Empty the Bench

- If he can stay healthy, Adrian Peterson is going to the Pro Bowl. He’s already one of the most explosive, shifty, powerful and productive backs in the NFL and his full arsenal was on display Sunday afternoon. He broke tackles and wore defenders down with his characteristically bruising runs for most of the game, but all three of the touchdown jaunts were almost elegant. He showed tremendous vision, carefully chose open running lanes, subtly juked and cut, freed himself, and then just galloped into the endzone.

Everyone who saw the game knew they were watching greatness emerge right before their eyes. He’s sporting a healthy 6.3 YPC average, and you just can’t tackle this guy. AP is a top-5 running back in fantasy football until further notice– which is unlikely to come for a decade or so. The final stat line: 20 carries for 224 yards (breaking Chuck Foreman’s team record of 200 yards), 1 reception for 9 yards, TD runs of 67 yards, 73 yards and 35 yards and 128 more yards on kick returns. Oh, and he set up the game-winning field goal with his 53-yard kick return in the final minutes. Also, he’s now rushed for more yards than all Minnesota opponents combined. He’s pretty good.

- Another running back you may have heard of also turned in a rather fine fantasy performance on Sunday. Against one of the league’s more moribund rush defenses, LaDainian Tomlinson crossed the goal line four times, accounting for all of the Chargers’ TDs in their 28-14 win over Oakland. Give him 24 carries for 198 yards rushing and 3 catches for 16 yards. Yeah, he’s pretty good too.

- Braylon Edwards, elite fantasy wide receiver. He did what he’s supposed to do against a poor secondary like Miami’s, adding three more TDs to his ‘07 resume to give him seven on the year through six games. He’s now tied for second overall amongst WRs for touchdowns and is third overall in receiving yards behind just Randy “Great One” Moss and Chad Johnson. We’re also awarding him the TD Celebration of the Day Award after he alley-ooped it to himself and dunked it over the goal post after his first score.

Paired with Kellen Winslow and the surprisingly good–very good–play of QB Derek Anderson, the Browns have proven they can light up the league’s bad defenses. That includes St. Louis in Week 8 after the team’s bye this week. They close the season out against very beatable defenses (NYJ, BUF, CIN, SF), so plan for the fantasy playoffs accordingly.

- Despite all the hype about a TO vs. Moss showdown, in our Matchups column we said we thought Wes Welker would have a fine game playing underneath the Cowboys’ secondary and projected 6 receptions, 80 yards and a score. We didn’t anticipate him going off like this though. Welker had 2 TDs and 100 yards in the first half alone, and finished with 11 receptions for 124— significantly more than Moss or Owens. With the Pats passing game humming along, Welker is a fantastic WR3 play.

- Another Caucasian receiver had a big day on Sunday, living up to and exceeding our expectations. In the Crystal Ball I pegged Kevin Curtis for 6 catches, 95 yards and a TD. He nearly surpassed that on one 75-yard TD catch with over 10 minutes remaining in the first quarter. He ran a simple fly route with one good step, caught the ball in stride, broke a tackle and then showed his world-class speed. Curtis is the best wideout on Philly and he’s going to be a strong WR2 play for most of the year. The guy’s quick, hard-nosed, sure-handed and most importantly he just gets open, something Reggie Brown simply can’t do.

- Ho hum. Tom Brady went 31-46 (67.4%) for 388 yards passing, 5 touchdowns and 0 INTs. Another day at the office. And Randy Moss? Just another 6 catches for 59 yards and a score. New England has the best QB, the best WR, the best trio of WRs and the best offensive line in football. I don’t see how they’re going to lose.

- Despite the narrow 17-14 loss in Green Bay, quarterback Jason Campbell showed the poise and patience of a veteran and has the look of a future Pro Bowler in just his second NFL season. At 6-5 Campbell is an imposing presence in the pocket and has good mobility for a guy his size. Just as importantly, he throws a nice ball, makes solid decisions, and maximizes the talent around him. His numbers weren’t spectacular (21-37, 217 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 1 Rushing TD), but Campbell should be owned in all fantasy leagues and is a fine play against weak secondaries. We like him at home in Week 7 against Arizona.

- KC Chiefs RB Larry Johnson finally rewarded his pissed off patient owners by capitalizing on that shitty Bengals defense (shitty Bengals team?) and finishing the afternoon with 31 carries for 119 yards and 1 TD. There was some bad with the good, however, as he lost a fumble at the 1-yard line after he carelessly let his guard down and had it popped out. The schedule lightens considerably from here on out for the Chiefs, but we’re still not convinced. Looking ahead to tomorrow’s Week Seven Stock Report, LJ will be first on our “Sell High” list. By the way, the Chiefs are now 3-3 and quietly tied for first in the middling AFC West with the Chargers.

- The Minnesota Vikings have a very average secondary but have excelled at holding opponents’ WR1s in check, so it was nice to see the Bears’ Bernard Berrian finally have a nice game highlighted by a long 39-yard TD from Brian Griese. Berrian was wide open at about the two-yard line after CB Cedric Griffin, looking like he still hadn’t gotten the alcohol out of his system from Saturday night, was turned around and stumbled to the ground after a stop-and-go move from Berrian. On the day, he had 5 catches for 78 yards and the score; consider him a strong WR3, mediocre WR2.

- He didn’t exactly set Lambeau Field on fire (13 carries, 37 yards, 1 TD), but unheralded rookie RB DeShawn Wynn is clearly the back to own in Green Bay. Fellow rookie Brandon Jackson had every opportunity to win the job during the preseason, but a few nagging injuries and poor performance when he actually got on the field contributed to him being a healthy scratch on Sunday. He’s one of the biggest early-season disappointments of this rookie class, and can safely be dropped and exchanged for someone with more immediate upside wallowing on the waivers (perhaps soon-to-be NYJ starter Kellen Clemens).

- Speaking of Jets quarterbacks, it was yet another sterling performance for one of ETB’s Resident Whipping Boys. At this point, despite his noodle arm and the Nerf balls he throws with said arm, it’s almost easy to feel bad for Chad Pennington. Any football fans in the New York/New Jersey area who weren’t already calling “off with his head” in limey British accents are certainly doing so this morning over a plate of blood puddin’ and runny baked beans. Boos reigned down upon Pennington as he squandered a possible win almost single-handedly, a game the Eagles dominated on the field but could have very easily lost to a competent QB. On the day he was 11-21 for 128 yards, 0 TDs, and 1 INT; it looked a lot worse than the numbers do. There’s no way HC Eric Mangini can start him again. Ever.

- Over a bowl of Chocolate Honeycomb this morning, I asked my cat what she thought about Shaun Alexander and his play against the formerly poor New Orleans Saints rushing defense. She looked at me for a second, went into the kitchen, and puked on the floor. Well said, Taj, well said.

- Last week we mentioned that it’d be nice to see Jax Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew follow up his Week 5 performance with another strong showing before putting him firmly back on our fantasy radar. He must be reading the site regularly, because despite Fred Taylor around to rush the ball 6 times for 90 yards–a fair 15 YPC–MJD had another big day with 12 carries for 125 yards and 2 TDs, including a 57-yarder. He was also David Garrard’s top receiving threat, catching 4 passes for 59 yards. Taylor will not be relegated to the bench, but right now, it looks like MJD is first in the pecking order and should be considered a strong RB2 until we see otherwise. We’re psyched for Sunday’s big AFC South clash between the Jags and Colts; don’t be surprised if there’s an upset in Florida.

- Filling in for the inactive Jamal Lewis, Cleveland Browns RB Jason Wright scored the first TD of the afternoon and finished with a respectable 99 combined yards (though he did lose a fumble). He’s still pretty raw, but has more burst than Lewis and is a better receiver out of the backfield. Lewis will remain the starter when healthy, but this looks like a burgeoning timeshare situation to us.

- Just who is the top receiver in Cincinnati these days? Chad Johnson is an ETB favorite and is still having a helluva season despite being held out of the endzone yesterday against the Chiefs (8 catches, 83 yards), but T.J. Houshmandzadeh is straight killing opposing secondaries at the moment and has passed his teammate in overall production. After hauling in 8 passes for 145 yards and a score, the guy whose last name everyone just loves to joke about being unable to pronounce has 47 catches for 505 yards and 7 TDs. That’s 11 more receptions and 4 more TDs than Ocho Cinco, who has a 73-yard edge in total receiving yards. In fact, Housh is on pace to set the NFL record for receptions. Consider both of them strong fantasy WR1s and be excited for their fantasy playoffs schedule.

- So, apparently Devin Hester is a pretty good kick returner–who knew?–and can catch passes, too. We ask that it be added to the NFL Rule Book that any special-teams coordinator who willfully punts or kicks the ball to Devin Hester be removed from his job the following morning. And the head coach should also be reprimanded on a makeshift wooden stage in their town’s public square the following Tuesday morning for one hour.

- Kudos to Tony Gonzalez for breaking the record for touchdowns by a TE. Antonio Gates has had a few amazing years, but as it stands right now Gonzalez is far and away the best tight end of this era. Watching a bank of TVs on Sunday with no sound for the Kansas City game, I managed to turn my head just in time to see Gonzo’s 3-yard TD in the first quarter. I thought the celebration was a bit excessive, but then they flashed the stat. He also caught what ended up being the game winner in the fourth quarter. We’ve now had to endure two CBS announcers, Shannon Sharpe and Dan Marino, both have their records broken while they’re on the air. It was awkward both times, but at least Sharpe doesn’t seem to derive as much of his self worth from stats as Marino does.

- And, cashing another ETB check, Miami’s Cleo Lemon managed to be a part of 4 TDs. He was, of course, ETB’s Sneaky Play of the Week at the quarterback position and was projected for 2 TDs and 280 yards passing in the Crystal Ball. Just FYI. The final line: 24-43, 256 yards, 2 TD, 2 INTs, 4 carries, 9 yards, 2 TDs. What have we learned? You must consider starting every quarterback who faces the Cleveland Browns until further notice. And you must always listen to ETB’s fantasy advice.

- There was a debate on Sunday at ye olde watering hole over which quarterback you’d take right now for one game: Eli Manning or Jeff “Moonball” Garcia? Against all odds and predictions, Garcia is playing very well in Tampa Bay and has a nice rapport with WR Joey Galloway, who really shouldn’t be putting up these kinds of numbers (22 catches, 403 yards, 3 TDs, 18.3 YPC). As for us–if we had to win one big game, tomorrow, or the season would end, we’d have to roll with Garcia. Manning is just still too unpredictable at this point. How about you–Garcia or Manning?

Overhead at the Local Watering Hole:
“He couldn’t play quarterback in McCarren Park if we had a team.” – On the maligned Chad Pennington

Text Message of the Day:
“What a monster. He should be cloned and copies sent to Iraq to win the war.” – On Adrian Peterson’s ability to kill, kill, kill.