NFL Week 7: Late Game Wrapup

New York Jets at Cincinnati Bengals

Chad Pennington - 20/31, 272 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT, 3/7, 1 FL. Pennington put up a solid game against a very weak defense, but he was picked off and it was return for a TD to seal the game for Cincy. This is probably not enough to hold off the calls for Kellen Clemens, especially with the team sporting a 1-6 record.

Thomas Jones - 19/67. A very disappointing effort from Jones against such a weak defense, especially with the game close throughout. Keep him in the lineup versus Buffalo in week 8.

Laveraneous Coles - 8/133, 2 TD. A huge last game from the Pennington/Coles connection, if that is indeed the end to Chad's run as the starter. There was no denying that the two had solid chemistry, so hopefully Coles will keep that up if Clemens takes over. He had a great matchup with Buffalo in week 8.

Jerricho Cotchery - 6/60, 1 TD. A solid game from Cotchery, and he could start to receive more targets from Clemens. He too has a great matchup with Buffalo in week 8.

Carson Palmer - 14/21, 226 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT. Owners were certainly left wanting more from Palmer in such a good matchup against the Jets, but Watson stole the scoring show, and Cincy was able to move the ball down the field very effectively on the ground. He faces a stern test against Pittsburgh in week 8.

Kenny Watson - 31/130, 3/27, 3 TD. Hello, Kenny Watson. The owners who used him with Rudi out were rewarded beyond their wildest dreams with a monster game. Given how well Watson has run, how poorly Rudi was running this year, and Rudi dealing with a lingering injury, there's a very good chance that Watson has carved himself a far more prominent role in the backfield.

Chad Johnson - 3/102. He had a couple long catches, but his targets were limited with Cincy choosing to run the ball down NYJ's throat. Owners are probably getting impatient with TJ stealing all the TD's, but Palmer obviously uses both to their strengths.

T.J. Houshmandzadeh - 4/43, 1 TD. TJ is 6/6 in games with TDs this year, making him insanely consistent. Like I mentioned above, Palmer obviously uses both to their strengths, and it's certainly making TJ a far more valuable fantasy WR this year.

Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders

Damon Huard - 16/31, 177 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 2/-2. A very subpar outing from Huard, but like I mentioned before, the Raiders secondary is very solid. This won't hurt his chances for starting the rest of the year, especially since the Chiefs won again.

Larry Johnson - 24/112, 6/21, 1 TD. LJ took advantage of a great matchup and posted another very solid game. He has entered the easier part of his schedule, so as long as he holds up, he should continue taking advantage of matchups against weaker defenses. I'm still wary on his healthy over the course of this season, but he's proving good to go for now.

Dwayne Bowe - 3/84. He hauled in a big 58 yard pass which saved his fantasy day in a game where he caught only 3 passes. Count the lack of catches up to a solid opponent, and feel lucky that he broke a big one to turn in a solid fantasy day.

Tony Gonzalez - 4/66. Another solid day from Gonzo who continues to thrive with Huard behind center. He's a TE1 like usual.

Duante Culpepper - 18/29, 228 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 3/4. A decent game from Culpepper. I think expecting numbers like these in most weeks is very reasonable.

LaMont Jordan - 11/29, 4/40. Jordan struggled horribly again on the ground, but he avoided a disaster by catching passes later in the game. Given Rhodes logged 9 carries to Jordan's 11, it's time to start worrying that Jordan's back is limiting his effectiveness, and that it will lead to Rhodes getting more playing time. Rhodes hardly did anything (9/21) with his carries, though.

Ronald Curry - 4/45, 1 TD. Jerry Porter seems to make the big plays (1/59), but he's being targetted less frequently than Curry. Curry remains the guy to own and makes for a solid WR3.

Zach Miller - 4/48. Culpepper effectively used Jermaine Wiggins during his tenure with the Vikings, so Miller could emerge as a solid TE2 down the stretch.

Minnesota Vikings at Dallas Cowboys

Tavaris Jackson - 6/19, 72 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT, 4/20. Worst QB in football. He has solid physical skills and is arguably the fastest QB in the NFL, but he's so raw and it's really showing this year. Brad Childress is really doing a disservice to his team by not starting a veteran until Jackson is ready.

Adrian Peterson - 12/63, 1/12, 1 TD, 1 FL. Peterson scored on a 20 yard run, but didn't get enough carries in this one to make a huge difference. Because of the erratic amount of times he touches the ball, he's a lower tiered RB1.

Chester Taylor - 10/47, 3/19. Taylor should not be unowned in leagues, and he's especially helpful as a handcuff to Peterson owners.

Tony Romo - 31/39, 277 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 1/4, 1 FL. I expected a better output from Romo against a weak Vikings secondary, but he still put up a solid effort in what has been one of is weaker outputs of the season thus far.

Marion Barber - 19/96, 4/9, 1 TD. Barber received 19 carries to Jones' 9, and while I wouldn't get too excited yet, this could be a step in Barber becoming the team's feature RB. He battered the vaunted MIN run D in the 2nd half.

Terrell Owens - 7/103, 1 TD. Owens sliced through the MIN secondary and put up his best game out of the last 3. Not that his owners were worried, but it's nice to see him put up another solid effort.

Patrick Crayton - 2/19, 1 FL. When you are the teams' 2B option in the receiving game, there's going to be games like this.

Jason Witten - 10/86. A monster PPR game from the talented Witten. He continues to be the best TE bargain in fantasy drafts with excellent consistency.

Chicago Bears at Philadelphia Eagles

Brian Griese - 27/41, 322 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 1/0. He was having a rather modest day until leading the Bears on a 97 yard TD drive in under 2 minutes with 0 timeouts, culminating in a 15 yard TD pass to Muhammad. Griese is turning into a solid QB2.

Cedric Benson - 17/46, 1/19. Pathetic. He runs with no burst, no power, and seemingly no effort. It's time for the Bears to give Adrian Peterson more work.

Muhsin Muhammad - 5/79, 1 TD. He should be owned in all leagues. He's not the deep threat he once was, but he suits the short passing game that Griese does well, and he's the best fit for the new Chicago passing game. He's still a very solid redzone target. He gets a favorable matchup against the Lions next.

Bernard Berrian - 4/65. Still solid numbers, but without the deep playaction TD bombs he was catching with consistency last year, he's not posting any big games.

Greg Olsen - 4/48. He's been consistently posting decent yardage totals and is a solid TE2 with further upside in the 2nd half.

Donovan McNabb - 21/34, 226 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 2/18. McNabb is looking quicker on his feet as the season moves on, and while he hasn't had a big game since the explosion versus the Lions, he's slowly making progress. He makes for a solid buy-low candidate in the 2nd half.

Brian Westbrook - 18/79, 6/40. Westbrook against posted a very good yardage total, but didn't find the endzone again. He'll get more chances as McNabb continues to improve.

Kevin Curtis - 5/62. McNabb talked about getting Reggie Brown more involved, and while he has definitely succeeded in doing that after the bye, Curtis remains the preferred target. He's quick, runs good routes, and has good hands.

Reggie Brown - 3/44. He's slowly coming around, but he's nothing more than a WR4 for now.

St Louis Rams at Seattle Seahawks

Marc Bulger - 21/40, 225 yards, 0 TD, 3 INT. What a horrible disaster in his return. I feel very bad that I recommended him in my gameday active area as he was clearly rusty on an offense that just isn't accomplishing anything. Steven Jackson likely returns next week, so that should help. They get Cleveland next, so if your other QB is on bye, it's a solid matchup to try him again with.

Brian Leonard - 12/44. Leonard hardly capitalized on a solid matchup. He's likely headed back to the bench next week.

Torry Holt - 8/82. His knee continues to limit his ability to make downfield plays, and since the offense is struggling so badly, he's not scoring TDs to make up for it.

Isaac Bruce - 2/52. The deep-in route king. He'll improve down the stretch as the Rams offense figures to do so as well.

Matt Hasselbeck - 18/35, 195 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT. Not a big yardage day, but he made up for it by tossing 2 TDs. He's still a low tier QB1. He's on bye this week, and he'll benefit from getting Deion Branch back after the bye.

Shaun Alexander - 19/47, 1/18. This has gotten ugly in a hurry, plus he got into an argument with his coach on the sideline. I'd stick a fork in him, but he'd probably yell at me too.

Bobby Engram - 6/73. Another solid outing from Engram, but with Branch scheduled to return after the bye week, he'll lose fantasy value and likely return to the slot. However, he'll probably remain Hasselbeck's secondary receiver.

Nate Burleson - 1/12. Thanks, Nate.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos

Ben Roethlisberger - 24/35, 290 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT, 3/20, 1 FL. Big Ben took full advantage of the DEN secondary with Bailey out by posting his best fantasy effort of the season. With Ward and Holmes both back at the WR position, expect him to improve his yardage in the 2nd half.

Willie Parker - 21/93, 2/34. Another fine yardage game, but the lack of TDs has to be frustrating his owners. He's been solid all year, otherwise.

Hines Ward - 7/78. He looked healthy and is safe to resume starting. Cincy is a great matchup in week 8.

Santonio Holmes - 6/54, 1 TD. Same as Ward.

Heath Miller - 5/50, 2 TD. Miller came through with a big game for those who chose to use him, and he'll likely retain his lower tier TE1 value all year long. He's a great redzone target.

Jay Cutler - 22/29, 248 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT, 3/41. A very solid fantasy day for Cutler who tossed a career-high 3 TDs. Given the competition, this was a very nice step forward this year for the youngster who seemed to have slightly regressed since last year. Expect continued modest improvement.

Travis Henry - 17/51. He was bottled up by a great PIT run D, and he also left a bit early with bruised ribs. He's really slowed down after a fast start. Check his practice status this week.

Brandon Marshall - 6/77. Another solid effort from Marshall who will be the go-to receiver for the Broncos with Javon Walker out at least 6 weeks. Expect better numbers against weaker defenses, but GB in week 8 isn't a weaker defense. He's still a WR3 with WR2 upside.

Brandon Stokley - 6/70, 1 TD. Perhaps he can be of WR3 assistance with Walker out? Pick him up to find out if he's available and you need WR depth.

Tony Scheffler - 5/50, 1 TD. He's a forgotten man after a strong finish to last season once Cutler took over. He was suffering from a foot injury to start the year, but with Walker down, Scheffler could emerge as a 2nd half sleeper if they get him more involved in the passing game. He certainly has the receiving skills.