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Sunday's Best Week 9 full of runaway fantasy performances
Updated: Tuesday November 13, 2001 1:01 PM
By James Quintong, CNNSI.com Did you need a big-time effort from a running back this week? Chances are you did just fine. There were a whopping 12 running backs who broke the century mark this week. However, many of these same running backs were also disappointing in the Jerome Bettis sort of way -- plenty of yards but no scores. In fact, the Bus did that himself, again failing to reach the end zone despite some sick yardage numbers. It was a great high-scoring week fantasy-wise across many positions, which always makes things entertaining. But only two quarterbacks passed for 300 yards, and there were a lot of solid but unspectacular 200-yard passing games, not to mention a bunch of 100-yard games from teams that won. That's what happens when you can rely on the ground game. We could see a lot more of this in the upcoming weeks as the weather gets bad. Despite this, the weather was actually decent across the country, so who knows what's going on.
Top 10 Studs1. Shaun Alexander, RB, Seahawks (35 carries, 266 yards, 3 TDs; 1 catch, 7 yards): It's odd to see someone like him atop the studs list again. It's even stranger to see him do this against a very good Raiders defense. But Alexander is the real deal, and going for the fourth-best single-game total in NFL history plus four touchdowns makes him an easy choice this week. And Mike Holmgren is going to give Ricky Watters that starting job? I don't think so. 2. Marvin Harrison, WR, Colts (9 catches, 174 yards, 3 TDs): With Miami putting the clamps on the Indianapolis running game, Harrison took over the stat sheet like he's prone to do. With Peyton Manning still searching for that second wideout, Harrison will just pile up the yards when need be. It's just getting a bit annoying to see him either have a huge game or a mediocre game. 3. Marshall Faulk, RB, Rams (15 carries, 183 yards, 2 TDs; 4 catches, 14 yards): Welcome back, Marshall. Going up against the Panthers at home was a nice way to return. And to think of the numbers he could've put up had he played the entire game, instead of just the first half. And as I've mentioned before, if given the right matchup, Trung Canidate is still a nice start.
4. Curtis Martin, RB, Jets (20 carries, 113 yards, 3 TDs): Fantasy players know he puts up huge numbers, but he's still vastly underrated for the most part. But few fantasy owners will part with 100-plus yards and three scores. It shouldn't have been much of a surprise against a very subpar Chiefs defense, though. 5. Duce Staley, RB, Eagles (17 carries, 146 yards, 1 TD; 6 catches, 85 yards): Staley had disappointed many fantasy owners by sharing time with Correll Buckhalter since returning to action, limiting his numbers. This time, he finally came through with a huge game, both through the air and on the ground. It helps that he was going up against a porous Vikings defense. 6. Donovan McNabb, QB, Eagles (19-29, 223 yards, 3 TDs; 3 carries, 37 yards, 1 TD): Staley had a big day, and so did McNabb. Was that much of a surprise? He did a lot more overall than his fellow multi-threat QB Daunte Culpepper. 7. Aaron Brooks, QB, Saints (22-37, 347 yards, 2 TDs; 4 carries, 16 yards): He improved greatly after last week's terrible outing against the Jets. Then again, Brooks can have big games against conference foes St. Louis and San Francisco. New Orleans may have fallen just short, but it looks like his hold on the starting job is fine for now. 8. Jeff Garcia, QB, 49ers (21-34, 252 yards, 4 TDs): Brooks had a very good yardage game, Garcia had a very good game scoring. He's doing more and more each week to prove he's one of the best fantasy players in the league. 9. Antowain Smith, RB, Patriots (20 carries, 100 yards, 2 TDs): Buffalo has struggled all year long, and now they were done in by their former starting running back, including a backbreaking run late in the game. Smith can have those big games when need be, which makes him a pretty decent play depending on the matchup. 10. Terrell Owens, WR, 49ers (8 catches, 100 yards, 2 TDs): If Garcia has a big game, you pretty much know Owens had a lot to do with it. Now if he could just shut up and play the game, he'd be more embraced across the league. Just missing the cut: Joe Horn, WR, Saints (6 catches, 99 yards, 2 TDs); Trung Canidate, RB, Rams (16 carries, 145 yards, 1 TD); David Boston, WR, Cardinals (9 catches, 137 yards, 1 TD); Peyton Manning, QB, Colts (20-33, 253 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs); Stacey Mack, RB, Jaguars (15 carries, 71 yards, 2 TDs).
Top 5 Duds1. Doug Flutie, QB, Chargers (12-31, 165 yards, 1 TD, 4 INTs): He's usually a solid quarterback who doesn't make many big mistakes. But even veterans have weeks like this. Maybe he wasn't as recovered from his injuries last week as he would've liked, or perhaps the Denver defense was making up for lost time. 2. Eric Moulds, WR, Bills (3 catches, 7 yards; 2-point conversion catch): Moulds has pretty much disappeared in the Buffalo offense, and he's probably sunk many a fantasy team who took him with a high draft pick. You might as well bench him for the time being. 3. Kurt Warner, QB, Rams (14-20, 144 yards, 1 TD, 3 INTs): The Rams won huge, and the running backs had huge games. You'd think Warner would at least have respectable numbers. Instead, the passing game was more or less put on the back burner, with Warner's numbers taking a back seat to the ground game. A good way to show the differences between real and fantasy ball. 4. Michael Vick, QB, Falcons (4-12, 32 yards, 1 TD; 2 carries, 4 yards, 1 fumble lost): Against the Cowboys and with Chris Chandler out, Vick should've had some decent numbers. He did throw for a score and his Atlanta team did win, but that's an ugly looking stat line from a fantasy perspective. 5. Trent Green, QB, Chiefs (16-31, 143 yards, 1 TD, 3 INTs): The Jets' pass defense made look Aaron Brooks look bad last week and did the same to the very erratic Green. Kansas City did get some production from Derrick Alexander, but there still isn't much in the passing game outside of Tony Gonzalez and their running backs.
Top 5 Surprises1. Chris Chambers, WR, Dolphins (3 catches, 112 yards, 2 TD): This second-round pick has the physical tools to be a No. 1 wideout, and he's starting to develop into a big-play guy now. With Lamar Smith continuing to struggle, Jay Fiedler and the passing game has stepped up nicely with Chambers and Oronde Gadsden filling in the roles well. 2. Troy Hambrick, RB, Cowboys (20 carries, 127 yards): Emmitt Smith is still hurting, but Hambrick has filled in nicely the past couple of weeks. The Falcons are a pretty porous defensive team, but Hambrick's effort is still nice. I guess he'll take over for Emmitt whenever he's ready to hang it up. 3. Travis Minor, RB, Dolphins (7 carries, 71 yards, 1 TD; 2 catches, 18 yards): A 56-yard run helps his numbers a lot. Miami has found a lot of nice weapons with Smith struggling. Minor probably isn't worth having on your team for now, but he could break off a couple of big plays here and there. 4. Kris Brown, K, Steelers (5-6 field goals): After landing on the duds list last week with all of his misses, Brown atoned in a big way this week with five field goals, making him a top fantasy scorer immediately. Nice way to bounce back. 5. Garrison Hearst, RB, 49ers (17 carries, 145 yards): He jumps to the list since he hasn't looked anywhere close to this good during his comeback. Kevan Barlow did have a huge receiving game, but Hearst did damage on the ground. There is room for both of them. James Quintong is Fantasy Sports producer at CNNSI.com.
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