Tuesday Morning QB, Week 12

Tuesday Morning QB is weekly feature on The Full Court Press, reacting to the past week’s happenings in NFL Football.

I know, I know.  It's neither Tuesday nor the morning (I also never played QB in organized ball, in fact, I was typically a last resort in sandlot ball...).  I've been traveling for 4 days on a half-country road trip from Texas to PA, so my football viewing & time in front of a computer have been limited.  As a result, you're getting a limited post (spoiler alert: I'll be road-tripping back this weekend, so expect something similar next week).  A few notes below:


While I did not get to see much football on my road trip, I did get to stop in glorious Pittsburgh (while the Steelers were on a bye-week).  Naturally, I took some time to soak in the beauty of Heinz Field.

Impish or Admirable?

This is a recap of teams that are either looking good, or need help. This is not a playoff projection. I call it impish or admirable.

Admirable - Oakland Raiders.  Just an admirable this week.  Oakland finally won a game!  They did everything they could to lose it, but they somehow found a way to win!  I'll give this franchise some credit - ever since my week 4 "impish" label, this team has played with a lot of heart in some close losses.  It may still be a few years until they're relevant again, but their decision to implode in order to rebuild (maybe in Los Angeles), is probably for the best.

Fantasy Watch

A look at players worth having on your fantasy football roster, who needs to be cut, and who has deceptive stats.
 

Dislike - All my fantasy teams. Every one of my teams lost.  In my paid league, I was in first place two weeks ago, now I'm clinging to the 6th and final playoff spot with a week to go in the regular season.  The last league I joined has me on the outside looking in at 5th place (apparently our league manager doesn't believe in bye-weeks).  The only silver lining is my team that lost 7 in a row before winning 4 in a row.  Despite having that win streak broken, I'm somehow in the 6th and final playoff spot with a 4-8 record!


Questions, comments, smart remarks? Log in to your Gmail account and leave feedback below. For last week's Tuesday Morning QB, click here.

Tuesday Morning QB, Week 11

Tuesday Morning QB is weekly feature on The Full Court Press, reacting to the past week’s happenings in NFL Football.

Throw-back Trivia

If you watched the Green Bay Packers 53-20 thrashing of the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, you noticed they wore throwback jerseys.  That's nothing new. But what caught me off guard were the hats they wore on the sidelines:

Who are the Acme Packers?  When the team was founded in 1919, they received funding for their uniforms from the Indian Packing Company.  India Packing was taken over by the Acme Packing company in 1921, the same year the NFL granted Green Bay a franchise.  Over the years, the nickname "Packers" stuck.  Some cheese-eating Wisconsin native is probably rolling their eyes at my recent discovery, but for those of us in the country who did not have Packers history as part of our elementary school curriculum, I thought this was a fun fact!

Impish or Admirable?

This is a recap of teams that are either looking good, or need help. This is not a playoff projection. I call it impish or admirable.

Impish - Cleveland Browns.  Just one week after the Browns had sole possession of 1st place in the division this late in the season for the first time since the Clinton administration, they went and did something Cleveland-ish by dropping to last place in the AFC North.  To add insult to injury, the Houston Texans managed to win without Arian Foster, and scored a touchdown with J.J. Watt lined up at wide receiver.  The silver lining for the Browns: Josh Gordon's suspension is over.

Impish - Philadelphia Eagles.  Just to prove the week-to-week nature of "Impish or Admirable," here's a team that was one of my admirable's last week.  For a team that has made a name for itself off big defensive plays all season long, they looked very inept at stopping anything on Sunday.  We're enamored with big offensive numbers, but defense still wins championships.  If they keep trying to arm tackle their way to stops, they'll be in for a long Thanksgiving Day NFC East showdown with the Cowboys.

Admirable - Miami Dolphins.  With all the attention on a litany of other teams in the AFC, the Dolphins have been quietly plodding along in the AFC East.  Since his starting job was in danger after a poor week 4 performance, Ryan Tannehill has managed to assert himself in the top half of the league in passing yards, touchdowns and QB rating.  Despite two weak games recently, Mike Wallace is on track to surpass his disappointing numbers from his first season with Dolphins last year.  The aforementioned Eagles defense can take a few notes as well: the Dolphins are top-5 in the league in points and yards allowed per game.  Don't look now New England, but Miami is only 2 games back in the AFC East and won the first meeting between the teams.  They meet again in week 15, and should Miami complete the sweep, they'd own the tie-breaker in the event they end up with the same record at the end of the season.

Admirable - St Louis Rams.  What. The. Heck? 

 

Fantasy Watch

A look at players worth having on your fantasy football roster, who needs to be cut, and who has deceptive stats.

Like - Greg Zeurlein, St. Louis Rams K.  It's time to show some love for the kickers.  Initially, it may seem more reasonable to give him the "pyrite" label, as Zeurlein scored 20 of his 50 season points on Sunday alone.  While this St. Louis team is still struggling to find its identity on offense, they have shown flashes of potential in their last 3 freaky wins.  Don't be surprised in the coming weeks if the Rams string together some chain-moving drives that stall in the red zone - the ideal formula for a fantasy kicker.

Dislike - Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers TE.  Once the darling of fantasy tight ends, Davis has yet to post a respectable game since week one.  In addition to a myriad of nagging injuries, there are rumors floating that he hasn't been giving his best effort as of late (believable considering recent history).  Factor in that he is also on a San Francisco offense that is very vanilla right now, Davis has essentially played his way to the waiver wire in just about every fantasy league.

Pyrite - Jonas Gray, New England Patriots RB.  It's tempting.  He's easily the most popular waiver pick-up in all fantasy leagues right now.  But this is New England.  Next-man-up, flavor-of-the-week, running back-by-committee, the "whole is greater that the sum of its parts" New England.  I was clearly too hasty in my rationale when I labeled Shane Vereen as a "like" in week 7.  In fantasy terms, it's best to exercise caution when dealing with New England running backs.

Questions, comments, smart remarks? Log in to your Gmail account and leave feedback below. For last week's Tuesday Morning QB, click here.

Tuesday Morning QB, Week 10

Tuesday Morning QB is weekly feature on The Full Court Press, reacting to the past week’s happenings in NFL Football.

Cheers!

The NFL completed another game in London on Sunday, a 31-17 Dallas Cowboys victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars (and a free coffee at Dunkin Donuts!).  At a press conference earlier in the week, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones didn't hesitate to give his blessing on the idea of London having an NFL team someday.  There was concern over Tony Romo (and other starters) playing midway through the 4th quarter with a multiple touchdown lead.  Talking heads have speculated that this was Jerry's way of getting the Cowboys brand maximum exposure on the international stage.  It might be working, look at these "Cow"-boy fans at the game on Sunday:

Jekyll & Hyde

The Steelers won 3 games in a row.  Roethlisberger threw 6 TD's in back-to-back games.  The 1-8 Jets were next on the schedule.  I had a bad feeling about this...

I took a friendly gentleman's bet with a co-worker who happens to be a Jets fan: With the spread being Steelers by 4, I gave him and extra point, so if the Jets either won or just lost by 5 or less, I would have to wear a Mark Sanchez jersey Monday morning in the office.  If the Steelers won by more than 5, he had to wear a Steelers jersey (player TBD).  Just so we're clear, I was betting not just on the Steelers winning, but winning by more than 5 points.  They lost by 7.  If you're looking for an explanation as to why the Steelers have been 8-8 the last two years, just look at the last 2 weeks.  Behold my shame: 

 

Impish or Admirable?

This is a recap of teams that are either looking good, or need help. This is not a playoff projection. I call it impish or admirable.

Impish - Pittsburgh Steelers.  See above picture.

Impish - New York Giants.  What a sad, depressing mess.  I feel like Eli's adjustment to the new offensive scheme has kinda been like a yo-yo: down, then it looks like he's just about got it, then back down, repeat.  Injuries have plagued them offensively, and the defense is a mere shell of what it used to be.

Admirable - Kansas City Chiefs.  Remember when Kansas City opened the year 0-2?  Yeah, neither do the Chiefs.  This team has quietly asserted itself atop the AFC, and they're doing it the old-fashioned way: defense and a solid ground game.  Fun fact: through the first 10 weeks of the season, no Kansas City wide receiver has a touchdown reception!  But with Jamaal Charles healthy and running like his

 all-pro self, and Knile Davis as a dynamic compliment (ignore Sunday's numbers!), Alex Smith doesn't have to be anything more than a game-manager. 

 

 

 

 Admirable - Philadelphia Eagles.  I know they both won this weekend, but I think Philadelphia supplanted Dallas as the team to beat in the NFC East.  The scary thing is that even with Nick Foles out, Mark Sanchez looked really comfortable running Chip Kelly's offense.  While they didn't have a ton of rushing yards on Monday (they didn't need to) LeSean McCoy overall seems to have found his groove again, and Darren Sproles is still lingering as change of pace back.  The X-factor for this team has been special teams and big plays on defense - with last night's punt return and pick 6, the Eagles defense and special teams now have 16 total forced turnovers, 3 blocked kicks, and 6 touchdowns. 

 

Fantasy Watch

A look at players worth having on your fantasy football roster, who needs to be cut, and who has deceptive stats.

Like - Denard Robinson, Jacksonville Jaguars RB.  Confession: I'm on the "Shoelace" Kool-Aid.  In each of the first three weeks after he was inserted in Jacksonville's starting line-up, I added him to one of my teams.  Now he's starting on all of my teams, and putting up double-digit points every time!  Even though he was a QB in college, this isn't terribly surprising as he really made a name for himself with his legs.  I like his upside for 3 reasons: 1.) He'll get the bulk of the carries for the foreseeable future; 2.) Most of what he's been doing has been based off raw talent.  As he learns the playbook and becomes more comfortable with his offensive line, he'll start to see holes before they develop; 3.) Much like a OF/1B, SS/3B, etc. player in fantasy baseball, he has the  WR/RB status which is much more rare in football.  This past week, I had one too many receivers on a bye-week, but Robinson's WR label saved me from having to raid the waiver wire!

Dislike - DeAngelo Williams/Jonathan  Stewart, Carolina Panthers RB.  Hard to believe this is STILL the running back combo in Carolina.  With the exception of the 2009 season in which they each had 1,000 yards rushing, they've spent the better part of the last 6 years taking turns being hurt and ineffective.  It seems like every time I read a weekly preview for a Carolina game, there's always the obligatory "The Panthers are hoping DeAngelo Williams/Jonathan Stewart can get healthy for this week's game, otherwise DeAngelo Williams/Jonathan Stewart will have to step up their game." Stop it!  Neither of them are getting healthy, and neither of them will step up their game.  Here's a 2015 Carolina draft preview for you: "The Panthers need to draft a running back!"  If you drafted either one for your fantasy team, I'm guessing you were desperate.  If you're a Williams/Stewart owner and are waiting for this imminent "breakout" from one of these backs, just don't hold your breath.  

Pyrite - CJ Anderson, Denver Broncos RB.  It might be tempting to go after the 2nd-year back from Cal after 150 total yards and a TD this past Sunday, but consider 3 things: 1.) He's green.  He had more total yards on Sunday than he had in his entire career beforehand; 2.) This is a pass-first offense that spreads the ball around; 3.) The running game has been very "flavor of the week," so what happens when Montee Ball comes back from injury next week and Ronnie Hillman in about 2-3 weeks?
 

Questions, comments, smart remarks? Log in to your Gmail account and leave feedback below. For last week's Tuesday Morning QB, click here.

Tuesday Morning QB, Week 9

Tuesday Morning QB is weekly feature on The Full Court Press, reacting to the past week’s happenings in NFL Football.

Bye Week

It's the halfway point of the NFL regular season.  Every team gets a bye week, so why not the Tuesday Morning QB?  This past weekend was my one-year anniversary, so I had higher priorities to tend to.

However, I was not completely aloof, I still managed to watch three games on Sunday, so I'll leave you with a handful of thoughts:

• Jerry Jones is not a doctor, and if he wants to see the Cowboys in the playoffs, he should stop playing one on TV
• Manning-Brady XVI does not settle anything in the Manning vs. Brady debate.  Although I'm admittedly a Manning apologist, there are valid arguments for Brady, but a regular season head-to-head match-up contradicts those arguments.
• Apparently, USA Today took a bye week as well.  Below is their print-up of the Steelers schedule.  Notice who they're playing on December 14:

Have things become that desperate in Atlanta that they're sending the baseball team out to play?

 



 

Questions, comments, smart remarks? Log in to your Gmail account and leave feedback below. For last week's Tuesday Morning QB, click here.

Tuesday Morning QB, Week 8

Tuesday Morning QB is weekly feature on The Full Court Press, reacting to the past week’s happenings in NFL Football.

Doppelganger?

There's not much news I care to write about this week.  However, I noticed in the Bengals-Ravens post-game interview that Andy Dalton bears a striking resemblance to the Heat Miser from A Year Without Santa Claus.   Judge for yourself:

Impish or Admirable?

This is a recap of teams that are either looking good, or need help.  This is not a playoff projection. I call it impish or admirable.  

 Impish - Chicago Bears.  Less than a week after Brandon Marshall was calling people out in the locker room, this team pretty much forgot to show up against the New England Patriots on Sunday.  Jay Cutler should be embarrassed that he's surrounded with talent like Marshall, Alston Jeffery, Martellus Bennett and Matt Forte, but still has a losing record.  Whats even sadder is that he's not embarrassed.  Not at all.  

 Impish - Seattle Seahawks.  No, that's not a typo. I know, I know... defending Super Bowl Champs, coming off a win, winning record overall, etc.  Yesterday's 13-9 win over the Carolina Panthers was uninspiring to say the least.  They were trailing 9-6 with under a minute to go against a struggling Carolina team.  That's one week after they lost to St. Louis on a couple ridiculous special team plays, which was one week after losing to the Cowboys at home.  A 13-9 win does not answer lingering questions from the Percy Harvin trade and rumors about divisions in the locker room.

 Admirable - Denver Broncos.  I know it's only October and we should expect this level of dominance from Denver.  Sure, they'll be under a very critical microscope come playoff time, but right now, this is the best team in football.  Payton Manning's precision is unparalleled.  I realized this past Thursday that he doesn't just have a large number of targets to choose from, he has a large variety to choose from: Julius and Demaryius Thomas are big and athletic, Emmanuel Sanders is fast, Wes Welker is one of the best possession receivers in the NFL.  Peyton also has a big weapon he didn't have most of last season in Ryan Clady, arguably the best (if not, then definitely most underrated) left tackle in the business.  No Montee Ball, no problem.  Denver's running back by committee strategy has been very effective.  And the defense is significantly improved with a healthy and out of rehab Von Miller, the signing of DeMarcus Ware, and the addition by subtraction of releasing Champ Bailey combined with the addition of Aqib Talib (that's a plus 2 at cornerback if you lost count).   It's a week-to-week league, but they're going to need a lot of bad weeks to loose the Super Bowl contender label.

 Admirable - Buffalo Bills.  Don't sleep on this young (not counting Kyle Orton) team!  The season's been a bit of a roller coaster thus far, but right now they're in the midst of an upswing. The aforementioned elder statesman Kyle Orton has led the team to consecutive wins, and Sammy Watkins is quickly becoming a force to reckoned with at wide receiver (he'll learn to wait until the end zone to celebrate).  And the defense is sneaky good.  They're in the bottom third of the league in points allowed, but number 1 overall in sacks and interceptions, and 8th in forced fumbles (all of this sans Jarius Byrd).  I haven't watched  a Bills game yet this season, but these numbers coupled with 5 wins tells me that while they may be pushed around by better offensive teams, they make big plays when it counts.  The only serious question mark is at running back, after they lost both CJ Spiller and Fred Jackson against Minnesota last week.

Fantasy Watch

A look at players worth having on your fantasy football roster, who needs to be cut, and who has deceptive stats.

Like - Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers QB.  You can make an argument that after Sunday's record-setting performance, Ben would be a "Pyrite" candidate.  True, he will not throw for 500+ yards and 6 TD's every week, but the numbers still aren't bad.  He's top-10 in the league in total passing yards, touchdowns passes, completion percentage, and fewest interceptions thrown (minimum 100 attempts).   Traditionally a bench QB in 8-12 team leagues, you might want to start thinking about starting Ben.  And if you don't have him and need a QB, he's un-owned in 20-25% of most leagues. 

Dislike - Jordan Cameron, Cleveland Browns TE.  Remember when you weren't supposed to draft tight ends before the 6th round?  This was supposed to be the year of the receiver in fantasy football, and tight end stock consequently went up as well.  Jordan Cameron was one of those beneficiaries, with selections as high as the 3rd or 4th round in many leagues.  However, lingering injuries and an Cleveland offense without a clear identity has left many Cameron owners disappointed.  With the exception of a 17-point outburst in week 6, he hasn't topped 4 points in any other week, including this past Sunday.

Pyrite - Mark Ingram, New Orleans Saints RB.  Ingram owners must have been excited this past Sunday, as the back tallied 172 rushing yards and a touchdown.  With injuries to Khiry Robinson and Pierre Thomas, Ingram is likely to see an increase in starts across fantasy leagues.  That makes sense for now, but I don't recommend having him as a major role in your late season and playoff plans.  This was his first 100 yard game of the season (after missing 3 games with injury).  Historically, Ingram has never ran for more that 600 yards in any season, and New Orleans has always been a pass-first, running back by committee team.  If Drew Brees and his receiving corps continue their momentum from Sunday, and if Thomas and Robinson get healthy soon, Ingram will be a RB3 or Flex option at best.

Questions, comments, smart remarks? Log in to your Gmail account and leave feedback below.  For last week's Tuesday Morning QB, click here.

Tuesday Morning QB, Week 7

Tuesday Morning QB is weekly feature on The Full Court Press, reacting to the past week’s happenings in NFL Football.

America's Team?

Two days after the Dallas Cowboys made headlines for beating the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, essentially establishing themselves as back to "relevant" in the NFL landscape, they woke up to a less desirable headline: The Denver Broncos are America's team.  At least that's according to the annual Harris Poll, a national survey of adults who follow football to find out who the most popular team in the country is.  The Cowboys fell to the 4th spot, which comes as a shock considering they had been number one for the last six years.  In all fairness to Dallas, the poll was conducted between September 10-17, BEFORE they went on their 6-game winning streak (or 6 free coffees from DFW Dunkin Donuts!).  The Cowboys probably have bigger things to worry about anyways, like making sure ALL players are adequately supplied with underwear and cologne. 

Also, breaking news as of Friday afternoon: the Seattle Seahawks traded Percy Harvin to the New York Jets for a conditional draft pick.  I'm not afraid to admit that I have no idea what's going on here.  Either the Jets are delusional or the Seahawks are getting really cocky.  I'm guessing a combination of both.

And congrats to Peyton Manning, 510 and counting...

Impish or Admirable?

This is a recap of teams that are either looking good, or need help.  This is not a playoff projection. I call it impish or admirable.  

 Impish - Minnesota Vikings.  We already know about the AP drama.  Then there was the brief glimmer of excitement mixed with hope when Teddy Bridgewater started - and that was cut short with a 1-week ankle injury.  Yesterday, they lost to a Buffalo Bills team that played half the game without a running back.  At almost the halfway point of the season, they stand at 2-5, and there's no reason for optimism.  Well, Kyle Rudolph might be off IR in a few weeks, so I guess that's something....

 Impish - New Orleans Saints.  For weeks, I feel like we've all been saying: "That was a close game, they'll bounce back," "They just need a game at home," "Drew Brees will throw his way out of this funk," "A Rob Ryan-led defense can't stay this bad for too long," "They'll turn it around," etc, etc, etc.  Saints fans, your team is 2-4, no road wins, and they blew a 13-point lead with under 6 minutes to go Sunday against the Lions.  Perhaps most alarming is that Drew Brees continues to look.... human?

 Admirable - Jacksonville Jaguars.  Jags win!  Jags win!  Normally, a 1-6 team does not merit "admirable" status, but when a team is this bad, you can't help but feel good for them when they get their first win.  Blake Bortles was forgettable, but Denard "Shoelace" Robinson had a career day rushing.  This is a week-to-week list, so don't anticipate seeing Jacksonville on this side of "Impish or Admirable" for the rest of the season. 

 Admirable - Green Bay Packers.  "Relax."  Hindsight is always 20-20 vision, but that was a profound statement by Aaron Rodgers in week 3 after a 1-2 start.  The Packers have won 4 straight, and the offense is running on all cylinders: Rodgers is putting up MVP-like numbers, Jordy Nelson is at least statistically the best wide receiver in the NFL, Randall Cobb is settling in as a solid number two receiver (even with ketchup on his jersey), and Eddie Lacy found the end zone 4 times in that span.  The defense is bottom 3rd in the league, but at the top of that bottom 3rd, and when your offense that good, who cares?

Fantasy Watch

A look at players worth having on your fantasy football roster, who needs to be cut, and who has deceptive stats.

Like - Shane Vereen, New England Patriots RB.  Is this me hopping on the bandwagon after his 26-point performance on Thursday?  No.  In fact, if Steven Ridley were healthy, Thursday would have been enough reason to stick Vereen in the "Pyrite" category.  However, the fact of the matter is that Ridley is out for the season, and that changes the entire dynamic of the Patriots running game.  In past weeks, either of the Pats RB's were risky starts, and they were being dropped and picked up week-to-week on fantasy rosters like bad habits.  With Ridley hurt, Vereen is likely not available on most waiver lists.  If you were one of the managers who had Vereen before the Ridley injury and wisely held on afterward, it's reasonable to start him as either a RB2 or flex from here on out.

Dislike - Kirk Cousins, Washington Redskins QB.  Confession: I picked up Cousins on one of my teams when RG3 went down.  To be fair though, I did not agree with late 2013 season/offseason/early 2014 season cries for him to be named full-time starter.  I knew RG3 would be down for a while, and Cousins put up good numbers at the end of last season (except for wins, which mean nothing in fantasy). I picked him up in the event that if he went off, I could: 1.) start him and get solid point production, or 2.) trade him for a high-value player at one of my weaker positions. Neither happened.  Colt McCoy led a game-winning drive on Sunday.  RG3 will be back before season's end.  Teams in my "Backyard Football 11" league will find Cousins on the waiver list later this week.

Pyrite - Lamar Miller, Miami Dolphins RB.  Miller has been the mirage of fantasy running backs for years now.  I remember the first time I nabbed him a few years ago: it was after a very similar effort to last week - 60+ yards rushing, 20+ yards receiving and a touchdown.  I thought to myself "wow, this guy is versatile, he could be a huge help."  Daniel Thomas then proceeded to out-rush him for a couple weeks.  It may be tempting to nab Miller, especially now that we know Knowshon Moreno is out for the year.  However, unless you're desperate, I wouldn't do it.  I don't have any clever, in-depth analysis for why he won't produce, I just know he has a history of burning fantasy owners.  Plus, Daniel Thomas is somehow still employed by the Dolphins.... 

Questions, comments, smart remarks? Log in to your Gmail account and leave feedback below.  For last week's Tuesday Morning QB, click here.

Tuesday Morning QB, Week 6

Tuesday Morning QB is weekly feature on The Full Court Press, reacting to the past week’s happenings in NFL Football.

On the Road

I was at the Texas State Fair Thursday night and out of town this weekend, driving back on Sunday afternoon.  So the first meaningful NFL plays I saw were in the second half of the Sunday Night game, which was all but over at that point.

To be fair, Sunday afternoon only gives me 3 games to watch, which only adds up to 6 games when combined with the prime-time broadcasts.  But I think most football fans agree that when you're in your living room on Sunday afternoons, flipping back and forth between games, getting in-studio updates on the out of market games, and have your laptop handy to watch the league scoreboard and hit "refresh" on your fantasy match-up, you pretty much feel like Adam Schefter. 

So, I'll admit I'm kind of "winging" this week's Tuesday Morning QB, which is based almost entirely off highlights I saw on NFL Network's NFL Gameday Final (which I would strongly recommend as a Sunday night alternative to SportsCenter). 

Impish or Admirable?

This is a recap of teams that are either looking good, or need help.  This is not a playoff projection. I call it impish or admirable.  

 Impish - Atlanta Falcons.  Remember that week 1 game-winning field goal in OT against New Orleans?  Remember that Thursday night national TV curb-stomping of the Tampa Bay Bucs?  Remember how being on HBO's Hard Knocks was supposed to solve their lack of toughness mentality?  This team is a shell of what used to be an NFC contender.

 Impish (tie) - Cincinnati Bengals/Carolina Panthers.  Now is probably a good time to remind everyone that in my inaugural Tuesday Morning QB, I said "Impish or Admirable" was a week-to-week snap shot of the league.  In other words, things change.  Both these teams were my original "Admirable" winners, and yesterday they stumbled to a 37-37 tie.  A tie?  I can hear Donovan McNabb right now (ironically also against the Bengals).  I know it happens from time to time in the NFL, but ties are ridiculous.  Even the NHL, which traditionally found a way to half reward teams for a tie with their goofy points system, abolished the tie years ago.  Nobody wants a tie.  Especially Adam "Pacman" Jones.   

 Admirable - Cleveland Browns.  As much as it pains me to say this as a Steelers fan, the Browns are playing good ball right now.  Honestly, if they hadn't got out to such a slow start in week 1, they would be 2-0 against the Steelers this season.  And if it weren't for a last-second field goal from New Orleans, they would be 5-0 overall.  I'm not about to say they're division or playoff contenders just yet, but they're winning games.  

 Admirable - San Francisco 49ers.  They're back, but I'm not sure they were ever gone.  The fact that they've been as competitive as they have been thus far with so many key players out for disciplinary or injury reasons is remarkable.  The scary thing is, a lot of those missing players will be making their way back soon.  It should be an interesting next couple weeks for the NFC West.  

Fantasy Watch

A look at players worth having on your fantasy football roster, who needs to be cut, and who has deceptive stats.

Like - T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts WR.   It's been a steady ascent this season for Hilton, and Thursday's 223 yard performance was his coronation as a must-own in all fantasy leagues.  Averaging nearly 10 targets a game from fellow fantasy stud Andrew Luck is a promising sign for the young wide receiver, who has 65 points through 6 weeks in standard scoring formats.

Dislike - Matt Asiata, Minnesota Vikings RB.  Just when it looked like the Vikings had a capable, temporary fill-in for Adrian Peterson (who now is unlikely to play the rest of this season) in Asiata, he touched the ball 3 times on Sunday, rushing for negative 5 yards.  With Jerick McKinnon getting the bulk of the carries and a rookie QB trying to stay healthy while figuring out the offense, there are just too many questions marks to feel safe starting Asiata, even in the flex spot.

Pyrite - Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens QB.  Is he a winner?  Yes.  Does the Baltimore offense look formidable right about now?  Yes.  But let's not kid ourselves, from a fantasy standpoint, Flacco is not Peyton Manning.  He's a useful bench tool, but he won't throw for 300+ yards and 5 TD's every week.  So if you had him filling in for Alex Smith or Drew Brees bye-weeks, well done.  If he's your every week starter, see if you can work out a trade on a buy-low QB right now (like, say, Drew Brees?).

Questions, comments, smart remarks? Log in to your Gmail account and leave feedback below.  For last week's Tuesday Morning QB, click here.