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QUARTERBACKS
Mark Brunell completed only 12 passes on Sunday, but four of them were
TDs to his tight ends. Brunell's four touchdowns were enough to lead most
of his fantasy owners to victory and put Brunell at the top of our fantasy
quarterbacks for week 15. The Seattle Seahawks squeaked out a win over
the Tennessee Titans thanks to Matt Hasselbeck's 285 yards and three scores.
Carson Palmer picked apart the Detroit Lions' defense with 274 yards and
three TDs before being replaced by backup Jon Kitna as the Bengals went
off in a rout at Ford Field. Superbowl MVP Tom Brady looked back in form
against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as Brady led his team with three TDs
and 250+ passing yards at home. Kyle Boller had arguably his best game
as a pro with 250+ yards and three TDs against the sinking Green Bay Packers
on Monday Night Football. Brooks Bollinger gave the N.Y. Jets some life
with 327 passing yards and a couple of scores. Steve McNair gave the Seahawks
a run with two touchdowns and 300+ yards. Jake Plummer helped keep the
Broncos in contention for a #2 seed in the AFC playoffs with his 250+
yard and two TD effort over the Buffalo Bills.
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Top Fantasy Quarterbacks
- Week Fifteen
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QB
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Pass Comp
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Pass Att
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Pass Yards
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TDs
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Mark Brunell
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12
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20
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163
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4
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Matt Hasselbeck
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21
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27
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285
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3
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Carson Palmer
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28
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39
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274
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3
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Tom Brady
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20
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31
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258
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3
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Kyle Boller
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19
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27
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253
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3
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Brooks Bollinger
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28
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42
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327
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2
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Steve McNair
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23
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38
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310
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2
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Jake Plummer
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20
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37
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259
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2
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RUNNING BACKS
Most running backs would be happy to gain 249 yards in a three game stretch,
but Tiki Barber was able to get his in one game. Barber also had two TDs
against the Chiefs and solidified his lead in total yards from scrimmage
for this season. Larry Johnson was the man on the Kansas City side of
the ball with a whopping 167 rushing yards and two touchdowns, but was
again on the losing side of the scoreboard. Rudi Johnson combined 117
rushing yards and two rushing TDs to go along with QB Carson Palmer's
fine game in a rout of the Lions. Shaun Alexander had 172 rushing yards
against the Titans to strengthen his lead on the NFL rushing title...Alex
the Great also had a score in the game to increase his league leading
touchdown total to 24. Denver's Mike Anderson continues to look like the
dominant fantasy back for the Broncos...Anderson rushed for near 100 yards
and had two touchdowns in the effort. Domanick Davis was replaced just
prior to gametime with backup Jonathan Wells...and Wells made the most
of his opportunity with nearly 100 total yards from scrimmage and two
TDs to lead the Houston Texans over the Arizona Cardinals. After a tough
14 weeks, Jamal Lewis decided to shine in week 15 on MNF with 114 total
yards and a TD...although probably too late for his fantasy owners who
most likely missed the playoffs due to Lewis' early lack of performance.
Michael Turner gained his TD and nearly all of his 113 rushing yards on
one play for the Chargers. Corey Dillon's two TDs helped the Patriots
wipe out the Bucs on Sunday. LaMont Jordan ran all over the Cleveland Browns for 132 yards and added catches for another 40 yards, but was unable
to find the endzone. The Bears and Thomas Jones had another solid game
with a win...Jones rushed for nearly 100 yards and a score. Ryan Moats
and Ricky Williams both had 70+ yards and a score apiece. Frank Gore,
Cedric Houston, Clinton Portis, Marshall Faulk, and Aaron Stecker all
put up over 100 all-purpose yards, but none were able to make it across
the goal line.
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Top Fantasy Running Backs
- Week Fifteen
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RB
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Rush Att
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Rush Yards
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Rcptns
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Rec Yards
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Total Yards
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TDs
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Tiki Barber
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29
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220
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5
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29
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249
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2
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Larry Johnson
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31
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167
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2
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17
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184
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2
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Rudi Johnson
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24
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117
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1
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14
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131
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2
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Shaun Alexander
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26
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172
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0
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0
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172
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1
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Mike Anderson
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21
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97
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1
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4
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101
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2
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Jonathan Wells
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28
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87
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1
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11
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98
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2
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Jamal Lewis
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22
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105
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2
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9
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114
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1
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Michael Turner
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8
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113
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0
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0
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113
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1
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Corey Dillon
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19
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48
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4
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15
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63
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2
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LaMont Jordan
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25
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132
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5
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40
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172
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0
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Thomas Jones
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27
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91
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1
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3
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94
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1
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Ryan Moats
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12
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78
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0
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0
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78
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1
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Ricky Williams
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14
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70
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1
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4
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74
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1
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Frank Gore
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19
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79
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3
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57
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136
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0
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Cedric Houston
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15
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84
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4
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40
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124
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0
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Clinton Portis
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23
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112
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1
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4
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116
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0
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Marshall Faulk
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16
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87
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3
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21
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108
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0
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Aaron Stecker
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9
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59
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6
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42
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101
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0
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WIDE RECEIVERS
Steve Smith continued his reign as the top fantasy wide receiver of 2005.
Smith decided he would include a rushing touchdown as one of his two scores
in week 15. Drew Bennett added two touchdowns to his 93 receiving yards
as the Titans narrowly lost to the Seahawks. Rod Smith and David Givens
had identical receiving yards (137) and a score apiece to help lead the
Broncos and Patriots to victories. Anquan Boldin caught balls for 134
yards and a TD, but the Arizona Cardinals ended up losing the game and
QB Kurt Warner for the season. Donte' Stallworth looked like the top wide
receiver in New Orleans with his five catches for 102 yards and a touchdown.
Chad Johnson and Keenan McCardell both had nice yardage and a score for
the Bengals and Chargers in their victories, but Johnson had eight more
catches than McCardell in the effort. The other half of the top receiving
duo in Arizona (Larry Fitzgerald) still had a TD and decent yards, but
finished with 50 less yards than Boldin. Marvin Harrison gained 135 receiving
yards without a score...however, the Colts lost the game and Harrison
broke his hand. Darrell Jackson returned from injury and played his first
game in months...Jackson responded well with six grabs for 72 yards and
a score. Charles Rogers finally showed some of his raw talent on Sunday
against the Bengals with a nice TD, but the effort was too little and
too late as the Lions were routed early. Amani Toomer, Marty Booker, and
T.J. Houshmandzadeh all helped their teams to wins as each scored with
60+ receiving yards. Eric Moulds had 110 receiving yards on nine catches
for the Bills, but was unable to score.
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Top Fantasy Wide Receivers
- Week Fifteen
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WR
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Rcptns
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Rec Yards
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TDs
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Steve Smith
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6
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85
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1, 1 (run)
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Drew Bennett
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8
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93
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2
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Rod Smith
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11
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137
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1
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David Givens
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6
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137
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1
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Anquan Boldin
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8
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134
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1
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Donte' Stallworth
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5
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102
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1
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Chad Johnson
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11
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99
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1
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Keenan McCardell
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3
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88
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1
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Larry Fitzgerald
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6
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85
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1
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Marvin Harrison
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8
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135
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0
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Darrell Jackson
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6
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72
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1
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Charles Rogers
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3
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71
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1
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Amani Toomer
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5
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69
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1
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Marty Booker
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2
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65
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1
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T.J. Houshmandzadeh
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6
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61
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1
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Eric Moulds
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9
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110
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0
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TIGHT ENDS
The top two tight ends this week put up more yards and more scores than
the top two wide receivers...Chris Cooley and Todd Heap both broke the
one-touchdown barrier for their fantasy owners and may have been enough
to boost their teams to fantasy playoff bliss. Cooley caught six balls
for 71 yards and three touchdowns as the Washington Redskins torched the
Dallas Cowboys in a critical game for both teams. Todd Heap did his part
to match Cooley's effort on MNF...Heap caught nine for 110 yards, but
was only able to score two touchdowns. Doug Jolley caught nine balls for
102 yards and a touchdown in a nice effort for the New York Jets. Tennessee
tight end Ben Troupe had 116 yards without a score against the Seahawks.
Jerramy Stevens, Dallas Clark, and Jason Witten all had 40+ yards and
a TD. Fantasy no-name tight ends Mike Bartrum, Mike Sellers, and Duke
Wesley all scored for their NFL teams...but my bet is that none of the
three scored fantasy points for anyone (in fact, most NFL fans can't even
name which teams these guys play for).
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Top Fantasy Tight Ends -
Week Fifteen
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WR
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Rcptns
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Rec Yards
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TDs
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Chris Cooley
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6
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71
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3
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Todd Heap
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9
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110
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2
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Doug Jolley
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9
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102
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1
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Ben Troupe
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6
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116
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0
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Jerramy Stevens
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4
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53
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1
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Dallas Clark
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3
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45
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1
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Jason Witten
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4
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41
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1
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Mike Bartrum
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1
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3
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1
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Mike Sellers
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1
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3
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1
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Duke Wesley
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1
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1
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1
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News and Notes - The Chicago Bears
recovered from their loss against the Steelers to handily defeat the Falcons
and lock up their division...Rex Grossman replaced Kyle Orton in the 2nd
half of the Bears game and looked impressive - coach Lovie Smith has already
named Grossman in week 16 against the Packers...The Indianapolis Colts
lost to the San Diego Chargers and erased any chance of a perfect record...coach
Tony Dungy is considering playing time for starters for weeks 16 &
17 and has stated that they will play against the Seahawks; however Marvin
Harrison suffered a broken hand in his hand on Sunday and may be benched
as a precaution - Manning also suffered some swelling in his knee and
may be played cautiously - in addition, Dwight Freeney, Cato June, and
others on defense will be rested (watch this situation closely for further
news affecting both Seattle and Indy)...Brad Johnson led the Vikes to
six straight, but met his match against the Steelers (who seem to have
righted the ship)...Tiki Barber's 249 total yards against the Kansas City Chiefs secured him as a near lock for total yards from scrimmage with
1998...Shaun Alexander's 172 rushing yards boosted him to 1668 on the
season with two games left of the regular season...Kurt Warner sprained
his MCL on Sunday and will miss the rest of the season...Samkon Gado tore
his MCL in his right knee, thus ending his season
Send your fantasy questions to scoutfantasyfreak@yahoo.com
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