Sunday was like a walk down memory lane. The names you know finally stepped up and played like Fantasy stars.
Adrian Peterson, a week after rushing for 32 yards against New Orleans, rebounded with 111 yards against Detroit (although he had two fumbles). Maurice Jones-Drew stepped up for the injured Fred Taylor (head) and had 22 carries for 125 yards and two touchdowns at Denver.
There was Marion Barber (173 total yards and a touchdown) and Thomas Jones (78 total yards and three touchdowns) finally looking like standout options, and Andre Johnson finally looked like the best receiver in the NFL with 10 catches for 178 yards and a touchdown against Miami.
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Maurice Jones-Drew ran all over the Denver defense in Week 6.
(AP)
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Calvin Johnson (four catches for 85 yards and a touchdown) had his first good game since Week 2, and
Steve Smith (six catches for 112 yards) had his first 100-yard game since last year.
Donovan McNabb also played like a No. 1 quarterback with 280 passing yards, two touchdowns and an interception at San Francisco.
It was the type of day you expected from most of your stars. And the Colts also finally looked like the Colts.
Facing the best defense in the NFL in Baltimore, Peyton Manning had his first three-touchdown outing this year while also passing for 271 yards. He threw two touchdowns to Marvin Harrison and one to Reggie Wayne.
For Harrison, it was his first two-touchdown game since Dec. 24, 2006, and it might be time to start him in all leagues again, at least as a No. 2 Fantasy option. Prior to this game, Harrison had nine catches for 86 yards and a touchdown in his past three games, but he looked sharp and ran well.
He caught a 67-yard touchdown where he broke free from cornerback Chris McAlister and also scored on a 5-yard pass in the red zone. He only had three catches for 83 yards, but he was more than effective.
Manning said he needed two surgeries on his knee this offseason, but now he looks back at 100 percent. And if he has Wayne and Harrison at full strength, Manning could return as the No. 1 Fantasy quarterback.
Joseph Addai (hamstring) left Week 6 and could be out for Week 7 at Green Bay, which opened the door for Dominic Rhodes, who ran for 73 yards and scored the first rushing touchdown against the Ravens this year. Rhodes should be added in all leagues at this point if Addai is out for an extended period of time, and Rhodes is only owned in 25 percent of leagues on CBSSports.com as of Sunday.
The Colts are back, and Fantasy owners should be excited.
"It's about being consistent, but today's game was a little more like what we expect around here," Manning said to the media after the game.
First down
I doubt you'll see me suggesting to sit Roddy White again. Even with a head injury and facing a good Chicago defense Sunday, he still shined.
White had nine catches for 112 yards and a touchdown against the Bears and now has at least 90 yards receiving in his past four games. He has three 100-yard outings and three touchdowns over that span and is now a must-start every week. He is only being started in 58 percent of leagues.
The reason for White's value rising has been the development of rookie quarterback Matt Ryan, who had his best game of the year. He passed for 301 yards and a touchdown and continues to do a good job avoiding pressure (no sacks against Chicago) and showed nice touch on his passes while involving everyone with Harry Douglas (five catches for 96 yards) and Michael Jenkins (four catches for 58 yards) playing well.
Ryan has now thrown a touchdown in all three home games. We'll see if his solid play starts to translate on the road, but this is a good game for Ryan going into the bye in Week 7.
Ryan has some good matchups ahead at home against New Orleans and Denver in Weeks 10 and 11. If you need a quarterback, consider adding Ryan since he's only owned in 41 percent of leagues.
Second down
Matt Schaub returned after missing Week 5 with an illness and passed for 379 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions and also ran for a touchdown against Miami. He now has 688 passing yards, five total touchdowns and two interceptions in his past two games.
It might be time to consider Schaub a No. 1 Fantasy option. He has a stud receiver in Andre Johnson and decent complementary options in Owen Daniels (four catches for 70 yards) and Kevin Walter (four catches for 98 yards).
Schaub is only being started in 31 percent of leagues, but he has a great schedule ahead against Detroit and Cincinnati the next two weeks. If you own Schaub, get him active next week against the Lions.
Third down
The "Wildcat" struck again Sunday, and this time Chad Pennington and Patrick Cobbs took advantage against the Texans. Cobbs had three catches for 138 yards and two touchdowns against Houston, and Pennington had 284 passing yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
The Dolphins first touchdown was on another trick play from the formation. Ronnie Brown took the snap and handed off to Ricky Williams, who shoveled it to Pennington in the backfield. Pennington hit a wide-open Cobbs for the 53-yard touchdown.
Cobbs' second touchdown came on a screen pass for 80 yards when everyone on Houston's defense was focused on Brown. Pennington also was efficient again at 19-of-25 passing.
Even with Pennington and Cobbs stealing the show, Brown (93 total yards and a touchdown) and Williams (46 rushing yards and a touchdown) still played well. And Brown is still the star for the Dolphins.
As for Cobbs, ignore him in all leagues. This was a fluke game for him. Pennington (44 percent), however, could be a decent bye-week replacement at quarterback, but not in Week 7 when Miami plays host to Baltimore.
Fourth down
Injury replacements did well Sunday, especially in Denver. Michael Pittman started for the injured Selvin Young (groin) and ran for 109 yards and caught three passes for 16 yards.
If Young remains out in Week 7, consider starting Pittman against the Patriots. Pittman was only started in 42 percent of leagues this week.
Brandon Stokley also played well with Tony Scheffler (groin) and Eddie Royal (ankle) out. Stokley had three catches for 29 yards and a touchdown, but he left the game with a head injury. If Stokley is OK, he is worth adding in all leagues, and he's only owned in 48 percent of leagues.
Steve Breaston also had a career game against the Cowboys with eight catches for 102 yards and a touchdown. Breaston, who is playing for the injured Anquan Boldin (head), is only owned in 77 percent of leagues. The only downside with Breaston is Boldin will likely return after the bye in Week 7.
Lance Moore continues to play well with Marques Colston (thumb) out. Moore had seven catches for 97 yards against the Raiders, but Colston will likely return in Week 7 at Carolina. Moore is owned in 78 percent of leagues and will hopefully remain the No. 2 option even when Colston comes back.
Some other observations: Don't get too excited about Vernon Davis' outing with six catches for 75 yards. The Eagles have struggled with tight ends all year. ... David Garrard is back to what he was last year and could be a solid bye-week replacement. He was only started in 28 percent of leagues but had 276 passing yards and a touchdown against the Broncos and hasn't thrown an interception in three games now. ... Ryan Grant is getting closer to helping your Fantasy team. He had 90 rushing yards at Seattle, which was his best total since Week 1, but he has 173 yards the past two games. He's still looking for his first touchdown, but he has a great matchup in Week 7 against the Colts.
What are your thoughts from this week? See anything that jumped off the screen? Let us know -- e-mail us at dmfantasyfootball@cbs.com. Be sure to put Attn: Four Downs in the subject field. Include your full name, hometown and state.
