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NFL Notes

The Falcons are a good football team, but with a quarterback who has gotten 6.5 YPA, a rushing attack that has gained just 4.1 YPC and a secondary that has yielded 7.7 YPA, they aren't among the elite. They can't keep relying on interceptions, which are largely a product of luck…Kevin Kolb has completed a remarkable 73.3 percent of his passes while getting 9.7 YPA with a 4:1 TD:INT ratio over his past two starts while subbing for an injured Michael Vick. It's clear now why Andy Reid was willing to trade Donovan McNabb within his division – Kolb can flat out play. The loss of DeSean Jackson hurts, but Kolb has shown terrific chemistry with both Jeremy Maclin and Brent Celek, and he's an obvious QB1 with top-five upside as long as he's starting. It will be interesting to see what Reid does when Vick is back to full strength…What a vicious hit Jackson took. You've got to think that concussion will cost him multiple weeks. Maclin is a WR1 as long as Jackson is out.

I must admit, I didn't see that type of performance coming from Colt McCoy. Looking shaky throughout most of the preseason (although he did go 13-for-13 for 131 yards during the finale), McCoy somehow managed a 69.7 completion percentage while getting 8.5 YPA on the road against the best defense in football while also losing his No. 1 WR and Josh Cribbs to injuries. Should be interesting to see if he can remain successful with more game tape for opposing defenses to prepare for…Ben Roethlisberger wasted little time putting up impressive numbers while coming back from his suspension, getting 9.5 YPA with three touchdowns while taking zero sacks Sunday. He gave his performance a "B-/C+" and it did come against a weak Cleveland secondary, but it was impressive nevertheless. He should only get better with more reps, and while the stout Pitt D won't lead to many shootouts and should limit Roethlisberger's pass attempts, he's an elite quarterback who immediately becomes a viable QB1 in fantasy leagues. The loss of Santonio Holmes is offset by the emergence of Mike Wallace. Over his last four games dating back to last year, Roethlisberger has gotten 9.3 YPA with a 10:2 TD:INT ratio…Somewhat quietly, Ben Watson has racked up 22 catches for 240 yards with two touchdowns over the past four games. For the season, he's averaged 53.0 yards per game. To put that in perspective, Vernon Davis, who has the third most receiving yards among tight ends this season, has averaged 58.0 yards per game. Like most young starters, McCoy looked to his tight end frequently during his first ever start last week, which should be a theme moving forward. Watson has quickly become a viable TE1 option.

Jay Cutler has now been sacked 15 times over the past six quarters…Matt Forte has gotten fewer than 3.0 YPC in five of six games this season. He does have an excuse for Week 6, however, as Seattle's front seven has been surprisingly stout against the run, allowing just 2.9 YPC this year (second lowest in the NFL)…Ten of Marshawn Lynch's 17 carries Sunday went for one yard or fewer, but that came against a Bears defense that has played the run well this season, and the more important news was that he got 20 touches during his Seattle debut. Justin Forsett was effective, but it's clear he works best in a "change-of-pace" type role (or at least the coaches are convinced so), and Lynch should get the majority of carries moving forward, including at the goal line. Lynch is suddenly a weekly option in fantasy leagues, and he might be worth trying to trade for before his value increases even further…Nice to see Johnny Knox finally break out, and there should be more where that came from…Greg Olsen has averaged 2.5 catches and 29.8 yards per game this season. The Mike Martz tight end effect is real…Mike Williams entered Week 6 with 11 catches for 138 yards on the season, so his outburst (10 catches, 123 yards) was quite unexpected. He was clearly a big part of Seattle's game plan coming out of the team's bye, and with Deion Branch traded away and no other strong WR options on the roster, this could be a sign of more big games to come. Williams was targeted 15 times Sunday – the second highest amount in the league in Week 6. He's yet to score this season, but at 6-5, 235, he's actually an ideal red-zone guy, so expect that to change shortly. Williams is an enigma with no guarantee he won't disappear again, but playing for a Seahawks team that has been better than expected and facing a soft upcoming schedule, he can be a major fantasy factor if he truly emerges as Seattle's No. 1 receiver.

Pretty crazy play in a high school game.

The Packers have lost three of their past four games. One of their wins was by two points at home against a Lions team that has lost 24 straight road games. Another win came against an 0-5 Bills team. Another came in Week 1 against a Philly squad that lost its quarterback mid game. It's safe to say they've been something of a disappointment so far. That said, all three of Green Bay's losses have been by three points (with the last two coming in overtime), and they have been extremely unlucky with injuries. I fully expect the Packers to play like one of the better teams in football over the rest of the year, but it's worth noting their upcoming schedule looks like this: MIN, @NYJ, DAL, @MIN, @ATL (with later dates @NE and at home against the Giants). That's a tough road ahead…After an NFL-high 17 targets Sunday, Brandon Marshall's 63 looks on the year are the fourth most in football, and he's already had his bye (the three above him have not). Call it a fluke Marshall has just one touchdown so far.

Calvin Johnson already has as many touchdowns this season as he did all of last year, and rarely has a player made an 87-yard score look so easy as he did Sunday…Ahmad Bradshaw leads the NFL with 21 carries for 10-plus yards (second most is 17 by Arian Foster). He's also got a whopping 7.1 YPC during fourth quarters, which also leads all backs (minimum 10 carries). It's too bad he loses goal-line carries to Brandon Jacobs, or Bradshaw would be a top-five fantasy back.

So maybe the Saints have some juice inside them this year after all. It sure took them long enough to get Robert Meachem properly involved…Earnest Graham left Sunday's game after aggravating a hamstring injury, but he's on the radar thanks to Kareem Huggins' season-ending knee injury and Carnell Williams' continued ineptitude. LeGarrette Blount remains an intriguing prospect, but the Bucs' coaching staff doesn't trust him in pass protection, which is the main reason Williams continues to dominate touches despite averaging a hideous 2.5 YPC. Graham is no long-term solution at the position for Tampa Bay, but he can both pass protect and provide an upgrade as a ballcarrier (6.4 YPC in limited work this year), so there's no reason he shouldn't get a bigger chance as long as he's healthy. He's worth stashing in deeper leagues…As if things weren't bad enough for Pierre Thomas owners, who are already dealing with an ankle injury that's much more serious than they were originally led to believe, his usage is likely to take a hit with the emergence of Chris Ivory even when he returns. Ivory isn't used on passing downs, but he's averaged 6.3 YPC this season and looks legit. He's going to remain a factor in New Orleans' backfield over the rest of the season.

So I finally saw "The Social Network" and loved it. My boy David Fincher totally redeemed himself after the disaster that was "Benjamin Button." Speaking of which, this article about Sean Parker is well worth reading.

I'm beginning to think San Diego plays better at home than on the road…Tough injury for owners of Malcom Floyd, who has the fourth most receiving yards in football despite getting just 15 yards before departing last week. With Antonio Gates also banged up, and Philip Rivers playing out of his mind, fantasy owners in need of WR help can take advantage of the situation by adding Legedu Naanee, Patrick Crayton and/or Craig Davis, although admittedly, it's unclear which one will benefit the most…After a quiet first three years at Missouri, Danario Alexander led the NCAA in receiving yards during his senior year last season, finishing with 113 receptions for 1,781 yards and 14 touchdowns over 13 games. A mid-round prospect, Alexander went undrafted thanks to surgery on his left knee (his fourth operation on the same knee), but he was later signed to the Rams' practice squad. He impressed by totaling 72 receiving yards, including a 38-yard TD catch, during his NFL debut Sunday. Health remains an issue, and it's important to remember he's a rookie, but with Mardy Gilyard and Brandon Gibson underwhelming, the No. 1 WR role in St. Louis is wide open, and Alexander appears to have the most upside of the group.

Maybe they'll be able to adjust with more time to prepare, but Houston's run defense was noticeably worse after DeMeco Ryans was lost to a season-ending Achilles' injury…Any Arian Foster owner who doesn't also have Derrick Ward is playing with fire…Owen Daniels shouldn't be unowned in any fantasy league right now…Nice to see my criticism last week personally inspired Dwayne Bowe to go out and prove me wrong. Now, if he could only find the self-motivation needed to succeed on a more consistent basis…Especially since it factored heavily into the outcome, here's easily one of the worst calls of the 2010 season so far.

Odd that the Ravens have allowed the second fewest points in football (15.8) this year, yet with a modest 11 sacks and just five turnovers forced, they have been one of the weakest fantasy defenses…Deion Branch was quiet over the first three quarters with his new (and old) team before making a big impact in the fourth quarter and overtime Sunday, finishing with nine catches for 98 yards and a touchdown. Those nine receptions matched the total Randy Moss had combined over his four games with the Pats this season. Branch isn't a big play guy, but he's always had a great rapport with Tom Brady (his 12 targets in Week 6 were tied for the fourth most in the NFL), and especially in PPR formats, he's going to have plenty of value in fantasy leagues in New England. Also, Danny Woodhead should be added in all but shallow formats.

This was pretty insane. That dude is looking at quite a bit of jail time.

Despite entering 0-5, I'd argue the worst half of football played by the 49ers this season was Sunday against the Raiders, at least offensively. Good thing Alex Smith and company turned it around after halftime, as no one wants to see David Carr if they don't have to…Before an impressive 32-yard TD strike to Michael Crabtree, Smith had a 6:0 TD:INT ratio in the red zone compared to a 0:9 TD:INT ratio outside it this season…Jason Campbell posted a lower quarterback rating than JaMarcus Russell ever did during Sunday's loss.

There are a lot of issues regarding Prop 19 here in California, but this one I found rather amusing.

Apparently, it's nearly impossible to go five consecutive games without committing a turnover in the NFL, as the Jets failed to set the record when Mark Sanchez was intercepted in the first quarter Sunday…I just so happened to end up with Shonn Greene on none of my fantasy teams this year, but I guarantee even if I had I wouldn't have backed him up with LaDainian Tomlinson. Boy has he proven me wrong. It's remarkable what he's doing while approaching 3,000 career carries. Most backs break down at 2,000!...The Broncos' last four opponents have a combined record of 17-7, so they will welcome a Bruce Gradkowski less Raiders team traveling to Denver this week.

I cannot believe my Giants are one game away from the World Series. Believe me, I fully expect them to lose the next three games, but just to be in this spot, I mean wow. I thought they'd finish around third place in a weak NL West. Fear the beard! (fast forward to the five minute mark).

Although the notion of him becoming a workhorse gets discouraging with news of Felix Jones vomiting at halftime, it sure was nice to see him so involved as a receiver. Jones entered the season with 21 catches over 20 games in his career, yet he caught all 10 of his targets Sunday…After totaling 44.5 sacks over the past 46 games, Jared Allen has just one sack over five games in 2010. In fact, according to Pro Football Focus, Allen has been the worst defensive end in football by a wide margin this year, struggling even more against the run than the pass (he has a measly five QB pressures). He's been a major part of the problem in Minnesota…Despite their 1-4 record, Dallas still has something close to a 31|PERCENT| chance of making the playoffs.

Ryan Torain isn't going to bust many long runs, but his ability to break tackles was pretty impressive Sunday night. Still, he showed up Monday with his knee all wrapped up, highlighting just how much an injury risk he is. Stash Keiland Williams to be safe…Pretty surprising to hear Dallas Clark might be out for the season. Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon would both get a boost on their already considerable fantasy value. Speaking of Garcon, what a sick catch this was.

What a horrible Monday night game. Chris Johnson owners are big Jeff Fisher fans. Talk about adding insult to injury for the Jaguars…Maurice Jones-Drew has managed only 3.9 YPC and has scored in just one of six games this season. Curiously, he's also on pace to record only 32 catches this year after totaling 115 receptions over the previous two campaigns. It's nice to see him fight it out and play through numerous injuries, but the situation in Jacksonville has killed Jones-Drew's fantasy value, at least compared to where he was typically drafted. With the team possibly having to turn to Todd Bouman at quarterback, the offense could go from bad to worse, and Jones-Drew will suffer as a result, as he's unlikely to see many scoring opportunities.