The Week in Review...

The Week in Review…
Between Bye Weeks and Injuries there were a lot of strange looking line-ups out there in the Fantasy World this week and the trend will continue next week as more teams have byes and Matt Leinhart, Jamal Lewis & Deion Branch all left with injuries and are assured of missing some time. This week is sure to test your bench strength and will present opportunities for those who can afford to wait to make their waiver claims until after those in need make their selection. Well enough with next week lets take a look at what happened on Sunday.
The Early Games:
The Dawg Pound 17 @ The Pats 34
The Pats continued to demonstrate that they are an offensive machine as Brady threw for 3 TD’s however instead of usual bedfellow of Moss, he connected with Watson on 2 and Stallworth on the other. Sammy Morris got the start as Maroney is still out with the groin and went for over a 100 but did not get to the end zone this week. I think Sammy Morris is going to become a regular part of the offense even when Maroney comes back as he has earned it. Derek Anderson put up better numbers then I expected as he threw for 2 TD’s one to stud tight-end Kellen Winslow and another to former Giant Tim Carter. Braylon went for a 100 and is quickly becoming a player you should not consider sitting. On the injury front Jamal Lewis left the game and did not return so make sure to check the injury wire before you put Jamal in your line-up next week.
The Dirty Birds 13@ The Titans 20
This was an ugly contest as both QB’s were atrocious and most of the scoring was provided by the teams’ defenses and special teams. Bryon Leftwich made his debut for the Falcons and looked a bit out of sorts but it looks like the Birds have a QB controversy to deal with as well this season as Vick was not enough. Chris Brown ran in for a score but he and Lindale White split the carries so it looks like this will remain a time share moving forward. On a side note this prognosticator believes that if the Titans can figure out how to fix that offense they are going to be a dangerous team moving forward as that defense is ferocious.
The Cats 16 vs. The Aints 13
Well it is official you can put a fork in the New Orleans Saints as they go to 0 & 4 after losing a game that they had in control on a last second 52 yard field goal from John Kasay. This game did not offer much from a fantasy perspective but Steve Smith did find the end zone so his owners have to be happy with that though he is going to have a hard time doing that on a weekly basis now that Carr is his trigger man. Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and Marques Colston all are now officially off the must start list as they continue to disappoint. Reggie did run for a 100 yards and Drew threw for 250 but this is not what owners expected when they selected these players in the first few rounds of their fantasy draft.
Jags 17 @ Chiefs 7
Maurice Jones Drew owners who kept the faith were rewarded as he broke one loose and found the end zone from 52 yards out and had 82 overall on only 9 carries. The Jags offense did just enough to win and to be honest this game was won by their defense as they held Larry Johnson to 12 yards on 9 carries which safe to say was not what this prognosticator expected as it looked like LJ had returned to form but I guess I was mistaken. Tony Gonzalez went for a c-note and the rookie Bowe produced 71 yards on 4 catches so while they both did not score they did contribute.
The Fish 19 @ The Mighty Texans 22
This game saw Dolphins starting QB Trent Green do down with another head/neck injury which looked very similar to the one that ended his year last year. The fish hung tough behind their stud running back Ronnie Brown who found the promised land and went for a 114, but in the end the foot of Kris Brown proved to be the difference as the Fish remain winless. Kris and his golden leg kicked 5 FG’s including 3 from 50+ for all those who took a chance on Brown we say “What can Brown do for You” as that kind of production from your kicker is a bonus. The rest of the Texan offense was productive but only Ron Dayne found the end zone and the receiving core was quite balanced led by Daniels and Davis who will remain fantasy regulars until A.J and Jacoby come back.
The Cards 34 @ The Battering Rams 31
Another winless team put up a great fight yet just like all the rest the Rams remained winless. As an owner though you have to be happy as their offense came to life behind back-up Gus Frerotte who threw for 3TD’s one each to Holt, McMichael and Bennett. Brian Leonard ran for a 100 but was held out of the end zone but this could be his last game as Steven Jackson is due back next week. The Cards were led by Kurt Warner who went from sharing time to full time as Matt Leinhart broke his collarbone and will be out for a while. Kurt did not fail to disappoint as he ran for one score and threw for another. If you have Kurt on your roster consider him worth starting as he easily could be in the Top 12 fantasy QB’s right now and if he is on your waiver wire go run and claim him.
Lions 3 @ Hail to Redskins 34
Hail to the Redskins..Hail Victory is what they are chanting from the rooftops in D.C. as the skins rolled over the Lions led by rookie signal caller Jason Campbell and a stellar defense who not only held the vaunted Detroit offense to 3 points and they added a safety + a score as well. Jason spread the ball around but found old reliable Chris Cooley for one score and touchdown vulture Mike Sellers with the other as Sellers caught one and ran for another. Clinton Portis had 72 yards on 18 carries so his knee must be o.k. This was a sad day for all those folks who own both Kitna and Roy Williams (I do in one league) as they simply got shutdown by the Skins and essentially gave their owners an extra bye week except this one they were in their starting line-up for sure.

Seahawks 0 @ Steel Curtain 21
The Seahawks traveled cross country and laid a big goose egg as the Steel Curtain held them off the scoreboard so owners of Hasselback, Alexander and Branch all paid the consequences. The Steelers were down to their 2nd string WR core as Santonio Holmes sat out with a hamstring but was active so that had to be a tough one to stomach for those who used him this week. Heath Miller caught the only TD & Davenport ran in for the other two leaving Willie Parker wondering is this a rebirth of the bus or just a one week anomaly?
JETS 24 @ The G-men 35
In the battle of the meadowlands The G-men held strong as they welcomed back Brandon Jacobs who ran for a 100 and found pay dirt and his back-up Derrick Ward also ran for a score and put up 56 yards on 13 carries. Eli Manning continues to mature as he threw for 2 TD’s one to Shockley and one to Plaxico Burress who continues to dominate catching 7TD’s in only 5 games and now he gets a chance to try his luck with Deangelo Hall and the Falcons. The Jets simply turned the ball over too much and the main culprit was Pennington who threw for 3 Int’s and if not for the defense and special teams who provide 2 runbacks for touchdowns this one would have been very ugly for the Jets who clearly are not the team they were last year.
Bucs 14 @ World Champion Colts 33
No Marvin, No Addai, NO Matter…The Colts made it look easy against the Buccaneers as back-up running back Kenton Keith ran for 122 yards and 2 TD’s filling in for Mr. Addai who now has an extra week to rest as the Colts have a bye next week. Peyton threw for 250 and 2 TD’s in a workman like performance finding Reggie for one and Dallas for the other. The Bucs clearly miss Cadillac Williams and Luke Pettigot but they were outmatched from the start in this one. Jeff Garcia did throw for 2 TD’s finding Alex Smith for both. Next week the Bucs get to try their luck against the Titans who won’t be the offensive test that the Colts were but their D may be better.
Bolts 41 @ Broncos 3
Maybe Travis Henry shared his stash with the entire Broncos team as this was a pathetic showing by the home team. The Chargers found their mojo early taking advantage of turnovers to score early and often. Phillip Rivers looked good as he threw for 270 and 2 TD’s one to Jackson and one to Gates who also crossed the century mark. LT had 67 on the ground and 73 through the air but did not find the end zone so while those are good numbers we tend to expect more from LT. The Broncos will try and regroup over the bye week but I am sure it will be overshadowed by PotGate and Travis Henry’s status for the season.
Ravens 9 @ 49ers 7
U.G.L.Y you aint got not alibi you UGLY. This game was the ugly duckling of the day as the Ravens behind 3 FG’s from Stover won this defensive struggle and about the only good thing for fantasy owners was the fact that was no-one was severely injured. Willis McGahee had a combined 136 yards on the ground and in the air and Mason who was a game time decision and caught 11 balls for 85 yards. Frank Gore was a disappoint as expected with only 52 yards on the ground as Arnaz Battle scored the only touchdown of the game on a ball thrown by Dilfer.
Bears @ Pack & Monday Night Game will be updated on Tuesday….
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