SUNDAY RECAP: AFC VARIETY

Tom Brady- In one of the biggest disappointments of the week in fantasy, Tom Brady was held to only 78 yards passing while also losing a fumble. He was swarmed by the Miami defense all day long thus having almost no time to throw. Unless the rest of your team stepped up, Brady may have cost you your fantasy season. However, any Brady survivors should benefit from a game against Houston in week 15.

Cedric Houston/Leon Washington- Coming of his big performance a week ago, Houston looked to show some consistency against the weak Bills rush defense. Buffalo did a nice job on him all day long as they held Houston to 18 carries for only 50 yards. Washington, who helps him carry the load, was far more productive with 7 carries for 55 yards. Despite having a better game, it’s likely that Washington will remain second on the depth chart for the rest of the season.

Willis McGahee- It was an eventful day to say the least for Willis McGahee. First there was the speculation all week that he may not play. Then after busting a TD run, McGahee was seen vomiting on the sidelines. He appeared to have a bit of a stomach virus, which came from perhaps a trip to Taco Bell while he was in the New Jersey area. After sitting out a quarter and a half of the game, McGahee finished strong and sealed the win for Buffalo. His final numbers were 16 carries for 125 yards and a TD. Next week Big Willis will take on a much tougher Miami defense.

JP Losman- He’s still not a fantasy option, but with his recent productive play, he has tricked the Bills into letting him start next year. It was another solid game for JP as he led the Bills to victory while going 10 for 15 for 157 yards and a TD. Losman has been very accurate all season as shown by his completion percentage that is around 65%. He also has established a strong chemistry with WR Lee Evans. If he can finish the rest of the season without taking a step back, he may be poised for a very solid 2007.

Sammy Morris- Following Losman I’ll keep the theme of generally irrelevant fantasy players with a few words on Sammy Morris. Filling in for Ronnie Brown, Morris had one of the best games of his career with 25 catches for 123 yards and a TD. His production on the ground was one of the main reasons why the Dolphins were able to pull off the upset. The good times figure to come to an end for Morris, as Brown is projected back for their game against the Bills next Sunday.

Steve McNair- The Ravens are the most boring offense on a good team since, well, the Ravens that won the Super Bowl. They typically just do enough to win games. McNair gets the mention here because he completed 21 of 27 passes for 283 yards and a TD. He’s had a very solid season taking over for Kyle Boller as the team’s new number one QB. With Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Buffalo the rest of the way, McNair will have one of the more favorable schedules for a QB the rest of the way.

Rudi Johnson- Mr. Consistency is amassing numbers that are almost identical to his past two seasons. The Bengals pounded the rock for most of the game as Johnson finished with 30 carries for 119 yards and 2 TDs. The only blemish on his day was one lost fumble. Next week Johnson looks poised for big numbers as he goes up against an Indy rush defense that was torn apart by Jacksonville this week.

Peyton Manning- Not much to say positively about the performance by the Colts on Sunday. Peyton had one of his worse days of the year as he completed only half his passes. Part of the problem was that his receivers had a case of the drops. Peyton gave his owners some decent numbers as he finished strong to total 313 yards in the air, but his INT and only 1 TD may leave some of his owners with a lot more free time next Sunday.

Joseph Addai/Dominic Rhodes- The Colts running game was basically non-existent as they fell behind early against the stout Jaguars defense. The young stud Addai had only 22 yards on 11 carries. His counterpart Rhodes had the better day stats wise due to the TD he scored to go along with his 11 yards. Both RBs should bounce back next Monday night against the Bengals.

Fred Taylor- The relentless rushing attack of the Jacksonville Jaguars buried the Colts on Sunday. Starting RB Fred Taylor had one of the most impressive rushing performances of the year as he gained 131 yards and a TD on just 9 carries in one half. The reason he played one half is the troubling part for Taylor owners. After staying healthy for the first time in years, Taylor had to leave due to an injury to his hamstring. It’s the same injury that plagued him for most of his injuries during his career. The injury doesn’t appear to be too, but he definitely has become a question mark for next Sunday.

Maurice Jones-Drew- If Jones-Drew has established himself as one thing this season, it is a Colt killer. On Sunday he ran for 166 yards on 15 carries and 2 TDs. He also had 109 yards in the kick return game with a TD. In two games versus Indy this season, Jones-Drew has 532 all-purpose yards and 3 TDs. He’s been one of the few reliable backup RBs that can start in fantasy this season. If Taylor is forced to miss time due to his hamstring injury, Jones-Drew would become an elite option against Tennessee on Sunday.

Vince Young- If Houston doesn’t regret passing on Vince Young now, they never will. The Texas native singe handedly led the Titans to a win over the struggling Titans. The QB of the suddenly hottest team in football was 19 for 29 with 219 yards in the air and 86 on the ground. However, it was Young’s legs that turned in one of the more electrifying plays of the season. Tied in overtime, Young ran for 39 yards for the win. The run brought back memories of Michael Vick’s scamper to beat the Vikings early in his career. While Young isn’t much of a fantasy option at this point in his career, he is showing that he is a truly special player in this league.

Ron Dayne/Wali Lundy- On Heisman weekend, it was the former winner’s turn to take over as the Texans main RB. Coming off a 95 yard performance, Dayne han for 87 yards on 21 carries and also scored twice. It’s likely that Dayne will continue to carry the load for the rest of the season. His teammate, Wali Lundy, rushed only 5 times for 14 yards. It seems safe to once again drop Lundy in fantasy leagues.

LaDainian Tomlinson- There’s a new record holder in the NFL, and he plays for San Diego. Tomlinson scored three times to become the NFL’s new holder of the single season TD record with 29. Tomlinson is likely to score somewhere around 35 this season which will also break the record for most points by any player in a season. His 103 yards on the ground give him over 1400 for the second straight year. LT will most likely have the greatest season for a fantasy RB ever.

Antonio Gates- The best TE in football saved a treat for his fantasy owners by having his best game of the season in the first round of the fantasy playoffs. Gates finished with 7 catches for 104 yards and 2 TDs. Gates has come on strong the last three weeks with at least 80 yards and a TD in each game. It has been Gates worst season of his three as a main target, but as Rivers matured, he regained his old form.

Larry Johnson- Facing the best defense he’ll see all year, LJ was still able to rush for 120 yards. After some early season struggles, Johnson has really turned it on lately with over 100 yards in 7 of his last 8 games. While he did not achieve the 2000 yards that some people projected prior to the season, LJ has turned in another very productive season and has shown he’s the second best RB in football. With San Diego, Oakland, and Jacksonville the rest of the way, LJ faces a tough stretch, but there is no reason to bench him.

Jay Cutler- In his second career start, Cutler looks dramatically better than he did last Sunday night. Cutler finished 17 for 30 with 188 yards, 2 TDs, and a lost fumble. He performed far better in the second half, where he almost sparked a rally for the Broncos. It appears like Denver is going nowhere fast, and this will just be a learning process for Cutler. With what he’s shown so far, in a few years he should be one of the NFL’s better QBs.

Randy Moss- He once was one of the best WRs in football, but with his lack of production recently, he has become a non story in the NFL. He only makes the recap due to an ankle injury he suffered on Sunday. There’s some question whether he will be able to play next Sunday. If he’s not already on your bench, you are probably done, but this is just another reason why Moss is not a fantasy option the rest of the year.

-David Cassilo
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