Week 9 Thoughts

Arizona Cardinals - Warner posted his best game of the season, smoking the over-matched Bears defense.  Wells again looked great, but is being limited by his playing time, and more specifically, his carries.  Fitzgerald exploded, predictably, with Boldin missing.  He's continuing to make progress in the passing game, and with his talent running the ball, expect more work down the stretch.  Hold on tightly as great RB insurance.

Atlanta Falcons - Atlanta's passing attack fell flat again as Ryan has had some ups and downs in his 2nd year, but it's been mostly positive.  White had an off-game, but Gonzalez posted a solid week.  Michael Turner has turned the corner.  2 weeks ago Atlanta adjusted their running plays, and he's looked like the stud from last year the last two weeks.  He's shown a lot more quickness and explosion...a key part of his game that was missing prior to that.  Expect a strong finish if he can stay healthy.

Baltimore Ravens - Flacco had another rough game, but Cincy's surprising D was motivated and played at maximum level all game long.  He's still a QB1 in most match-ups.  Ray Rice once again dominated the backfield, and most importantly, executed a 2 yard goal line carry.  Rice is officially the every down back for Baltimore, and while the pass-first offense limits his carries a bit, he's a top 10 RB.

Buffalo Bills - Bye week.

Carolina Panthers - Delhomme continues to be a game manager as the team clearly does not trust him, so you have to wonder why he's still starting.  Steve Smith's fantasy value continues to be wrecked by Delhomme's play.  DeAngelo Williams has actually been an RB1 this season, and amazingly enough, he's on a similar pace as last year.  There's still concern that Stewart will eventually take goal line duties, but Williams did score from 6 yards out last week.  It's a situation worth monitoring.

Cincinnati Bengals - Carson Palmer came out firing, but slowed greatly in the 2nd half as the defenses dominated.  Chad Johnson played great again, but lost a fumble to harm his pedestrian stat line.  Chris Henry is done for the season with a broken forearm, so they'll need Laveraneus Coles to step up like he did this week.  Cedric Benson is on an alarming pace of carries, but thanks to the heavy workload, he's a great RB1.  He's the new Rudi Johnson. 

Chicago Bears - Cutler posted an outstanding fantasy day, but that masks the fact this offense looked terrible again.  With the running game not working, and Matt Forte owners cursing out the offensive line, this team is built to pass, which bodes well for Cutler's value in the 2nd half.  Greg Olsen finally had a big day, including making plays down the field, so those expecting a big leap from him this season hopes this jump starts him in the 2nd half.

Cleveland Browns - Bye week.

Dallas Cowboys - Tony Romo continues firing on all cylinders, but Miles Austin is starting to attract heavy defensive attention as he was doubled most of the game.  While Austin created another big play, he was limited to one catch.  This warrants monitoring to see how the Cowboys and Austin adjusted.  Roy Williams was the beneficiary posting one of his best receiving days on the season, but provided nothing in the way of big plays.  Jason Witten is still not doing much of anything.  He's still obviously a TE1, but he's not giving his owners what they paid for.  Of concern is the lack of work Marion Barber is getting.  I'm not sure if his legs are still bothering him, but his lack of carries and big plays are worth worrying about moving forward.  Keep him going as a RB2, but he's nothing more at this point.

Denver Broncos - Kyle Orton threw his first 3 real interceptions of the season, and while you can use him in the right match-ups, he's not evolving into the QB1 I expected.  His lack of arm strength is great for the short-intermediate passing game, but Denver isn't even trying to throw the ball deep.  Eddie Royal turned in his 2nd most productive receiving game of the season, but as usual, it's impossible to rely on him until he gives you more than 1/4 productive games.

Detroit Lions- Mathew Stafford was not at all helped by the return of Calvin Johnson as Stafford was clearly off in this one, not only throwing 5 interceptions, but also throwing erratic passes constantly after his strong start in the first quarter.  Calvin Johnson was clearly upset with Stafford's performance, at one point refusing to talk to his quarterback.  He'll bounce back.  Kevin Smith returned as the primary ball carrier, and while the team around him fell apart, it's great news for his value down the stretch.

Green Bay Packers - So much for that offensive line improvement.  They gave up pressure and sacks all day to a poor Tampa Bay defensive line, and while Rodgers posted another monster fantasy day, it's continuing to kill Greg Jennings.  Until the protection improves, Jennings is nowhere near a WR1.  Ryan Grant looked great again.

Houston Texans - Schaub posted another great performance, spreading the ball around and utilizing Kevin Walter more with Daniels out of the lineup.  The backfield is a complete mess as Moats posted a very below average game, and he lost a fumble at the one yard line.  It's simply a mess right now, but luckily for Slaton owners, he converted a 1 yard TD run later in the game.  I'm not going to attempt figuring out who will play what role next week.

Indianapolis Colts - Manning and company keep humming right along, and Addai posted another great fantasy day with Brown sidelined.  He'll continue to be a solid RB2 for as long as Brown is out.

Jacksonville Jaguars - MJD's high workload allowed for a great fantasy day, but I'm sure his fantasy owners expected a much better per-touch efficiency.  Mike Sims-Walker exploded once again, and he's an excellent fantasy option moving forward.

Kansas City Chiefs - Cassel posted one of his best games against the season, although keep in mind this was against one of the worst secondaries in the NFL.  KC barely bothered running the ball, but when they did, it was a split between Charles and Kolby Smith.  Smith will likely handle most of the between-the-tackles work while Charles gets mixed in and is the preferred passing game option.  This is a situation to stay away from in terms of starting either of these guys.

Miami Dolphins - Miami had its rushing attack mostly stuffed, but Brown tossed a TD from the wildcat, and Williams took a pitch from Pat White and ran 15 yards for his own TD.  Brown is a RB1 thanks to his greater workload and goal line presence while Williams continues to be a RB2/Flex option even as the lesser option.

Minnesota Vikings - Bye week.

New England Patriots - Brady torched Miami's corners, but unfortunately for his fantasy owners, they just couldn't get it into the end zone consistently.  Maroney had another solid performance, racking up 20 carries and being productive with them including a touchdown.

New Orleans Saints - Just another day at the office for Brees and company.  Of note here is that Pierre Thomas is slowly moving back to his feature RB role as he dominated touches and scored from 10 yards out.

New York Giants - Eli Manning looked very close to 100% this week, which is great news for his owners moving forward.  I would feel confident putting him back out there as he looked the best he has since coming down with his heel injury.  Manningham and Nicks continue to split snaps at WR, making both risky WR3 plays, and Steve Smith owners will be happy with Manning's recovery.  Jacobs suffered a slight knee injury which cost him some carries, but he was effective again and he's set up for a rewarding good 2nd half.

New York Jets - Bye week.

Oakland Raiders - Bye week.

Philadelphia Eagles - McNabb continued his Jeckyl/Hyde approach to playing quarterback as he threw up another poor performance against the Cowboys.  Brent Celek continues his emergence as one of the great young TEs in football with another strong performance.  Westbrook continues to be a massive headache for his owners between the concussion and his continued ankle problems, so hopefully those who invested highly in him this season have protected themselves with LeSean McCoy.

Pittsburgh Steelers - Business as usual for the Steelers as Big Ben as the passing game hum along while Mendenhall churns out the yardage on the ground.

San Diego Chargers - Much like the Steelers, Rivers and the Chargers passing game keeps moving along as well, and Vincent Jackson continues to be a beast.  LT again had problems near the goal line (and on pretty much every other carry), but at least he's getting plenty of chances.  Not much positive to say about him otherwise, unfortunately.

San Francisco 49ers - Alex Smith has certainly changed the identity of the offense as they are clearly more comfortable passing the ball, and he's effectively moved the team during his time on the field.  He's made Vernon Davis an even better fantasy TE as he has elevated himself to the #1 TE in FF with Daniels' injury.  This only helps Frank Gore who has a great match-up against a reeling Bears D Thursday night.

Seattle Seahawks - Hasselbeck and the Seahawks, despite preseason rumblings about being a run-first time, continue to sling the ball around the field.  They have a poor offensive line and no RB that can make things happen by himself, so it makes sense.  Julius Jones actually had a productive all-around day, but we've been through this with him before, and he's only a desperate RB2.

St. Louis Rams - Bye week.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Fantasy wasteland.

Tennessee Titans - The passing game isn't much to speak of with Vince Young behind center, but their offense as a whole looks better crazily enough.  Chris Johnson scored a 2 yard TD, proving that he is officially the every down RB for the Titans.  LenDale White is a non-factor and only a pure backup at this point.  Considering his value has hit rock bottom, Johnson owners should consider making a small deal for White before the trading deadline to secure his handcuff.

Washington Redskins - Portis was knocked unconscious, so Ladell Betts took over and posted a solid game in his place.  Portis looks like to miss at least one more week.