First Response: Houston's win is our loss
The Texans found out what it's like to win and lose all in the same day. They had a bittersweet victory against the Bills on Sunday.
While the 31-10 win at Buffalo put the Texans (5-3) in the middle of the AFC playoff race, they are now dealing with questions at running back and tight end with Steve Slaton and Owen Daniels. And Fantasy owners need to pay attention to what happens over the next few days.
The biggest news dealt with Daniels, who left the game with a right knee injury and could have a torn ACL. He will undergo tests Monday, but coach Gary Kubiak said after the game "it doesn't look good."
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| It's safe to say that Ryan Moats was not on the radar of most owners entering Week 8. (US Presswire) |
If Daniels is out as expected, the Texans will likely lean on reserve tight ends in Joel Dreessen, James Casey and Anthony Hill, but none are as talented as Daniels. Casey would likely be the one to target in deep Fantasy leagues, and all three backup tight ends are available in 100 percent of leagues on CBSSports.com.
If you're looking for a tight end off the waiver wire, some who could be available are Fred Davis (24 percent ownership), Benjamin Watson (43 percent), Dustin Keller (54 percent), Kevin Boss (37 percent), Tony Scheffler (51 percent) or Todd Heap (67 percent). We'll get more into this topic Tuesday in Playing the Waiver Wire, but those are some options to consider with Daniels hurt.
The Texans could also use more three- and four-receiver sets, which could increase the value for Jacoby Jones and even David Anderson. But with Daniels out, Matt Schaub's Fantasy value takes a hit as well, and he came into Week 8 tied with Tom Brady as the No. 1 quarterback in standard-scoring leagues.
The situation with Slaton could be harder to figure out. He had one carry and lost a fumble, his fifth of the season, and was replaced by Ryan Moats.
All Moats did was get 23 carries for 126 yards and three touchdowns and catch two passes for 25 yards against the Bills. Moats had more rushing touchdowns in one game than Slaton (two) has on the ground this season.
Kubiak wouldn't say if Slaton has permanently lost his job, but the fumbles have become an issue. And Slaton, despite his big plays as a receiver, hasn't run well with a 3.1 yards per carry coming into Week 8.
The first thing every Slaton owner needs to do is add Moats immediately, and he is available in 100 percent of leagues. If Moats is named the starter, he is going to be the hottest commodity on the waiver wire heading into Week 9.
Hopefully the Texans won't bench Slaton for the rest of the season, but his Fantasy value took a major hit. You can't trade him now, and you're likely going to have to just ride this out while keeping him on the bench. Slaton was started in 98 percent of leagues against Buffalo.
Houston has problems, and Fantasy owners are just going to have to wait and see what develops. This wasn't a fun victory for the Texans.
Let's take a look around at the rest of the Week 8 action ...
Start of the Week review: Only one quarterback passed for four touchdowns in Week 8, and it was Brett Favre. We expected his return to Green Bay would be special, and he didn't let us down. He was 17 of 28 passing for 244 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. Favre, who was only started in 44 percent of leagues, had seven touchdown passes and no interceptions against his former team. He now has 16 touchdowns and three interceptions as the Vikings head into their bye week.
Sit of the Week review: Frank Gore again used a big run to have a banner Fantasy day and prove us wrong. Gore had 13 carries for 91 yards and a touchdown and five catches for 43 yards at Indianapolis. He now has three touchdown runs of more than 60 yards on the season and looks 100 percent after missing two games with an ankle injury in Weeks 4 and 5. Gore should have another good game in Week 9 against Tennessee and plan on keeping him in your lineup in all leagues.
Insane stat line of the day: Chris Johnson and Maurice Jones-Drew are two of the best running backs in the league and great Fantasy options, but they combined for 405 rushing yards and four touchdowns in Tennessee. Johnson set a team record with 228 rushing yards, and Jones-Drew only needed eight carries for 177 rushing yards. They each scored two touchdowns, and this was Johnson's second game over 200 total yards this season (284 in Week 2 against Houston). This is why you drafted Jones-Drew and Johnson with first-round picks, and hopefully they can keep this up all season.
Out-of-nowhere stat line of the day: So much for Arizona having the No. 1 run defense in the NFL coming into Week 8. DeAngelo Williams ran for 158 yards, and Jonathan Stewart had 87 rushing yards and two touchdowns. The Cardinals got exposed, and not just in run defense. Kurt Warner did his best Jake Delhomme impersonation with five interceptions and a fumble. And Steve Smith finally scored his first touchdown this season and finished with three catches for 56 yards and the touchdown. Maybe the Panthers exorcised some demons by beating the Cardinals after that playoff loss last year and can start playing at a high level again.
Guy we were way right about: Tony Romo continues to play at a high level with the insertion of Miles Austin in the starting lineup the past three games. Romo was 21 of 36 passing for 256 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, but he did lose a fumble against the Seahawks. Romo now has eight touchdowns and no interceptions the past three games against Kansas City, Atlanta and Seattle. He heads into next week's showdown at Philadelphia as a No. 1 Fantasy quarterback again in all leagues. And Austin had five catches for 61 yards and a touchdown, his fifth in the past three games.
Guy we were way wrong about: Donovan McNabb snapped out of his two-game funk against Oakland and Washington with a solid game against the Giants. McNabb was 17 of 23 passing for 240 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, but he also lost a fumble. McNabb threw touchdowns to DeSean Jackson, Brent Celek and Jeremy Maclin, and he looks like he's back in rhythm heading into the game with the Cowboys next week. Look for McNabb to finish the season strong, and he's back as a No. 1 Fantasy quarterback.
Overachieving defense of the week: The Ravens showed their defense is still a force in taking apart what had been a solid Broncos offense in a 30-7 victory. They got a kickoff return for a touchdown from Lardarius Webb, forced a fumble on Knowshon Moreno and got two sacks. The Ravens also held Kyle Orton to 152 passing yards and no touchdowns and Brandon Marshall to four catches for 24 yards. This is the Ravens defense we're used to seeing after some dismal performances the past three weeks against Minnesota, Cincinnati and New England.
Underachieving defense of the week: The Chargers had every opportunity to do what the Jets defense did in Week 7 against the Raiders in a 38-0 victory. Instead, San Diego allowed the Raiders to score 16 points with only one interception and no fumble recoveries. The Chargers did get five sacks, including two by Shawne Merriman, but they should have been the No. 1 DST unit in every Fantasy league.
Names to add to your scout team ...
Alex Smith, quarterback, San Francisco (Completed 19 of 32 passes for 198 yards, one touchdown and one interception at Indianapolis)
Vince Young, quarterback, Tennessee (Completed 15 of 18 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown and ran for 30 yards against Jacksonville)
Ryan Moats, running back, Houston (23 carries for 126 yards and three touchdowns and two catches for 25 yards in place of the benched Steve Slaton at Buffalo)
Maurice Morris, running back, Detroit (14 carries for 63 yards and one catch for 19 yards and came on for the injured Kevin Smith against St. Louis)
Malcom Floyd, wide receiver, San Diego (two catches, 64 yards and started in place of Chris Chambers against Oakland)
Injury alerts ...
Aaron Rodgers, foot, considered probable for Week 9 at Tampa Bay
Jake Delhomme, chest, considered probable for Week 9 at New Orleans
Kevin Smith, shoulder, considered questionable for Week 9 at Seattle
Anquan Boldin, ankle, considered questionable for Week 9 at Chicago
Devin Hester, ankle, considered questionable for Week 9 vs. Arizona
Owen Daniels, knee, considered doubtful for rest of the season
The last word: Start trying to shop Matt Forte now coming off his outing against the Browns. He had his best game of the season with 26 carries for 90 yards and two touchdowns and two catches for 31 yards. Forte could run well in Week 9 against the Cardinals based on how they looked against the Panthers, but his schedule is tough the rest of the season, including two games against the Vikings and one at Baltimore. With his value now at a high point, see if you can get something good in return that can help your lineup the rest of the way.
What stood out to you this week? How did your Fantasy teams do? Drop us a line and tell us about it at dmfantasyfootball@cbs.com. Be sure to put Attn: Week 8 in the subject field. Please include your full name, hometown and state and we'll respond to as many as e-mails we can.
