TUESDAY (FOOTBALL) TALK
Monday Night recap...
Cardinals stop the Niners....
....the Niners came out with a bang Monday Night with a 104 yard touchdown return by kick returner Allen Rossum to strike first. Their defense was steady in the early going, holding the Cardinal's on their opening drive to just 3 points and forcing 2-three and outs after that, but when you are facing Kurt Warner stops don't come often.
In the 2nd quarter it was a different story with both offense opening things up. The Niners scored first in the quarter with a 3 play drive capped by a Shaun Hill 31 yard touchdown pass to rookie receiver Josh Morgan. The Cardinals answered back with a 4 play drive of their own and scored on a Kurt Warner 13 yard pass to receiver Anquan Boldin. Both teams went back and forth scoring 24 points in the quarter with the Niners taking a halftime lead of 21-13.
In the second half only one team came out of the locker room ready to play. After putting up 21 points in the first half the Niners settled with just three points in the entire second half, while the Cardinals Kurt Warner continued his 2008 MVP run throwing for 148 yards and tossing two 2nd half touchdown. The difference in this one was the efficiency of Warner passing for over 300 yards while completing better than 75% of his throws and three costly turnovers by quarterback Shaun Hill all in the 2nd half. The win puts the Cards atop the NFC West at 6-3, 4 games clear of the rest of the division, all tied at 2-7.
Fantasy notes: The Niners running back Frank Gore played solid in the Monday night affair gaining 99 yards on the ground, but did not find the end-zone. Quarterback Shaun Hill was solid in the first half with 2 touchdown passes and 107 yards passing, but finished the game with 217 yards and 2 second half picks. A nice surprise in the Niner's passing game was the re-emergence of rookie receiver Josh Morgan who caught 4 passes for 45 yards and a score. A final note on the Niners, was the play of 2nd year wideout Jason Hill, a featured player on the Fantasy Football Insider's Sunday Morning Quarterback radio broadcast on BlogTalkRadio. Hill finished the night with 7 catches for 84 yards...........the Cardinals just did what they do and they are led by the 37 year old veteran quarterback Kurt Warner, who is playing like a two-time MVP. Warner passed for 328 yards and threw 3 touchdowns to lead the cause for the Cards. Wide receivers Anquan Boldin (92 yards) and Steve Breatson (121 yards) each caught 7 passes on the night, while Larry Fitzgerald (8 receptions, 49 yards) and Boldin each added a score. One important stat to note, was the absent of a running game. The Cards rushed for only 46 yards, but only called 19 running plays, including 3 carries for Anquan.
This week's "Dark-horses".....
*The Chargers wide receiver Chris Chambers is still ailing and has been slowed now for several weeks. It could be another couple of weeks before he gets back to 100%. On Sunday Chambers did play, but did not start. Instead head coach Norv Turner went with his 6'5" big playmaking receiver Malcom Floyd, who came up big in the starter's role. Floyd caught 4 passes for 76 yards and a touchdown in the Chargers win in Week 10 and could be a Dark Horse down the stretch if Chambers remains slow to heal.
Fantasy notes: The Niners running back Frank Gore played solid in the Monday night affair gaining 99 yards on the ground, but did not find the end-zone. Quarterback Shaun Hill was solid in the first half with 2 touchdown passes and 107 yards passing, but finished the game with 217 yards and 2 second half picks. A nice surprise in the Niner's passing game was the re-emergence of rookie receiver Josh Morgan who caught 4 passes for 45 yards and a score. A final note on the Niners, was the play of 2nd year wideout Jason Hill, a featured player on the Fantasy Football Insider's Sunday Morning Quarterback radio broadcast on BlogTalkRadio. Hill finished the night with 7 catches for 84 yards...........the Cardinals just did what they do and they are led by the 37 year old veteran quarterback Kurt Warner, who is playing like a two-time MVP. Warner passed for 328 yards and threw 3 touchdowns to lead the cause for the Cards. Wide receivers Anquan Boldin (92 yards) and Steve Breatson (121 yards) each caught 7 passes on the night, while Larry Fitzgerald (8 receptions, 49 yards) and Boldin each added a score. One important stat to note, was the absent of a running game. The Cards rushed for only 46 yards, but only called 19 running plays, including 3 carries for Anquan.
This week's "Dark-horses".....
*The Chargers wide receiver Chris Chambers is still ailing and has been slowed now for several weeks. It could be another couple of weeks before he gets back to 100%. On Sunday Chambers did play, but did not start. Instead head coach Norv Turner went with his 6'5" big playmaking receiver Malcom Floyd, who came up big in the starter's role. Floyd caught 4 passes for 76 yards and a touchdown in the Chargers win in Week 10 and could be a Dark Horse down the stretch if Chambers remains slow to heal.
The Seahawks will be looking forward to the return of quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, who could give the team's passing game a needed injection. The team's running back Julius Jones will also be looking forward to Hasselbeck's return, to take some focus away from the running game. Jones has shown good speed and running ability and is averaging 4.6 yards per carry this season. Earlier in the year when Hasselbeck was healthier Jones was able to break loose for 127 yards in week 2 and 140yards in Week 3. With the passing game getting an upgrade soon, Jones could be a nice Dark Horse in the second half, especially with games against the Patriots, Cowboys, and Rams.
The Vikings wide receiver Sidney Rice has managed to find the end-zone two weeks in a row. He's only made two catches in his last two games, but both were big and indicate quarterback's Gus Frerotte trust in him in the red-zone. Now that he is starting in Minnesota, fantasy owners should expect to see Frerotte call his number more often and continue to target him inside the red-zone. Owners keep a watch for Rice who could be another promising fantasy option down the stretch.
In Jacksonville, it has taken this long, but finally wide receiver Jerry Porter has gotten healthy enough to get back on the playing field and contribute. In Week 10, Porter was targeted 4 times, catching two passes and finding the end-zone. With the prospects of the team losing it's leading receiver Matt Jones to suspension, Porter could be a nice replacement in the line up to pick up the slack. Fantasy owners should keep an eye on this situation, if healthy, Porter offers more speed to the passing and is a much better deep threat option than Jones. He could become a nice play in the coming weeks and be another Dark Horse to consider.
Heading for the Sideline......
It's not likely Seahawk's quarterback Seneca Wallace was already on too many fantasy rosters, but with reports indicating the return of Matt Hasselbeck to Seattle's line up in Week 11, if by chance he was, it's time to send him to the fantasy sideline. If Hass is healthy, Wallace will likely not more time keeping the bench warm or holding a clip board here on out.
The Bronco's could be looking at turning into a regular Barnum and Bailey high-flying circus aerial assault from here on out with their backfield decimated, but don't figure on these plans to include wide receiver Darrell Jackson. The Bronco's receiver has hardly been an after thought and doesn't offer any value on any fantasy rosters at this time. With plenty of other options available in Denver's passing game send him to the fantasy sideline.
There are rumors circulating that the Raider's top drafted rookie, running back Darren McFadden is close to having his season shut down. Battling injuries all season, McFadden has hardly been a fantasy factor. Having missed the team's last three games with turf toe injuries on both feet and with these recent rumors flying about, it could be time to cut losses. Fantasy owners should consider shutting D-Mac down for the year and sending him to the fantasy sideline.
The Vikings wide receiver Sidney Rice has managed to find the end-zone two weeks in a row. He's only made two catches in his last two games, but both were big and indicate quarterback's Gus Frerotte trust in him in the red-zone. Now that he is starting in Minnesota, fantasy owners should expect to see Frerotte call his number more often and continue to target him inside the red-zone. Owners keep a watch for Rice who could be another promising fantasy option down the stretch.
In Jacksonville, it has taken this long, but finally wide receiver Jerry Porter has gotten healthy enough to get back on the playing field and contribute. In Week 10, Porter was targeted 4 times, catching two passes and finding the end-zone. With the prospects of the team losing it's leading receiver Matt Jones to suspension, Porter could be a nice replacement in the line up to pick up the slack. Fantasy owners should keep an eye on this situation, if healthy, Porter offers more speed to the passing and is a much better deep threat option than Jones. He could become a nice play in the coming weeks and be another Dark Horse to consider.
Heading for the Sideline......
It's not likely Seahawk's quarterback Seneca Wallace was already on too many fantasy rosters, but with reports indicating the return of Matt Hasselbeck to Seattle's line up in Week 11, if by chance he was, it's time to send him to the fantasy sideline. If Hass is healthy, Wallace will likely not more time keeping the bench warm or holding a clip board here on out.
The Bronco's could be looking at turning into a regular Barnum and Bailey high-flying circus aerial assault from here on out with their backfield decimated, but don't figure on these plans to include wide receiver Darrell Jackson. The Bronco's receiver has hardly been an after thought and doesn't offer any value on any fantasy rosters at this time. With plenty of other options available in Denver's passing game send him to the fantasy sideline.
There are rumors circulating that the Raider's top drafted rookie, running back Darren McFadden is close to having his season shut down. Battling injuries all season, McFadden has hardly been a fantasy factor. Having missed the team's last three games with turf toe injuries on both feet and with these recent rumors flying about, it could be time to cut losses. Fantasy owners should consider shutting D-Mac down for the year and sending him to the fantasy sideline.
Against the Jaguars in Week 10, the Culpepper experiment did not succeed, but head coach Rod Marinelli did find that the Kevin Smith trials did. Rookie running back Kevin Smith started the game for the Lions and played well and it looks as though the team will stay this direction. With Smith starting, it's time for the Rudi Johnson fantasy owners to make room on the roster. Johnson has hardly been a contributor over the past several weeks, and it's time to send him to the sideline.
Power Rankings
How they rank...
1. Tennessee Titans (9-0-0)....the Titan's used the passing game (289 yards) and Kerry Collin's arm in Week 10 to escape the Bears.
2. New York Giants (8-1-0)....the Giant's used defense and their running game to once again continue their dominance of the NFC East with a big win over the Eagles Sunday night.
3. Carolina Panthers (7-2-0)....the Panthers got an ugly win over the Raiders on Sunday with four interceptions by quarterback Jake Delhomme. Probably the only team you can get away with doing that, but a win-is-a-win.
4. Tampa Buccaneers (6-3-0)....the Buccaneers were off for the week, trying to heal. They will be hoping both Earnest Graham and Cadillac Williams will be available in Week 11.
5. Washington Redskins (6-3-0)....the Redskins will be hoping to rebound from their Week 9 loss and hoping that running back Clinton Portis will be ready to go this Sunday.
Rounding out the top 10...
6. Dallas Cowboys (6-3-0).....the team still has too much talent to discount from contention.
7. Baltimore Ravens (6-3-0)....the Ravens have enough defense to contend in the AFC.
8. NY Jets (6-3-0)....the Jets defense is playing well and anything can happen when you have Favre.
9. Arizona Cardinals (6-3-0)....the Cards QB Kurt Warner is playing like an MVP.
10. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3-0)....the Steelers Achilles has been exposed, pressure, pressure, pressure.
Power Rankings
How they rank...
1. Tennessee Titans (9-0-0)....the Titan's used the passing game (289 yards) and Kerry Collin's arm in Week 10 to escape the Bears.
2. New York Giants (8-1-0)....the Giant's used defense and their running game to once again continue their dominance of the NFC East with a big win over the Eagles Sunday night.
3. Carolina Panthers (7-2-0)....the Panthers got an ugly win over the Raiders on Sunday with four interceptions by quarterback Jake Delhomme. Probably the only team you can get away with doing that, but a win-is-a-win.
4. Tampa Buccaneers (6-3-0)....the Buccaneers were off for the week, trying to heal. They will be hoping both Earnest Graham and Cadillac Williams will be available in Week 11.
5. Washington Redskins (6-3-0)....the Redskins will be hoping to rebound from their Week 9 loss and hoping that running back Clinton Portis will be ready to go this Sunday.
Rounding out the top 10...
6. Dallas Cowboys (6-3-0).....the team still has too much talent to discount from contention.
7. Baltimore Ravens (6-3-0)....the Ravens have enough defense to contend in the AFC.
8. NY Jets (6-3-0)....the Jets defense is playing well and anything can happen when you have Favre.
9. Arizona Cardinals (6-3-0)....the Cards QB Kurt Warner is playing like an MVP.
10. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3-0)....the Steelers Achilles has been exposed, pressure, pressure, pressure.
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