Chris Smith - Fantasy Tidbits

The Falcons have now lost four consecutive road games (five if you count the preseason)
QB Michael Vick has only accounted for one touchdown in two games against the AFC East (Dolphins and Patriots in 2001)
Vick has only completed 54.8% of his throws this season and has a single touchdown pass
Eight of Vick's last nine games have finished with less than 200 passing yards
RB Warrick Dunn had another 16 carries last week to 37 carries for 171 yards and a touchdown
RB T.J. Duckett has scored two touchdowns on the season on only 12 rush attempts
Last weekend, Crumpler led the Falcons in receiving
Despite only throwing 1 touchdown pass this season, Vick is the 11th best fantasy quarterback
The Bills are 6-1 over their past seven home games
WR Eric Moulds has played two games against NFC South foes since 2000. He caught 9 passes and scored one touchdown in those games
Moulds is only on pace to catch 40 receptions for 384 receiving yards and hasn't scored
Moulds is the 84th ranked fantasy receiver so far in 2005
RB Willis McGahee has carried the ball 35 times for 151 yards but hasn't scored
WR Lee Evans has caught 5 passes for 80 yards
Tight end contribution has been minimal for the Bills
McGahee's 13 carries for 34 yards last week against the Bucs was his 2nd worst performance in the last 14 games
QB J.P. Losman is only completing 50.9% of his passes

Carolina Panthers at Miami Dolphins

The Panthers have lost both of their meetings against the Dolphins by a combined score of 36-15

The Panthers are 3-1 over their past four road games
RB Stephen Davis is averaging 4.2 yards per carry and has scored four touchdowns
QB Jake Delhomme is off to a very shaky start. He has completed only 52.6% of his throws with 1 touchdown and 3 picks
Delhomme is the 30th ranked fantasy quarterback so far this season. He is behind notables such as Carr, Losman and Wright
On the plus side, RB Stephen Davis is the 2nd best fantasy running back this season with four touchdowns in two games
Despite Delhomme's struggles, WR Steve Smith is still the 13th best fantasy receiver with 172 receiving yards and a touchdown
The Dolphins have won three consecutive home games dating back to last season
After two weeks of action, QB Gus Frerotte is the 13th best fantasy quarterback. The Dolphins will take that
The good news: RB Ronnie Brown has proven he can shoulder the load with 34 carries in two games
The Bad news: Brown has managed to gain only 92 yards with those carries, 2 receptions and hasn't scored
WR Chris Chambers has caught 8 passes this season but is averaging only 7.6 yards per reception
TE Randy McMichael is currently the 2nd best fantasy tight end with 132 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns

Cincinnati Bengals at Chicago Bears

The Bengals are 4-3 lifetime against the Bears

The Bengals are 4-1 over their past five road games
Carson Palmer, Fantasy MVP? He is on fire after two games and is the 2nd best fantasy quarterback on the season. He has 617 passing yards and 5 touchdown passes
RB Rudi Johnson is averaging 24 carries and 108 rushing yards per game. He only has 3 total receptions and 1 touchdown though
RB Chris Perry is doing a good job for the Bengals. He is the 30th ranked fantasy RB and has 123 total yards on 23 touches
WR Chad Johnson is on pace to catch 128 passes for 1,840 yards and 8 touchdowns
Not much behind Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh is on pace for 80 receptions, 1,040 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns
The Bears were 2-6 at home last season
QB Kyle Orton is the 32nd ranked fantasy quarterback but is completing 59.2 % of his throws and has only one interception on the season
What a great start for RB Thomas Jones. He is on pace to rush for 280 carries for 1,360 yards (4.9 YPC) and 24 touchdowns
Slow start for rookie RB Cedric Benson. He has only 59 rushing yards on 19 carries (3.1 YPC)
WR Muhsin Muhammad is on pace to catch 96 passes for 1,120 yards and 8 touchdowns

Cleveland Browns at Indianapolis Colts

The Browns are 14-11 lifetime against the Colts but 0-3 since their return to the NFL in 1999

The Browns haven't won two straight road games in a season since the beginning of the 2003 season
The prolific Trent Dilfer? He is the 3rd ranked fantasy quarterback and is on pace to throw for 4,912 passing yards and 32 touchdowns
RB Reuben Droughns has been solid (if unspectacular) with his 32 carries for 128 yards on the season. He hasn't scored a touchdown
Rookie WR Braylon Edwards has 5 receptions for 123 yards and a touchdown. He is the 28th ranked rookie receiver
The # 1 tight end in fantasy football is Steve Heiden who has 9 receptions for 136 yards and 2 touchdowns
The Colts have now won five games in a row at home
QB Peyton Manning is on pace for only 3,008 passing yards and 16 touchdown passes and is ranked behind his brother Eli in terms of fantasy production
Manning had his worst passing effort since the 2002 season against the Dolphins when he threw for only 173 yards with 0 touchdowns and 3 interceptions
RB Edgerrin James is on pace to carry the ball 400 times in 2005. He hasn't scored a touchdown on his 56 touches though
WR Marvin Harrison is the Colts top receiver so far this season but is only the 33rd ranked receiver overall. He has 9 receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown
The once pathetic Colts defense is on pace to give up a whopping 80 points this season. They have surrendered only 10 points in two games this season

Jacksonville Jaguars at New York Jets

The Jaguars are 3-2 lifetime against the Jets

The Jaguars won five games on the road last season
QB Byron Leftwich gets my vote for NFL's toughest quarterback after returning to action following a vicious hit against the Colts
Leftwich has thrown for 450 yards this season with 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions
RB Fred Taylor is running well. He has rushed for 157 yards on 36 carries but hasn't scored yet
WR Jimmy Smith has been targeted 20 times this season. He has caught 10 for 179 yards and 2 touchdowns
WR Reggie Williams has only been targeted 10 times but has caught 8 for 79 yards
WR Matt Jones has only caught 3 of the 8 passes thrown his way for 31 yards
The Jets are 7-2 over the past nine home games
RB Curtis Martin has led the team in rushing for seven straight seasons. If he does so this season, he would tie Freeman McNeil for the most consecutive seasons leading the Jets in rushing (8)
QB Chad Pennington is completing 62.5% of his throws and is the 16th best fantasy quarterback on the season
Last legs for Martin? Martin has carried the ball 51 times on the season but is averaging only 2.5 YPC
WR Laveranues Colts is off to a decent start and is on pace to catch 88 passes for 1,072 yards and 8 touchdowns
WR Justin McCareins has caught 8 passes for 128 yards in two games this season

New Orleans Saints at Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings have owned the Saints over the years, winning 17 of the 24 games played between the teams

The League gave itself a black eye this past Monday by trying to pass the Saints off as the home team in New Jersey against the Giants. I guess the Jersey fans didn't get the memo.
QB Aaron Brooks has thrown for 567 passing yards this season but has only 1 touchdown against 3 interceptions and is the 12th ranked quarterback
RB Deuce McAllister has two rushing touchdowns on the season but has only averaged 2.7 YPC on his 41 carries
WR Joe Horn continues to impress. He has caught 14 passes for 209 yards and a touchdown on the season
The Vikings have lost three consecutive home games dating back to last season
The Vikings are averaging 10.5 points per game this season while giving up 30.5 points.
Culpepper the 26th ranked fantasy quarterback? He has thrown 8 interceptions and 0 touchdowns on the season.
RB Michael Bennett is the top fantasy running back in Minnesota. He has 5.5 fantasy points on the season
The Vikings top three running backs have carried the ball 24 times for 81 yards on the season with no touchdowns
WR Travis Taylor has 10 receptions for 113 yards on the season. Think the Vikings miss Randy Moss (257 receiving yards / 2 touchdowns for the Raiders)

Oakland Raiders at Philadelphia Eagles

The Raiders are 5-4 against the Eagles lifetime

The Raiders have now lost three consecutive road games
The new 'Mad Bomber' for the Raiders, QB Kerry Collins is the 4th ranked fantasy quarterback. He has 4 touchdown passes on the season
RB Lamont Jordan has carried the ball 33 times for 129 yards and a touchdown this season. He is the 15th ranked fantasy running back
The # 1 receiver in fantasy football so far in 2005 is Randy Moss. There's a surprise
WR Jerry Porter has managed to catch 8 passes so far this season for 116 yards
Ignoring the final game of last season against the Bengals when the starters sat out, the Eagles have won nine consecutive games at home
The #1 fantasy performer thus far this season is Donovan McNabb. He has 599 passing yards and 6 passing touchdowns
WR Terrell Owens has been superb. He has caught 12 passes for 255 yards and 2 touchdowns on the season and has been targeted 25 times
RB Brian Westbrook is the 6th best fantasy running back with 136 rushing yards, 95 receiving yards and 2 receiving touchdowns
L.J. Smith has 20.8 fantasy points on the season. That is 3rd best amongst tight ends

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Green Bay Packers

The Buccaneers are 18-30-1 lifetime against the Packers

The Buccaneers only won one game on the road last season but are 1-0 this year
The Buccaneers have lost twelve consecutive road games to the Packers dating back to 1989
The Buccaneers starting 2-0 for the first time since the 2000 season
Brian Griese is only the 27th ranked quarterback with 349 passing yards and 2 touchdowns
What rookie jitters? RB Cadillac Williams is the 3rd ranked fantasy back with 276 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns
The Bucs top fantasy receiver is still WR Michael Clayton but he has only 10 receptions for 141 yards and 0 touchdowns on the season
Clayton has caught 10 of the 15 passes thrown his way
WR Joey Galloway has caught 5 of the 9 passes thrown his way
The Packers are 0-2 for the first time since the 2000 season. They ended up 9-7 this season
Brett Favre had a solid week two and jumped up to 10th in terms of fantasy production. He has 3 touchdowns and 4 interceptions on the season
RB Ahman Green has carried the ball 28 times for 112 yards and caught 10 passes this season but hasn't scored yet
WR Donald Driver has caught 10 of the 15 passes thrown his way for 153 yards and a touchdown

Tennessee Titans at St. Louis Rams

The Titans are 3-6 lifetime against the Rams
This is the first meeting between the teams since the 1999 Super Bowl classic where the Rams held on to a 23-16 victory

The Titans have lost four consecutive road games
QB Steve McNair is the 19th best fantasy quarterback with 414 passing yards and 2 touchdowns. Surprisingly, he has only 1 carry on the season
RB Chris Brown has only 19 carries for 96 rushing yards on the season (5.1 YPC) and hasn't scored. He is ranked 33rd
RB Travis Henry has 28 carries but has gained only 97 yards on the season (3.5 YPC)
The Titans leading fantasy receiver is Drew Bennett. He is the 41st ranked fantasy receiver with 131 yards on 6 receptions
Bennett has been targeted 15 times on the season.
The Rams have won four consecutive home games
QB Marc Bulger is off to a strong start with 578 passing yards and 3 touchdowns. He is the 9th best fantasy quarterback
RB Steven Jackson has 37 carries on the season for 153 yards and a touchdown
Torry Holt had 14 receptions for 195 yards and a touchdown while Bruce has caught 8 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown
Holt has been targeted 23 times while Bruce has been targeted 14 times. Surprisingly, 2nd on the team is Kevin Curtis with 18 (9 for 92 yards)

Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks

The Cardinals are 7-5 lifetime against the Seahawks.

The Cardinals have only won once in the past twenty-one road games dating back to 2003
QB Kurt Warner's passing yards is strong (591 yards) but he has thrown only a single touchdown pass
Warner has thrown for 250+ yards in both games this season
Milk Carton alert: Rookie RB J.J. Arrington is the 69th best fantasy running back. Not the debut anticipated. He has 8 rushing yards on the season
However take heart Arrington owners. Last year at this time, Steven Jackson was the 50th best while Willis McGahee was the 61st
RB Marcel Shipp has taken the # 1 role. He has 64 rushing yards on 19 carries and 7 receptions
WR Larry Fitzgerald is the 4th best fantasy producer this year with 17 receptions for 225 yards and a touchdown
WR Anquan Boldin has caught 12 passes for 181 yards but hasn't scored yet. He is the 29th best receiver
Last season, Fitzgerald caught 8 passes against the Seahawks for 143 yards and scored 3 touchdowns
In three games against the Seahawks, Boldin has caught 25 passes for 291 yards and 2 touchdowns
The Seahawks have won three consecutive home games
QB Matt Hasselbeck is the 5th best fantasy quarterback so far in 2005. He has thrown for 527 yards and 4 touchdowns
In four games against the Cardinals, Hasselbeck has
- Completed 62 of 115 passes (53.9%)
- Thrown for 801 passing yards (7.0 YPA)
- Tossed 5 touchdowns against 5 interceptions
- Had one 27-point game, one 19 point game and two games with less than 14 points
RB Shaun Alexander has carried the ball 42 times for 217 yards and has scored only once
In six games against the Cardinals, Alexander has
- 105 carries for 484 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns
- Had a 6-touchdown performance in week two of 2002
- Finished with 26+ fantasy points in two games and less than 12.5 in three games
WR Darrell Jackson has caught 14 passes for 196 yards and a touchdown this season on 20 targets
In four games against the Cardinals, Jackson has
- Hit the 100-yard mark in each of the four games
- Has finished with 17 fantasy points in three of the four games
- Caught 27 passes for 517 yards and 3 touchdowns
WR Joe Jurevicius has only caught 4 passes for 70 yards but has scored twice

Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers

The Cowboys are 13-16-1 lifetime against the 49ers

The Cowboys won their first road game this season but are only 2-5 in the past seven road games
WR Terry Glenn is the 10th best fantasy receiver so far in 2005 with 199 receiving yards and a touchdown
RB Julius Jones is averaging 24 carries per game but only 3.6 yards per carry
QB Drew Bledsoe is the 6th best fantasy quarterback so far in 2005. He is on pace to toss 32 touchdown passes
WR Keyshawn Johnson is one of eight receivers with 2 touchdown receptions in 2005
The 49ers won their first home game this season against the Rams. They had lost five consecutive home games prior to that win
RB Kevan Barlow has begun last year like he played a year ago. He has a minuscule 2.3 YPC average and a total of 56 rushing yards
QB Tim Rattay is only the 31st ranked fantasy quarterback. Can rookie QB Alex Smith be far away from his first start?
RB Frank Gore has carried the ball 8 times for 32 yards and caught 2 passes for 21 yards.
WR Arnaz Battle leads the way with 13 targets (he has caught 9 for 103 yards and a touchdown)
WR Brandon Lloyd has caught 6 of the 12 passes thrown for 82 yards and a touchdown

New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers

The Patriots are 6-13 against the Steelers lifetime and lost last season to the Steelers during the regular season only to thump the Steelers in the playoffs

The Patriots lost 20-34 in Pittsburgh during the regular season last year. In that game,
- QB Tom Brady was 25-43 passing for 271 yards with 2 touchdown passes and 2 interceptions
- RB Corey Dillon didn't play
- WR Deion Branch didn't play
- WR David Givens caught 8 passes for 101 yards and 2 touchdowns
The Patriots defeated the Steelers 41 to 27 during the playoffs last season in Pittsburgh. In that game,
- Brady was 14-21 passing for 207 yards with 2 touchdown passes and no interceptions
- Dillon carried the ball 24 times for 73 rushing yards and a score
- Branch had 37 rushing yards, 4 receptions for 116 yards and a pair of touchdowns
- Givens had 5 receptions for 59 yards and a touchdown
QB Tom Brady is off to a fast start with 576 passing yards and 3 touchdowns
The Good News: Corey Dillon has scored twice this season
The Bad News: Dillon is only averaging 2.7 YPC with his 37 carries
WR Deion Branch leads the NFL with 25 targets this season. He has caught 15 of them for 159 yards and a touchdown
WR David Givens has only 7 receptions for 87 yards on the season
The Steelers have won eleven consecutive regular season home games
In last year's 34-20 win against the Patriots,
- QB Ben Roethlisberger was 18-24 passing for 196 passing yards and 2 touchdowns
- RB Jerome Bettis carried the ball 15 times for 65 yards and a touchdown
- WR Hines Ward had 6 receptions for 58 yards
In the playoff game against the Patriots last season,
- Roethlisberger was 14-24 for 226 yards with 2 touchdown passes and 3 interceptions
- Bettis had 17 carries for 64 yards and a touchdown
- Ward had 5 receptions for 109 yards and a score
Sophomore slump? Roethlisberger is the 7th ranked fantasy quarterback. He has 472 passing yards on only 32 attempts with 4 touchdown passes
And the NFL's leading fantasy running back is Fast Willie Parker… He has 272 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns
WR Hines Ward has only been targeted 10 times on the season. He has caught 8 for 109 yards and 2 touchdowns though.
WR Antwaan Randle El has caught only five passes. However those 5 receptions have gone for 163 yards and a touchdown

New York Giants at San Diego Chargers

The Giants are 5-3 lifetime against the Chargers

The Giants have lost their past four road games
QB Eli Manning is a higher rated fantasy quarterback than his brother Peyton. That may be the last time we can say that this season
Manning has completed less than 50% of his throws but has tossed 3 touchdown passes
RB Tiki Barber continues to thrive. He is the 4th ranked fantasy running back with 145 rushing yards, 66 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns
Rookie RB Brandon Jacobs has only 9 carries on the season but he has scored twice
M.I.A. - WR Amani Toomer has only been targeted 7 times this season and caught a minuscule 2 passes for 31 yards
WR Plaxico Burress has been targeted 21 times and has caught 10 passes for 140 yards and a touchdown
The Chargers lost their first home game of the year (against the Cowboys) for the third consecutive season
The Chargers finished last season winning their final seven home games
QB Drew Brees has started slowly this season. He has completed only 33 of 58 passes on the year with 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions
RB LaDainian Tomlinson has rushed for 124 yards on 38 carries and scored 3 touchdowns
Bizarre stat of the year: Tomlinson has yet to catch a pass this season. He has caught 291 through his first four seasons
WR Keenan McCardell has been targeted 22 times this season (13 for 177 yards and 2 touchdowns). He is the 7th rated fantasy receiver
TE Antonio Gates caught 6 passes for 80 yards in his first game back

Monday, Sept. 26

Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos

The Chiefs are 50-40 lifetime against the Broncos

The Chiefs have lost four consecutive games on the road against the Broncos
In eight games against the Broncos, QB Trent Green has
- Completed 161 of 262 attempts (61.5%)
- Thrown for 1,980 passing yards (247.5 yards per game)
- Tossed 9 touchdowns against 7 interceptions (four came in one game)
- Had two 300-yard passing games and five 200-yard games
- Three games with 28+ FP and three games with less than 11 FP
In seven games against the Broncos, RB Priest Holmes has
- Four 100-yard rushing games
- Nine rushing touchdowns (has scored in four of the games) and 729 rushing yards
- Has 32.9+ FP in two games and 11.1 or less FP in two games
In only game against the Broncos (week fifteen last year), RB Larry Johnson had 30 carries for 151 yards and 2 rushing touchdowns
In ten games against the Broncos, TE Tony Gonzalez has
- Two 100-yard receiving games
- Four games with 5+ receptions
- Three games with 10+ FP and six games with less than 6 FP
Trent Green is the 29th best fantasy quarterback. He has thrown for 437 yards with 0 touchdown passes
Two-headed monster: The Chiefs have two of the top nine fantasy running backs. Johnson and Holmes have combined for 311 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns
TE Tony Gonzalez has only caught 9 passes for 95 yards thus far in 2005
The Broncos have won five of the past ten games against the Chiefs
Last season, QB Jake Plummer faced the Chiefs twice. In those games he
- Completed 41 of 70 passes (58.6%)
- Threw for 512 yards and finished with more than 21 FP in both games
- Tossed 3 touchdowns against 4 interceptions
In ten games against the Chiefs, WR Rod Smith has
- Caught 68 passes for 986 yards and 3 scores
- Had 10+ FP in seven of the games
- In PPR (point per reception) leagues, Rod Smith had nine games with at least 14.5 FP
In six games against the Chiefs, WR Ashley Lelie has never scored a touchdown or finished with 100+ receiving yards
RB Tatum Bell had 108 total yards against the Broncos in week fifteen last year
QB Jake Plummer has thrown for 499 yards this season but is completing only 53.0% of his passes with a single touchdown pass
The Broncos leading fantasy producer from the offensive backfield is FB Kyle Johnson with 14.4 fantasy points
WR Ashley Lelie has been targeted 22 times this season. That's the good news.
The bad news is that Lelie has only caught 8 of those throws for 79 yards on the year
WR Rod Smith has caught 15 of the 21 passes thrown his way for 173 yards but hasn't scored