Let's finish off fantasy football Week 10 Sunday by taking a closer look at all of the news coming out of the 4:00 games and later.
-If we were all given truth serum, we could admit that besides Peyton Manning, the one player you fear playing against the most in a fantasy football matchup is Saints QB Drew Brees. The guy has put up staggering numbers the last five seasons-plus now and only seems to be getting better as he ages. Brees was at it again Sunday night in toying with the Dallas Cowboys to the tune of four touchdown passes and 392 flawless yards. While we are always amazed at these type of games by Brees, we also are used to them which is crazy to say.
On the other side Tony Romo let his owners down royally in a game where at least two touchdowns was predicted given the likelihood of a shootout. Well the Saints defense has improved by leaps and bounds as Romo threw for only 128 yards and 1 touchdown. The Saints came up and put points on the board so quickly that Romo was forced to throw on almost every down which is never easy for any QB. The Dallas offensive line was beyond rough in this one as well since Romo was under siege almost from the start.
-As soon as the Cowboys fell behind so quickly late in the first quarter, it was lights out for DeMarco Murray who was not allowed to build on a big start. Almost all of Murray's 89 yards on 16 carries resulted on his scoring drive in the first quarter. After that pretty much nothing. Another tease by Murray who has always been a potent runner but those propensity for injuries and the Dallas heavy passing attack conspiring to retard his potential.
-How about Mark Ingram's 145 rushing yards and 1 score. As they say every dog has his day. No one had Ingram in their lineup as he was pretty much collecting dust on the bench but since the Saints wanted to run out the clock, got pressed into action. In Ingram's defense he did make the opportunity work for him as he ran probably as good as ever. Still Pierre Thomas averaged more than 5.0 yards a carry as well while scoring so he will continue to be the main runner. In addition Darren Sproles remains one of the best weapons out of the backfield with 7 catches for 107 yards and a TD. Sproles also contributed a rare rushing touchdown on his five carries. Great stuff all the way around for a unit that often gets overlooked.
-Kenny Stills never wows you with his raw receptions numbers but he certainly makes them count in a James Jones kind of way. Stills grabbed 3 balls for 75 yards and a score. Meanwhile Marques Colston returned to action by catching 7 passes for 107 yards and a score of his own in his best game of the season. Good signs here for Coltson and his fantasy football owners as he was pretty horrendous even before missing a game with a knee injury. Maybe he is feeling good finally as the numbers indicated.
-Only 1 catch for 44 yards by Dez Bryant. Surprised he didn't start attacking everyone on the Dallas sidelines. It was one big horror show for the Dallas receivers as Jason Witten disturbingly went back into his shell with only 2 catches for 27 yards, while Terrance Williams made the most of his only catch by scoring. Williams has really slumped the last three games and as an owner, I have moved on by planting him on the bench. As far as Witten goes, he is in the midst of his worst season since he was a rookie. He is aging and has been beat up a lot but clearly the numbers should be better.
-Typical defensive battle between Carolina and San Francisco so it was no shock to see both Cam Newton and Colin Kaepernick struggle. Neither guy threw a touchdown pass and each tossed a pick. Kaepernick is now squarely one of the most overrated players in fantasy football. This is why you got to give it two seasons before totally buying into a breakout.
-Really not much else to speak of between Carolina and San Francisco. Steve Smith caught 6 passes for 63 yards. Anquan Boldin has slumped right along with Kaepernick as he has been a non-factor since the first month of the season. Boldin caught only 3 balls for 23 yards. Finally Mario Manningham returned by catching 3 balls for 30 yards. Manningham has the ability to make some big plays but no one on the 49ers scares me outside of Frank Gore. Keep an eye by the way on Vernon Davis who suffered a head injury after catching only 1 pass for 2 yards. It is games such as Davis' that can ruin a fantasy football week.
-You got to love Houston's Case Keenum. I know Andre Johnson does. After not catching a single touchdown pass in the previous 8 weeks before Keenum took over under center, Johnson has now scored five touchdowns during the last two games as he added two Sunday on 5 grabs for 37 yards. Keenum is a pure gunslinger who hasn't met a throw he felt he couldn't make. What is really amazing is that the rookie is not turning it over as he threw for three more touchdowns Sunday among his 201 yards. Ride Keenum for the time being until he cools off. If he cools off.
-Ben Tate was not up to challenge replacing the IR'd Arian Foster as he rushed for only 56 yards on 15 carries. Tate is the main guy the rest of the way so give him another week on that aspect alone but so far we are not wowed.
-How annoying that Rashard Mendenhall got two more carries than Andre Ellington. It almost cost Bruce Arians as Mendenhall lost a late fumble. What happened to Ellington being guaranteed 20 touches? Ridiculous. If this farce continues, Ellington goes back to RB 3 status.
-I am starting to think Larry Fitzgerald has lost a step. Yet another poor game Sunday as he caught only 3 passes for 23 yards and no scores. Love the guy but this is now three years in a row of subpar work.
-Same old, same old for Peyton Manning who tossed four touchdowns against the awful Chargers defense. All Manning owners were holding their breaths late in the game though when Manning grabbed his ankle after a sack. Manning has two sprained ankles which is a red flag to worry about as one big hit there could be serious trouble. Making this more concerning is that Manning is reportedly going for an MRI to check them out. While it is not hold your breath time yet, there is legitimate concern that the ankles could get worse.
-Demaryuis Thomas owned the day for the Broncos receiving crops as he caught 7 balls for 108 yards and 3 huge touchdowns. It is a different guy every week but overall Thomas has the best numbers, especially after Wes Welker caught only 3 for 21 in the game. Eric Decker is third in this pecking order or maybe even fourth to Julius Thomas. Decker caught 3 for 52 while Thomas made a nice return from an ankle injury by catching 3 for 96 yards and a score. Thomas never goes nuts in raw receptions but he is now up to 9 scores in a huge season for the tight end.
-Both Keenan Allen and Antonio Gates caught four passes to lead San Diego but neither scored.
-I bet you didn't know Danny Woodhead has 53 catches on the season. Woodhead has been PPR gold with few paying attention. Reminds me of Larry Centers.
There you have it. Let's hear some thoughts on these games.
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