The Best and Worst of Week 8
By Jay Hathaway, FFC columnist, angry drunk.
First of all, I'd like to say that I had a pretty great week. While I live in the Detroit area, I was brought up a little north of Philadelphia. So, needless to say, I am extremely stoked about my Phillies taking the world series over a Tampa Bay Rays team that fought honorably and should be proud for what they accomplished. I'm sure we haven't seen the last of those young and talented Rays. Secondly, big ups to my PSU Nittany Lions for their nail-biter of a victory over the OSU Buckeyes. I get sick and tired of hearing about people saying that JoePa should hang it up. I see no reason for Penn State to deviate from their present course. Three more wins, and perhaps we'll get a shot at a national championship game, then maybe all you haters will STFU, OMG! (yeah, I know, lame). Third, of my 11 fantasy teams on the ESPN leagues, I won all but ONE of my match-ups for week 8, and I only lost that one by two points. Lastly, the Tennessee Titans showed all of America what they're made of on Monday night, with a convincing victory over the Colts. Yeah, I did a spotlight blog on them a few weeks ago. OK, I'm done with the gloating, on to business.
Week 8 was relatively calm in the NFL fantasy world. Yeah, there's the whole banned substance thing, and we'll see a few suspensions as a result, but comparatively speaking, the drama meter remained fairly low. Most of you saw those big draft picks get their points, and most of the players that seemed doomed to fail, did just that. Still, there are always exceptions, and that's good news for me, as I need material to fill these pages with. Let's take a look at the sleepers, the busts, the gamers and the shamers (yeah, I've officially declared that a word) for week 8.
Unlikely Heroes
Joe Flacco, QB BAL - I've been just itching for Flacco to have a great week, and I finally got my wish. I believe that this rookie has a promising future ahead of him, as long as he can avoid the burnout. That said, those who own Flacco should only use him if you have a better QB on a bye, or if he is matched up well (example: week 10 @ Houston and week 13 @ Cincy).
Ted Ginn, Jr., WR MIA - This is another young 'un that I am a big fan of. The long striding receiver has had trouble this season coordinating his routes with Fins QB Chad Pennington. Ginn is almost exclusively a deep threat, which will always make starting him on your roster a gamble. But if he is matched up against a poor opposing secondary, give Ginn a shot as a WR3. You just may get some points.
Steve Heiden, TE CLE - With the absence of Kellen Winslow last week, the Browns turned to Steve Heiden as their main man at the TE spot. Heiden didn't have any TDs (though he was damn close), but 73 yards receiving is good enough most days for that TE slot. WInslow will return this week, so Heiden will lose value, but keep an eye on him if Winslow should fall ill or get himself suspended again.
Leonard Weaver, RB SEA - Ummm...what? Who? Enjoy your 15 minutes of fantasy fame, brother.
Matt Jones, WR JAC - 117 receiving yards and a TD makes week 8 Jones' best this season. It seems his recent troubles off the field didn't deter him from having a nice day against Cleveland. Barring the unlikely event that his appeal is granted, Jones starts his 3 game suspension this week. To the bench, duder.
Leon Washingotn, RB NYJ - Washington had a great outing against the Chiefs, but don't expect many, if any, more totals like that for the rest of the season, as Thomas Jones is still the man that Brett Favre hands the ball to.
Chiefs D/ST - 28 PA in their loss to the Jets, but 3 picks and a TD makes for a nice surprise for that one guy out there who has them on his roster. Congrats, buddy.
Others that deserve a mention are Chiefs QB Tyler Thigpen, the Texans D/ST, Jags QB David Garrard, Saints WR Lance Moore (a worthy pick-up), and Rams rookie WR Donnie Avery. Nice job fellas.
Under-achievers
Ben Roethlisberger, QB PIT - Big Ben had a decent first half against the Giants on Sunday, and looked as if he was leading the Steelers to the win, but then fell apart in the second half, ending the game with a total of 4 INTs. This week he faces the Redskins on Monday night. The Skins don't allow a whole lot of passing yards, so it may be another rough outing for Ben and the Steelers.
Trent Edwards, QB BUF - I'm a fan of this guy, and usually he makes the first and more flattering section of this column, but I've gotta call it like I see it, and I saw Edwards have a bit of a tough time against the Fins. Fear not, owners, for Mr. Edwards will have a nice day against the Jets this week.
Maurice Jones-Drew, RB JAC - Things just weren't coming together last week for MJD. He didn't get the blocks he needed, couldn't find the holes, and credit the Browns D for doing a nice job. It was a shootout of a game and nobody invited the running backs. I would advise owners to forgive him and give him the start against the Bengals this week.
Brandon Jacobs, RB NYG - The Steelers D did what it was expected to do and shut down Jacobs, allowing only 47 yards on 18 carries (2.6 avg). As far as this next week goes, Dallas doesn't have a bad run D, but I think Jacobs has a good shot at a big day, mostly because the ailing Cowboys will likely be on their heels most of the game.
John Carlson, TE SEA - I usually don't like to include TEs in my assessments, due to the volatile nature of the position in relation to fantasy scoring, but Carlson has been a performer most of the way so far, and things come to be expected of performers. Whenever QB Matt Hasselbeck returns will be a good time to start Carlson again.
The Colts Passing Game - All here are included, with the exception of TE Dallas Clark, who definitely earned his paycheck. Manning, Harrison, Wayne, Gonzales...not so much. Is this a sign of the end of Colts' domination in the AFC south?
Steelers D/ST - The 21 PA matched their season high, but that isn't really what hurt their fantasy numbers. It was the complete lack of turnovers. The million dollar question now is: Will they be able to bounce back against the Redskins on Monday?
An interesting battle brewing up in the NFL involves two unlikely teams: The Bengals and the Lions. Who will end up with the worse record? Will either or both go 0-16? Tune in next week for another episode of "To Win and To Win Not". Ugh.
Good luck this weekend!
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