Another week, another top-notch running back falls due to injuries.
With Larry Johnson out several weeks, Shaun Alexander, Frank Gore, Ahman Green and Travis Henry at less than 100 percent and stars like Ronnie Brown, Deuce McAllister and Cadillac Williams done for the season, reliable runners have become scarce in the world of fantasy football. Now comes word that Adrian Peterson has a torn knee ligament that will sideline him at least one week, if not more.
Head coach Brad Childress said the tear is severe, rating it as a "2-plus tear" on a scale of one to three, with three as the worst.
Peterson, who last week broke the single-game record for rushing yards in Week 9 with 296 yards against San Diego, had emerged as the top back in fantasy land. Now it appears he'll miss this week contest against Oakland.
In his absence, Chester Taylor is now back on the fantasy football radar.
Taylor is a free agent in close to 40 percent of NFL.com leagues. Now those owners who have Peterson and didn't handcuff him with Taylor are in dire straits. If he is a free agent in your league, now is the time to add him or at least put in a waiver claim, as Taylor will face an Oakland defense in Week 11 that ranks 29th against the run.
Moving on to our positional review, Donovan McNabb led all quarterbacks with 35 points on 251 yards and four touchdowns in a win over Washington. McNabb has been anything but consistent, however. He does have a good matchup next week against Miami, so McNabb is still a must-start in most formats. Ben Roethlisberger (33 points) continued his statistical dominance with three total touchdowns in a win over Cleveland. He has emerged as one of the most reliable and productive quarterbacks in fantasy football. Brett Favre (32 points), whose career dominance against Minnesota continued in Week 10, Tony Romo (31 points), and Jason Campbell (25 points) rounded out the top five at the position.
The top running back of the week was Brian Westbrook, who scored 36 points on 183 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns. He should record another monster stat line next week against Miami. Steven Jackson (21 points) passed and rushed for a touchdown in New Orleans. He saw 22 carries in the contest, which is a good sign that he's close to 100 percent from back and groin ailments. Ryan Grant (19 points) mastered what is a formidable Minnesota run defense, and Warrick Dunn (19 points) was solid in the absence of Jerious Norwood. Selvin Young (18 points), who started in the absence of Travis Henry, rushed for 109 yards and one score in a win over Kansas City. Maurice Jones-Drew (18 points) tied Young to round out the top five runners.
For the second consecutive week, Terrell Owens led all wide receivers on NFL.com. He totaled six catches for 125 yards and scored two touchdowns in a win over the New York Giants. James Thrash (20 points) who was owned in zero percent of NFL.com leagues, found success in the absence of Santana Moss. Reggie Wayne (20 points) was also solid in wet conditions against San Diego. Larry Fitzgerald (20 points) also made his presence felt with two touchdowns against Detroit, and Ruvell Martin (17 points) rounded out the top five wideouts for the week.
