Taking on this task of identifying those over performers and under performers from the previous week of fantasy football is Ryan Hallam, creator of Fighting Chance Fantasy. So, join Ryan as he takes us through the Week 8 Winners and Losers. And if you have any questions for him, email rhallam@brunoboys.net for Week 9 fantasy advice.
Note: All point projections read in this recap are from standard scoring leagues (non-PPR) and are projections made by the Bruno Boys staff.
--------------------
WEEK 7 OVERACHIEVERS
Quarterbacks
Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints) — The people in London got an offensive show, led by Brees and the Saints. Even though we didn't think it was possible, but without Reggie Bush the Saints actually threw MORE. Brees went for 339 yards and three touchdowns without throwing an interception giving him 24 fantasy points better than the 17 he was projected for.
Hallam's Take: Brees owners' took a little sigh of relief after Brees had his first sub par outing in Week 7. Folks, this guy is an MVP candidate, and is perhaps the best fantasy quarterback to own in 2008. He is an absolute must start every week regardless of the matchup.
Matt Schaub (Houston Texans) — This was not his first good game of the season, but Schaub had another great one. The Texans' starter had his way with the Bengals defense, throwing for 280 yards and three touchdowns. The Bruno Boys had this one right on the money as Schaub had 17 fantasy points, which was exactly what he was projected for.
Hallam's Take: Schaub is playing like a man possessed the past couple of weeks, but I don't see him keeping this up all season long. He is a good play against weak defenses, but don't look for him to have this kind of performance on a weekly basis.
Tyler Thigpen (Kansas City Chiefs) — The New York Jets made Thigpen look like Joe Namath for the first time in his career. Thigpen completed just shy of 70 percent of his passes, and threw for 280 yards and two scores without turning the ball over. He more than doubled his 6 point projection, scoring 13 points for those playing him on a bye week.
Hallam's Take: I can almost guarantee that you won't see Tyler Thigpen on this list again. Ever again. The Jets have a way of playing down to their competition at times, and there is no reason to think that this performance will be repeated.
--------------------
Running Backs
Brian Westbrook (Philadelphia Eagles) — In a surprising move given his injury trouble this season, Westbrook the focal point of the Eagles offense on Sunday. Westbrook ran for 167 yards and two touchdowns. Westbrook also caught six passes for 42 yards. He was the player of the week, scoring 32 points, dwarfing his projection of 18 points.
Hallam's Take: Because of his history of nagging injuries, I have never been a big fan of Westbrook. But when he is in there, he makes the Eagles offense go, and brings fantasy teams to playoffs. He is just lives on the injury report and his nickname might as well be "Game-Time Decision" because that is what he is half of the games of the year.
LaDanian Tomlinson (San Diego Chargers) — LT gave the folks of Jolly Old England a great show, rushing for 105 yards, and also had 65 yards in receptions with a touchdown. He has had a really tough season given his injury problems, but he put it all together against the Saints. Tomlinson was projected for 16 points, but was able to score 22.
Hallam's Take: LT's owners have been pulling their hair out mostly because they took this guy within the first couple picks of their drafts. This was the kind of game that they expected every time out. Unfortunately, this has been more of the exception, rather than the rule. If you drafted him, ya gotta play him, because I don't think you can get good value for him if you tried to trade him.
DeAngelo Williams (Carolina Panthers) — Surprisingly, Williams has thrived under this two back system with him and Johnathan Stewart. While everyone figured that Stewart would take over by now, Williams has been the better back lately, and rushed for over 100 yards and a score against the Cardinals. He was projected for just six points, but put up 17.
Hallam's Take: I was one of those who figured that Stewart would have taken over by now, but I still think that he will before the end of the season. Not that DeAngelo won't see the field, but I still believe that the important carries will go to Stewart. Ride the DeAngelo train while it is chugging, but don't be surprised if the tide turns in the coming weeks.
--------------------
Wide Receivers
Anquan Boldin (Arizona Cardinals) — In his first game back, Boldin looked like nothing had ever happened as he caught nine passes for 63 yards and two scores. Boldin also ran one time for 30 yards. Now that he has returned, he has gone right back to being a top five or ten receiver. Boldin was projected to score just four points since it was undecided how involved he would be. But Boldin was back to normal and scored 18 points.
Hallam's Take: I was very concerned about Boldin going into this week as I wondered how he would be like after that tough injury he suffered. Not only was his sinus cavity fractured, but his jaw was knocked out of alignment. But Boldin proved how tough he really is as it seemed like he never left. Get him back into your lineup immediately.
Donnie Avery (St. Louis Rams) — Quickly becoming Marc Bulger's new favorite target, Avery continues his coming out party, as he caught six passes for 163 yards and a touchdown. Remember what Torry Holt used to be? That is where Avery is headed. In Week 8, Avery scored 22 points, smashing his 8 point projection.
Hallam's Take: Now, I had maintained confidence that this game was coming for Braylon, but I'm also not convinced yet that this means that he is back to last year's form. Hopefully he will have another game like this and fantasy players will regain their confidence.
Kevin Walter (Houston Texans) — Walter either does great, or doesn't show up. In Week 8, he definitely came to play as he caught five passes for 70 yards and two touchdowns. I agreed with his projection of only seven points, but he shocked everyone when he scored 19 points.
Hallam's Take: While Andre Johnson gets all the pub, Walter continues to play the role similar to what Wes Welker did with the Pats last season. Of course I'm not suggesting that he is even close to that level, but against weaker defenses, he is a nice bye week replacement.
--------------------
Tight Ends
Tony Gonzalez (Kansas City Chiefs) —The Chiefs actually had a good passing day, and Gonzalez was a big part of it. The Chiefs tight end caught six passes for 79 yards and a score. Projected for just seven points, Tony G nearly doubled that with 13.
Hallam's Take: Back in the day it was Gonzalez and then nobody else at tight end. Those days are surely over, but the guy still has some gas left in the tank. He's not going to score 13 TDs anymore, but he still can get you 700-800 yards and five to seven scores.
--------------------
Kickers
John Carney (New York Giants) — In a great performance, Carney kicked four field goals between 24 and 35 yards as the Giants were unable to finish drives until the last one. He also added an extra point to give him 13 points for the game. His best game of the season gave Carney a 13 point day, almost doubling his projection of seven.
Hallam's Take: This might not last too much longer as the Giants regular kicker, Lawrence Tynes says he is ready to return from injury. But with Carney doing so good, would Tom Coughlin be crazy to change back? Monitor this situation if you own Carney.
--------------------
Defenses
Houston Texans (3 stars) — I know, I figured with Ryan Fitzpatrick and Cedric Benson, the Bengals would light up the scoreboard! But the Texans defense showed up in a big way. They held the Bengals to just six points, sacked Fitzpatrick twice, and picked him off twice. A nice well rounded defensive fantasy effort, that would surpass their three star projection.
Hallam's Take: After giving up 20+ points to the Lions, I was not thinking that the Texans' defense was worth a start no matter the competition. But they might have turned a corner, and if your regular team is on a bye, and Houston is playing another team like the Bengals (read: Chiefs) they might be worth it. I certainly wouldn't want to run them out every day though.
--------------------
WEEK 7 UNDERACHIEVERS
Quarterbacks
Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh Steelers) — You could see this game being a very physical, smash mouth football game, but you had to figure that the Steelers would put up more of a offensive outing than they did against the Giants. Big Ben did throw one touchdown, but had only 189 yards and was picked four times. While he was predicted to score 16, in reality he scored -1, making him the biggest bust of the week.
Hallam's Take: OUCH! The Giants defense harassed Ben all afternoon, and he looked terrible as he was never comfortable. Roethlisberger has always been a better actual quarterback than he has been a fantasy quarterback, but this was a performance that would cost his owners their matchup. Getting negative points from your QB is a recipe for getting blown out.
Donovan McNabb (Philadelphia Eagles) — The Eagles leaned on Brian Westbrook as he returned from injury, and although they won, it hurt McNabb's stats. He was efficient but not spectacular, as he threw for 253 yards, but did not put one in the end zone. McNabb was projected for a huge game with 22 fantasy points, but was only able to put up 7.
Hallam's Take: McNabb's offense is finally getting healthy as Reggie Brown, Kevin Curtis, and Brian Westbrook all returned from injury. He isn't among the top 5 among fantasy quarterbacks, but Donovan is a guy that you still need to start if you have him.
Trent Edwards (Buffalo Bills) — In his return from a concussion Edwards wasn't able to put up very good statistics against an underrated Miami defense. The Bills QB not only threw for only 227 yards, but didn't throw a touchdown in this game. The few points he got from his yards were almost all lost with the interception he threw. Edwards was projected for 15 points, but scored just two.
Hallam's Take: Edwards is not a big fantasy QB, he is a bye week replacement at best. But those of us who owned Jay Cutler (like me) were bitterly disappointed that Edwards picked this week to put up a bomb. Drew Brees owner's do you trust Edwards for your bye week?
--------------------
Running Backs
Michael Turner (Atlanta Falcons) — Turner had one of his signature struggling games as he was able to rush for 58 yards and failed to score. The worst part was one of his runs was for 22 yards, so his other 16 carries only went for 36 yards. He did face a tough Eagles' run defense so he gets a bit of a pass. Turner only scored five fantasy points in Week 8, which fell far short of the 13 he was projected for.
Hallam's Take: Is there anyone in the league harder to gauge than Turner? He has had quite the good game/bad game pattern going, so who knows what you are going to get from him from week to week.
Maurice Jones-Drew (Jacksonville Jaguars) — Against a weak Browns' defense, Jones-Drew was only able to rush for 29 yards, and wasn't a factor in the passing game either. He has been unable to cash in on the big play that he has lived on his entire career. Jones-Drew scored only three points, which was a far cry from the 15 point projection he was given.
Hallam's Take: One of the most disappointing players in fantasy so far, Jones-Drew still has the potential to put up a big game at any time, so you have to play him if you have him, but it seems that he might not have the impact that we all figured he would at the start of the season. Injuries to the Jacksonville offensive line is the most likely cause.
Ronnie Brown (Miami Dolphins) — Brown has been one of the more explosive players in the NFL this season, aided by the "Wildcat" formations that the Dolphins have been running. Brown was only able to run for 43 yards against a tough Bills defense, scoring just four points against a 16 point projection.
Hallam's Take: Better defenses don't seem to have as much of a problem stopping the creative formations and plays that the Dolphins have been putting forth.
--------------------
Wide Receivers
Terrell Owens (Dallas Cowboys) — Another sorry effort by the Cowboys obviously effected Owens' productivity in the past couple of weeks. Owens did catch five passes, but it was just 33 yards. Owens was looking to have a 12 point game, but came up with only three.
Hallam's Take: It Is going to be a desperate situation for the Cowboys until Tony Romo is able to return. The 'Boys are not liking what they are seeing from Brad Johnson so far, and are thinking of incorporating Brooks Bollinger into a game in the near future.
Plaxico Burress (New York Giants) — It sounds like a broken record lately. Burress was benched for the start of the game for missing a treatment session on Sunday. Coach Tom Coughlin sat his star receiver for the first three series of the game, and Plax never really got into the game. Despite being projected for a modest 11 points, he was able to muster only 1 point.
Hallam's Take: He is going down a path that doesn't look like it can end well. Burress has now been fined over $200,000 this season and apparently it isn't fazing him any. It also appears that the Giants don't have any problem fining and suspending the guy. I can't say that I know how this will end, but I am a little nervous that this isn't the last time that Burress will miss time during a game.
Marques Colston (New Orleans Saints) — One of the league's best young receivers, Colston hasn't quite come back to form following the thumb injury. After catching zero passes in his first game back, Colston caught just two balls for 54 yards. Colston was projected for nine points and got just the five.
Hallam's Take: This slump appears to be injury related, so you have to keep throwing Colston out there. Each passing week he should get more healthy, and within a couple weeks should be back to his Pro Bowl form.
--------------------
Tight Ends
Jason Witten (Dallas Cowboys) — I know he didn't play the whole game, but when perhaps the best tight end in football has one catch for eight yards, he has to be on the dud list. Like Owens, until things get straightened out in Big D, Witten's value will take somewhat of a hit. He obviously scored no points for you, and should've scored around 11.
Hallam's Take: X-rays showed the ribs aren't broken, but this is turning into a nightmare season for Witten owners. You just have to keep running him out there if you have him though for two reasons. One, he is one of the best and is capable of having a big game at any time. Second, Romo will be back, and that should get everyone back to normal.
--------------------
Kickers
Jason Elam (Atlanta Falcons) — Only able to muster two PATs as his team struggled against a tough Philly defense. He never even was set up for a field goal try. Elam was good for two points, a far cry from the 11 that he was projected for.
Hallam's Take: Elam is still one of the more consistent kickers in the NFL, it is just a matter of him getting chances. He will have some value towards the end of the season, as when the weather gets warm, he will be kicking in a dome in Atlanta.
--------------------
Defenses
San Diego Chargers (2 stars) — The Chargers were absolutely lit up by Drew Brees and the Saints, and if you played them, they surely lost you points. San Diego's defense gave up 37 points, did not record a turnover, and never even touched Drew Brees. They were just a two star selection, but somehow they were still far worse than that.
Hallam's Take: Who could have thought the loss of Merriman would be so significant. No wonder they guy wanted to play on a blown out knee. This was about as bad as a fantasy game as a team could possibly put up. No sacks, no turnovers, and nearly 40 points? You can't start the Chargers defense in their current state.
--------------------
WEEK 9 RANKINGS (click to view)
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
Kickers
Team Defense
---------------------
Also read: Fantasy Football Week 8 Waiver Wire Advice (click to view)
Also read: Fantasy Football Week 9 Start Em & Sit Em (click to view)
---------------------
::Questions? Comments? How about you SIGN UP for an account and leave a comment. Plus, by signing up you can MANAGE ALL of your FANTASY FOOTBALL teams from ONE ACCOUNT.
::Also, you can click the Fantasy Sports Dashboard (powered by our partner Screaming Sports) at the top of the screen and import plus manage all of your fantasy teams from one page::