Pregame reports suggested Ben Roethlisberger could barely walk onto the field while the rest of his teammates sprinted on, so naturally, he proceeds to throw five touchdowns against a secondary that had been playing at a very high level. Despite taking a constant beating, I'd give Big Ben about even odds the chances he misses his next game is due to suspension (for obvious reasons) rather than injury…The Steelers/Titans game wasn't great, but it did feature the photo of the week.
Mountain biker gets taken out by buck.
As someone who started the Bengals in a few leagues, the ridiculous defensive touchdown on the final play of the game thanks to multiple laterals was a thing of beauty…Despite playing at least 83 fewer snaps than any of the four receivers listed above him, Mike Thomas has the fifth most targets in the NFL this season with 44…A.J. Green has committed by far the most penalties among wide receivers this year (five), but it's hard not to consider him one of the brightest rising stars in the game.
Pimp of the Year (one of my favorite clips from one of the most underrated comedies of all-time).
There's some concern Darren Sproles will eventually wear down with this kind of usage, but he's actually averaged just 5.2 rushing attempts per game, and whether true or not, studies have shown receptions have less consequences on the body. He may only be 5-6, but he's also 190, which isn't exactly Dexter McCluster (170) territory. Sproles has always had a ton of talent as a third-down back, but he's being utilized better than ever, and playing home games on turf highlights his quickness, which might be second to none in the NFL. Despite having just the 44th most rushing attempts among all backs, Sproles is on pace to finish with 1,437 yards from scrimmage and has been an absolute monster in PPR formats. I certainly didn't expect him to be the most valuable of the three Saints' running backs…Cam Newton has 13 carries inside the 10 yard line this season. DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart have a combined three…Can someone explain to me why the Panthers called a timeout on defense at the end of the first half to allow the Saints to kick a field goal?
Probably the craziest picture I've ever seen.
Darrius Heyward-Bey has racked up 214 receiving yards and a touchdown over the past two games, and while he's showed promise before only to disappear shortly thereafter, it's telling he saw a whopping 19 targets over that span. He was quite raw coming out of Maryland, so it's no surprise it's taken him a few years to get acclimated to the NFL. The Raiders are a run-heavy team, and talented rookie Denarius Moore could threaten to become the team's WR1, but DHB is finally relevant in fantasy leagues. His upcoming schedule against a Browns secondary possibly without Joe Haden, followed by Kansas City and then Denver, looks enticing…I'm a Hue Jackson fan – he's uncommonly aggressive, and I loved the emotion he showed at the end of the game, but going for two (in a 14-12 game) with 1:09 left in the first half was way too early. This looked bad at the time and even worse when the Raiders had a 25-17 lead in the fourth quarter…Arian Foster owners can be disappointed with 68 rushing yards on 22 carries against an Oakland defense that entered allowing an NFL-high 5.9 YPC, but the Raiders clearly adjusted and sold out to stop the run (especially with no AJ), and obviously, it's tough to complain about Foster's 116 receiving yards…Pretty crazy that Oakland made that stop on the final play of the game with just 10 defenders on the field.
This article about the Red Sox's collapse is fascinating, albeit not for the author's intended reasons. What an embarrassing piece of journalism (and this coming from someone who has little standards).
I had the Eagles as part of a parlay last week, and I deserved to lose. I do think they are better than they've played (obviously) and would once again take them against Washington this week, even as a pick 'em at 1-4 on the road facing a 3-1 team coming off a bye, but they aren't a team with terrific peripherals that their record doesn't reflect (like San Diego last year). Advanced stats (like Brian Burke, Football Outsiders, etc.) had them as heavy dogs against the Bills, so shame on me for ignoring that (or not? I mean seriously, it was all crazy turnovers that are historically random. Ugh)…David Nelson has just three receptions for 24 yards over his past two contests. The loss of Donald Jones for 4-to-6 weeks with an ankle injury could theoretically result in more targets, but in reality it moves Nelson from the slot (an important position in a Chan Gailey offense) to the outside, which might not be the best fit. Take a wait-and-see approach here…Got to love Andy Reid (and by that I mean loathe if you bet on Philly), as he decided to punt Sunday on 4th-and-4 down 14 points at Buffalo's 37 yard line. Naturally, it resulted in a touchback. But that pales in comparison to the indiscipline it takes to have his team jump offsides (coming off a timeout) on 4th-and-1 down 31-24 at midfield with 1:23 left, when the Bills clearly had no intention of ever snapping the ball, effectively ending the game...Fred Jackson has broken 23 tackles this year. The next highest is Adrian Peterson with 17.
The Cardinals were down 28-0 at the end of the first quarter. Even the Vikings couldn't blow that lead in the second half…Donovan McNabb might not be the only quarterback Andy Reid recently sold high on, as Kevin Kolb's hot start with his new team in Arizona has quickly turned south. He's gotten 7.4 YPA, which is just OK in today's NFL and not good when combined with a 5:9 TD:turnover ratio over five games. He's also taken 16 sacks and committed the most penalties among quarterbacks with four, all while having the benefit of one of the NFL's best receivers at his disposal. It's certainly too early to call Kolb a bust, but the early signs aren't encouraging…Percy Harvin continues to be given more carries than any other receiver and his snaps are up since Week 1, but after a one-catch, 11-yard performance Sunday, his fantasy owners have to be fed up. In fact, Harvin is on pace to finish with just 58 catches for 586 yards and zero receiving scores. I wouldn't recommend dropping Harvin by any means, but it's becoming increasingly difficult to keep betting on his talent overcoming his situation…The Cardinals for some reason attempted a 51 yard field goal on 4th-and-6 down 28 points Sunday.
If this isn't "indisputable evidence" of the existence of an Abominable Snowman, I don't know what is.
Over the past two weeks, my "best bets" have cumulatively been up 44-3, and I've lost both, despite each spread being less than three points. That's hard to do. My latest bitterness involves the Colts' collapse…Jackie Battle entered last week as an undrafted 28-year-old back who had gotten just 3.0 YPC in his career, but he made the most of his newfound opportunity, totaling 140 yards on just 21 touches. The performance raised his career YPC nearly a full yard (3.9), which shows how little work he was previously given. Battle's big game came against a Colts defense that has allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season, but Thomas Jones looks done, and Dexter McCluster struggles to break tackles, so he should continue to get the majority of touches in Kansas City's backfield. Battle isn't a special talent, and there's no telling how he'll hold up physically, but he's obviously a must-add in all fantasy leagues with his new role…In deeper leagues, pick up Steve Breaston…Dallas Clark has just six catches for 65 yards over his last three games total, including three bad drops last week (he "leads" all tight ends with six this season). Remarkably, Pro Football Focus currently rates him last among 57 tight ends who qualify in the NFL. With him performing so poorly and no Peyton Manning, it's a combination that's resulted in zero fantasy value…Pierre Garcon has been the No. 1 fantasy WR since Curtis Painter took over as Indy's QB, and while Painter can't be expected to continue getting 9.1 YPA (with a 48.5 completion percentage!), it's clear the two have a strong rapport. Garcon is simply the superior athlete to Reggie Wayne at this stage of their careers, and precise route running doesn't matter as much without Peyton Manning calling the shots. With such a poor defense, the Colts should continue to have to keep airing it out as well. Garcon's 11.8 YAC/reception currently leads all wide receivers by a wide margin (second-best is Victor Cruz with 9.3).
I finally saw "Moneyball" and surprisingly really liked it. Maybe my low expectations helped (and yes, there were aspects to complain about), but I thought the filmmakers did a terrific job with the material at hand.
Also, having Tim Allen make a lame fantasy football joke during an NFL broadcast is more than a little questionable - I can't wait to see his new show canceled within five episodes.
Victor Cruz has totaled 17 catches for 369 yards and three touchdowns over the past three games, none of which he's started. He's badly outplayed Mario Manningham in the process, but the latter can't be written off, and Hakeem Nicks remains the team's WR1, so some regression can safely be expected, but no receiver can keep that kind of pace no matter his situation. Cruz is obviously talented and will remain a major part of the Giants' offense moving forward, although his targets may not be there on a consistent basis. Still, with New York's shaky defense, especially in the secondary, and the running game struggling, the team's passing attack will continue to be relied upon heavily. Despite playing limited snaps, Cruz's five broken tackles are tied for fifth-most in the NFL among wide receivers…R.I.P., most "survivor" teams that were alive in Week 5. And with Charlie Whitehurst playing a big role on the road, no less!...The Giants completed a pass downfield to Hakeem Nicks with 40 seconds left in the first half, and despite having all three timeouts left, elected to waste 11 seconds to re-gather and spike the ball. Huh?
An unexpected ending to a horse race, although not as funny as this one (the first suffered no life-threatening injuries, to be clear).
The 49ers are the only team yet to allow a rushing TD or a running back to reach 65 rushing yards in a game this season. As a San Francisco fan who picked the Rams to win the NFC West before the season, it's pretty shocking to even consider them having a home playoff game (way, way too soon), but a 48-3 victory over any team (let alone one 3-1, even if they are a fraud) in the NFL is pretty impressive. Consider me shocked…Mike Williams has just 19 catches for 183 yards on the year, with as many fumbles lost as touchdowns (one). His 9.6 yards-per-catch is downright anemic, as the entire Bucs' passing attack has taken a major step back this season. I've preached patience with Williams, but it's hard not to be concerned at this point, and those with viable alternatives can bench him for now. It's hard not to think of the Michael Clayton comparison. Still, while it's easy to point out last year's 11-TD, 65-catch ratio was unsustainable, Williams was a beast in the red zone as a rookie and would have likely been a first round pick if not for off-field issues – he's clearly a talented player, fully capable of breaking out of this slump…Football Outsiders lists San Francisco with a 97.5|PERCENT| chance of making the playoffs. Green Bay is at 97.4|PERCENT|...For what it's worth, Alex Smith had the highest "QBR" in Week 5.
Taking a squash ball at 175 mph looks painful.
After taking over for Kyle Orton on Sunday and since being named Denver's starter, Tim Tebow is the obvious top waiver wire add entering Week 6. He's gotten 8.0 YPA during his brief career, which is almost certainly unsustainable unless he greatly improves his 48.9 completion percentage. Of course, fantasy owners care more about his ability to run than his poor mechanics and unlikelihood to be an above average NFL quarterback. Tebow should get an extended opportunity to show what he can do, and his seven rushing touchdowns over 12 career appearances reveal quite a bit of fantasy upside. Brandon Lloyd and Eric Decker give him a couple of quality receiving options, and he now has a bye week to work with the starters in practice. The Broncos' schedule also looks favorable moving forward, so Tebow should be considered a top-12 fantasy QB right now…Willis McGahee has improbably topped 100 rushing yards in three of the past four games, including a remarkable 7.4 YPC mark over the last two. The designated goal-line back for Denver even before taking over as the team's starter, McGahee has just one rushing score on the year (two total), and that number is unlikely to increase greatly with Tebow taking over. Still, a healthy Knowshon Moreno didn't receive a single carry last week, as McGahee looks rejuvenated at soon-to-be age 30…As a huge Ryan Mathews backer, I'm not sure whether to be encouraged he returned from an injury he almost certainly looked unlikely to, or be discouraged that he continues to battle maladies regularly. At least he has a bye week to heal.
Case of the unwanted enema remains unsolved, according to California police.
I'm sure you've all heard it by now, but it's still one of the most mind blowing stats I've heard in quite some time. Tom Brady threw the first interception of his career at home in the red zone Sunday, as he previously held a 91:0 TD:INT ratio. And naturally, Aaron Hernandez should have caught a would-be touchdown on the play. Speaking of Hernandez, he was targeted heavily, drawing multiple pass interference penalties that made an otherwise OK fantasy day a lot less than it could've been. He should be treated as a top-five fantasy tight end from here on out…BenJarvus Green-Ellis is essentially having the same season as last year, at least yardage wise. He's actually on pace to finish with 16 touchdowns…I can't blame Darrelle Revis, more so the scheme, since he's the best defender in football, but why he allowed Wes Welker to release to the safety on his 73-yard catch is beyond me…People seem down on the Jets, but I don't get it – their three losses have come against the Raiders, Ravens and Patriots all on the road, and they have held opposing passers to just a 66.6 QB rating (second-lowest only to Baltimore). New York will be fine.
Lawmaker wants state to reinstate dwarf tossing.
I had an extremely successful season betting (almost exclusively with teasers) last year, and even in the beginning of 2011, but I've hit a snag recently, with Week 5 no exception. Not only the aforementioned parlay loss, but I went in on Atlanta +6, which I felt pretty good about when they took a 14-0 lead. I actually don't like the Falcons at all (I bet their "under" 10 wins before the season), but they typically play well at home, and I figured they'd be "up" in primetime after a slow start to the season versus the team that embarrassed them in the playoffs last year, and no matter how good the Packers are – it's tough to win five straight games in the NFL, and they entered with a horrible pass defense. Shame on me. Aaron Rodgers versus Matt Ryan was a mismatch of epic proportions…Ryan has committed more turnovers (nine) than touchdowns (seven) this season, despite adding exciting rookie Julio Jones to the WR corps along with star Roddy White (although if you heard Cris Collinsworth, he claims White is far more injured than letting on). Tony Gonzalez has looked rejuvenated as well. Ryan's 6.6 YPA mark ranks 25th in the NFL, behind the likes of rookie Andy Dalton. Thanks to 196 passing attempts that are tied for the second-most in football, he's maintained some fantasy value, but Ryan is really struggling, and as a result, Atlanta looks like huge long shots to contend with the Saints for the NFC South crown.
Massively hung squirrel ruins televised bake-off.
The Lions have outscored their opponents 109-23 in the second half this season…The Bears had eight false starts Monday night, which is more than 25 teams have committed all year…Jahvid Best is fast, especially on turf…If Sam Hurd had scored on the final meaningless play of that game (he got to the two yard line), that would have been one of the worst (I only say this because I backed Detroit, of course) backdoor covers in recent memory…Who would have thought the 49ers at the Lions would be one of the most marquee matchups of Week 6?