I played out an elimination tournament to decide how to lead this column today. Shots at Tebow’s play and the continued sleepwalking by Chris Johnson were too easy.
I’ll go down a different path and shake my proverbial stick for the NFL at large.
The Saints obliterated the Colts in Week 7, and fantasy owners anticipated another monster performance in St. Louis. There were let down. It’s not their fault. Everyone anticipated much the same, only the power of Tony LaRussa’s “Sam Bradford” jersey and workhorse tailback Steven Jackson would not lie down.
New Orleans played terribly on Sunday against the Rams, so I cut back with a huge jump-step to wag my finger at the Saints. The offensive line was awful, but I can’t quantify their miserable play in fantasyland, so ….
• Drew Brees could not recreate the magic of Week 7, as he was under duress all day. He could not get comfortable in the pocket and the ground game failed in a huge spot. Brees passed for 269 yards with one touchdown, two interceptions and absorbed six sacks. Seriously, Long, Quinn and Laurinaitis were in the backfield all day long and disrupted timing on every pass route.
• Marques Colston was shut out early and salvaged an otherwise terrible day with three receptions for 50 yards.
• Jimmy Graham’s reign of terror on opposing defenses stalled for a day. Graham was limited to four receptions for 39 yards on eight targets.
• Darren Sproles was a top option in a rough week for running backs. Sproles produced 76 total yards on 12 touches (16 rushing yards). His lone value came in PPR leagues, where he delivered six receptions and 60 receiving yards.
We know that Tim Tebow is far from a finished product. We just didn’t believe (or, at least I didn’t) that the Lions would make him look so woefully unprepared in Sunday’s blowout in Denver. Tebow passed for 172 yards (18-for-39) with one touchdown, one interception and seven sacks. Yes, he added 63 rushing yards to offset his turnovers (he also lost a fumble), but that was an absolutely deplorable and gut-wrenching game to watch. I texted my friends in Denver to ask how quickly the calls for “Brady Quinn” would come (I had my audio coming from another monitor). Quick replies came to tell me simply that that phenomenon had “already happened.”
It’s a final. Chris Johnson played in a huge spot against a terrible Indianapolis run defense. Johnson amassed 34 yards on 14 carries, adding three receptions for 17 yards. He’ll split carries with Javon Ringer going forward. Ringer posted 102 total yards on 19 touches against the Colts.
Brandon Marshall caught four of just six targets for 55 yards in Sunday’s loss to Miami. He’s scored a single touchdown this season and has finished four of his past five games with 61 receiving yards or fewer.
Mike Thomas caught three passes for 24 yards. You weren’t starting him anyway.
Joe Flacco passed for 336 yards in comeback mode against the Cardinals, completing 31 of his 51 attempts. He absorbed three sacks, tossed an interception and lost a fumble while rushing for 15 yards. Flacco has accounted for two touchdowns (one passing) with seven turnovers in his past four starts.
The Panthers’ running game sputtered once again. Jonathan Stewart carried the ball 13 times for 49 yards, adding two receptions for 10 yards. Backfield mate DeAngelo Williams generated 39 total yards on nine touches (seven carries for 26 yards).
Michael Jenkins was the hot pickup in Week 8 heading into a matchup against Carolina. His 72-yard reception against the Packers was replayed time and again this week. Alas, Jenkins finished Sunday’s win over Carolina with two receptions for 30 yards. He was targeted only twice.
Visanthe Shiancoe was targeted four times in Minnesota’s road win in Carolina, producing three receptions for 37 yards. Shiancoe has caught 12 passes for 127 yards in the past three games with a touchdown.
I’ll say it simply. Throw a dart at a spinning board with pictures of all Indianapolis offensive players (the photos of Dallas Clark and Donald Brown are smaller).
Where did he go? Nate Burleson started the season well, but has been virtually invisible for six consecutive games (he did score in Week 6). Burleson caught four passes for 23 yards against the Broncos on Sunday, his second-highest receiving total in this six-game skid.
Brandon Pettigrew was limited to three receptions for eight yards. He was targeted four times in the beat down of the Lions. Pettigrew has produced four games with 42 or fewer receiving yards in eight starts (four in a row).
John Beck was a waiver wire darling for Week 8 with a seemingly strong matchup on tap against the Bills. Alas, Beck led the first Mike Shanahan offense to be shut out during his tenure as a head coach. He completed 20-of-33 attempts for 208 yards with two interceptions. Of course, there was a revolving door installed instead of an offensive line for this special trip to Toronto. Beck was sacked nine times.
Jabar Gaffney caught four passes for 40 yards as the top receiver for Beck in Santana Moss’ absence. Fred Davis is the lone man on the receiving island going forward.
The fantasy community was “Shanahan’d” once again. Tim Hightower was lost for the season, seemingly indicating that Ryan Torain was set to dominate Sunday’s action against the Bills. Torain ran for 14 yards on eight carries in the shutout loss to Buffalo. What else can I say? It’s time to take a long, hard look at Roy Helu (three receptions for 20 yards).
Stevie Johnson remains a fantasy favorite, but his production has dipped markedly in the past four weeks. Johnson recorded six receptions for 57 yards in the shutout win over the Redskins on Sunday (nine targets). Alas, the red zone love was saved for tight end Scott Chandler. In his past four starts, Johnson has averaged 4.75 receptions, 45.75 receiving yards with a single touchdown. He draws Darrelle Revis next week.
Greg Little’s ascent to the starting lineup in Cleveland was met with great optimism by fantasy owners. Alas, that enthusiasm was short-lived, as the downfield passing game has been invisible the past two weeks. Little caught four passes for 28 yards on 11 targets in Sunday’s loss to San Francisco. He registered five receptions for 31 yards in Week 7 against Seattle. He’s little more than a deep PPR option at present (four or more receptions in four consecutive games).
The Pittsburgh defensive front had been a shell of itself through seven games. On the eighth day, the Steelers rose up to vanquish BenJarvus Green-Ellis on the ground. Green-Ellis was limited to nine yards on five carries in the Patriots’ tepid performance against the Steelers on the road.
You received a decent effort in PPR leagues from Wes Welker with his six receptions against Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, Welker finished Sunday’s loss with just 39 receiving yards, his second straight performance with fewer than 50 receiving yards. Despite the statistical downturn, Welker still ranks second in the NFL with 824 receiving yards (Steve Smith is first with 918 receiving yards).
Tony Romo’s final stat line wasn’t Flop-worthy, and there wasn’t much he could do from the sidelines. The Twitter tag for Rob Ryan’s defense is simply - #EpicFail.
• Jason Witten caught four passes for 28 yards and saw his three-game scoring streak fall to the wayside. Witten was targeted 12 times in the blowout loss. He’s caught four or more passes in every game this season, though Witten has finished four of the past five games with 60 or fewer receiving yards.
• Dez Bryant was targeted five times and finished Sunday’s loss with three receptions for 28 yards. Bryant had been shut out through three quarters, so at least he hung a crooked number on the board.
• Miles Austin caught all three of his targets for 27 yards. In three games since returning from injury, Austin has been limited to 12 receptions for 117 yards, hardly worthy of his WR1 designation.
The Eagles returned from the Bye week with a vengeance in the Sunday night contest against the Cowboys. Philadelphia ran wild against the former No. 1 run defense, thereby relegating DeSean Jackson to a small role downfield. Jackson was targeted just five times in the 34-7 victory, producing three receptions for 31 yards. His biggest contribution was being the intended target in the oft-reviewed awful call on a forward pass that was ruled to have gone backwards.
Brandon Jacobs returned to action for the Giants in Week 8. Owners seeking run support amidst a sea of mediocrity turned in his direction for a Flex play against the woeful Dolphins. Unfortunately, the Fins gave the Giants fits and Jacobs played a minimal role, producing four carries for 10 yards. He caught one pass for no gain.
Fowler: Week 8 Studs and Duds | The Fantasy Pedestal: Week 8
