Fantasy Football Collective

LJ is in trouble.  Who knows when he'll be relevant again.  Kellen Winslow was sick, and now suspended for saying he feels like the team treats him like a  "piece of meat'.  Some claim it was disrespectful to his team or that he is just being overly sensitive, but think about it. Would you want to feel like a "piece of meat" when surrounded by a bunch of 300 pound men?  Uncomfortable, to say the least.  Then there was more Brett Favre drama.  Supposedly, the former Packer QB gave a call to then-Lions Prez and GM Matt Millen before the Lions played the Pack a few weeks ago. The reportedly hour-long conversation generated suspicion that Favre was letting Millen in on a few secrets of the Packers play book.  Favre denies it, but even if it were true, it didn't matter.  Packers HC McCarthy could've posted the play book on the scoreboard and the Lions still wouldn't know what to do.  You don't think so?  I live in Detroit, homeboy.  I see it every Sunday.  The mediocrity continues...

    Still, with all of this negative there was quite a bit of positive as well.  Ryan Grant finally had a great week, giving many owners a big sigh of relief.  The same with Steven Jackson, who had a HUUUUUGE day.  Keep it up, dude, and I'll keep starting you.  The Twin Titans, Tennessee RBs LenDale White and Chris Johnson, both put up great numbers yet again (see my Titans team spotlight blog from a few weeks ago for more on them).  Hang in there, people.  It's going to be OK.

    Surprise!  We gots game!

Matt Cassel, QB, NWE - 185 pass yards, 3 TDs, no INTs, no fumbles lost.  Now those are some Brady-esque numbers.  True, Denver's D is pretty pathetic, but still. This is a team that needed a big win, and boy, they got it, on Monday night in front of the whole nation.  This is getting more and more interesting given all of Tom Brady's continuing complications from his surgeries.  The Pats play the Rams this week.  While the Rams have been pretty good their last two games, they have been prone to giving up big points for the majority of the season so far.  That said, I think Cassel is a good start again next week if you don't have a better option.

Mewelde Moore, RB, PIT - I think that most people knew that Moore was capable of a big day, he just hadn't proven it yet.  His 3 TD day made for many a happy owner who took a chance on the former 3rd string back.  He will get the start again this week against the Giants, but he will be facing a stingy run D.  By week 9, starting RB Willie Parker may be back from injury, so this past week might prove to be the one big one for Moore.

Calvin Johnson, WR, DET - The future superstar caught a couple of big bombs from QB Dan Orlovsky, one for a TD, and came out as the top fantasy receiver for week 7 (according to ESPN.com fantasy).  Not bad for only catching two passes.  Johnson is a starter in any fantasy league, no matter how bad his team may be.

Chad Johnson, WR, CIN - Wow, this one truly was a surprise!  The Bengals receiver looked more like the Chad Johnson we all know, with 52 rec yards and a TD.  Not monster numbers by any means, but by far the best day Ocho Cinco has had so far this year.  I dog him just about every week, but I will let it slide this time.  Now let's see another decent performance this week against Houston, then maybe I'll lay off of him a bit.

Greg Olsen, TE, CHI - It seems the Bears have found a whole new groove with their passing game, and one of QB Kyle Orton's frequent targets has been the TE Olsen.  If you need a TE, check out the waivers and you just may get him.

Packers D/ST - Not much to say here, except that 2 TDs and 2 INTs is a nice day for any D/ST.

On the fringe - Buc's QB Jeff Garcia had a real nice day, but he had a good match-up, so be cautious with starting him.  Lions QB Dan Orlovsky also had a nice fantasy day, due to his desperate bombs to Calvin Johnson.  If he can avoid throwing a mess of interceptions, he just may have a few more good days.  As I mentioned earlier, Packer RB Ryan Grant has finally turned it on, as well as Rams RB Steven Jackson.  Keep runnin', fellas.  Also, I think it's safe to say that Vikings WR Bernard Berrian has officially made himself a viable option as a starting WR.

And now, to the other end of the spectrum...

       We feel shame...

Brett Favre, QB, NYJ - The 2 INTs he threw are pretty much on par for Favre.  But no TDs and 3 fumbles added to that is hardly what we expect from the future HOFer. No worries, Brett.  You play the Chiefs this week.  Redemption time, old man.

Peyton Manning, QB, IND - So, you're bummed out that your starting QB threw 2 INTs and no TD passes last week?  That's OK.  Cheer up, buddy.  There's always next week. Oh, wait.  Your next game is against the Titans on Monday night? Man...I'm bummed for you, too.

LaDanian Tomlinson, RB, SD - Another downer day for the mega-star.  No TDs and not much yardage.  On the bright side, LT is heading to London this week to play the Saints on the other side of the Atlantic.  A player like LT really shows his star power when in front of the big crowd.  Expect a big day, as long as conditions are right at Wembley.

Ronnie Brown, RB, MIA - We've come to expect a lot from Brown this season, but it just wasn't happening in week 7.  In his defense, it was against the Ravens, a defense that eats little RBs alive.

Greg Jennings, WR, GB - The usually reliable WR just didn't have it going last week, catching only 3 passes for 32 yards.  He has a bye this week, followed by the Titans.  It may be advisable to keep him sat for that one, too.

Terrell Owens, WR, DAL - Only 2 receptions?  Call it Brad Johnson's fault, call it bad play-calling, call it whatever, just don't call it T.O.'s fault.  They only threw him the ball 7 times, after all.  T.O. can't do it by himself (for those of you are, well, a bit slow, yes, it is sarcasm).

Reggie Wayne, WR, IND - Targeted 9 times, but only 2 receptions for 24 yards.  Wayne is obviously talented.  Just call it a rough day.  Unfortunately, the game this week against the Titans may not be much better.

Vikings D/ST - True, it was a slugfest against the Bears, but some INTS or Fumbles recovered would have made up for that.  After all, the Bears D/ST had a great fantasy day, even with all of those points allowed, because they got the turnovers.  The Vikings are better than this.

Dishonorable Mentions - Saints QB Drew Brees had a rough week, but I wouldn't expect that to continue.  The same goes for Niners RB Frank Gore and Broncos WR Brandon Marshall.  Also, the Colts D/ST went from the top to terrible in a week's time.  They seem to be a risky play for your D/ST slot.

     Good luck in week 8!  I'll catch ya on the flip