Week 8 Roundup: Las Bajingas Y Los Sasquatchos

The Chargers-Texans game featured more man-on-man ass rubbing than Kurt's Halloween party!

THE BAJINGOS

1. Chad Johnson - Ocho Cinco has had a great season so far, with the exception of two games. He caught 3 balls for 53 yards against New England earlier in the season, and 5 balls for 51 yards against Pittsburgh yesterday. Good defenses seem to be able to find away to stop Chad from putting on one of his attention seeking stunts. Chris Henry can return to the field in Week 10, which should give Carson another reliable target along with TJ Houshmandzadeh. Add in the rumors swirling in Cincinnati that Chad is telling opposing players and coaches to "get me out of here", meaning Cincy, and I have a feeling that the season is only going to get worse for Johnson. He may get his wish, as it sounds like the team may be considering trading him away after the season.

2. Craig's Lineup - 53.7 points is pretty terrible. The worst part is, he didn't have any significant points on his bench either. I don't know what you're expecting when Trent Edwards is your starting quarterback, but things are getting even worse in Areolaville, who was already #12 in last week's Power Rankings.

3. The Giants Passing Game - Plaxico had scored in the first six games of the season before getting held out of the end zone last week against the 49ers. He's now got a two-game streak going, as the Dolphins held the Giants to just 59 passing yards and zero passing touchdowns at a rainy Wembley Stadium. The Giants are on a bye next week, and then return in Week 10 to kick off a much more difficult second half of their schedule. Given Eli Manning's proclivity for starting the season off hot and then getting progressively crappier, this could be a unit that continues to struggle in the weeks to come.

4. Vince Young - The Titans continue to win behind VY, but he's proving himself not to be the statistical machine some had projected. Young has just three passing touchdowns and six interceptions on the season. He has yet to throw for more than 184 yards in a game, and even the rushing part of his game hasn't come together as expected. He's scrambled for one touchdown, and hasn't gone for more than 53 yards in a game so far.

5. Steve Smith - There doesn't seem to be any middle ground with Smith. He's either the focal point of the offense and racking up double digit fantasy points, or he's getting completely shut down. Yesterday was another shut down game, as he got held to 2 catches for 18 yards. Sure, he's got some lousy quarterbacks getting him the ball, but Carolina's running game should be respectable enough to get Smith some one-on-one looks so he can make something happen after the catch.

THE SASQUATCHES

1. Tom Brady - Last week I bemoaned Tom Brady's lack of running ability. So what does he do? 4 carries, 14 yards, 2 touchdowns. Shut me right up. Brady's obviously the best player on the best team in the NFL, so maybe we need to exclude him from future Sasquatch status. It's a given.

2. Drew Brees to Marques Colston - Brees and Colston torched the 49ers yesterday. Brees had 336 yards and 4 touchdowns, three of which were caught by Colston. Brees has now thrown for 8 touchdowns in the past three games, as the Saints seem to be re-emerging from the ashes once again. Was there another hurricane in New Orleans I didn't hear about? Anyway, New Orleans's resurgence seems to have come just in time for them to make a late playoff push, and if the Eagles can somehow manage to do the same, Week 16 (Eagles at Saints) could have some major implications.

3. Deeeeeeeeee-Fense!!!! - The Chargers scored twice and picked off four passes in putting up 29 fantasy points. The Patriots recovered three fumbles and scored a touchdown and added 23 points. It was a good day to own one of these defenses, as both Shawn and Shelby should be enjoying a win thanks in part to a dominating defensive effort.

4. Antonio Gates - Gates had three catches for 92 yards and a touchdown. The touchdowns couldn't have been easier for him to score. I don't know if it was keying on LT, or watching newly acquired Chris Chambers closer, but Gates was wide open twice on long passes and had a monster day in a blowout over the Texans.

5. Joseph Addai - If the Colts want to win next week's game, Addai will need to have a game every bit as good as he had yesterday. He carried 23 times for 100 yards and two touchdowns, and also took a shovel pass in to the end zone. Assuming Marvin Harrison can go full-speed next week, Addai should have a little less defensive attention focused on him and could be the key to Indy's success in what should be the game of the year.