafted Michael Huff over Jay Cutler and JaMarcus Russell instead of Calvin Johnson. And there's never a good reason to draft a running back early. Adrian Peterson was the exception, not the rule…Zach Miller is the only decent offensive player…In one of the most crucial fantasy weeks of the year, I'm starting the Patriots D over the Titans because they play Oakland…What is going on with Antonio Gates? He must really be hurting…Norv Turner is doing opponents a favor every time he plays LaDainian Tomlinson instead of Darren Sproles…I'm beginning to think Kwame Harris wasn't worth a first round pick.
Think Jacksonville is regretting the David Garrard contract? Same with Jack Del Rio, who seems to have completely lost this team. Still, neither of those are nearly as egregious as Jerry Porter's deal…In most other seasons, Matt Forte would be the clear Rookie of the Year winner. In 2008, he's a distant second, highlighting the most impressive rookie class in the history of the NFL…Maurice Jones-Drew continues to be one of my favorite running backs to watch. Get this guy 25 touches each week!
At this point, Adrian Peterson feels like a family member to me, but that was quite a disappointing performance last week. Forget the 4.4 YPC mark against the NFL's worst run defense, AP's fumbling has become a real problem…If starting a franchise from scratch, Calvin Johnson would easily be the first wide receiver off the board. He's without question a top-10 property in the league…Looking ahead to Week 16, the Saints' D may not be a bad fantasy play against a potentially Drew Henson led Lions team. The Colts' D looks like the best option over Weeks 14 and 15. Go figure.
The Packers' secondary has taken a step back recently since Charles Woodson has moved to safety, but Matt Schaub was highly impressive last week. He can't be counted on to stay healthy, but I bet he ends up on a bunch of my fantasy teams once again next year…So much for the Brandon Jackson speculation. He must be a terrible blocker and/or horrible practice player, because he's done nothing but outperform Ryan Grant whenever on the field this season…It's hard to fathom the fact Houston has a better record (6-7) than Green Bay (5-8)…Steve Slaton has been simply fantastic. This kid can really play, and if he's asked to carry the full workload next season, there's a good chance he'll finish as a top-10 fantasy player.
The Colts haven't allowed a touchdown in eight quarters. Meanwhile, the Bengals haven't scored a TD in 11 quarters…How did this Cincinnati team tie Philadelphia again?...Maybe Carson Palmer is planning on waiting for training camp to undergo Tommy John surgery…Joseph Addai is a fraud. He drops passes, he fumbles, he gets 3.5 YPC. I'd start him this week, of course, but I wouldn't feel all that confident in doing so.
How good is Roddy White? There isn't a team in the NFL with a more impressive nucleus of young skill position players than Atlanta. And it's not even close…Pierre Thomas is the Saints' best running back. Period. Speaking of which, how crazy is it that Reggie Bush's 43-yard run Sunday was the longest of his career?...There aren't enough superlatives to describe Matty Ice at this point. Over the last two weeks, he's completed 73 percent of his passes, got 9.3 YPA and taken zero sacks. He's the best NFL rookie in the history of the league, hands down…Trailing 29-24, Mike Smith chose to punt on fourth-and-five from his own 35 with 3:23 left in the game. This despite facing the league's No. 1 ranked offense. Predictably, the Falcons never got the ball back.
Domenik Hixon's drop on a would-be 85-yard TD was a game changer, but that was still an impressive performance by the Eagles' D. Anyone who doesn't think the loss of Plaxico Burress is significant is crazy…So it looks like Brian Westbrook is feeling better. Expect a similar effort Monday night at home against the Browns….Brandon Jacobs' lingering knee injury is a real concern. Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw are going to be major contributors from here on out.
Ken Dorsey is really bad at football. Philadelphia is the No. 1 fantasy D this week…How about Jamal Lewis getting 1.1 yards per touch last week? That's not very good…Chris Johnson is on pace to finish the season with 1,663 total yards and 11 touchdowns. There's a chance he also finishes fifth (or worse) on Rookie of the Year ballots.
Buffalo has won three straight coin tosses, deferred each time and has started behind 7-0 in all three instances. I actually like deferring, but that's pretty crazy…This Dolphins turnaround is quite remarkable. Still, they better not take the 49ers lightly this week…I'm not saying their 4-0 start was a complete fraud – Trent Edwards was playing much better then, but looking back at that schedule (Seahawks, Jaguars, Raiders, Rams), the big collapse since then is less surprising.
Where did that come from Seneca Wallace? Easily the surprise performance of Week 14…Did you see Deion Branch completely run out of gas toward the end of his 63-yard reception? However, he did make up for it with a nifty catch in the end zone…I'll keep riding the John Carlson train until it stops. Next up, the Rams…I'd be fairly shocked if Matt Hasselbeck plays in another game this season…Wes Welker is seriously good. He's an absolute PPR monster. A trip to the end zone would be nice, however.
Update on my preseason bet with Chris Liss (Brandon Marshall vs. Randy Moss): Marshall – 83 catches, 1,033 yards, six TDs. Moss – 61 catches, 841 yards, eight TDs. Go Baby T.O.!...Rough ending for Peyton Hillis, who had really been playing well. Can't believe Tatum Bell is relevant again…Tony Gonzalez is ageless. Sometimes the boring veteran option is the way to go…I have a dilemma. In my main home league, I'm debating whether to start Jay Cutler or Tyler Thigpen this week. On one hand, Cutler is the better player and has also put up bigger numbers while on the road this season. However, Carolina's secondary has been very good (Monday night notwithstanding), while San Diego's D has allowed 21 passing TDs this year, the third most in football. KC/SD should be a shootout, and Thigpen has been a TD machine despite a mediocre YPA. Plus, he's averaged 39.0 rushing yards over the last four games, which is just like adding one passing score. So, whom should I go with?
Shame on me for picking against the 49ers last week. That line screamed something fishy. The Jets' passing offense is a mess. Jerricho Cotchery and Laveranues Coles combining for two catches and 15 yards?...It may not always be pretty, but Shaun Hill is highly effective. Unless something drastic happens, he's clearly the team's undisputed starter entering 2009…Only Mike Martz would call a seven-step drop from the opponents' three yard line. And it resulted in a touchdown…Alan Faneca's play has really started to slip of late. He made Justin Smith look like an elite rusher last week…What a blow for Frank Gore owners. It makes it even more difficult when his backup is a stiff like DeShaun Foster.
If Tim Hightower can only muster 2.7 YPC while playing at home against the Rams and with St. Louis focusing on stopping Arizona's high-powered passing attack, then he doesn't belong in fantasy lineups. No matter what…The Rams need to use their likely top-3 pick next year on a quarterback, assuming one makes sense. Speaking of which, I don't watch much college football at all, but Tim Tebow will be a terrible pro, right?
Tony Romo hardly played well, but Jason Witten was the culprit of two huge late game gaffes. First the 25-yard "pick six." And later on Dallas' last offensive play, when he was apparently running a 30-yard route on a fourth-and-10, never bothering to look the QB's way…What's up with Jerry Jones throwing Marion Barber under the bus? Call me crazy, but he seems like a pretty tough player to me…Tashard Choice has impressed, but with a Sunday night game on tap in Week 15, that backfield situation is going to be a nightmare for many fantasy owners during the most crucial of times…I applaud Mike Tomlin's aggressive coaching, and that defense is one of the best ever, but Ben Roethlisberger needs to play better if they are going to win the Super Bowl…Dallas' defense is for real, and the team was surprisingly physical despite the elements. I still pick them to win the Super Bowl.
I'm thinking the Redskins are regretting the Jason Taylor trade right about now. That offense is one of the very worst in football. They've scored fewer points than Detroit!...And what about Jim Zorn using a challenge with the end result being a difference of six yards (first down either way)? Seemed like a good time not to throw the flag there Jim…I would not want my favorite team facing the Ravens in the playoffs. They are very, very good.
For someone so critical of Tony Kornheiser on MNF, I have to give credit when it's due. His "he went to Jarrett" line after Dwayne made a catch was positively brilliant. I cannot get that "Jared" commercial out of my head. I walk around randomly saying that phrase with or without people nearby. I'm one more away from my fiancée leaving me…What a game by Antonio Bryant. There's serious talent there…Somewhat quietly, Carolina might have the best rushing attack in the NFL. The Giants have a strong argument, and their 4.9 YPC mark would be the best in the history of the league, but the Panthers aren't far off with 4.8 YPC, and they've also rushed for seven more touchdowns (23-to-16). I'll give the run blocking to New York, but I say Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams are both better than any Giants back. Stewart is a future star, but how about Williams' nine TDs over the last four games? He's definitely improved and become more powerful this season, but his performance is also an indictment on John Fox's coaching ability. Shame on him for giving DeShaun Foster 100-plus more carries than Williams last year…Ultimately, Jake Delhomme hurts their chances, but if the Panthers can somehow get homefield advantage throughout (and they control their own destiny), this team might just make the Super Bowl.
It's been a great career Oscar De La Hoya, but please, hang 'em up. What a clinic Manny Pacquiao put on. If he were ever to get in a ring with Floyd Mayweather, I'd happily open my wallet…At first I thought it was just a bad dream, but I can't believe "The Roots" are really going to be Jimmy Fallon's house band. Wow. I'm speechless.
Next season's top-five fantasy rankings:
1. Adrian Peterson
2. Brian Westbrook
3. Michael Turner
4. Frank Gore
5. Marion Barber