Empty the Bench

- Frank Gore finally appears poised to post a profit for his owners after a pair of down, injury-plagued seasons. The guy has always had the talent to be an MVP candidate, but his situation and health (chicken or the egg?) have been significant limiting factors. The stars are aligned in 2009 though. The 49ers are not going to be an easy out and their defense will not be a doormat this season, keeping San Fran in games and allowing them to stay committed to the run. And stay committed they will with rough-and-tumble new head coach Mike Singletary and rushing-friendly offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye calling the shots. We also know QB Shaun Hill will lean on Gore heavily in the short passing game.

So as the unquestioned lynch pin of this offense we know the touches will be there, and on Sunday Gore showed why he deserves them. He posted an otherworldly 207 rushing yards and 2 TDs on 16 carries and caught 5 more balls for 39 yards. Perhaps most important was how he scored. Gore took balls between the tackles, ran hard, picked his spots and then simply outran the Seahawks secondary for 79-yard and 80-yard scampers, flashing speed we haven’t seen out of him since 2006.

I have three fantasy leagues I take seriously. In the first two I was more than than happy to land Chris Johnson with the 9th picks (he was 2nd on my board). I had another chance to grab Johnson at 8th in the third draft, but decided to diversify my portfolio and snatch up Gore. So far, I’m feeling good about it – and I have no intention of selling high until something changes. The guy has a legit shot at leading the NFL in rushing. Honest.

Frank Gore photo credit: Icon SMI

- I’m very worried about the Green Bay Packers offense. Specifically, the offensive line, which has a chance to really hurt all of this team’s skill players. Last week I mentioned RT Allen “Barbie” Barbre‘s week-one struggles against the Bears, saying, “Barbie is going to have to improve or be replaced for this offense to live up to its vast potential.” This week things got worse as Packers left tackle Chad Clifton rolled his ankle and had to be carted off in the third. Bungles DE Antwan Odom promptly notched 4 sacks, finishing with 5 on the day. Aaron Rodgers was battered and off balance all day, unable to stand and deliver downfield, and it showed as favorite wideout Greg Jennings was held without a catch. Against the Bengals. Now I know Cincinatti’s defense is much improved this season, but that’s simply unacceptable. Something’s got to change. The Rams, Browns, and Lions are on tap in the next month, so this problem may be forgotten temporarily, but it isn’t going away – not with Minnesota’s mauling defensive line on tap for Week Four and Week Eight.

- Fuck you, Jeff Reed. You are dead to me.

- The Ravens backfield is turning into a headache. It’s not necessarily actionable news, unless Willis McGahee is a free agent (in which case you need to add him ASAP), but it’s a situation that bears significant attention as the new Ravens offense could turn the position into a fantasy goldmine. Ray Rice is clearly the most talented, consistent and versatile of Baltimore’s tailback options and he’s tallied 202 total yards whilst sporting a 5.3 YPC. That’s the good news, the bad news is that he’s yet to cross the stripe and he’s not getting much of a chance to do so. I’m not a fan of the man, but I have to say McGahee has been more that capable so far this season and he currently owns the goal line. Rice is still an excellent flex play in most leagues, but if things continue like this he may not be that sneaky RB2 you drafted him to be.

Four more earth-shattering revelations, after the jump…

- After two weeks it’s looking like Mario Manningham and Steve Smith are the commodities to own in New York’s passing attack. Add them if you can. Smith is going to be Eli Manning‘s go-to possession receiver, and it must be said that the man gets open and makes difficult catches in traffic, though he lacks explosiveness and doesn’t get as many red-zone looks as I would like. Still, Smith is an excellent WR4 with the potential to be more. Meanwhile, forget about that 4.59 40-yard time coming out of college, Manningham is all explosion. He’s making big plays down the sidelines, hasn’t been afraid to go over the middle and is racking up yards after contact. Grab him with confidence.

- This just in: Darrelle Revis is a goddamn animal. He completely shut down Andre Johnson in Week One, easily one of the top-three receivers on the planet. And he did it in style, physically mauling the bigger Johnson and sticking right on his hip all day. Then this week Randy Moss rolls into town and it was just another day at the office for Revis, who spent most of the afternoon blanketing Mr. Moss in single coverage without safety help. I’m a Minnesota fan, I’ve seen a lot of Randy Moss games, and I don’t ever remember seeing that after the first few weeks of his rookie season. On one play Revis even went toe-to-toe with Moss on a jump ball … and won. Impressive.

- The Tennessee Titans are struggling to generate their usual pass rush (go figure) and that secondary is not a unit you need to be afraid of right now. Start your wideouts against them with confidence until further notice.

- Clinton Portis owners, be concerned. If you can sell that name brand at a modest discount you have my blessing to do so. He looks slow and hesitant, and I’m convinced he’ll wear down once again. Ladell Betts is a very attractive stash. The ‘Skins went into Sunday’s game with a stated goal of feeding Portis and coaxing a big day out of their lead tailback. At home against the St. Louis Rams 79 rushing yards, with a long run of 12 yards, simply isn’t going to cut it.

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2. Quick Slants from the 2009 NFL’s Week Three, Featuring Ahmad Bradshaw and No. 4


3. Frank Gore Made a Deal with the Devil


4. Quick Slants From the 2009 NFL Week Five, Where Browns and Bills Sail to Exciting Highs


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