This week got off to a bit of a scramble, since I didn’t realize that there would be pro games on Thanksgiving. Luckily, it was truly for the best, since Kitna (only 2 pts) was playing the early game, and was well-replaced with last-minute pickup Chad Pennington (14!). The Dallas crowd did well in spite of all of the muttering against TO and for the Eagles in the conference (we were still with Kevin’s family for that game) — Marion Barber had an amazing game. L.J. Smith held his own despite another abysmal outing by the Eagles, and I was pleased that I hadn’t played Reggie Brown, as he had another unimpressive week. Sunday night, the fantasy score was 70-78, so as long as Deion Branch and Shawn Alexander (who’s finally back!! my #2 in the league draft pick… I’m eager for him to make up for lost time.) didn’t double team for -8 points, my winning streak would be extended to three matchups.
| QB | ||
|---|---|---|
| Chad Pennington, NYJ | 14 | |
| RUNNING BACKS | ||
| RB Marion Barber, Dal | 20 | |
| RB/WR Shaun Alexander | 22 | |
| RECEIVERS | ||
| WR Deion Branch, Sea | 3 | |
| WR Terrell Owens, Dal | 17 | |
| TE L.J. Smith, Phi | 8 | |
| DEFENSE | ||
| D/ST Patriots | 15 | |
| KICKER | ||
| K Jason Elam, Den | 4 | |
| BENCH | ||
| RB/WR Laurence Maroney, NE | 11 | |
| WR Reggie Brown, Phi | 6 | |
| WR Reggie Williams, Jac | 3 | |
| WR Keyshawn Johnson, Car | 3 | |
| TE Jermaine Wiggins, Ari | 5 | |
| D/ST Seahawks | 10 | |
| Seneca Wallace, Sea | 0 | |
| QB Jon Kitna, Det | 2 | |
It was a very frustrating game, due to the snow. I got home before traffic, and the plan was to go out somewhere in town to watch the game. (We dropped our cable two months ago! Not paying $75/month for basic service makes me constantly happy. I can’t wait until Verizon finishes installing its network in our area and we don’t have to deal with horrible Comcast anymore.) It took Kevin more than three hours to get home (a seven mile commute), given the snow and traffic. He had his Sirius radio with him at least, and so could listen to the game. I only ended up hearing the final 6 or so minutes when he finally got home. Bummer.
Despite the lack of visual or auditory status on my end, Alexander was great at 22 (wow!). Deion Branch is clearly suffering from a lack of practice with Hasselbeck (I called it, unfortunately), but I have confidence that he’ll get stronger. And the Seahawks defense even rocked.
Notes for management: I dropped Jerricho Cotchery for Chad Pennington — probably should have ditched Reggie Williams — he’s next to go. Cotchery was so unpredictable, though, that I’m not regretting the choice. Laurence Maroney was way better than last week, but now contends with Shawn Alexander again — a daunting prospect for him when Barber is playing so well. If nothing else, he’ll be a prime draft pick next year.