by Mike Harmon

Sunday's games included a number of shocking twists and turns and two statistical oddities.

The tie game between the Bengals and Eagles was the first draw since 2002, a stat that you've undoubtedly heard a few times. Taken further, it's only the 17th time that a game has ended in a tie since the rule was changed in 1974. Pittsburgh had been involved in the first tie folling the rule change and the most recent in 2002.

Pittsburgh also factored into a wild ending that has fans, fantasy owners and bettors up in arms. Pittsburgh was favored by four or five points, depending on the source, at home over San Diego. The touchdown by Troy Polamalu would have made winners of all of those football watchers who put their confidence in the Steelers (as I did in the Pro Pick'Em game on FOXSports.com). Instead, confusion reigned and we witnessed the first 11-10 game in the 12,837-game history of the NFL. Good times.

Fantasy owners experienced a strange, strange day on Sunday as well. Some of our usual fantasy studs produced weak performances, while others shone brightly. In the end, I bet a good number of games on your league's scoreboard look much different than you might have expected coming into the weekend.

It all ends tonight with an interesting matchup between second-year quarterbacks Trent Edwards and Brady Quinn. What does Quinn do for an encore?

Let's break down the good, bad and ugly of Sunday's games with this week's Stars & Flops .

Stars

The leader of the "Stars" this week is a former seventh-round pick turned fantasy hero, Peyton Hillis of the Broncos. He was listed as the starter as of early Sunday morning, and even though we never know what that means in the Shanahan world, Hillis delivered for fantasy owners. He carried the ball 10 times for 44 yards and bulled his way into the end zone twice. He also caught three passes for 26 yards. We'll have to wait and see how the backfield rotation shakes out for the stretch run, but Hillis likely retains the goal-line role.

Atlanta tailback Michael Turner took care of his business against the Broncos, piling up 81 yards on 25 carries with two touchdowns. Turner has scored three touchdowns in the past two weeks and has now piled up nine rushing touchdowns this season.

Houston running back Steve Slaton exploded for a 71-yard rushing touchdown against the Colts, the longest running play in Texans history. Slaton finished with 156 yards on 14 carries. It was the rookie tailback's second 100-yard effort of the season and fourth with at least 80 rushing yards.

Slaton posted a big effort in the yardage department, but he ceded two short-yardage efforts to veteran Ahman Green. Green piled up nine carries for 17 yards and scored twice against the Colts.

We've been saying for weeks that Joseph Addai should have been among the top players to acquire for the stretch run, and he began his quest for a strong finish with a huge effort against the Texans. Addai carried the ball 22 times for 105 yards and a score. He also added four receptions for 48 yards and a touchdown. This was Addai's first 100-yard rushing effort of the season. In fact, it was the first time he topped 80 rushing yards in '08.

Peyton Manning continued his mid-season surge with a stellar effort against the Texans. He completed 30-of-46 attempts for 320 yards with two touchdowns. The offensive line did not allow a sack, and Manning did not commit a turnover. He has thrown multiple touchdowns in six of his past seven starts.

Many had lost faith in Marvin Harrison during the season, but Manning continued to look in the direction of his longtime tag-team partner. Harrison rewarded Manning's faith with nine catches for 77 yards and a touchdown. It was Harrison's largest reception total since Week 1, when he caught eight balls for 76 yards.

The Dolphins are working to get the ball into the hands of play-maker Ted Ginn, Jr. in any way possible. Ginn offered fantasy owners a big return early in Sunday's hard-fought win over the Raiders with a 40-yard rushing touchdown. He finished the game with 42 rushing yards and led the Dolphins with four catches for 51 yards despite the attention of Nnamdi Asomugha.

It wasn't a pretty matchup on paper, but don't tell that to Brandon Jacobs and the New York running game. Jacobs powered through the stout Baltimore run defense early in the blowout win, finishing this game with 73 yards on 11 carries with two touchdowns. His 36-yard sprint early in this game opened some eyes widely. It was his fourth multi-touchdown game of the season. I would also be remiss if I failed to acknowledge the fact that the Giants piled up 207 rushing yards in this contest.

It's only appropriate to give Derrick Mason a nod in this space because of his heart. Mason caught seven passes for 82 yards to lead the Ravens despite playing with a dislocated left shoulder.

Carolina running back DeAngelo Williams earned his third consecutive 100-yard game in Sunday's win over Detroit. Williams carried the ball only 14 times, but his 56-yard touchdown run helped thrust him over the century mark. He finished with 120 yards and two touchdowns, giving him four touchdowns in his past three games. Williams has generated four 100-yard games this season.

Williams' backfield mate Jonathan Stewart earned the first 100-yard game of his career, amassing 130 yards on 15 carries. Stewart scored the sixth touchdown of his strong rookie campaign.

We've now proven that Calvin Johnson will score regardless of who lines up at quarterback. Johnson out-physicals defenders and absolutely eats up space in the secondary. He caught six passes for 65 yards against the Panthers and scored for the fifth time in his past six games.

The Lions clearly have other roles to fill, but Johnson and rookie tailback Kevin Smith appear ready for long and productive careers. Smith carried the ball 24 times for 112 yards, adding two catches for 23 yards. In his two starts as the primary ball carrier in Detroit, Smith has piled up 208 yards on 47 carries (4.4 yards per carry). As a bonus, he has also caught 27 passes for 212 yards this season.

Cincinnati wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh dominated the Philadelphia secondary, piling up 12 catches for 149 yards and the lone touchdown from Ryan Fitzpatrick, a 26-yard strike. It was Houshmandzadeh's second 12-catch game of the season. The other came against the Giants in Week 3.

Philadelphia tight end was the recipient of Donovan McNabb's lone touchdown pass of the miserable tie game against the Bengals. Smith caught three passes for 15 yards, but caught the pass that counted.

The Packers sliced and diced the Bears like a "Vegematic," and Aaron Rodgers posted his strong day in quite some time. Rodgers completed 23-of-30 attempts for 227 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. This was Rodgers' fifth multi-touchdown game of the season and first since Week 6.

Greg Jennings ended his three-game drought, hauling in five passes for 64 yards and a short three-yard touchdown from Rodgers early in the blowout home win.

Donald Lee has watched his role in the Green Bay offense fall to the wayside, but he came through with a huge effort against the Bears in Week 11. Lee caught six passes for 33 yards and scored his third touchdown of the season.

Ryan Grant and the Packers were determined not to suffer a fate similar to the Titans' running game in Week 10. Grant came out strong against the Bears on Sunday and finished with a season-high 145 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. It was his sixth straight game with at least 75 rushing yards and his third game with a touchdown plunge in the past four weeks. For all of Grant's early-season struggles, this big game put him back on pace to eclipse 1,100 rushing yards.

With Reggie Bush sidelined and Deuce McAllister still not ready to assume a full workload, 2007 late-season hero Pierre Thomas played a huge role in the road win at Kansas City. Thomas carried the ball 16 times for 88 yards and scored his fourth touchdown of the season. He also added four receptions for 56 yards.

Who's the face of fantasy football 2008? Right now, I'd have to say that it's Kansas City quarterback Tyler Thigpen. Although he hasn't been able to lead the Chiefs into the win column, he has performed quite nicely in the past several weeks. Thigpen completed 19-of-38 attempts for 235 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He also added three carries for 45 yards. Thigpen has averaged 236 passing yards in his past four starts with eight passing touchdowns (one receiving) while committing just a single turnover. He's also eclipsed 20 rushing yards in each of those starts.

He's not amassing a huge yardage total on a weekly basis, but Dwayne Bowe just piles up catches. Bowe has caught four or more passes in nine of the Chiefs' 10 games this season. He grabbed seven balls for 53 yards and two touchdowns in the home loss to New Orleans. Bowe is averaging 5.5 receptions and 66.6 (scary) receiving yards per game.

Lance Moore remains a fixture in the New Orleans offense. He scored for the third straight game on Sunday against the Chiefs, amassing eight catches for 102 yards. Moore has averaged 7.3 receptions and 89.3 receiving yards in this three-game period.

Shaun Hill posted his second straight strong game, completing 15-of-20 attempts for 213 yards with two touchdowns. Hill also rushed for a touchdown. He's averaged 215 passing yards with four touchdowns against three turnovers in these two starts. His touchdown passes were thrown to Bryant Johnson (four receptions for 56 yards) and Vernon Davis (one catch for two yards). Davis has now scored in back-to-back games.

Frank Gore was concussed in Week 10, but that didn't stop him from dominating the Rams. Gore carried the ball 18 times for 106 yards with two touchdown runs. His lone mistake of the game came at the end of an early 37-yard run when the Rams forced a fumble. Gore has rushed for at least 94 yards in three straight games.

I have to salute the goal-line brilliance of T.J. Duckett. When the Seattle passing game sputtered in the red zone, the coaching staff called the number of this bulldozer near the goal-line. Duckett finished the game with five carries for five yards and two touchdowns.

J.J. Arrington doesn't appear here often, but he's now firmly entrenched as the No. 2 back in Arizona ahead of Edgerrin James. Arrington carried the ball eight times for 40 yards and a touchdown and was also the recipient of Kurt Warner's lone touchdown pass. Arrington caught three passes for 21 yards.

Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald didn't find the end zone, but both of them posted obscene receiving yardage in Seattle. (Otto Greule Jr / Getty Images)

The dynamic duo of Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin produced eye-popping numbers against the Seahawks. Fitzgerald caught 10 passes for 151 yards, giving him five 100-yard games this season. Boldin added 13 receptions for 186 yards, including a 45-yard dart from Warner. Boldin is averaging 7.75 receptions and 99 receiving yards per game. He's also sitting on a lofty total of 10 touchdown receptions.

For the second straight week, Tennessee quarterback Kerry Collins put the Titans on his back and out-gunned the defense. Collins completed 13-of-23 attempts for 230 yards with three touchdowns following an early interception. Collins has thrown five touchdowns in the past two weeks while averaging 259.5 passing yards. Most interesting this day was the fact that Collins completed passes of 47, 38 and 56 yards against the Jags. Look at the schedule. Collins will lead the quarterback section of my Fantasy Six-Packs waiver piece on Tuesday.

Tennessee receiver Justin Gage caught three deep balls from Collins in the comeback win and finished with 147 receiving yards on four catches with two touchdowns. He's scored in back-to-back weeks.

Fantasy favorite Maurice Jones-Drew didn't amass a huge yardage effort against the Tennessee run defense, but he received the all-important goal-line touches. Jones-Drew rushed for 66 yards and scored twice, giving him five touchdowns in the past two weeks. MJD also caught three passes for 27 yards.

There wasn't much scoring in the Pittsburgh-San Diego game (obviously), but I'll give a proverbial doffing of the cap to Hines Ward, who caught 11 passes for 124 yards, grinning all the way to a Pittsburgh victory. Ward has earned back-to-back 100-yard games, and needs to average just 53 receiving yards in the final six weeks to reach 1,000 receiving yards for the first time since 2004.

Finally, Marion Barber remains a must-play regardless of matchup, and he showed how to take over a game Sunday night against the Redskins. Barber rumbled for nearly half of his 114 rushing yards in the fourth quarter to seal the win against Washington. Barber scored a second-quarter touchdown, his third since Week 3. Barber added six catches for 39 yards.

Tweeners

I wasn't quire sure where to place Kurt Warner this week. Although he completed 32 passes for 395 yards, Warner did turn the ball over twice with one touchdown. This week's game against Seattle ended his eight-game streak of multi-touchdown efforts.

Roddy White caught five passes for 102 yards against the Broncos, but he dropped a would-be touchdown, thereby putting him below the fold. It was White's fifth 100-yard game of the season.

Jay Cutler was efficient and did not commit a turnover, but his 216-yard, one-touchdown game was certainly a letdown for some fantasy owners. His lone touchdown pass was thrown to Daniel Graham. Cutler has thrown at least one touchdown pass in every game this season.

Brandon Marshall caught six passes for 89 yards for the second straight game. Unfortunately, Marshall didn't add the touchdown as he did in Week 10. Marshall is averaging seven receptions and 89.2 receiving yards per game.

Willie Parker played through a shoulder injury to amass 115 rushing yards against the Chargers. He has topped 100 rushing yard in three of the five games in which he's appeared this year, averaging 22.4 carries and 89.6 yards per game overall.

Ronnie Brown carried the ball 16 times for 101 yards, a solid effort against the Raiders, but did lose a fumble. He added one catch for 11 yards to help offset the point loss from the fumble. It was Brown's second 100-yard game of the year.

Eli Manning guided the Giants to another victory, but he posted a smallish day for fantasy owners. He completed 13-of-23 attempts for 153 yards with one touchdown, one sack and one interception against the Ravens. Manning has thrown at least one touchdown in nine straight games.

I give Daunte Culpepper some credit for a solid effort against the Panthers. Culpepper completed 20-of-35 attempts for 207 yards with one touchdown (Calvin Johnson) and added a rushing touchdown to boot. He absorbed three sacks and turned the ball over three times (two interceptions). One of those interceptions was a head-scratcher, to be sure, and effectively sealed the Lions' 10th loss.

Chicago running back Matt Forte didn't score, but I can't dismiss his 104 total yards against the Packers (64 rushing and 40 receiving on six receptions). Forte is averaging 109.9 total yards per game.

Tight ends Jeremy Shockey and Tony Gonzalez were helpful in PPR leagues. Shockey caught five passes for 39 yards, while Gonzalez added six catches for 39 yards.

Pierre Thomas carried the bulk of the workload from the New Orleans backfield, but Deuce McAllister scored an early touchdown in this important road win. McAllister carried the ball eight times for 18 yards.

Drew Brees posted a solid, albeit unspectacular, game against the Chiefs. He completed 25-of-36 attempts for 266 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He's thrown at least one touchdown pass in nine of 10 games and enters the final stretch of the season, averaging 325.1 passing yards per game.

Jerramy Stevens stood in nicely for the injured Alex Smith. Stevens caught six passes for 84 yards against the Vikings.

The Buccaneers did a fantastic job of containing all-world tailback Adrian Peterson and ended his four-game streak of 100-yard games. Peterson carried the ball 19 times for 85 yards (4.47 yards per carry) and was held out of the end zone. Peterson is averaging 110 rushing yard per game.

Warrick Dunn was effective against the Vikings after the Buccaneers lost Earnest Graham to an ankle injury. Dunn carried the ball 20 times for 53 yards, adding four receptions for 65 yards.

The Rams got pasted by the 49ers, but Antonio Pittman produced a strong game while subbing for the injured Steven Jackson. Pittman carried the ball 14 times for 95 yards.

Kevin Curtis of the Eagles posted a solid game in the weak 13-13 tie against Cincinnati. Curtis caught seven passes for 64 yards.

Chris Johnson struggled somewhat for the second straight week and watched Kerry Collins win the game with his arm. Johnson carried the ball 17 times for 64 yards, adding four receptions for 24 yards.

LaDainian Tomlinson didn't post huge yardage in Pittsburgh, but at least he did score his first rushing touchdown in a while. (Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)

San Diego running back LaDainian Tomlinson took advantage of an early short-yardage situation to score his fifth rushing touchdown of the season. Tomlinson was otherwise slowed by the Pittsburgh run defense, finishing with 57 yards on 18 carries with three receptions for 40 yards.

Clinton Portis wasn't expected to play, but he did a fairly decent job against the Cowboys on Sunday night. He carried the ball 15 times for 68 yards despite the decided lack of a downfield passing game from Jason Campbell (162 passing yards, one touchdown, one interception and 22 rushing yards).

Tony Romo looked uncomfortable early in Sunday's game and some of the passes came out strangely, but he finished with a passable state line. Romo passed for 198 yards, completing two-thirds of his attempts, with one touchdown and two interceptions (one should hit T.O.'s stat line).

I can't really find any fault in Jake Delhomme's game, but 98 passing yards (10-for-19) and one touchdown just doesn't get it done, particularly with the DET abbreviation on the schedule. Delhomme threw two touchdowns with four interceptions in games against Oakland and Detroit. Sigh.

Flops

If your league scores return yards, then Denver wide receiver Eddie Royal doesn't belong here. If not, he earned his place on the "Flops" list with his horrible drop on the Broncos' first possession. He had an open field of green in front of him and would have walked in for a 26-yard touchdown. Instead, he took his eye of the ball and it fell harmlessly to the ground. Jay Cutler owners were less than thrilled. Royal caught four passes for 34 yards, adding three carries for seven yards.

Matt Ryan's performance was beset by a few ill-placed throws and a number of uncharacteristic drops by his receivers. Ryan completed 20-of-33 attempts for 250 yards with one interception. Roddy White dropped a ball in the end zone, and the Denver defense came alive. Ryan's three-game streak of multi-touchdown games fell to the wayside.

Sage Rosenfels did a fine job handing the ball to Ahman Green and Steve Slaton, but that's not helping your bottom line. Rosenfels completed 13-of-18 attempts for 192 yards with two sacks and one interception.

Rosenfels' smallish effort obviously resulted in weak contributions from Andre Johnson (four catches for 55 yards) and Owen Daniels (one catch for 14 yards).

Miami tailback Ricky Williams didn't get to run downhill much in what was expected to be a romp over the Raiders. Williams carried the ball 13 times for 49 yards, adding two catches for six yards.

Greg Camarillo extended his streak of games with multiple receptions, but two catches for 34 yards hardly helps the fantasy bottom line. Camarillo has averaged 4.9 receptions and 53.8 receiving yards per game this season.

Plaxico Burress caught a 21-yard pass from Eli Manning early against the Ravens. He became a bystander as the running game took over. Burress finished with three receptions for 47 yards. He's not eclipsed 60 receiving yards in a game since Week 2.

The Ravens got behind early, and that left the running game in park. Willis McGahee followed his huge Week 10 effort with a dismal 18-yard game on nine carries. Ray Rice was a non-factor, earning 19 yards on eight carries with four receptions for 18 yards.

I wrote of Matt Ryan's effort against the Saints. Joe Flacco joined his fellow rookie signal caller with a rough effort of his own. Flacco completed 20-of-33 attempts for 164 yards with one touchdown (Le'Ron McClain), one sack and two interceptions. At least he offset the turnovers with 57 rushing yards.

Steve Smith was shut down by the Raiders in Week 10. Smith posted another smallish effort Sunday against the Lions while the running game took over. Smith caught six passes for 59 yards and lost a fumble. Fantasy owners did receive a little help with his 16 rushing yards.

Teammate Muhsin Muhammad stood idly by and watched the running game dominate as well. Muhammad caught a single pass for 16 yards.

I don't know what's worse, the stat line turned in by Donovan McNabb or the revelation that he didn't know the rule about ties. McNabb completed 28-of-58 attempts for 339 yards (second in the past three weeks) with one touchdown, three interceptions, two sacks and a lost fumble. McNabb has generated seven touchdowns and seven turnovers in his past four games.

Brian Westbrook struggled against the Bengals (what?!?), running for 60 yards on 14 attempts. He added three receptions for 11 yards. Fantasy owners banking on a huge day from Westbrook and the Philadelphia offense were left despondent.

Cedric Benson produced a fine effort for PPR owners with six receptions for 37 yards. As expected, he struggled against the Philadelphia run defense with 42 yards on 23 carries.

Kyle Orton probably returned to the field too soon and struggled against the Green Bay defense. Orton completed 13-of-26 attempts for 133 yards. He absorbed only one sack and did not turn the ball over, but it was ugly. It therefore follows that Devin Hester (one reception for seven yards) and Rashied Davis (one catch for 36 yards) struggled as well.

Kansas City tailback Larry Johnson returned to the field in a nice matchup against the Saints. Johnson fumbled near the goal-line and finished the game with 67 yards on 19 carries, adding one reception for 20 yards.

Alas, Mark Bradley saw his Cinderella story stopped momentarily by the Saints. The former second-round pick by the Bears caught three passes for 54 yards in the home loss.

Ben Roethlisberger didn't find the end zone against the Chargers, but he played a fairly effective game. He completed 31-of-41 attempts for 308 yards with four sacks.

Marques Colston posted a monstrous game last week with seven catches for 140 yards. Unfortunately, he was a non-factor against the Chiefs. Colston caught three passes for 30 yards in the road win. He was targeted seven times by Drew Brees.

Cincinnati receiver Chad Johnson continues to offer a solid effort for owners in PPR leagues. He caught four passes for 34 yards in the uninspiring 13-13 tie against Philadelphia. Johnson has caught three or more passes in nine of 10 games played this year. He has yet to eclipse 60 receiving yards in a game this season.

Julius Jones struggled in his limited workload against the Cardinals. He carried the ball 10 times for 19 yards and lost a fumble. Jones has failed to top 50 rushing yards in five of his past six games.

Matt Hasselbeck returned to the field in Week 11 against the Cardinals. While he made a few big plays, Hasselbeck also made a number of mistakes. He completed 17-of-29 attempts for 170 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. Hasselbeck's 17 rushing yards while scrambling for his life hardly offset the turnovers. Again, near-misses leave you feeling hollow.

Rookie sensation Tim Hightower was a limited participant in Sunday's game against the Seahawks, sitting idly by while backfield mate J.J. Arrington received the scoring glory. Hightower carried the ball 11 times for 35 yards, the second straight game in which he was silenced. He's amassed just 85 total yards in the past two weeks without scoring a touchdown.

Receiving sensation Steve Breaston was slowed for the second time in the past three weeks. While Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald dominated the box score, Breaston was limited to a paltry two-catch, 15-yard stat line. Breaston was targeted only four times in this game.

Fred Taylor started well, but the Titans seized control in the second half and shut down the running attack. Taylor finished with 58 yards on 12 carries, a nice 4.8-yard per carry average, but that offers little consolation for fantasy owners.

Bo Scaife's dominant run as Kerry Collins' top target ended Sunday against Jacksonville. He did, however, catch two passes for 28 yards. Scaife has caught multiple passes in eight straight games.

David Garrard was flat-out terrible against the Titans on Sunday. He looked lost at times, although he wasn't granted much help from his offensive line or receivers. Garrard completed 13-of-30 pass attempts for 135 yards with four sacks and an interception. He did not throw a touchdown pass.

Our man, the vulture hero known as LenDale White, took a backseat on Sunday while Collins and the passing attack went to work. White carried the ball 14 times for 52 yards to help the Titans control the clock, but fantasy owners didn't get their goal-line love this week.

Pittsburgh receiver Santonio Holmes made a couple nice plays to extend drives and help the Steelers control the ball, but he wasn't much help for fantasy owners. Holmes caught five passes for 63 yards and was instrumental to the drives that generated Jeff Reed's field goal tries. Alas, he fell short of the end zone on his multiple red zone targets.

Philip Rivers struggled terribly in less than ideal conditions in Pittsburgh. He completed 15-of-26 attempts for 159 yards, absorbing two sacks and throwing two interceptions in the sloppy loss. It was the first time this season that Rivers was shut out of the end zone.

Obviously, Rivers' struggles made for tough going for his receivers. Vincent Jackson caught two passes for 25 yards. Chris Chambers got involved early, but finished the game with just three receptions for 21 yards. Antonio Gates was a non-factor, catching two passes for 10 yards. Jackson was targeted by Rivers twice in the red zone, while Gates was targeted once.

Terrell Owens narrowly missed finding the end zone for fantasy owners on a 25-yard reception from Romo in the second quarter. Unfortunately, near-misses don't help fantasy owners. Owens caught five passes for 38 yards and caused a Romo interception. Owens has finished five straight games with fewer than 40 receiving yards, catching just one touchdown pass during this stretch.

Tight end Jason Witten dominated the Redskins in Week 4 as Tony Romo's top target (seven receptions for 90 yards and a touchdown). The Redskins were not going to allow Romo to find Witten on the seams this week, limiting Witten to two catches for 34 yards in his return to the field. It should be noted that Witten did drop a pass that would have likely added another sizable chunk of yardage to his receiving total. Witten was only targeted three times in this game.

Santana Moss had owned the Cowboys in recent contests, topping 100 receiving yards in four of the past five games he played against this division rival. Terrance Newman held him in check on Sunday night, limiting the speedy receiver to five receptions for 29 yards. It was the fourth time this season, and second in a row, that Moss finished a game with fewer than 40 receiving yards.

Finally, I would be remiss if I failed to recount the confusing and erroneous conclusion to the 11-10 game in Pittsburgh. While we certainly appreciate the historical significance of the final score (the first 11-10 game in 12,837 played in the NFL), the call was flat-out wrong. Owners of the Pittsburgh defense and those who selected the Steelers against the spread, either for Pro Pick'Em or cash-inspired purposes, were robbed by a lousy call.