Much of the same madness fantasy football owners have experienced all season occured in Week 7, as Cleo Lemon, Brian Griese and Wes Welker made up three of the top 10 overall performances. But for the first time in what seems like forever, two of the top three overall selections in most drafts lived up to statistical expectations.
LaDainian Tomlinson scored four times against Oakland, and Larry Johnson rushed for 119 yards and one touchdown (he would have had two had he not fumbled at the goal line), so there is at least some semblance of a normal week. Quarterbacks continued to dominate the box scores overall, as five of the top nine performances of the week came from the position.
No signal-caller had more points than Tom Brady, who scored 43 points on a career-best five touchdown passes against Dallas. He is now on pace to shatter Peyton Manning's single-season touchdown record -- Brady will finish with 56 based on his current totals. Derek Anderson scored 34 points and continues to be the definition of a sleeper for 2007. Undrafted in most formats, Anderson is on pace to finish with an unbelievable 43 total touchdowns. Despite his success, the Browns quarterback was still active in less than 55 percent of NFL.com leagues last week.
Lemon scored four touchdowns and 30 points, but that success will be short lived based on a matchup against New England in Week 7. Griese (27 points) and Matt Hasselbeck (25 points) rounded out the top five. Drew Brees, who was eighth at the position with 21 points, showed signs of life with 246 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Seattle.
Some of the surprises of Week 7 included Damon Huard (22 points), Jason Campbell (18 points) and the ageless Vinny Testaverde, who scored 14 points and led Carolina to a road win. Huard and Campbell both warrant consideration for Week 7, but Testaverde's status as the Panthers' No. 1 quarterback remains uncertain with David Carr in the mix.
Not all the quarterbacks were productive, however, as Vince Young (0 points), Chad Pennington (3 points), Brett Favre (3 points) and Philip Rivers (4 points) all had brutal stat lines. Young hurt his quadriceps muscle in a loss to Tampa Bay and missed significant time in the contest, which hurt his level of production. His status for Week 7 is uncertain. Pennington could soon lose his status atop the Jets' depth chart, so Kellen Clemens could be a hot name on the waiver wire. Favre struggled against an underrated Washington defense, and Rivers wasn't needed as the Bolts leaned on Tomlinson throughout the afternoon.
One of the major quarterback stories occured in Arizona, where Kurt Warner sustained what could be a strained left elbow. With Matt Leinart (collarbone) out for the season, the Cards might have to lean on journeyman Tim Rattay as their starter. That could be a detriment to the value of Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald. Warner will have an MRI this week to determine the extend of the damage.
While Tomlinson (44 points) and Larry Johnson (17 points) both had improved numbers, the real tale of the weekend for backs was Adrian Peterson. He rushed for 224 yards on 20 carries (11.2 YPC) and scored three touchdowns in a win over Chicago. With all respect to Tomlinson, Peterson looks like the next great runner in the NFL. He'll be one of the top five picks in all draft next season. This week was also a good one for Maurice Jones-Drew, who scored 29 points on 184 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns against Houston. A bust for the first few weeks, MJD has now posted solid numbers in consecutive contests and should be active in Week 7. DeAngelo Williams (18 points) broke out in Arizona with 121 yards and one touchdown and rounds out the top five backs.
Ronnie Brown (16 points) also continued his torrid rate of production, and Brian Westbrook (15 points) returned from an injured abdomen and was solid against the Jets. Fantasy owners also saw positive totals from Edgerrin James (14 points), Thomas Jones (14 points) and Willis McGahee (12 points). The same can't be said for Shaun Alexander, who had fewer points (3) than Kyle Eckel, Vonta Leach, Samkon Gado and Travis Minor. Alexander has averaged just four points over the past three weeks, but a matchup against St. Louis should cure what ails him.
In what was a surprise appearance, LaMont Jordan was active against San Diego and totaled eight points. Much of his damage was done as a receiver out of the backfield, as Jordan caught six passes for 46 yards. He also continued his role as the featured back even with Dominic Rhodes and Justin Fargas both in the mix. Rudi Johnson was active despite a sore hamstring, but he failed to score even one point. Like Alexander, a positive matchup (vs. N.Y. Jets) should be an elixir for Johnson's current woes.
The wide receiver position was led by T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who scored 26 points on 145 yards and two touchdowns. Wes Welker was solid for the Patriots with 124 yards, two touchdowns and 24 points, and Braylon Edwards continued to be a star with three more touchdowns and 24 points of his own. Steve Smith (20 points) also had a monster stat line and seemed to thrive with Testaverde under center. In fact, 50 percent of his completions went to Smith. Donté Stallworth (19 points) rounded out the top five.
Kevin Curtis (18 points), Kevin Walter (16 points) and Joey Galloway (15 points) were also solid for their respective teams. Devin Hester (14 points) scored all of his points on one 81-yard touchdown catch, and Ben Obomanu (13 points) made some noise on a Seattle team thin at wide receiver.
The worst performance from a wideout came in Green Bay, where Santana Moss (minus-2 points) failed to make a catch and lost a fumble on a rushing attempt. He also pulled himself out of the contest late because "something wasn't feeling right." Laveranues Coles (2 points) and Torry Holt (3 points) weren't much better, and Donald Driver (3 points) also failed fantasy owners for a third consecutive week. In that time, Driver has a combined 147 yards and no touchdowns.
Tony Gonzalez, who scored twice and broke Shannon Sharpe's NFL record for touchdowns from a tight end, led the position with 22 points. Chris Cooley (16 points) also shined with nine catches, 105 yards and one touchdown in a loss to the Packers. David Martin was a surprise member of the top five with two touchdowns and 13 points, but I wouldn't jump to add him off the waiver wire. Kellen Winslow (9 points) and Zach Miller (7 points) round out the top five. Owen Daniels (7 points) also continued to perform well with five catches for 79 yards in Jacksonville. Based on his current totals, Daniels will finish the season with 77 catches. That's makes him a star in PPR formats.
Todd Heap was a serious disappointment, as he re-injured his hamstring and failed to make a catch against St. Louis. His status for Week 7 is uncertain. Benjamin Watson (2 points) was also injured, as he rolled his ankle in a win over the Cowboys. His status for Week 7 is also in question. Jason Witten (4 points) also failed to produce, but he'll bounce back against Minnesota. Antonio Gates (5 points) was also a disappointment, but he remains a must-start option across the board after San Diego's bye week.
One of the most underrated kickers in the NFL and fantasy football is Matt Stover, who booted five field goals and scored 18 points against the Rams. He now leads all kickers in fantasy points on the season. John Kasay (15 points) also had a nice stat line, as did Stephen Gostkowski (13 points), Ryan Longwell (13 points) and Phil Dawson (11 points). Nicholas Folk (9 points) also continued his run of solid point production, and Kris Brown (9 points) booted three more field goals and now has eight in the past two weeks.
Kickers who struggled include Sebastian Janikowski (2 points), Jeff Wilkins (3 points), Olindo Mare (4 points) and Nate Kaeding (4 points). Wilkins has missed five of 15 field-goal attempts and had become a real risk for fantasy footballers.
Baltimore headlined the top fantasy defenses of the week with four sacks, five interceptions and three points allowed. San Diego (20 points), Carolina (20 points), New Orleans (19 points) and the Packers rounded out the top five. The Panthers benefited from Arizona's loss of Warner, and the Saints scored a defensive touchdown in their win in Seattle. The top disappointments included Seattle (2 points), Arizona (4 points), Chicago (7 points) and the Patriots (8 points).
News & Notes
» Tatum Bell has requested a trade out of Detroit, but the team will not deal him. Instead, Bell will serve as the immediate backup to Kevin Jones going forward. Jones should be close to, if not 100 percent after the team's bye week, and he now warrants consideration as a flex starter in most leagues. Jones was on pace to post career-best numbers across the board last season before he hurt his foot, so the talent to produce is evident. He could be especially valuable for fantasy owners in PPR leagues.
» Reports out of Seattle indicate D.J. Hackett could return from an injured ankle this week when the Seahawks face St. Louis. Hackett, who has been out of action since the regular-season opener, could step into a prominent role in the pass attack with Deion Branch out with an injured foot. The talented wideout was considered a solid sleeper candidate in the preseason, and chances are he's available in most NFL.com leagues. He's well worth a flier off the waiver wire in leagues with 12-plus teams.
» Steve McNair remains less than 100 percent due to back and groin injuries, so Kyle Boller will start for the second consecutive week for Baltimore. While his numbers were unimpressive against St. Louis (18/30, 184 yards, 0 TDs 1 INT), but Boller does have a favorable matchup against a Buffalo defense that rank 31st against the pass. If you're in need of a bye-week replacement in a larger league (or Kurt Warner was your starter), Boller should be considered a serviceable one-week option.
» Fantasy owners who have held on to Terry Glenn might this long might want to release him. The veteran wideout will continue running sometime in the next week as he recovers from an arthroscopic procedure on his knee, but the Cowboys have still not offered a timetable for his return. There had been rumors that he would be back for Week 9 (Nov. 4) in Philadelphia, but Glenn dismissed those assertions. Patrick Crayton has been solid in his absence, so the team is certain not to rush Glenn back onto the field.
