Week 9 was an eye opener just like every week of the season. Nothing ever goes as you plan. I’m looking at you Darrius, Willis, Timmy, Beanie, Miles, Reggie and the whole Peanuts gang. But we move on and hope we make the correct choices from here on out! Or at least more correct than those other dudes and ladies in our leagues. Here’s a look at some of the news from Sunday.
Aaron Rodgers: There really are no words for how good he is. Well, there are, but they’re kind of boring. I’ll give you his stats and we’ll just warm ourselves in their glow. 21/26 for 247 yards and 4 touchdowns. Oh, and 8 rushing attempts for 52 yards.
Roy Helu: Helu got the start this week and caught a whopping 14 receptions on 17 targets. That’s a goodly amount to be sure. He ended up with 105 receiving yards and 41 rushing yards and a lost fumble. The Redskins offense is painful, but I’m crossing my fingers that Helu has won the job. Shanahan says that Torain will just come in to spell Helu. I’d drop Torain. Tashard Choice was too hurt to play in this game and still has to learn the offense so I’m not going to worry about him just yet.
DeMarco Murray: The Seahawks rush defense has been very stout this season, but they had yet to meet the juggernaut known as DeMarco Murray. He lit them up for 186 total yards, 139 on the ground. It will be almost impossible for Felix Jones to win back much of a position. Last week it looked like it would be a committee when Felix came back but now I’m thinking Jones will be the third down back at best.
Frank Gore: He topped 100 yards rushing for the 5th straight game. I hear that’s not the easiest thing to do. As long as the 49ers continue to play tough defense, which I think they will, Gore should continue to have opportunities to run. This team is as old school as it gets.
Tim Tebow: Yep, I was wrong about him this week. I was worried he might get yanked mid-game, but of course he runs for 126 yards and throws 2 touchdowns. As long as he’s got some job security he’s a worthy fantasy start most weeks. But the true MVP of that game is just below here.
Willis McGahee: 20 rushes for 163 yards and 2 touchdowns when it wasn’t even certain he would play? Isn’t that always the way? McGahee was running with a purpose and the Raiders were trying to kill Tim Tebow instead of playing with any kind of discipline whatsoever. I’d sell high on Willy if possible, but he will continue to get opportunities so don’t give him away.
Miles Austin: After a nice reception he pulled up lame with that same old hammy. That thing is starting to piss me off. With hamstrings it’s hard to have a real timetable for a return, but I sure wouldn’t expect him back next week. Laurent Robinson will be worth a pickup if he’s out there.
Jordy Nelson: He’s Rodgers go to guy when he wants to stretch the field and that showed this week once again with 5 receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown. He’s the #2 receiver in Green Bay and when you almost never run the ball that’s a good place to be.
Julio Jones: Thank you Mr. Jones. He finally got off the touchdown snide and in a big way with 50 and 80 yard touchdowns. The Colts are just painfully poor in pass defense and with Turner and White around Jones isn’t going to go off every week, but he’s impressive and will continue to put up good numbers.
Carson Palmer: He hurt his real team by throwing 3 interceptions but helped his fake teams by throwing for 332 yards and 3 TDs. He made some horrid throws and some amazing throws. Does that sound familiar Cincinnati? He has a lot of weapons around him and I think he’s very much worth picking up as a backup.
Jacoby Ford: Darrius Heyward-Bey was relegated to one target all game while Jacoby Ford took his place and had 105 yards and a touchdown. the reason for this demotion is unclear and what will happen next week is also unclear. Denarius Moore was also targeted a ton, 12 times to be exact, and that clouds the situation even more. I’ll be searching for some clarity this week.
Brandon Marshall: It was good to see Marshall get into the end zone! I was high on him this preseason and for the most part he has done well, but just like last season is having trouble getting into the end zone. He’s on pace for over 1,200 yards and 90 receptions and hopefully can find a few more touchdowns out there in the wilds of Miami.
Marshawn Lynch: I’ve been pretty hard on Marshawn (kind of like how his face is on me when I’m subjected to it) but the dude has stepped up of late. He’s been inconsistent and sometimes downright awful but he’s also had some nice games including this one in Dallas against what was supposed to be a good run defense. He rushed for 135 yards and a touchdown which I didn’t believe he was capable of doing. I was wrong.
Ben Tate: Damn, this dude can run. If only that scrub Arian Foster would get lost! They both ran for over 100 yards and a had a touchdown. Can’t say I love that Tate is getting so much work, but he just continues to do well when he is called upon and is worth owning.
Reggie Bush: Like Lynch I’ve also been drinking whatever kind of Gatorade they sell to people who don’t like Reggie Bush. But I’m going to continue to drink it because he has just not shown the ability to be Dr. Deman. But until Daniel Thomas can stop sucking he’ll be the guy to start in that backfield.
Vincent Jackson: Jackson went touchdown crazy against the Packers with 3 to go along with his 141 yards receiving. He led all players today with 32 points in standard scoring and wide receivers just don’t do that very often. No more buying low sadly.
Vincent Brown: The other Vincent on the team also had a decent game with 4 receptions for 79 yards. This was a shootout with Rivers throwing 46 times so don’t expect those numbers every week, but he did play ahead of Patrick Crayton and if Floyd can’t stay on the field he may have some value.
A.J. Green: Green’s touchdown streak ended at three games but the dude is just a bad ass and Andy Dalton continues to get him the ball. I suggested on Twitter the other day that I would trade AJ straight up for Vincent Jackson if there were any takers and I still agree with that, but only because VJax is in an elite offense. A.J. Green is an elite receiver in a balanced offense with a good defense which means he’s not gong to get 10 targets very often. Green is going to continue to put up good numbers and even though he has a tough schedule coming up he has the ability to beat just about any corner one on one.
Greg Salas: Gotta love Salas! Danny Amendola who? 7 receptions for 59 yards and . . . he breaks his friggin fibula. Austin Pettis relieved him and had 4 receptions. He’s next in line for some PPR love.
Chris Johnson: He started off the game with a couple 20+ yard plays and ended up with 110 total yards. I can’t say I was overly impressed. He still seems hesitant at times and doesn’t have that burst we were used to but he did make people miss and he remains the lead back and that’s worthwhile. And this game was a step in the right direction.
