What I’m Watching This Week:

Detroit. Everyone and Joey Harrington knew Jeff Garcia was going to be the Lions QB, but the fact that it happened last week and resulted in a victory might just spell the end of Joey’s career. He may never recover from the humiliation. If you didn’t see the game, there was Garcia with the ball in one hand, crutch in the other hobbling into the end zone for a score. That’s right, Garcia, seven weeks after breaking his leg ran in a TD. I’m also watching because Corey Schlesinger’s return could spark the running game, which could turn Detroit into an actual NFL team & one that could win the division.

Which brings us to the NFC North. One of these teams -- Green Bay (1-5), Minnesota (2-4), Detroit (3-3) and Chicago (3-3) -- will win the division and makes the playoffs. Someone has to. Right?

The NFL moved the KC/MIA game from Sunday to Friday last week, which screwed many a fantasy team as line-ups were due early and free agency & trading were frozen for the week. And the game wasn’t even on TV -- which bears the question: if a fantasy player scores some points and no is there to see it, does it really count?

So Josh McCown gets the call and does nothing with the opportunity. Boldin doesn’t catch a pass for the first time in his 31-game career. Arizona is sticking with Josh, but if he keeps this up, for how long?

I’m also keeping an eye on Chris Brown & Travis Henry, Randy Moss, Santana Moss, Ricky Williams, New England & Teddy Bruschi, the Ravens D, Jamal Lewis, and the Dallas Cowboys.

And finally, Brian Billick. Love him or hate him, this is embarrassingly funny.

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HYPERLINKS:

Detroit: http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/recap?gid=20051023005&prov=ap

KC/MIA: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9797708/

Josh:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=pasquarelli_len&id=2204870

&: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2205047

Teddy Bruschi: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2207469

Ravens: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2204977

Jamal Lewis: http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/story/9007725

This: http://www.matchgame.org/bbillick/

Comeback Player of the Week

Curtis Martin- He had 2 touchdowns last week, but this was clearly the first game that he rushed like he did last year. 18 carries for 148 yards and a touchdown is a great stat line. More than 8 yards per carry, Martin shredded the Buffalo D making him the Comeback Player of the Week.

My NFL Betting Picks: Week 7

KC @ MIA KC +1.5
GB @ MIN GB -2
SD @ PH PHI -4
NO @ STL NO +3
SF @ WAS SF +12.5
IND @ HOU IND -16
PIT @ CIN CIN -1
DET @ CLE CLE -3
DAL @ SEA SEA -3
TEN @ ARI ARI -3.5
DEN @ NYG DEN +2
BUF @ OAK BUF +3
BAL @ CHI BAL +1
NYJ @ ATL NYJ +7

Waiver Wire Week 7

Mark Brunell: If he is somehow still out there grab him. He has looked very good the last few weeks and clearly there is a good connection between him and Santana Moss. With a good defense and the running game struggling, Brunell might just keep this up.

Jeff Garcia: Joey Harrington’s days are numbered. Garcia is already practicing and he might even be available this Sunday. Detroit has the weapons to score; they just need a guy like Garcia to spread the ball around. He will.

Aaron Stecker: Antowain Smith wasn’t the only one to get carries on Sunday. Stecker rushed 16 times for 86 yards. It looks like Haslett will go with a committee, but Stecker is worth a pickup in case Smith falters.

Maurice Morris: The only reason he was in the game was Shaun Alexander had 4 touchdowns. But Mo Mo rushed for 100+ yards and a score. If Alexander went down, Morris would be a stud behind that offensive line.

Chester Taylor: For whatever reason, Jamal Lewis is not the same player this year. Taylor is stealing carries and this situation looks a lot like KC. He even out rushed Lewis with less carries. Grab Taylor for insurance and the chance that he takes over the starting job at some point.

Justin McCareins: The Jets have a lot of problems, but when teams are not very good they usually throw a lot. Martin is aging and Vinny likes to throw. McCareins makes a great bye week fill-in with upside.

Jabar Gaffney: Andre Johnson is hurt and clearly not the same player as we’ve seen in the past. Gaffney had 10 balls thrown to him last week and is the clear # 1Wr with Johnson out. He should be quite productive with the Texans awful defense forcing Carr to play catch-up.

Az-Zahir Hakim: He has over 200 yards receiving the last 2 weeks. Horn is injured and Stallworth is nursing a sore hammy. Either way, Brooks looks locked into Hakim right now.

Doug Gabriel: The Raiders like to throw the ball all day. Gabriel can be productive even as a # 3 Wr, but with Moss hurting he might score 2 or 3 touchdowns and rack up a lot of yardage while Moss is out.

Marcus Pollard: Pollard has been hurt, but he scored a td his first game, and Sunday was his first game healthy again. He caught 3 passes for 105 yards. He will finish a top-10 TE.

Pass/Fail Week 7

PASS

Priest Holmes: (14-18, 1TD 5-100, 1TD) Finally a good game for Priest. Priest had 2 touchdowns and looked like his old self on a huge screen play. While his rushing stats looked ugly, he looks like he might be turning a corner.

Santana Moss: (10-173 2TD’s) Santana Moss is playing better than Randy Moss at this point. He is the 2nd best WR in the league right now, and I expect him to finish there.

Chris Brown: (18-84 2TD’s, 3-28) This is the type of game that Brown should have had last week and the week before. I don’t think we can expect 2 td’s again for awhile, but 75 yards and a score seem possible given he has a great schedule in front of him.


FAIL

Eli Manning: (14-30 215 1TD, 1Int) Well, this was an ugly game for both Dallas and the Giants. This was a subtle reminder that it takes a few years to become a top passer in the NFL. Eli has shown flashes of greatness, but the road ahead will be bumpy until he can cut down on his mistakes.

Kevin Jones: (12-21) The leading rusher for the second half of 2004 has been a nightmare for fantasy teams. Although he was injured in the first half of this game, he let down fantasy owners once again as he was ineffective before and after the injury. Until the quarterback position is resolved, you just can not rely on Jones.

Tony Gonzalez: (2-13) Every week we expect Gonzalez to bust out and every week he is virtually invisible. He keeps complaining about the play calling, but Trent Green and Dick Vermeil do not seem to be listening. Expect Tony to turn things around, but you are better off playing someone else at the position until KC figures things out.

What I’m Watching This Week:

The Vikings. I was going to be watching the Viking even before I heard about that boat party because I want to see how Mewelde Moore plays with a game plan built around him. This was going to be that week, but after the bye and news of a floating sex party, I want to see if the Vikings start sinking fast.

I keep watching the Patriots for two reasons -- they always seem to be involved in tight game and because their defense is a train wreck of injuries I just can’t look away from. Help might be on the way though, which would be great for owners of their DEF/ST.

I’m also watching Washington at Kansas City this week. Anybody else get the feeling one of these teams is going nowhere this year?

Other things I’m watching: Tony Gonzalez, 60 Minutes, the Houston Texans revamped offensive line, the Colts D on MNF, The QB situation in Pittsburgh and Ricky Williams.

Oh, an on another note, if you haven’t seen this yet, watch it. It’s brilliant.

Players to Trade/Trade for:

Get ‘em:

Brian Westbrook: 3 weeks ago he was a stud that no one would trade. Now his value is down. No one has a better schedule than the Eagles the rest of the way. Target him now while he is on a bye. After he faces the Chargers in week 7, the opportunity might be gone.

Kevin Jones: Detroit has been a mess so far, but Jones has a great schedule down the stretch. Even after his 2 touchdown game you might be able to snag him form a concerned owner.

Reggie Wayne: It’s only a matter of time before this stud wr comes to life. The Colts defense will come back down to earth and Peyton will be gun slinging once again.

Eli Manning: He’s young, but this kid’s got “IT”. He is probably still a back-up on most squads, but that won’t last. He will be a top 5qb for years to come. If you can snag him for anything less than a stud, do it!

Donald Driver: The Packers have no Offensive Line and no Defense. As a result, Favre will throw and throw and throw some more. Driver is the # 1 target. When Favre throws for 30+ td’s this year, you can bet that Driver will at least 10 of them.

Tatum Bell: It’s obvious everyone wants this guy to succeed in Denver, but Shanahan is playing games. He was a top 20 pick in most fantasy drafts so his value is down. Last week was his coming out party so get him before it’s too late.

Reuben Droughns: He doesn’t have any touchdowns and the Browns have the worst schedule of below .500 teams, but he is running well. Suggs is out of the picture now, so the rock is all his. He is averaging 4.0 yards per carry, so that break out game is bound to come soon.

Get rid of ‘em:

Kevin Barlow: This just in, the 49ers stink! Barlow is coming off a good game. He had 99 yards rushing and another 29 receiving. His value may never get higher, so let someone else deal with this headache. Frank Gore is the better running back and it’s only a matter of time before he is starting.

Terry Glenn: This is a tough call. He is a top 10 wr right now, but Bledsoe is bound to cool off soon. Jason Witten hasn’t been nearly the player he was last year either. Look for things to get back to normal. Bledsoe will get sacked, Witten will again be a force, and Glenn will be on one week and off the next.

Curtis Martin: Stay away from the Jets. J-E-T-S No No No. Martin had his swan song and it was last year. This team is lost, and while you might expect a few td’s here and there, look for Martin to come up short in the yardage category.

Willie Parker: Parker is no longer the go-to guy in Pittsburg. Bettis as long as he is healthy, which is no sure thing, is the Steelers starting rb. If you can get a decent wr for him do it, otherwise stash him away and hope Bettis injures himself again.

Michael Vick: Here we go again. Vick is questionable. This is getting to be worrisome. Every year he seems to be nursing an injury. The Falcons love to run the ball, and Vick is no exception. However, if he doesn’t run he is only an average qb. Vick will hand the ball off first and pass second. That is not the reason you want Vick. Trade him.

Matt Hasselbeck: Jackson out 6-8 weeks. Engram week to week. Shaun Alexander stud rb. While Jurevicious is a great replacement, look for Seattle to run the ball even more with Jackson out. Temper your expectations for Hasselbeck and upgrade your team elsewhere.

Comeback Player of the Week

Dominick Davis-After a slow start to the year, Davis rushed 19 times for 130 yards. He also added 8 catches for 43 yards. Davis has only 1 Touchdown on the year, but with Carr and the passing game struggling, look for more games like this in the coming weeks.

Waiver Wire Week 6

Antowain Smith. With Deuce gone for the year, he is the number one pick-up of the week.

Jerome Betttis. In case you missed it, the Bus is back! Willie Parker was replaced on most key plays, including all those inside the 20. Grab him.

Joe Jurevicius While it was clear he was going to start last week, it was clear he would goo over 100 yards receving and score. If he’s still out there get him.

Josh Mccown The Cardinals have a bye this week and Warner is expected to be healthy soon, but Dennis Green will stick with this Gunslinger as long as he keeps producing.

Kelly Holcomb The Bills are fooling no one by waiting to name their starting qb for week 6. It’s Holcolmb and Eric Moulds and Lee Evans are smiling somewhere.

Chris Henry TJ Houshmanwhateverhisname is injured more than first thought. He is likely out this week and perhaps longer. Either way, Henry’s stock is on the rise.

Tyson Thompson A one week fill-in or maybe a long term starter. No one knows how bad Jones’ ankle sprain is. We will know soon.

Chris Perry He keeps catching balls out of the backfield, and he is in there on key plays. If Rudi goes down, he becomes a stud.

Alivin Pearman Fragile Fred is at it again. After his best game of the year, he sits out practice this week. Pearman is the new back-up in Jacksonville, and he might get a chance to shine.

Patrick Pass Another 3^rd down back, who can get it done if Dillon can’t go.

Tony Fisher Najeh Davenport was so close to finally getting his chance. Out for the year and an ailing Ahman Green places Fisher in the back-up role in Green Bay. Watch the injury news on Green and stash Fisher away.

Troy Williamson This rookie has “IT”. If Nate Burleson is out much longer, Troy could make people forget about him.

Mike Williams Detroit has been decimated by injuries. Starting the year as the 4^th stringer, Williams is now forced to start. If Garcia comes back in a few weeks things could change quickly in Motor City.

Heath Miller Another TD for this rookie. He can play and inside the 20 it’s the Bus and Miller.

Denver D So far they are one of the best against the run, and they are creating lots of turnovers. They are solid.

Pass/Fail Week 6

In this weekly article, I will highlight players who performed up to expectations and those who didn't. These players will mostly be ones you count on for consistent production.

PASS

Shaun Alexander-(25-119, 2td's) The cream of the crop. It doesn't get better than this. With 4.8 yards per carry, there is no one more reliable than him. The offensive line is really starting to come together and the schedule looks great.

Edgerrin James-(21-105, 1td..4-42) With teams keying on Peyton Manning and the passing game, James is having a great year. He is averaging 100 yards a game and 3td's through 5 games with Peyton on your team ain't bad.

Steve Smith-(8-119, 2td's) That's more like it. After catching only 2 balls for 12 yards, Smith bounced back in a big way. 100+ yards and 2 td's is becoming the norm for this guy.

Anquan Boldin-(10-158, 1td) While it is unlikely Boldin and Fitzgerald can keep this pace up, Boldin is going to catch more balls which should provide more consistent stats.


FAIL

Brian Westbrook-(6-12..3-24) This is getting ugly. Last week he only had 9 attempts for 15 yards against the poor Chiefs D. With McNabb hurting and the bye week coming up, Westbrook is one you can't count on right now.

Deuce McAllister-(11-31) Well, New Orleans has had a lot of problems this year, and now they have another. Duece is out for the year. Ouch.

Donald Driver-(5-48) As the number one receiver for Green Bay, and with Favre throwing the ball all day, we expect more from Donald.

Jimmy Smith-(3-43) Age is no excuse. With 4 td's on the year, it is hard to figure out how Jimmy will play each week. 100 yards one week, 40 the next.