From studs to duds, sleepers and more, NFL.com breaks down the biggest fantasy stories of the week.
1. Tom Brady reverts to his 2007 form vs. the Titans. Brady proved that he still has some of that old 2007 magic left in a week that saw a number of quarterback put up huge fantasy numbers. Brady threw for 380 yards and an amazing six touchdowns in a 59-0 blowout win over the Titans despite snowy and slick conditions at Gillette Stadium. All the scoring came in less than three quarters (Brady was pulled in the third quarter) with five scores in the second quarter alone. Brady went from being on pace to throw for 4,301 yards with 22 total touchdowns for the full season to now having a pace of 4,597 yards and 32 total touchdowns.
It was no shock that both Randy Moss (eight receptions, 129 yards, three touchdowns) and Wes Welker (10 receptions, 150 yards, two touchdowns) also had monster stat lines with Brady clicking. Even the Patriots ground attack got into the mix, as Laurence Maroney had 123 yards and one touchdown. Maroney will be a hot name on the fantasy waiver wire this week with Fred Taylor already injured and Sammy Morris going down against the Titans. Fantasy owners should get more great numbers from Brady, Moss and crew against the Buccaneers at London's Wembley Stadium in Week 7.
2. Two small running backs record huge stat lines. There's an old adage that says "good things come in small packages." That was certainly the case for fantasy owners who had Maurice Jones-Drew and Ray Rice in Week 6. Jones-Drew (5-foot-7) exploded for five receptions, 178 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns in a win over St. Louis. He carried the ball 33 times and has proven to be worth his top-three fantasy draft status and continues to thrive as one of the few featured runners left in the league this season.
Not to be outdone, Rice (5-foot-8) once again showed that he has turned Baltimore's three-headed backfield monster into a one-man show. The Rutgers product led the team in receptions, rushing yards and receiving yards and scored two touchdowns. What made these numbers even more impressive are that they came against the tough Vikings defense which hadn't allowed a rushing score in its previous five games. Rice has clearly gained featured-back status in the Ravens offense, as Willis McGahee and Le'Ron McClain have seen far fewer opportunities in the last two weeks. He's become a must-start option in all fantasy football leagues, especially if you're getting points for catches.
3. The Texans offense is a fantasy owner's dream. You didn't have to be some sort of fantasy genius to know that the Texans had a number of players with a ton of statistical potential. Now that potential is turning into a boatload of production, not to mention a lot of wins for fantasy owners. Matt Schaub had another huge stat line in Week 6, throwing for 392 yards and four touchdowns in a 28-17 win over the Bengals. Schaub, a preseason breakout candidate on NFL.com, is now on pace to finish the season with 4,827 passing yards and 37 touchdowns. He's also the current points leader among all fantasy players and has become close to a must-start across the board. All of this success has also meant great numbers from Andre Johnson, who leads all wide receivers in fantasy points. Oh, and let's not forget about Owen Daniels. The veteran tight end posted seven catches for 78 yards and scored twice in Week 6. That performance has helped him -- you guessed it -- lead all tight ends in fantasy points on NFL.com.
The Texans have the highest-scoring quarterback, wide receiver and tight end in fantasy football after six weeks. Steve Slaton is starting to show off the skills that made him a first-round pick in all drafts after a slow start. While his rushing totals (19 carries, 43 yards) against the Bengals weren't impressive, his impact as a receiver (six receptions, 102 yards, one touchdown) more than made up for it. Slaton is now on pace for 61 catches, 1,482 scrimmage yards and eight total touchdowns.
4. Drew Brees shows why he's a must-start player. During the course of my Sunday morning chat, I had more than a few questions about whether or not to start Brees. There was some concern, after all, because he hadn't thrown a touchdown pass in his last two games. Brees was also facing the Giants, who entered the week with one of the league's best defenses (or so we thought). Well, 369 passing yards and four touchdowns later, we learned another lesson about why fantasy owners need to stick with their studs even when the matchup doesn't look so good on paper. Brees, who completed 77 percent of his passes, finished second only to Brady in fantasy points for the week. Brees' success was also good news for Marques Colston, who posted eight receptions, 166 yards and one touchdown in the 48-27 win.
Another lesson that fantasy owners learned from this contest is that the G-Men might be a little overrated on defense. Remember, they've faced some pretty poor offensive teams this season, a list that includes the Redskins, Buccaneers, Chiefs and Raiders. The one team they face with some offensive firepower before Week 6, the Dallas Cowboys, rushed for 251 yards and scored 31 points against them. The Giants allowed 493 yards and seven touchdowns against Brees and the Saints. Kurt Warner and the Cardinals are next on the schedule. You might want to sit the Giants defense unless the weather becomes a major factor.
5. The Steelers are a run-first offense no more. Remember the time when the Steelers were all about running the ball and stout defense? Well, those days are over. The 2009 Steelers are now built around the right arm of Ben Roethlisberger, who has bounced back from a mediocre 2008 season to once again emerge as a fantasy superstar. Big Ben is now on pace to throw for an incredible 5,032 yards with 32 total touchdowns after throwing for 417 yards and two touchdowns against the Browns. Roethlisberger's success has also meant a resurrection in the value of Hines Ward, who is currently fifth in fantasy points among wide receivers on NFL.com. Not bad for a player who's average draft position (ADP) was 73.28. Ward has also become a more valuable option than Santonio Holmes, who is on pace for his first 1,000-yard season but has scored just one touchdowns thus far. Fantasy leaguers are also getting major production from Heath Miller, who has found the end zone four times and is a top-five fantasy tight end after the first six weeks.
While the success in the pass attack is evident, the Steelers haven't abandoned the running game altogether. However, it looks a little different than it has in previous years. Willie Parker is no longer atop the depth chart -- he's been replaced by Rashard Mendenhall. Even with Fast Willie back in the mix, Mendenhall remained the starter for coach Mike Tomlin. He led the team in carries (17) and rushed the ball 10 more times than Parker. Mendenhall is also the goal-line option, which was evident on his 2-yard run for a score in the third quarter. Owners who drafted Mendenhall as a handcuff for Parker can now just switch those roles, because Fast Willie is clearly second in the order.
News and notes
» When you think of the Vikings in fantasy terms, the first name that comes to mind is RB Adrian Peterson. But QB Brett Favre is also putting up great numbers this season. In fact, he's on pace to throw for 32 touchdowns based on his current numbers. So much for being a game manager. He's also increased the value of WR Sidney Rice, who leads all Vikings wideouts in fantasy points after six weeks of action. It's worth checking to see if he's a free agent in your league this week.
» Speaking of the Vikings, fantasy owners got a serious scare when Peterson had his ankle rolled over at the end of a run. The replay looked bad, but Peterson was able to return to the game a short time after and told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that the ankle "is feeling real good" after the contest. While Peterson seems to have avoided a serious ailment, this sort of event highlights the importance of handcuffing him with RB Chester Taylor for the rest of the season.
» With Saints RB Mike Bell back in the mix, it's pretty evident that a backfield committee now exists in New Orleans. Bell and RB Pierre Thomas both saw 15 carries in a win over the Giants, but Bell saw most of the ever-important touches near the goal lines. That hurts the stock of Thomas, who remains a No. 2 fantasy back but could be hard pressed to find the end zone on a consistent basis. RB Reggie Bush remains in the equation, but he's become far less of an option in non-PPR formats.
» Panthers WR Steve Smith didn't score a single fantasy point in Week 6 and is now on pace for a mere 828 yards on the season. Smith, who hasn't scored a touchdown in the first five games, is being hurt by the decline of QB Jake Delhomme. The veteran has an awful 56.8 passer rating with four touchdowns (all to tight ends) and 12 turnovers. With a schedule that gets tougher as the season wears on, now might be the time to deal Smith (based on name value) before his stock falls further.
» The Panthers haven't had much luck with their pass attack this season, but the running game woke up against the Buccaneers. RB DeAngelo Williams showed glimpses of his 2008 form with 152 yards and two touchdowns in a 28-21 win. Not to be outdone, RB Jonathan Stewart posted 110 yards on the ground and a touchdown of his own. Fantasy owners shouldn't be shocked to see this sort of production again in Week 7, as the Panthers host the Buffalo Bills and their league-worst run defense.
» Redskins RB Clinton Portis might have rushed for 109 yards against the Chiefs, but most of it came on a career-best 78-yard run in the third quarter. Take that run off his stat line, and Portis would have had 14 carries for 31 yards (2.2 YPC) against a Chiefs defense that ranked near the bottom of the league against the run. Considering his mediocre numbers against weak defenses like the Rams, Lions, Buccaneers, Panthers and now the Chiefs, and it's obvious Portis is on the decline.
» The East Valley Tribune is reporting that Cardinals WR Anquan Boldin suffered a high ankle sprain against the Seahawks, though that hasn't been confirmed by the team. Coach Ken Whisenhunt said that X-rays showed that the ankle wasn't broken and that Boldin came out early so he could be ready for the Giants in Week 7. But fantasy owners need to monitor his status. In a worst-case scenario where Boldin would miss time, WR Steve Breaston would become a solid fantasy starter and WR Jerheme Urban would be worth a look off the waiver wire in larger leagues.
» Jets RB Thomas Jones was a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing weekend for his team. The veteran had 21 carries for 208 yards and scored one touchdown in the 16-13 overtime loss. He showed great burst and explosion for a back off his age and is now on pace to finish the season with 16 touchdowns. He's a strong No. 2 fantasy back next week against the Raiders, and his schedule down the stretch makes him someone to target in a trade if you need a runner down the stretch.
Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on NFL.com. Have a burning question for Michael on anything fantasy football related? Leave it in our comments section or send it to **AskFabiano@nfl.com**!
