Week 4 Thoughts

Arizona Cardinals - Bye week.

Atlanta Falcons - Roddy White is an awesome buy low.  Try to get him.

Baltimore Ravens - Flacco continues to amaze.  He's turned into one of the best QB2s around.  Ray Rice continues to produce at an impressive clip despite receiving limited carries and no goal line chances.  Despite 19 carries in week 1 and no more than 11 carries the next 3 weeks, he has scored no less than 8.2 points during the first month of the season.  Rice is a legit RB2 thanks to his pass catching supplementing his limited carries.

Buffalo Bills - Edwards and the Bills offensive line are killing both Owens and Evans.  He simply doesn't have enough time to set up to throw down the field.  Both have regressed to WR4 material for the time being.  Marshawn Lynch returned, and sure enough, this was about an even timeshare, even though Fred Jackson predictably outproduced him.  The annoying part of this was the fact that Jackson even lost passing down work to Lynch.  Neither guy is worth using as more than a RB3 until this situation becomes clearer.

Carolina Panthers - Bye week.

Cincinnati Bengals - Palmer was disappointing against a questionable Cleveland secondary, but led another late TD drive and ended up with solid fantasy numbers.  It hasn't been pretty so far, but in the end, the numbers have been there for him except for week 1.  I expect continued improvement.

Chicago Bears - Cutler continues a torrid fantasy pace after bombing in week 1.  Those who stepped away from the ledge after one game are being rewarded as he has settled in very nicely.  Forte showed some signs of life, but it was against one of the worst run Ds in the NFL, and it was mostly on 2 big runs.  The Bears have clearly adjusted their game plan to pass more, and Forte doesn't appear to be the preferred option near the goal line any more either.  I think he'll improve, but I don't think he has the upside many of us thought when the season began.

Cleveland Browns - Derek Anderson replaced Brady Quinn as the starter, and that wasn't good news for Braylon Edwards.  At least Edwards caught a few passes with Quinn behind center.  The good news for Edwards is that rookie Mohammad Massaquoi had a huge game, and if he can step up opposite Edwards, it will eliminate the relentless double teaming Edwards is seeing right now.  Things will get better for Edwards...for all of Anderson's faults, he is willing to go down the field, as to where Quinn won't.  Hang in there.

Dallas Cowboys - Tony Romo just doesn't have it right now.  Without a WR to make plays for him like Owens did, he's stuck with mediocre options who don't consistently get open.  He's also making horrible decisions and is showing inaccuracy.  He's a QB2 until he proves otherwise.  Barber looked pretty good, but his quad tightened up on him, and it kept him off the field in the 2nd half.  Since Choice was playing so well, the Cowboys probably played it safe.

Denver Broncos - Kyle Orton has looked every bit the part of a QB2 thus far.  He continues to post solid weeks despite not really making big plays down the field.  Brandon Marshall is officially back and a great WR2 moving forward.  Eddie Royal has officially disappeared and shouldn't see your starting lineup.  I wouldn't drop him though.  Keep an eye on Buckhalter's injury as that would help Moreno's already RB2 value moving forward.

Detroit Lions - Stafford looked good again while getting the ball down the field, but he's still struggling with his accuracy.  CJ would have turned in an even bigger day had Stafford not misfired on 2 different passes where he was open in the end zone.  Still, it's a great sign for CJ moving forward.  Kevin Smith was absolutely gobbled up by the Bears D, but he scored twice and he's the lone wolf of the backfield...a rarity these days.

Green Bay Packers - Rodgers certainly didn't disappoint with a monster statistical game, but imagine what he could have accomplished with some protection?  He performed great despite the circumstances.  He can say it was just another game all he wanted...but you know he badly wanted to post huge numbers and a win.  Ryan Grant was productive with his touches, but the nature of the game didn't allow him many.  It was disappointing that Jennings didn't have a big game despite Rodgers' final numbers, but stay patient with him.  The Packers lack of trust in him at the goal line showed.  He was stuffed once, and then the Packers tried to throw it a couple times.  That says a lot about their confidence in his goal line running.

Houston Texans - Schaub struggled a bit, but Oakland's secondary actually isn't that bad.  No worries there.  Slaton finally turned in a good game with a couple scores, but his YPC sucked even with the big run.  The good news was that Chris Brown was barely on the field, but Slaton needs to be more productive with is touches.

Indianapolis Colts - This offense is on fire right now, and with TEN's decimated secondary next on the schedule, continued good times are ahead.

Jacksonville Jaguars - Apparently a struggling QB's remedy is to face the above mentioned TEN secondary as Garrard absolutely torched them.  Mike Sims-Walker turned in another monster game, and it might be time to shop him around.  He should remain productive as the top option for the Jaguars, while healthy, but I simply can't get past his long history of knee problems.

Kansas City Chiefs - This offense is such an absolute mess, there's little to say.  Bowe didn't look 100%, and until he proves he's 100%, I wouldn't start him.  Us owners lucked out with a TD in his first two games, but his yardage has been awful even when healthy.

Miami Dolphins - The Dolphins had a perfect first match up with Chad Henne behind center as they were able to use the ground game to punish Buffalo, and they didn't have to ask Henne to do much.  Ronnie Brown looks awesome, and Ricky Williams is doing a very good job behind him.  The problem is that this passing game will allow stronger run defenses, like the upcoming match up with MIN, to focus on shutting down the rushing attack.  Temper expectations against said defenses, but you can't sit Brown.

Minnesota Vikings - For those who started Brett Favre expecting an inspired performance, you certainly were rewarded.  The playbook is starting to open up for him, and while this remains a run-first team, Favre is starting to take more shots down the field.  Given the respect the defenses have for Peterson, Favre will have some games like this.  Berrian and Rice both scored.  I view Berrian as a WR3, and Rice is emerging a solid bye week replacement.  He's limiting Harvin to a slot WR role for now.  Peterson was swallowed up by a vicious Packers run defenses, but he scored to post a decent game.

New England Patriots - Brady looks more like pre-2007 self than anything else at this point.  He's a QB1, but he's not the explosive option people were expecting, especially after his excellent preseason.  As I warned, Taylor's usage went back down the toilet again this week.  He'll probably be worth a shot as a RB3 in the right match up, but he's nothing more than that.

New Orleans Saints - Now might be a great time to shoot an offer for Brees.  You'll still have to pay full price, but you might find an owner willing to listen to deals for him after 2 straight zero TD performances instead of laughing at you.  Still, the smart owners will laugh at you.  Pierre Thomas looked great once more and is arguably a RB1 moving forward.  His skills are legit and he's playing for a great offense.

New York Giants - The Giants keep rollin, rollin, rollin.  Eli loves Steve Smith, and his young WRs are certainly stepping up to the plate and making plays.  Manningham has kinda fallen off, and he's picked a bad time to do with Hakeem Nicks battling for playing time now.  Expect some snap splitting between these two for now.  Unfortunately for the rushing attack, the passing attack has stolen both some thunder and scoring opportunities.  Jacobs should still see an uptick in scoring with the passing attack humming, so I wouldn't worry yet.  All in all, hopefully Eli's injury isn't too bad.

New York Jets - Mark Sanchez turned into a toad this weekend, bombing in horrible fashion.  He is just a normal rookie, after all.  Not to fear, though, as I expect him to bounce back.  He's still a decent QB2.  This was a forgettable game on all fronts, but it was nice to see Cotchery post solid yardage despite the situation.  He's been an excellent value so far.

Oakland Raiders - Barf sandwich.  Much like KC, there's just nothing much to say here.  To further the negative, Fargas came into the game and led the team in carries with 10.  McFadden was worthless, but it's annoying that Michael Bush wasn't used more.  There zero upside in giving Fargas any carries unless an injury necessitates it.

Philadelphia Eagles - Bye week.

Pittsburgh Steelers - Big Ben looked good, and Hines Ward continues to be the most reliable Steelers WR.  Holmes drops too many passes and just doesn't possess the skills to go over the middle like Ward continues to do.  The biggest news here, obviously, is the emergence of Rashard Mendenhall.  He fully took advantage of the chance to shine, running hard and finishing his runs with authority.  I'd like to see him prove it again, but he's going to have the opportunity to become the lead back here.  I said Moore was a sleeper, and he posted an amusing pair of TDs on a reception and a HB toss.   :)  Moving forward, obviously, he's just a 3rd down back unless injuries befall the backfield again.

San Diego Chargers - This isn't your normal Chargers team.  They tried to run their normal offense, but it just didn't work.  Once they spread the field and started passing, granted it was against more of a prevent defense, they moved the ball at will.  LT looked slow and unexplosive again, and they didn't give Sproles the chance to run much.  Rivers preferred Gates in this one as he dominated the middle of the field and found holes where blitzing LBs once were.  This will continue to be a pass-first offense, and Rivers, Jackson, and Gates are all top tier options at their respective positions.

San Francisco 49ers - Shaun Hill was slow and steady in this one, and if Morgan had better hands, he would have had an additional TD.  Vernon Davis continues to break out and has earned the right to start every week.  Glen Coffee struggled again in terms of what he did with this touches, but luckily the high amount of carries and solid passing game work allowed him to post a solid fantasy day.  Ultimately the defense dominated this one with 3 scores.

Seattle Seahawks - The Seahawks offense predictably fell on it's face against a tough secondary.  Given this team is not built to run the ball, they stood no chance, especially with their decimated offensive line.  Seneca Wallace actually posted a solid fantasy line for a QB2, but that was about the only positive that came out of this.

St. Louis Rams - Disaster.  Boller proved that last week was another fluky performance in his mostly mediocre career.  Props to the heart-filled effort Steven Jackson puts on the field each and every week...he's doing everything he can.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Josh Johnson looked reasonable in his debut, although he didn't challenge down the field at all.  He put his athleticism on display with 7 carries for 41 yards, and he'll continue to post Tavaris Jackson type numbers with low passing yardage, an occasional TD, and solid rushing yardage.  He could be a QB2 consideration in the right match up thanks to his rushing ability.

Tennessee Titans - It's safe to wonder how long the Titans will continue to start Kerry Collins.  He's making more mistakes this year, and he's not making up for it with big plays.  Given the state of their defense, they need him to make more plays, and he's just not that type of QB anymore.  Kenny Britt posted a huge week, and if he continues to post good numbers, he might actually overtake Gage as opposed to Washington.  This is worth monitoring.  Chris Johnson posted a solid yardage game in spite of the massacre, which is good news.

Washington Redskins - Campbell turned in a solid outing, but Washington ultimately relied upon Clinton Portis in this one, who carried 25 times despite injury, and almost got his 100 yards.  Unfortunately for his owners, the only TD came on a bomb to Santana Moss, who only mustered 2 catches, but he made them count.  He's posted back to back numbers in good match ups...just what his owners like to see.