QUARTERBACKS
Matthew
Stafford and Brady Quinn combined for 726 yards and 9 touchdowns in a
barnburner. After throwing a TD on the
last play of the game, Stafford ran off the field holding and pointing to his
left shoulder. The Lions are typically
tight-lipped regarding injuries, but a short week might cause them to start
Daunte Culpepper on Thanksgiving. On
the other end of the spectrum, Mark Sanchez only completed 8 passes and threw 4
INTs. The Jets have little to turn to,
so Sanchez will remain the starter. Ben
Roethlisberger left Sunday's game against the Chiefs after being kneed in the
head. Charlie Batch came in, but he
injured his wrist and may be out for the rest of the season. If Big Ben can't
go, Dennis Dixon and possibly Jeff Garcia will start for the Steelers. Kurt Warner left Sunday's contest with a
mild concussion, but he expects to play this week. Brett Favre sat out the entire 4th quarter and still managed to
complete 22-25 passes for 213 yards and 4 TDs.
It's not a wild idea to consider him for NFL MVP honors - imagine that.
RUNNING BACKS
Ricky Williams made the most of Ronnie Brown's
season-ending injury running for 139 yards and scoring 3 TDs against
Carolina. He gets the porous Buffalo
rush defense next week, so he has the opportunity to produce another strong
game. Knowshon Moreno carried the ball
8 times for 80 yards, but coughed up a crucial fumble on the goal line. Ladell Betts is done for the year and
Clinton Portis isn't ready to return, so look for Rock Cartwright to get the
starting nod against Philadelphia next week.
Brandon Jacobs had to exit Sunday's game early, but doesn't appear on
the Giants' early injury report. Marshawn Lynch is day-to-day with a shoulder
injury. Keep Fred Jackson in mind,
since he's proven before that he can carry the load with Lynch sidelined.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Terrell
Owens finished as the weekly top receiving yardage leader for the first time -
in a long, long time. He hauled in a
99-yard TD pass on his way to a 197-yard effort. Maybe it's a flash of signs to come, but you should remain
skeptical. Roddy White was targeted 14
times, but only made 4 catches for 45 yards.
His teammate, Michael Jenkins, actually out-produced him with 6 grabs
for 76 yards. It's not a trend, just a
sign the Giants' secondary was giving extra attention White's way. Brandon Gibson was targeted 17 times, but
only caught 6 passes for 61 yards. Marc
Bulger may sit this week, so be cautious throwing Gibson in your lineup. Davone Bess has averaged 5 catches per game
over the past 4 contests. He's not
finding the end zone, but is starting to earn some respectability in PPR
leagues. Even though Jerricho Cotchery
isn't lighting up the yardage totals, he's scored in 2 straight weeks. Expect more inconsistency throughout the
season with a rookie signal caller.
Santonio Holmes posted at least 6 catches and 86 yards in his last 3
games. He hasn't scored since week 1,
but is remaining relevant as a WR3/4.
TIGHT ENDS
Tom
Santi turned in a career day, catching 6 passes for 80 yards. The Colts’ third stringer almost found the
end zone but lost a fumble after he was leveled. He suffered a concussion, so he’ll still be irrelevant for
fantasy purposes. Tony Scheffler caught
1 pass for 16 yards in a loss against San Diego. That’s his 6th 1-catch performance over 10 games,
calling a non-factor would be generous.
Zach Miller posted a solid performance catching 5 passes for 65
yards. There’s at least one person who
is glad Bruce Gradkowski is under center.
