In one of the worst slates in recent memory, I expected the Falcons vs. Lions to be one of the better matchups in Week 7, but even that ended up being pretty ugly. Matthew Stafford has a 16:4 TD:INT ratio on the year, but while he's limited turnovers recently, he's gotten just 5.8 YPA over the past two weeks, giving him a 7.1 mark on the season – that number isn't terrible on the surface, but when you factor in the current passing numbers in today's NFL (it comes in as 17th best right now), him playing six of seven games in a dome this year and having Calvin Johnson as a teammate, he hasn't been all that great. Although in his defense, the Lions might have the worst running game in the NFL…Matt Ryan has thrown for multiple touchdowns in just one of seven games this season. He's yet to get 7.5 YPA in a contest…Michael Turner's demise may have been a bit overstated, as he currently leads the NFL with 26 broken tackles…Pretty crazy the Jerome Harrison trade almost certainly saved his life.
This commercial isn't exactly what I'd call PC.
Brandon Marshall has had numerous inexcusable drops, but he's also had to face the Browns, Chargers, Jets (whom rank as three of the four best fantasy defenses against wide receivers so far this year) and Broncos (when Champ Bailey returned) the last four weeks. Even with Matt Moore – buy. Despite that, he's still on pace to finish with 91 catches and 1,288 yards…Even without Brandon Lloyd, it looks like Eric Decker owners may be out of luck. Demaryius Thomas, while hardly a sure thing, looks like the Broncos' preferred WR from here on out, as he was clearly Tim Tebow's No. 1 target Sunday…Speaking of Tebow, at this point, what more can be said? The dude writes his own scripts. After going 4-for-14 for 46 passing yards over his first 11 drives, he decided to stop messing around and went 9-for-13 for 121 yards with two touchdowns over his final two drives in regulation (h/t ESPNStatsInfo). Also, on a game-on-the-line two-point conversation attempt with possibly the most inaccurate/best running QB in the NFL from the 2-yard line, might want to put a linebacker on him Miami. Not having their goal-line defense on the field in that situation is embarrassing.
Great announcer involved in a crazy set of events.
I can't say I'm shocked the Texans won in Tennessee on Sunday, but I was rather surprised by the final score. This team may finally be getting it. Arian Foster's breakaway speed on his 78-yard TD catch was sick, if a bit unexpected. I'd take him No. 1 overall in a redraft today…Ben Tate somehow has the 15th most carries in football so far this season…I'm beginning to think Matt Hasselbeck may miss Kenny Britt. Seriously, that performance was downright ugly coming off a bye against a defense that was missing Mario Williams and had Danieal Manning leave early with a broken leg…Chris Johnson, at least to me, is a true buy-low candidate, because I personally think it would take some guts to trade for him right now. He looks noticeably slower than ever, and while Tennessee's run blocking has been bad, Javon Ringer looked superior whenever he entered the game last week. Johnson has got 1.9 YPC after contact this season, which ranks 53rd among running backs. But at least it hasn't shaken his confidence: "Basically, if you are watching the game and you really can't tell what is going on with the run game then I would say you really don't know football," Johnson said. "I wouldn't say I am the issue." Either way, his fantasy owners aren't happy.
Worst liquor store robbery ever.
After posting a 15:1 TD:INT ratio over the final eight games of his sophomore season last year, Josh Freeman has an NFL-high 10 interceptions in 2011. His 6.4 YPA is also pretty pathetic, so he's taken a major step back…Tough break for Earnest Graham owners. In fact, what a ridiculous week for running back injuries, also including Darren McFadden, Beanie Wells, Willis McGahee, Marshawn Lynch and Tim Hightower…Matt Forte's touchdown upside is limited (thanks to his poor execution at the goal line throughout his career and now Marion Barber's presence), but he's currently on pace to finish with 2,494 yards from scrimmage, which would rank as the second-most all-time…Mike Williams remains a big disappointment, but his 60 targets rank as the fifth-highest in the NFL this year (although his six drops also rank as the second most, with only Brandon Marshall having more).
I'm not sure what's crazier, the makeup job here or the tats.
The Seattle/Cleveland game set football back a good 30 years, although in fairness both teams' defenses played pretty well. Although you have to work hard to score just six points while possessing the ball for 43 minutes like the Browns did Sunday…Relying on Marshawn Lynch is tough enough to begin with, but it doesn't get much worse than not playing without any reports suggesting it was even a possibility beforehand. If you're in a deep league, might as well add Leon Washington…I still like Greg Little as a WR3 for fantasy purposes moving forward…Tarvaris Jackson obviously sucks, but he's better than Charlie Whitehurst. And Joe Haden's return certainly contributed to Sidney Rice's poor performance Sunday…Montario Hardesty's 117 yards from scrimmage were nice, and it came against arguably (although I'm tired of calling them "surprisingly" at this point) the NFL's best run defense, but it took a whopping 33 rushing attempts, as he simply hasn't shown the ability to make defenders miss at the NFL level.
This guy ate a live giant scorpion just for fun.
At what point would it take the Chargers to further outperform their end results to get Norv Turner fired? I mean seriously, how long can this charade go? Frankly, it's become beyond comical. At this point, no one should ever be throwing their hands up in the air and declaring how San Diego "should have won that game." Even with Sunday's latest example, realize they were also spotted a 7-0 lead on a "fluke" defensive TD…Not that Philip Rivers doesn't deserve plenty of blame this season. His YPA and completion percentage remain high, but after posting a 30:13 TD:INT ratio last season (without Vincent Jackson and Antonio Gates for a significant amount of time), he's totaled eight TDs while committing 11 turnovers through six games. Rivers hadn't been picked off in his previous 100 throws in the fourth quarter before Sunday, when he was intercepted twice in the final frame and executed one of the worst two-minute drills you'll ever see...Without question, one of my bigger fantasy disappointments this year has been Santonio Holmes. I expected so much more…I have no proof, but I'd imagine few players have ever managed just 6.3 yards-per-catch with three touchdowns like Plaxico Burress did Sunday…The Jets' blocking was better, but I'd never seen Shonn Greene run as well as he did in Week 7. Maybe there's hope for him after all…Quietly, Mark Sanchez has been a top-10 fantasy QB so far this season.
Like clockwork, Coldplay's new album is sugary sweet, not for music elitists, yet also has 4-6 songs that are legitimately catchy. I get they are easy to make fun of, but there isn't a band more consistent (and more predictable) in the world. Their new album won't sniff my top-5 for 2011, but I'd also suggest music snobs shouldn't be totally dismissive.
Mike Shanahan was at it again Sunday, as I'd imagine far more fantasy owners started Ryan Torain than Tim Hightower, something I personally supported. While it didn't work in Week 7, and Roy Helu may become a bigger factor, Torain owners still ultimately ended up with a big upgrade after Hightower was lost for the season with a torn ACL…The most rushing touchdowns by a QB since the merger was 12 (by Steve Grogan in 1976), with just two total reaching double digits. Cam Newton is on pace to finish with 16 during his rookie campaign. Oh, and also 4,807 passing yards, which would be the fourth most in NFL history. His rookie season has been pretty special, and fantasy wise, it's been positively transcendental.
I have no clue why these two people are single. This is the best date ever.
Larry Fitzgerald has averaged 84.2 yards per game this season compared to 71.1 last year, but he's also on pace to finish with 83 receptions and five touchdowns – both lower than last season's disappointing numbers. So much for Kevin Kolb returning him to top-three fantasy WR status…It's become a weekly joke about how badly Ben Roethlisberger had his knee turned or was hit or whatever. Let's stop kidding ourselves. The guy is indestructible. A prison sentence or the Supervolcano is far more likely to be the cause of him missing a game than an injury…Speaking of injuries, Beanie Wells hurt yet again, ugh!...The Steelers have forced the fewest takeaways over the first seven games of a season since the merger (h/t Bill Barnwell)…Mike Wallace has got 14.3 yards-per-target this season, which I believe would go down as the best mark in NFL history.
I'm someone who still loves roller coasters, so make of this what you will, but if I lived in New York, I'd absolutely go to this Haunted House (tangent: in college, I tagged along with a few friends who had heard good things about this Haunted House in SLO, only when inside they locked the doors and it was a religious cult that preached for at least an hour. I guess ultimately the job was done, because believe me, I was "terrified" by the events at hand). I mean, just look at the rules. Tickets cost $40-60 (depending on the time you attend), and I especially love how you must be prepared to put something unknown in your mouth and how there's a "safe word." Sign me up!
Darren McFadden's foot sprain is reportedly minor, but to me I'd rather a knee or hamstring injury. I hope I'm wrong…The Raiders and Chiefs combined for a 0:8 TD:INT ratio Sunday. That it came with just one total sack against two secondaries that rank in the bottom half of the NFL makes it all the more crazy. The bye week couldn't come at a better time for Oakland…After starting the year 0-3 and being outscored 109-27 in the process, the Chiefs have rebounded by winning their last three contests by a combined score of 78-41…In Yahoo's box score, their "top performer" on the day had one carry for seven yards.
Dallas' defense by all means played well, but fantasy owners might feel a little disappointed with just one sack and two turnovers at home against a Rams offense that has averaged an NFL-low 9.3 points per game while starting A.J. Feeley…Through six games, the Rams have had a lead for a total of just six minutes and 28 seconds (h/t Bill Barnwell)…Brandon Lloyd received 12 targets immediately upon joining St. Louis and should see a nice increase in fantasy value down the stretch. He'll no doubt be tougher to trade for now than he was 10 days ago, but there's also a good chance his value will never be lower from this point moving forward…It's tempting to not want to get overly excited with just one game (in ideal conditions), but it's even harder not to be thoroughly impressed with DeMarco Murray, who had the type of performance Sunday that could lead to him being Dallas' feature back from here on out. Felix Jones even when healthy has always been better in theory than reality, and while he's hasn't been able to exploit it, a lead runner in that situation could be quite productive. Murray, while still needing work as a blocker and receiver, could finally be the one to take advantage of it. He's a must-start this week in Philadelphia. Realize his 3.6 YPC after contact this season ranks as the third-most in the NFL. He could be a true difference maker down the stretch.
The worst (best?) obituary of all-time.
Man who tried to turn his feces into gold is jailed.
Aaron Rodgers' current 9.93 YPA mark would go down as the best in NFL history (since the merger), and he's also totaled 21 touchdowns to just three turnovers. With a suspect pass defense, the league's best passing attack that utilizes spread formations and terrific team speed yet with a shaky rushing attack, the Packers are actually best built to play in a dome, and ironically, poor weather late in the year in Lambeau Field would actually do this group a huge disservice. They might be more vulnerable playing a home NFC title game than one in a controlled environment. The current Super Bowl odds are the NFC -3…Well, that's not good…After something of a down year last season, Jared Allen has 10 sacks over his past five games, as he's been an absolute beast.
If you're into levitation and/or hover boards, watch these two clips. The future is upon us.
New Orleans' 62 points scored tied for the most since the merger. Drew Brees had more touchdowns (five) than incompletions (four)…Seriously, how important is Peyton Manning?!!...Darren Sproles is somehow averaging more yards-per-carry (7.4) than he is yards-per-catch (7.3). What a fantastic season he's having…Why, exactly did Joseph Addai return earlier than expected?...The funny thing about Reggie Wayne's season is that he's actually averaging his most yards-per-catch since 2007.
Two stories well worth reading, the first about overconfidence, which absolutely has relevance with fantasy sports (and the title is a clear shot at Malcolm Gladwell) and the second about the anatomy of a baseball trade.
What an ugly Monday night game. It's almost as if the scheduling had something to do with it. Still not quite sure how Jacksonville went from having a historically bad secondary last year that allowed 8.3 YPA to one this season that has yielded just 6.4. A remarkable difference, especially without a ton of personnel change…What was up with Ray Rice and Maurice Jones-Drew's fumbling problems? That was crazy…Joe Flacco has produced two games with a QB rating higher than 103.5 this season, and three others with less than 61.0. So inconsistent.