2008 Fantasy Football Week 17 Fantasy Recap
Week 17 Top Performers
1) Steven Jackson- RB St. Louis Rams
- 30 carries, 161 yards, 2 touchdowns
- 4 receptions, 54 yards
2) Drew Brees- QB New Orleans Saints
- 30 of 49, 386 yards, 4 touchdowns, 1 interception
3) Michael Bush- RB Oakland Raiders
- 27 carries, 177 yards, 2 touchdowns
- 1 reception, 6 yards
St. Louis Rams 27 @ Atlanta Falcons 31
RB Steven Jackson
- 30 carries, 161 yards, 2 touchdowns
- 4 receptions, 54 yards
Despite a close game resulting in another loss for the 2-14 Rams, Steven Jackson scored two short-yardage touchdowns and combined for 215 yards on the day.
RB Michael Turner
- 25 carries, 208 yards, 1 touchdown, FL
Turner finished the season off well, averaging 8.3 yards/carry and carrying the Falcons to the playoffs. He toppled the 200 mark for the second time this season and he ran for a 9-yard score. He finished 2 nd in the NFL in both rushing yards and TDs. (1,699 yds, 17 TD)
New England Patriots 13 @ Buffalo Bills 0
RB LaMont Jordan
- 20 carries, 64 yards, 1 touchdown
Splitting carries with Sammy Morris, Jordan had the better fantasy game finding the end zone on a short 2-yard run. Jordan finished the season with 4 touchdowns in his last three games, averaging about 80 yards on about 13 carries per game over the span.
RB Fred Jackson
- 27 carries, 136 yards
Averaging 5 yards per carry, back-up halfback Fred Jackson led the scoreless Bills in offense. He topped 100 yards for the first time this season, thanks to an injured Marshawn Lynch.
Kansas City Chiefs 6 @ Cincinnati Bengals 16
QB Tyler Thigpen
- 19 of 36, 191 yards, 1 touchdown
- 2 carries, 4 yards, FL
Thigpen threw 17 incomplete passes and fumbled, but still looked good statistically. He threw for just under 200 yards with a 5-yard touchdown pass to none other than Tony Gonzalez.
RB Cedric Benson
- 25 carries, 111 yards, 1 touchdown
- 2 receptions, 19 yards
Cedric Benson may have had one the best season ending performances by any “quiet” running back, thanks to his schedule ( Cleveland and Kansas City). In his last two games, Benson combined for 282 rushing yards and one score.
Detroit Lions 21 @ Green Bay Packers 31
WR Calvin Johnson
- 9 receptions, 102 yards, 2 touchdowns
Johnson finished off well for the 0-16 Lions, catching two TDs and topping 100 yards for the 5 th time this year and his second multi-TD game of the year. Johnson ended the season 5 th in receiving yards with 1,331 and put up 12 touchdowns.
QB Aaron Rodgers
- 21 of 31, 308 yards, 3 touchdowns
- 1 carry, -1 yard
Rodgers kept the Packers going in their win over the dreadful Lions. Rodgers threw for over 300 yards and 3 TDs for the third time this year, and he finished fourth in the league in both passing yards and touchdowns (4,038 yds, 28 TD’s).
Tennessee Titans 0 @ Indianapolis Colts 23
QB Vince Young
- 9 of 13, 55 yards
- 5 carries, 25 yards
In a game full of backups, the Titans backup QB Vince Young led the offense with 55 passing yards and 25 rushing yards.
RB Joseph Addai
- 1 carry, 4 yards
- 2 receptions, 55 yards, 1 touchdown
With only 3 surprising touches the entire game, Addai was atop the Colts’ offensive production. Addai caught only two passes, one pass went for no gain and the other went for a 55-yard touchdown. He also only had one carry for 4 yards in the Colts win.
New York Giants 19 @ Minnesota Vikings 20
QB David Carr
- 8 of 11, 110 yards, 1 touchdown
- 3 carries, 15 yards
Carr did quite well backing up Eli Manning Sunday, throwing for 110 yards on only 8 completions. He also threw a nice 23-yard touchdown pass to Dominik Hixon.
RB Adrian Peterson
- 21 carries, 103 yards, 1 touchdown
A.P. helped the Vikings clinch a playoff spot on Sunday, posting another 100+ yard game and scoring early on a 67-yard TD run. Peterson led the NFL in rushing yards with 1,760 yards and 110 yards/game. He only scored 10 touchdowns and fumbled four times, but had 10 games of 100 yards or more, which also led all RBs.
Carolina Panthers 33 @ New Orleans Saints 31
RB DeAngelo Williams
- 25 carries, 178 yards
Williams has now run for over 120 yards in four games this year, while scoring at least 2 TDs in 3 of the 4 games. He finished the year first in rushing touchdowns with 18 and 3 rd the league in rushing yards with 1,515.
QB Drew Brees
- 30 of 49, 386 yards, 4 touchdowns, 1 interception
Could you tell he wanted that record? Brees threw 49 passes and completed 30 of them, but fell short of the all-time single-season record by just 18 yards. He ended with 386 yards and four TD passes, two to Lance Moore, one to Marques Colston, and one to Robert Meachem. Brees finished the season leading all quarterbacks in passing yards with 5,069 and tied for 1 st in passing TD’s with 34. (Philip Rivers- 34)
Cleveland Browns 0 @ Pittsburgh Steelers 31
RB Jamal Lewis
- 23 carries, 94 yards
The Browns were just 6 of 18 passing, contrary to running the ball 29 times. Lewis had 23 of the carries for 94 yards. He only had four rushing touchdowns all year, and he had no scores in his last 7 games.
RB Willie Parker
- 23 carries, 116 yards, 1 touchdown
Parker averaged 5 yards a carry against the Browns Sunday, racking up 116 yards and scoring on a long 34-yard run. The Steelers go into the playoffs with a first-week bye.
Oakland Raiders 31 @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24
RB Michael Bush
- 27 carries, 177 yards, 2 touchdowns
- 1 receptions, 6 yards
Michael Bush, Oakland’s 3 rd-string RB, had a career game against a team what used to be ranked number one in rushing defense. Bush totaled 183 yards on 28 touches, whereas Justin Fargas and Darren McFadden totaled just 23 yards on 9 touches. Bush also added two rushing touchdowns, leading the Raiders to their 5 th win of the season.
RB Cadillac Williams
- 12 carries, 78 yards, 2 touchdowns
- 5 reeptions, 37 yards
Cadillac had his first multi-touchdown game of the year, scoring on 8 and 9-yard runs. He mingled for 115 yards on the day, despite losing a close one.
Chicago Bears 24 @ Houston Texans 31
QB Kyle Orton
- 22 of 37, 244 yards, 2 touchdowns
- 2 carries, 2 yards, 1 touchdown
Although the Bears lost a crucial game, Orton shined and completed 22 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns. He added a goal-line rushing touchdown, as well.
WR Andre Johnson
- 10 receptions, 148 yards, 2 touchdowns
Johnson caught 10 passes Sunday, two of them going for touchdowns. He added 148 yards to his yearly total, putting him on the number one spot for receiving yards for 2008 with 1,575. Johnson averaged almost 100 yards per game, went for over 100 yards in 8 games, but only had 8 touchdown catches on the year.
Washington Redskins 24 @ San Francisco 49ers 27
QB Jason Campbell
- 18 of 30, 156 yards, 1 touchdown
- 4 carries, 39 yards, 1 touchdown
Campbell ended his 2008 campaign pretty good, combining for 195 total yards, 2 touchdowns (one passing, one rushing), and threw no interceptions. The ‘Skins finished with a .500 record, 8-8.
QB Shaun Hill
- 21 of 30, 245 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception
- 4 carries, 8 yards, 1 touchdown
Hill continued to satisfy, throwing just 9 incompletions on 30 attempts. He threw for 245 yards and a 9-yard TD pass to Jason Hill early in the 4 th quarter. He added 8 yards and a short 2-yard rushing touchdown on the ground, as well. He did throw one pick, being his only downside of the day.
Jacksonville Jaguars 7 @ Baltimore Ravens 27
RB Alvin Pearman
- 1 reception, 23 yards, 1 touchdown
Though he’s a running back, Pearman had no carries, just one notable 23-yard touchdown catch from David Garrard. This ended up being the only Jags’ TD of the game.
RB Le’Ron McClain
- 25 carries, 70 yards, 2 touchdowns
McClain ran for 70 yards and a pair of touchdowns, both within 5 yards or less. He ended his third year with 902 yards and 10 TDs, leading the Ravens running backs in both categories.
Miami Dolphins 24 @ New York Jets 17
QB Chad Pennington
- 22 of 30, 200 yards, 2 touchdowns
- 1 carry, 2 yards, FL
Pennington brought his Dolphins into the playoffs, leading them to a victory by throwing two nice TD passes to Ted Ginn Jr. and Anthony Fasano. He threw for an even 200 yards on 22 completions, with no interceptions and one fumble.
RB Leon Washington
- 10 carries, 60 yards, 1 touchdown- 6 receptions, 29 yards, 1 touchdown
Washington led the Jets in receptions and was balanced with Thomas Jones with 10 carries each. Washington combined for 89 total yards, and scored a touchdown both rushing and receiving.
Dallas Cowboys 6 @ Philadelphia Eagles 44
WR Terrell Owens
- 6 receptions, 103 yards
T.O. led the raunchy Cowboys’ offense, topping 100 yards for just the second time all year. He finished the season with just over 1,000 yards (1,052) and 10 touchdowns, leading the Cowboys in both.
QB Donovan McNabb
- 12 of 21, 175 yards, 2 touchdowns
- 3 carries, 4 yards, 1 touchdown
Regardless of the performance Correll Buckhalter and the Eagles’ defense put up, McNabb still led offensively. He only completed 12 passes, butwent for 175 yards and two passing touchdowns; He added another score on the ground, bringing his Eagles’ into the playoffs.
Seattle Seahawks 21 @ Arizona Cardinals 34
WR Deion Branch
- 6 receptions, 90 yards, 2 touchdowns
Branch had a stellar game, catching two touchdown passes and acquired for 90 yards on 6 grabs. Branch’s four receiving TDs this year came in just two games, with him catching 2 touchdown passes in each game.
WR Larry Fitzgerald
- 5 receptions, 130 yards, 2 touchdowns
On just 5 catches, Fitzgerald went for a buck thirty and a pair of touchdowns versus the Seahawks. He cumulated for 1,431 receiving yards and 12 TDs in 2008, putting him second in yardage and tied for first in TDs with Calvin Johnson.
Denver Broncos 21 @ San Diego Chargers 52
RB Tatum Bell
- 8 carries, 86 yards, 2 touchdowns
- 4 receptions, 31 yards
Bell averaged over 10 yards per carry and rushed for two touchdowns Sunday night in a Denver’s big loss. He combined for 117 yards.
RB LaDainian Tomlinson
- 14 carries, 96 yards, 3 touchdowns
LT finally had his beak out game, scoring three times on just 14 carries. LT finished the year with only 1,110 yards and 11 touchdowns, and only ran for over the century mark in just two games.
By Tony Falcioni
ProFootball-fans.com Fantasy Football correspondant
Fans can contact Brian via email at bchmfantasybaseball @ yahoo.com