Mostly NFL Notes: Talking Patriots, Ben Roethlisberger and Adrian Peterson
New York/New England turned in yet another classic, as the underdog Giants once again played an undefeated Patriots team tough. Odell Beckham caught just 4-of-12 targets, but this one went for 87 yards, and he had another TD overturned that could’ve gone either way. It was a strong performance against a defense that routinely shuts down the opposition’s best player…Julian Edelman left with what looks like a season-ending foot injury, which is a huge blow to fantasy owners, as he was on pace to finish with 114 catches, 1,278 yards and 14 touchdowns. With Dion Lewis and now Edelman down, treat Danny Amendola as a top-20 fantasy wide receiver down the stretch, with top-10 upside in PPR formats. He’s worth spending your remaining FAAB to acquire.
The early returns on James White weren’t encouraging, but he’s worth holding for now. LeGarrette Blount scored as usual, and he had another TD called back thanks to a shaky penalty. He should continue to be viewed as a top-12 fantasy back…The Giants have struggled against tight ends all season, but Rob Gronkowski made this 79-yard touchdown look easy…If you wanted even odds to pick this year’s Super Bowl winner, how many teams would it take other than the Patriots? Three? Four?
Here’s Stephen Colbert questioning “What is art?”
Ben Roethlisberger continues to amaze playing through injuries, as he threw for 379 yards and three scores one week after his foot bent in a way that would’ve had me bedridden for at least six months. My only question is why didn’t he start?…Isaiah Crowell is Cleveland’s No. 1 running back. He had six carries for minus-five yards…Travis Benjamin had five touchdowns over the first three games this season. He’s scored zero since despite averaging 9.3 targets over seven contests…Johnson Bademosi isn’t exactly sure which team recovered this fumble…Martavis Bryant and Antonio Brown both had fantastic games, with Brown punctuating it with a front flip.
Here’s a skier miraculously surviving a 1,600 foot fall.
Sam Bradford was in the midst of one of his best games of the season (9.4 YPA) before leaving with a couple of injuries that look likely to sideline him a while…Jay Ajayi has impressed and should be stashed on all benches at this point. Big upside here…There were seven Eagles who had more receiving yards than Jordan Matthews…Ryan Mathews has 75 carries this season (Cam Newton has seven more), but he’s somehow scored more touchdowns (six) than Adrian Peterson, who leads the NFL with 195 rushing attempts…The Dolphins have committed a safety in three straight games…Jarvis Landry has gotten 121 yards on 25 targets (4.8 YPT) over the past two games, and his TD Sunday was extremely lucky.
Here’s footage of earth “breathing.”
I liked Kirk Cousins as a sleeper this week, ranking him as my No. 9 quarterback. But I didn’t expect a perfect QB Rating, as he completed 80.0 percent of his passes while getting 13.0 YPA with a 4:0 TD:INT ratio. His day would’ve been even better had Washington not been playing with such a big lead for most of the second half. You like that?…Over the last three games, the Saints have allowed 1,413 yards and 130 points. New Orleans has a bye next, but Brian Hoyer will be a borderline top-five fantasy QB in Week 12…Crazy that Cousins went off with DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon combining for just four catches and 54 yards with no scores…Washington’s run blocking has been a disaster this year, but Matt Jones looks like a future star.
The Cowboys are 0-9 during their last nine games without Tony Romo…Jameis Winston went from goat to hero during the final minute.
Headlines of the Week: Indonesia Plans To Use Crocodiles To Guard Death Row Drug Convicts…Legally Blind Barber Awarded $100K For Wrongful Termination…Man With Terminal Cancer Marries Sex Doll So He Doesn’t Leave A Grieving Widow…Woman Wins Fight To Wear Spaghetti Strainer On Her Head In Driver’s License Picture By Citing ‘Pastafarian’ Religion…Man In Japan Hides In Drain To Look Up Womens Skirts; Wants To Be Reborn As Pavement.
It’s time to start panicking about the Packers offense. Aaron Rodgers managed just 5.5 YPA at home against a Detroit defense that’s allowed the second highest QB Rating (105.7) in the NFL. I’m shocked the Packers didn’t boat race the Lions, let alone lost (and they were lucky how close this was given that Detroit missed two extra points, and GB recovered an onside kick after Calvin Johnson muffed it)…Ameer Abdullah had a 104-yard kick return that somehow didn’t result in a touchdown…James Starks totaled 96 yards, but I had him as an easy top-five RB this week, so this was a disappointment…Davante Adams owners have to love the 21(!) targets, but that resulted in just 79 yards and no scores. Still, there remains a bunch of upside here, especially with Randall Cobb’s continued disappearing act.
Here’s a carwash manager accidentally going for a ride on a spinning brush.
Facing a defense that entered having allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks, Blake Bortles completed just 48.9 percent of his passes while getting a paltry 4.2 YPA, so naturally, he recorded the first road win of his career…That’s seven straight games in which Allen Hurns has scored…Kamar Aiken saw 14 targets. He’s a top-25 fantasy WR down the stretch…Julius Thomas would have to score 11 touchdowns on his next 29 targets to match his rate from last year…This game had one of the craziest endings you’ll ever see, as Jacksonville barely got a play off with one second left at midfield with most on the field not even realizing it. Bortles was easily sacked but was face masked, resulting in a 15-yard penalty that led to a game-winning field goal.
Here’s a Wheel Of Fortune contestant ostensibly trolling everyone.
I wouldn’t have been the least bit surprised had Carolina lost in what was seemingly a trap game in Tennessee, but they won handily and are now 9-0. The Panthers are legit…Ted Ginn has 25 receptions on 59 targets this year, giving him a 42.4 percent catch rate. I’d love to see Cam Newton work with even an average wide receiver…Jalston Fowler, Anthony Fasano and Rico Richardson combined for three times the amount of targets seen by Dorial Green-Beckham.
I recently tried what’s rated here as the best burger in America, and I can’t say “4505” didn’t live up to the hype.
I was as shocked as anyone by Ronda Rousey losing, in no small part to how it happened. It wasn’t just a lucky punch, as she was thoroughly dominated. Can’t wait for the rematch.
The Rams entered having allowed one touchdown over the past 10 quarters at home, yet Jay Cutler threw three TDs with no picks, getting 10.8 YPA (it helps when two passes go for 170 yards) and a 151.0 QB Rating. Meanwhile, Jeremy Langford totaled 182 yards and two scores, flashing his impressive speed (he had the fastest 40 time among all RBs at the combine) during this 83-yard TD catch. Langford will be a top-five RB option as long as Matt Forte is out, and those who own both should hope Forte misses the rest of the season…Nick Foles hasn’t thrown for more than 200 yards in eight straight games and should be ranked last among all fantasy QBs every week…Here’s your weekly Todd Gurley highlight…Zach Miller went from not having caught a touchdown since 2011 to catching three over the past six days, including this 87-yarder.
After fading the Raiders most of the year, I used them as one of my five picks in the Super Contest this week, so naturally they lost handily…Here’s Adrian Peterson scoring one of the easier 80-yard touchdowns you’ll ever see…It’s too bad Kyle Rudolph dropped a wide open touchdown (easily the worst drop of Week 10), as it would have made it seven straight games in which he recorded exactly two catches.
Police Blotter: Police Investigate NFL Player Ray-Ray Armstrong For Barking At Dog…Twerking Attack Caught On Video, Woman Arrested…Deputy Too Drunk To Receive Mothers Against Drunk Driving Award…When High, Resist The Urge To Call 911 And Tell The Cops About The People And Possums Emerging From Your Microwave…Police Pull Over Self-Driving Google Car For Doing 25 MPH In A 35 MPH Zone.
Peyton Manning threw the ball 20 times, completing just one more to his teammates than to opponents. He got 1.8 YPA and finished with a 0.0 QB Rating in the worst performance by anyone in recent memory. It was sad really, and crazy it happened during the same game he broke the all time record for passing yards. The Chiefs entered having allowed the most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this season. Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders combined for 71 yards and no scores on 14 targets. Manning is on pace to throw 30 interceptions and shouldn’t be viewed as a top-25 fantasy QB moving forward. He’s done…The 7-2 Broncos face the 4-5 Bears in Week 11, and the spread is (rightfully) less than three points…I keep preaching Charcandrick West as a top-five fantasy back, but I didn’t realize he had this in him.
Longread of the Week: Guy Fieri’s Big Gulp
Carson Palmer has a 23:7 TD:INT ratio and just finished with the most passing yards in the first half (235) against Seattle during the Pete Carroll era. Palmer is in the MVP conversation…In the league of leagues I switched out Matt Jones for Thomas Rawls after news broke Sunday morning Marshawn Lynch was unlikely to play. Good times…After scoring 29 touchdowns over his previous 39 games, Jimmy Graham has been held scoreless over his past six contests…Russell Wilson has thrown one TD in eight of nine games (tossing two in the other) and has yet to record a single rushing score on the year, as he’s been one of the bigger fantasy busts this season.
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