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Tip Sheet

New quarterback brings new hope in St. Louis

Posted: Tuesday October 15, 2002 4:09 PM
Updated: Tuesday October 15, 2002 4:10 PM

Marc Bulger had four total touchdowns on Sunday and was sharp in directing the St. Louis offense. AP

Stock rising

Marshall Faulk, RB, St. Louis: Just one week after I predicted doom and gloom for Faulk and the Rams, something strange happened -- their quarterback played well. Third-string QB Marc Bulger, who was forced into action because of injuries to Kurt Warner and backup Jamie Martin, sparked the team to a win over the previously undefeated Raiders. Bulger threw only 21 passes on Sunday, but one was a 50-yard completion on the Rams' first offensive series that put the Oakland defense on its heels. Coach Mike Martz called on Faulk to run the ball early and often, and he gained 158 yards on 26 carries against a team that came into the game with the league’s top-ranked run defense. Bulger will get the call again this Sunday against Seattle, so expect another fine outing from Faulk.

Marc Bulger, QB, St. Louis: Bulger was impressive enough in the preseason to lead me to think that he would get the No. 2 job behind Warner. That did not happen. Nonetheless, with Martin injured, he made his first NFL start on Sunday, and showed that his preseason performance was no fluke. Against Oakland, he completed 14 of 21 passes for 186 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. He got rid of the ball quickly, throwing with good velocity and accuracy. He also displayed some mobility and added a rushing touchdown. Playing behind a patchwork offensive line, Bulger took a beating from the Raiders’ pass rushers, but he did not come unraveled.

Jerome Bettis, RB, Pittsburgh: Since Tommy Maddox has taken over at quarterback, the “Bus” has been running like a sports car. On Sunday in Cincinnati, Bettis had his first 100-yard game of the season, and he has rushed for 193 yards and three touchdowns in the past two games. Since 1997, Bettis and Kordell Stewart have basically split the team’s rushing touchdowns between them, but with Maddox at QB, the “Bus” should have his best scoring year as a Steeler.

Michael Bennett, RB, Minnesota: One of the few bright spots in the Vikings’ loss to Seattle two weeks ago was the play of Bennett, who had a career-high 135 yards from scrimmage (91 rushing, 44 receiving). Coach Mike Tice was impressed with the second-year running back’s improved blocking and aggressive running. As a result, Tice said that the team’s running-back-by-committee approach would be scrapped; Bennett would be the primary ball carrier, while Moe Williams would serve as the third-down back. This past Sunday against the Lions, Bennett ran 16 times for 68 yards and caught four passes for 70, including a 45-yard screen pass for a touchdown. One concern is that Williams may still be the back of choice near the goal line. Bennett had some red-zone opportunities against Detroit but failed to score, while Williams ran two yards for the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter, giving him three rushing TDs in the last two games.

Joey Galloway, WR, Dallas: One day, running back Emmitt Smith would like to tell his grandchildren how he broke Walter Payton’s all-time NFL rushing record, but at the rate he’s going, they’ll be able to watch him do it. With the Dallas ground game not producing, QB Quincy Carter has passed for more than 200 yards in five straight games. Galloway is Carter’s favorite target, and the wide receiver has produced back-to-back 100-yard games.

Ike Hilliard, WR, NY Giants: In the Giants’ loss to the Falcons on Sunday, Hilliard led New York in receiving, catching seven passes for 76 yards and a touchdown. He has now scored in back-to-back games. In comparison to fellow receiver Amani Toomer, Hilliard has more of a knack for finding the end zone. Over the last three seasons, he has scored three more times than Toomer (16-13) despite starting five fewer games.

Keep an eye on

Ray Lucas, QB, Miami: With starting QB Jay Fiedler sidelined at least a month with a broken thumb, Ray Lucas will be under center for the Dolphins. I do not expect the Dolphins offense to suffer much of a drop-off. I was impressed with Lucas when he started nine games for the New York Jets in 1999. He was 6-3 as a starter, including winning his final four to close the season. Lucas finished with 1,678 yards and 14 touchdowns, throwing six interceptions and completing 59.2 percent of his passes.

Chris Chambers, WR, Miami: Chambers probably won’t be complaining about the switch at quarterback. Fiedler hung him out to dry with an errant pass on Sunday night against Denver, and safety Kenoy Kennedy, a recent graduate of the Jack Tatum School of Cheap Shots, knocked the Dolphins’ big-play receiver into the middle of next week with a helmet-to-helmet hit. With Lucas, who has a stronger arm than Fiedler, at quarterback, Chambers should have more opportunities to make plays downfield.

Mike Alstott, RB, Tampa Bay: In the first five games of the season, Alstott rushed for only 82 yards on 33 carries, while Michael Pittman received the bulk of the carries. But this past Sunday against the Browns, Alstott rushed for a game-high 126 yards on 17 carries and two touchdowns. The Bucs went to their “Jumbo package,” using Alstott at tailback and Jameel Cook at fullback for much of the second half. Against a tired and worn down Cleveland defense, Alstott gained all but five of his yards in the last two quarters. Don’t expect Alstott to be used like this every week, however, as Pittman, who had 16 carries for 53 yards and led the team with five receptions for 95 yards on Sunday, gives the team more flexibility on offense.

Jonathan Wells, RB, Houston: The rookie back continues to outperform starter James Allen. On Sunday against the Bills, Wells rushed for 70 yards on 12 carries, while Allen was limited to 21 yards on eight attempts. Wells has outgained Allen by 21 yards this season despite having 16 fewer attempts. The Texans coaching staff has been reluctant to start Wells because Allen is better at picking up the blitz on pass plays.

Chad Johnson, WR, Cincinnati: Johnson, the 36th overall pick in last year’s draft (and Keyshawn’s cousin), has been starting ahead of Michael Westbrook and T.J. Houshmandzadeh. In Sunday’s loss to the Steelers, Johnson caught seven passes for 71 yards, which followed a 6-catch, 72-yard performance against the Colts. He has the best combination of size and speed of the team’s wideouts and appears to be developing into the Bengals’ go-to receiver.

Marc Boerigter, WR, Kansas City: In the Chiefs' 35-34 loss to the Chargers, Boerigter became the latest reserve wideout to make a big impact this season. He was the team’s leading receiver, making four catches for 85 yards and two touchdowns. Boerigter (6-3, 223), who was signed by the Chiefs last winter after two seasons with Calgary of the CFL, missed a big portion of training camp because of appendicitis, so it has taken him some time to get up to speed. He had only one catch in the first five games, a 51-yarder last month against Jacksonville, but based on his performance against San Diego, he will likely be more involved in the offense in the coming weeks.

Freddie Jones, TE, Arizona: Unless you have Kansas City’s Tony Gonzalez on your roster, you’re probably not thrilled with the production of your tight ends, so Jones may be worth a look. With WR David Boston slowed by a sprained right foot suffered in Week 3, Jones has become more involved in the Cardinals offense, catching 13 balls in the last three games for 101 yards and a touchdown. Boston hopes to come back healthy after last week's bye, but the injury is a concern. In the last two games, he was so limited that he was lining up on the right side in most formations to avoid cutting on the right foot.

John Davis, TE, Chicago: Starter Fred Baxter, who missed the last three games with a sprained left ankle, is expected to play this week, but Davis will likely keep the starting job. Davis is a six-year veteran who has never been known for his receiving skills, but he is fourth on the team with 12 receptions and tied with wide receivers David Terrell and Marty Booker for the team lead with three touchdowns. With Terrell out for another 6-7 weeks with a broken foot, Davis may continue to be one of the Bears’ top red-zone options.

Stock falling

Tim Couch, QB, Cleveland: With the exception of one quarter against Tennessee’s suspect pass defense, Couch has not played very well since returning to the starting lineup. In the last three games, he’s thrown for only one touchdown and five interceptions. Of his 20 completions on Sunday against Tampa Bay, 10 went to running back Jamel White for a mere 34 yards. Backup Kelly Holcomb, who is expected to miss at least two more weeks with knee and leg injuries, appears to be the Browns’ best hope.

Edgerrin James, RB, Indianapolis: In the last three games, James has been held to less than 3.6 yards per carry. What makes the average alarming is the defenses that he faced over that period -- Houston, Cincinnati, and Baltimore. On Sunday against the Ravens, who were playing without All-Pro MLB Ray Lewis, James finished with just 43 yards on 17 carries (2.5 avg.). That effort came on the heels of a 60-yard, 2.7-per-carry outing against the Bengals. The 103 yards mark the least productive two-game total in James' 43-game career, and he has scored just one touchdown this season. Unlike some backs, the lack of a passing attack cannot be the reason for his lack of productivity. The more likely culprit is the Colts offensive line that is missing two starters from last year, or James’ knee that has had less than a year to recover from major surgery.

Tom Brady, QB, New England: After catching the Steelers off guard in Week 1 and racking up big numbers against two of the worst defenses in the league (Kansas City and NY Jets) in the following two weeks, Brady and the Patriots offense have returned to Earth. The Chargers, Dolphins and Packers were prepared for New England’s pass-happy attack, and they each held the Pats to 14 points or less. Over the same period, Brady had a touchdown-to-interception ratio of five to eight. His effort against the Packers was especially disturbing since Green Bay was missing three starting defensive backs and both starting defensive ends. At the same time, go-to receiver Troy Brown returned after missing the San Diego and Miami games with a knee injury. Despite these advantages, Brady completed 24-of-44 for just 183 yards with one TD and three INTs. In the midst of a three-game losing streak, it will not be surprising if the Patriots return from their bye with a more balanced offensive approach.

Richard Harris is the Senior Writer and Managing Editor for FantasyFootballExperts.com. His weekly columns have appeared on either ESPN.com or USAToday.com over the past four years, and this season, he will be featured on CNNSI.com. FantasyFootballExperts.com offers exclusive and in-depth articles, player rankings and cheat sheets for multiple scoring systems, injury updates, weekly matchup analysis, and other essentials for a fantasy football championship.