Another huge week for passers, except Vick

Apparently Michael Vick is human after all. Just a week after he lit the fantasy world on fire with arguably the most prolific single game in the modern (post-Jim Brown) era, Vick only managed a single rushing touchdown Sunday night. What a slacker…

Many will suggest we should have seen this coming, thanks to the Eagles’ matchup with a stout Giants defense. That would make some sense if we hadn’t just seen Jon Kitna and the one-win Cowboys tear New York apart in the new Meadowlands the week before. More likely, it was a week’s worth of frantic scheming by Giants’ coaches who noticed that Vick struggles when forced to scramble to his right side.

Now it’s the Eagles’ turn to make the adjustments necessary to prevent a recurrence of this problem. Vick should be back in prime form for another tough contest with the Bears next weekend.


Meanwhile, as expected, it was a huge week for the league’s other elite passers. Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers each connected on four touchdown strikes, while the gun-slinging Ryan Fitzpatrick shook off some early struggles to match his more accomplished peers score-for-score. Eleven quarterbacks accumulated more yardage than Vick, while 16 had multiple touchdowns.

With the abundance of passing scores comes an equally explosive list of receivers, with Greg Jennings, Steve Johnson and Santonio Holmes leading the way. (Forgive the personal boast, but all three were in my starting lineup this weekend. Needless to say, I didn’t sweat my decision to start Vick over Brees too much.)

Indeed, scoring was high across the league, and across the fantasy landscape, in Week 11. Methinks Thursday’s trio of games will give fantasy owners much to be thankful for as well. Make sure you set your rosters before the tryptophan kicks in.

FREE AGENT PICKS AND PANS

To win a fantasy championship, you need to start with a good draft. But filling in your roster throughout the season with the right free agents can also make a big difference. Here’s a look at a few players worth considering, and others who would look better in someone else’s line-up.

Catch ‘em while you can

Mark Sanchez, QB, Jets. The second-year pro is blossoming before our very eyes. With a big assist from Santonio Holmes, Sanchez has passed for 299 or more yards in each of his last three games, during which he has accumulated eight touchdowns. Next up: the same depleted Bengals defense that just surrendered 316 yards and 4 TDs to Fitzpatrick.


Sidney Rice, WR, Vikings. It didn’t take long for Rice to return to the top of the wideout pecking order in Minnesota. Though his three receptions for 56 yards were less than scintillating, he played nearly the entire game. Once he gets back in sync with Brett Favre, the play-making speedster will be well-positioned to excel down the stretch.

Blair White, WR, Colts. The undrafted rookie has picked up the slack in certain games while his fellow Indy wideouts have been sidelined with injuries. Now, coming off a two-TD afternoon and yet another concussion to Austin Collie, White is in position to contribute nicely down the stretch. He could even prove to be more productive than the struggling Pierre Garcon.

Don’t be fooled

Vince Young, QB, Titans. Either due to a thumb injury or the lost patience of his head coach, Young’s season -- and Titan career -- is likely over. Rusty Smith will step under center, at least until Kerry Collins is healthy again, on a team that is going nowhere fast.

Pierre Thomas, RB, Saints. Reports have surfaced that Thomas has a torn tendon in his ankle. He’s already missed seven games, and this news means it could be at least a couple more weeks of dead weight on your roster. If you need to free up space for players who actually play, feel free to cut ties with Thomas.

Moon over Minnesota

While today's news isn't entirely surprising, it is nonetheless shocking.

The Pats have dealt Randy Moss back to his original club for a 3rd round draft pick. The Vikings are negotiating a contract extension for their once and future star, and they obviously intend to get him in the starting lineup by this weekend.

Wow.

As great a move as this is for Minnesota and Brett Favre, in particular, it seems like a huge loss for the Patriots and Tom Brady. I don't care how reliable Julian Edelman is, or how much promise they see in Brandon Tate, neither comes close to Randy Moss' explosiveness.

This is bad news for Brady's owners, and possibly even worrisome news for Wes Welker's owners, who will likely see their star receiver blanketed by opposing defenses who no longer have to double-up on Moss.

Tate may be the biggest beneficiary, since he's likely to step into Moss' deep-threat role. And I wouldn't think he'd draw two defenders on most plays. Edelman should likewise be worked into the offense more. Aaron Hernandez's rise up the TE rankings should also get a boost.

Obviously, Favre is the big winner in this blockbuster trade. Moss gives him the play-making target that was lost when Sidney Rice went down. And just imagine what Minnesota's offense will look like down the stretch when Rice returns. Moss, Rice, AP, Harvin, Shiancoe. Wow...

While I'd rather have Brady throwing to Moss than the ancient Favre, even Moss gets a slight uptick in that he won't have a bye week this season. Though I suppose you could count his Week 4 goose egg as worse than a bye...

Anyone still holding onto Bernard Berrian should dump him immediately.

Meanwhile, those wondering if Dwayne Jarrett would be a good pickup while Carolina's Steve Smith misses time with an ankle injury should look elsewhere. Jarrett was arrested for DUI (again), and summarily dismissed by the Panthers. Bonehead.

Sidney Rice surgery shuffles QB, WR, Top 100 rankings

Breaking news out of Minnesota this morning: Sidney Rice underwent surgery on his hip on Monday, which will cause him to miss half the season (give or take). That's not just bad news for Rice and the Vikings, but for Favre as well.

The news also vaults Bernard Berrian up my rankings quite a bit. He could conceivably be the No. 1 WR option in Minnesota to start the season, if Percy Harvin doesn't get his migraines under control.

In much less impactful news, Chaz Schilens may need knee surgery, which tosses him off the bottom of my Top 60 WRs list. Louis Murphy takes his place, if you must draft an Oakland wideout. But really, who's forcing you?

I've adjusted my QB, WR and Top 100 rankings accordingly. See http://www.scribd.com/document_collections/2579156. Note that I already had Favre quite a bit lower than most experts, so this news only drops him below Philip Rivers (who has his own WR problems).

In any event, if you've already drafted Rice, you should grab Berrian if he's available. If you haven't drafted yet, get Rice off your list (unless you want to take him in the final round and hold him for 1/2 the season; which is a long time).