Fantasy Rewind for Week 8
UTAH AT GRAND RAPIDS
I'm just going to say three words... WR Josh Bush. Bush only caught 3 passes for only 36 yards, but all three ended up in the end zone. Add in his 7 tackles and INT on the defensive side and Bush ended up with a wonderful 38-point fantasy day. QB Chad Salisbury had a fine day, with 231 yards and 6 TDs. OS Anthony Hines (7 for 65, 1 TD, 1 Rushing TD) and WR Timon Marshall (5 for 74, 1 TD) both had nice days for the Rampage, although more was expected from them against Utah's weak defense.
Utah QB Jason Gesser surprised, with 293 yards and 6 TDs. He also disappointed with 5 INTs, negating what would have been a very good fantasy day. Once Gesser settles in, he'll be nice insurance for Joe Germaine owners in the potent Utah offense. OS Siaha Burley had a decent day, with 7 catches for 94 yards and 2 TDs, and even made a tackle. WR Tom Pace (7 for 87, 1 TD) and WR Oshawante Bryant (4 for 52, 1 TD) both pitched in but neither thrilled.
CHICAGO AT NASHVILLE
QB Leon Murray only passed for 189 yards, but his 4 TDs were enough to lead the Kats to victory. OS TT Toliver led the Nashville receivers again, finishing with 7 catches for 97 yards and 2 TDs. WR Corey Fleming showed some verve, catching 6 passes but for only 36 yards. The real story for the Kats was 3 rushing TDs, two by FB Rupert Grant (10 yards) and one by FB Dan Alexander (36 yards). Alexander looked back from his undisclosed injury and could be a key player down the stretch.
Chicago made the gutsy call, going for 2-pts and the win with 28 seconds left in the game but the pass attempt failed, and the overtime stats may have helped the Rush players. QB Matt D'Orazio had a so-so game, putting up NFL-like stats of 226 yards and 2 TDs, although he did run two in, as well. FB Bob McMillen did re-set the AFL rushing record, but ended up with only 4 yards and a TD. WR Etu Molden (5 for 55, 1 TD), WR Cornelius White (7 for 71, 1 TD) and OS CJ Johnson (8 for 74, 0 TD) all had mediocre fantasy days. K Dan Frantz recoved from his 3-pt week to hit all 5 of his extra point attempts and 2 of 4 FGs.
GEORGIA AT SAN JOSE
The Sabercats completely forgot about WR James Roe for a half, with QB Mark Grieb (337 yards, 4 TDs) being focused in on OS Ben Nelson (13 catches for 165 yards, 2 TDs) who arguably was open all day long versus the Force. Roe finished strong, with 6 catches for 62 yards, 1 TD and a 2-pt conversion, but probably disappointed most owners after four consecutive 100 yard games. Anyone smart enough to play FB Phil Glover must feel like a sweepstakes winner after Glover rumbled for 16 yards and 3 TDs. Expect more of that from Glover, as the Sabercats are one of the better running teams historically. DS Clevan Thomas had a nice day with 8 solo tackles and the immortal WR Barry Wagner shook off his age with 6 catches for 56 yards, 1 TD and 3 tackles. The Sabercats offense is clicking.
The Force traveled cross-country yet looked none the worse for wear. QB Matt Nagy continued his fine play on the road, finishing with 324 yards and 7 TDs. WR Derek Lee was the beneficiary of most of Nagy's attention as he dominated his matchup with the undersized San Jose defensive backfield. Lee collected 11 catches for 192 yards and 5 TDs, an amazing 58 fantasy points. OS Chris Jackson shined as well in the losing cause (7 for 97, 2 TDs) while WR Jamin Elliot was odd man out, with only 3 catches for 27 yards. DS Chris Brown had 13 tackles (8 solo) and is one of the most consistent defensive scorers in the league, while the N-Cog, DS Nate Coggins, finished with 12 (7 solo).
ARIZONA AT LAS VEGAS
QB Jason Fife's bandwagon got a flat tire against the Rattlers, who held the rookie to 227 yards and 3 TDs. Fife threw 3 INTs and although he did scramble for 17 yards, he was frustrated all day by the Arizona D, throwing 21 incompletions to go with his 25 completions. OS Marcus Nash did what he could, with 10 catches for 101 yards and 3 TDs, but still the Gladiators were shocked by the Rattlers. WR Joe Douglass caught 6 balls for 55 yards, ran one in and scored a 2-pointer.
Arizona OS Darrell Jones shredded the Vegas D, finishing with 8 catches for 144 yards and 3 TDs. Jones returned 2 kicks for TDs last week and should continue to make a huge impact until Damien Groce returns from injury. QB Sherdrick Bonner calmly picked apart the Gladitors, finishing with 283 yards and 5 TDs. Bonner seems to be getting more comfortable with this Rattlers team, and the wiley veteran would be a valuable asset to any fantasy squad. WR Randy Gatewood only had 1 catch for 20 yards, but did collect 6 tackles and an INT.
PHILADELPHIA AT COLUMBUS
The Columbus defense dominated this game, coming up with 4 INTs and 2 sacks while holding the Soul to 20 points (7 second half points). DS Jerald Brown picked off 2 passes, returning one for a TD. On the offensive side, QB John Kaleo has steadily regained his form, completing 27 of 36 for 307 yards with 5 TDs. Kaleo connected to 8 different receivers, with WR David Saunders (7 for 100, 2 TDs) leading the way. OS Carl Bond (5 for 60, 2 TDs) and WR Thabiti Davis (5 for 70, 1 TD) also had nice receiving stats, while new WR Marcus Knight (2 for 15, 0 TDs) didn't do much as he works himself into the offense.
Philadelphia seems like the most talent-laden team in the AFL, but they continue to flip-flop between competent and incompetent. The 20-point effort versus Columbus marked an all-time low for the franchise and the 4th quarter featured 2 fumbles, an INT and a safety. QB Tony Graziani completed 16 of 31 passes for 225 yards, with 2 TDs and 2 INTS. WR Mike Brown (9 for 117, 1 TD, 6 tackles) was the lone silver lining, with OS JJ McKelvey (5 for 97, 1 TD) not completely disappointing. WR Sean Scott is floundering hugely (2 for 11, 0 TDs, 4 tackles) and juggled a catch that was returned for an INT TD. Steer clear of the Soul until they solve their woes.
NEW YORK AT TAMPA BAY
QB Shane Stafford put to bed concerns about his injured ribs, completing 29 of 38 passes for 258 yards and 6 TDs. WR Lawrence Samuels ended his slump, with 8 catches for 77 yards and a TD, adding 2 tackles on the defensive side. But the real star was WR Lynarise Elpheage, who scored 3 times on 8 for 72, adding 3 tackles as well. OS Freddie Solomon returned from injury (in spite of reports that he was sitting this one out) and caught 6 balls for 51 yards with a TD, and ran one in as well. WR Bobby Sippio had a quiet day (3 for 22, 1 TD) but did add a score on the ground. DS Jonathan Ordway led all tacklers with 7 solo stops. K Bill Gramatica looks like a very good kicker lately, hitting 6 of 7 extra points and two FGs (30 and 39 yards).
QB Nick Browder had a very good day for the Dragons, with 293 yards and 6 TDs. Browder worked well again with WR Mike Horacek, who was on the receiving end of 9 passes for 103 yards and 2 TDs, while pitching in with 2 tackles. OS Kevin Swayne (5 for 54, 1 TD), WR Maurice Brown (4 for 67, 2 TDs, 3 tackles) and DS Deshane Dennis (4 for 61, 1 TD, 3 tackles) had good days, but none would have carried your team to victory. WR Will Holder had 10 solo tackles and gave room to allow Dennis some playing time on the offensive side.
KANSAS CITY AT AUSTIN
Austin was the latest team to call off the dogs versus the Brigade, running the ball 16 times and scoring 6 ground TDs. The Wranglers put 64 points on the scoreboard, with OS Derrick Lewis (7 for 76, 3 TDs) doing most of the air damage. Lewis caught all three of QB John Fitzgerald's TD passes, and Fitz finished with modest statistics (25 for 35, 249 yards) but did score two rushing TDs to bolster his fantasy day. WR Kevin Nickerson had a good all-around day, with 8 catches for 58 yards, 1 rushing TD and 3 tackles. FB Dane Krager had a nice day with 14 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD, and 3 catches for 27 yards. DS Damon Mason picked off two errant throws and finished with 3 tackles.
Kansas City showed a little bit of life after sitting QB Andy Kelly for QB Chris Sanders. Sanders had more incompletions (20) than completions (16), but did pass for 229 yards with 3 TDs and 2 INTs. Sanders rushed for 24 yards and a TD to save his day. WR James Jordan (5 for 101, 2 TDs, 3 tackles) was the only peak performer, with OS Steve Smith (5 for 67, 0 TDs) and OS Jerel Myers (5 for 59, 0 TDs, 2 tackles) splitting time in this low-intensity offense. DS Chris Pointer had 8 solo tackles on defense.
DALLAS AT ORLANDO
If I was a passing record, I'd want to belong to QB Clint Dolezel. Dolezel tied the record for most passing TDs in a game, and could have easily broken the record near the end of the pullaway win over Orlando if he hadn't shown some class and called for running plays. As it is, Dolezel finished with 11 TDs in 24 completions, and only mis-fired on 6 passes all game long. His 353 yards came on several long plays, as both teams opened up the offenses, continually connecting for long completions in what was a shredding of two fine defenses. OS Terrill Shaw was targeted the most by Dolezel and finished with a stunning stat line of 10 catches for 123 yards and 6 TDs. WR Will Pettis, the best two way player in the league, finished with 7 for 139 yards and 3 TDs of his own, along with a tackle and an INT. It was definitely a bad day to be a defender, but DS Hamin Milligan (6 tackles, 1 INT) and DS Jermaine Jones (8 tackles) still came through with nice contributions. K Carlos Martinez was just stunning, connecting on all 12 of his extra point attempts and a 57-yard FG to end the first half.
Orlando opened up with a long completion, wanting to test the Dallas defense. They won that battle and a few more throughout this game. Dallas just won more battles at the end. Much maligned QB Joe Hamilton matched Dolezel stride for stride until late in the game, finishing with 26 completions in 36 attempts, 367 yards and 7 TDs. That first long bomb went to WR Javarus Dudley, who finished with 10 catches for 179 yards and 3 TDs. Dudley should be a solid contributer the rest of the season as Orlando's young receivers become more familiar with the indoor game. WR Jerrian James is one of the most energetic players you'll see, and along with his 3 tackles and fumble recover on defense, finished with 7 catches for 101 yards and 2 TDs. FB Idris Price had a modest day rushing, with 2 yards and 1 TD, but tallied a catch and 6 solo tackles for a well-rounded fantasy outing.
COLORADO AT LOS ANGELES
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