Ricky O'Donnell: September 2008 Archives

The Best

Quarterbacks

Brett Favre- 289 yards, 6 TDs, 1 INT

With a two touchdown per game average to start off his Jets tenure, Favre had proven he's still a reliable fantasy option. But six touchdowns in one game? Even Ronnie Brown is confused. Just like Brown last week, Favre won't be able to roll over his momentum next week because of a bye.

Matt Schaub- 307 yards, 3 TD

As an Andre Johnson fantasy owner I have to ask: how does Schaub throw three touchdowns and top 300 yards, but his top target is held to just three catches for 38 yards? The bigger question: is Schaub worth picking up? His next four games are against the Colts, Lions, Dolphins, and Bengals. Don't be surprised if Schaub is just getting started.

Running back

Larry Johnson- 198 yards, 2 TD

See, this is why you never sell low. Johnson had gotten off to a rough start his first two games, but has now stringed together two top notch performances. Johnson's effort on the ground was a big reason why the Chiefs were able to pull off the biggest upset of Sunday, defeating the Broncos by two touchdowns.

LaDainian Tomlinson- 106 yards, 2 TD

That's the LDT we all know and love. Tomlinson broke 100 yards for the first time all season on Sunday, and scored twice for the second week in a row. He'll need to keep up that kind of production to please his fantasy owners, who drafted him number one overall.

Receivers

Mushin Muhammad- 8 recs, 147 yards, 1 TD

Um, why could Moose put up those type of stats for the Bears the last three years? I guess you can call this season a resurrection for Muhammad, since Chicago is where receivers go to die.

Laveranues Coles- 8 recs, 105 yards, 3 TD

A popular side effect of a quarterback throwing six touchdowns is that one of your fantasy receivers could get in on the action. That exactly what happened to Coles, who probably doesn't miss Chad Pennington so much anymore.

The Worst

RB Maurice Jones-Drew- 32 yards

For a player owned in 100% of ESPN fantasy leagues, Jones-Drew has a been a huge disappointment so far.

QB Derek Anderson- 138 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT

Just because the Browns are doing it doesn't mean you should be. If you're still starting Anderson on your fantasy team, you shouldn't be.

There aren't as many big time fantasy players questionable because of injury this week, which is great news. LaDainian Tomlinson and Adrian Peterson, two players we featured last week, each played and played well during Week Three. What will Week Four have in store?

Here is a look at a few banged up players that will have a big affect on your fantasy team this weekend.

The focus of this post should be Ronnie Brown. After all, Brown combined for just 17 carries for 48 yards and one touchdown in Miami's first two games. Then Brown exploded last week, averaging 6.6 yards per carry, rushing for four touchdowns and throwing another. But Miami has a bye week now. We'll have to wait to see Brown again until October 5 in San Diego.

Here is a look at next week's matchups for some of Week Three's other stars.

The best

Quarterbacks

Drew Brees- 421 yards, 1 TD

While we like our top quarterback of the week to throw multiple touchdowns, it's impossible to ignore the sheer number of yards Brees put up against an undefeated Broncos team. Just imagine what the Saints offense will do once their best receiver, Marques Colston, returns.

Welcome to another star-studded edition of "Injuries...". This young NFL season has seen some big names go down already. This week, we'll look at the two biggest. LaDainian Tomlinson and Adrian Peterson have gotten off to slow starts thus far. When will they be fully healthy, and can your fantasy team survive without them? Let's take a look.

As far as fantasy purposes go, few football games are more satisfying than two we saw this weekend. The Broncos and Chargers game may have been marred by controversey, but that doesn't concern us. We just love to see those 77 combined points. Jay Cutler threw three touchdowns, Phillip Rivers thew four. Just for fun, Brandon Marshall even caught the second most passes in NFL history. It was glorious, assuming it was you, and not your opponent, who owned some of those guys. Monday night's Eagles-Cowboys tilt was even better. DeSean Jackson was even nice enough to let Brian Westbrook score a touchdown.

Can Week Three keep it going? Will Aaron Rodgers throw three touchdowns every game? Will Santana Moss remember he's supposed to be allergic to the end zone? Let's take a look at some of the Week Two matchups for this week's fantasy heroes.

The Best

Quarterbacks

Phillip Rivers- San Diego Chargers
377 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT

Yesterday's Chargers-Broncos game was a fantasy owners dream. The teams combined for 77 total points, and some highly regarded fantasy players threw up huge stats. Though his team lost for the second week in a row, Rivers once again passed for three touchdowns. If LaDanian Tomlinson isn't getting into the end zone, I guess somebody has to.

No matter how brilliant a fantasy owner thinks they were in their draft, fantasy leagues, like real football, are often decided by health. Just look at owners who invested a high pick in Andre Johnson last season. Sure, he was great when he was on the field, but his numbers could have been so much better had he played more than nine games.

Marvin Harrison may be a more apt example from last year. The Colts kept saying their star receiver was close to returning, but Harrison never came back. If you want to win your league, staying on top of injuries is vital.

Here are a few guys to watch through the weekend that enter Week Two dinged up.

Sure, Marques Colston never threw 50 touchdown passes or registered 16 sacks in 12 games like some of this week's other banged up superstars, but that doesn't mean your fantasy team is going to have an easy time replacing him. Colston was a unanimous top ten receiver heading into drafts, and if he's on your team, you likely bet on him to replicate the numbers- 98 catches, 1,202 yards, 11 TD- he put up last year. Now that he'll miss the next four to six weeks, how do you replace him?

The simple answer, of course, is you can't. Practically any team Colston is on was banking on him to be their top receiver. The guys you'll find on the waiver wire aren't going to provide you with that type of production.

Yesterday Olsen explained just how bizarre it was to see so many unproven commodities excel in Week One. But are those guys legit, or was it just a one game aberration? Let's take a look at some of the Week Two matchups for this week's fantasy heroes.

No matter how brilliant a fantasy owner thinks they were in their draft, fantasy leagues, like real football, are often decided by health. Just look at owners who invested a high pick in Andre Johnson last season. Sure, he was great when he was on the field, but his numbers could have been so much better had he played more than nine games.

Marvin Harrison may be a more apt example from last year. The Colts kept saying their star receiver was close to returning, but Harrison never came back. If you want to win your league, staying on top of injuries is vital. Here are a few guys to watch through the weekend that enter Week One dinged up.

Rudi Johnson's departure from the Bengals was no surprise. He was owed a hefty amount of money, and Cincinnati's ground game was fine without him last year. But that doesn't mean he still can't be a productive NFL back, given the right system.

Johnson got the opportunity he was looking for yesterday when he was signed by the Detroit Lions. He'll team up with second round rookie Kevin Smith in the backfield.