SUNDAY RECAP: AFC VARIETY


Corey Dillon/Laurence Maroney- After only four carries against Detroit on Sunday, Maroney left following a helmet to helmet. It clearly affected Maroney who could not return to the game. In his absence, the Patriots only gave Corey Dillon nine carries, but he did score 3 times on those 9 carries. Dillon will get an increased workload without Maroney, but don’t be fooled by his 3 TD today because that will probably not happen again. If Maroney is out next week, Dillon will get a tough matchup facing Miami.

Cedric Houston/Leon Washington- Getting a starter’s amount of carries, Cedric Houston performed terrifically while leading the Jets to victory, Houston finished with 22 carries for 105 yards and 2 TDs, while his backup Leon Washington also had a productive 7 carries for 40 yards and a TD. This performance has to be taken with a grain off salt considering the Jets were facing Green Bay and their horrendous rush defense. Next week should be another good performance for Houston against Buffalo, so if you need a RB for the playoffs, he’s a solid addition.

Sammy Morris/Travis Minor- Last week when Ronnie Brown went down, Sammy Morris did a terrific job filling in with 91 yards on 12 carries. This week Morris had the starting role, but rather than going against the weak Detroit defense, he was facing the stout Jags defense. This time Morris only had 47 yards on the ground. His backup Minor had 22 yards. The Miami running game is a situation to avoid until Brown returns.

Derek Anderson- Before Sunday if I mentioned Derek Anderson, you would probably assume I was talking about the University of Kentucky guard who played several years with the Portland Trailblazers. By now you know that the Derek Anderson I speak of is the 6’6” backup QB for the Cleveland Browns who took over for the injured Charlie Frye and led his team to a thrilling come from behind victory to upset the Chiefs. In the come back, Anderson threw for 2 TDs and had one spectacular run to get the Browns in field goal range for the win. Frye has a wrist injury and is questionable right now for the game against Pittsburgh. Since the game is on Thursday, Anderson is probably going to get the start. With the organization souring on Frye, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Anderson start the rest of the year. Either way, it wouldn’t be a good idea to start a Cleveland QB in your fantasy playoffs.

Ben Roethlisberger- It was a very typical day for Big Ben if it was last season, but we haven’t seen days like these too often for the Steelers in 2006. Roethlisberger threw the ball only 25 times as he led the Steelers to a very efficient 24-7 victory. Perhaps if the Steelers played like this all season, they would have a better chance of making the playoffs.

Joseph Addai/Dominic Rhodes- Coming off his huge breakout performance, Addai had a lackluster 56 yards on the ground. His backfield mate Dominic Rhodes managed only 39 rushing yards. The Tennessee defense is much improved, which is one of the reasons for the Colts ground game troubles. Both Indianapolis RBs should have another tough time next week against Jacksonville.

Marvin Harrison- Following his one catch performance the previous week, Harrison was visibly frustrated by the lack of passes going his way. Seeing his longtime teammate and friend behave this way caused Peyton Manning to look for him early and often against the Titans on Sunday. Harrison finished with his best day of the year totaling 7 catches for 172 yards and a TD. It’s clear that Reggie Wayne is the best WR right now in that offense, but Harrison should finish strong.

Matt Jones- It was a week that featured several career days, and Matt Jones was among those players who had them. He finished with 6 catches for 123 yards and a TD. He’s a tremendous big play threat due to his size and speed. While this year may be a lost cause for Matt Jones, he could emerge as the number one wideout for Jacksonville in 2007.

Wali Lundy/Ron Dayne/Samkon Gado- Let’s get the easy part out of the way first. Gado did not receive a carry, so feel free to drop him in all leagues. Dayne shouldered the load on Sunday and had 95 yards on 18 carries. Lundy still got in a decent amount of work as he finished with 33 yards and a TD on 9 carries. Following the game, Coach Kubiak said that Lundy would remain the starter, with Dayne and practice squad RB Chris Taylor getting some looks. The Texans running game is a situation to avoid at all costs.

Vince Young- If there’s one aspect of the game that Vince Young has down, it’s winning. In surely the biggest upset all season, Young led the Titans to a victory over the Colts on a last second 60 yard FG by Rob Bironas. Young finished 15 for 25 with 163 yards, 2 TDs and 2 INTs. He also rushed for a career high 78 yards. Young has shown that he is as capable a runner as he is a passer. If the Titans can surround him with more weapons next season, he should have a tremendous year.

LaDainian Tomlinson- The league’s MVP (he could sit out the rest of the year and win it) had another big day leading the Chargers to their win over the Bills. He rushed it 28 times for 178 yards and 2 TDs to bring himself only two shy of the single-season record. LT hasn’t had a bad game since week 7 when he played Kansas City. The schedule for the fantasy playoffs shows Denver, Kansas City, and Seattle. With those opponents he should just as well as he’s doing right now.

Trent Green- In his third game back from injury, Trent Green looked his best against the Browns. Green was able to complete 24 of his 32 passes for 297 yards and 4 TDs. It was the kind of game we’re used to see Green have when he’s on. Unfortunately for the Chiefs, his efforts proved fruitless as they blew a 28-14 4th quarter lead to some no name QB who wears a size 17 shoe. Green isn’t a great option the rest of the way because Kansas City faces four of the toughest defenses in football to close out the season.

Jay Cutler- It was a rocky debut for rookie Jay Cutler on Sunday night. Cutler looked like a rookie and nothing more as he finished 10 for 21 with 143 yards, 2 TDs, and 2 INTs. Cutler had a few classic Jake Plummer type “What are you thinking?” plays. The move of putting him is going to hurt the Broncos this year as they will probably miss the playoffs, but Cutler should be in a lot better shape for next season.

Tatum Bell/Mike Bell- Finally it looks as though there is a number one healthy RB in Denver. Tatum’s toe did not seem to be bothering him at all as he rushed for 133 yards on 23 carries. The other Bell (Mike that is) had only four carries for 12 yards. The Broncos face San Diego then Arizona, Cincinnati, and San Francisco so if Tatum is in deed the starter, he should do well. I’d say there’s about a 50/50 chance that everything just completely reverses next week, and I’m writing about Damien Nash.

-David Cassilo
Contact at asuhouse@aol.com

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