Four Downs: More frustration with McGahee
By Jamey Eisenberg | Senior Fantasy Writer Follow JameyFollow CBS Fantasy Football
Willis McGahee continues to be one of the most frustrating yet rewarding Fantasy running backs this season. On Sunday, he came out with a positive result, which was unexpected.
McGahee had 25 carries for 112 yards and two touchdowns against Houston. This came a week after he was active against Cleveland but didn't play with an ankle injury.
It was reported that McGahee was going to play against the Texans but share carries with Ray Rice and LeRon McClain. The thought was McGahee wouldn't put up dominating stats, with Rice coming off a career performance against the Browns and McClain stealing goal-line carries.
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| Willis McGahee ran all over the Texans in a Week 10 blowout. (US Presswire) |
Fantasy owners who had McGahee on the bench had to be livid, and he was only started in 27 percent of leagues on CBSSports.com. Unfortunately, keeping McGahee reserved was the right move.
You didn't want to have a situation like last week where he was dressed but sat out. That also happened in Week 1 against Cincinnati, so there was a track record with McGahee about watching from the sidelines. And with the way Rice was playing, it seemed like McGahee could be getting phased out of the offense with his inconsistent play and inability to stay healthy. He's already dealt with knee, eye and rib injuries prior to the ankle problem.
But McGahee has proven when he plays he can produce, especially when the matchup is right. He had 64 yards and a touchdown in Week 3 against Cleveland, 105 yards and a touchdown in Week 7 at Miami, 58 yards and a touchdown in Week 8 against Oakland and then this game against the Texans.
You just have to play the matchups with McGahee and hope he stays healthy. He has three favorable games left on the schedule with Cincinnati in Week 13, Dallas in Week 16 and Jacksonville in Week 17.
The best news from Sunday's game besides his performance was the coaching staff remained committed to McGahee. They let him lead the way with the majority of touches.
McGahee has frustrated Fantasy owners most of the season, including Sunday if you didn't start him against the Texans. But this game should give you hope for the future that he could play well again down the road.
First down
It's amazing to look at the quarterback leaders each week and see the different names at the top of the list. This week wasn't any different.
Five of the top Fantasy outings in Week 10 include Tyler Thigpen, Kerry Collins, Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco. Brady Quinn is also on this list from his debut Thursday against Denver.
Ryan has become a regular of this group every week and has emerged as a No. 1 Fantasy starter. He passed for 248 yards and two touchdowns against New Orleans and should be started every week, no matter the matchup at this point. Ryan should have another great game in Week 11 against Denver.
Flacco is trying to push Ryan for the top rookie award this year, and he played well against Houston with 185 passing yards and two touchdowns. Flacco now has six touchdowns and no interceptions in his past four games and could be a low-end No. 1 Fantasy option every week, including a tough matchup like Week 11 at the Giants.
Thigpen is the most intriguing quarterback. He passed for 266 yards and three touchdowns at San Diego and now has five touchdowns and no interceptions in his past three games.
Thigpen should be added in all leagues at this point and is worth starting since he has solid weapons in Dwayne Bowe and Tony Gonzalez. It's clear Thigpen is the quarterback of the future in Kansas City, and he has great matchups ahead in New Orleans, Buffalo, Oakland, Denver, San Diego and Miami.
Quinn looked great for the Browns against the Broncos with 239 yards and two touchdowns. It could have been the matchup since Denver is terrible on defense, but Quinn should also be added in all leagues and has a good matchup in Week 11 at Buffalo.
Only Collins isn't worth owning at this time. Collins showed he could lead the Titans to a win with his first game over 200 passing yards this season. He had 289 yards and two touchdowns at Chicago when the Titans struggled to run the ball. But Collins isn't going to be asked to throw 41 passes on a regular basis, and Chris Johnson (14 carries for 8 yards) and LenDale White (10 carries for 14 yards and a touchdown) won't be locked down like this most weeks. Don't expect Collins to pass like this on a regular basis.
Second down
Finally, Adrian Peterson delivered that moment you were waiting for. He finally had that dominant game.
Peterson ran for 192 yards and a touchdown against Green Bay and also added three catches for 33 yards. It was his best game of the season, and Peterson is rolling now.
Peterson has 563 rushing yards and four touchdowns in his past four games. He is living up to the hype as a Top 3 Fantasy draft choice.
Now if only LaDainian Tomlinson can do the same thing. Tomlinson should have dominated Kansas City on Sunday but instead finished with 22 carries for 78 yards and four catches for 39 yards.
The total stats weren't horrible, but Tomlinson should have played much better coming off a bye against the worst rushing defense in the NFL. He could struggle next week at Pittsburgh before picking it back up in Week 12 against Indianapolis.
As we've told you all season, you're just going to have to ride it out with Tomlinson and wait for him to start playing well. It should happen soon.
Third down
While Peterson played well, he didn't have the best Fantasy day Sunday. That belonged to Thomas Jones, who had 26 carries for 149 yards and three touchdowns against St. Louis.
Jones now has eight touchdowns in his past five games and has emerged as a No. 1 Fantasy running back. That's a change from last year when he was a disappointment with only two touchdowns for the season.
Maurice Jones-Drew tried to keep up with Jones and Peterson by gaining 91 total yards and three touchdowns at Detroit. Jones-Drew now has six touchdowns in his past four games and is starting to establish himself as a great Fantasy running back.
It was fun to watch Peterson, Jones and Jones-Drew go back and forth on the stat sheet to see who would finish with the better day. The winner, obviously, were the Fantasy owners with all three players.
Fourth down
Welcome back, Marques Colston. The Saints wide receiver, who missed five games with a thumb injury, finally looked like an elite Fantasy option with seven catches for 140 yards against Atlanta.
It looks like you can start Colston in all leagues once again, and he's going to take off over the final seven games of the season. He has great matchups remaining against Kansas City, Atlanta, Chicago and Detroit.
Wes Welker also had a big game with 10 catches for 107 yards against Buffalo. Welker is still sitting on one touchdown this season, but this is why you start Welker every week because of games like this.
Some other observations: Bo Scaife and Dustin Keller stepped up and should be considered starting Fantasy tight ends at this point. Scaife had 10 catches for 78 yards and a touchdown at Chicago, and Keller had six catches for 107 yards and a touchdown against the Rams. ... Jake Delhomme is proving you should only start him at home. He has eight touchdowns and two interceptions at home and two touchdowns and seven interceptions on the road after throwing for 72 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions at Oakland. Good thing Delhomme is home against Detroit in Week 11. ... Todd Heap finally showed up with five catches for 58 yards and two touchdowns against Houston. Where has that been? ... BenJarvus Green-Ellis ran for 105 yards and a touchdown against Buffalo. He now has a touchdown in four-straight games and should be started as a low-end No. 2 Fantasy running back or flex option each week as long as Sammy Morris (knee) and LaMont Jordan (calf) remain out.
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.
