As someone who had been relying on Darrius Heyward-Bey, then subsequently spent FAAB on Jacoby Ford only to see the latter leave with a serious injury after his first catch Thursday, I wasn't too pleased. And after replacing Ford, DHB saw plenty of snaps yet not one single target. It's clear Carson Palmer has yet to develop any kind of rapport with him. Denarius Moore, meanwhile, looks like he could be a WR2 for fantasy purposes from here on out…Sebastian Janikowski is clearly limited by his injury still…Vincent Brown impressed, and with Malcom Floyd proving to be one of the most brittle players in the league, he needs to be added in all fantasy leagues…What was Vincent Jackson thinking on that interception? He was out to lunch…Philip Rivers once again didn't play all that well, but it was an absolute jailbreak after Marcus McNeill left injured…Michael Bush played very well and would be an upgrade for about half of the league's backfields, but Darren McFadden would have taken two of his long carries all the way to the house and probably surpassed 300 yards from scrimmage had he been on the field instead…Rumors of Carson Palmer's demise may have been exaggerated. He looked terrific and could easily be a top-12 fantasy QB down the stretch.
Calls released (which are hilarious) from a man who was arrested for phoning police about his iPhone not working.
Blaine Gabbert has averaged 104.3 passing yards over his past four games. That's not ideal. However, Jacksonville is somehow 2-2 over that span…After an impressive two-game stretch when Curtis Painter took over, I fully expected Pierre Garcon to be a major fantasy factor over the rest of the year. I was flat out wrong…Painter has a 0:7 TD:turnover ratio over his past four games...The top-three (non-RB) receivers for the Jaguars on Sunday were Chastin West, Jarrett Dillard and Zach Potter.
"Popeyes" runs out of chicken. Chaos ensues.
Last week I said I preferred Julio Jones to Roddy White over the rest of the season, but after Jones suffered yet another hamstring injury, it's safe to have a big concern about his health, at least in 2011. As a result, Harry Douglas saw 14 targets one week after seeing none, so he's definitely on the fantasy radar should Jones miss time…Mark Ingram is now averaging 3.64 yards-per-TOUCH this season. His 2.1 YPC after contact ranks 51st among running backs…Jimmy Graham had another big game Sunday, but he also left at least 30-40 yards on the field thanks to a couple of drops…Fun fact: the Saints are now 0-11 on coin tosses this year (h/t Jeff Duncan)… The big debate this week had to do with Mike Smith going for it on fourth down at the Falcons' own 29-yard line in overtime, and while I'm personally a bit on the fence (and certainly would have preferred to see a QB sneak there), I find it hard to argue with the numbers. I can totally understand both sides, but let me ask you this, if you had bet your bank account on the Saints, would you have wanted Atlanta to punt or go for it there? I certainly would have chosen the former.
This is apparently the biggest wave ever surfed.
I like how Houston's rushing attack has become so dominant, even their backup RB is getting pilfered (Derrick Ward had 11 carries and a touchdown Sunday). Since returning from a hamstring injury and finally healthy over the past seven games, Arian Foster has recorded 438 receiving yards – a season's long pace of more than 1,000 yards. That's been accompanied by a season's long pace for 1,616 rushing yards. And to think Ben Tate has managed to be a plenty useful flex play over that period as well. Speaking of Tate, Tampa Bay's tackling "effort" was as bad as you'll ever see in a professional game during his touchdown run Sunday…The Bucs started the season 4-2, but it's not a stretch to call them one of the league's doormats. They have allowed an NFL-high 8.5 YPA along with 4.7 YPC and the fourth-most rushing TDs in the league (11). Josh Freeman has thrown more interceptions over his past three games than he did all of last year and has the second-most picks in the NFL. They are also the third-most penalized team in the league. A tougher schedule has had something to do with it, but as a young unit, this team hasn't grown this season but regressed instead…What a tough blow losing Matt Schaub for the season. With a ridiculously easy upcoming schedule (they should only be underdogs in one of their final six games, and it won't be by much in Cincinnati, even without Schaub), a legit defense and the NFL's best rushing attack (not to mention Andre Johnson returning), we might be looking at Matt Leinart as the starting quarterback for the AFC's No. 1 seed. The loss of Schaub hurts the fantasy value of Foster and Tate (in theory Houston may go even more ground heavy, but the Texans already have 67 more rushing attempts than any other team in the league, and while in fairness they haven't had a bye yet, volume certainly hasn't been an issue), since the offense will suffer a downgrade, but hopefully it won't be a killer. It's possible Leinart got an unfair rep in the past, and he's been in Houston's system two years now and has a bye week to prepare with the ones, but few should be rushing to grab him in fantasy leagues considering his circumstances.
Mike Francesca explains "fungibility." Needs to buy a dictionary.
Not only did Ben Roethlisberger fracture the thumb on his throwing hand and (obviously) plans on playing through it, my favorite part is he doesn't remember how or when the injury occurred. Save for decapitation, I can't fathom an injury that would prevent him from playing…For the sake of the league, I hope A.J. Green's injury isn't serious. Troy Polamalu's effort was almost as bad as Vincent Jackson's on Green's TD catch, for what it's worth. I guess let's just chalk them both up to losing the ball in the sun/lights. Green actually received a carry after the injury, so he'll hopefully be back in action in Week 11...Despite allowing an NFL-low 5.8 YPA, Pittsburgh's two interceptions Sunday doubled their season total.
The world's most expensive dessert is a measly $35,000. I'd rather go to The French Laundry instead.
Cam Newton has been great during his rookie season, Sunday's game notwithstanding, but this is a really bad Carolina defense, which makes it all the more frustrating they allocated so many resources into re-signing DeAngelo Williams. Their 8.3 YPA allowed is the second-highest in football, and their 12 rushing scores ceded is tied for the most…Chris Johnson continues to get back on track, and encouragingly, his Week 14 and 15 opponents are the Saints and Colts – the former has yielded a league-high 5.2 YPC while the latter has given up the third-most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season.
Portland nudist broke no laws by killing, gutting horse, then posing naked inside carcass. If you choose to click the link accompanying this article, you'll see some next level sh|STAR||STAR|.
Contracts be damned, if I'm a Larry Fitzgerald fantasy owner, I'd prefer John Skelton to Kevin Kolb without question at this point. Fitzgerald was one yard away from scoring three times Sunday (although it should be noted he's absolutely owned the Eagles throughout his career)…Not only did Philly lose at home as 14-point favorites while coming off a loss in primetime during a must-win contest, they did so while scoring a defensive touchdown and with Arizona missing two field goals. No fluke lost fumbles were involved either. Michael Vick's ribs BETTER have been broken, as there's really no other reasonable explanation, even without DeSean Jackson and a hobbled Jeremy Maclin. Vick missed a wide open Brent Celek (who's now a top-12 fantasy TE) for a long touchdown. If Vick misses time, it's not crazy to consider Vince Young a QB1 for fantasy purposes.
This guy has undergone numerous surgeries in an effort to look like Superman.
It's been beaten to death, so bear with me, but did Tim Tebow really go 2-for-8? And finish with a QB rating over 100? And dating back to his last game, Tebow went more than a full four quarters without completing a single pass! Both victories! Not that Willis McGahee or (especially) Knowshon Moreno are special backs, but it's also crazy the team had to immediately turn to their RB3 in a game plan that featured 55 rushing attempts Sunday. The Broncos had zero completions at halftime. And had a 10-point lead in Arrowhead. Pretty incredible…Lance Ball needs to be added in deep fantasy leagues with McGahee no sure thing to return during a short week. Speaking of which, Denver's offense will likely eventually be solved, but New York is up against it coming off a Sunday night game and having to travel across the country to play Thursday. They will have two practices to prepare for such a unique offensive scheme. That said, what is the over/under for Tebow's passing yards/attempts this week?...Tyler Palko = Shane Falco, only without the happy ending.
Sticking with the Chiefs game, this Jonathan Baldwin catch (negated by a penalty) would otherwise go down as probably the best of the season.
Tony Romo opened Sunday's game 13-for-13 for 195 yards (15.0 YPA) with two touchdowns. He slowed down a bit after that, completing 18-of-19 passes for 237 yards and three scores before Dallas turned to a conservative offense in a blowout. Other than Aaron Rodgers, there probably hasn't been a more impressive performance this season. Maybe he's finally fully recovered from his rib injury…Laurent (the "T" is silent) Robinson should be at minimum a flex play as long as Miles Austin is out, and Dez Bryant continues to have a bunch of upside, revealed by his incredible touchdown catch…C.J. Spiller's drop wide open deep downfield was indefensible. What a huge bust…I'd now say you are being conservative if you call DeMarco Murray a top-10 fantasy back.
Notorious B.I.G. calms down crying baby.
One week after the Rams had a potential game-winning field goal blocked at the end of regulation, they faced a Browns team that shanked a 22-yard FG that would have put them up with just two minutes left (mostly the snapper's fault). St. Louis has scored just one touchdown over its past two games…Hard to remember (or fathom) this Cleveland team started the season 2-1. At least Joe Thomas continues to play at an elite level, but there's not a franchise in greater need of improvement at the skill positions…According to Adam Schefter, Sunday marked the first time in NFL history since realignment that all four NFC West teams won in the same week.
Festive guy on bath salts breaks into home, puts up Christmas decorations.
At this point, what else is to be said about Mike Shanahan? Who exactly is he trying to fool? His own players? Well done, sir, as your antics are clearly working. He needs to be fired yesterday, and this isn't just coming from a fantasy perspective. Quit making it about you, dude. It's clear all that time at the tanning salon has officially fried his brain…Over the last four games, Reggie Bush has averaged 89.8 yards from scrimmage with three touchdowns, with an impressive 5.5 YPC mark as well. I must say, I really didn't see this coming.
I understand the argument against Baltimore calling for Joe Flacco attempting 52 passes versus just five rushing attempts for Ray Rice, but Seattle has allowed just 3.6 YPC this season (fourth-best in the NFL), and they did get Rice eight more touches as a receiver. And actually one more a passer, when he tossed a one-yard touchdown. Still, Flacco remains so inconsistent. And while it's probably not predictive, owners should realize he's posted a 4:9 TD:INT ratio against the Bengals during his career, so he's not the best start in Week 11…Marshawn Lynch saw a whopping 37 touches Sunday and now leads the NFL in the category over the past two weeks. Despite totaling just 24 yards in one of them, he's somehow averaged 116.3 total yards over his past four games, scoring in each of his past five contests as well. I'm shocked…Speaking of unexpected, after Baltimore scored a touchdown with 5:52 left to make it a one possession game, they would never see the ball again, as the Seahawks ran out the rest of the clock. Pretty crazy.
I was disappointed the UFC fight lasted just 63 seconds during its first spot in primetime on Fox on Saturday night, but it was certainly one hell of a knockout. They admittedly should have had another undercard instead of 40 minutes of buildup (or both), but boxing can't match that heavyweight card, even if it ended so prematurely with a KO by the underdog.
As a 49ers fan whose family has season tickets, I went to my first day game Sunday for the first time in years, since I'm more obsessed with my fantasy teams and also in no small part because I want to watch all the games to write this article. But I must say, getting caught up Monday and Tuesday with the help of "short cuts" on DIRECTV has been quite thorough. What an awesome option. And I rewatched the SF/NYG matchup I was at as well, which either speaks for how good of a game it was or how inebriated I got while starting to tailgate at 9 a.m. Probably both…I continue to love Jim Harbaugh more and more, from him randomly going pass heavy Sunday to his onside kick. And speaking of the latter, between David Akers, Andy Lee and Ted Ginn, it's tough to match a better special teams than San Francisco's right now…Navorro Bowman is on pace to finish with 164 tackles, and Carlos Rogers is tied for the NFL lead with five picks this season with opposing passers accumulating just a 50.0 QB rating when throwing into his coverage…Eli Manning once again played like a star, with both of his two touchdown passes highly impressive throws, and a Victor Cruz drop cost him another huge gainer, but Alex Smith matched him Sunday, with his lone interception coming off a Ted Ginn drop (and he even got more YPA (8.1 v. 7.8) and was essentially without Frank Gore). A healthy Gore is probably one of the half dozen best backs in the NFL, but without question, the 49ers would suffer a much greater loss if Smith went down instead, which speaks volumes of the difference of importance of the positions.
Jon Stewart goes off on Jerry Sandusky.
While acknowledging Chicago scored three touchdowns Sunday thanks to special teams and defense, they are absolutely contenders and are certainly bigger threats to go into Green Bay in a potential NFC Championship and win than the Lions. Chicago, after all, has allowed a season-low 111.4 QB rating to Aaron Rodgers…Hey, I love the Detroit story line and look forward to their home game against the Packers on Thanksgiving, but Matthew Stafford has got 6.1 YPA over his past four games, and they really struggle to run the ball (if you take away Jahvid Best's 88-yard run, as a team they have averaged 3.7 YPC. That run counts, but Best isn't coming back this season, let's just face it. And this is coming from someone who owns him in multiple leagues). The ability to run the ball is overrated in the media, but it's also become so overrated in the stat community it might be underrated. You at least need the threat. Ironically, Detroit's best asset has been their ability to defend the pass this season…Calvin Johnson saw a modest 19 targets Sunday.
How to score a one-point safety in football.
I don't really get why people seem to be overlooking the Patriots. This isn't me being Captain Hindsight after Sunday night's game, as for those who follow my picks ATS, which have been entirely mediocre at best so far this year, I seemingly always back New England, as I simply can't stop believing in them. I get their defense is suspect, but despite the increase in interceptions by Tom Brady (he was largely lucky there last year and has been probably somewhat unlucky there this season so far), he's on pace to finish with 41 touchdown passes, which is five more than last season's MVP-winning campaign (the first ever unanimous choice), and his YPA has also improved from 7.9 to 8.4. In fact, that 8.4 number is even better than his historic 50-touchdown season in 2007. This passing offense, while a bit unconventional thanks to the heavy tight end usage, is extremely effective and is second only to the Packers. The only game the Patriots won't be at least touchdown favorites over the rest of the season will be in Philadelphia, so they look like the clear favorites to be the AFC's No. 1 seed, especially with Matt Schaub done for the year. Only the Packers should have better Super Bowl odds…Mark Sanchez called an inexplicable timeout with 1:24 left in the first half right before he rushed for a touchdown (it was either that or a FG), giving the Patriots an extra 17 seconds on the ensuing drive, which unsurprisingly resulted in a touchdown with nine seconds left in the half. Rex Ryan called it "the stupidest thing in football history."
As a Floyd Mayweather fan, I actually thought Manny Pacquiao won Saturday's fight, although it was obviously close. And it was a shame and could have been quite different had Marquez's corner not told him he was easily winning the cards with two rounds to go, imploring him to play it safe and not get knocked out, resulting in him losing the final round to all three judges in a tentative performance. Nevertheless, come on, Mayweather would now be the heavy favorite if the super fight ever happens, but word is, Pacquiao is now much more interested in a fourth fight with Marquez than he is with getting into the ring with Mayweather. I can't say I blame him.
Ryan Grant looks like he's running in sand. James Starks has separated himself a decent amount, but he should be getting more touches, especially playing for a team often up double-digits. Of course, there's not much to complain about passing a lot when it comes to a team that has won 15 straight games…Again, why does Percy Harvin play limited snaps?...Jordy Nelson is on pace to finish with 1,125 receiving yards and 12.5 touchdowns…Aaron Rodgers has produced 30 touchdowns with just three turnovers this season. His 72.9 completion percentage would easily set an NFL-record. He's also on pace to break the record for most touchdowns by a quarterback. The only reason he might not also break the yardage record is because he's too good. And I'm being serious with that comment (all of Drew Brees' interceptions necessitate more pass attempts. Rodgers left Monday's game with 11 minutes left).