This week was another microcosm of the 2007 fantasy football season. Quarterback was the dominant position overall, as a total of six signal-callers earned a spot in our top 10 performances, but running backs continued to frustrate owners. In fact, six of the 10 worst stat lines on our list came out of the backfield, and three of them were taken in the first round of most drafts. Wide receivers also made some noise, as a total of 12 wideouts recorded 100-plus yards. What's more, 34 receivers found the end zone at least one time.
So without further adieu, let's take a look at the best and worst performances from Week 11.
Best performances
1. Tom Brady, QB, New England (44 points): It has reached the point where it's not even fair if you have Brady. The superstar out of Michigan threw for 373 yards and five touchdowns in a 56-10 blowout win over Buffalo. With this ridiculous performance, Brady is now on pace to score 64 total touchdowns. He's also on pace to break Peyton Manning's single-season record for touchdown passes in Week 14. These are the sort of numbers we'll tell our grandchildren about, because totals so immense will never be duplicated.
2. Terrell Owens, WR, Dallas (41 points): How hot is T.O.? Well, he recorded eight catches for 173 yards and a career-high four touchdowns in a 28-23 win over Washington. Owens has found the end zone eight times in his past three starts. Sunday's performance put him over 1,000 yards for the seventh time in his career, and he's on pace to finish with close to 20 touchdowns. He's a must-start on Thanksgiving Day against the New York Jets.
3. Randy Moss, WR, New England (36 points): Brady had a monster stat line, so it's no shock that Moss is also on our list of top performers. The veteran wideout had 10 catches for 128 yards and scored four touchdowns, all in the first half, as he continued his own assault on the record books. With his four visits to the end zone, Moss now has 16 on the season and is on pace for close to 26 touchdowns. That would shatter Jerry Rice's single-season record of 22 touchdowns, set back in 1987.
4. Chester Taylor, RB, Minnesota (35 points): Not to take away from the skills and abilities of rookie phenom Adrian Peterson, but football is a team game. The Vikes proved that in Week 11, as their offensive line opened holes and created opportunities for Taylor all afternoon. The veteran rushed for 164 yards and scored three touchdowns in a 29-22 win over Oakland. He has a tougher task next in New York against the Giants, but Taylor will remain an attractive fantasy starter if Peterson is forced to miss another contest.
5. Tony Romo, QB, Dallas (33 points): If Owens had a monster week, then Romo, too, had to make some noise in the box score. That was the case against Washington, as he had 293 yards and four touchdowns in an important NFC East clash. Romo is now on pace to throw for an incredible 4,500-plus yards and record 46 total touchdowns, and he's the main reason countless owners are in the hunt for a league championship. Outside of Tom Brady, Romo has to be considered the top quarterback in the world of fantasy football.
6. Brett Favre, QB, Green Bay (26 points): There might not have been a better draft value this season than Favre, who was no more than a middle- to late-round selection in most cases. He has rewarded those owners who took a "chance" on him. Sunday, he posted a 218-yard, three-touchdown performance in a 31-17 win over Carolina. The future Hall-of-Fame quarterback has now thrown for a combined 1,260 yards and multiple scores in his past four starts, and his success should continue on Thursday against a vulnerable Detroit pass defense.
T-7. Matt Hasselbeck, QB, Seattle (23 points): Hasselbeck had an unfavorable matchup against a Chicago defense that had held him to one touchdown pass in two career meetings, but that didn't matter much in Week 11. The consistent veteran threw for 337 yards and two touchdowns in a 30-23 win over the Bears, and he now has thrown for at least two scores in each of his past five starts and in six of his past seven. Hasselbeck's statistical success should continue in Week 12, when he heads to St. Louis to face the Rams.
T-7. Matt Schaub, QB, Houston (23 points): A short stint on the sidelines due to various injuries didn't seem to affect Schaub, who returned to throw for 293 yards and two touchdowns in a 23-10 win over New Orleans. His scores came on a 73-yard pass to Andre Johnson, who also returned from an extended absence, and a 10-yard pass to Joel Dreessen. With some really nice matchups down the stretch, one of which is a Week 12 visit to Cleveland, Schaub could become a valuable starter for fantasy owners in all formats.
9. Jason Campbell, QB, Washington (22 points): Romo and Owens made most of the fantasy headlines in Big D this weekend, but it's hard not to be impressed with Campbell. He completed 33 of 54 passes for 348 yards and two touchdowns passes in the loss. His scores came on connections of 19 and 5 yards, the first to Chris Cooley and the second to Santana Moss. Despite this extremely solid stat line, Campbell will be a far less attractive option for fantasy owners in Week 12 against an underrated Tampa Bay defense.
10. LaDainian Tomlinson, RB, San Diego (21 points): While it's true that Tomlinson hasn't been even close to as productive as he was last season, he's still been one of the top runners in fantasy football. He recorded 155 all-purpose yards and scored a touchdown in a 24-17 loss to Jacksonville, and he's found the end zone at least once in each of his past three starts. Tomlinson, who has also scored a combined seven touchdowns in his past five contests, should remain active in Week 12 despite a matchup against Baltimore.
WORST PERFORMANCES
1. Donovan McNabb, QB, Philadelphia (minus-1 point):Fantasy owners who started McNabb have to be frustrated. One week after a four-touchdown performance in Washington, McNabb threw for 34 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions in a win over Miami. What's worse, the veteran injured his ankle and missed a large portion of the game. McNabb, who also injured his thumb in the first half, will remain the Eagles' starter in Week 12 if he's able, but he has a terrible matchup against New England and is a real risk.
2. Rudi Johnson, RB, Cincinnati (2 points): I'm not sure if Johnson needs a pep talk from Sean Astin, who starred as Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger on the movie screen, but the veteran runner is in a serious rut. He rushed for 25 yards on eight carries in a loss to Arizona and once again lost carries to the more versatile Kenny Watson. It's hard to know which back will see more carries each week, but one thing is certain. Johnson's value in the world of fantasy football has taken a notable and enormous turn for the worse.
T-3. Kevin Jones, RB, Detroit (3 points): Whether or not his surgically-repaired foot is sore is uncertain, but Jones has been largely unproductive in recent weeks. He recorded a mere 37 all-purpose yards in a loss to the New York Giants and has a combined 69 all-purpose yards in his past two starts. The versatile back remains a viable fantasy option in leagues that reward points for receptions, but Jones has to be considered a real risk in standard formats on Thanksgiving against an underrated Green Bay defense.
T-3. Clinton Portis, RB, Washington (3 points): Portis had been on fire with a combined 333 rushing yards and one touchdown in his past two starts, but a visit to Dallas was all it took to make him crash back to earth. The veteran rushed for 36 yards, his worst total in three weeks, and failed to find the end zone in a loss to the Pokes. He could be in for another porous stat line next week in Tampa Bay, but Portis remains an attractive No. 2 fantasy back in most formats, despite the difficult matchup.
T-5. Peyton Manning, QB, Indianapolis (4 points): With all the talk about Brady and Romo, Manning has become lost in the mix among quarterbacks in fantasy circles. He's still on pace for 4,000-plus yards and 30-plus total touchdowns, but the Super Bowl XLI MVP hurt a lot of owners this week with a 163-yard, no-touchdown performance in a win over Kansas City. It was the first time Manning has been held without a touchdown pass since December 2006, but he'll bounce back on Thursday night against an atrocious Atlanta defense.
T-5. Plaxico Burress, WR, N.Y. Giants (4 points): Burress started the season with at least one touchdown in each of his first six starts, but he now has failed to find the end zone in his past four contests. Even against a porous Detroit pass defense, the veteran out of Michigan State still mustered a mere four catches for 47 yards in a 16-10 win. It's difficult to reserve such a talented and athletic wideout, but it seems very clear that Burress is struggling with what has become a painful and stubborn ankle ailment.
T-7. Priest Holmes, RB, Kansas City (5 points): Holmes appeared to be on pace to record his first 100-yard rushing performance since Halloween 2004, but he did little in the second half and lost carries to rookie Kolby Smith. With word that Larry Johnson could miss the rest of the season with a broken bone in his foot, I wouldn't be shocked to see more of a backfield-committee situation down the stretch. The 33-year-old runner does have a nice matchup in Week 12 against Oakland, however, so he remains a viable flex option.
T-7. Willie Parker, RB, Pittsburgh (5 points): Parker looked like a lock to rush for 100 yards against the NFL's worst run defense, but the Jets showed some improvement in a 19-16 win. New York held him to 52 yards on 21 carries (2.5 YPC), and he failed to find the end zone for the seventh time in his past eight starts. Parker is still on pace to record solid rushing totals, but he has been a disappointment due to his lack of touchdowns. Still, he should remain active in Week 12 against a porous Miami run defense.
T-9. Frank Gore, RB, San Francisco (6 points): It's apparent that Gore's sore ankle remains a serious issue, as he limped on and off the field at times and finished with a mere 63 all-purpose yards in a 13-9 loss to St. Louis. Gore averaged a miniscule 2.1 yards on his 15 carries, and he failed to find the end zone for the seventh consecutive game. He has gone from fantasy hero to fantasy zero in less than one season, and he's a risk-reward (more risk) No. 2 fantasy back in Week 12 against a tough Arizona run defense.
T-9. Chad Johnson, WR, Cincinnati (6 points): Johnson has had almost the exact opposite season to what he did in 2006, when he started the season slow and finished on fire. He was an unstoppable force in his first six starts, but his past four performances have been far short of brilliant. Ocho Cinco recorded a modest 86 yards in a loss to the Cardinals, but he lost a fumble and finished with another weak stat line. It's hard to reserve a wideout of his caliber, but Johnson has really killed owners in recent weeks.
