Fantasy Football Risers and Fallers: Week Eight

Week seven in the NFL saw several blowouts, meaning some players that don’t normally produce much may have shown off more than they’re consistently capable off.

Nonetheless, there were also some completely-out-of-the-blue performances (um, Alex Smith?) that have left people wondering if there’s more where that came from.

Here are the top five risers and fallers going into week eight.

Risers:

Vernon Davis-TE-49ers

The former first-round pick has been solid all season, but his three-touchdown day against the Texans really opened some eyes.

Until Michael Crabtree is able to completely get his footing in the NFL, Davis should and will be the number one receiving option for the Niners.

This weekend’s matchup against undefeated Indy means a second straight three touchdown day may not be in the works, but there’s still a decent chance he’ll be able to put up some numbers.

If he’s still (somehow) a free agent in your league, pick him up immediately. 

Alex Smith-QB-49ers

The aforementioned Smith had a career day in Houston on Sunday-in just one half of football.

He’s been named the starter and, unless he tanks horribly, should be starting for at least the rest of the season.

Will he be able to keep it up? There’s no way of knowing for sure, but he’s probably worth picking up, just in case.

Marshawn Lynch-RB-Bills

After missing the first four games of the season due to suspension, Lynch has started to round into midseason form in the last couple of weeks. 

He’ll be facing the Texans this Sunday, and, while they’ve been stopping the run at a good rate in recent weeks, they’ve still given up more rushing touchdowns than any team in the league thus far. 

Lynch would be a solid option for a start this week.

Shonn Greene-RB-Jets

Leon Washington’s broken leg opened the door for Greene to get a bunch of carries against Oakland, and he responded with 144 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

While Thomas Jones (whose stock is also rising) will still be the primary back, Greene showed on Sunday that he’s worth at least a pickup.

Miles Austin-WR-Cowboys

Austin is no longer a secret, and, if he’s available in your league (which would be shocking at this point), snatch him up right away.

He followed up his breakout 250-yard, two touchdown performance against Kansas City with 171 more yards and two more scores against Atlanta.

If he’s on your roster, he must start.

Fallers:

Roy Williams-WR-Cowboys

All of Miles Austin’s success has come at the expense of Dallas’ “number one” receiver, Roy Williams.

After his 86-yard performance in week one, Williams has essentially been a non-factor in the Cowboys’ passing game.

Don’t bother starting him until he comes back from the dead.

Eli Manning-QB-Giants

After being a top-five QB in the first five games, Eli has dropped off the face of the earth in the last two, and don’t expect a great game from him this weekend against Philly.

Eli threw just one touchdown pass (a lucky deflection by Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie right into the hands of Hakeem Nicks) and three interceptions.

Unless you have a bye situation, try to avoid starting Eli Manning.

Terrell Owens-WR-Bills

T.O. has done a whole lot of nothing so far as a member of the Bills.

It doesn’t help that new QB Ryan Fitzpatrick appears to prefer to throw it to the other receiver, Lee Evans.

It’s tough not to start Owens based on the past, but he’s looking past his prime these days.

Matt Forte-RB-Bears

Although he has a favorable matchup coming up against the hapless Browns, Matt Forte’s second NFL season has been one to forget for fantasy owners thus far. 

If he can’t get it together on Sunday, it may be time to give up on him for the season.

Larry Johnson-RB-Chiefs

Even if Johnson weren’t suspended indefinitely, he’d be buried on my bench or released.

He’s nothing near the fantasy stud he was a few years back, and his time as a starting running back in the league may be over. 

It looks as though the Larry Johnson era in KC is all but over, and the Jamaal Charles era has begun.

 

 

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

NFL Power Rankings: Week 8

With seven weeks in the books, some teams have distanced themselves from others, some teams are still searching for their identities, and some teams are already looking towards next season.

Here’s how the 32 clubs stack up going into week eight.

1. Indianapolis Colts (6-0)

Peyton Manning and company have made it look easy recently, with wins by 21, 17, 22, and 36 points in their last four games, respectively. 

2. New Orleans Saints (6-0)

Not every team has the ability to come back from a 24-3 deficit on the road and win.

3. Denver Broncos (6-0)

Coming off of their well-timed bye week, America’s favorite Cinderella still has matchups with Baltimore, Pittsburgh, San Diego, the New York Giants, Indianapolis, and Philadelphia to look forward to. 

4. New England Patriots (5-2)

Back-to-back thrashings of winless teams has these Patriots looking like their old 2007 selves again.

5. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2)

After a rocky start, the Steelers have quietly won four straight, and second-year player Rashard Mendenhall now appears to have a stranglehold on the primary running back spot.

6. Minnesota Vikings (6-1)

They can’t drop too far after playing the Steelers fairly well on the road.

Next up: Brett Favre’s not-so-triumphant return to Green Bay next Sunday night.

7. Cincinnati Bengals (5-2)

I’m not quite sure what to make of this team. After looking mediocre in a home loss against Houston, Cedric Benson, Carson Palmer, and the Bengals laid an all-time beat down on Chicago.

8. New York Giants (5-2)

The G-Men have lost two straight after a 5-0 start, and have an extremely difficult schedule the rest of the way.

Their next six games: at Philadelphia, home against San Diego, home against Atlanta, at Denver, home against Dallas, home against Philadelphia.

9. Dallas Cowboys (4-2)

The ‘Boys rebounded nicely from their poor showing against the Chiefs, sacking Matt Ryan four times in a big 37-21 win over Atlanta.

10. Philadelphia Eagles (4-2)

After a horrible loss at Oakland, the Eagles rebounded nicely by making it look easy against divisional foe Washington Monday night.

11. Arizona Cardinals (4-2)

Three straight wins have the defending NFC champs in control of the NFC West once again.

12. Atlanta Falcons (4-2)

A blowout loss at the hands of the Cowboys can’t have the Falcons feeling too great about next week’s Monday night game against the undefeated Saints.

13. Green Bay Packers (4-2)

Aaron Rodgers and the Packers have feasted on the NFL’s bottomfeeders thus far, having defeated Chicago, St. Louis, Detroit, and Cleveland.

14. New York Jets (4-3)

A dominating victory over the hapless Raiders was exactly what the doctor ordered for Mark “Joey Chestnut” Sanchez and his Jets after three consecutive losses.

15. Houston Texans (4-3)

Two consecutive victories and a matchup with Buffalo this weekend has Houston hoping for its first 5-3 start in their short franchise history.

16. Baltimore Ravens (3-3)

We’ll find out who the Ravens really are in the next few weeks, when their opponents include the Broncos, Bengals, Colts, and Steelers.

17. San Diego Chargers (3-3)

The Chargers looked great in crushing the useless Chiefs yesterday, but they still have a steep hill to climb in order to catch Denver.

18. San Francisco 49ers (3-3)

The Niners have come back to earth since their unlikely 3-0 start, and they’re hoping former first-overall pick Alex Smith can give them the jolt they need at QB.

19. Miami Dolphins (2-4)

The best 2-4 team in football blew what would’ve been a huge victory yesterday against still-unbeaten New Orleans at home. 

20. Buffalo Bills (3-4)

Two straight wins and a relatively-weak AFC have the Bills thinking their season isn’t close to being lost.

21. Chicago Bears (3-3)

The Bears should be able to rebound from their terrible loss against the Bengals when they face the Browns next Sunday.

22. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-3)

The Jags come out of their bye this weekend to face Tennessee for the second time. Will they be able to keep the Titans winless?

23. Seattle Seahawks (2-4)

Their bye week couldn’t have come at a better time after having lost a lopsided game to division rival Arizona last weekend.

24. Carolina Panthers (2-4)

The Panthers’ lack of a backup quarterback is the only reason Jake Delhomme is still starting for this team.

25. Oakland Raiders (2-5)

Playoffs? Richard Seymour is talking about playoffs? Playoffs?

26. Detroit Lions (1-5)

No matter what happens the rest of the way, the Lions have already had a better season than they did last year.

27. Kansas City Chiefs (1-6)

After two consecutive good showings against Dallas and Washington, the Chiefs were dominated by San Diego yesterday.

28. Washington Redskins (2-5)

Why are they below Detroit and Kansas City despite having more wins? They managed to lose to both of them.

29. Tennessee Titans (0-6)

Based on the bits and pieces we’ve seen of him in limited action so far this season, don’t expect Vince Young (if he starts) to be able to turn these Titans around.

 

30. Cleveland Browns (1-6)

This team is completely lost, and it’s difficult to not put lots of the blame on first-year coach Eric Mangini.

 

31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-7)

Based on their schedule the rest of the way, it looks as though Raheem Morris and his Bucs may not win more than two games at most this season.

32. St. Louis Rams (0-7)

It seems as though this weekend’s “much anticipated” battle on the road against the Lions may be the last chance the Rams get at a win this season.

 

 

 

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Young, Promising Quarterbacks Asserting Themselves All Over NFL

As SI’s Peter King touched upon last week, this season we’ve seen several young quarterbacks begin to assert themselves all around the NFL.

He wondered if this is the potential beginning to a new “Golden Age” for quarterbacks.

I do believe it is.

Of the 32 teams in the league, 20 of them have a starting quarterback under the age of 30. 

While the NFL’s three best QB’s are all 30 or older (Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees), there’s incredible potential for the rest of the league’s young guns.

In case you haven’t noticed, the guys over 30 that are still going look as though they’ve got plenty left in the tank.

Drew Brees (30) is an MVP candidate and has thrown for 1,400 yards and 13 touchdowns for the NFL’s most dangerous offense so far.

Peyton Manning (33) appears to be headed towards his fourth MVP award, and may be having his best season yet.

Tom Brady (32) just dismantled the Titans on his way to six touchdown passes, and looked a lot like the Tom Brady of 2007. 

Brett Favre (40) has a 6-0 team for the first time in his seemingly interminable career, and has continued to show his knack for winning games in the final seconds already as a member of the Vikings.

Kurt Warner (38) is coming off another Super Bowl appearance, and leads one of the NFL’s elite aerial attacks. 

Donovan McNabb (32), despite a terrible showing against dismal Oakland yesterday, is still a guy that looks as though he can lead his team to a championship.

Matt Hasselbeck (34), other than yesterday’s manhandling at the hands of Arizona, has clearly shown that he still has tremendous value to his Seahawks.

While not all of the NFL’s younger quarterbacks have gotten off to great starts in 2009 (Trent Edwards, JaMarcus Russell, both Browns QB’s ), a huge number of them are making lots of noise early on.

Reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, Atlanta’s Matt Ryan (24), has shown absolutely no signs of any sophomore slump so far.

“Matty Ice” has led his Falcons to a 4-1 record, with two straight impressive wins at San Francisco and last night at home against Chicago.

Next week, the Falcons hit the road again, this time to visit the Cowboys in their space shuttle of a stadium.

Ryan has thrown for 1,162 yards to go along with nine touchdown passes so far, with a stellar completion percentage up around 65 percent.

Baltimore’s Joe Flacco (24), another second-year player, has arguably been better than Ryan.

The 6’6″ QB from Delaware has thrown for 11 touchdowns so far this season, and, despite three straight losses, has his Ravens at 3-3 and in the thick of the AFC race.

Flacco has thrown for 300 or more yards in three of six games this season.

The Texans’ Matt Schaub (28) is having his best season as a pro, by far.

He leads the NFL in touchdown passes with 14, and has thrown for 1,810 yards already.

It’s been said that Schaub has always had the ability to put up these kinds of numbers, it’s just been a matter of staying healthy enough.

So far in 2009 (knock on wood, Texans fans), Schaub has stayed on the field and has been the NFL’s most underrated player.

Houston’s success depends very much on Schaub, and if he can stay healthy, they’re a team that can surprise some people in the AFC.

The Chicago Bears’ most important offseason acquisition, Jay Cutler (26), has been as good as advertised since the week one debacle at Green Bay in which he threw four interceptions.

The former Vanderbilt star came over from Denver, and has thrown for 10 touchdowns so far, making the most of his unheralded team of receiving options.

While his attitude has been questioned nonstop, his ability speaks for itself.

He has a tremendously strong arm (which gets him in trouble from time to time), and is poised and controlled enough to effectively move his team down the field.

Cutler was drafted the same year as collegiate all-stars Matt Leinart and Vince Young.

So far, Cutler has (obviously) been the most productive of the three by miles.

Carson Palmer seems to have been in the NFL for ages, yet he is only 29.

While he turns 30 in December, the former Heisman winner (if he can stay healthy) is clearly good enough to have several more productive years.

He’s led his Bengals to a surprising 4-2 record, with last-second wins over two notable divisional opponents in Pittsburgh and Baltimore.

He’s smart with the football, and, while his statistics don’t jump off the page, he’s one of the major reasons that Cincinnati is still very relevant this season.

Eli Manning (28), the NFL’s highest-paid player, has certainly lived up to his sparkling new contract so far.

Before his subpar homecoming against the Saints yesterday, it could’ve been argued that Eli had been the NFL’s second-best QB so far, behind only brother Peyton.

Eli has still thrown for 1,390 yards and 11 touchdowns for the 5-1 Giants, and has thrown just three interceptions.

Eli has performed well over the past couple of weeks despite battling plantar fasciitis in his right foot.

Philip Rivers (27), the player the Chargers traded Eli Manning for on draft day in 2004, has an explosive arm and throws one of the more accurate deep balls in the entire league.

Two years ago, he almost led his Chargers to an improbable playoff win over the then-unbeaten New England Patriots, despite playing on what turned out to be a torn ACL.

While San Diego has looked pedestrian at times this year, Rivers has shown that he has the ability to lift his team, as he did last season after they started off slowly.

Rivers, the most accurate passer in the history of the NCAA, has thrown for over 1,200 yards in four games so far this season.

We’ll know much more about Rivers and the Chargers after tonight, when they face the undefeated Broncos at home.

Speaking of the Broncos, they’ve got a younger quarterback of their own that has shown he’s capable of leading a winning team.

Not much was expected of Kyle Orton and the Broncos this season, especially after all they went through over the summer.

Orton (26) certainly didn’t help his own popularity in Denver when he went out and threw three horrible interceptions in his first preseason game.

However, Orton (with the help of a stellar defense) is the starting quarterback of a 5-0 team with legitimate playoff aspirations.

While he isn’t as flashy as guys like Rivers and Cutler, Orton has been the surprise story of the season.

He shined in leading Denver on a 98-yard touchdown drive against Tom Brady and the Patriots last Sunday afternoon.

Orton has thrown for 1,236 yards and seven touchdowns this season.

However, his most impressive statistic: one interception through the first five games.

The Broncos are certainly not going to be sneaking up on anybody anymore this season, and it will be interesting to see how they deal with actual expectations the rest of the way.

We haven’t seen much of 24-year-old Dolphins’ QB Chad Henne (just two starts), but there already appears to be a lot to like.

In his two starts (two home games against the Bills and Jets), Henne has racked up 448 yards passing to go along with three touchdowns and one pick.

His completion percentage is a phenomenal 65 percent, and his strong arm is refreshing for Miami in the place of Chad Pennington’s weak arm.

The big-play threat of Ted Ginn Jr. wasn’t much of an option with Pennington back there, but we’ve already seen what the Ohio State-Michigan tandem of Ginn and Henne can do.

While it may be early to call him a future star, Henne’s stock is certainly on the rise.

Elsewhere in the AFC East, it’s been an interesting beginning for Jets’ 22-year-old QB Mark Sanchez .

Over the course of his first three NFL games, Sanchez could’ve likely successfully run for mayor of New York City.

He had the Jets at 3-0 heading into week four, having thrown four touchdown passes and just two interceptions.

However, it’s been a different story since then.

In his last three games (all losses), Sanchez has thrown just one touchdown pass and a whopping eight interceptions, including five yesterday in the demoralizing loss at the hands of the Bills.

While his stock has taken a hit recently, there’s still plenty to be excited about.

Since day one, he’s shown major maturity and poise in the pocket, and doesn’t get rattled easily.

This was on full display during the first two games of the season against Houston and New England.

While he’s certainly going through some struggles as a rookie, I still think the future will be bright for Mark Sanchez.

The first overall pick in this year’s draft, Detroit’s Matthew Stafford (21), has already done one thing as Lions’ QB that Dan Orlovsky wasn’t able to do: win a game. 

Although he’s currently injured, there was plenty to like about Stafford’s four starts to begin the season.

In Detroit’s only win against Washington, Stafford was 21-36 for 241 yards and a score, without an interception.

Stafford has a rocket for an arm, and reminds me a little bit of Jay Cutler.

He’s certainly got the attitude and swagger of a guy that knows he will be successful at the highest level.

It also doesn’t hurt that he has a teammate that could one day be the NFL’s best receiver in Calvin Johnson.

The going could get rough for Stafford early on, but I certainly think he has what it takes to be a superstar.

It hasn’t been a great start for Cowboys QB Tony Romo  (29) in 2009, but he’s shown in the past that he’s capable of dominating a game.

This is the same guy that threw for over 4,000 yards, with 36 touchdowns and 19 interceptions in 2007.

While he doesn’t have all the weapons he’s had before (never thought I’d be saying that), he’s definitely still a major weapon and the key to Dallas’ potential success.

While he’s only thrown six touchdowns so far this season, he’s still racked up 1,341 yards through the air.

Unfortunately for the Cowboys, their recent performance can’t have them too hyped up about their matchups later in the season.

This season, Dallas still has to face Atlanta, Philadelphia (twice), Green Bay, New York Giants, New Orleans, and San Diego.

It could be a tough season for Romo and the Cowboys, but I still think of him as a top-tier QB right in the middle of his prime.

Brett Favre’s Packers replacement, Aaron Rodgers (25), has already shown that he’s capable of big things after just over one year of starting in the NFL.

Last season, Rodgers wasted no time showing what he can do, going 18-22 for 178 yards and a touchdown in his first career start, a win over the Vikings.

His rookie season, despite the team being a disappointment, was definitely a personal success.

Rodgers finished with over 4,000 yards passing, to go along with 28 touchdowns and just 13 interceptions.

This season, he’s led Green Bay to a 3-2 record through five games, with 1,456 yards, eight touchdown passes, and two interceptions.

Although the final Favre saga was initially unpopular for Packers fans, it’s quite easy to see why the team’s brass was so eager to get the Rodgers era underway. 

I think he’s going to be a star for a long time.

Last but not least is a quarterback that has had more success earlier in his career than any other QB in history: Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger (27).

The owner of two Super Bowl titles already, Roethlisberger led his Steelers to a 15-1 record as a rookie.

While his career numbers haven’t been particularly overwhelming, it’s impossible to argue with his success.

So far this season, even though Pittsburgh is certainly not where they’d like to be in terms of team performance (although they’re still 4-2), Big Ben is having his most productive one to date.

He’s completing an amazing 73 percent of his passes, which, if it keeps up, would be an NFL record for a season.

Roethlisberger also has thrown for 1,887 yards and 10 touchdowns. 

While it may not always be pretty, and he certainly has his flaws, Ben Roethlisberger is a proven winner, and consistently gets the job done.

While the league’s top three signal-callers are all 30 or older, it’s clear that the NFL still has very much to look forward to in terms of stellar quarterback play for years to come.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Houston Texans Sign Ex-Chief Bernard Pollard

Look out, Peyton Manning!

Bernard Pollard is coming to a division near you.

According to the Houston Chronicle, the Houston Texans have signed the ex-Kansas City Chiefs safety.

Yes, the same Bernard Pollard infamous for ending Tom Brady’s 2008 season with an ACL-tearing hit in the first game of the year.

The signing of Pollard fills the roster spot left open by left guard Chester Pitts, who is out for the season following microfracture surgery.

It is unclear what Pollard’s main role will be with the Texans, although he’s likely to see time playing on special teams.

The 24-year-old former second round pick from Purdue had 98 tackles with one interception last season for Kansas City.

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