SUNDAY RECAP: AFC VARIETY

Laveranues Coles- Part of Chad Pennington's big 300 yard passing day is a direct result of well Coles played on Sunday. Coles hauled in season highs of 12 catches and 144 yards while also scoring a TD. After back to back sub par seasons, Coles has found his game again in the rejuvenated Jets offense. Late in the game on Sunday, Coles left with a back injury, but it does not appear serious. The Jets take on Miami on Christmad, and in their last meeting Coles had 106 yards and 2 TDs.

JP Losman- While I often laugh and kid about Losman as a QB, it is finally time for me to admit that he is actually a solid QB who is going to be a fine QB in this league. While he didn't need to throw too often on Sunday, Losman was till able to complete 13 of 19 passes for 200 yards and 3 TDs. Losman started off 2006 the way he finished 2005, but over the last 5 weeks he seems to have really turned the corner. While I wouldn't trust him with my fantasy season in the final weeks, he's definitely some one to keep an eye on for next season.

Joey Harrington- Well if it isn't the Joey Harrington that we all knew and loved in Detroit who suited up on Sunday for Miami. Harrington had obviously his worst game of the season as he completed 5 of 17 passes for only 20 yards and 2 INTs before being yanked in favor of Cleo Lemon. This should be a wakeup call to fantasy owners and the Dolphins that while Harrington does have some talent, he's not going to be very successful in the NFL. Harrington should finish out the season, and then battle Daunte Culpper for the job next year.

Steve McNair/Kyle Boller- With so many injuries at QB I trusted my fantasy season with Steve McNair against Cleveland and was not rewarded. McNair was 0 for 4 on passes before leaving with a hand injury. The injury did not appear to serious, and he was most likely kept out as a precaution. In relief, Kyle Boller had 238 yards passing, 2 TDs and 1 INT. When needed, Boller has shown that he is a very capable backup QB in the NFL. However, Ravens fans know better than to trust him, and they can all let out a sigh of relief because it looks like McNair will be healthy enough to play next week against Pittsburgh.

Jamal Lewis- The once star of the league had one of his better days of the season as the Ravens won the game. The Browns always tend to bring out the best in Lewis as he had a season high 5.0 yards per carry while running for 109 yards and a TD. While Lewis hasn't put up the numbers in yardage that you would hope for, his 8 TDs are a nice surprise coming off a season with only 4. With a game against Pittsburgh next week, it may be better to sit Lewis than roll the dice with him.

Willie Parker- One of the quietest monster seasons in ages is being put up this year by Willie Parker. Against Carolina on Sunday, Parker rushed for 132 yards and a TD on only 23 carries. It was the first time all season that he had topped 100 yards rushing on the road. As the feature back this season, Parker now has 14 TDs and 1331 yards rushing. He seems like almost a lock every week to break a 30 plus yard run. While his season has been stellar, he faces an extremely tough matchup against Baltimore next week who held him to only 22 yards in their previous encounter.

Derek Anderson- Facing the toughest defense he's seen in his young career, Anderson had a relatively impressive day considering the opponent. Anderson completed 23 of his 32 passes for 223 yards, 2 TDs, and 2 INTs. In a small sample, Anderson has looked better than Charlie Frye in every aspect of the game. While Frye may be healthy enough to return next week, if I was Romeo Crennell I would start Anderson for the final two games of the season to see what this kid has to offer. On a fantasy note, while it first looked like Braylon Edwards would suffer without Frye, he has actually performed quite well in recent weeks, and is definitely worth starting.

David Garrard- In previous assessments of Garrard, I had killed the Jaguars for not giving Byron Leftwich a chance to reclaim his starting job and naming Garrard the starter. His latest performance only continues my issues with the job that was done selecting a QB. He was the main reason why Jacksonville lost such an important game as he totalled 4 turnovers that all came at crucial moments in the game. The Jaguars play the Patriots next week, and coming off a game like this, you'd have to expect them to lose again. However, for some odd reason the Jaguars play as well as their opponent every week, so it could be a bounce back next week for the whole team.

Fred Taylor/Maurice Jones-Drew- After a hot start for Taylor (2 carries for 37 yards), he left with a hamstring injury and did not return. In his relief, Jones-Drew had 98 yards and a TD on 25 carries. It was a solid performance and showed the Jaguars that he could carry the load next year if Fred Taylor is no longer there. Jones-Drew could start next week against New England because Taylor may miss that game with his hamstring injury. Despite a tough matchup, it'd be hard to sit him with the roll he's on now.

Vince Young- Numbers wise it wasn't a great game for Young as he was only 8 for 15 for 83 yards and just 4 yards rushing. However, whatever the reason is, he just wins. As shocking as it is, the Titans have a real outside shot to still make the playoffs. I wouldn't start Young the rest of this season, but if they surround him with better weapons in 2007, both Vince Young and the Titans will be a force to be reckoned with.

David Carr- It was an ugly, ugly day for the former number one pick. No one expected the Texans to win, but maybe they could have put up a better effort. Carr was 16 for 28 with 127 yards and 4 INTs. Likely these next two weeks will be the last time we'll see Carr as the QB for the Texans. It's really unfortunate considering that the Texans never gave him an offensive line. Carr will most likely compete for a job somewhere next season with Cleveland and Tampa Bay making sense right now.

Ron Dayne- From one highly touted draft pick to another. Now let's turn our attention to Ron Dayne. He's now the main ball carrier in Houston, and he's taking full advantage of getting the opportunity. Dayne had 18 carries for 94 yards while scoring his third TD of the season. Dayne has shown some promise in recent weeks, and if you are desperate for a RB, Dayne has a very promising matchup next week against Indy. Dayne will most likely be paired with another RB to make up the backfield in Houston next year.

LaDainian Tomlinson- Another "wow" performance for LT who has broken more records this season than I can list. One of his worst performances of the season came in a previous matchup against Kansas City, but he followed that by rushing for 199 yards and 2 TDs. On his best play of the night, he ran for an 85 yard TD following a questionable call on a special teams play. LT is clearly the best player in football, but some credit should definitely be given to his offensive line. Often LT isn't even touched by a defender. LT should have another big day next week going against last year's MVP Shaun Alexander.

Jay Cutler- The rookie QB had his best day of the season playing the worst defense he's faced all year. Cutler finished 21 for 31 with 261 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT. He showed a lot of progress as he led the Broncos to a win they needed to have. It appears that Young, Leinart, and Cutler will all be stars in this league in what could be one of the best draft classes ever. Cutler should have another nice game next week against the Bengals defense in what is another must win game.

Tatum Bell/Mike Bell- If you trusted Mike Shanahan and played Tatum Bell, you got burned. Tatum had 19 carries for only 28 yards and lost a fumble. It was a very disappointing day in what should have been one of Tatum's better games of the season. While one Bell struggled another Bell flourished. Mike Bell had 16 carries for 61 yards and 2 TDs. Most likely not many people started Mike Bell, so it was a frustrating day for all. This is just another reason why you should never trust Mike Shanahan coached RBs.

-David Cassilo
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