Week Four in Review

Another week is in the books here in the VUFSA. Two contests were decided by fewer than four points. Ed and Welty remain winless, while a record-setting performance by Aaron Rodgers decided a battle of unbeatens, and Viano didn't have a player score more than 13.50 points, but it was enough to knock Tomke from the ranks of the unbeaten. And Baron will probably be sending Rotoworld some very mean and spiteful e-mails. On with the show.

Let My Monkeys Go 114.25-Who is Ron Mexico 112.50
What Happened: Viano didn't have a player score more than 13.50 points, but he had eight(!) guys record double-digit point totals (including his kicker and a defender). Did you know Viano has been involved in the two closest games this season (week one loss to Eli by 1.50)? I bet you didn't. Anyone other than Viano who says they knew that is a liar. While I'm sure Tomke rejoiced in the Lions' comeback win, he was hurt by the fact that two of Detroit's scores were from defenders (neither of whom he played). Viano's San Diego threesome (Jackson, Tolbert, and Mathews) outscored Best, McFadden, and Tate (38-19.50).
LMMG (2-2): Viano didn't have one guy with an exceptionally stellar day, but he had eight guys with really solid days. Ryan Mathews (13.50) led the way without registering a touchdown. Vincent Jackson (12.50) had 108 yards and a score. Greg Olsen (10.50) had a touchdown against his former team. Sidney Rice (10.50) had a touchdown. (Wait, does that mean Tavaris Jackson threw a touchdown pass? That can't be right, can it?) Desmond Bishop (10.75) had a sack and forced a fumble. You know you've had a good day when you get double-figures from your kicker and a defender. MVP: Mike Tolbert. With the way Mathews has performed the last few weeks, I would have thought Tolbert's value would have decreased. Norv Turner is making good use of both backs, and Tolbert (12.00) chipped in with a touchdown. LVP: Anquan Boldin. Thanks to Joe Flacco's ineptitude (which was only surpassed by Mark Sanchez), Boldin had one catch for 28 yards and 1.50 points.
WIRM (3-1): If Tomke had started Romo over Stafford (in spite of all the interceptions), he would have won. The Patriots finally decided to run, and if he had started Ridley or Green-Ellis instead of Tate, he would have won. As for the guys Tomke did start, Jimmy Graham (17.00) was awesome and Eric Decker has become Kyle Orton's favorite red zone target (two touchdowns). The Patriots kept Darren McFadden out of the end zone, and DeSean Jackson had 171 yards but no scores. MVP: Jimmy Graham. The former Miami Hurricane power forward had 10 catches for 132 yards and a touchdown. With his trade for Antonio Gates, Tomke has three of the top tight ends in the NFL (Gates, Graham, Hernandez). So he's got that going for him, which is nice. LVP: Ben Tate. Tate only managed 20 yards on the ground, and he may be looking at a diminished role, with Arian Foster looking healthy again.

Jamie Looks Hot 84.50-Waiting for Goodell 81.00
What Happened: Arian Foster finally looked like a top-three fantasy running back. That was about all that went right for Baron. He sat Frank Gore because Rotoworld told him to, and Big Ben went down with an injury. JR only had two guys score at least 10 points (Ryan and Jennings), but his team was slightly less bad than Baron's team was. This match-up had a mini "Thundering," as Reggie Wayne's four points allowed JR to overcome a 0.50-point deficit.
JLH (2-2): Matt Ryan and Greg Jennings were the only two players in JR's lineup to reach double-figures. Ryan was solid (20.00) against the Seahawks, and Greg Jennings had 1/4 of Aaron Rodgers's passing yards (14.50) and a touchdown. There's not a whole lot to say other than that. Ahmad Bradshaw had JR's only other non-quarterback touchdown. That's right, JR's team had three total touchdowns (half as many as Rodgers had) and he won. MVP: Greg Jennings. The pride of Kalamazoo Central High School (screw you, Jeter) had seven catches for 103 yards and a score. LVP: JR's three Jets. Dustin Keller, Shonn Greene, and Santonio Holmes combined for 5.50 points. If I have to pick one, I'll go with Greene. Two points from a running back isn't (usually) good enough.
WFG (1-3): I could probably sum this up with the phrase, "Baron hates Rotoworld." The nice thing about these close games is that I can play the "If he had started..." game. If Baron had started any of Gore (19.00), Julio Jones (11.50), or Josh Freeman (25.25), he would have won. On the bright side, Arian Foster (22.50) finally looked like he has shaken off his hamstring injury and is ready to start destroying defenses again. Fun Fact: Baron's team had two total touchdowns. So, Aaron Rodgers scored more touchdowns that JR and Baron's teams combined. MVP: Foster. His totals of 155 yards and a touchdown are more like what Baron had been expecting from Foster all along. LVP: Can I give this to Baron for sitting the aforementioned players? I get sitting Gore because Hunter got the start, but I think Julio Jones should be an every week starter. As it is, this goes to Rob Gronkowski. He took advantage of Aaron Hernandez's absence last week, but this week...no so much. He managed just one catch for 15 yards (0.50). Also, special notice to Ben Roethlisberger, who managed 6.00 points against the Texans and got hurt in the process.

Dexter McClusterfunk 114.75-Fruit on the Bottom 103.75
What Happened: Cam Newton (31.75) and Michael Vick (31.50) basically canceled each other out, and wide receivers accounted for the difference in this match-up. Hakeem Nicks, Dez Bryant, and Larry Fitzgerald combined for 43.00, while Mike Williams, Denarius Moore, Jeremy Maclin, and Antonio Brown combined for 23.00 for Welty. Fred Jackson continues to be awesome for the Gun, while Welty needs to find another running back, as Knowshon Moreno continues to disappoint (0.50).
DM (3-1): Newton continued to look like he was worth the top pick in the NFL Draft. This week, he threw for 374 yards and a touchdown, and he also had two rushing touchdowns and finished with the second-highest quarterback total for the week. Nicks (19.00) had 10 grabs for 162 yards and a score, while Fitzgerald (9.50) didn't get in the end zone but did have 102 receiving yards. Bryant (14.50) only had three catches, but two went for touchdowns (that was when Tony Romo was still throwing passes to his team). Jackson (15.50) had 98 total yards and a score, and that basically accounts for all of Eli's scoring. MVP: Newton. It's not that surprising that he put up the numbers he did (for he has done it three of the first four weeks), but it's that he did it against the Bears. Newton scored 18 more points than Yahoo projected him to have scored. LVP: Tim Hightower. After a breakout performance two weeks ago, Hightower (3.00) saw most of his carries go to Ryan Torain this week. Not only will this make fantasy owners hate Mike Shanahan, but it could be a problem for Eli going forward.
FOTB (0-4): Vick was essentially all of Philly's offense (416 yards passing, 75 yards rushing, two touchdowns). Steven Jackson (12.00) had 64 total yards and a touchdown, while Tony Gonzalez (11.50) and Moore (7.50) each had touchdown catches. Jared Allen (7.00) was Welty's fifth-best scorer, which probably tells you all you need to know about the state of his team this week. MVP: Vick. Just as he was all of Philly's offense, he accounted for 30 percent of Welty's total score this week. LVP: Knowshon Moreno. Maybe part of this can be accounted for by Denver's deficit and having to get away from the running game, but Moreno managed just 11 total yards (0.50). This would have been a good week to start Torain in his place (although hindsight is always 20/20).

ChamPeons 131.50-Bobby Engram 113.50
What Happened: LeGarrette Blount (18.50) brought a tiny bit of Thunder, as Champ rallied from a 0.50-point deficit going into the week's final game. Ed was burned badly by his three wide receivers, who combined for 4.00 points. Adding injury to insult, Andre Johnson left with a hamstring injury and could be out for a couple of weeks. Beanie Wells (31.00) and Matt Forte (29.00) were each side's high-point totals, and I honestly don't think anyone expected that. Ed's two tight ends accounted for 21.00 (17 more than this wide receivers), and we finally had a Chris Johnson sighting.
C: Forte's awesome day (228 total yards and a touchdown) led the way, but Champ had good balance with seven guys recording double-figure totals. Blount's 141 total yards and a score on Monday night were good enough to be Champ's second-best effort for the week. Drew Brees (16.25) threw more interceptions (two) than touchdowns (one). Owen Daniels and LeSean McCoy each had touchdowns, while Steve Smith didn't have a score but did have eight catches for 181 yards. MVP: Forte. Not only did he lead Champ's beloved Bears (BEARS!!) to victory, but Forte also led Champ himself to the win this week. It's weeks like this that will make it very hard to not give him the big contract he's asking for. LVP: Chad Ochocinco. With Tom Brady only having eyes for Wes Welker and the emergence of a running game, there weren't enough passes to go around for 85.
BE: Philip Rivers (18.25) didn't have a turnover this week. Good for him. Chris Johnson (11.00) finally decided he sort of wanted to earn his money and could be in the top echelon of running backs soon. Jermaine Gresham and Vernon Davis combined for eight catches and two scores (21.00), which is two more catches and two more touchdowns than Johnson, Nate Burleson, and Devery Henderson had combined. The big news is Johnson, who may miss a few weeks depending on the results of his MRI. At some point, Ed will catch a break this season. I promise. MVP: Beanie Wells, who attended the most god-forsaken school this side of ORU. Three touchdowns and 138 yards is a fantastic day, and it came from an unlikely source. If you asked which of Ed's three running backs was least likely to go off like this, I think Wells would be the runaway winner in that poll. LVP: All three of his wide receivers, who, as previously, mentioned combined for six catches and 52 yards. It's a testament to the rest of his roster that he scored 113.50 with only 4 from his three starting wide receivers.

Phil Powell Rules 146.75-Pantry Cereals 125.75
What Happened: Aaron Rodgers out Brady-ied Tom Brady. That basically accounts for the difference between these two teams, as Rodgers posted a record-setting (I believe anyway) day with 51.25 points, while Brady only managed 20.00. Calvin Johnson set an NFL record by catching two touchdowns in his fourth straight game to start the season. Wes Welker continued to be stellar, and Ray Rice was the only semblance of offense in what was otherwise a dreadful Sunday night game. These two squads seem pretty even, and when they meet again in week 13, quarterback play will almost certainly decide it again.
PPR (4-0): Rodgers recorded what I believe is the highest single-game total (51.25) in VUFSA history. (Again, someone will have to check on that for me). Johnson (20.00) had one catch in the first half for three yards and had seven catches for 93 yards and two touchdowns in the second half. Michael Turner (20.00) had two touchdowns. Brandon Lloyd had eight catches for 136 yards (10.00). Kickers don't usually get much love here, but Matt Bryant (13.00) had three field goals of 40 yards or more. MVP: Rodgers. He's the first player in NFL history with 400+ yards passing, four passing touchdowns, and two rushing touchdowns in the same game. If only he hadn't thrown that interception. LVP: Scott Chandler. The Buffalo tight end only managed two catches for eight yards (2.00). Not so good after a touchdown catch in each of his first three games.
PC (3-1): Drew was done in by the fact that New England finally found a running game. Brady only accounted for two of New England's four touchdowns, and that was a big difference in the result this week. Welker (17.50) went over 150 yards and a score, and Dwayne Bowe (13.50) surpassed 100 yards with a score. Jason Witten (14.50) was Romo's favorite non-Lion target (eight catches, 94 yards, one touchdown). Ray Rice (16.00) had a 120 total yards and a touchdown. MVP: Welker. Witten or Rice could also go here, but Welker continues be a solid 15+ score every week. It's hard to go against that. LVP: Davone Bess. All of Drew's other wide receivers had either 100+ yards or a touchdown or both. Bess (2.50) had three catches for 21 yards.