NFL Week 4: Late Game Wrapup

Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers

Matt Hasselbeck - 23/31, 281 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 3/-3. Another solid game from Hasselbeck, especially considering the 49ers secondary has been playing very well. He's settling into a nice groove with his WRs and remains a low-end QB1.

Alex Smith - 0/1. - He separated his shoulder and will miss time. Dilfer was horrible in his absence.

Shaun Alexander - 25/78. A disappointing effort from Alexander, although the 49ers run D has been pretty solid thus far. He remains likely to disappoint this season, and he also remains a health risk.

Frank Gore - 16/79, 3/42, 1 FL. I'll declare that Gore is back. The lost fumble was disappointing, but he averaged almost 5 yards a carry, and he produced in the passing game again, suggesting that his broken hand is healthy. He faces a stern test at Baltimore this weekend.

Deion Branch - 7/130. Another huge game from Branch who's clearly clicking with Hasselbeck now. He's a soild WR2 moving forward.

Darrell Jackson - 3/38. He'll possibly get worse with Dilfer now starting for a while. I wouldn't use him as anything more than a WR4 until Dilfer proves that he'll use the veteran consistently.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Arizona Cardinals

Ben Roethlisberger - 17/32, 244 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT, 4/26. Thanks to garbage time, Big Ben put up a reasonable stat line. He was barely doing anything until two late drives which gave him about 100 yards and a TD, along with an INT. I'm very disappointed in his performance so far as the Steelers seem content to run the ball. I thought the new offensive coordinator, which usually runs a pass-happy offense, would change things. Still, he's the 8th ranked QB in standard formats and has been consistent.

Matt Leinart/Kurt Warner - No stats necessary. They split time with Warner being far more effective again. Warner would prove to be a QB1 if he were to get all the playing time, but Wisenhunt is trying to be cute by doing this. Either win now with Warner, or live through the growing pains of Leinart. This system is ridiculous for both fantasy football and real football.

Willie Parker - 19/37, 4/29. He saved his day with a 20 yard run late in the game, leaving him with modest yardage totals. Arizona has played the run surprisingly well so far, presumably thanks to the new defensive philosophy. Nothing to worry about here as Parker did this several times last year as well.

Edgerrin James - 21/77, 1/7, 1 TD. He struggled with his yardage thanks to the stout Pittsburgh D, but tossed in a TD to post a quality RB2 afternoon. He has definitely been a solid value for those who gambled on him in the late 2nd/early 3rd round.

Santonio Holmes - 6/128, 2 TDs. Holmes, as expected, posted a big game with the absence of Hines Ward. I believe you'll see Holmes become the top receiver for Pittsburgh, even if Ward returns, as some suggested prior to the season starting.

Heath Miller - 3/46. Another solid yardage afternon for Miller, although I expected more with Ward missing the game. He remains a low-end TE1.

Larry Fitzgerald - 11/123, 1 FL. Fitzgerald put up big yardage totals with the absence of Boldin, and probably would have had an even bigger game had Warner played all of it. He still hasn't found the endzone yet, which has been extremely disappointing. He's a solid WR2.

Denver Broncos at Indianapolis Colts

Jay Cutler - 13/21, 131 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 2/11, 1 TD, 1 FL. As many assumed, he struggled against the solid Colts pass D, but produced 2 TDs to put together a solid fantasy effort. SD's disappointing defense and their porous secondary is up next and presents a favorable matchup for him.

Peyton Manning - 20/27, 193 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT, 4/-3, 1 TD. The stout Denver secondary limited Manning's day, but he was efficient, using Clark over the middle of the field, and letting his running game batter the poor Denver rushing D. All his TDs came from within the 10 yardline, and he called his own number after Addai drove them down the field as Addai's frustrated owners watched.

Travis Henry - 26/131. He gashed the Indy run D, but ended his afternoon early by awkwardly bending his knee in a pile. He initially feared the worst, but it appears that he escaped a major injury. His status for week 5 is in question.

Joseph Addai - 19/136, 3/10, 1 TD. Addai torched the Denver D all afternoon, but left early with a bruised shoulder. Addai was seen similing on the sidelines and said he could have played had the game been close. He might not practice much, and Indy might mess with the injury report this week by listing him as questionable, but I fully believe that he'll start and be fine.

Brandon Marshall - 3/23, 1 TD. He was held in check thanks to the Indy secondary, but found a way to score and post a solid afternoon. If Walker misses week 5, he should be able to own the SD secondary for a nice afternoon.

Marvin Harrison - 1/8. He left the game with a knee injury of some sort and never returned. The Colts didn't need to pass much and pretty much had control of this one, but I'm not sure if he would have returned. His status is a mystery right now.

Reggie Wayne - 5/38, 1 TD. Champ shut him down for the most part, but he wiggled free for a TD and saved his fantasy afternoon. If Harrison were to miss week 5, Wayne could have a huge day against Tampa Bay.

Dallas Clark - 6/76, 2 TD. He smoked the middle of the Broncos defense on a day when the Colts smartly kept the ball away from Bailey and Bly. Clark has turned into an elite TE1 and is owning the middle of the field for a team that's always a threat to throw deep down the sidelines.

Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers

Damon Huard - 17/29, 284 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT, 2/-3. Huard showed how weak the Chargers secondary is right now by burning them numerous times down the field. He's gaining job security with each solid performance and could become a QB2 option soon.

Phillip Rivers - 21/42, 211 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT. Ridiculous. The Chargers are having trouble finding an offensive identity with the new coaching staff, and Rivers is a victim of these problems. Bench him against Denver.

Larry Johnson - 25/123, 3/25, 1 TD. He lives! In what projected to be a tough matchup for him, LJ finally broke through for a big day. I still remain worried about his health, and Jacksonville could provide a tough test. They've been erratic with their run D, however.

LaDainian Tomlinson - 20/132, 5/22, 1 TD. As promised, LT delivered in a big way against a weak KC run D. Unfortuantely SD collapsed in the 2nd half and cost Tomlinson some touches.

Dwayne Bowe - 8/164, 1 TD. He's for real, and has become an every week start. This could be the 2007 version of Marques Colston. Huard looks for him often, and with Kennison returning, it could keep double teams off of him.

Tony Gonzalez - 5/71, 1 TD. A great afternoon for the veteran who will benefit if KC stays with Huard for the season.

Antonio Gates - 6/79. A down game by his 2007 standards. He will likely draw Champ Bailey often in week 5 and Denver has done a good job against him in the past, but he remains a must start.

Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants

Donovan McNabb - 15/31, 138 yards, 4/4, 1 FL. He was sacked an NFL record 12 times as the Giants defensive line and blitzers lived in the Eagles backfield all night long. This was hardly his fault, and he really needs All-Pro William Thomas to return at LT. 2nd year man Winston Justice was abused by Umenyiora. He has a bye week in week 5 to lick his wounds.

Eli Manning - 14/26, 135 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 3/-5. The Eagles have done a number on Eli in his short career, and this actually qualifies as one of his best outings against them. He would have had a very nice afternoon had Amani Toomer not been dragged down by a defender on what would have been a sure long TD.

Correll Buckhalter - 17/103, 4/35. Who needs Westbrook? Just kidding of course, but Buckhalter is a must-own while Westbrook is on the mend. He led his team in both rushing and receiving, but you can forget about him this week with the Eagles on bye.

Derrick Ward - 19/80, 3/26. If this was Ward's last start with Jacobs set to return in week 5, he went out in an impressive fashion, doing what he does best by gaining solid yardage all game long.

Kevin Curtis - 2/21. An indirect victim of the relentless Giants pass rush. The Eagles have a bye week to fix their offensive problems, and hopefully Curtis will emerge as a consistent fantasy option after the break.

Reggie Brown - 3/17. See above.

Plaxico Burress - 4/24, 1 TD. He's not getting deep as he's presumably slowed by his bum ankle. He'll continue to play through it, and he remains one of the best redzone targets in the game. Hopefully he'll start making more plays down the field, however.

Jeremy Shockey - 1/17. The Eagles held the entire passing game in check, and Shockey was a victim. He's still a great TE1.