|
|
 |
 |   |
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Video Plus Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities 
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE | |
Sunday's Best Football is back, but is all back to normal?
Updated: Tuesday September 25, 2001 3:46 PM
By James Quintong, CNNSI.com With great fanfare, the NFL returned to action Sunday, but some of the results showed that all is not yet normal. The Bengals and Chargers are 2-0? The Vikings and Titans are 0-2? Randy Moss has yet to catch a touchdown? Jay Fiedler is one of the best fantasy quarterbacks in the league? Then again, some things did seem normal. Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison had monster games. The Broncos and Rams kept on piling up fantasy stats. Fred Taylor and Duce Staley got hurt again. In fact it wasn't a great week for running backs. Only one shows up in this week's top 10, although were a handful of surprising performances from younger backs. Some marquee backs did have decent games (Marshall Faulk, Edgerrin James, Curtis Martin), but those were performances pretty much expected of them.
Top 10 studs1. Peyton Manning, QB, Colts (23-29, 421 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs; 7 carries, 26 yards, 1 TD): Hard to believe Manning has exceeded expectations so far this year, but that's the case two weeks into the season. The Bills defense was noticeably weaker this year than in the past, but what Manning did was stunning. He had a huge day with his arm, but add some respectable rushing numbers from such a traditional QB and that equates into a gigantic fantasy game. 2. Marvin Harrison, WR, Colts (7 catches, 146 yards, 3 TDs): I'm sure many fantasy owners were disappointed with his Week 1 output. But you knew he was due for a big game pretty soon. So guess what -- a huge game for Harrison. The Indianapolis offense is definitely running on all cylinders right now. It could be another big year for Manning, Harrison and Edgerrin James. 3. James Thrash, WR, Eagles (10 catches, 165 yards, 2 TDs): Todd Pinkston got all the press (and the waiver claims) after Week 1, but Thrash stepped up to the occasion this week. If Pinkston and Thrash can put together games like this on a consistent basis, it could be a huge year for the Philadelphia offense, which lacked consistency from its wide receivers last year. 4. Rod Smith, WR, Broncos (14 catches, 162 yards, 2 TDs): Even with Ed McCaffrey gone, Smith still finds ways to get at ton of balls and make a bunch of big plays. While other elite receivers have yet to find a consistent groove so far, Smith has been put up big numbers in two straight weeks. 5. Donovan McNabb, QB, Eagles (24-37, 283 yards, 2 TDs; 5 carries, 16 yards, 1 TD): McNabb just keeps on getting better, and it helps that players like Thrash and Pinkston are starting to emerge as capable receiving targets. With Duce Staley hurting, McNabb will have to pick up even more of the offensive slack (much like last year). 6. Kurt Warner, QB, Rams (24-35, 321 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT): Warner has had big games in the past against the 49ers, and this was no exception. Even though San Francisco has improved its defense, Warner still finds many ways to break through and put up huge numbers. That unexpected week off gave Warner time to heal a sore thumb, and it showed. 7. Jamal Anderson, RB, Falcons (25 carries, 98 yards; 1 catch, 94 yards, 1 TD): He came painfully close to breaking the 100-yard barrier in both rushing and receiving. On the ground, he did it the usual way -- just grinding through the defense, like he's done in the past. He jumps onto this week's list because of his great catch-and-run play that helped break the game open. 8. Jerome Pathon, WR, Colts (9 catches, 168 yards, 1 TD): For the second straight week, Pathon led the team in receptions and yards, as he continues to emerge as a very capable alternative to Harrison. There are still plenty of passes to go around in Indianapolis for the receivers, and the Colts could continue to look even more like the Rams. 9. Doug Flutie, QB, Chargers (23-38, 353 yards, 2 TDs): Flutie took some of the thunder from LaDainian Tomlinson's return to Texas, but the ageless wonder just continues to produce. He also showed that Dallas' defense is still a bit suspect despite a nice showing against the Bucs in Week 1. Plus, Flutie has a few more credible targets than you might think. Freddie Jones will just get better now that he's got a real QB throwing to him. Veterans Jeff Graham and Curtis Conway seem to be ignored yet have more than their fair share of big games, even before Flutie came into town. 10. Brian Griese, QB, Broncos (22-31, 242 yards, 3 TDs): Another great game, even if it wasn't as eye-popping as his Monday night effort. He's a smooth, efficient passing machine who knows how to make plays and not make mistakes. Even without Ed McCaffrey, Griese should be fine. There's always Rod Smith around to catch his passes. Just missing the cut: Jay Fiedler, QB, Dolphins (16-34, 217 yards, 2 INTs; 8 carries, 34 yards, 2 TDs); Isaac Bruce, WR, Rams (8 catches, 144 yards, 1 TD); Elvis Grbac, QB, Ravens (33-63, 326 yards, 1 TD, 3 INTs); Rob Johnson, QB, Bills (24-37, 257 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT; 5 carries, 63 yards); Johnnie Morton, WR, Lions (6 catches, 100 yards, 1 TD).
Top 5 DudsSpecial honor: Ty Detmer, QB, Lions (22-42, 212 yards, 1 TD, 7 INTs): He's not officially on this list this week because if you had to start him this week, then your team is probably in more trouble than Matt Millen's. And remember, not all leagues count interceptions, so in that case, this is just an average game. 1. Matt Hasselbeck, QB, Seahawks (9-24, 62 yards; 4 carries, 31 yards): On the other hand, many owners were giving Hasselbeck a second chance after stumbling against the Browns. The Eagles were going to be a tough test, but the numbers this week were even more anemic than might be expected. With the Raiders up next, it may be time to bench him until there's some marked improvement. 2. Duce Staley, RB, Eagles (3 carries, 12 yards; 1 catch, 2 yards): Not again. This time Staley dislocated his shoulder and could be lost for a while. Rookie Correll Buckhalter did a great job in his place (18 carries, 52 yards; 4 catches, 50 yards). Looks like he'll be a big name on the waiver wire this week, especially if Staley is gone for a long time. 3. Fred Taylor, RB, Jaguars (6 carries, 20 yards; 1 catch, 11 yards): Guess what, he got hurt again. The extent of his groin injury is still unknown, and it helped pave the way for his backup to do well (see below). 4. Cris Carter, WR, Vikings (1 catch, 13 yards): Other than Rod Smith, it really hasn't been a good year for the stud wideouts as many have had a bad game already. Carter pretty much holds the place for a number of other Sunday disappointments from receivers and tight ends (Torry Holt, Jerry Rice, Frank Wycheck with few yards while Randy Moss, Jimmy Smith and Terrell Owens had yards but no scores). 5. Todd Pinkston, WR, Eagles (1 catch, 6 yards): So much for Week 1. This time it was James Thrash who was the big star. Just imagine if the two receivers could have big games at the same time. Give it time, both Pinkston and Thrash could emerge together.
Top 5 Surprises1. Stacey Mack, RB, Jaguars (18 carries, 80 yards, 1 TD; 2 catches, 14 yards): With Taylor injured, Mack stepped in nicely and turned in a solid game. Some fantasy owners were prepared for such a situation, especially given Taylor's history of injuries, and could come in handy next week. 2. Marty Booker, WR, Bears (9 catches, 95 yards, 1 TD): Few people paid attention to him at fantasy drafts this year even though he emerged as the No. 2 wideout in Chicago. The shaky QB situation had a lot to do with it as well as Marcus Robinson's own health problems. Robinson returned in a big way as well (7 catches, 99 yards, 1 TD) but he was at least a decent play to begin with. Booker should get attention on the waiver wire this week if he can continue to be a nice target for whoever is throwing the ball. 3. Olandis Gary, RB, Broncos (14 carries, 90 yards, 1 TD): Gary, not Mike Anderson, was the more impressive back in replacing Terrell Davis. Both will get their share of carries and both will likely have good games in the next few weeks, given their talent. However, their values do get knocked just slightly if they continue to share carries like this. 4. James Jackson, RB, Browns (31 carries, 124 yards): He didn't look all that sharp in Week 1, but he came through in a big way this week against Detroit. Cleveland is slowly improving, and Jackson could help with that if he can continue to be a workhorse. He may finally be the running back the Browns have been wanting since returning to the league. 5. Kevan Barlow, RB, 49ers (13 carries, 49 yards, 1 TD): After Garrison Hearst was knocked out of the game with a concussion, the rookie Barlow stepped in and played reasonably well. San Francisco has been trying to break in Barlow as their featured back, but only gradually. If Hearst has to miss considerable playing time, then Barlow could grab that starting job by himself. James Quintong is Fantasy Sports producer at CNNSI.com.
| |||||||||||||||||||||
