3M Report: Week Ten

Brian Bulmer

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Welcome to this week’s edition of the “3M Report” – a weekly look back at the mayhem, magic and mishaps from around the NFL, focusing on situations and players that caught my eye or made me scratch my head in either awe or disbelief. So let’s take a look at week number ten of the NFL season.

Things are getting exciting, as we are just a few weeks away from the fantasy football playoffs in many formats. Week ten is here and there are players who are surprising, while others continue to disappoint. At this point in the season it is most important to identify players who are surging and also avoid the injury bug. Charcandrick West appears to be a player who is surging. The game flow was definitely in his favor against the Denver Broncos. Jeremy Langford is also showing the Bears fans, as well as fantasy owners, what the future may look like in the Chicago backfield. Matt Jones put on a great performance this week as well for the Redskins. All three backs have shown great versatility and as a result, their price in dynasty is likely to see a spike after this week.

The Bills started off the week getting a victory for Rex Ryan against his old team in the Meadowlands. Rex had named IK Enemkpali (former Jet that broke Geno Smith’s jaw) a captain for the game. This game was a bland Thursday night game dominated by both defenses and the running game. Fitzpatrick took three quarters to get going but was able to connect with Eric Decker and Brandon Marshall late. No Fitzmagic on this night as the Bills went home victors.

I am not sure which is more exciting: a roller coaster, or the Lions and Packers on Sunday. The hills and valleys for both fan bases had to be exciting yet gut wrenching. Aaron Rodgers was off for most of the day, having trouble connecting with many of his wide receivers. Davante Adams was targeted 21 times, but only caught ten passes for 78 yards. Rodgers missed Adams on a two-point conversion that would have tied the game. The ensuing onside kick was fumbled by the sure handed Calvin Johnson,and the Packers were able to get into field goal range. In what looked like a tipped field goal attempt by Mason Crosby, he kicked one of the worst shanked field goals of all time. It was a tough loss for the Packers, but the silver lining is that they did see emotion from the robotic head coach of the Lions.

The Ravens continue to struggle, and literally gave the game away on Sunday. Elvis Dumervil was flagged for a facemask penalty with no time on the clock. The result was a 15 yard penalty putting the Jags in field goal range. Jason Myers connected on a 52 yard attempt with no time left and the Jaguars came away with the win. Allen Hurns set a franchise record for seven straight games with touchdown catch. It appears the Jaguars have a nice duo of wide receivers and with Julius Thomas in the mix they should only continue to get better. The Jaguars are tied for the lead in the AFC south.

Ben Roethlisberger was active on Sunday as an emergency quarterback. The emergency came on the first drive when Landry Jones left the game. Insert Roethlisberger, who would finish with 379 passing yards and three touchdowns. Martavis Bryant and Antonio Brown combined for 16 catches, 317 yards, and all three of those scores. Johnny Manziel had a career day passing for 372 yards and a touchdown. He did his best to keep the Browns in the game, but they were overmatched by a superior Steelers team.

The Cowboys lost to the Tampa Bay Bucaneers in what could have been called the “Dry Sherman Williams Bowl”. When looking at the silver lining the Cowboys get Tony Romo back after a seven game losing streak and only three games back from first place in the division.

Cam Newton has to be a front runner for MVP. He has led a team to a 9-0 record with their best wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin on IR for the season. Newton is leading the NFL in rushing yards for a quarterback one year after ankle surgery that limited his mobility during the 2014 campaign. It is a tight race between Newton and Andy Dalton. Currently I lean toward Newton who appears to have fewer weapons on offense.

The Vikings are leading the NFC North. Mike Zimmer has been one of my favorite coaches in the NFL, primarily because of his ability to get the most out of his players. It takes very little to motivate the Vikings best player Adrian Peterson, who scampered for over 200 rushing yards and a touchdown on Sunday. Minnesota hosts the Packers in week 11, which should be a fantastic showdown for NFC North supremacy.

You like that”. Kirk Cousins had a perfect 153.8 passer rating. He finished 20/25 for 324 yards and four touchdowns, making the Saints defense his female dog. Cousins led the Redskins to a 47-14 rout of the Saints and one game back in the NFC East. Jamison Crowder continues to show flashes of great football. He could be a staple in the Redskins passing game for years to come.

What an unbelievable touchdown for Jarvis Landry in the fourth quarter that led to the Dolphins victory over the Eagles. In his second game being active, Jay Ajayi had six carries for 48 yards and appears to be a nice change of pace to Lamar Miller. The Eagles lost Sam Bradford to injury in what appeared to be a shoulder injury, and he was also diagnosed with a concussion.

Talk about a bittersweet day. Peyton Manning breaks the NFL mark for most passing yards in the history of the NFL. He then appears to be annoyed that the game is stopped to congratulate him on the new record. He then proceeds to throw four interceptions, and is replaced by Brock Osweiler. In the post-game Kubiak mentions that Manning was injured and should have been held out of the game. For dynasty owners, Osweiler looked sharp under center but the game was well out of hand prior to him entering it.

The New York Giants appeared to be Tom Brady’s kryptonite up until the last snap of the game. The Patriots are 9-0 and may have lost Julian Edelman for the season in what is being called a broken foot (Jones fracture) from early reports.

It used to be the Niners and the Seahawks in the NFC West prior to the arrival of Bruce Arians and Carson Palmer. Now it appears the Cardinals have the most complete team, with a healthy Palmer and the renaissance of Larry Fitzgerald and Chris Johnson. The receiving weapons, a solid running game, and an opportunistic defense are going to make the Cardinals a tough team to beat later in the season.

Seattle is so gritty. I love the way they play with heart starting with the quarterback. Russell Wilson is incredibly savvy and utilizes his weapons with a very cerebral approach to the game. I really like what I see from the young running back Thomas Rawls. He has solid burst and gets downhill behind his pads.

That does it for week ten. Let’s hope for more magic, mishaps and mayhem in week eleven. Hope your week was filled with maximum production and minimal losses. Good luck in the coming week.

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