notjustagame23@gmail.com

It’s safe to assume that the Chicago Bears receiving corps isn’t well represented in fantasy leagues. The wideouts haven’t exactly helped quarterback Jay Cutler that much throughout his tenure, but there is one receiver you should pick up if he’s available.

In the Bears’ 30-24 win over the Eagles on Monday night, Earl Bennett showed the country why he is Cutler’s No. 1 target. Bennett led the team in receiving with five catches for 95 yards and a touchdown and was the only receiver who consistently caught the balls thrown to him.

He has chemistry with Cutler, his college teammate at Vanderbilt, and it showed. He’s probably got the best hands on the team and should be a reliable fantasy option now that he is back from the chest injury that caused him to miss five games prior to the Monday nighter.

Bennett is currently way down the list of Bears receiving leaders, but now that he’s back on the field, he should move up quickly. Running back Matt Forte is No. 1 by far; his 41 receptions are almost double that of the Devin Hester, who is No. 2 with 22 catches. But even if Bennett isn’t Cutler’s No. 1 option in the entire offense, he should be when it comes to wide receivers.

No other Bears receiver has proved to be a go-to guy. Hester’s speed is sometimes neutralized by his questionable hands, and Roy Williams has a reputation for dropping passes. Dane Sanzenbacher and Johnny Knox have been reliable, but Sanzenbacher’s only averaging 9.1 yards a catch, and though Knox is a solid deep threat, he hasn’t become a do-it-all receiver yet.

Bennett ran several kinds of routes on Monday night, and looked like the most complete player of the receiving corps. Now that he’s back, don’t be surprised if he leaps up the production chart for the Bears and quickly rivals Forte for receptions.

He might have already been claimed in your league, but if he’s not, pick him up. The Bears aren’t the first team you think of when you’re looking for good wide outs, so he might have gone unnoticed on your league’s waiver wire. Adding him would be a good move, as the Bears have been on a roll and Cutler is making smart decisions with his cannon arm. Putting Bennett at your flex spot to complement your surefire starters should increase your point total, and since he’s got the reliability factor that quarterbacks love, you never know when he’ll have a big day.

Not only did Cam Newton throw for over 400 yards for the second straight week, he is also the Panthers leading rusher thus far. Cam’s 71 yards rushing are just three shy of the combined rushing yards from Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams. Has Cam already entered top ten fantasy quarterback status? I won’t consent to that admission until he at least plays eight games.

Cam isn’t included on this weeks week two wonders, but there are enough to fill a new reality show for the Dallas Cowboys to complete an overtime game clinching throw to.

Quarterbacks

Andy Dalton- Clearly Dalton does not look like he is going to be a bust. He seems to be taking control of the reigns seamlessly. The Bengals wanted to reshuffle all around and did so at quarterback and wide receiver. Give the team credit, as they did not bow down to Ocho Cinco and Carson Palmer. Dalton though is going to struggle at an even higher rate than Cam Newton due to the offensive deficiencies the Bengals have.

Ryan Fitzpatrick- His game was a tale of two halves. Did the Raiders easing up a bit with a huge lead have a factor in the Bills comeback? Probably. By the time the Raiders tried to regain a hold of the game, momentum had swung the Bills way. Fitzpatrick still has to be considered a backup fantasy quarterback. Even though he has been off to a hot start with touchdowns, he hasn’t crossed the 300 yard mark. Settle down before making a huge error on being Fitzpatrick dependant.

Running Backs

Ben Tate- Now is the time to trade Ben Tate high, especially if you picked him up off the waiver wire before the season. If you have Arian Foster already then retain him. As soon as Foster is 100% , Foster will retake 80-85% of the Texans carries. Houston is doing the right thing now by keeping Foster’s carries down, but it won’t be long before Tate’s fantasy value reroutes to deep on your fantasy bench.

Willis McGahee- Denver upped McGahee’s carries knowing that they won’t need him to do that type of workload all the time. McGahee’s fantasy value over the last few years have come only in short yardage goal line situations. That’s where his value remains. If there was any chance at him changing that, his 3.6 yard average Sunday squashed that. He’ll be back to his proper role as soon as the team declares Knowshown Moreno ready.

Jonathan Stewart- Stewart is another back that made you want to belt out a Tim Allen “Errrrr” Sunday. Out of the ordinary performance for Stewart with ten catches for a hundred yards. That’s more in one game than all of last season when he had eight. Both Stewart and DeAngelo Williams are struggling to help out Newton. In fact, Newton is only a few yards shy of the same amount of rushing yards by himself vs. Williams/Stewart combined.

Mike Tolbert- As the season stretches out, I expect Ryan Mathews to plant his position firmly as the Chargers main on field back. He showed solid flashes vs. the Patriots, and did not cough up the football twice as did Tolbert. The fact that Tolbert received the bulk of his fantasy points this week with seventy three receiving yards on eight catches, isn’t a pattern I expect to be accounted for weekly. This is a guy that has caught about as many balls in two weeks as he has averaged the past two.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Dwayne Bowe- Bowe is like picking the improper stock. You buy him high as most fantasy owners drafted him and he turns into a mediocre fantasy receiver. Buy him low as owners did by scooping him off waivers or drafting him in late rounds last season, and he turns a season around by scoring fifteen touchdowns after a shaky start in 2010. The state of his year this year is largely in jeopardy due to the teams surroundings. Key season ending injuries to Tony Moaki and Jamaal Charles, will hamper Bowe’s value even more. Matt Cassel is not going to ramp up his play anytime soon.

Jeff King- The Cardinals are working on getting more sets of two tight end formations due to the success they’ve had the first few weeks. Until they do increase their looks, King’s value remains very thin. He has caught two touchdowns but bottom line is far behind Todd Heap and is the Cardinals number two tight end. If Heap’s injury history creeps up, then King could be a solid waiver wire tight end pickup.

DeNarius Moore- The Raiders love speed but have found out how brittle speed receivers can be. Chaz Schilens has not been able to shake off injuries in two years, and now Jacoby Ford, Darrius Heywood-Bey, and Louis Murphy are all hurt with no timetable on a return. Moore made big plays Sunday, but needs to show that he can do more then be a Pierre Garcon type.

Antonio Brown- Preseason’s favorite wow recipient and super sleeper, tipped the fantasy charts with ten PPR fantasy points Sunday. I still believe his value is minimal, and only should be valued in leagues with return yardage. Emmanuel Sanders is working his way back into the Steelers game plans, and Hines Ward is still a steady veteran.

Jerome Simpson- With Jordan Shipley now out for the season, Simpson’s performance week two likely caught the eyes of many fantasy owners needing improvement at wide receiver. Dalton torched the Broncos poor defense, but in all likelihood, Dalton will throw on average of 220 yards a game. His anticipated yardage numbers and minimal touchdown throws makes Simpson’s week a one week wonder.

Tony Scheffler- Those concerned that Scheffler is taking away from Brandon Pettigrew’s value need not to fret. Scheffler does have two touchdowns, but how many catches does he have total? Two. That type of red zone efficiency won’t last much longer. That’ll make Scheffler’s minimal catches invaluable.

Press the brakes and visualize your computer trying to breakdown and crash right as you login to your fantasy football leagues. Don’t make the unnecessary early season waiver wire adds if you drafted appropriately. There are always those owners that can’t live with what they have and have to make changes right away. Maybe you need to, but don’t go after a one week wonder unless your bench depth is atrocious.

Quarterbacks

Chad Henne
Give Henne credit. All preseason he was the quarterback getting bashed the most. His outings during preseason were horrendous but he has shown in the past he can put some decent games together. With Miami’s backfield dinged up week one, the pressure was on Henne to deliver. He put up monster numbers and who knows that may be the game that gets his confidence going. Yet expecting a 400 yard passing game, and nearly sixty yards rushing with a touchdown classifies as a one week wonder.

Cam Newton
Rookie in all, Newton shrugged that off for a first start for the ages. It set the tone for his career, but no rookie goes through his first season without the typical rookie woes. They’re coming and they’ll come in bunches.

Rex Grossman
It’s not that Grossman hasn’t been a suitable quarterback for the Redskins in the preseason and start of this year. In fact, Grossman is a solid number two fantasy quarterback for your roster. In no possible ways though should Grossman be even thought of as a possible look, not even in deep leagues. His past track record speaks for itself.

Running Backs

Ben Tate-
There’s nothing like hype and more hype coming to fruition. Foster couldn’t make the start, and instantly the handcuffing of Foster for Ben Tate gave owners their gem a chance. Tate delivered with a hundred yard game and a touchdown. Foster isn’t going to miss the season. There are just too many Texans backs that will get carries. Even Derrick Ward will be somewhat of a factor.

LT-
Days of LT being a fantasy factor are increasingly coming to a halt. Last year he revived with a fresh new start as a Jet, but tailed off as the season wore down. It looks like the Jets are going to decrease his early season workload this year, and hope he has gas left for a playoff stretch run. His combined yards were solid week one, but he doesn’t have the speed left anymore to be a consistent pass catching threat weekly.

Wide Receivers

Kenny Britt
One thing about Matt Hasselbeck is that he may get things done on the field, but they never look pretty. Britt went almost the entire first half with barely any stats, only to explode in the second half. He is a big play receiver that will surely make more this year. With Hasselbeck though his numbers will decline by a good percentage.

Ted Ginn Jr
The return specialist is just that. It’s crazy to think that Miami drafted him ultimately as a receiver threat, and now he is just primarily a return specialist. It’s reverse for all the other super star specialists. They start out there and then get moved to more and more plays at wide receiver.

Doug Baldwin
If you have a Seattle player on your fantasy team, you’ve probably been the recipient of a joke or two in your fantasy league. It has to happen to somebody. Baldwin got enough catches and a touchdown to get desperate fantasy owners the quick trigger to want to ponder a move. Don’t get caught up in that.

David Nelson-
Tight ends did not have too great of a week one, and that may cause impatient fantasy owners to flock to the waiver wire in search of a replacement. Buffalo has their guy in Ryan Fitzpatrick, but they’re not going to light up the scoreboard like they did week one. Fitzpatrick is a game manager that makes the right throws when needed. Nelson is not worth a fantasy roster spot.

Fantasy owners that pointed at their bench to their buddies and said, “see, see, if I would of started Dwayne Bowe I would of won this week,”. You’ve got to love the owners that hype their teams up through their bench than the win/loss column. Dwayne Bowe has had plenty of opportunities this season to emerge as he did a few years ago. Being a disappointment thus far in 2010 is a huge understatement.

Bowe’s had issues abound this year. Matt Cassel’s looked his way and Bowe has not been able to deliver as a number one receiver. Nothing was worse than his play against the Colts. Indianapolis ranks right up there with poor pass defenses, and Bowe could not thrive. He was able to get open and then the football was reminded of Bowe’s hands. Laying the pigskin on the turf happened on wide open routes, including an actual nice throw by Cassel in the end zone. His play in that game basically cost the Chiefs as they eventually got into a fourth quarter hole against the Colts.

Seeing Bowe become a fantasy impact player week six was not surprising. Houston’s pass defense is what might prevent them from making the playoffs. They’ve giving up an incredible amount of yards and points as a unit. It’s the type of game though that could break Bowe out of his funk.

He will never be considered a fantasy every week starter with Matt Cassel at quarterback. He can though be an injury/bye week/first off the bench at receiver position athlete. Kansas City has their style of play down pat for the rest of the year. With Thomas Jones and Jamaal Charles they have two backs that can split the load at a high number of carries each. The team knows that counting on Cassel to be their number one option offensively is not a key to winning. He just hasn’t grasped the teams playbook and has struggled overall.

If you are forced to start Bowe, it’s always going to be a high risk. Look around the league and you’ll see that the majority of quarterbacks are throwing 25, 30, or even higher pass attempts a game. Don’t be fooled that Cassel has actually thrown the ball for an average of 6.2 yards per completion. An insanely poor statistic. Cassel’s play of checking down is exactly what the Cardinals passed on with Matt Leinart in preseason.

Chances of Cassel getting benched likely won’t happen at this point. The only way you’d start Bowe is for reasons mentioned in the last paragraph, or if you’re extremely strong with your fantasy running backs. Even if Bowe goes out and has a string of solid games to parlay last weeks, we don’t see him getting far beyond last years numbers. Trading him to a desperate owner is your best bet of getting any long term value out of him.

Joe Lopat, Zack Cimini, and Jabbar Harris return once again to talk football hot topics, as well as their usual fantasy football segments. They’ll tell you who to start/sit and provide spread picks for week seven.

notjustagame23@gmail.com

There’s nothing like seeing someone explode on Sunday and the dash to rush to your computer to anticipate picking that athlete up. After grabbing him that week of excitement turns out to be that players season high for all around performance. It’s not just waiver wire athletes we look at. Will look at regular fantasy contributors as well that exceeded week two expectations. Owners that are in the hole can be duped by opposing owners selling an athlete higher than they should, and bolstering their squads for dominate runs.

Quarterbacks

Donovan McNabb-McNabb deserves a ton of praise for his performance to start the season. More people want to see him fail than succeed but he keeps proving doubters wrong. At that though he is on a team with a poor running game with two old backs as options. Picking a part the Texans will be McNabb’s best performance by far. Unless the Redskins get involved in exchanging Albert Haynesworth for Vincent Jackson or another receiver. If that happens, McNabb could continue to be a fantasy factor. Now with Joey Galloway as second receiver it’s just not a possibility.

Mark Sanchez-  For those believing Sanchez has even a sliver of fantasy value better jump off the band wagon. He delivered some key throws for the Jets but the same has been the case in the past for Jake Delhomme. It was one good half by Sanchez, that’s it. He’ll have more downs than ups this year and will continue to be shackled by the Jets play calling to limit his mistakes.

Shaun Hill- Detroit’s wishing he could have delivered as well as he did Sunday a week before against the Bears. There’s no side tracking Detroit’s offensive talent. Jahvid Best looks like he is the front runner for rookie of the year. Hill though has been a Jay Fiedler like performer in the past. He did most of his damage when the Eagles let up defensively with a comfortable 35-17 lead.

Running Backs

LeSean McCoy-  Yardage wise McCoy could be a top ten back this year. Factor in his rushes with yardage pass catching. Touchdowns though is a different story. Expect a large lapse of production from his first two weeks. In the first two weeks he has totaled what he did as a rookie with four touchdowns. McCoy’s touchdowns have come from fairly long distances. Another area backs can’t keep up. If we see him score more inside the five yard line, than we will become a believer.

Tim Hightower- Hightower has that big play potential and provided the lone Cardinals big play Sunday. Busting on the right edge and bursting down the sideline for a long touchdown. Hightower’s going to be a steady fantasy backup running back, but will lose a considerable amount of value once Beanie Wells is healthy.

Mike Tolbert- Tolbert’s the Ron McLain type which can be an occasional starter when injuries present themselves. McLain did that a few times for the Ravens but like Tolbert he is a situational short yardage and goal line back.

Wide Receivers

Mike Sims-Walker- He was a waiver wire gem last year. This year he can be a third wide receiver in deep leagues but besides that more of a suitable bye week filler. It’s not Walker’s talents hindering him, it’s the offense. David Garrard might be the most struggling quarterback in the league still holding his job.

Joey Galloway- At 38 Galloway is giving it his all out there but just like last year he’ll fade out.  Were sure he has a zero percent ownership but there’s someone out there that noticed his deep ball patterns with McNabb. One was caught and one Galloway lost a half step on a perfect throw. The yardage numbers (88) Galloway had he might not equal in the next six games.

Kevin Walter- Time and time again he has monster games. Schaub had a career day that few will ever come close to, including himself. Walter is an aging receiver that is being pushed by Jacoby Jones. As the season goes on we expect Jones to be a higher impact receiver than Walter.

Nevertheless, Brown has been a dud for fantasy owners most of his career. His only reliable performances have came against the Jets. Is he a one week wonder or just starting to gel in Cam Cameron’s new offense?

Quarterbacks

Joey Harrington
It’s official any owner that was waiting for the Panthers defense to show something, had to have lit up seeing the Falcons facing them. Yet, Harrington ripped the defense a part and once again the Panthers defense put up a mere few fantasy points. Harrington looked too comfortable out there. This has happened once in awhile during his career and is not going to happen much with the Falcons.

Jon Kitna
Realization occurred this week, and sooner or later Kitna will to. Throwing for nearly 450 yards is an eye popping stat. At a lesser extent but should not be too far off is also his 46 attempts. Mike Martz’s past quarterbacks could not survive a full season in this type of offense (Warner, Bulger) and neither will Kitna. They’re throwing at a higher rate then Martz even did in St. Louis. Start selling Kitna high now and get what you can. A 35 year old veteran that does not know how to slide, has no running game, and airs it fifty times a game. The over/under on how many games he can last is set at six by Notjustagame.

Running Back

Adrian Peterson
His day is coming as an elite fantasy back, but a tease has been placed before owners eyes. Unless Chester Taylor’s injury lingers unexpectedly, then the time share that was supposed to happen will start back up again. Peterson will have his few solid games here and there, but not a string of games like the last three weeks. Especially last week after he fumbled and had that overturned by a challenge, and then fumbled without a review on the very next play. This is comparable to Cadillac Williams a few years ago before he came back down to earth with injuries and not as good of performances.

DeShaun Foster
He may get a feature sole role when he becomes a free agent, but clearly the Panthers want DeAngelo Williams to become that guy. The Panthers have tried far too long for Foster to get it done, and it just hasn’t worked out. He can spread out good performances but just isn’t dependable. Injuries have kept that from happening, and once injury prone, always injury prone.

Earnest Graham
His touchdowns had to of made Cadillac owners sick to their stomachs. Why Cadillac was not a part of those carries is easy to figure out. Graham’s carries suddenly happened right after Williams fumbled at the start of the fourth. Hold onto the ball Cadillac and those touchdowns will be yours.

Wide Receivers

Derrick Mason
He may have caught eight balls including a touchdown, but you can see the fast decline of Mason. He has been a steady healthy receiver that has caught a large amount of footballs, now though the torch is being past to the youngsters in Baltimore. Demetrious Williams has been emerging, and the stud of last year that stole Mason’s shine is back on the field, in, Mark Clayton.

Kevin Curtis
It was just his day…a career day. Curtis did all of his damage practically in one half. It had to do with a lot of things. McNabb was airing it out to prove to people he is still the real deal. The biggest factor though was the Lions secondary that seemed to be fine in covering Reggie Brown on the right side, but horrific with their left corner and safety.

Brandon Marshall
A year or two away from either sinking as a guy people thought would rise, or becoming that player. His size and speed was on showcase but for a few reasons we do not expect this to happen as much. The Broncos running game which had been their main focus was shut down to 47 yards. Even though the Broncos were dominated in the time of possession it forced Cutler to throw a little more. For Javon Walker to be held to ten yards receiving is incredible. Also, Brandon Stokely seems to be getting more involved with the offense.

Quarterbacks

Donovan McNabb
Chop this one up as his best statistical game of the season. Usually you can get one or the other from McNabb in terms of success with either yardage or touchdowns. To get both at high rates turned out to be a great surprise. They just jumped on the 49ers with the passing game, and didn’t go away from it. Fantasy fans that let McNabb slip out the first round are paying the price. He has always been able to put up great season numbers, and it’s because of games like Sunday. But throwing the ball a lot is not what the Eagles offense is about. They’ll settle down and get Brian Westbrook more involved.

Anthony Wright
Jack Nicholson never noticed, Anthony Wright, co-starring in As Good as It Gets. Probably because the sequel was yanked and destroyed, just what Brian Billick is about to do with his quarterbacks. Anthony Wright has an arm to use but not enough field smarts, and with Kyle Boller his assets to the team are still undisclosed. Wright threw forty times against the Titans weak defense and had sufficient yardage for a quarterback that threw twenty times, with 212 yards. Being on the trading block for a quarterback is unheard of in the NFL. It looks like the Ravens are going to change that. Maybe giving up Chester Taylor could bring about some decent offers.

Trent Dilfer
Composed and fluent as he has ever been. Dilfer is becoming one of those veterans that come into his own in their later years. He just looks comfortable about everything on the field. It does help when you’ve got a cast of receivers that could run for the USA Olympic team. Antonio Bryant, Dennis Northcutt, Braylon Edwards, and Frisman Jackson are arguably the fastest quartet of receivers in the NFL. Things will only get better for the passing game when Kellen Winslow Jr. returns next season to team up with Steve Heiden who has looked amazing. Keep in mind the Browns are a young team and are bound for trouble. When trouble comes that’s when the turnovers start and get silly.

Running Backs

Stephen Davis
Seventy seven yards sounds right. Three touchdowns, now that’s a clerical error. Maybe someone at STATS Inc. was inputting credit for touchdowns to the wrong back. His one yard plunges are a good sign that the Panthers will use him all the time as the goal line back. We’re still doubting though that he makes it the midway point before something pops up or out. He is a battered back and sustaining this type of success just doesn’t happen to a repaired body barely healed.

Thomas Jones
Last week we told you to start him and get the most of the fantasy value out of him that you can. We sure hope you listened because the warmth he is going to get being on the sidelines from November on, is going to be more than he gets underneath piles of tacklers. He should be a starter, and if a team wants to trade for him, than his fantasy value sky rockets. We know one team out there (Arizona, didn’t you draft Jones) that really needs a back. Jones showed his growth as a running back last season, and obliterated the Lions defense for seven yards a carry Sunday. Depending on how much the Bears continue to use him, he could still be a fill in bye week plugger or more.

Wide Receivers

Santana Moss
Gaining practically all your yardage and two touchdowns in the last few minutes of a game is what you call the definition of wonders in fantasy football. Moss has built his reputation as a big play guy, and that’s it. He has speed and Dallas slept on that for the final minutes. There should have been adjustments made to prevent that after the first touchdown. If the Redskins can get the offense clicking, than Moss’s value will be steady. With Clinton Portis able to get out the blocks, that’ll open the opportunity for Moss to stretch the field even more. But what Moss did on Monday night is something that isn’t supposed to happen in football. It was comparable to what Reggie Miller did against the Knicks, with eight points in a brief period of seconds. Glitches on defense happen and make lifetime moments. Moss just experienced one.

Troy Brown
He is a key player, but one of those that’s just needed on the field. He does the little things without catching the ball, but somehow he has been getting them to start this season. If you were to project Brown’s season stats it would be easy. Having a scatter plot for yards would be all over the yardage marks of zero to one hundred yards, and his touchdown last week may show up with another dot or two.

Quarterbacks

Gus Frerotte
Bad days are coming for Frerotte. His history shows that he has never been a steady quarterback. He hasn’t been able to remain a starter on a team ever, and that pattern will continue. Once he starts showing his true self, Sage Rosenfels will get his chance. You all just viewed Frerotte’s best game of the season.

JP Losman
Not ready is the keyword with Losman. His main value right now is his ability to scramble with his legs. But he is not going to have many solid games throwing the football, as defenses continue to learn his weaknesses. Give him time and he’ll be a nice fantasy quarterback.

Running Backs

Willie Parker
A great back but carries will be taken away shortly. Even though Staley is willing to take the back seat to Parker, he’ll get some carries. As will Jerome Bettis whenever he can return. Yardage may be Parker’s best friend this season, but reaching the end zone inside the ten won’t. He’ll have to break some mighty long runs to eclipse over five or six touchdowns. If you’re really weak at running back, you may just want to insert Parker along with Bettis or Staley. Likely Bettis, because he is known to bull doze for touchdowns. That way you’re sure to get the touchdowns and yardage points. It may sound crazy, but it’s guaranteed to work. When is the last week Pittsburgh’s running game has ever been shut down?

Stephen Davis
He looks old out there, and another injury is just around the corner. You’re supposed to have fresh legs after sitting out the majority of the off-season. If Carolina plans on using Davis as their main back, he will not make it past the mid point of the season. He had one run last week that he should have been able to break into the end zone, but instead he was tracked down embarrassingly. If Carolina starts to use Foster more like the did a few years ago, that will help Davis more than people would think. He can be a more aggressive and useful back with twelve to fifteen carries a game.

Wide Receivers

Frisman Jackson
Cupid must have set a one day date between a football and Frisman Jackson. The date went well but I think the football was only interested in a one day stand. Somehow Cleveland’s offense is stocked at wide receiver and running back. Once they can figure out which back to use, and get their young receivers acclimated this team is going to be back. Back to the point they were in 2002 when Tim Couch faded and Kelly Holcomb led them to the playoffs.

Joey Galloway
Galloway has the talent, but is more teasing than a woman secretary. Literally Galloway will be a forgotten sole, and pop up one week with a noticeable game. Ever since 1998 in Seattle his season stats have been detoriating worse than people getting yearly plastic surgery. Injuries are part of the blame, but he is thirty three now. Any great games this year will come because of having Michael Clayton on the other side.

Keenan McCardell
He sure left a burning trail against the Cowboys secondary. McCardell has always been a guy to rack up yardage, but the two touchdown receptions was amazing. The last time he had a multi touchdown game was October 6th, 2003. It’s a wait and see thing with McCardell. He could actually prove to be one of those strong veterans. With Antonio Gates back, that’s going to leave more open areas for McCardell to be found, or void McCardell out completely as Brees looks Gates way every time.

The Vikings offense is high potent but Michael Bennett?s success in week sixteen is definitely a one week wonder. He has been on the pine for the majority of the year, and disappointed many owners with his downfall. Minnesota has already made it clear that they don?t have a definitive starter and will use a cluster of players. Bennett benefited from Smith?s illness last week and showed that he is capable in case the situation presents itself again.

Bennett is the fastest back in the league, and may be on the trading block in the off-season with the Vikings crowded backfield. Onterrio Smith, Mewelde Moore, and Moe Williams all are directly involved, even though the Vikings don?t focus on the running game at all. It?s an unusual proposition, but the Vikings like to take their chances with Culpepper and their receivers.

If needed though, this team could run the ball every down like a high school football team and succeed. So if Culpepper were to go down, the assumption of the Vikings being at total disarray is false. The Vikings could flip the script and try to develop the running game to open up the passing attack.

Either way none of the Vikings are a solution to your fantasy football team until the Vikings decide on a feature back. Whoever plays the best in the playoff run should get full attention towards strengthening that outcome. So just keep your eyes on this situation.