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Sunday's Best Century club full of members in Week 4
By James Quintong, CNNSI.com There are some new names on this week's list thanks to Indianapolis' bye week and St. Louis' playing on Monday. No matter, there were plenty of great performances to choose from this weekend. In fact, there were 10 100-yard rushers and nine 100-yard receivers. Despite this, there was just one 300-yard passer in Daunte Culpepper. Quite strange. However, to make your own onto the Top 10 fantasy list, you've got to score touchdowns along with all of those yards (sorry Jerome Bettis and Correll Buckhalter). Luckily, there were plenty of touchdowns being scored on Sunday, although it was spread out widely across the league, so there were plenty of reasonably high-scoring fantasy efforts. And as usual, there's a great collection of established fantasy superstars on this week's studs list along with yet another unexpected name atop the list.
Top 10 Studs1. Shaun Alexander, RB, Seahawks (31 carries, 176 yards, 2 TDs; 1 catch, 15 yards): Many fantasy owners have waited to see what Alexander could do if given the playing time. If this is what Alexander has to offer, the Seattle rushing game should be in good shape for a few years. As long as he stays healthy, he'll be the man for most of this season as Ricky Watters isn't expected back for at least two months. 2. Curtis Martin, RB, Jets (26 carries, 135 yards, 2 TDs; 2 catches, 18 yards): The Jets got off to a quick start, and as usual, relied on Martin to carry the bulk of the offense. It's amazing to see how reliable Martin has been for fantasy players this year - he's scored touchdowns in all four games this year, including two the last two games. 3. Terrell Owens, WR, 49ers (8 catches, 112 yards, 2 TDs): After scoring a TD last week against the Jets, it was a matter of time before Owens had that breakthrough game. This was that game as he found many ways to get open and to fight for those extra yards after the catch. 4. Ricky Williams, RB, Saints (30 carries, 136 yards, 1 TD; 5 catches, 42 yards): There were some concerns about Williams after he injured his shoulder on Friday. Those concerns were dashed as he ran through a still questionable Vikings defense. Nice receiving numbers as well - those will help his fantasy value as the year progresses. 5. Lamar Smith, RB, Dolphins (29 carries, 144 yards, 1 TD; 3 catches, 23 yards): After struggling against the Rams last week, he bounced back in a huge way this time around against New England. Miami didn't need a whole lot of offense to win this week, but when they needed it, Smith was there.
6. Mike Anderson, RB, Broncos (22 carries, 155 yards, 1 TD): After running into Ray Lewis and the Ravens last week, just about any other defense is a piece of cake. Anderson started out quickly with a 62-yard TD run in the first quarter, and just continued pounding it from there. 7. Todd Pinkston, WR, Eagles (4 catches, 90 yards, 2 TDs): Despite all the 100-yard runners and receivers, Pinkston jumps on here with his two scoring catches. His performance does break up the routine of a different Eagle having a big game each week, although rookie Freddie Mitchell broke through with 82 yards receiving in Philly's shocking loss to Arizona. 8. Daunte Culpepper, QB, Vikings (23-34, 332 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT): He's still not playing as sharp as he did last year, but depending on your scoring system, Culpepper still ranks among the top fantasy QBs. Culpepper has to do more because the running game disappeared since Robert Smith retired. To make up for the lack of a running game, Culpepper has developed a better short game as players like Byron Chamberlain and Jimmy Kleinsasser are now catching lots of underneath passes. 9. Donovan McNabb, QB, Eagles (19-29, 280 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT; 3 carries, 24 yards): Most people probably expected a lot more from this week, especially against an iffy Cardinals defense. But somehow Arizona kept McNabb in check, relatively speaking, thus the mildly lower numbers and the Cardinals' upset. 10. Larry Centers, RB, Bills (5 carries, 14 yards, 1 TD; 12 catches, 75 yards, 1 TD): Fullbacks are often overlooked in fantasy drafts but can put up huge numbers on a game-to-game basis, especially if they score a couple of short-yardage TDs or catch a lot of passes. Centers, one of the best pass-catching fullbacks in NFL history, did just that while Buffalo played catch-up against the Jets. Centers (and other fullbacks like the Jets' Richie Anderson, the 49ers' Fred Beasley and the Giants' Greg Comella) aren't worth starting week-to-week, but you could definitely do worse if you need a back to fill out your roster if your star is on a bye week. Just missing the cut: Marty Booker, WR, Bears (1-1, 34 yards, 1 TD; 1 catch, 63 yards, 1 TD); Jake Plummer, QB, Cardinals (18-32, 238 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT); Kordell Stewart, QB, Steelers (15-24, 151 yards; 9 carries, 61 yards, 1 TD); Bill Schroeder, WR, Packers (4 catches, 119 yards, 1 TD); Terry Allen, RB, Ravens (22 carries, 108 yards, 1 TD; 2 catches, 12 yards)
Top 5 Duds1. Emmitt Smith, RB, Cowboys (16 carries, 25 yards; 3 catches, 21 yards): Dallas played tough but the Oakland defense had their way with the league's No. 2 all-time leading rusher. What's even sadder is that the Cowboys finally scored their first rushing TD of the season and Emmitt didn't do it. Instead it was kicker Tim Seder.2. Eddie George, RB, Titans (13 carries, 26 yards; 5 catches, 25 yards): You wonder if the effects of George's offseason toe surgery are still lingering. He didn't look sharp this week, although he was running into that juggernaut of the Ravens defense. It's also a bit disappointing to see George do so poorly while journeyman Terry Allen ran over the Tennessee defense in the same game. 3. Stephen Davis, RB, Redskins (12 carries, 39 yards): Washington just isn't a good football team. It's a big shame because the Redskins are definitely wasting Davis' talent during their downward spiral. Maybe he'll get a chance to do something during next week's Monday night matchup against the Cowboys. By the way, that looks to be one of the worst matchups in Monday Night Football history. Might as well run one of Dennis Miller's HBO specials instead of game audio. 4. Chris Chandler, QB, Falcons (7-12, 75 yards, 3 INTs): After getting a some nice recommendations after last week's outing against Arizona, Chandler struggles and gets hurt yet again. Michael Vick was adequate in replacing him, although his fumble was returned for a Chicago score. Looks like the Chandler bandwagon emptied in a flash. 5. Trent Green, QB, Chiefs (25-40, 283 yards, 4 INTs): He piled up the yards, and he finally made some use of Tony Gonzalez, but four picks to Denver's Deltha O'Neal definitely can't be good. And of course, playing a tough Broncos defense this week is nothing like the listless Redskins defense.
Top 5 Surprises1. MarTay Jenkins, WR, Cardinals (6 catches, 119 yards, 1 TD): With Frank Sanders and Rob Moore hobbling, someone had to pick up the slack opposite David Boston. Jenkins, Arizona's top returner, came up big, including catching the game-winning pass in the waning seconds. Leagues that reward points for return yards already know of Jenkins' productivity. If Jake Plummer keeps his game in order, Jenkins could be an intriguing pickup.2. Alex Van Pelt, QB, Bills (23-41, 268 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT): It was a matter of time before Rob Johnson got injured given all the hits he's been taking. Except that Buffalo doesn't have Doug Flutie waiting in the wings anymore. Instead, the Bills had veteran clipboard holder Van Pelt leading the show and doing a very good job trying to dig his team out of a deep hole. Van Pelt isn't highly recommended even if Johnson is out for an extended period of time. 3. Erron Kinney, TE, Titans (7 catches, 75 yards): Steve McNair is still a lot more comfortable throwing to the tight ends and running backs than to his wide receivers. So despite being Frank Wycheck's backup, Kinney will still get a couple of catches, not to mention the occasional TD, each week. With Wycheck knocked out of the game with an injury, Kinney had few problems stepping up as the main man against the Ravens. If you're really struggling at the tight end position, Kinney might be worth a look. 4. Damon Washington, RB, Giants (25 carries, 90 yards; 1 catch, 16 yards): Ron Dayne was expected to have a field day with the Redskins in town, especially after starring against the Saints and with Tiki Barber out with an injured hamstring. Instead, Dayne hurts his neck, so it's the former Colorado State star who runs wild. Good to see the Giants have some talent there should both Thunder and Lightning be out for next week. 5. Anthony Thomas, RB, Bears (11 carries, 57 yards, 1 TD): After doing nothing in the first two games, the rookie from Michigan may be pushing his way into the starting job. He had a couple of long runs and put up much better numbers than incumbent James Allen, who has never really gained much favor from fantasy owners. James Quintong is Fantasy Sports producer at CNNSI.com.
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