Sunday's Best

Top players rounding into fantasy playoff shape

Priest Holmes piled up 277 total yards and two TDs against the Raiders. AP

By James Quintong, CNNSI.com

For many fantasy leagues, the fantasy playoffs will be starting up in the next couple of weeks, so it's obviously time to get the rosters ready is you're in contention.

Judging from the results of recent weeks, a lot of the fantasy players are producing like they should be, so it should be pretty easy to put them into the lineup. Quarterbacks like Brett Favre, Kurt Warner and Peyton Manning (despite the picks) are still producing plenty. Jeff Garcia's game on Sunday appeared to be an aberration and is also playing well.

With running backs, some of the top backs like Marshall Faulk, Ricky Williams, Curtis Martin and Priest Holmes have been on top of their game consistently, even if the yards aren't coming. They're still scoring touchdowns, which is a big help.

On the other hand, receivers like Terrell Owens, David Boston and Marvin Harrison are usually getting the yards with touchdowns being an added bonus. Even Keyshawn Johnson got into the scoring act, which bodes well for his owners since his yards have always been there.

You'll have to watch out for some dinged up players like Daunte Culpepper and Rod Smith, but you should be in good shape with both of them, hopefully. Their teams will need them as much as you do.

Top 10 Studs

1. Priest Holmes, RB, Chiefs (26 carries, 168 yards, 1 TD; 5 catches, 109 yards, 1 TD): He's been called the poor man's Marshall Faulk, but on this day, he far outdid Faulk. It appeared to be one of the easiest performances to predict -- the Raiders have struggled with the run and Holmes was on a roll. And despite it all, Kansas City still lost.

2. Michael Bennett, RB, Vikings (16 carries, 113 yards, 2 TDs): After struggling badly early in the year, Bennett is finally coming around. After looking good against the Bears two weeks ago and scoring a long TD last week, Bennett finally got his first 100-yard game with two scores to boot. He may be a player to watch down the stretch.

3. Steve McNair, QB, Titans (25-33, 302 yards, 2 TDs; 4 carries, 22 yards, 1 fumble lost): A couple of key turnovers hurt Tennessee's cause. Otherwise, the offense ran well yet again with McNair, who played despite an injured elbow.

4. Jeff Graham, WR, Chargers (5 catches, 110 yards, 2 TDs): Every so often those San Diego receivers will have a big game. In Graham's case, it was all in the first half. It wasn't enough for a victory, but it did help out fantasy owners who started him.

5. Marshall Faulk, RB, Rams (25 carries, 88 yards, 1 TD; 4 catches, 19 yards, 1 TD): The yardage numbers aren't anything exciting, but he knows how to make the big plays and show up in the end zone at the right time. That's why he's the most valuable player in fantasy football.

6. Randy Moss, WR, Vikings (7 catches, 158 yards, 1 TD): Thanks for showing up this week.

7. Travis Henry, RB, Bills (27 carries, 101 yards, 1 TD; 2 catches, 56 yards): You knew it was a matter of time before he was going to have a solid game. Going up against a bad Carolina defense was just what he needed to get well. Imagine what Henry would be able to do with a decent offensive line.

8. Ahman Green, RB, Packers (29 carries, 125 yards, 1 TD; 2 catches, 49 yards): He's proving to be a perfect back for cold weather. You can give it to him a ton of times and get a bunch of yards, plus he can catch a few passes when need be. No one in the passing game really got going, so Green became the focal point of the offense and produced.

9. Joe Horn, WR, Saints (7 catches, 138 yards, 1 TD): In his last five games, he's averaging 126.4 yards per game with four touchdowns. He's arguably one of the hottest in the receivers down the stretch.

10. Doug Flutie, QB, Chargers (20-44, 307 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs; 8 carries, 45 yards, 1 fumble lost): San Diego couldn't score in the second half, but Flutie still piled up the yards. He's still way too inconsistent to start on a regular basis, but at least he's proving he still has it after a couple of stumbles in recent weeks.

Just missing the cut: Antowain Smith, RB, Patriots (21 carries, 76 yards, 2 TDs); Stephen Davis, RB, Redskins (26 carries, 110 yards, 1 TD); Brad Johnson, QB, Buccaneers (31-54, 305 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs; 4 carries, 12 yards); Hines Ward, WR, Steelers (10 catches, 124 yards; 3 carries, 14 yards); David Boston, WR, Cardinals (6 catches, 132 yards)

Top 5 Duds

1. Jeff Garcia, QB, 49ers (13-36, 143 yards, 2 INTs; 1 carry, 1 yard, 1 TD): Only that late rushing touchdown saved him from a truly terrible fantasy output. The San Francisco offense looked off all game long, although much of the credit should go to a very good St. Louis defense.

2. Marty Booker, WR, Bears (2 catches, 14 yards): This was his second game in three weeks in which he was held to under 20 yards. The Chicago pass offense hasn't clicked in recent weeks, which doesn't help Booker's stats.

3. Stacey Mack, RB, Jaguars (14 carries, 23 yards): It doesn't look like Fred Taylor will be back this season, and that will mean bad things for Jacksonville. Mark Brunell, Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell can only do so much for the offense without a good running game to support them.

4. James Jackson, RB, Browns (16 carries, 34 yards; 2 catches, 15 yards): He's either been hurt or ineffective. With Tim Couch throwing plenty of interceptions, it's a wonder how Cleveland is even at .500. The Cleveland defense has been outstanding, just imagine what the Browns could do with a consistent offense.

5. Kerry Collins, QB, Giants (13-26, 122 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT): Dallas' defense still isn't much to write home about, so you'd think Collins would do better. The Giants offense outside of Tiki Barber hasn't looked good, so it's time to look elsewhere, especially at quarterback.

Top 5 Surprises

1. Todd Bouman, QB, Vikings (21-31, 348 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT; 4 carries, 27 yards): I've ranted a bunch on this all year about "game time decisions" and the gamesmanship coaches play by waiting until the last second to determine if a star player will take the field. It reared its head in a huge way this week with Dennis Green not deciding until game time to start Bouman over Daunte Culpepper. For fantasy owners, this move burned plenty of people - those who took a chance on starting Culpepper got burned, those who picked up Bouman just in case probably didn't start him because of Culpepper's improvement. Thus few playing fantasy football could enjoy one of the better performances by a quarterback this season.

2. Ricky Proehl, WR, Rams (6 catches, 109 yards, 1 TD): Kurt Warner spread the ball around again as usual, but Proehl came away the big winner in the passing game. It won't happen often, but you know he has the possibility of breaking through for a game from time to time.

3. Deuce McAllister, RB, Saints (1 carry, 54 yards, 1 TD; 1 catch, 8 yards; 1-1, 12 yards, 1 TD): He's currently used as a change-of-pace back, so he comes in and really confuses the Falcons with a bunch of big and trick plays. This performance could give McAllister a few more touches down the stretch, but he still doesn't have a whole lot of fantasy value.

4. Brian Finneran, WR, Falcons (6 catches, 92 yards): He's had his share of big catches for Atlanta, even though he hardly gets looks in the offense. You wonder what he might do if he became even a No. 3 target in the offense.

5. Drew Bennett, WR, Titans (4 catches, 87 yards): Slowly but surely, Cade McNown's backup at UCLA has become a solid part of the Tennessee passing game -- as a receiver. Then again, Bennett's major collegiate highlight was catching a long pass from McNown in a game against Oregon in '98. With the Titans passing game improving greatly down the stretch, he's at least worth a look as a third or fourth receiver.

James Quintong is Fantasy Sports producer at CNNSI.com.

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