2003 NFL season (Week 3)

How pitiful have the Eagles looked in their first two games of the season? Granted the outings came against the best defense in the NFL (Tampa Bay) and a much-improved AFC defense (New England), but Philadelphia itself was more responsible for its offensive impotency than the opposing defenses. One of the top-rated fantasy quarterbacks heading into drafts, Donovan McNabb has looked lost on the field, often misfiring badly on his passes. He’s off to the worst start of his five-year career. For those owners who drafted running back Correll Buckhalter as a late-round sleeper banking on him to steal training camp-holdout Duce Staley’s starting job, you’re not exactly getting rewarded for your astuteness. After a single carry against the Bucs, Buckhalter saw his rushes drop even further to zero versus the Pats; this after head coach Andy Reid assured the media the running back would be handed the ball at least 10 more times. As for the other member of the Philly backfield who is likely to be on many fantasy rosters, it’s not a good sign that Staley has double the receiving yards (62) than he has on the ground (31) in two games. Staley’s been given the bulk of the carries (only 12 total) and he hasn’t produced. It comes as no surprise that with McNabb’s struggles, the Eagles’ receiving corps of James Thrash and Todd Pinkston have combined for a paltry 168 yards receiving (126 of those coming from Thrash) and no touchdowns. So what is an owner of one – don’t tell me you own more than one of these players – of the aforementioned dismal performers to do? First, if you own McNabb, don’t cut him. If he gets out of his unprecedented funk and starts hitting receivers with more consistency and picking up rushing yards and a few scrambles to the end zone, you want to be able to insert him into your starting lineup. Bench him and keep him benched until he shows signs of improvement (which will coincide with the increased production of Thrash and Pinskton). Until that time comes, I hope you have a more capable backup than, say, Cleveland’s Kelly Holcomb.I don’t see much hope for either Buckhalter or Staley. Reid will likely call more running plays as the weeks go by, but it will be a committee situation with Brian Westbrook getting some touches, as well. Bench them and hope one will emerge as the featured back. A welcome bye comes in Week 3 for the Birds. What follows next Sunday? A trip to Orchard Park, N.Y., to face the insurgent Bills, with an explosive offense led by slinger Drew Bledsoe and TD-machine Travis Henry and a stifling defense. I wouldn’t bet on much Philly improvement in that game.

RB’s win fantasy championships: Joking or not, Baltimore’s Jamal Lewis sure came through on his claim that he would break Corey Dillon’s single-game rushing record against Cleveland last Sunday. After amassing a very ordinary 69 yards in Week 1 at Pittsburgh, Lewis ran roughshod over the Browns for 295 yards on 30 carries, nearly a ridiculous 10 yards per rush. He also found pay dirt twice, translating into a boon for owners, since such numbers garner 40 or more points in typical fantasy scoring systems.

Although Lewis owners shouldn’t expect a duplicate performance today, 150-plus yards and a pair of touchdown scampers aren’t out of the question. After all, he’s facing a San Diego defense that gave up 129 yards to Denver’s Clinton Portis in the first half last week.Looking ahead, the Ravens get a bye in Week 4 and an improved Kansas City team after that. The next two opponents, however, should induce Pavlovian salivating in both Lewis and his owners, as Baltimore visits woeful Arizona and Cincinnati.

Killer expectations: Is there anything more distressing to fantasy owners than their top picks generating far fewer points than selections taken 8-10 rounds later? This is the case with those who chose San Diego’s LaDainian Tomlinson in the first round. LT has failed to eclipse the 100-yard mark in the first two games of the season, although he came close with 95 last Sunday against Denver. Even more worrisome is the fact that he has yet to score; this on the heels of a spectacular 2002 campaign in which Tomlinson averaged greater than 100 yards rushing and 30 yards receiving a game as well as rewarding his owners with 15 total touchdowns. LT has a long way to go to come close to those numbers this season, and going up against Baltimore’s Ray Lewis and company won’t help matters. Now would be a good time for owners weak at the running back position to make a play for Tomlinson, as his asking price has decreased considerably.Consider a runner like Minnesota’s Moe Williams, likely taken in the middle to late portions of fantasy drafts. Williams is the antithesis of Tomlinson, a running back taken more as an afterthought who has surfaced as a highly viable option. The Viking ran for a decent 80 yards in his first game and trumped that by going for 108 and a touchdown in his next game. Williams’ owners are sitting pretty now, as they probably drafted him as their third or fourth back just to see him produce numbers worthy of a No. 2 spot. So much for the popular notion of rookie Onterrio Smith stepping into the starting role.