Instant Accountability

Detroit 44, Denver 7

Start: Brandon Marshall, DEN - Wow, I don't think anyone saw this one coming... I guess this isn't the Broncos' year. Nice game for Marshall even with Ramsey throwing to him, especially in PPR leagues.
Prediction: 7 catches, 105 yards, 1 TD.
Actual: 9 catches, 96 yards, 0 TD's.

Bench: Jon Kitna, DET - Very strong game for Kitna against the formerly good Broncos pass defense. He only completed about 50% of his passes, but 250+ yards, 2 TD's and 0 INT's is perfectly acceptable for fantasy owners...
Prediction: 175 yards passing, 1 TD, 2 INT's.
Actual: 252 yards passing, 2 TD's, 0 INT's.

Buffalo 33, Cincinnati 21

Start: Lee Evans, BUF - As expected, Evans had another big game, going over 100 yards for the 2nd straight week, as the Bills are suddenly back at .500 and only 4 games behind the Pats - too bad the Pats aren't going to lose a game this year...
Prediction: 5 catches, 95 yards, 1 TD.
Actual: 9 catches, 165 yards, TD.

Bench: Rudi Johnson, CIN - I thought he'd be lousy, but this? I hate to say it, but Rudi might not be worth starting again this year...
Prediction: 14 carries, 67 yards, 0 TD's, 1 catch, 9 yards.
Actual: 9 carries, 11 yards, 1 catch 6 yards.

Tennessee 20, Carolina 7

Start: Jeff King, CAR - Count me as one of those people who actually though that under the right system, David Carr could be a good starting QB in the NFL. Now? I'm thinking either CFL or Arena League by 2009... Steve Smith is borderline homicidal at this point...
Prediction: 7 catches, 75 yards, 0 TD's.
Actual: 2 catches, 14 yards, 0 TD's.

Bench: Chris Henry, TENN - At least he got to play this week! Obviously keep an eye on the suspension that is being handed down, as Henry's value is about to plummet. 3 carries for -3 yards isn't going to help either...
Prediction: 8 carries, 38 yards, 2 catches, 18 yards, 0 TD's.
Actual: 3 carries, -3 yards, 1 catch, 18 yards, 0 TD's.

Green Bay 33, Kansas City 22

Start: Dwayne Bowe, KC - I'm going to take a mulligan here, as Bowe strained a hamstring and was very limited the entire game, with only 2 balls thrown his way.
Prediction: 5 catches, 80 yards, 0 TD's.
Actual: 0 catches.

Bench: Ryan Grant, GB - Although he came out of the game late in the 4th quarter with what may be a concussion, Grant put up #'s pretty consistent with what I had expected, although the 37 receiving yards wasn't so bad, so I'll call it a push...
Prediction: 18 carries, 49 yards, 1 catch, 11 yards, 0 TD's.
Actual: 19 carries, 55 yards, 4 catches, 37 yards, 0 TD's.

Minnesota 35, San Diego 17

Start: Chris Chambers, SD - A lot of people believe that Phillip Rivers is a below average NFL quarterback that plays on a good team. Today's game against the Vikes is a perfect example, as he only completed 42% of his passes against the horrible pass defense of MINN. Chambers led the team with 5 catches, but for only 59 yards and 0 TD's...
Prediction: 6 catches, 90 yards, 1 TD.
Actual: 5 catches, 59 yards, 0 TD's.

Bench: All Minnesota WR's - I'm going to give this one to myself, even though Rice caught a 40 yard TD, as no other WR had more than 25 yards receiving (nor did they need to, as 2008's #1 pick Adrian Peterson had the best rushing day in history)...
Prediction: No WR with more than 4 catches or 60 yards, 0 TD's.
Actual: 8 catches, 102 yards, 1 TD combined.

Washington 23, New York Jets 20

Start: Chris Cooley, WAS - Thanks to a monster game by Portis (i.e. Washed Up Portis according to Gusto), Campbell didn't have to throw the ball much today, and as a result, Cooley didn't catch another TD as I had predicted. The other #'s were pretty close though...
Prediction: 4 catches, 45 yards, 1 TD.
Actual: 4 catches, 58 yards, 0 TD's.

Bench: Thomas Jones, NYJ - I nailed this one almost exactly, as Jones has been the poster boy for mediocrity this year. I had really wanted him as my #2 RB this year, and remember being pissed when he went two picks before me. Oh well, at least Deuce went down for the year and doesn't torture me every week...
Prediction: 16 carries, 58 yards, 2 catches, 14 yards, 0 TD's.
Actual: 13 carries, 49 yards, 2 catches, 16 yards, 0 TD's.

Tampa Bay 17, Arizona 10

Start: Anquan Boldin, ARI - 12 carries for 23 yards? You'd have to figure that Warner would have made up for the pitiful running game, but he didn't crack 200 yards either. I was way off on this one...
Prediction: 6 catches, 100 yards, 1 TD.
Actual: 3 catches, 40 yards, 0 TD's.

Bench: Michael Bennett, TB - For those that wasted a waiver pick on him, you can safely drop him again, as it appears that Graham is firmly entrenched as TB's starting RB, with a great game against the Cards...
Prediction: 13 carries, 46 yards, 2 catches, 14 yards, 0 TD's.
Actual: 5 carries, 12 yards, 0 catches, o TD's.

Greg's Totals: Starts: 2-4-1 Benches: 5-1-1 Total: 7-5-2

Atlanta 20, San Francisco 16

Start: Jerious Norwood, ATL - Norwood suffered an injury early on, but today was the Warrick Dunn rejuvenation day, as he rushed for 100 yards and a score. We still like Norwood, although after seeing him get only 6 touches, it may be time to cut bait for this year, unless old man Dunn gets hurt...
Prediction: 13 carries for 85 yards, 3 catches for 30 yards.
Actual: 6 carries, 39 yards, 0 catches, 0 TD's.

Bench: Alex Smith, SF - Smith got more credit from Gusto than he deserved, with a brutal, brutal game (3 INT's). How much are the 49'ers paying this guy again? I love the NFL, but they really need to revisit how rookie contracts are handled...
Prediction: 185 yards passing, 1 TD and 1 INT.
Actual: 149 yards passing, 0 TD's, 3 INT's, 1 lost fumble.

New Orleans 41, Jacksonville 24

Start: Drew Brees, NO - Is it safe to say the Saints are contenders in the NFC again? Brees had a friggin huge game, throwing for well over 400 yards and 3 TD's. 9 different receivers caught passes, with 6 having at least 25 yards...
Prediction: 240 yards passing and 2-3TD’s.
Actual: 445 yards passing, 3 TD's, 0 INT's.

Bench: Fred Taylor, JAC - Gusto nailed this one almost exactly, in what turned into an unexpected shootout. Quinn Gray actually hung strong for a while, and there was a Reggie Williams sighting as well. MJD owners couldn't have been happy though....
Prediction: 12 carries for 50 yards.
Actual: 13 carries, 54 yards, 0 TD's.

Cleveland 33, Seattle 30 (OT)

Start: Matt Hasselbeck, SEA - Nice game for Hass in a losing effort, going over 300 yards and 2 TD's, although he did have two turnovers (1 INT, 1 fumble lost). Bobby Engram was the main beneficiary, with 14 (14?) receptions...
Prediction: 225 yards and 2 TD’s with 0 INT’s.
Actual: 318 yards, 2 TD's, 1 INT, 1 fumble lost.

Bench: Jamal Lewis, CLE - Lewis had 20 carries for a ridiculously mediocre 37 yards..... But 4 of those carries were for TD's, and he added another 67 yards receiving in one of the more bizarre huge games this year...
Prediction: 50 yards rushing.
Actual: 37 yards rushing, 67 yards recieving, 4 TD's.

New England 24, Indianapolis 20

Start: Laurence Maroney, NE - (Insert silent fist pump here). You know it's a good win when even Belichick has a smile on his face after the game. And as an Addai owner, it was one of those "I win both ways games" as well... Maroney had a pretty mediocre game, with under 60 yards rushing and no catches. Could the return of Corey Dillon be near???
Prediction: 85 yards rushing and a touchdown.
Actual: 59 yards rushing, 0 TD's.

Bench: Kenton Keith, IND - I'm happy to eat crow on this one, as Keith was a complete non-factor in this game, with only 4 touches for 6 yards. Still, Addai owners must keep Keith on their bench as one of the better handcuffs this year...
Prediction: 3 carries for 10 yards.
Actual: 4 carries for 6 yards.

Houston 24, Oakland 17

Start: Kevin Walter, HOU - I told Gusto tonight that because his boy Justin Fargas had a big game today, I'd post a picture of his dad, Huggy Bear. I tried to find one from "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka", with the goldfish platform shoes, but was unable to. This t-shirt will have to do... Walter had his worst game in weeks, with only 3 catches and no TD's in the win against OAK.
Prediction: 6 catches for 85 yards.
Actual: 3 catches, 33 yards, 0 TD's.

Bench: Josh McCown, OAK - McCown performed as expected, with 3 INT's and less than 200 yards passing, although the 31 yards rushing was a surprise. You probably weren't starting him anyways...
Prediction: 200 yards passing, 1 TD and 3 turnovers.
Actual: 158 yards passing, 1 TD, 3 INT's.

Dallas at Philadelphia

Start: Kevin Curtis/Reggie Brown, PHI - McNabb had another underwhelming game, and it was Westbrook that ended up with most of the receptions, catching 14 passes for 90 yards. Curtis did okay in PPR leagues with 5 catches, but overall neither he nor Brown did much at all...
Prediction: 10 catches, 175 yards and at least 1 TD.
Actual: 7 catches, 106 yards, 0 TD's.

Bench: Julius Jones, DAL - There was a Julius Jones sighting last night, as he actually averaged almost a yard per carry more than Barber, rushing 13 times for 57 yards in a blowout of Philly. Don't look for Jones to get more than 15 touches next week though, as they face a tough Giants team in what should be a good game...
Prediction: 40 yards and 0 TD’s.
Actual: 79 total yards, 1 TD.

Pittsburgh 38, Baltimore 7

Start: Jeff Reed, PIT - Neither one of us saw this coming, but with Big Ben throwing 5 TD's, Jeff Reed wasn't needed much in terms of kicking FG's this week, with only a chip in from 22 yards out being his only attempt...
Prediction: At least 3 field goals made, including one from 40+ yards.
Actual: 1 22 Yard FG, 5 XP's.

Bench: Willis McGahee, BAL - I'll give this one to Gusto, because although he did have a TD, it was offset by the fact that he only had 62 yards from scrimmage. Still, not a horrible game for McGahee owners because of the TD...
Prediction: 75 yards from scrimmage and 0 TD’s.
Actual: 62 total yards, 1 TD.

Gusto's Totals: Starts: 2-5 Benches: 5-2 Total: 7-7