Week Seven in Review

Ballers of the Week

Steven Jackson

,

RB St. Louis Rams

I don’t know what was more shocking: S-Jax erupting for 160 yards and three touchdowns or the Rams manhandling the Cowboys 34-14. It was a very impressive showing for

Jackson, especially against such a solid defense like

Dallas’. Look for more good days out of him as three of the next four opponents do not boast very strong defenses.

LenDale White

&

Chris Johnson, RB

Tennessee Titans

White and Johnson both ran for over 140 yards on the ground and combined to reach the end zone four times against

Kansas City. It isn’t rare to see Johnson run for 168 yards and a score, but I’m sure everyone was shocked to see White log 149 yards and three TD’s! The reality is that these two were supposed to have big games against probably the worst team in the NFL. Don’t expect White to go off like this again this season, although Johnson should have a few more days that resemble this one.

Mewelde Moore

, RB

Pittsburgh Steelers

Talk about a fantasy surprise. The Willie Parker fill-in had a day that fantasy owners dream about getting from one of their running backs. He ran for 120 yards on 20 carries with two touchdowns and also had a third TD on a two-yard reception. As long as Parker is out,

Moore should be getting the start in all fantasy formats.

Busts of the Week

Frank Gore

, RB

San Francisco 49ers

Gore has been so steady this season that I’m sure his performance in week seven really surprised his owners. He ran the ball 11 times for a lousy 11 yards. He did go up against a good Giants defense, so you really cannot be too concerned with his efforts. Look for Gore to bounce back in a big way in week eight against

Seattle.

Brett Favre

, QB

New York Jets

Brett had his worst game of the season, throwing for 197 yards with zero touchdowns and two INT’s. The even more discouraging news is that he put forth this effort against a terrible Oakland Raiders team. These days do happen, especially for QBs, so I wouldn’t look into this too much. If he struggles next week against the Chiefs then I would seriously start to become concerned.

Marques Colston

, WR

New Orleans Saints

Colston saw his first action since week one and had a miserable day. Not only was he shut out across the board, but Colston also dropped two balls. This was not the type of day owners were anticipating and you might want to bench him in week eight because he still can’t be 100% healthy yet.

Waiver Wire

Steve Breaston

, WR Arizona Cardinals

With the head injury causing WR Anquan Boldin to miss time, Breaston has stepped into a starting job and is thriving. He is averaging eight receptions and right around 100 receiving yards a game in the past three weeks and is very dangerous in the open field. Even when Boldin returns, which will be soon, Breaston will remain a prime target in the pass-happy

Arizona offense.

Shocker Special

Owen Daniels

, TE

Houston Texans

Daniels put together a great game, catching six balls for 66 yards and two TD’s. He has all the skills to be a top five fantasy TE; he just needs to get the ball. After a slow start to 2008, Daniels has found a groove with QB Matt Schaub and is averaging over five receptions a game in the last month. Owners should be starting him every week right now.

Keep on your Fantasy Radar

Steve Smith

, WR

New York Giants

Smith has been getting a lot more targets in the Giants offense over the past month and is building chemistry with QB Eli Manning in the process. Over the last four games, Smith is averaging over five catches a game so keep a lookout on his progress as the season goes forward.

Must Start of Week 8

Matt Schaub

, QB Houston Texans

Schaub has been on fire the last two weeks, throwing for over 600 yards. There is no reason to expect anything less than a great performance in week eight against the lowly Bengals. Schaub should give fantasy owners right around 20 points so get him in your lineup.

Please Bench of Week 8

Darren McFadden

, RB

Oakland Raiders

McFadden has had flashes of brilliance in his young career thus far, but he will not shine in week eight against

Baltimore’s stingy defense. It should be a very long day for the entire

Oakland offense so find another option to replace Run DMC on Sunday.