| Authored by Andrew Perna - 7th October, 2008 - 10:57 am
 The defending-champion New York Giants rolled over the listless Seattle Seahawks on Sunday even without Plaxico Burress in uniform. Last February’s shocking Super Bowl winners have looked tremendous through their first four games even with some drama surrounding #17.
Eli Manning has been a great decision-maker this season, and the Giants have gotten unexpected production from their injury and retirement-depleted defense.
Young receivers Sinorice Moss and Dominek Hixon stepped up big time in Week Five with Burress enjoying his time off on some remote island (those are Michael Strahan’s words, not mine). Moss/Hixon combined to catch eight passes for 147 yards and three touchdowns.
New York’s defense, led by Justin Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka, kept the Seahawks in check, holding Matt Hasselbeck and Co. to less than 200 total yards and just six points.
I have documented the stiff competition in the NFC East often through the season’s first month, and the division will continue to both excel and overturn as the huge Week Nine battle between the Cowboys and Giants in New York approaches.
The Downs
First Down...Redskins Remain Red-Hot
As if defeating the Cowboys in Dallas wasn’t enough, the Redskins rallied and knocked off the Eagles in Philadelphia on Sunday for back-to-back NFC East road victories. Jason Campbell didn’t light up the scoreboard, but he managed a terrific game as Clinton Portis tore up the previously untouchable Eagles’ rush defense.
Chris Cooley, with his playbook stashed away and his pants firmed tied up, caught eight passes for 109 yards and a touchdown in the victory, as Campbell stuck to typical West Coast passes and avoided playing into the hands of Jim Johnson’s superb secondary. Brian Westbrook’s health certainly helped Washington, while hurting the Eagles, but a win is a win. Look for another this weekend when the winless Rams travel to D.C.
Second Down...Texans Crumble
You’ve probably heard this analogy before, but if Houston’s NFL franchise was named after a tasty treat, it would probably be a very fragile, crumbly cookie.
The Texans led the Colts 27-10 midway through the fourth quarter but allowed Indianapolis to storm back, thanks to horrible defense and a pair of fumbles by quarterback Sage Rosenfels. Rosenfels, who looked absolutely terrific through the game’s first fifty-five minutes, turned into the goat just five minutes later.
Houston was a sexy pick (see ESPN the Magazine’s NFL Preview Issue) to make the playoffs in the AFC this season, but with an 0-4 record in a division that has the Titans (5-0), Colts (2-2), and Jaguars (a tough 2-3) – you can forget about that.
Third Down...How Bad Are The Lions?
Oh, let me (and millions more) count the ways. Detroit is 0-4, and with Matt Millen out of town, they’d need to start looking for someone else to blame for their horrid play. In all seriousness, it’ll take time to reverse some of the bad decisions Millen made, but some moves (maybe even before next week’s deadline) will need to be made soon in order to shake up a team that started 6-2 just one year ago.
The defense looks bad, and the offense can’t move the ball well enough to put more than a few pathetic points on the board. Jon Kitna’s back injury might be a blessing in disguise but not with Dan Orlovsky and Drew Stanton as his only backups. If you’ve read anything relating to the Lions by me in the past, you know I’m a big supporter of Shelton (Conn.) native Orlovsky, but he hasn’t received enough game action to warrant a start over anyone just yet.
However, maybe that’s what the Lions need…to give someone like Orlovsky or Stanton a chance to play and get some experience under his belt. In reality, they need a lot more than just that.
Fourth Down...Steelers Impress Without Runners
The Steelers looked impressive in their tough 26-21 win over the rival Jaguars on Sunday even without many healthy runners on their roster. Mewelde Moore – remember him from his Viking days? – tore up the Jacksonville defense for 99 yards while Ben Roethlisberger tossed three touchdowns and 309 yards in the victory.
Trailing 21-20 near the end of the fourth, Roethlisberger connected with Hines Ward for an 8-yard touchdown, to give Pittsburgh a dramatic late-game triumph. Surprisingly, the Steelers are 4-1 despite injuries to Willie Parker and nearly every one of his backups. They’ll have a week to get healthy before they drub the Bengals in Week Seven.
The ‘Who The Heck’ Statline of the Week…
Mike Walker, JAX WR: Six catches for 107 receiving yards against PIT
Keyboard Prediction for Week Six
New England @ San Diego, Sunday 8:15PM EST
I got myself back in the win-column with my prediction of the Titans over the Ravens last week, but I’m risking another loss by choosing the Patriots-Chargers game this week. San Diego has a rough travel schedule, having flown from Miami after their loss this Sunday, but I think they’ll hand New England their second loss of the season.
Philip Rivers has been very good this season, his touchdown-less performance against the Dolphins notwithstanding, and he should feast on the Patriots’ below-average secondary. Even if Rivers can’t get the offense going, LaDainian Tomlinson should be able run well against New England. Matt Cassel has been both good and bad, and his play narrowly cost the Pats against the 49ers this past weekend.
The Chargers will capitalize on Cassel’s miscues and knock off the Patriots at home.
The Keyboard Prediction: San Diego 28, New England 17
Season Record: 2-3
My Fantasy Diary:
Believe it or not, somehow The Drew Crew both won and lost in Week Five, thanks to a horrible performance from my roster and a timely division-restructure that turned an early-season loss into a surprising victory.
Philip Rivers turned in his first below-average performance of the season without a touchdown against the Dolphins while my opponent’s roster simply exploded for absolutely no good-reason.
The Kings, my Week Five adversary, left Matt Schaub in their starting lineup, so they were minus a player and STILL beat me handily thanks to unbelievable performances by T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Donald Lee, Lee Evans, and the Bears' defense.
Felix Jones and Joseph Addai were both productive, reaching the end zone this weekend, but Santonio Holmes and Chris Chambers (even with a touchdown) had sub-par games. Dallas Clark had decent yardage, but the Eagles' defense was torched by the Redskins and scored poorly despite a lengthy punt return by DeSean Jackson for a score in the first quarter.
While I did suffer a loss this weekend, a surprising division-restructure handed me a victory. The East Coast Pigskin’s commissioner, a terrific guy and normally even better commish, misaligned the divisions heading into the season.
When the error was found, it was decided that alignment was needed, changing my Week One opponent, and giving me a victory in the process.
So believe it or not, I made fantasy football history on Sunday by posting a 1-1 record with the same team. That’s right, ladies and gentleman, The Drew Crew is historic.
Week One Record: 4-1
Week Two Record: 4-1
Week Three Record: 1-4
Week Four Record: 3-2
Week Five Record: 2-3
Season Record: 14-11
Top Ten Fantasy Starters At Each Position For Week Six
Based On Prior Week Performance And Matchups
Bye Week Advisory: Buffalo, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Tennessee
Quarterbacks
1. Jason Campbell, Washington vs. St. Louis
2. Tony Romo, Dallas @ Arizona
3. Kurt Warner, Arizona vs. Dallas
4. Jay Cutler, Denver vs. Jacksonville
5. Drew Brees, New Orleans vs. Oakland
6. Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia @ San Francisco
7. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay @ Seattle (injury risk)
8. Brett Favre, N.Y. Jets vs. Cincinnati
9. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis vs. Baltimore
10. Philip Rivers, San Diego vs. New England
Sleeper: Eli Manning, N.Y. Giants @ Cleveland
Running Backs
1. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota vs. Detroit
2. Clinton Portis, Washington vs. St. Louis
3. Ronnie Brown, Miami @ Houston
4. LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego vs. New England
5. Brandon Jacobs, N.Y. Giants @ Cleveland
6. Matt Forte, Chicago @ Atlanta
7. Marion Barber, Dallas @ Arizona
8. Reggie Bush, New Orleans vs. Oakland
9. Frank Gore, San Francisco vs. Philadelphia
10. Julius Jones, Seattle vs. Green Bay
Sleeper: Joseph Addai, Indianapolis vs. Baltimore
Wide Receivers
1. Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis vs. Baltimore
2. Santana Moss, Washington vs. St. Louis
3. Plaxico Burress, N.Y. Giants @ Cleveland
4. Randy Moss, New England @ San Diego
5. Andre Johnson, Houston vs. Miami
6. Brandon Marshall, Denver vs. Jacksonville
7. Steve Smith, Carolina vs. Tampa Bay
8. Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona vs. Dallas
9. Terrell Owens, Dallas @ Arizona
10. Laveranues Coles, N.Y. Jets vs. Cincinnati
Sleeper: DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia @ San Francisco
Tight Ends
1. Chris Cooley, Washington vs. St. Louis
2. Jason Witten, Dallas @ Arizona
3. Antonio Gates, San Diego vs. New England
4. Anthony Fasano, Miami @ Houston
5. Kellen Winslow, Cleveland vs. N.Y. Giants
6. Zach Miller, Oakland @ New Orleans
7. Greg Olsen, Chicago @ Atlanta
8. Dustin Keller, N.Y. Jets vs. Cincinnati
9. Kevin Boss, N.Y. Giants @ Cleveland
10. Owen Daniels, Houston vs. Miami
Sleeper: Dallas Clark, Indianapolis vs. Baltimore
Kickers
1. Nick Folk, Dallas @ Arizona
2. Mason Crosby, Green Bay @ Seattle
3. Matt Prater, Denver vs. Jacksonville
4. Matt Bryant, Tampa Bay vs. Carolina
5. John Carney, N.Y. Giants @ Cleveland
6. Kris Brown, Houston vs. Miami
7. Adam Vinatieri, Indianapolis vs. Baltimore
8. Robbie Gould, Chicago @ Atlanta
9. Ryan Longwell, Minnesota vs. Detroit
10. Stephen Gostkowski, New England @ San Diego
Sleeper: Shayne Graham, Cincinnati @ N.Y. Jets
Defense/Special Teams
1. Washington Redskins, vs. St. Louis Rams
2. Minnesota Vikings, vs. Detroit Lions
3. Chicago Bears, @ Atlanta Falcons
4. Philadelphia Eagles, @ San Francisco 49ers
5. New York Giants, @ Cleveland Browns
6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, vs. Carolina Panthers
7. Carolina Panthers, @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
8. New York Jets, vs. Cincinnati Bengals
9. Miami Dolphins, @ Houston Texans
10. Indianapolis Colts, vs. Baltimore Ravens
Sleeper: Green Bay Packers, @ Seattle Seahawks
Predictions, Fantasy Stories, or Comments? Andrew.Perna@RealGM.com
Keyboard Quarterback Archive:
Week Four: NFC Takes The Reigns
Week Three: No Breathing Room
Week Two: No Lead Is Safe
Week One: Rookies Run Wild
Preseason: Kickin' Off The Season |
