Fantasy owners welcomed Matthew Stafford back to the lineup against the 31st-ranked Washington pass defense.
Stafford completed 26-of-45 yards for 212 yards with one sack, four touchdowns and an interception. He was undeterred by the early interception by DeAngelo Hall in the end zone and continued to target Calvin Johnson early and often.
Johnson finished the game with nine receptions for 101 yards and three touchdowns. He has scored in four consecutive games while catching four or more passes in every game this season (38 receptions already).
Vince Young re-injured his ankle in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Chargers. Young did a fine job against the top-ranked San Diego pass defense before departing the game. He completed 10-of-21 attempts for 253 yards with two touchdowns. Young has not turned the ball over since Week 2.
Chris Johnson didn’t dominate Sunday against the Chargers, but he found the end zone. Johnson carried the ball 15 times for 59 yards, adding a season-high five receptions for 24 yards. He’s topped 100 yards four times this season, but has been limited to 66 or fewer receiving yards in four other contests.
Following three consecutive one-reception efforts, Nate Washington emerged as a deep ball threat on Sunday against San Diego. He made the big play in the fourth quarter to close the gap on the Chargers, a 71-yard touchdown reception from Vince Young. Washington finished the game with four receptions for 117 yards.
Both members of the San Diego running back tandem found the end zone against the stout Tennessee front. Ryan Mathews carried the ball 15 times for 43 yards (three receptions for 11 yards). Goal-line beast Mike Tolbert amassed 90 total yards (63 rushing).
San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers took to the field without most of his top options, but he still found his spots against the Tennessee pass defense in a huge win. Rivers completed 27-of-36 attempts for 305 yards with two touchdowns, one sack and one interception. He’s thrown multiple touchdown passes in six of eight games this season and has yet to be shut out (15 touchdowns).
Antonio Gates posted his third 100-yard game of the season and scored for the ninth time this season. Gates caught five passes for 123 yards, his seventh effort of at least four receptions. He enters the Week 9 contest against the struggling Houston pass defense having scored in seven of eight contests (82.9 yards per game).
Tampa Bay has found its new running back. LeGarrette Blount did his best Superman impression on his 48-yard run late against the Cardinals. Blount built on a strong Week 7 effort (72 yards) with 120 yards on 22 carries with two touchdowns and a lost fumble.
Mike Williams of the Buccaneers continued his tremendous rookie campaign. Williams caught four passes for 105 yards and scored for the fourth time this season in the bizarre shootout against Arizona. He has caught four or more passes in six of seven games (67.1 yards per game).
Fantasy owners were getting antsy, but Larry Fitzgerald calmed the rising, if only for a week. Fitzgerald caught six passes for 72 yards against the Buccaneers, including two touchdowns. He hadn’t scored since Week 3 and has yet to eclipse 100 receiving yards in a game this season. However, Fitzgerald has caught six or more passes in four of his past six games.
Steve Breaston returned to action following a three-game absence to establish a deep option for the Cardinals. He caught eight passes for 147 yards, his second 100-yard game of the season.
Jamaal Charles earned his first 100-game of the season in an obvious spot against the Bills. Charles rumbled for 177 yards on 22 carries, including a 32-yard sprint. He added 61 receiving yards on four receptions.
Steve Johnson didn’t post a huge game against Kansas City, but he did score for the fifth straight game. Johnson has caught three or more passes in every game this season (58.4 yards per game).
Similarly, we didn’t see a yardage barrage out of Kansas City receiver Dwayne Bowe, but he found the end zone for the fifth time in the past three weeks. Bowe caught three passes for 16 yards in the narrow win.
Sam Bradford completed 25-of-32 attempts for 191 yards with two touchdowns. It was Bradford’s fourth multi-touchdown game of the season. He’s not racking up big yardage totals, having passed for fewer than 200 yards in four of eight games. The rookie out of Oklahoma has been shut out only once this season. More importantly, Bradford posted his second game without a turnover in the past three weeks.
Rookie Brandon LaFell caught a touchdown pass from Matt Moore in the 20-10 loss to St. Louis. He was one of few bright spots for the Carolina offense in Week 8 with four receptions and 40 yards. LaFell has amassed 10 receptions and 131 receiving yards in the past two weeks.
San Francisco turned to running back Frank Gore early and often on a wet field in London. Gore carried the ball 29 times for 118 yards and a touchdown. Gore has produced three consecutive 100-yard games and scored for the first time since Week 2.
Denver receiver Brandon Lloyd broke out of a mini-funk with a huge seven-reception, 169-yard effort against the 49ers. Lloyd scored for the fourth time this season while posting his fifth 100-yard game.
Troy Smith took the reins for the 49ers and led the team to a much-needed win ahead of the Week 9 bye. Smith threw a touchdown pass to second-year receiver Michael Crabtree, his third touchdown reception in the past four weeks (three receptions for 53 yards). Crabtree has caught three or more passes in six consecutive games.
Cincinnati absorbed another loss, but Carson Palmer turned in another strong fantasy performance against the Dolphins. OK, so Palmer was the beneficiary of a botched interception attempt that turned into a touchdown toss to Terrell Owens (that’s a 10-point swing for those scoring at home). Palmer completed 17-of-38 attempts for 156 yards with two touchdowns, an interception and 13 rushing yards. He’s thrown multiple touchdown passes in four consecutive games.
Ricky Williams was the subject of many lineup questions on Sunday. He rewarded gutsy fantasy owners who plugged him into their lineups with 47 rushing yards and a touchdown. Williams’ touchdown run was his first of the season. He’s averaging 47.9 rushing yards per game.
One of the more eye-popping stat lines of the day was turned in by Jacksonville quarterback David Garrard against the Cowboys. Garrard completed 17-of-21 attempts for 260 yards with four touchdowns, one lost fumble and three sacks. He added a touchdown run.
Marcedes Lewis made the most of his two receptions against the Cowboys. Lewis caught two passes for 51 yards, both for touchdowns (including a 42-yard romp to the end zone).
Mike Sims-Walker posted his second 100-yard game of the season, an eight-reception, 153-yard effort against the Cowboys. Sims-Walker scored for the third time in his past four games (four this season). He’s averaging 3.6 receptions and 49 yards per game.
Mike Thomas caught four passes for 41 yards and a touchdown in the blowout win. He’s hardly dominant, but Thomas has been serviceable as a third receiver in PPR leagues. The second-year receiver from Arizona has caught four or more passes in six of eight games this season (48.4 yards per game).
Maurice Jones-Drew didn’t score against the Cowboys, but posted a strong game nonetheless. Jones-Drew carried the ball 27 times for 135 yards, his second 100-yard game of the season. He added two receptions for 13 yards. I know. Fantasy owners aren’t overly thrilled by the yardage total.
Fantasy owners were nervous about the potential output from Miles Austin with Jon Kitna under center. Austin didn’t score, but he did finish the blowout loss to Jacksonville with seven receptions and 117 yards. He’s posted four 100-yard games this season with two touchdowns.
As expected, Jason Witten took on a huge role in this contest. Granted, the final result wasn’t exactly what anybody anticipated. Witten caught 10 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown. Since the Week 4 bye, Witten has averaged 6.8 receptions and 82 receiving yards. He’s also scored in three of his past four games.
Kellen Winslow was targeted only twice against the Cardinals. You’d figure that he’d be a factor in such a high-scoring affair, but that wasn’t the case. Winslow finished Sunday’s game with one reception for five yards. He’d caught three or more passes in each of the first seven games this season.
The Minnesota offense and coaching/administrative decision-marking continue to baffle fans, fantasy owners in pundits on a weekly basis. The Vikings went to the “ground-and-pound” early on with Adrian Peterson, but didn’t continue down that road. Peterson finished the game with 25 carries for 92 yards and a touchdown, his third straight game with an end zone plunge.
The Patriots waved to their former receiver, Randy Moss, by getting his replacement involved. Brandon Tate posted his best receiving game of the season, a three-reception, 101-yard effort that included a 65-yard touchdown grab. Tate was targeted four times in the game. He’s not a reliable option yet, but we’ll be watching closely.
New England turned to the running game early and often against the Vikings. BenJarvus Green-Ellis was the star of the day, amassing 112 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries (one reception for 11 yards). Green-Ellis extended his scoring streak to five games (six touchdowns). It was his first 100-yard game of the season (98 in Week 3 against Buffalo).
Danny Woodhead earned a double-digit touch count for the third straight week. Woodhead amassed 58 total yards on 11 touches (five receptions for 45 yards) with a touchdown. He’s scored in three of the past five weeks.
Jason Campbell posted his second straight strong effort for the Raiders. Campbell completed 15-of-27 attempts for 310 yards and two touchdowns in the blowout win over Seattle. He’s passed for 514 yards with four touchdowns and zero turnovers in the past two weeks.
Darrius Heyward-Bey posted his best game of the season, the second blip on the season-long radar, a five-reception, 105-yard performance that included his first touchdown reception. Heyward-Bey added a 30-yard run.
Darren McFadden continued his brilliant breakthrough campaign with another 100-yard performance (111 rushing yards). He added two receptions for 24 yards. McFadden has gained at least 122 total yards in each game that he’s completed this season.
Michael Bush earned 10 touches in the Raiders’ second consecutive blowout victory. Bush carried the ball nine times for 51 yards with his fourth touchdown in his past five games. He added a single reception for 55 yards.
Drew Brees posted an efficient game against the Steelers and boosted his final stat line when he took advantage of a Pittsburgh turnover to throw his second touchdown pass of the game. Brees completed 34-of-44 attempts for 305 yards with two sacks, two touchdowns and two turnovers (one interception and one lost fumble). Brees has thrown multiple touchdown passes in six of his past seven games.
Marques Colston scored for the second consecutive game while amassing six receptions for 75 yards against the Steelers. He’d been a solid PPR option through the first six weeks, but Colston has raised his game in the past two weeks (16 receptions for 187 yards).
Lance Moore caught a season-high seven passes against the Steelers for 54 yards and a touchdown, his fifth of the season. Moore has recorded more than 60 receiving yards only once this season, but he has recorded five or more receptions in four of his past six games.
Rashard Mendenhall didn’t post a huge game against the Saints, but I’m trying to find something positive from the nightcap. His 71 rushing yards on 15 carries, including a 38-yard touchdown sprint will have to do. Mendenhall also added two receptions for 14 yards. It was a nice rebound from a dismal Week 6 effort against the Dolphins. Mendenhall has scored in five of the Steelers’ seven games (six total) while averaging 86.1 yards per game.
