James Morris hails from Rio Rancho, NM and has been playing fantasy sports for just over 15 years. Not only does he write the Bengals fantasy section, but he also does the Jacksonville Jaguars fantasy section. Crossing over, Morris writes the fantasy sections for the Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers and Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA. Just send him an email and he will reply back the same day with your answer.
Let's go over a few things we saw this weekend in the NFL: DeMarco Murray lit it up and had Cowboys fans wondering if he is the second coming of Emmitt Smith; Matt Forte just might be a top 5 RB in the NFL; and we saw that a game can actually be decided on the first possession as the Colts got embarrassed by the Saints on Sunday Night Football.
That is the beauty of the NFL; we can see the good, the bad, and the ugly all in one weekend.
Tim Tebow: Tebow didn't wow anyone with the stats, but he came through for fantasy owners just the same with his 161 yards passing, 65 yards rushing, 2 TDs and a 2-point conversion. The Broncos don't have a high-powered offense that can give you several different ways to score, which is what makes Tebow's ability to move around and create plays such an asset. He will be up and down in fantasy terms, but he should be owned in all formats.
Ben Roethlisberger: Big Ben came through when I needed him to this time with his 361 passing yards and 3 TDs. We all know the rollercoaster ride that is fantasy-Roethlisberger; but, this weekend he is a winner and you should enjoy it while it lasts.
DeMarco Murray: This Cowboy got on his giddy-up and went in his first NFL start! Murray broke a Cowboys rookie record with 253 rushing yards and added a score just to make fantasy owners happy. Murray is still owned in right around 60 percent of leagues, so go grab him right now if you are in one of them.
Pierre Thomas: Thomas is owned in just over half of all fantasy leagues, and started in just a quarter of those, but that didn't stop him from putting up solid enough numbers to finish with top 7 fantasy numbers for those in PPR leagues. His 57 yards rushing and 68 yards receiving are solid, but it was the five receptions that really made him worth playing this weekend.
Plaxico Burress: Burress relived his glory days this weekend as he made his four catches count by scoring on three of them. That's right, Burress finished with just 25 yards and four receptions, but the 3 TDs still made him a top-tier WR this weekend. This is just more evidence that fantasy value isn't always equal to NFL value.
Michael Jenkins: It has been a few years since we put Jenkins on the fantasy radar, but this weekend he made an impression with his 111 yards receiving and a score. The Vikings look like they've found their future at QB with Ponder, but Jenkins isn't the future in reality or fantasy. Leave him on the waiver wire and don't get caught up in the hype of a single game.
Fred Davis: Did you listen to me when I said to start him? If you didn't, then you missed out on 80 yards and a score on six receptions this weekend. For a TE, 80 yards and a score is gold, and the receptions are just icing on the cake. Davis holds TE1 value as long as he is starting, so play him with confidence.
Kansas City Chiefs Defense: How did that Carson Palmer trade work out for you Raiders fan? The Chiefs put up an incredible game defensively this weekend as they finished with 0 points allowed, one sack, six INTs and two defensive TDs. The Chiefs won't do this again, but anyone who plays the Raiders might just be a defensive play from here on out.
Colt McCoy: Every week I have to do this, but can someone explain why Yahoo.com felt that McCoy was projecting out as the eighth-best fantasy QB for Week 7? After all, he is the 18th-best fantasy QB as of right now. That being said, McCoy finished the week with 178 yards in the air, 38 on the ground and an INT. If you listened to Yahoo.com, that would be your first mistake.
Matthew Stafford: Stafford didn't light up the fantasy scoreboard this week like he had in the past as he rattled off just 183 yards and a TD. He still hooked up with Megatron for his lone score, but fantasy owners need to see 200-plus yards and a score or two to be satisfied. He will do better, so don't sell high on a QB of his caliber.
Darren McFadden: Run DMC was running on two flat tires this weekend as he finished with a whopping 4 yards rushing and 3 yards receiving. Granted, he did poorly because of a "mild foot sprain" that caused him to leave in the first quarter. He has been a must-start every single week this season, but you will have to take a wait-and-see approach with this injury.
Chris Johnson: CJ2K has been nothing short of fantasy garbage this season with just one game over 100 yards (101 in Week 4) and one TD (Week 5), and he topped all that off this weekend with 18 yards on the ground and 27 via the air. As if the 1.8 YPC weren't enough this weekend, Johnson followed it up by saying "Basically, if you are watching the game and you really can't tell what is going on with the run game then I would say you really don't know football. I wouldn't say I am the issue." The run blockers can take some of the blame CJ2K, but you are still the one carrying the ball!
Miles Austin: Austin was miles from being worth playing this weekend as he finished with two catches for 16 yards. Weather it was the Rams shutting him down or the Cowboys playing the hot hand with the run, the fact still remains that Austin wasn't the one with the powers this weekend.
Vincent Jackson: Whenever your team plays the Jets, you have to expect your No. 1 WR to get shut down, and that is what happened to V-Jax on Sunday. Jackson was held to a single catch for 15 yards, so hopefully you sat him down on your team. If they start giving up fantasy points in IDP leagues for how many yards a CB allows, Darrelle Revis might become a first-round pick!
Dallas Clark: As if losing 62-7 wasn't bad enough, Clark was held without a catch and looks more and more like waiver wire fodder. The problem is in Week 7, there is little to nothing left on the wire worth having, so you are stuck with the headache that is the Colts offense.
New York Jets Defense: Even though the Jets won the game and shut down Jackson, they still allowed 15 points while amassing just one sack and two INTs. That may sound good on paper, but in fantasy terms they scored roughly eight fantasy points while the Chiefs scored 36.
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