Tuesday Morning Quarterback

Player of the Week: Or should I say 'players', as I have to hand out the honors twice this week. Saints QB Drew Brees and Chargers RB LaDanian Tomlinson share the award this week as both had monumental days on Sunday. First there was LTD breaking the single-season TD record as he rolled for 103 yards on the ground with 3 TDs, his third being his 29th of the season. He's got 3 more games to make the record virtually unreachable for years to come. Then, in the night game, his former teammate and current leader of the upstart Saints, Drew Brees, carved up the heralded Dallas D to the tune of 384 passign yards and 5, count 'em, 5 TD passes. Apparently it doesn't matter who his receivers are; he's definitely earned the top spot for fantasy QBs this year. Both have had outstanding years, and no doubt, they are leading teams to fantasy championships everywhere.


You're probably advancing in your playoffs if you started:

QB Drew Brees, NO -- 384 passing yards-5 TD
QB Marc Bulger, STL -- 356 passing yards-3 TD, 1 INT
QB Brett Favre, GB -- 293 passing yards-2 TD
QB Matt Hasselbeck, SEA -- 243 passing yards-3 TD, 32 rushing yards
QB Phillip Rivers, SD -- 279 passing yards-2 TD
RB LaDanian Tomlinson, SD -- 103 rushing yards-3 TD
RB Maurice Jones-Drew, JAC -- 166 rushing yards-2 TD, 15 receiving yards
RB Willie Parker, PIT -- 223 rushing yards-1 TD, FL
RB Reggie Bush, NO -- 37 rushing yards, 125 receiving yards-1 TD
RB Rudi Johnson, CIN -- 117 rushing yards-2 TD, FL
RB Steven Jackson, STL -- 81 receiving yards-1 TD, 58 receiving yards-1 TD
WR Donald Driver, GB -- 160 receiving yards-1 TD
WR Mark Clayton, BAL -- 112 receiving yards-1 TD
WR Marty Booker, MIA -- 103 receiving yards-1 TD
WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh, CIN -- 118 receiving yards-1 TD
WR Torry Holt, STL -- 74 receiving yards-2 TD
TE Antonio Gates, SD -- 104 receiving yards-2 TD
TE Vernon Davis, SF -- 74 receiving yards-1 TD
TE Jeremy Shockey, NYG -- 49 receiving yards-1 TD
K Josh Scobee, JAC -- 3 FG, 6 XP
DEF Buffalo Bills -- 2 INT, 4 sacks, 1 DFR, 1 DTD
DEF Chicago Bears -- 1 INT, 3 sacks, 2 STTD

You're probably looking to buy fantasy baseball magazines if you started:

QB Dave Garrard, JAC -- 79 passing yards, 1 INT
QB Tom Brady, NE -- 78 passing yards, FL
QB Michael Vick, ATL -- 155 passing yards, 1 INT
QB Bruce Gradkowski, TB -- 121 passing yards, FL
RB Ciatrick Fason, MIN -- 28 rushing yards
RB Reuben Droughns, CLE -- 6 rushing yards, 23 receiving yards
RB DeShaun Foster, CAR -- 23 rushing yards
RB Joseph Addai, IND -- 22 rushing yards, 14 receiving yards
WR Michael Jenkins, ATL -- 6 receiving yards
WR Eddie Kennison, KC -- 13 receiving yards
WR Chris Chambers, MIA -- 11 receiving yards
WR Reche Caldwell, NE -- 12 receiving yards
WR Randy Moss, OAK -- 28 receiving yards
TE Ben Watson, NE -- 5 receiving yards (left game with injury)
TE Jerramy Stevens, SEA -- 7 receiving yards
TE Heath Miller, PIT -- 0 catches, 0 yards, 0 points
K Phil Dawson, CLE -- 1 XP
DEF Carolina Panthers -- 1 sack, 27 PA, 307 TYdA

You're a freak and are screwing up people in your playoffs if you had the balls to start:

QB Chris Weinke, CAR -- 423 passing yards-1 TD, 3 INT, 16 rushing yards
RB Artose Pinner, MIN -- 125 rushing yards-3 TD, 15 receiving yards, FL
RB Mike Karney, NO -- 14 rushing yards-1 TD, 39 receiving yards-2 TD
WR Drew Carter, CAR -- 144 receiving yards-1 TD
WR D.J. Hackett, SEA -- 104 receiving yards-1 TD
TE Tony Scheffler, DEN -- 66 receiving yards-2 TD
K Shaun Suisham, WAS -- 4 FG, 1 XP

News & Notes

Some major bitterness today as Marc Bulger, in a losing effort, throws all over the esteemed Bears defense to give my wife the 115-113 victory over me in the first round of the playoffs. I was up by 28 with Jeff Wilkins to go, her with Bulger. As soon as the Rams botched the extra point in the 1st quarter, I knew I was done. The football gods had it in for me. I shut the TV off only to check the outcome of our game at the end of the night. Our bed was colder than Lambeau at Christmas.

As for the rest of it...

LaDanian Tomlinson breaks the single season TD record as he grabs his 29th of the season ina little garbage time against Denver. He's congratulated by all, carried off the field by his teammates, called the best back in the history of football by Schottenheimer and yet still goes out of his way to congratulate his offensive line, his teammates and his coaches. "This achievement is as much theirs as it is mine." How many more great things can you write about this guy? He's just amazing; his play and his character. Didn't help me beat my wife in the playoffs, but still, completely amazing.

As for the previous record holder...so much for the "Shaun Alexander runs all over Arizona" theory. He turns in a fantasy stinker while Edge rushes for another 100 yard game??? What the hell's goin' on here?? I lost to my wife??? Where are we?? Bizzarro World???

Willie Parker breaks out of his slump to run for a Steelers' record 223 yards against the woeful Browns and probably pushed you further along in the playoffs (not me, of course -- thanks Willie). His upcoming matchup against the Panthers became a little more encouraging when Tiki Barber burned them for 112 yards this week. But don't bet the farm on it.

Congrats to Marvelous Marvin Harrison -- 1000th career catch

Rudi Johnson, Ron Dayne, Wali Lundy and Sammy Morris/Ronnie Brown all get a little bump in value as each one of them has an upcoming matchup against the Colts. Jeez that run D is bad. I knew Maurice Jones-Drew was gonna do some damage, but Fragile Fred grabbing 130+ yards too? Someone needs to open a tackling school in Indy.

Some of us ex-Kevin Jones (ouch! broken foot?!?) knew exactly who Artose Pinner was before Sunday. We also know what picking him up now is going to do for you. Have you met my friend Jack Squat?

Vince Young -- delighting keeper league owners everywhere!!! I've got him for $2 in my auction league!!

You didn't really think Oaktown's big scary pass defense was gonna hold down them big bad Bengals did you? Carson, Chad, Rudi and the Housh are all looking like great plays down the stretch. Who dey?!?

Anyone fall for that Alex Smith breakout game against Green Bay nonsense? My wife was about to until I gave my stupid "You gotta stick with the guys you drafted to be your top guys" speech. If you fell for it, feel free to kick your computer screen in now. Idiot.

Remember when I said "peaks and valleys" for Michael Vick? Um, yeah. What I meant to say was "peaks....and then a valley. a very deep, a very low, valley."

A very polite Ladell Betts had 171 thank you's for his new contract extension. Clinton Portis owners, beware. His keeper value is circling the bowl as we speak.

Fact: Drew Brees is the number one fantasy quarterback this year
Fiction: He will lead the Saints to the Super Bowl
He's still pretty sick!!!

The magic dust Tom Brady uses in December has finally stopped working. Fantasy owners everywhere are sending hate mail to Jason Taylor who seemed to have found the antidote.

And forgive me if I can't speak about the Jets. Not only did they turn in a stinker all around (except Coles who was on my wife's team), but I sat and watched the Bills defense on my bench put up an apparently needed 16 pts. Ugh. Sometimes I just hate this game so much.

Congratulations to my wife, Deborah. It was a hard fought battle. Good job. You are a true fantasy guru (she won baseball this year too). May you go on to crush everyone else en route to a championship.

And lastly, another moment of acknowledgement to one of the greatest....




LaDanian Tomlinson.

LTD

So good.