Tennessee 17, Pittsburgh 38
Headline – So wait, the Steelers are good again?
Who’s Hot?
Ben Roethlisberger – Just when you thought the Steelers were ready to curl up and die, they come out with a game like this. Big Ben throws for 5 TDs! Not an incredible amount of yards, but with 5 TDs, who cares? With the Steelers running game in question, Big Ben remains an every week, low-end #1 QB in most leagues.
Who’s Not?
Chris Johnson – Yeah, he got into the end zone, but still only ran for 51 yards, and caught the ball for 14 more yards. I expected a big week from CJ, but wound up disappointing a lot of fantasy owners again. He might be finally creeping down into the #2 RB/Flex position for me at this point. He’s still an every week start, but maybe not as automatic as he was before.
The Steelers’ Running Game – So, with Mendenhall out, Isaac Redman gets the start. He did get the lion’s share of carries with 15, but only ended up with 49 yards rushing. You would have liked to have seen him get 20-25 carries, but clearly Tomlin had other plans, as Jonathan Dwyer ended up getting 11 carries for 108 yards. This backfield has the potential to be more muddled than Carolina’s going forward. I think Mendenhall is still your choice going forward when healthy. If he’s not, your guess is as good as mine!
Cincinnati 30, Jacksonville 20
Headline – Welcome to the Rookie Bowl 2011!
Who’s Hot?
A.J. Green – Rookie or not, he is consistently getting attention from Andy Dalton, and has managed to get mostly consistent production this year. I think at this point, it’s safe to say that Green is Dalton’s #1 target, and I would consider him a #2 WR is some deep leagues, but still probably a #3 WR/Flex going forward.
Cincinnati DST – I ranked them #1 in my projections this week. Even though they weren’t the highest scoring DST, they still got double digit points. You can’t be disappointed with that! I think they have proved they should be considered an every week start.
MJD – Ok this is no surprise to anyone. But, considering Cincy was the #1 overall defense in the NFL going into this week, MJD was still able to put up 80+ rushing yards and get a TD. When you add in the fact that Gabbert has given very few reasons for defenses to not stack the box against them, it makes it even more impressive.
Who’s Not?
Cedric Benson – Yeah, he was hot last week, but when you get 53 yards on 24 carries against the Jag’s defense, you’re getting put in the “Not” column. Benson remains a #2 RB/Flex option for me going forward.
Oakland 25, Houston 20
Headline – … and the MVP goes to… Sebastian Janikowski!?!?
Who’s Hot?
Sebastian Janikowski – I told myself I refuse to write anything about a kicker on this blog. However, my opponent has Mr. Janikowski on his team, and 27 points later, he’s the highest scoring person on either team. Nothing will infuriate you more than losing to a team because of their kicker. Ultimately, it will not matter who your kicker is, but guys who kick in a dome, and/or guys who can kick the ball 5,000 yards, have to have a slight advantage over other kickers. Yuck, I feel sick to my stomach after spending this much time talking about kickers…
Arian Foster – Any of your concerns about his hamstring can be put to rest by now. Foster has a mediocre day running the ball (68 yards on 22 carries), but had a huge day as a receiver! 116 yards on 5 receptions will make anybody happy. Getting 17 points without getting in the end zone is pretty impressive. He is an automatic, must start from here on out… as if he wasn’t already.
Who’s Not?
Oakland Passing Game – Jason Campbell has been a serviceable back up QB for fantasy teams, but he is definitely into spreading the wealth when it comes to passing the ball. I have been fairly high on Denarius Moore the last few weeks, but he got all of zero receptions this week, after scoring a touchdown in three straight weeks. He was guarded all game pretty tightly, which opened up the opportunity for Darrius Heyward-Bey, and they capitalized on that. If you are starting any of the Oakland receivers, do so with the caveat, knowing that it could be an extreme feast or famine situation.
Kansas City 28, Indianapolis 24
Headline – ‘Twas a tale of two halves…
Who’s Hot?
Dwayne Bowe – Matt Cassel doesn’t pass the ball down field much, but thankfully Bowe is a beast and can grab a lot of yards after the catch. It also helps that Bowe can pretty much catch anything you throw up to him in the end zone. As underwhelming as Cassel is at QB, Bowe is a must start (after this week’s bye) week in and week out.
Pierre Garcon – Now before everyone goes off proclaims that Painter and Garcon have this explosive chemistry, let’s take a look at the targets. Garcon had 8 targets, Reggie Wayne had 7 targets, and Dallas Clark had 5. All of Wayne’s catches came in the first half and never got looked at much in the second half, as the colts were attempting to run the ball to burn time off the clock. Some of Wayne’s targets were very poor passes from Painter, and were not catchable. Clark had his worst game I’ve ever watched, as he had at least three dropped passes that he normally catches. So, the morel of this story is, don’t fall in love too hard with this duo, as Painter is definitely trying to spread the ball around. I think Garcon was able to exploit the KC secondary, and Painter was able to capitalize on it.
Who’s Not?
Indy Running Game – Addai left his game with an injury. You’re shocked, right? No? Me either. So, now the Colts were left with rookie Delone Carter, and the disappointing Donald Brown. Their inability to run the ball consistently helped aid the big comeback by KC in the second half of this game. I still think Carter has a lot of upside going forward. Addai’s status is uncertain for this week against Cincinnati, so if he’s out, Carter might be a good fill in for week 6.
NYJ 21, New England 30
Headline – Unfortunately for the Jet, Revis Island only has a maximum occupancy of one.
Who’s Hot?
New England Offense – Rather than me telling you things you already know, I’m just going to lump this into one point. Brady, Welker, Law-Firm… yeah, they are all really good. Now that Hernandez is back, look for more plays featuring the two-headed tight end attack with Gronkowski.
Who’s Not?
The Jet’s Defense – I thought this was supposed to be one of the premier, shut down defenses in the league? Looks to me, like they are routinely giving up massive rushing yards and are very susceptible to the pass. Law-Firm had a healthy average of 5.0 yards/carry, and Brady threw for over 300… again. Regardless, you probably drafted them a lot higher than you should have, so you still have to keep rolling them out there.
The Jet’s Offense – What is this team’s identity anyway. It’s like their identity, is letting the media tell them what their identity is. All I heard all week, is, “The Jet’s need to get back to running the football”. So, obviously that’s what they did… unsuccessfully. I suppose Shone Green had a decent day, but when you add in the highly disappointing numbers put up by Sanchez, it still resulted in a big L. I would look to other options if you have them, unless you are needing bye week fill-ins for this week.
San Diego 29, Denver 24
Headline – It’s Tebow time!!!
Who’s Hot?
Ryan Matthews – Much to my dismay, Matthews has been a legit fantasy running back this year. He’s been getting a vast majority of the touches at running back, and has been involved with the passing game quite a bit… just not this week. He got a little banged up this week, but with a bye in week 6, be looking to confidently starting him in week 7.
Tim Tebow – Don’t you roll your eyes at me! Tim Tebow entered this game Sunday, and transformed this team into a completely different team. With the threat of current number one running back Willis McGahee behind him, it allows for Tebow to become a little mobile and extend plays. He may not look terribly graceful out there, but like it or not, he has “it” and knows what it takes to win ball games. Last year when Tebow started the last three games of the season, he scored 24, 24, and 31 points respectively (thanks Wes). Heck he had 18 points in the second half of Sunday’s game! If you are like me, and are still trying to keep your head above water after drafting Peyton Manning, this might be the life preserver for team needs! I know the Broncos are on a bye this week, but he is a MUST ADD in all leagues. Think of him as a “Poor-Man’s Michael Vick/Cam Newton”.
Willis McGahee – Won’t spend a lot of time here, but he’s the clear-cut #1 in Denver now. If you take our McGahee and the QB’s, guess how many carries were given to other running backs… ZERO. After 125 yards on 16 carries, I think he’s proven he still has what it takes to be a legit #2 fantasy running back for you going forward.
Who’s Not?
Antonio Gates – Talk about a disappointing draft pick. I know he’s trying to come back healthy, and stay healthy, so there won’t be this drama about his status every week. Unfortunately, you are going to have to just watch his status like a hawk, and make roster changes accordingly. With San Diego on a bye, you might in a “tight” spot, as you might have to pick up a third tight end, because despite his lack of play, his upside justifies you keeping him on your roster. Some options to consider this week might be, Heath Miller, Ed Dickson, or Delanie Walker. San Francisco has been running a two tight end offense quite a bit this year, and now with Josh Morgan out with a broken leg, Walker might see a few more passes his way.
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