Mostly NFL Notes: Talking Russell Wilson and a look around the league in Week 5
Russell Wilson had 89 rushing yards at halftime, which is more than LeSean McCoy has had during any game this season. Wilson finished with 122 rushing yards (the most ever by a quarterback during a Monday night game) on 11 carries, and while his score on the ground was just his second over the past 23 games (including the playoffs), he completed 75.0 percent of his passes, getting 8.4 YPA with a 2:0 TD:INT ratio, as he had a huge fantasy performance despite throwing for a modest 201 yards. In fact, he became just the fifth player ever to record 100 rushing yards with a TD and 200 passing yards with a score in a game. This play that effectively won the game was also pretty ridiculous. Wilson is on pace to throw for 32 touchdowns and run for 836 yards this season…Kirk Cousins, meanwhile, also had a nice night, getting 7.9 YPA with a 2:0 TD:INT ratio against a strong Seahawks secondary. A matchup in Arizona next week won’t be any easier, however…Marshawn Lynch gave his owners a scare when he didn’t play a snap during Seattle’s opening drive, but he later returned and looked just fine, even recording a TD catch for the third game in a row.
Doug Baldwin leads the Seahawks with 155 receiving yards this season, which is pretty crazy while playing for arguably the best team in football…DeSean Jackson had a really nice game, while Pierre Garcon owners have to be concerned, as his target numbers look like this over the past four games: four, 16, six and three. Aside from the big game in Philly, Garcon totaled 63 yards in the other three contests…The Seahawks entered having allowed the most fantasy points to opposing tight ends yet Niles Paul managed just one catch for six yards…I respected Jay Gruden’s aggressiveness with the surprise onside kick as underdogs, although he made the all-too-common mistake of not calling his final timeout before the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter, costing his team five seconds or so…Percy Harvin owners have to be irate, as he saw not one, not two but three touchdowns taken away by penalties (and often it wasn’t clear there was a flag on the play until you were celebrating). Harvin ended up totaling just 34 yards, as his night looked quiet, but really, it was anything but that.
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After taking just three sacks while playing on the road against the Ravens and Panthers, Ben Roethlisberger has been sacked nine times over the past two weeks against the Buccaneers and Jaguars, two games in which the Steelers were big favorites. Still, Roethlisberger has produced a QB Rating of 100+ in four of five games this season, and over the past three weeks, he’s completed 72.6 percent of his passes with a 6:0 TD:INT ratio…Toby Gerhart gained nine yards on four carries, which was five fewer rushing yards than Blake Bortles and 19 fewer than Storm Johnson. It was later revealed he suffered a foot injury during his second carry of the game, but it’s safe to say Gerhart can be dropped even in the shallowest of leagues…Facing a Pittsburgh defense that entered having yielded the 12th most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers, Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns combined for 77 yards (and no scores) on 22 targets. That’s not good…It’s pretty disconcerting for Steelers fans (or those who bet their over before the season like myself) that it took a pick-six in the fourth quarter for them to secure this victory against an 0-5 Jaguars team that has been outscored by 119 points since the first half of Week 1.
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Ben Tate is clearly going to be the Browns’ workhorse as long as he can stay healthy, and while the latter remains unlikely, until his next injury he’s a must-start RB2 type for fantasy purposes…Apparently Bishop Sankey’s arise to starter has been postponed…Jordan Cameron turned seven targets into 33 yards and remains one of the biggest fantasy disappointments in 2014. He’s clearly still hampered by his shoulder injury even after the bye…Kendall Wright scored as many touchdowns Sunday as he did all of last season when he had 94 receptions…Nice to see my guy Justin Hunter finally show a pulse. He led all Tennessee wide receivers in snaps, but I do worry any potential breakout may be hampered by rookie Zach Mettenberger getting a bunch of starts down the stretch…Jake Locker left the game with a hand injury, but this blow to his head was also pretty brutal…Sunday marked the first time in which Tennessee scored a point in the first quarter of a game this season…The Browns’ 25-point comeback was the largest by any road team in NFL history…Cleveland’s average margin of victory/loss so far this season is 2.0 points, which is insane over four games.
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Justin Forsett was given just six carries, but he gained 42 yards with a score while adding seven catches on eight targets for 55 receiving yards. Beyond the numbers, Forsett has looked incredibly impressive and deserves more touches moving forward, but unfortunately he looks locked in a three-headed committee...Torrey Smith is on pace to finish with 35 catches and 563 yards with three touchdowns this season (although he does continue to draw a bunch on pass interference penalties, making him much more valuable to the Ravens than to his fantasy owners)…With 50 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Joe Flacco overthrew a wide open Marlon Brown that would have gone for a 64-yard touchdown…T.Y. Hilton has zero touchdowns this year (although he did have one called back by a penalty Sunday), but his 50 targets rank fifth among all wide receivers (the four above him have a combined 16 touchdowns). Hilton should be treated as a top-15 fantasy wide receiver moving forward…The Ravens went 1-for-11 on third downs Sunday, which isn’t usually a recipe for success…During the Colts’ last three games, the vaunted Indy defense has produced nine takeaways and 11 sacks.
Headlines of the Week: What It’s Like To Fly The $23,000 Singapore Airlines Suites Class…California Bans Plastic Grocery Bags...The Wearable BED: Futon-Inspired Outfit Lets You Fall Asleep Wherever You Want…Nervous Chinese Officials Search Pigeon Anuses For Bombs...Caffeine-Infused Underwear Not A Weight Loss Aid, US Regulators Say…At CIA Starbucks, Even The Baristas Are Covert…Man Who Raised $55K For Potato Salad Throws Party…Too Much Air In Potato Chip Packets? Students Make A Boat To Prove It…Nevada Woman Shoots Stalker During Break-In, Posts Photo Of Aftermath Online…Lawsuit: TSA Agents Unscrewed Urn, Spilled Deceased Mother’s Ashes In Cleveland Man’s Suitcase…Coached By Jon Kitna, High School Team Runs Score To 91-0.
I’m beginning to think Mike Glennon is an upgrade over Josh McCown…Entering Week 5, Tampa Bay had allowed an 8:1 TD:INT ratio and an 8.6 YPA mark. Drew Brees, playing at home where New Orleans has now won 10 straight games, was intercepted three times and got just 6.5 YPA. Despite the nice comeback win, it’s officially time to start seriously worrying about this Saints team…Doug Martin got just 3.2 YPC and ceded a TD run to Bobby Rainey, but he added 29 receiving yards and had two big gains called back by penalty. Martin may very well get hurt (and Rainey is a must-own in all formats), but he’s still the team’s clear No. 1 back right now…Vincent Jackson has surpassed 51 yards once this season, but he has 31 targets over the past three weeks while scoring twice, so he remains a safe top-15 fantasy wideout…Pierre Thomas has 120 rushing yards on the year. He has 187 receiving yards…Marques Colston has averaged 5.8 targets per game this season. Brandin Cooks has averaged 8.2…My favorite commentator moment of the week happened when Dick Stockton said this: “Right now, Drew Brees and Peyton Manning are really distressed on the sidelines.” One can only assume he confused Manning with Sean Payton.
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With Rashad Jennings going down, Andre Williams looks like the No. 1 waiver wire priority this week. Especially if I’m a Jennings owner, I’d spend 100 percent of my FAAB on Williams. He’s very raw as a pass catcher and got just 3.3 YPC Sunday against a suspect Falcons defense, but he’d be a workhorse on a team that has suddenly won three straight games and looks much better now more familiar with the new offensive system. Williams also showed flashes of future star potential in the preseason. Go all out for him if you need immediate running back help. Jennings goes down while leading all backs in carries inside the 20 (17), inside the 10 (10) and inside the five (seven)…Steven Jackson had a 10 and an 11-yard gain, but during his other 11 carries, he got 16 yards…The Falcons have allowed the fewest fantasy points to opposing tight ends this season, but I didn’t expect Larry Donnell and Victor Cruz to combine for three catches and 22 yards with no TDs at home. Donnell came into this game with a league-high catch rate of 81% yet was targeted just once…Eli Manning has a 9:1 TD-turnover ratio while taking just three sacks over his past three games. He’s completed 66.9 percent of his passes on the year…This Julio Jones catch was no joke…Atlanta is now 1-10 in its last 11 road games…Antone Smith, who took a short pass 74 yards to the house, now has six career touchdowns and all of them have been from 38+ yards, which is pretty incredible.
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During their final drive, the Rams had an opportunity to become the first team to come back from 27 points to win an NFL regular season game. They fell short, but owners of Austin Davis have no complaints. Davis has completed 67.8 percent of his passes while getting 7.9 YPA on the season and has averaged 351 passing yards with six touchdowns over the past two weeks. The 25-year-old looks like a better fantasy option than Sam Bradford ever did…I expected a huge season from Zach Ertz, but he has 96 yards over the past three games and hasn’t scored since Week 1. My bad…It’s difficult to evaluate the Eagles’ offense right now, since their defense/special teams has produced a whopping five touchdowns over the past two games. In fact, the Eagles’ seven return touchdowns through five games is the most ever since the merger. This actually makes Jeremy Maclin’s production (NFL-high 57 targets, four touchdowns) all the more impressive, with LeSean McCoy’s disappointing start all the more worrisome. At home as big favorites, McCoy gained 81 yards on 24 carries (3.4 YPC) and lost a fumble, and he secured all four of his targets for an additional five yards. I can’t remember such a “sure thing” be such a bust without an injury while playing for a team that’s 4-1 (it’s still a small sample, and I’d continue to rank McCoy highly)…St. Louis finished with 53 sacks last season (third most in the NFL) and selected DT Aaron Donald with the 13th pick of the 2014 draft. They have one sack through five weeks this season. Even the Raiders have three more…Brian Quick is on pace to finish with 1,288 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns.
Headlines Of The Week Part Two: Antrel Rolle: Losing Virginity Helping Prince Amukamara On The Field…Could This Be The Scariest Bridge In The World? China Builds Glass Bridge…Kim Jong-un Fractured Both Of His Ankles From Wearing High Heels…At U.N., Iceland Announces Men-Only Conference On Gender Equality…900+ Chickens Killed With Golf Club…Zoo Realizes It Has Been Trying To Mate Two Male Hyenas For Four Years…Roots Grow Out Of Vagina After Woman Uses Potato As Contraceptive...Volkswagen’s New 300 MPG Car Not Allowed In America Because It Is Too Efficient...Charlie Sheen Reportedly Threatened His Dentist With A Knife While High On Rock Cocaine...Man Running In Inflatable Bubble Rescued Off Coast Of Florida.
I had never heard of George Winn before Sunday, when he gained 27 more rushing yards than Reggie Bush and C.J. Spiller combined…Kyle Orton was an upgrade over E.J. Manuel, completing 69.8 percent of his passes while getting 7.2 YPA (and an 88.1 QB Rating, if you’re into that sort of thing). Sammy Watkins’ fantasy owners had to love seeing him get a season-high 12 targets. What a catch here during kind of a crucial situation…I was down on Matthew Stafford before the season, then he got off to a great start and I said I was wrong about my assessment. He got just 7.2 YPA at home Sunday while throwing for only 221 yards and one touchdown with a pick and fumbling twice. He’s on pace to take 54 sacks this season. So I give up…Calvin Johnson is clearly not healthy (this was part of my Stafford worry), as he now has three targets for 19 yards total over the past two games. This has to be a major concern for those who spent a first round pick on Megatron. Clearly, him being inactive would be better than Johnson being a decoy. Johnson has yet to break a single tackle this season (the same can be said for another hobbled WR, Brandon Marshall)…Here’s Golden Tate faking dunking on the goal post...The Bills and Chiefs are the only two teams yet to allow a rushing touchdown to a running back this season...The Lions have allowed the fewest yards per game (282.4) in the NFL this season (as well as the fewest fantasy points to opposing QBs), but it really doesn’t help that their kickers have gone 4-of-12 on field goal attempts (only two teams in all of 2013 missed more than eight FGs). Speaking of field goals, what a kick by Dan Carpenter.
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DeMarco Murray has benefitted from a terrific offensive line, but he sure looks good himself as well. Murray is currently on pace to finish with an NFL-record 2,144 rushing yards to along with 16 touchdowns and 13 lost fumbles. The latter isn’t ideal, but Murray is the first running back since O.J. Simpson to rush for 100 yards in each of his team’s first five games of a season (the only other player to do so was Jim Brown)…Arian Foster has been a monster in every game he’s been able to fully play in this season and looked healthy Sunday. His fantasy value all comes down to durability…DeAndre Hopkins was a disappointment in fantasy terms but secured all six of his targets and once again out produced Andre Johnson. Among wide receivers who’ve seen at least 30 looks, Hopkins’ 11.4 YPT leads the NFL. Golden Tate ranks second with 11.3…Here’s Tony Romo avoiding a sack by J.J. Watt, who entered this game with twice as many QB hits (16) than any other player in the NFL and more than 15 teams combined, and finding Terrence Williams for a long score. Williams had a horrible drop earlier in the game during a sure touchdown, but despite hauling in just 2-of-6 targets Sunday, he’s now up to five touchdowns on the year, trailing only Randall Cobb among wide receivers…As impressive as the Williams TD play was, this Dez Bryant catch in overtime was even better.
There was an AP report Sunday morning suggesting Fozzy Whittaker would get more carries than presumed starter Darrin Reaves when it came to the injured Panthers backfield, so naturally, Whittaker didn’t get a single touch. This backfield remains hands off regardless of the names and faces in use…Matt Forte only got 3.6 YPC, but he caught all 12 of his targets for 105 yards and a score. He has 82 carries with zero rushing scores, which is like a hitter having a .175 BABIP…Alshon Jeffery’s one-handed catch was sick, and he’s now scored in back-to-back games and should be considered a top-20 fantasy player moving forward…This Carolina punt return for a touchdown was pretty ridiculous…Cam Newton is arguably throwing the ball as well as ever this season, but for fantasy purposes, his lack of running has destroyed his value. After averaging 42.3 rushing yards while totaling 28 touchdowns over his first three years in the league, Newton has averaged just 10.5 yards on the ground with zero scores this season…Two of the most impressive rookies faced off Sunday, and Kyle Fuller got the best of Kelvin Benjamin, as the fantastic looking cornerback held the wideout to just three catches on 11 targets for only 38 yards.
Police Blotter: Man Fires Bullet Into Neighbor’s House Because That’s The Only Way He Knew To Unload A Gun…Chef Who Swindled Schnitzels From Employer Ordered To Pay $70K…Missing Boy Walks Right Past Camera Crew Reporting His Story…Woman Says She Dug Up Dad’s Grave “With Respect.”…Teachers Arrested For Threesome With Student…Another Couple Arrested For Public Sex At Giant Florida Retirement Community…Sheriff: Hurley Woman Caught Burglarizing Cars Said She Was Looking For Members Of ISIS…Man Jailed After Killing Pal Who 'Poked' His Girlfriend On Facebook…Pimp Who Sued Nike Loses Case Claiming Air Jordans He Used To Stomp John Needed Warning Label…Teen Obsessed With TV’s ‘Dexter’ Sentenced To Prison After Stabbing And Dismembering Girlfriend.
After Michael Vick replaced an ineffective Geno Smith, who got 2.3 YPA, he completed 42.1 percent of his passes, took two sacks and got just 2.5 YPA. Ugly stuff by both…Meanwhile, Philip Rivers threw for another three touchdowns and got 10.3 YPA. He’s a real MVP threat, and the Chargers are legitimate contenders among the best teams in football…I’m so happy I spent so much of my FAAB on Donald Brown, as he was terrible last week and left Sunday’s contest with an injury. Branden Oliver looked noticeably better anyway. Get well soon, Ryan Mathews…The Jets became the first team to be shut out this season…Antonio Gates is on pace to score a career-high 13 touchdowns at age 34 at a position that typically doesn’t help those in advanced stages of life…After scoring seven times over the final six games last season, Keenan Allen hasn’t hit pay dirt once despite remaining healthy and playing alongside a quarterback who’s on pace to finish with 38 TD passes.
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Logan Thomas completed just one of his eight pass attempts yet still got 10.1 YPA thanks to this play…I have Michael Floyd on a few of my teams, so while his seven yards on seven targets wasn’t ideal, I also have Montee Ball shares, and his seven yards on six carries before leaving with an injury was even worse, especially since his presumed handcuff C.J. Anderson was inactive. Ronnie Hillman should probably be bidden on aggressively in FAAB as a result. Montee did not “Ball so hard” this season…Congratulations to Peyton Manning, who eclipsed 500 career TD passes during this game while also setting a personal record with 479 passing yards (tying Dan Marino with his 13th career 400-yard passing game)…The Broncos’ DST was robbed of a touchdown thanks to a highly suspicious “in the grasp” call...Demaryius Thomas hauled in just 50 percent of his targets, but he can be forgiven since he had 226 yards and two touchdowns (he had another long score called back by offsetting penalties). Meanwhile, Julius Thomas is on pace to score 28 touchdowns on 80 receptions, which is totally sustainable.
This take by Trent Dilfer is pretty poignant.
The 49ers’ new stadium is in a city that’s hotter than San Francisco, and it showed during halftime, when much of the fans left their seats and didn’t come back until the middle of the third quarter. Studies have shown teams moving to new stadiums often have less HFA during the first eight or so games, but this might be a more long lasting problem with the 49ers, especially with the ridiculous pricing of the PSLs...The Chiefs remain one of only two teams yet to allow a rushing touchdown this season, although they also have zero receiving scores from their wide receivers…This is the first time the Niners won a game when Vernon Davis was sidelined…Travis Kelce was held to just 15 yards Sunday, but he scored for a third straight game and has the most 20+ yard catches among all tight ends this season with six (tied with my guy Zach Ertz)…It’s safe to say I expected more from Michael Crabtree, especially with Davis inactive. Crabtree’s foot injury is officially a serious concern…I have no clue what Dee Ford is doing here…Over the last two weeks, Phil Dawson is 9-for-9 on field goal attempts, including making three from 50+ yards…Alex Smith’s interception was his first in 267 pass attempts on the road (including the postseason)…This fake punt was huge…San Francisco outgained Kansas City 112-9 during the fourth quarter, although the 49ers have still yet to score a touchdown this season during the fourth…This Brandon Lloyd catch came not only during a crucial time of the game but was also absolutely legit.
Longread of the Week: Is It A Crime To Raise A Killer?
The Bengals entered Sunday night as the only undefeated team in the NFL, got 8.6 YPA, were sacked just once, got 4.5 YPC and were penalized just 37 yards compared to 114 by the Patriots. Naturally, they lost 43-17…Tom Brady attacked the middle of the field with better protection, and his demise has apparently been delayed. He’s now won 40 straight games against AFC opponents at home…Even during a game in which New England scored 43 points, Aaron Dobson and Danny Amendola combined for two targets. Brandon LaFell caught just one of his four targets for 20 yards as well…Rob Gronkowski sure is looking closer and closer to his old self. The tight end is now up to 46 touchdowns in 55 career regular season games…Stevan Ridley has 25, 19 and 27 carries in three of his games this season. He has five and eight in his other two…Let’s not kid ourselves, as Stephen Gostkowski was the real fantasy star of Week 5, when he went 5-for-5 on field goal attempts while also adding four extra point attempts...The Patriots totaled 505 yards, which was their most over their past 12 games.
