The John Beck (289 total yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) era started with a whimper instead of a bang for the Redskins, as Beck struggled for most of the game until the 4^thquarter when they went into catch-up mode.  Cam Newton (315 total yards, 2 TDs) was solid once again, and most importantly avoided costly turnovers which was all he needed to do to lead his team to a convincing victory.  If Newton can continue to avoid too many turnovers, the Panthers have the firepower to stay with most any team and will have a chance to win almost any Sunday.
The Redskins passing game suffered a blow when Santana Moss (2-17) went down in the first half with a hand injury, but tight end Fred Davis (6-80, 1 TD) made up for it, catching several passes and a touchdown in the Redskins’ second half attempt at a comeback.  If Moss is out for any stretch of time, Jabar Gaffney (4-68) would be the defacto #1 receiver.
Newton only had to throw 23 passes and completed just 14 of them, but half of those went to Steve Smith (7-143, 1 car., 6 yards), who made the most of them.  While Smith didn’t have a touchdown, he still is continuing his march toward challenging for the #1 WR spot in fantasy football.  Brandon LaFell (2-39, 1 TD) only caught two passes but one of them was a TD, and even Jeremy Shockey (4-32) chipped in a few catches.
Mike Shanahan was up to his lineup tricks once again, as Tim Hightower (17 car., 88 yards) seemingly won his starting job back, taking almost all of the carries until he went down with a knee injury in the third quarter.  No word yet on the severity, but he went down before contact and it certainly did not look good.  If Hightower misses time, both Ryan Torain (2 car., -5 yards) and to a lesser extent Roy Helu (1 car., -1 yards; 2 rec., 6 yards) could be worth a speculative play.
Once again the Panthers rolled up a good day total on the ground (175 yards), but it was divided almost equally between Newton (14 car., 59 yards, 1 TD), Jonathan Stewart (14 car., 68 yards, 1 TD) and Deangelo Williams (10 car., 35 yards).  At this point, Stewart looks like the better play between he and Williams, as Stewart is usually the one in the game in the redzone.
 

Easily the worst offensive game of the year, as both Charlie Whitehurst (100 total yards, 1 INT) and Colt McCoy (209 total yards, 1 INT) just couldn’t get anything going.  Prior to the bye week, the Seahawks had two pretty good games on offense and started to look like they turned the corner, but surprisingly without Tavaris Jackson and Marshawn Lynch, this team couldn’t move the ball with any consistency.  McCoy didn’t fare much better, but did move the ball enough to kick two field goals for the win.
With only 97 yards passing on 12 completions, none of the Seahawks receivers did anything of note.  Sidney Rice (2-38) was the most looked at by Whitehurst and was consistently the first read, but that doesn’t translate into fantasy points.
While the Seahawks didn’t have any receiving efforts of note, the Browns didn’t garner much better in this game.  Greg Little (5-31) led in receptions, but didn’t do much with them.  Evan Moore (4-35) also got a few grabs, but also didn’t do a whole lot as the Seahawks kept most everything in front of them all day.
Marshawn Lynch was a very late scratch with a back injury, which was highly unfortunate as the announcement was made after most fantasy leagues locked their lineups for the early games.  Justin Forsett (8 car., 23 yards) and Leon Washington (7 car., 39 yards; 4 rec., 10 yard) shared the ball fairly evenly, but neither found much room to run.
Montario Hardesty (33 car., 95 yards; 2 rec., 27 yards) got the start for the injured Peyton Hillis and and got 33 carries, which had to needle Hillis owners who have seen what was probably their RB1 not get nearly that many carries in any game this year.  Hardesty didn’t do much with those carries, but the Seahawks defense has only allowed around 3.0 yards per carry all year and has yet to allow a 100 yard rusher.  Chris Ogbonnaya (3 car., 15 yards; 5 rec., 43 yards) was signed off of the Texans’ practice squad and spelled Hardesty, especially on 3^rddowns.
 

Matt Ryan (220 total yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs) didn’t look great in this game, but he did just enough to keep the Lions’ defense off balance and secure the upset victory on the road against the suddenly reeling Detroit Lions.  Matthew Stafford (183 yards, 1 TD) was underwhelming in leading his team to its second straight home loss, leaving the Lions faithful looking for answers as they head on the road for their next two games.
Tony Gonzalez (5-62) passed Marvin Harrison for second all-time in receptions, and is just piling on his numbers for his first ballot Hall of Fame resume.  Roddy White (5-52, 1 TD) got on track a bit, catching his second TD of the year.  Harry Douglas (4-62) even did a good job of filling in for the injured Julio Jones, who may be close to returning.
Calvin Johnson (5-115, 1 TD) was pretty quiet until he broke loose on a 57 yard touchdown, showing off both his incredible strength in breaking a tackle and his speed when he ran away from the rest of the defenders.  Brandon Pettigrew (4-31) was the only other player to catch enough passes to be noteworthy.
Leading most of the game, the Falcons were glad to put the team on the back of Michael Turner (27 car., 122 yards) and have him drain the clock to keep the explosive Lions off the field as much as possible.  This looks like the game plan going forward for the Falcons, so Turner owners should expect similar carry levels as long as the Falcons defense continues to play well.
Without Jahvid Best, Maurice Morris (9 car., 50 yards; 2 rec., 13 yards) got the start but was just adequate.  He shared quite a bit of time with Keiland Williams (9 car., 44 yards), as this looks like it will be a 50/50 timeshare until Best returns, with Morris taking the between the 20s carries, and Williams taking the short yardage and goal line carries.
 

For three and a half quarters, Tim Tebow (226 total yards, 2 TDs) looked awful, his timing was off with his receivers, he was serving up ducks and was collecting sacks like a trick-o-treater.  Then, the Tebow magic happened as he led his team to two quick touchdowns and a two point conversion to tie the game, and led his team in OT to the game-winning field goal.  Matt Moore (196 total yards, 1 TD) actually looked better than Tebow for most of the game, but when it mattered, he couldn’t score enough points to stop his team from falling to 0-7.
With Tebow only completing 13 passes to 7 different receivers, there wasn’t going to be much fantasy value except for those players that caught his 2 TD passes.  Those players were Daniel Fells (2-31, 1 TD) and Demaryius Thomas (3-27, 1 TD).  Thomas didn’t get the start, but as he shakes off the rust look for his snap count to increase.
Brandon Marshall (6-61) and Davone Bess (7-52) caught most of Moore’s passes, but it was TE Anthony Fasano (2-22, 1 TD) that caught the touchdown.  With the Dolphins bound to be down a lot in games going forward, Marshall definitely will continue to have value, and Bess is also worth a flex play during the bye weeks if you’re in a pinch.
Willis McGahee (18 car., 76 yards) continued to serve as the team’s bell cow, but with Tebow calling his own number on runs several times, McGahee’s numbers will be muted, much like Stewart and Williams in Carolina because of Newton’s play.  Knowshon Moreno (7 car., 28 yards; 2 rec., 10 yards) spelled McGahee fairly often and has entrenched himself as the third down back.
Daniel Thomas (19 car., 53 yards; 2 rec., 0 yards) got the start for the Dolphins, but Reggie Bush (10 car., 42 yards; 2 rec., 4 yards) did well this week as the change of pace back, showing some of that wiggle that they signed him to provide.  Going forward Thomas will continue to be the most valuable, but Bush could put up decent numbers and owners could do worse if in a bind because of bye weeks.
 

Philip Rivers (178 total yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs) started out looking fairly good in this game as the Chargers took an 11 point halftime lead, but in what’s become a trend in recent years, the Chargers found a way to give the game away.  Mark Sanchez (198 total yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT) did a very nice job, avoided the costly turnovers in outdueling Rivers and passing his way to a Jets’ victory.
Fantasy owners welcomed back Antonio Gates (5-54, 1 TD) with open arms as he was the most valuable pass catcher for the Chargers once again, even catching a TD in his return to action.  It wasn’t all good for the Chargers though; Vincent Jackson (1-15) was effectively marooned on Revis Island most of the game, and none of the other receivers stepped up to do anything of fantasy note.
Finally the Jets got some expected value out of Plaxico Burress (4-25, 3 TDs), as he ended up catching the hat trick in touchdowns.  Dustin Keller (4-53) also had a few catches and Jeremy Kerley (4-29) had a few important third down catches to keep Jets’ drives alive.  Santonio Holmes (2-24) had very quiet game.
Ryan Mathews (13 car., 39 yards; 4 rec., 26 yards) hurt his thumb during the game and didn’t look so good after returning to action.  Mike Tolbert (11 car., 58 yards, 1 TD) had two less carries than Mathews, but did more with those carries, including punching in a one yard TD.
Shonn Greene (20 car., 112 yards; 1 rec., 5 yards) finally got his first 100 yard rushing day of the year, although Ladainian Tomlinson (5 car., 14 yards; 3 rec., 37 yards) got the ceremonial start against his former team.  Greene looked good, running the ball with authority; the only thing Greene owners would have liked would have been for him to get in the endzone.
 

This wasn’t one of Jay Cutler’s (225 total yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs) better games, but he put on a decent showing for the fans in London in leading his team to a much needed victory.  A week after looking pretty close to picture perfect, Josh Freeman (264 yards, 2 TDs, 4 INTs) had an nightmare of a game, throwing four picks on his way toward lending a big hand in submarining his team’s chance at a victory.
Surprise surprise, Roy Williams (4-59, 1 TD) finally justified his free agent signing and put forth the type of effort the Bears’ expected of him in leading the Bears receivers in yards and touchdowns.  Both Johnny Knox (3-53) and Devin Hester (4-46) caught timely passes as well, as Cutler’s receivers looked at least decent for a change.
Mike Williams (6-75) finally looked pretty good in this game, leading his team in receiving and targets, even though it was Dezmon Briscoe (6-73, 1 TD) that got the touchdown.  Kellen Winslow (4-25, 1 TD) had minimal yardage but also caught a touchdown to save his fantasy day.
Matt Forte (25 car., 145 yards, 1 TD; 2 rec., 38 yards) continues his march toward ending up as the #1 RB in fantasy football (although Arian Foster might have something to say about that), rolling up another 180 total yards to go along with a score.  Even Marion Barber (6 car., 39 yards, 1 TD) had a decent day as he vultured another TD from Forte.
Earnest Graham (2 car., 13 yards; 1 rec., -2 yards) went down with an ankle injury in the first quarter that did not look good.  Kregg Lumpkin (8 car., 15 yards; 6 rec., 37 yards) took over the rest of the game and didn’t do much.  Luckily for the Bucs, they have a bye next week and will hopefully have Legarrette Blount back for Week 9.
Matt Schaub (296 yards, 2 TDs) only needed to throw a total of 23 passes to amass nearly 300 yards passing and a couple of touchdowns on his way to leading a slaughter of the Titans.  Matt Hasselbeck (104 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs) finally turned into a pumpkin in this one, throwing several bad passes en route to completing less than 50% of his passes for only just over 100 yards and a couple of picks.
Without Andre Johnson for yet another game, Schaub leaned heavily on his tight ends as Owen Daniels (4-71) led the receivers in yardage, and Joel Dreessen (2-31, 1 TD) caught a touchdown.  Both Jacoby Jones (2-27) and Kevin Walter (3-35) had forgettable games as the starting WRs.
With only 14 completions and 104 yards to distribute, all of the Titans receivers were relative busts.  Only TE Jared Cook (2-22, 1 TD) was able to salvage his fantasy day with a touchdown, as no other receivers did anything of note.
Arian Foster (25 car., 115 yards, 2 TDs; 5 rec., 119 yards, 1 TD) is sure making up for lost time, as he steamrolled the Titans defense for over 230 total yards and three touchdowns.  Even Ben Tate (15 car., 104 yards) went over the century mark as the Titans just could not stop the run.  Going forward Foster will continue to put up the numbers to challenge for the #1 fantasy football RB spot, even though he missed a couple of games early on with a hamstring injury.
Seriously Chris Johnson (10 car., 18 yards; 6 rec., 27 yards)?  While Foster was proving himself worthy of a $53 million contract, CJ was proving that he may not even deserve a tenth of that contract.  10 carries for 18 yards wouldn’t be acceptable for an NFL running back of any level, but especially not for one who is being paid as the best RB in the league.  At this point, CJ doesn’t even look like the best RB on his own team, let alone the entire league.
 

Ben Roethlisberger (359 total yards, 3 TDs) led his team to a big road win over a feisty Cardinals team, and looked extremely sharp in doing so. Kevin Kolb (286 total yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) also put together a nice effort, although he just couldn’t get enough scores in the end to make a better game of it.
Whenever Big Ben rears back and fires long, it’s almost a surety that the pass is going to Mike Wallace (3-118, 1 TD).  Once again, Roethlisberger took his shots down the field and finally hooked up with Wallace on a 95 yard bomb.  Antonio Brown (7-102) also cemented his status as the #2 WR next to Wallace, with his first 100 yard receiving game of the year.  Heath Miller (4-59, 1 TD) had a solid game, as did Emmanuel Sanders (5-46, 1 TD), who caught Big Ben’s third TD of the day.
Larry Fitzgerald (4-78) had a decent yardage showing but overall didn’t put on a great game considering how much the Cardinals had to throw in the game.  Early Doucet (5-30, 1 TD) had a touchdown as Fitzgerald’s running mate, while no other Cardinals receivers did anything of note.
The running game was the one part of the Steelers’ offense that didn’t work that well, as Rashard Mendenhall (13 car., 32 yards; 1 rec., 5 yards) had a surprisingly quiet game.  Both Isaac Redman (6 car., 29 yards; 2 rec., 1 yards) and Mwelde Moore (6 car., 26 yards) spelled an ineffective Mendenhall quite a bit in the game.
Beanie Wells (12 car., 42 yards) started off the game looking fairly effective until he left the game in the second quarter with a sprained knee.  Alfonso Smith (5 car., 17 yards, 1 TD) and LaRod Stephens-Howling (2 rec., 76 yards, 1 TD) replaced Wells in the lineup, and Smith got into the endzone on the ground, while Stephens-Howling scored through the air.
 

Matt Cassel (159 total yards, 2 INTs) didn’t have to do a whole lot to help his team get the win; in fact, all he had to do was not give the game away considering his defense scored all the points they would need to win the game.  Kyle Boller (90 total yards, 3 INTs) was a wreck to start the game, and Carson Palmer (116 yards, 3 INTs), who relieved him, wasn’t any better.  This performance has to have the Raiders faithful worried about what the rest of the season will be like for their team.
Cassel only completed 15 passes, but both Dwayne Bowe (6-76) and Steve Breaston (5-64) had decent PPR receiving days, although no Chiefs pass catchers scored any touchdowns.  No other Chiefs receivers did anything of note.
When your quarterbacks only complete 15 passes and throw six drive-killing interceptions, the receivers are bound to have a tough day.  The only receiver that caught more than two passes was Darrius Heyward-Bey (5-89), who actually had a decent fantasy day.
Jackie Battle (16 car., 76 yards) served as the Chiefs’ bell cow in this game, and looks like he’s the back to own on the Chiefs going forward.  Dexter McCluster (10 car., 38 yards; 2 rec., -3 yards) did ok with his limited touches, and Thomas Jones (9 car., 19 yards) was, well, his same Thomas Jones’ self.
Darren McFadden (2 car., 4 yards; 1 rec., 3 yards) suffered a leg injury in the first quarter, which was a disaster for his fantasy owners.  Michael Bush (17 car., 99 yards; 2 rec., 12 yards) stepped in and had a nice fantasy day, rolling up over 110 total yards even though his team couldn’t score any points.
 

As expected, AJ Feeley (196 yards, 1 INT), starting for the injured Sam Bradford, had a very tough day against an aggressive Dallas Cowboys defense and is probably happy to just get out of there on one piece.  Tony Romo (166 yards, 2 TDs) had a very efficient day, tossing two touchdowns and marginal yardage as the running game finally carried the day for the Cowboys.
Brandon Lloyd (6-74) only joined the team early this week, and he already asserted himself as the #1 WR.  Going forward Lloyd should be a solid contributor, especially once Bradford his healthy again.  TE Michael Hoomanawanui (3-44) was the only other pass catcher to have more than two receptions.
With Romo only having to throw for 166 yards, the Cowboys receivers had a quieter game than normal.  Still, Dez Bryant (5-90, 1 TD) had a good day and scored a TD, while Jason Witten (5-35, 1 TD) caught a few passes and also chipped in a score.  Miles Austin (2-16) was the odd man out with not much to go around.
Steven Jackson (18 car., 70 yards, 1 TD; 4 rec., 3 yards) had a solid day considering how much the Rams got down early in the game, and is at least a solid RB2 in fantasy lineups as long as his health holds up.  Watch for the effect of the injury to tackle Jason Smith, however, as that could have a negative impact on the running game.
In his first start, DeMarco Murray (25 car., 253 yards, 1 TD) only broke the Cowboys single game rushing record.  Of course, you could drive a truck through the holes the Cowboys O-line blew in the Rams defense, but rolling up over 250 yards rushing against any NFL team is extremely impressive.  Murray will get the lion’s share of carries going forward until Felix Jones is healthy, and even when Jones is healthy may have earned himself at least a significant portion of a time share.
 

Another week goes by, another 300 and 3 performance for Aaron Rodgers (342 total yards, 3 TDs).  Rodgers does it so often and under most any condition that those performance are almost becoming ho-hum for his owners.  Christian Ponder (250 total yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs) got his first NFL start and already made the Vikings look much better than they did with Donovan McNabb at the helm.  Ponder might actually make the Vikings a team to consider some fantasy players (outside of Adrian Peterson) on going forward.
Greg Jennings (7-147, 1 TD) again proved that he’s probably the only Packers’ WR that you can count on from week to week, rolling up another solid yardage day and a long bomb TD.  Both James Jones (4-63) and Jordy Nelson (4-52) caught four passes each, Jermichael Finley (2-13, 1 TD) scored a TD, and none of the other pass catchers did anything of note.
The Vikings receivers finally looked like viable options for fantasy owners, as Michael Jenkins (3-111, 1 TD) and Visanthe Shiancoe (4-45, 1 TD) both had solid receiving days.  Percy Harvin (2-15; 2 car., 8 yards) was not very effective, but better days are ahead if Ponder continues to improve.
James Starks (13 car., 75 yards; 3 rec., 24 yards) ended up as the best RB for the Packers yet again, rolling nearly 100 yards of total offense.  Ryan Grant (9 car., 29 yards) got about 40% of the carries, and didn’t like quite as effective as Starks.  Going forward, Starks is probably the one to play if you are planning on rolling with a Packers RB, as time and again he has looked more effective than Grant.
It’s amazing how much a decent QB can help Adrian Peterson (24 car., 175 yards, 1 TD), as the effective passing of Ponder helped to loosen up the defense, opening big running lanes for AP in what was his best running day of the year.  More days like this could be ahead as long as the Vikings are able to get some good play out of the passing game.
 
Ho Boy.  That’s about all you can say after Curtis Painter’s (78 total yards, 1 INT) disaster against the Saints, as the Colts defense just couldn’t stop the Saints at all, putting Painter into a nightmarish situation of being down b more and more points every time his team got the ball back.  Drew Brees (325 yards, 5 TDs) was able to pass at will, and really never had to sweat much against a Colts team that was ill-equipped to stop anything the Saints wanted to do.
When your QBs only complete 12 passes, there isn’t going to be much going on for the receivers.  Reggie Wayne (3-36) and Pierre Garcon (3-31) only caught three passes each to lead the Colts, while TE Dallas Clark got shut out.
It was a fantasy bonanza for Brees’ chosen targets, as both Marques Colston (7-98, 2 TDs) and Jimmy Graham (6-54, 2 Tds) caught two scores each to go along with several catches.  Lance Moore (3-44) and Robert Meachem (2-27) were left to pick up the scraps, and neither will be worth playing in fantasy lineups as long as Colston remains healthy.
While none of the Colts receivers were worthwhile, Delone Carter (10 car., 89 yards, 1 TD) actually had a good fantasy day against the Saints defense, rolling up nearly 90 yards on the ground and a score.  Donald Brown (9 car., 47 yards) shared the ball almost 50%, which is the split to expect if Joseph Addai (2 car., 8 yards; 2 rec., 11 yards           ) continues to be hurt.
All three of the Saints runners had worthwhile days, as Mark Ingram (14 car., 91 yards; 1 rec., 6 yards), Pierre Thomas (10 car., 57 yards; 5 rec., 68 yards), and Darren Sproles (12 car., 88 yards, 1 TD; 6 rec., 19 yards, 1 TD) all had good fantasy days.  Going forward all three are worth consideration in fantasy leagues as long as the bye weeks are going on, but Sproles is looking more and more like the top dog as each game passes.

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