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Sunday's Best Week 7 becomes fantasy homecoming
Updated: Monday October 29, 2001 1:49 PM
By James Quintong, CNNSI.com When compiling these lists of the top fantasy performers for the week, you get a lot of the usual suspects. However, this week, many of those familiar faces this season were conspicuously absent for a variety of reasons (injuries, ineffectiveness, etc.). In their place were a number of players who have been on this list in weeks (and seasons past), but were causing their owners much consternation because of their inability to produce the big numbers. This is why patience is a virtue in fantasy football, and why you shouldn't be too hasty in releasing some of your top players. As long as they're healthy, it should be a matter of time before they make a big splash on the fantasy scoreboard. A number of those disappointments finally cashed in this week.
Top 10 studs1. Corey Dillon, RB, Bengals (27 carries, 184 yards, 2 TDs; 3 catches, 18 yards, 1 TD): Last year in mid-October, Dillon set the NFL single-game rushing record. This year in mid-October, Dillon tore through a mediocre Lions defense for his biggest game of the season. Of course, it's already a good fantasy game when your first run goes 96 yards for a TD. 2. Mike Alstott, RB, Buccaneers (28 carries, 129 yards, 3 TDs; 1 catch, 15 yards): Remember when he used to be good? We got some of those blasts from the recent past as Tampa Bay kept it simple against a still not-so-good Minnesota defense. 3. Rob Johnson, QB, Bills (24-37, 310 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT; 11 carries, 67 yards, 1 TD): In that great grudge match, Johnson won on the fantasy scoreboard, although Doug Flutie won where it counted. Johnson did well in being pretty much the entire offense, but it still wasn't enough. Just imagine what numbers he could put up if he didn't spend half the game on the ground.
4. Mark Brunell, QB, Jaguars (25-37, 306 yards, 2 TDs; 4 carries, 55 yards): With Jacksonville pleading for Fred Taylor to come back, it's good to see Brunell do some damage with both his arm and legs. Unfortunately, Jacksonville couldn't put it away at the end, and Brunell will need more help if the playoffs are to be in their future. 5. Joe Horn, WR, Saints (8 catches, 121 yards, 2 TDs): It's taken him a while to have the kind of game that made him such a fantasy stud last season. New Orleans seems to have the Rams' number, although Horn wasn't in on that party for much of last year. Good to see you back on the studs list. 6. Kerry Collins, QB, Giants (32-52, 346 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT): When the Redskins inexplicably stopped Thunder and Lightning, Collins did his best to keep his team in the game, although the Giants eventually got the loss. Collins did take advantage of his weapons, though. 7. Trent Green, QB, Chiefs (22-43, 324 yards, 3 TDs, 3 INTs): Here's a good reason why fantasy owners love garbage time. While the Colts offense galloped away with a pretty easy victory, the Colts defense still looked vulnerable at times, although they picked off Green a handful of times. Even with the frustrating Derrick Alexander out again, Green made good use of his targets. 8. Isaac Bruce, WR, Rams (7 catches, 179 yards, 1 TD): Welcome back to the studs list. With that offense, it was only a matter of time before Bruce broke through. The only weird thing was that he caught the TD on a trick play from Az Hakim. 9. Rod Smith, WR, Broncos (6 catches, 159 yards, 1 TD): He's still pretty much the only consistent weapon in the Denver offense, but he just continues to find ways to produce. A good sign for Denver fans: Brian Griese also was able to make use of tight ends Dwayne Carswell and Desmond Clark. 10. Garrison Hearst, RB, 49ers (12 carries, 46 yards; 4 catches, 105 yards, 1 TD): While the rushing numbers weren't spectacular, he made himself useful in the passing game, and had a remarkable 60-yard catch-and-run for his first score since 1999. It's about time, and it makes for a great comeback story. Just missing the cut: Kurt Warner, QB, Rams (29-47, 385 yards, 1 TD, 4 INTs); Trung Canidate, RB, Rams (12 carries, 19 yards, 1 TD, 2 lost fumbles; 10 catches, 107 yards); Aaron Brooks, QB, Saints (20-31, 254 yards, 3 TDs; 6 carries, 12 yards); Anthony Thomas, RB, Bears (27 carries, 127 yards, 1 TD, 1 2-point conversion; 2 catches, 9 yards); Curtis Martin, RB, Jets (27 carries, 159 yards; 7 catches, 39 yards).
Top 5 duds1. Chris Weinke, QB, Panthers (12-34, 76 yards, 1 INT): The Jets defense isn't anything to write home about, so you'd think Weinke might have at least respectable numbers. Instead, he comes up empty, dragging down the numbers of the entire Carolina offense. He'll still have his job, though, because would you rather have Dameyune Craig under center? I didn't think so. 2. Vinny Testaverde, QB, Jets (21-34, 181 yards, 3 INTs): Tony Banks threw for more than 300 yards against the Carolina defense. So you'd think Vinny would do reasonably well. Luckily for him -- but no thanks to him -- his Jets won. After a while, he wised up and let Curtis Martin carry the load. 3. Ron Dayne, RB, Giants (8 carries, 19 yards): Tiki Barber also was stopped on the ground (7 carries, 14 yards) but he had 74 receiving yards to make up for that. Dayne, on the other hand, could do little against the same Washington defense that allowed Tim Biakabutuka to have his best game of the year before getting hurt. 4. Donovan McNabb, QB, Eagles (12-27, 133 yards; 6 carries, 30 yards): Oakland did a great job in keeping McNabb contained. He had a handful of rushing yards, but he could do little passing the ball. In fact, no Eagle had more than 35 yards receiving (running back Duce Staley), and top targets Todd Pinkston and James Thrash were shut out. 5. Michael Pittman, RB, Cardinals (16 carries, 29 yards; 2 catches, 16 yards): You expected more from him against the Cowboys but instead he folded. Somehow Dallas and Washington both won their games this week. Maybe the NFC East is getting a bit more crowded?
Top 5 surprises1. Dominic Rhodes, RB, Colts (4 carries, 87 yards, 1 TD): While many people knew Trung Canidate was Marshall Faulk's backup, few people knew Rhodes was the backup for the durable Edgerrin James. Now people know after James hurt his knee late in Thursday's game. Whereas Canidate had a bit of a pedigree (good college career, first-round pick), Rhodes is still an unknown quantity. However, an 88-yard kickoff return and a 77-yard game-sealing TD dash will make him a popular waiver wire pickup this week. 2. Larry Parker, WR, Chiefs (6 catches, 76 yards, 2 TDs): Kansas City receivers can't find a way to stay healthy. Derrick Alexander, especially, has been very frustrating with his array of injuries all year. Thus, Parker stepped into his place and became a popular target. He could be used more if Alexander stays hurt. 3. Peerless Price, WR, Bills (8 catches, 151 yards, 1 TD): Every once in a while, Price will come up with a big game stats-wise. More often, he comes up empty for long stretches. If you happened to have Price on the roster this week, congratulations. Don't expect much on a consistent basis, though. 4. Shane Matthews, QB, Bears (25-31, 166 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT): Chicago officially "released" him a couple of weeks ago, although that was mere roster shuffling. Now he steps in for the injured Jim Miller and leads an improbable comeback. I guess Chicago is proving again it can win as long as the quarterback doesn't screw things up. 5. Jason Brookins, RB, Ravens (19 carries, 82 yards, 1 TD; 2 catches, 12 yards): It was a matter of time before Brookins got considerable playing time, given his size and potential upside. With Terry Allen banged up, Brookins got that chance and did reasonably well in the starting role. He could snag that job from Allen sooner rather than later. James Quintong is Fantasy Sports producer at CNNSI.com.
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