Fantasy Rewind for Week 10
UTAH AT TAMPA BAY
Tampa Bay traded scores with Utah until 3 minutes left in the 1st half, when they pulled ahead to stay. QB Shane Stafford had his expected amazing game against the Utah D, connecting on 20 of 35 passes for 252 yards and 8 TDs. WR Lawrence Samuels showed more signs of coming out of his mid-season slump, with 8 catches for 75 yards and 3 TDs. OS Freddie Solomon is fully healthy and responded with 6 catches for 83 yards and a pair of TDs. K Bill Gramatica was perfect on all 8 of his extra point attempts. DS Jonathan Ordway and DS Tramain Jones had nearly identical games, with 6 tackles and one turnover apiece.
Utah played much better than I expected, but with Danny White coaching this team I shouldn't be surprised. QB Jason Gesser threw for 315 yards and 5 TDs, with OS Siaha Burley (6 for 122), WR Tom Pace (3 for 64) and WR Justin Skaggs (3 for 43) each catching two TDs. Utah just didn't have enough firepower to keep up with the surging Storm in Tampa.
AUSTIN AT PHILADEPHIA
I guess it's forgivable that the Wranglers used WR Kevin Nickerson for ball control (8 for 56, 2 tackles) when they had a player getting as wide open as OS Derrick Lewis was all night long. Lewis finished with 8 catches for 150 yards and 4 TDs. The Soul never had an answer for Lewis and he made catch after impressive catch. WR Sedrick Robinson got into the act with 5 catches for 64 yards and 2 TDs, including the score that got the Wranglers on the board initially and the score that put them ahead for good. QB John Fitzgerald rebounded from a so-so game last week with 296 yards and 6 TDs. K Todd Sievers boomed a 54-yard FG, but missed 2 extra points. FB Dane Krager was listed as Probable, but sat this one out.
The enigmatic Soul lost a 14-0 lead at home a week after burying Dallas on the road. QB Tony Graziani played well in the first 4 minutes of the game and the last 4 minutes of the game. In between the 4s, he was shutout by the Wranglers D. Graziani still finished with 269 yards and 4 TDs, but he's a far shade from his West Coast days. WR Mike Brown did most of the damage for the Soul (11 for 112, 2 TDs) and OS Steve Smith had his second consecutive good game (9 for 81, 1 TD). WR Sean Scott slowed down some (7 for 49, 1 TD) but it's still good to see him involved. FB Wes Ours finished with 22 yards rushing and a TD.
GRAND RAPIDS AT NEW YORK
With Grand Rapids holding a 10-7 lead, this game became The Domain of the Unknowns. First, WR Maurice Brown (who had already caught his one pass for the night, a 7-yard TD) returned the ensuing kickoff 57 yards for a TD. Next up in the parade was OL/DL Bruce Blue, who sacked Chad Salisbury for a safety and scored on a 19-yard run. (Blue ended up with 22 yards rushing, 2 TDs and 2 tackles.) Then came DS Angel Estrada, who recovered an offensive fumble for a TD and caught a TD pass, his first two TDs of the year. Estrada finished with 6 catches for 64 yards, surpassing his previous season total of 56 yards. Was anyone playing in their regular positions for the Dragons? Well, WR Mike Horacek was, apparently, and ended up with 7 catches for 123 yards and a TD. QB Nick Browder threw for 244 yards and 4 TDs, but the Dragons didn't need his heroics this week, as they took control of the game with their defense in the second half, allowing only 7 points. DS DeShane Dennis had 9 solo stops as his up and down season continues.
Grand Rapids had been playing better but took a step backwards in this game. QB Chad Salisbury threw for only 218 yards with 3 TDs and 3 INTs. WR Josh Bush continued scoring well (3 for 55, 2 TDs) but OS Anthony Hines (10 for 89, no TDs) and WR Timon Marshall (7 for 66, 1 TD) didn't play up to their potential. DS Johnnie Harris, the only bright spot for the Rampage defense, had 6 stops and recovered a fumble.
COLUMBUS AT DALLAS
You knew Columbus was doomed when they opened with a 7-play drive and a 9-play drive and came away with only 6 points (2 FGs). When their 3rd possession ended when WR Dialleo Burks intercepted a pass and returned it for a TD, you could almost smell the despair. (Burks also added 9 catches for 83 yards and a TD.) OS Terrill Shaw took another turn at being the star for the Desperados, grabbing 7 catches for 120 yards and 4 TDs. WR Will Pettis had a relatively quiet night, with only 5 catches for 62 yards, but did add a tackle and an INT. QB Clint Dolezel did his usual (279 yards, 5 TDs).
Columbus just couldn't keep up with Dallas, falling behind early in this one. Although they managed to pull within 10 points in the 2nd half, they were never really in the game. K Mark Lewis kicked 3 FGs, which is good news for his fantasy owners but bad news when you try to keep up with the Desperados on the scoreboard. QB John Kaleo went for 250 yards, but only threw 2 TDs versus 3 INTs. WR David Saunders could be considered a silver lining (5 for 60, 1 TD) but it's tarnished silver for certain. DS Brandon Hefflin collected 10 solo stops and 5 pass breakups, giving him 23 solo tackles in the last two weeks.
GEORGIA AT KANSAS CITY
QB Matt Nagy continued his good season, connecting on 20 of 35 passes for 295 yards and 5 TDs. Nagy is locked in on OS Chris Jackson and CJax came through with another huge game (9 for 126, 4 TDs, 1 TD running), giving him 12 TDs in the past two weeks. WR Derek Lee snuck in a TD early and ended up with 5 catches for 55 yards with 1 TD. FB Kevin Aldridge and FB Robert Thomas also contributed running TDs for the Force. DS Nate Coggins had 13 tackles (7 solo).
If you're looking for a late season pickup to add some spark to your team, you could do alot worse than QB Chris Sanders. The Chattanooga Choo-Choo is running full steam, pushing in 3 rushing TDs, raising his total to six in three games. Sanders has the Brigade playing much better (we love ya, Andy Kelly, but it's true) and finished with 280 yards and 4 TDs passing. OS Jerel Myers had a great night, with 12 catches for 113 yards and TD. WR Aaron Boone made his first offensive action of the year count, with 11 catches for 129 yards and 2 TDs. The Brigade tried to control the clock early and matched Georgia score for score. If not for a few missed extra points they would have been tied with the Force with 3 1/2 minutes left in the game. At the end, Kansas City just had no remedy for Chris Jackson.
NASHVILLE AT COLORADO
Man, did Colorado kick Nashville up and down the field or what?. If this had been a softball game, they would have called the 10-run rule after 7 innings. QB John Dutton recovered from a disappointing outing last week to throw for 270 yards and 9 TDs. One guess who caught most of those TDs. Give up? Okay, it was OS Damien Harrell, who continued his dominant season with 12 catches for 134 yards and 5 TDs. WR Ahmad Hawkins (7 for 61, 2 TDs, 3 tackles, INT) and WR Andy McCullough (5 for 59, 2 TDs, 1 tackle, 1 fumble recovery and 1 INT) joined in on the barrage just for the sheer fun of it all. WR Willis Marshall ran one in and returned a kick for a TD. And DS Rashad Floyd finished with 7 solo tackles and 2 INTs of his own.
Nashville probably feels shellshocked after this game, being brought down to earth after entertaining thoughts of sole possession of first place in the division. QB Leon Murray threw for 286 yards with 5 TDs, but also threw 4 INTs. (Just for comparison's sake, Clint Dolezel has thrown 5 INTs all season.) OS TT Toliver was a bright spot for the Kats, catching 4 for 129 yards and 2 TDs. WR Alonzo Nix came out of the woodwork with 5 catches for 94 yards and 2 TDs. One week after posting great stats, both FB Dan Alexander and WR Corey Fleming didn't play a single down for the mysterious Kats.
CHICAGO AT ORLANDO
Orlando's defense had seven stops in this game, wrecking havoc on the Chicago offense. Orlando let up 7 points in the entire second half and dominated the Rush. QB Joe Hamilton had a wonderful game, throwing for only 177 yards, but with 5 TDs to five different receivers. Hamilton also ran for 40 yards and 2 TDs, 22 of those coming on a nifty spinning run right before the half that stuck a dagger in Chicago's heart. With Hamilton spreading it around so well, no one receiver stood out, but WR Javarus Dudley (6 for 65, 1 TD) and OS Jimmy Fryzel (5 for 70, 1 TD) came closest. FB Marlon Moye-Moore had his second consecutive good game, with 23 yards rushing, a TD and 3 tackles. Of note is that DS Khalil Carter caught a TD pass again, got a running play and collected 3 tackles.
Chicago QB Matt D'Orazio had a horrible game, passing for 143 yards and 1 TD before getting pulled in the 4th quarter. WR Dennison Robinson did catch 2 TDs, but had only 23 yards. OS CJ Johnson did throw another TD pass, but ended up with only 6 catches for 62 yards and no TDs. WR Etu Molden returned from yet another injury and caught 5 balls for 65 yards. All in all, a disappointing effort for the Rush. And don't be fooled by Molden. Give him another game before deciding whether he gets a starting spot in your lineup again (and yes I mean you, Dave!)
LOS ANGELES AT LAS VEGAS
QB Jason Fife recovered his potential Rookie of the Year form in this game, throwing for 261 yards with 5 TDs, and running for 31 yards and 2 TDs as the cherry on the sundae. OS Marcus Nash has a relatively quiet night, with 7 catches for 71 yards and no TDs. WR Joe Douglas (2 for 27) and WR Aleric Clark (2 for 68) both made the most of their receptions with 2 TDs each, while WR Coco Blalock pitched in with 7 catches for 85 yards and a TD.
Avengers QB Sonny Cumbie didn't do so badly himself, connecting for 6 TDs and 261 yards. But he was sacked four times and rushed into bad throws often, completing only 18 of 37 attempts. WR Kevin Ingram had his normal outstanding game, catching 6 balls for 55 yards and 2 TDs. Ingram also returned an errant Fife throw 36 yards for a defensive score. OS Tony Locke also came up with big stats for the Avengers, with 5 catches for 101 yards and 2 TDs. WR Greg Hopkins (3 for 68, 1 TD) just didn't play that big of a role in this one.
ARIZONA AT SAN JOSE
Arizona's defense had been playing well until it ran into the Sabercats. Before the Rattlers knew what hit them they were down 13-0, with WR James Roe (10 for 111, 4 TDs) and OS Ben Nelson (11 for 203, 5 TDs) setting a tone that would last all game. It's time for people to take Nelson very seriously, as he's accounted for 745 yards and 13 TDs in five games and scored an amazing 56 fantasy points in this one, following up weeks with 37, 39 and 37. Maybe he'll even make the Studs list this week. QB Mark Grieb is loving all those offensive weapons, and finished this game with 361 yards and 9 TDs. The Sabercats needed little else against the Rattlers.
Arizona QB Sherdrick Bonner tried his best but just couldn't keep up with San Jose's scoring machine. Bonner finished with 347 yards and 6 TDs, sneaking in a running TD as well. OS Curtis Fagan had extraordinary stats, with 11 catches for 187 yards and 3 TDs. WR Randy Gatewood was the closest relevant receiver to Fagan, with 2 catches for 49 yards and a pair of TDs. It was just that kinda night for the Rattlers and that 13-point hole sealed their fate.
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