Week four ended with the highly anticipated NFC North battle between the Vikings and the Packers Monday Night. Brett Favre’s Minnesota Vikings defeated the Green Bay Packers 30 to 23. Week four also featured the 72nd installment of the Battle of Ohio. The game ended in dramatic fashion as the Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Cleveland Browns on a last-second field goal as time expired in overtime.’
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Let’s now discuss the players who did good, the players who got hurt and the players who did bad with this weeks installment of the good, the bad and the ugly.
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The Good:
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If you started Cleveland Browns rookie wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi this week I would like to shake your hand. If you’ve never heard of Mohamed Massaquoi, well that’s OK, because not to many people have. Massaquoi had a huge week-four against the Bengals. He caught eight passes for 148 yards with new starting quarterback Derrick Anderson under center. Massaquoi is’ likely a free agent in your league, so if you have room on your bench pick him up now, he could become a big part of the Cleveland Browns offense with the sudden drop of production from Braylon Edwards.
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Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall broke out Sunday night against the Chargers. Mendenhall rushed for 165 yards and two scores. He also caught two passes for 26 yards. Mendenhall got benched last week for not knowing the playbook, according to www.cbssportsline.com. He clearly showed the coach this week that he is ready to play. Mendenhall got the start this week because of an injury to Willie Parker. Normally Parker starts, but because of Mendenhall’s big game Sunday, he might be more involved with the offense. If Mendenhall is a free agent in your league you should definitely pick him up. If Parker’s injury continues and he can’t start week five at Detroit you should definitely start Mendenhall against that match up.
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New York Giants wide receiver Steve Smith caught a career high 11 passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns, week four at the Chiefs. Smith is arguably emerging as a number one fantasy receiver this year. Smith deserves to start in all fantasy leagues for the time being.
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Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback David Garrard had his best game of the season week four against the Titans. Garrard completed 27 of his 37 passes, threw for 323 yards and three touchdowns. Two of Garrard’s touchdowns were thrown to Mike Sims-Walker. Sims-Walker is having a break out season and has emerged as a reliable starter. Garrard on the other hand has been pretty inconsistent this year. Garrard could emerge as a reliable fantasy starter but for now can only be considered a starter based on match ups. If you don’t have another solid option at quarterback next week, don’t hesitate to start Garrard against the lackluster Seattle Seahawks.
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The Bad:
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New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning left Sundays game against the Chiefs with an apparent heel injury. On Monday it was revealed that Manning has a plantar fascia injury in his right foot, according to www.nydailynews.com. Although this sounds like a serious injury Manning is listed as day to day. He should be able to start next against the Raiders. If you are a Manning owner you might want to monitor his progress before you start him next week.
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Oakland Raiders running back Darren McFadden didn’t do much week four at Houston. McFadden only ran the ball six times for negative three yards. It was revealed after the game that McFadden suffered a torn meniscus and is expected to miss anywhere from two to four weeks. If you are a McFadden owner you need to pick up Justin Fargas and Michael Bush immediately. Both are expected to share the workload in the Raiders running game. Both Fargas and Bush are not recommended starts next week against the mighty New York Giants.
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Dallas Cowboys running back Marian Barber played Sunday against Denver but only had a limited role due to a quad injury suffered week two against the Giants. According to www.cbssportsline.com, Dallas’s coach Wade Phillips said Barber is feeling better, but there is still no word if he will play Sunday against the Chiefs. If you are a Barber owner you should monitor his injury before you decide to start him next week against the Chiefs.
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Chicago Bears wide receiver/return specialist Devin Hester left Sunday’s game at Detroit with a shoulder injury. According to www.cbssportsline.com Hester’s injury is not serious; he should be ready for his team’s game week six at Atlanta. The Bears have a bye next week.
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The Philadelphia Eagles are getting their studs healthy for week five. Quarterback Donovan McNabb and running back Brain Westbrook are both probable for week five vs. Tampa Bay. They both practiced Monday and are very solid fantasy options when healthy.
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The Ugly:
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New York Jets rookie quarterback Marc Sanchez did not have his best game Sunday at New Orleans. Sanchez only threw for 138 yards and three interceptions. Games like this will happen for any quarterback, especially rookies. Sanchez is having a pretty good rookie season so far but he is merely a backup in fantasy. Use Sanchez as a bye-week replacement quarterback next week at Miami.
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Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo went without a touchdown week four at Denver. This is the first time in his career that he has gone back to back games without scoring a touchdown, according to www.cbssportsline.com. Romo has been pretty inconsistent this year, he had a huge week one but since has been pretty dismal. If you are a Romo owner you pretty much have to ride this train out.
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Braylon Edwards had another disappointing game Sunday vs. the Bengals. Edwards did not catch a single pass, he was targeted five times. Edwards has to be considered one of the biggest busts in fantasy. In 2007 he was considered one of the best receivers in fantasy and now, he should not even be starting for your fantasy team.