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Sunday's Best Holmes' blessed effort leads way in Week 3
By James Quintong, CNNSI.com This was yet another week that combined the predictable and the wacky in the world of fantasy football. Even against a very good Dolphins defense, the Rams still were the Rams. Yet the high-flying Colts looked pathetic against a very bad Patriots team. But after Fred Taylor and Duce Staley went down last week, would you expect a ton of running backs to go down? Jamal Anderson, Ricky Watters, James Jackson and Tiki Barber all got knocked out of their games, causing much trouble for fantasy owners. Yet there were four running backs on the top 10 list this week, although two of them were surprises turning the clock back to 1998. It was also a good week for quarterbacks with six on this week's list. And even some of the bad performances, like Peyton Manning's, still had some redeeming factors for fantasy owners. It's still rather tough to get a good read as to what to expect this season. But there appear to be some certainties -- the Rams will put up tons of fantasy numbers against anyone, and anyone can pile up numbers against the Cardinals or Redskins.
Top 10 Studs1. Priest Holmes, RB, Chiefs (23 carries, 147 yards, 2 TDs; 5 catches, 78 yards, 1 TD): He has the knack for gigantic games against bad opponents, and this was definitely one of them. Some people called him a poor man's Marshall Faulk given what Dick Vermeil and company might be able to do with this offense. So Holmes barely outdoes Faulk, although it was against a pretty bad Redskins team. 2. Marshall Faulk, RB, Rams (19 carries, 88 yards, 1 TD; 6 catches, 72 yards, 2 TDs): While Holmes had huge numbers against the pitiful Redskins, Faulk did his own number on one of the league's best defenses in the Dolphins. This is the type of performance that made Faulk the No. 1 pick in most fantasy drafts. 3. Kurt Warner, QB, Rams (24-31, 328 yards, 4 TDs): Miami was supposed to give Warner trouble. Instead, Warner had his way with the Dolphins defense. This is what happens when you put Warner on a fast home track. 4. LaDainian Tomlinson, RB, Chargers (21 carries, 107 yards, 3 TDs; 1 catch, 15 yards): He's already on his way to Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. He's everything San Diego expected -- someone with a nose for the end zone who also can pound through defenses late in the game and run down the clock. Rookie running backs can make quick impressions from a fantasy perspective and Tomlinson is another example of such. 5. Rich Gannon, QB, Raiders (19-28, 217 yards, 3 TDs; 2 carries, 11 yards, 1 TD): The overall yardage numbers aren't anything exciting, but it's always good to find the end zone four times. This more than makes up for his subpar outing last week against the Dolphins 6. Antowain Smith, RB, Patriots (22 rushes, 94 yards, 2 TDs; 3 catches, 58 yards): With Drew Bledsoe out, the running game had to do something if New England was to beat the Colts. Luckily, Smith found some of that game missing since his rookie year in '97 for the Bills. Is Smith the back they've been looking for since Robert Edwards' injury or is the Colts' run defense that bad? 7. Daunte Culpepper, QB, Vikings (30-44, 322 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs; 5 carries, 20 yards, 1 TD): With the Minnesota running game close to nonexistent, it's up to Culpepper to carry the team on his back. He struggled the first two weeks yet still put up big fantasy numbers. This time he put up the big fantasy numbers, AND led his team to victory. His yardage and TD numbers will probably improve but so will his interceptions, based on his first few games. 8. Trent Green, QB, Chiefs (21-26, 307 yards, 3 TDs): Well, so much for my recommendation of possibly benching him this week. I didn't realize the Redskins would forget to show up at home. Green was exceptionally sharp, again using his tight ends and running backs a lot. It looks like if you've got players taking on Washington, might as well start them. 9. Brett Favre, QB, Packers (25-39, 308 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs; 2-point conversion pass): He had a rough start, throwing a couple of interceptions, but then the vintage Favre came back, finding all sorts of ways to get the ball to his receivers. It definitely seems like the old Favre is back. 10. Chris Chandler, QB, Falcons (20-28, 286 yards, 3 TDs): With Michael Vick injured, Chandler knew he'd play the entire game, and going up against the very mediocre Cardinals defense, he took full advantage. Even though Tony Martin was out with an injury, the passing game flourished, thanks to old standby Terance Mathis. And for the second straight week, Chandler connected on a long catch-and-run pass play to a running back. With Jamal Anderson out for the season, Chandler could be used even more in the offense. Just missing the cut: Jerry Rice, WR, Raiders (5 catches, 91 yards, 2 TDs); Donovan McNabb, QB, Eagles (14-28, 162 yards, 3 TDs; 4 carries, 19 yards); Torry Holt, WR, Rams (4 catches, 111 yards, 1 TD); Aaron Brooks, QB, Saints (28-54, 291 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT; 4 carries, 17 yards); Ron Dayne, RB, Giants (19 carries, 111 yards, 1 TD; 1 catch, 7 yards)
Top 5 Duds1. Freddie Jones, TE, Chargers (0 catches, 0 yards): While Tomlinson and Doug Flutie were doing their magic over the upstart Bengals, Jones was shut out. Tight ends aren't usually the most reliable fantasy producers, but Jones is usually good for at least some type of numbers. 2. Mark Brunell, QB, Jaguars (4-7, 34 yards, 1 INT): He left the game early on with a concussion and his replacement Jonathan Quinn fared only slightly better. Brunell's status for next week is still unclear, but the list of Jacksonville injuries is starting to get ridiculous. On the bright side, Stacey Mack had a decent game, so he'll continue to have appreciable fantasy value. 3. Travis Henry, RB, Bills (17 carries, 30 yards; 2 catches, 9 yards): Eric Moulds' bum shoulder played a bit of a role in his poor game, which keeps him off this list for this week. So his Buffalo teammate takes the prize for the entire offense, thanks to his fumble that was returned by the Steelers for a touchdown. Rob Johnson has done little to instill confidence in the offense, which severely affects players like Henry and Moulds. 4. Marvin Harrison, WR, Colts (3 catches, 49 yards): In just three weeks of action, Harrison is on this list twice -- not a good sign. However, while Week 1 was because Jerome Pathon got all the catches, this week it was because the Patriots did a great job of shutting down the Indianapolis offense. Peyton Manning had a very bad game, too, but he still accounted for two TDs, which makes up for his three picks and thus shows up as an average fantasy game. 5. Brian Griese, QB, Broncos (17-33, 191 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs; 5 carries, 17 yards): After a couple of brilliant games, Griese ran into the brick wall that is the Ravens' defense. You figured the Denver running backs wouldn't do much, given their shared playing time and guys like Tony Siragusa wreaking havoc. However, Griese's struggles were slightly surprising even against the Ravens. He did use the tight ends a lot, which is a plus, but you could tell Griese really missed Ed McCaffrey.
Top 5 Surprises1. Maurice Smith, RB, Falcons (21 carries, 80 yards, 1 TD; 2 catches, 108 yards, 1 TD): He filled in admirably for the injured Jamal Anderson, picking up where he had left off the week before against Carolina. It helped that Smith jumped in against the Cardinals. If Anderson is indeed done for the season with his injured knee, Smith should be a good pickup for the next few weeks as Atlanta takes on Chicago and San Francisco, not necessarily defensive stalwarts. 2. Shaun Alexander, RB, Seahawks (10 carries, 18 yards, 1 TD; 7 catches, 66 yards): Always the great sleeper/backup pick, he put up adequate numbers replacing Ricky Watters, who injured a hamstring early. Alexander did little on the ground other than a short TD, but he was a factor in the passing game. Of course, playing catch-up can definitely pad those stats. 3. Darrell Jackson, WR, Seahawks (5 catches, 125 yards): Jackson was another one of those sleeper picks early on, thanks to his impressive rookie campaign. However, he had done little partly because Matt Hasselbeck has struggled so far this season. This time, Jackson got in a couple of big plays, which could be a good sign for the future. 4. Jamel White, RB, Browns (23 carries, 64 yards, 1 TD; 5 catches, 26 yards): He was yet another mid-game injury replacement who turned in an OK game. White had shared time with James Jackson earlier this year before Jackson won the starting job last week, so he had seen a decent amount of action. However, when Jackson went down, White was more than ready to contribute. The numbers weren't astounding, but he did score a touchdown. 5. Chad Lewis, TE, Eagles (4 catches, 43 yards, 2 TDs): Each week, a different Philadelphia receiver comes up huge. Todd Pinkston in Week 1, James Thrash last week and now Lewis, who had been quiet this season months after reaching his first Pro Bowl. With the way things are going for the Eagles, I guess rookie Freddie Mitchell will be the next receiver to have the big fantasy game. James Quintong is Fantasy Sports producer at CNNSI.com.
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