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Week 9 surprises: Saints D keeps scoring
Fantasy Football
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DeAngelo Williams burst through for two early touchdowns, and that was pretty much the end of the offense for Carolina (Williams finished with 149 rushing yards). The Saints' defense capped the game's scoring with a fumble recovery return for a touchdown by Anthony Hargrove, the unit's seventh touchdown of the year. New Orleans generated two sacks and three turnovers in Sunday's win.
Speaking of defense, who could have anticipated such an effort from the Tampa Bay defense against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers? The Buccaneers harassed Rodgers all day long, exhibiting a pass rush that hasn't been seen since Warren Sapp was stalking opposing quarterbacks. Rodgers was sacked six times and threw three interceptions, the last of which was returned for a touchdown to seal the Buccaneers' first win of the season. When combined with a blocked punt that was returned for a touchdown and the early interception that set up Josh Freeman's first touchdown pass, it was a fabulous day for the woeful Tampa Bay defense.
Ultimately, Rodgers still accounted for three touchdowns (two passing and one rushing to accompany 266 passing yards and 26 rushing yards), so I can't rail on him too much from a fantasy perspective. However, when you've been chased down week after week by opposing defenders, wouldn't you think that the phrase "throw it away" would be going through your head? Seriously, get rid of the ball.
I must turn attention back to Freeman for a moment. The rookie quarterback from Kansas State demonstrated great poise in the pocket and touch in delivering three touchdowns passes in the huge upset win. Granted, Freeman's lone interception was a terribly thrown ball, but those errors in judgment were few in his first start. He completed 14-of-31 attempts for 205 yards, adding 20 rushing yards to offset his interception. The Packers failed to surmount consistent pressure, and Freeman was sacked only once.
Joseph Addai took advantage of Donald Brown's absence in Week 9 against Houston. No, he didn't throw another touchdown pass, but Addai did score both on the ground and through the air. He amassed 112 total yards (63 rushing and 49 receiving) on 19 touches. With his two touchdowns Sunday, the fourth-year back out of LSU has equaled his 2008 total.
Washington quarterback Jason Campbell was on my radar as a potential deep sleeper against the Falcons. Depending on your scoring system, Campbell may have delivered a serviceable stat line despite his myriad of injuries. He passed for 196 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Additionally, he rushed for 40 yards, including a 19-yard scramble. Remember, those 40 rushing yards count as much as 100-200 passing yards, depending on your scoring system. Of course, his rushing efforts were negated altogether if you get dinged for sacks taken (five).
Did you do a double-take when the scroll on your television set noted that Steve Slaton of the Texans had scored on a one-yard run? Yeah, I thought so. Fantasy owners who pulled off the gutsy move of starting both Ryan Moats and Slaton were rewarded for their gambling ways. Moats scored on a pass from Matt Schaub, while Slaton crossed the goal-line on a one-yard push. Slaton earned only 29 yards on nine touches (three receptions), but fantasy owners will happily take the end zone romp.
As for those upset that Moats didn't replicate his Week 8 heroics, I ask the following: If he was truly "the guy," wouldn't Gary Kubiak (sometimes considered a "hot seat" coach) have inserted him more frequently in the past? Moats only rushed for 38 yards on 16 carries, adding three receptions for 15 yards and a touchdown. He did lose a fumble to negate some of his efforts, but I ask once again, what did you really expect? Moats still found the end zone, something Marion Barber, Brandon Jacobs and a host of other backs failed to do.
Roy Williams cried for better balls all week, and he found himself the recipient of multiple Tony Romo bullets against the Eagles. Williams caught five passes for 75 yards, his highest yardage output since Week 3. His five receptions established a new season high.
Brandon Pettigrew caught seven passes for 70 yards and a touchdown in the Lions' road loss to Seattle. I'd been expecting to see the first-round pick out of Oklahoma State find his mark with Matthew Stafford under center, and he got involved early and often against the Seahawks. Pettigrew's touchdown reception was his first in the NFL.
Teammate Bryant Johnson made a nifty grab in the back of the end zone for his second touchdown of the season. Johnson caught two passes for 35 yards, his sixth consecutive game with multiple receptions.
The Seattle defense was one of the hot waiver wire additions for Week 9, but it took a while for that acquisition to pay off for owners. Ultimately, the Seahawks intercepted five Stafford passes, including one that was returned for a touchdown. Stafford was also sacked twice.
Julius Jones didn't turn in a huge rushing total on Sunday, but he availed himself as a tremendous receiving target for Matt Hasselbeck. Jones rushed for 36 yards on 16 carries with a touchdown. He added six receptions for 78 yards to finish with a strong fantasy day.
Chris Chambers changed uniforms and evidently found himself a new home and best friend in Matt Cassel. Chambers caught three passes for 70 yards in his Kansas City debut, including two touchdowns. He just might become an intriguing second-half waiver option working alongside Dwayne Bowe. I'm just saying. Cassel has quietly tossed multiple touchdown passes in four of his past five games.
I must also acknowledge the strong game turned in by Lance Long in the narrow loss to Jacksonville. The rookie from Mississippi State caught eight passes for 74 yards against the woeful Jacksonville pass defense.
It offers little consolation to Giants fans, but Eli Manning produced a solid effort in Sunday's narrow, spirit-crushing home loss to the Chargers. Manning completed 25-of-33 pass attempts for 215 yards and two touchdowns. He didn't turn the ball over despite the fact that he was under duress for much of the day. Eli was sacked five times, so perhaps some of the luster was lost on an otherwise impressive day.
Robert Meachem, and not Jeremy Shockey or Marques Colston, emerged as the top receiver for Drew Brees in the comeback win over Carolina. Meachem caught five passes for 98 yards and a touchdown. In fact, the lower-end options for Brees were the stars of the day, as Devery Henderson added three catches for 93 yards.
Finally, I have to give a nod to Kurt Warner for having the mentality of a cornerback on Sunday against the Bears. Warner was coming off a positively abysmal effort against the Panthers in Week 8. You remember that debacle, right? Warner threw five interceptions and lost a fumble in the crushing home loss.
He rebounded to toss four early touchdown passes against the Chicago defense, a unit that struggled terribly following the asinine punch delivered by Tommie Harris (dude was wearing a helmet, Tommie!) and the injury to Charles Tillman. Matt Leinart relieved him briefly and tossed an interception that led to a Chicago score. Warner then came back into the game and tossed his fifth touchdown pass of the day. That's adding value.
When asked by Dan Patrick what he planned to do for next week, Warner said that he hoped not to fumble five times.
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