It's always an entertaining day of NFL action when Tony Romo is smiling.
Cowboys- Bills
The season is coming to a close. The trade deadline is nearing. Most fantasy teams are locked in. Some of us, however, play weekly fantasy football and this game profiled a pair of quarterbacks on opposite trajectories that should help those players make decisions. The Bills are not the playoff team some decried them after their run to 5-2. Buffalo, and quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick are sliding. For Tony Romo and Dallas, the star is rising.
Romo could hardly have had a better day. He went 23 for 26, racking up 270 yards and three touchdowns in the process. He connected six times with favorite target Dez Bryant, a guy who should provide plenty of value in salary cap football, scoring along with his 74 yards. Laurent Robinson scored twice and put up 73 yards of his own. He looks great, but his role in the lineup is still largely dpenedent on the absence of Miles Austin. Once Romo had built his lead, he was content to let DeMarco Murray(135 yards, 1 TD) finish Buffalo.
Though he was playing from behind all day, Fitzpatrick only managed 146 yards. Worse, he threw three interceptions. While it may be true that top wideout Stevie Johnson was ill coming into the game, this type of production will sink the fantasy value of his entire team. Even Fred Jackson, who Dallas allowed to run free for 114 yards, was held without a score and fumbled. With a matchup against a resurgent Miami team coming up and a bevy of tough opponents in the following weeks, Buffalo players will give their fantasy owners fits if they don’t lower expectations.
Browns-Rams
Sam Bradford eeked out a win over the hapless Browns by handing off the ball to Steven Jackson as many times as possible. For a bad team, the Rams have two surprisingly strong fantasy options in Jackson and wide receiver Brandon Lloyd. Against Cleveland, Jackson put up 128 yards and Lloyd scored a touchdown to go along with 48 yards in the air. These numbers could be mitigated by the opponent, but St Louis has a lot of good matchups in the remaining weeks.
For Cleveland, there is a dearth of startable players. Neither Greg Little who put up 84 yards today, Ben Watson (30) or any running back who is starting on a given week hold the slightest value, even in a free salary cap league, in which they might have low prices.
Bengals-Steelers
The Bengal and Steeler defenses took opposite tracts in their respective quests for victory on Sunday. Cincinnati shut down the run, which owners playing matchups would be wise to note. Rashard Mendenhall scored twice, but he was held to 44 yards on 16 carries. Of course this allowed the Pittsburgh receivers to run wild. Antonio Brown caught five balls for 86 yards while Mike Wallace hauled in six for a total of 54 yards.
The Steelers, having built a lead early, were content to let Cedric Benson run the ball. The Bengal back gained 57 yards on 15 carries in his return to the field. Andy Dalton, for his part, looked lost after losing top target AJ Green to injury on a 36-yard touchdown strike. He later threw an additional touchdown, but only totaled 170 yards in the air and turned the ball over twice. Dalton likely has a bright future, but if you are playing weekly fantasy football on fantazzle, you probably want to look past him for the rest of 2011.
Redskins-Dolphins
Washington is on a fast track to the bottom. Even Fred Davis, touted by myself and others as the only startable Redskin, tanked on Sunday to the tune of 28 yards. Rex Grossman was back in action this week which means two things: interceptions, and a deep threat receiver having a big day. Today that target was Leonard Hankerson. Far from inducing me to pick up Hankerson, this only makes me want to bench Davis. Back could be counted on to go to Davis over and over again. Trying to predict Grossman is a fool’s task, just like picking a Shanahan coached running back to start for your fantasy team.
The Redskins did manage to hold Reggie bush to only 47 yards, though the scatback scored twice. Daniel Thomas picked up 42 for Miami, establishing the 50-50 split I expect to continue in Miami. 209 yards were all Miami needed from quarterback Matt Moore, who had no place even on a fantasy bench. About half of them went to Brandon Marshall, who is a must-start in almost any situation.
Eagles-Cardinals
Desean Jackson was held out of the game on Sunday for missing a team meeting. Jeremy Maclin soon joined him on the sideline. Without his top two targets Michael Vick looked clueless. Jason Avant could not get open. Brent Celek could not hold onto the ball. Though Maclin eventually returned, Vick ended up with 128 yards, no scores, and two interceptions. Vick owners should be awaiting the return of Jackson as eagerly as Jackson owners are. The presence of the speedy wideout makes a huge difference in what Vick can do with the football.
With Vick neutralized Lesean McCoy was unspectacular. 14 carries for 81 yards and a score should have been enough to satisfy his owners. But in salary cap fantasy football, those who selected him would have wanted more from a matchup as juicy as Arizona. It is clear that the elite level of production we saw from him at the beginning of the year is quite dependent on Vick stretching the field.
For the Cardinals, there were two surprises. Beanie Wells has to be seen as a disappointment. Against the Eagle defense, 23 carries for 62 yards is a disaster. Welcome to fantasy benches. On the other hand, Larry Fitzgerald exploded for 146 yards and two touchdowns.
Texans-Bucs
As an ardent proponent of the Texans running game and a long-time detractor of the Bucs, there is little to say about this game that I haven’t said before. Houston ran all over another team. Arian Foster and Ben Tate ran for 84 and 63 respectively and each had a score before taking an early seat due to the blowout. Foster added another 102 yards and a score in the passing game. Matt Schaub hit Jacoby Jones on a smooth 80 yards bomb but struggled in the redzone. The Bucs struggled to move the ball and Josh Freeman gave away three picks before throwing in the towel.
There is one new factor at play though. The Houston defense is quietly turning into one of the better units in the league. On Sunday they held Legarrette Blount to just 34 yards on 10 carries.
Ravens-Seahawks
The vaunted Baltimore defense looked rather pedestrian against Seattle. After a few putrid performances, including this one, the loss to Jacksonville and the near loss to Arizona, it’s tough not to ponder, “how did this team beat Pittsburgh twice?” Marshawn Lynch ran over that at times, and he finished with 109 yards and a score. He probably celebrated afterwards at a chain restaurant. Tavaris Jackson had plenty of time in the pocket and he tossed 217 worth, setting up five field goals for his team.
On the other side of the ball, the Ravens must have taken the “Flacco has turned the corner” talk to heart as they ran the ball with Ray Rice only five times, despite the tailback averaging a nice 5ypc on the game. Instead, Joe Flacco put it in the air 52 times, to results that were all too predictable to anyone that has seen Flacco play. He piled up 255 yards in a losing effort but he could not find his receivers and only scored once. The highpoint for Baltimore, (and for me) was the emergence of tight end Ed Dickson. A pre-season favorite of yours truly, Dickson had disappointed in filling the shoes of Todd Heap. Against Seattle, however he was a beast, hauling in ten receptions for 79 yards, including two grabs in the endzone.
Bears-Lions
From a fantasy perspective, it can be wise not to take too much from a game that got out of hand early the way that this did. Just as the Lions cannot expect their receivers to fumble away multiple first quarter balls, the Beats cannot expect to keep recovering them. Without falling behind early, the Lions don’t have to put quite so much pressure on their quarterback. And while owners of Matt Stafford might be happy with 329 passing yards, they cannot like the four interceptions that resulted.
For the Bears, they will not always get that much production from their defense and will often rely more heavily on Jay Cutler(123 passing yards) and Matt Forte (64 rushing yards) than they did today.
Quick Hits
Saints-Falcons
Pierre Thomas may be having another late season surge. He racked up 29 yards on 6 carries, as compared to 11 on 8 for Mark Ingram.
Harry Douglass put up 133 yards after Julio Jones was injured. Maybe Jones isn’t Roddy White’s problem.
Matt Ryan put up a deceiving 351 yards. Remember what defense he faced.
Broncos-Chiefs
The Broncos were down to their third string quarterback. Their quarterback made exactly 2 non-horrendous throws. They allowed over five yards a carry to two running backs. They lost. I’m as confused as you are.
The 4-game run of the Chiefs is over. It’s time to cut bait.
Colts-Jaguars
There are some sorry groups of receivers in the league. (Minnesota comes to mind.) Jacksonville’s may take first prize.
Nothing will likely stop Indy’ march to 0-16. The playing time recently given to Donald Brown and Dan Orlovsky will pave that route, though.
Jets-Patriots
Ben-Jarvis Green-Ellis was benched after gaining 8 yards on his first 8 carries. Doubtful that Danny Woodhead earned a permanent job after a 7 for 38 performance but Green-Ellis owners should be wary.
Plaxico Burress again scored after putting up only 39 yards. It’s becoming a trend. He might a useful, all-or-nothing play for emergency situations.
Cowboys- Bills
The season is coming to a close. The trade deadline is nearing. Most fantasy teams are locked in. Some of us, however, play weekly fantasy football and this game profiled a pair of quarterbacks on opposite trajectories that should help those players make decisions. The Bills are not the playoff team some decried them after their run to 5-2. Buffalo, and quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick are sliding. For Tony Romo and Dallas, the star is rising.
Romo could hardly have had a better day. He went 23 for 26, racking up 270 yards and three touchdowns in the process. He connected six times with favorite target Dez Bryant, a guy who should provide plenty of value in salary cap football, scoring along with his 74 yards. Laurent Robinson scored twice and put up 73 yards of his own. He looks great, but his role in the lineup is still largely dpenedent on the absence of Miles Austin. Once Romo had built his lead, he was content to let DeMarco Murray(135 yards, 1 TD) finish Buffalo.
Though he was playing from behind all day, Fitzpatrick only managed 146 yards. Worse, he threw three interceptions. While it may be true that top wideout Stevie Johnson was ill coming into the game, this type of production will sink the fantasy value of his entire team. Even Fred Jackson, who Dallas allowed to run free for 114 yards, was held without a score and fumbled. With a matchup against a resurgent Miami team coming up and a bevy of tough opponents in the following weeks, Buffalo players will give their fantasy owners fits if they don’t lower expectations.
Browns-Rams
Sam Bradford eeked out a win over the hapless Browns by handing off the ball to Steven Jackson as many times as possible. For a bad team, the Rams have two surprisingly strong fantasy options in Jackson and wide receiver Brandon Lloyd. Against Cleveland, Jackson put up 128 yards and Lloyd scored a touchdown to go along with 48 yards in the air. These numbers could be mitigated by the opponent, but St Louis has a lot of good matchups in the remaining weeks.
For Cleveland, there is a dearth of startable players. Neither Greg Little who put up 84 yards today, Ben Watson (30) or any running back who is starting on a given week hold the slightest value, even in a free salary cap league, in which they might have low prices.
Bengals-Steelers
The Bengal and Steeler defenses took opposite tracts in their respective quests for victory on Sunday. Cincinnati shut down the run, which owners playing matchups would be wise to note. Rashard Mendenhall scored twice, but he was held to 44 yards on 16 carries. Of course this allowed the Pittsburgh receivers to run wild. Antonio Brown caught five balls for 86 yards while Mike Wallace hauled in six for a total of 54 yards.
The Steelers, having built a lead early, were content to let Cedric Benson run the ball. The Bengal back gained 57 yards on 15 carries in his return to the field. Andy Dalton, for his part, looked lost after losing top target AJ Green to injury on a 36-yard touchdown strike. He later threw an additional touchdown, but only totaled 170 yards in the air and turned the ball over twice. Dalton likely has a bright future, but if you are playing weekly fantasy football on fantazzle, you probably want to look past him for the rest of 2011.
Redskins-Dolphins
Washington is on a fast track to the bottom. Even Fred Davis, touted by myself and others as the only startable Redskin, tanked on Sunday to the tune of 28 yards. Rex Grossman was back in action this week which means two things: interceptions, and a deep threat receiver having a big day. Today that target was Leonard Hankerson. Far from inducing me to pick up Hankerson, this only makes me want to bench Davis. Back could be counted on to go to Davis over and over again. Trying to predict Grossman is a fool’s task, just like picking a Shanahan coached running back to start for your fantasy team.
The Redskins did manage to hold Reggie bush to only 47 yards, though the scatback scored twice. Daniel Thomas picked up 42 for Miami, establishing the 50-50 split I expect to continue in Miami. 209 yards were all Miami needed from quarterback Matt Moore, who had no place even on a fantasy bench. About half of them went to Brandon Marshall, who is a must-start in almost any situation.
Eagles-Cardinals
Desean Jackson was held out of the game on Sunday for missing a team meeting. Jeremy Maclin soon joined him on the sideline. Without his top two targets Michael Vick looked clueless. Jason Avant could not get open. Brent Celek could not hold onto the ball. Though Maclin eventually returned, Vick ended up with 128 yards, no scores, and two interceptions. Vick owners should be awaiting the return of Jackson as eagerly as Jackson owners are. The presence of the speedy wideout makes a huge difference in what Vick can do with the football.
With Vick neutralized Lesean McCoy was unspectacular. 14 carries for 81 yards and a score should have been enough to satisfy his owners. But in salary cap fantasy football, those who selected him would have wanted more from a matchup as juicy as Arizona. It is clear that the elite level of production we saw from him at the beginning of the year is quite dependent on Vick stretching the field.
For the Cardinals, there were two surprises. Beanie Wells has to be seen as a disappointment. Against the Eagle defense, 23 carries for 62 yards is a disaster. Welcome to fantasy benches. On the other hand, Larry Fitzgerald exploded for 146 yards and two touchdowns.
Texans-Bucs
As an ardent proponent of the Texans running game and a long-time detractor of the Bucs, there is little to say about this game that I haven’t said before. Houston ran all over another team. Arian Foster and Ben Tate ran for 84 and 63 respectively and each had a score before taking an early seat due to the blowout. Foster added another 102 yards and a score in the passing game. Matt Schaub hit Jacoby Jones on a smooth 80 yards bomb but struggled in the redzone. The Bucs struggled to move the ball and Josh Freeman gave away three picks before throwing in the towel.
There is one new factor at play though. The Houston defense is quietly turning into one of the better units in the league. On Sunday they held Legarrette Blount to just 34 yards on 10 carries.
Ravens-Seahawks
The vaunted Baltimore defense looked rather pedestrian against Seattle. After a few putrid performances, including this one, the loss to Jacksonville and the near loss to Arizona, it’s tough not to ponder, “how did this team beat Pittsburgh twice?” Marshawn Lynch ran over that at times, and he finished with 109 yards and a score. He probably celebrated afterwards at a chain restaurant. Tavaris Jackson had plenty of time in the pocket and he tossed 217 worth, setting up five field goals for his team.
On the other side of the ball, the Ravens must have taken the “Flacco has turned the corner” talk to heart as they ran the ball with Ray Rice only five times, despite the tailback averaging a nice 5ypc on the game. Instead, Joe Flacco put it in the air 52 times, to results that were all too predictable to anyone that has seen Flacco play. He piled up 255 yards in a losing effort but he could not find his receivers and only scored once. The highpoint for Baltimore, (and for me) was the emergence of tight end Ed Dickson. A pre-season favorite of yours truly, Dickson had disappointed in filling the shoes of Todd Heap. Against Seattle, however he was a beast, hauling in ten receptions for 79 yards, including two grabs in the endzone.
Bears-Lions
From a fantasy perspective, it can be wise not to take too much from a game that got out of hand early the way that this did. Just as the Lions cannot expect their receivers to fumble away multiple first quarter balls, the Beats cannot expect to keep recovering them. Without falling behind early, the Lions don’t have to put quite so much pressure on their quarterback. And while owners of Matt Stafford might be happy with 329 passing yards, they cannot like the four interceptions that resulted.
For the Bears, they will not always get that much production from their defense and will often rely more heavily on Jay Cutler(123 passing yards) and Matt Forte (64 rushing yards) than they did today.
Quick Hits
Saints-Falcons
Pierre Thomas may be having another late season surge. He racked up 29 yards on 6 carries, as compared to 11 on 8 for Mark Ingram.
Harry Douglass put up 133 yards after Julio Jones was injured. Maybe Jones isn’t Roddy White’s problem.
Matt Ryan put up a deceiving 351 yards. Remember what defense he faced.
Broncos-Chiefs
The Broncos were down to their third string quarterback. Their quarterback made exactly 2 non-horrendous throws. They allowed over five yards a carry to two running backs. They lost. I’m as confused as you are.
The 4-game run of the Chiefs is over. It’s time to cut bait.
Colts-Jaguars
There are some sorry groups of receivers in the league. (Minnesota comes to mind.) Jacksonville’s may take first prize.
Nothing will likely stop Indy’ march to 0-16. The playing time recently given to Donald Brown and Dan Orlovsky will pave that route, though.
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Tags: 2011 fantasy football, Arian Foster, free weekly salary cap fantasy football, free weekly salary cap fantasy football games, free weekly salary cap fantasy games, Joe Flacco, Michael Vick, tim tebow, tom brady, tony romo
