Diaries of a Fantasy Junkie...with Mark Hall

The first half of the season is officially in the books. How's your fantasy team looking? I recovered from a 1-3 start and am now 5-3 and tied for first in my division. My record may not reflect it, but I'm still better than Trevor Smith. He plays in our cupcake division. See you in the ‘ship, frenemy.

Moving on…

LeSean McCoy ran for 185 yards and two scores on 30 carries against the Cowboys on Sunday. Michael Vick threw for 279 yards and two touchdowns. Tight End Brent Celek had 7 receptions for 94 yards and a touchdown against the Cowboys, as well. The players in Dallas were evidently not satisfied with just having one bye week this season.

The Lions' defense and special teams, on the other hand, had a standout day against Tim Tebow and the Denver Winners. They held Denver to 10 points, got SEVEN sacks, forced three turnovers and had two touchdowns on returns. Maybe losing like this will do some good for young Tebow. I doubt very much that he felt like a winner after that game.

And don't forget that I CALLED IT!

Steven Jackson made a bid for MVP this week by having a monster game… If only the Rams could start winning on a regular basis…

He rushed for 159 yards and two scores on 25 carries this Sunday, helping his Rams to tip the scales in their favor against the heavily favored Saints. I mean, I didn't see it coming. Especially since Sam Bradford was out with an injury.

ANY GIVEN SUNDAY, AM I RIGHT?!

Cam Newton just keeps showing out. He had 3 passing TD's and was just 10 yards shy of throwing for 300 yards for what would have been the 4th time this season.

Sure, in this close game, he had 2 fumbles. There is his weak point that cost his team the game.

Still… You've got to admire these numbers for a rookie season. He's thrown for 11 touchdowns and rushed for another seven in 8 games. Yes, he has 9 interceptions. But, what rookie quarterback didn't have nine interceptions after 8 games?

Peyton Manning threw for 26 TD's and 28 INT's in his rookie season. Newton is on pace to throw for 22 TD's and 19 INT's. I'd say that's not bad.

Well, for a rookie, that is.

Some guy named Ray Rice had a good day. If you want to know how he did this Sunday, just find Trevor Smith and ask him about it… Even if he's listening to his iPod or he's on the phone. Seriously. If you see Trevor Smith at any point after you read this, ask him about how Ray Rice did on Sunday. He wants you to. I want you to. Thank you, all.

Frank Gore, Calvin Johnson, and Adrian Peterson all had great days, too. But you already knew that. Because if you didn't draft them, you wanted to.

WEEK 9

START: Steven Jackson against Arizona. He understands that his QB is out and that he's got to carry a bigger load. And he's already proven he can do that versus the Saints.

BENCH: Philip Rivers against Green Bay. He's had a hard time the past two weeks and may very well be reeling from a huge mistake that cost his team the game on Monday night. When the Packers' defense smells blood, they don't take it easy. Look for him to have another hard outing against the Super Bowl champs.