Week 6 is just about wrapped up and we’ve seen some stellar performances from most of the league’s top backs…so at least we got some action before this boring MNF matchup. I sure hope Brandon Marshall comes through on his promise to get booted by halftime so the game has some entertainment value besides the QB battle of Moore vs. Sanchez. Yuck. Here are some news and notes from Sunday:
Cam Newton– It’s been said before, but the guy is immune to bad fantasy days. 237 passing yards, no touchies and 3 picks? No worries, Cam’s legs save the day with 50 yards on the ground and a 14 yard rushing TD that looked effortless. Keep playing him. Keep loving him.
Michael Turner– The burner kept pounding the rock, with 139 yards and 2 goal line scores. Turner now has 6 touchdowns, and as long as he keeps finding the zone, he’ll rack up the points. It will be interesting to see how he holds up down the stretch.
Fred Jackson– The man kept doing his thing today with 168 total yards and an 80 yard touchdown run. If you drafted this guy, your team is kicking ass. It’s as simple as that. He’s the best right now and doesn’t show signs of slowing up anytime soon.
Mark Ingram– The rook has now scored in 3 of his last 4 games, to offset his low yardage totals. I would love to see what this guy could do with more carries, but at least the touchdowns are starting to roll in. I feel pretty good about his chances at making it 4 of 5 games with a score in week 7 vs. Indianapolis.
Jimmy Graham– Jimbo G continued his tear as the best tight end in the fantasy world, with 7 rec. for 124 yards, giving him 4 straight games over 100 yards receiving. This guy is unstoppable and I’m ready for him to rack up another big effort next week as he mashes on the Colts. STUD.
Devin Hester– Hester caught a 48 yard bomb to start the Sunday Night game this week and followed that up with a kickoff return for a score in the 3rd quarter. Hester’s receiving contributions can’t be counted on, but if you get any kind of bump for return yardage, you obviously are on board. The dude is awesome and turbo fast but I wouldn’t play him in average formats unless I was desperate.
Felix Jones – Now that the Cowboys have had their bye week, Felix thought it would be cool to injure a new body part. He left today’s game in the 2nd quarter with what is rumored to be a high ankle sprain, and did not return. DeMarco Murray is the man to add, as Jones could be out for multiple weeks.
Brandon Pettigrew– Big Brandon tied for the league lead in TE targets today (with the next guy) with 14, and was easily the Lion’s most targeted weapon. Pettigrew could have had an even better day, as he had another TD knocked away and slipped on another that would have been completed. Stafford trusts him, so you should trust him.
Aaron Hernandez– 8 grabs for 68 yards and the game winning score today for Hernandez. Both NE tight ends are kicking some serious tail right now, but Hernandez ended up with the better day and had a whopping 14 targets. His knee issues seem to be behind him, so go ahead and enjoy.
Peyton Hillis– Head Coach Pat Shurmur came out and said Hillis will “get the bulk of the carries” this week at Oakland. That made you confident to start him, right? Good, me too. Then our pal Peyton rewarded us by tweaking his hammy early in the game and finishing with 6 carries for a saucy 14 yards. Hillis is scheduled to have an MRI Monday so stay tuned, and grab Montario Hardesty in the mean time.
Rashard Mendenhall– In the opposite of Hillis’ situation, Pittsburrgh’s O-coordinator claimed that they didn’t want to “overload” Mendenhall this week. Naturally, Mendy came out and led all RB’s 146 rushing yards and even scored a touchie. Looks like he’s back.
Aaron Rodgers– If you drafted Rodgers, stop reading, stand up, and do the “title belt” touchdown celebration. This dude is awesome and did what he was born to do… lead all QB’s in fantasy scoring. 310 yds passing with 3 TDs, and it felt like he could’ve kept smashing on the Rams if he felt the need. Next up is Minnesota to feel the wrath of Rodgers in week 7.
Jason Campbell– Campbell was having a moderate year in Oakland and seemed to be developing some confidence in the young Raider receiving crew, but after busting up his collarbone today, Campbell is shelved for the season. This leaves Kyle Boller as the Raider’s QB, with perhaps a David Garrard tryout in the near future. Keep an eye on what develops, Garrard could be an add in 2 QB leagues.
Rex Grossman– There is the Rex we’ve been waiting for! After staying afloat through 5 weeks, Grossman came out and proved us all right and was handing out picks like Halloween candy. Seriously, even a 4 year old dressed like Buzz Lightyear could’ve snared an INT in this one. Grossman was eventually benched after his fourth interception, to go along with a 9 for 22 passing effort. John Beck took over, so keep him in your sights in super-mega-deep or 2 QB leagues.
Jordy Nelson– Jordy hooked up with Aaron Rodgers (not that way) on a 93 yard touchdown today, but ended up with only 2 catches for 104 yards. This is how things usually roll for Jordy, and the rest of the GB receivers not named Greg. Nelson had 91 yds (with a 50 yd TD) in week 4, then followed it up with a mere 17 yards in week 5. It’s a roller coaster so wear your lucky undies when you start him.
Earnest Graham– He’s old, but Graham showed today that he is far from crusty. While turning 17 carries into 109 yards, Ernie proved that he’s still got the spring to make him a solid start while Blount is out. He also added a couple catches for some extra PPR mojo. Blount will be out week 7, so leave him in your lineup.
Frank Gore– After a crap filled start to the season, Gore has been a monster the past 3 weeks, averaging nearly 8 yards a carry and 131 yards rushing per game. San Francisco hits their bye in week 7, so Gore should be ready to roll come week 8 vs. Cleveland. Feel free to follow him to victory, just be careful shaking his coach’s hand.
Greg Little– Little was moved into the starting lineup for Cleveland and had a solid day, with 6 catches for 72 yards on a team high 12 targets. Little should continue to get lots of work in this offense, as long as McCoy can get him the rock. Little will be a nice play at WR the rest of the way and a gem for those who swiped him in dynasty leagues.
Michael Crabtree– Crabby came through with 9 grabs with for 77 yards on a league leading 15 targets. He nearly added a touchdown as well, but “pogo sticked” on one leg twice before falling out of bounds (in NFL land, one foot twice doesn’t equal two feet, apparently). If someone in your league got impatient and dumped this guy, get on the prowl.
Josh Freeman– Things are finally back in order for Tampa Bay, for the time being. Freeman looked like his old self today, zinging the ball around for 303 yards and 2 touchdowns. Coming off the clunker of all clunkers in week 5, this was a very nice sight to see. If you drafted Freeman, you’ve found a better option by now, but he still has a chance to return to starter status if he keeps this up.
Christian Ponder– Ponder got some extensive playing time on Sunday night, replacing McNabb. This has no real bearing on standard leagues, as McNabb was crappy and Ponder most likely will continue in the same fashion, but is worth checking out for you dynasty dudes and dudettes.
Jerome Simpson– Maggie’s big bro Jerome reeled in 6 catches for 101 yards today as the Bengals dropped Indy. Simpson hasn’t done anything since week 2, but could perhaps be a moderate bye week fill in facing Seattle’s suspect secondary in week 8 after the Bengals bye week.
Anquan Boldin– Boldin turned 9 targets into 8 catches and 132 yards today, following up a 1 catch performance he turned in before the Baltimore bye. This was Boldin’s first effort of more than 74 yards this season and he hasn’t touched the endzone since week 1. As unpredictable as he is, Boldin is still the best target in the Raven passing game so hopefully he will turn in more games like this down the stretch.
Ahmad Bradshaw– If you started this guy in FanDuel this week, enjoy your cash. Bradshaw bowled over Buffalo for 104 yards and 3 touchdowns today, and took advantage of the absence of Brandon Jacobs. Once Jacobs returns, Bradshaw won’t be getting the goal line work that he did today, but will still be valuable as a nice RB2 with an extra bump in PPR.
