In case you haven't noticed, Plaxico Burress is a man-beast. At least, he sure looked like one against the shoddy St. Louis Rams defense last week. Looks like Eli Manning is developing a little more quickly than all the naysayers thought … yeah, Kurt Warner definitely should have started more games last year.
The usual suspects are emerging this season as fantasy studs once again (Donovan McNabb and LaDainian Tomlinson stand out in particular). Seriously, what is with McNabb's impersonation of Steve McNair from a couple of years back? Most guys have to practice to play half as well as that. Must be all the Chunky soup his mom is feeding him.
And what in the name of Paul McJulien got into Josh McCown last week? Oh, wait, that was the 49ers defense.
But, enough of the chit chat … let's get right into this week's edition of Fantasy Fever.
Player of the Week
Plaxico Burress
WR New York Giants
10 catches, 204 yards, 2 TD's
As mentioned above, Burress had himself a day last week. In fact, he's had himself a pretty darn good season thus far, catching 25 balls for 396 yards and four touchdowns through the season's first four games. That's only 10 less receptions and one less touchdown that he had all of last year.
Mailbag
Dear Fantasy Fever,
I have a thing for lead-footed pocket passers born during the Hoover administration. Naturally, I'm thrilled the Jets signed Vinny Testaverde this week. Should I put him in my starting lineup right now? Or should I stick with Drew Bledsoe? Speaking of Bledsoe, do you think he can continue his early success with the Cowboys? I'm naturally inclined to say yes.
Signed,
Diggin' the Dinosaurs
Dear Dino,
First off, the obsession with the old QB's is just kind of weird, not gonna lie. I would definitely not, I repeat, not start Vinny. He is past his prime in an offense lacking in playmakers. Translation: he should not even be on your team.
If Bledsoe is your only other option, I guess he's not terrible, though last week's 11-for-26 passing performance leaves quite a bit to be desired. He has some speedy receivers to throw to in Terry Glenn and Patrick Crayton (notice Keyshawn Johnson is not included) and a quality young tight end in Jason Witten. However, if the offensive line starts to falter and Bledsoe has to move around, expect this dinosaur to go extinct.
Got a question to ask? Tommy Z will be more than willing to answer. Email Fantasy Fever at [email protected].
Smart Starts
QB- Matt Hasselbeck, Seattle Seahawks
The balding former Boston College Eagle played pretty well in last week's loss to Washington, and he's going against the Rams defense this week.
RB- Deuce McAllister, New Orleans Saints
Why not? He's playing the Packers. In other words, start anyone against Green Bay. In the words of Ron Burgundy, "It's science."
RB- Dominick Davis, Houston Texans
Davis, along with the rest of the Texans' offense, has had a rough go of it thus far, but his 81-yard performance last week is a good sign at least. Houston might actually be able to beat Tennessee, so Davis could be in for a nice day finally.
WR- Anyone on the Colts
Remember what the Cardinals' offense did to the 49ers secondary? Yeah, put in anyone wearing a horseshoe on their helmet. Jim Sorgi can carve this defense up if (and when) he reports for mop-up duty.
WR- T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Cincinnati Bengals
With all the attention Chad Johnson has been getting, Mr. H. has been capitalizing on single coverage. The Bengals' offense as a whole is on the rise, so T.J. is always a smart play.
Striker- Jermaine Defoe, Tottenham Hotspur
OK give me a break, so I didn't feel like picking a tight end. Defoe is a stud in the English Premier League. And besides, this is fantasy football … oh what a play on words.
