SUNDAY RECAP: NFC STYLE

Julius Jones/Marion Barber III- Just when it looked like Barber had become the RB in Dallas that would handle the load down the stretch, a complete reversal of fortune was seen on Sunday night. Against the Saints, Barber was sparingly used as he finished with 2 carries for -1 yards. Jones emerged once again in an effort to demand more of the carries. He busted an early 77 yard run for the score and finished with 116 yards and a TD on 10 carries. Dallas couldn’t really run the ball after falling behind early. They should do a better job next week against Atlanta.

Tony Romo- For the second straight week, Romo finished with more interceptions than TDs. After a really hot start, Romo has come somewhat back down to earth. He completed less than 50% of his passes against the Saints for 249 yards passing, 1 TD, and 2 INTs. The key to affecting Romo seems to be getting pressure on him. With Atlanta and Philadelphia the next two weeks, he should bounce back and finish strong.

Eli Manning- While Eli was not nearly as accurate as he was against the Cowboys the previous week, he had a very strong performance in the Giants’ win over Carolina. Manning completed 17 of his 33 passes for 172 yards and 3 TDs. It’s good to see that after being called out by the media, Manning is playing well lately. Last year Eli completely fell apart in December, and that doesn’t seem to be happening this year. With Philadelphia and New Orleans up next, he should have a terrific finish.

Jeff Garcia- Another fairly strong performance for Garcia as his Eagles survived a late charge by the Redskins. He played terrific in the first half as he had 117 yards and 2 TDs, but a weak second half had him finish with only 164 yards. He has shown that he is still very accurate as shown by his high completion percentage and no interceptions. The hot streak may come to end for Garcia though because he travels to New York and Dallas in the upcoming weeks.


Ladell Betts- Since filling in for the injured Clinton Portis, Betts has topped 100 yards in his last three starts. Against Philadelphia on Sunday, Betts rumbled for 171 yards on 33 carries. The Redskins are leaning on Betts heavily as they get Jason Campbell accustomed to the NFL, and with no fear of wearing down and games against the Saints and Rams, there’s no reason to sit Betts the rest of the way. My only complaint with Betts is the 5 year 11 million dollar contract he just signed. With the way he’s playing right now, Betts surely could have gotten a starting job somewhere else and most likely more money.

Artose Pinner- The latest resurrected RB in the NFL is Minnesota’s Pinner. With Taylor out, the Vikes figured to turn to Ciatrick Fason and Mewelde Moore to carry the ball, but that was not the case as they gave it 29 times to Pinner. He finished with 125 yards and 3 TDs in the Vikings’ win. If Taylor remains out, Pinner is a decent fantasy option due to matchups with Jets and Packers looming. However, consistency may be hard to find considering Pinner could never develop much throughout his career.

Brett Favre- With virtually nothing to play for, Favre had one of his better games of the year as he threw for 293 yards and 2 TDs. He relied heavily on Donald Driver who had 160 of those yards and 1 of the TDs. In what has been somewhat of a comeback season, Favre now has 17 TDs to 12 INTs. He should finish strong the next two weeks against Detroit and Minnesota which makes him a solid fantasy play during that time.

Kevin Jones- It was a truly dreadful day for the Detroit running game. It was bad enough they ran for a historically horrible -3 yards, but they also may have lost Kevin Jones for the rest of the season. Jones, who had 9 carries for -3 yards, apparently suffered a broken foot. He is pretty much finished for the rest of the season, and there is some speculation that he may have some trouble preparing for the 2007 season. In his absence, Arlen Harris will get the majority of the carries, but there are much better options out there.

Drew Brees- In what has been a truly memorable season for a QB in the NFL, Brees had one of the best QB days you’ll see all season. While tearing apart the Dallas secondary, Brees completed 26 of 38 passes for 384 yards and 5 TDs. If he averages a little more than 350 yards passing per game the rest of the way, Brees will break Dan Marino’s record for yards passing in a season. With the yards and 25 TDs compared to only 10 INTs, Brees would be the NFL’s MVP were it not for his former teammate LT.

Mike Karney- In what has been a season full of heart warming stories for the Saints, add another to the list in the form of Mike Karney. Coming into Sunday night’s game, Karney was barely used for his first two seasons, but against the Cowboys he scored 3 TDs which were the first of his career. While he has absolutely no fantasy relevance, it will be a night he remembers for the rest of his life. On a side not, how did NBC go about choosing Pink to sign their opening song every night? Did the first 500 people turn them down, or did some one say, nobody symbolizes the NFL more than Pink? Just a random thought, but answers would be nice.

Reggie Bush- As you probably read earlier in the year, I was skeptical whether Bush would ever adapt to the NFL and become a productive RB. After what I’ve witnessed the last few weeks, I’m willing to totally eat my words on this one. Bush is not only accustomed to the NFL, but he is already developing into one of its most explosive players. On Sunday, Bush finished with 162 total yards and 1 electrifying TD. While I’d still consider him a risky week to week fantasy play, he has very enticing matchups with Washington and the Giants next on the schedule. In other news, following the performances of Young and Bush, the Texans have been asked to leave the NFL.

Warrick Dunn- The Falcons lost RB Warrick Dunn in their game against Tampa Bay due to a calf injury. He was only able to manage 45 yards on the ground before exiting. His backup Jerious Norwood also left with an injury. Both players are questionable for next weeks critical game against the Cowboys. If they both can’t go, Justin Griffith and Taurean Henderson will split the load, and Michael Vick would obviously do some more running.

Chris Weinke- With virtually no running game to help him out, Weinke threw 61 times filling in for the injured Delhomme. Despite having 423 yards passing, he managed only 1 TD and 3 INTs. Weinke relied heavily on Drew Carter of all people as he finished with 144 yards receiving and a TD. The performance of Weinke confirms that both Steve Smith and Keyshawn Johnson will take a hit with him at QB. Delhomme is questionable for next week.

Bruce Gradkowski- Once again Gradkowski showed nothing special as he was 13 for 24 with 121 yards in the air. Despite the performance, Coach Gruden says he likes what he sees in Gradkowski, and he’ll start next week. Perhaps he likes losing or wants to get fired, but for whatever reason it now looks like Gradkowski will likely finish the year. With a macthup against the Bears next week, it’s another reason why it’s a bad idea to start any Tampa Bay offensive player.

Matt Hasselbeck- Going up against a very weak Arizona secondary, Matt Hasselbeck had his best game since returning from injury. Hasselbeck, who looked sharp, finished 20 for 28 with 243 yards and 3 TDs. It looks like Hasselbeck is back to his old form which makes him a very reliable QB the rest of the way. The entire Seahawks offense should benefit from a game on Thursday against San Francisco.

Darrell Jackson- One of the more reliable fantasy WRs this season turned in a solid 60 yard and 1 TD performance against Arizona. However, the reason he is of note is that he left late in the game with a turf toe injury. As a result of the short week, it’s unlikely that Jackson will play on Thursay. DJ Hackett should have an increased role if fantasy owners are looking for a replacement on the waiver wire.

Frank Gore- After his worst performance of the year last week, Gore got back on track against Green Bay with 130 yards rushing and a TD, but did lost his sixth fumble of the season. Gore has arguably been the best back in the NFC this season, and he has now topped 1300 yards for the year. With Seattle and Arizona the next two weeks, he should be one of the better fantasy RBs the rest of the way.

Matt Leinart- It appears like Leinart may be finished with the rookie QB learning curve following his second consecutive solid outing. Leinart completed 21 of his 34 passes for 232 yards, 2 TDs, and an INT. While Vince Young may be getting the headlines, Leinart has been better statistics wise, but he has just not gotten as many wins. It’d wouldn’t be wise to start him against Denver next week, but a matchup against the 49ers the week after is very enticing.

Edgerrin James- In a statistical oddity, Edge had 26 carries for 115 yards for the second consecutive week. However, he was more valuable this week because of his fourth TD of the season. While overall Edge’s season has been very disappointing, he has come on strong in recent weeks. The offensive line is improving, and Leinart is getting better. I’d consider him a fantasy sleeper for 2007.

-David Cassilo
Contact at asuhouse@aol.com