Sizzle:
Tyler Thigpen: The Coastal Carolina product nearly stole a win in San Diego. Facing the embattled Chargers, Thigpen threw for 266 yards and three touchdowns en route to a narrow defeat. In the last three games, Thigpen has six touchdown passes and owns a passer rating of at least 100 in two of those games. He is not a safe starting option yet, but he is a quarterback to keep your eye on down the home stretch of the fantasy season.
Thomas Jones: For the second time this season, Jones tallied three touchdowns on the day; this time as a part of a 47-3 lambasting of the Rams. He has nine touchdowns on the season and yet again, feasted on a poor opponent. The running lanes that allowed him to pick up 149 yards will likely disappear in Week 11 when the Patriots host the Jets in a Thursday night tilt.
Matt Ryan: One of the unsung heroes of the 2008 season is the offensive line of the Atlanta Falcons. On Sunday it protected Ryan well enough for him to enjoy another solid day, as his 248 yards and two touchdowns led Atlanta into the winner’s circle. The rookie quarterback is on quite a roll, with three straight games of at least two touchdown passes. Next week, another big effort should be in store for Ryan against one of the league’s worst defenses, the Denver Broncos.
DeAngelo Williams: As noted below, Jake Delhomme had arguably the worst start of his NFL career. Nonetheless, Williams picked up the pieces by scoring on a 69 yard touchdown run and finishing up with 140 yards. With Jonathan Stewart not 100%, most of the run duties fell on Williams, who showed he can be pack quite a powerful punch.
Eddie Royal: As Brandon Marshall continues to seek the rhythm that made one of the league’s most dangerous receivers early on, Royal has provided a suitable alternative. He caught six passes for 164 yards on Thursday and has at least six receptions over the last three games. Royal remains a good option when the Broncos take on the Falcons next Sunday.
Fizzle:
Jake Delhomme: His 12.3 passer rating included four interceptions and a 7 of 27 effort. Delhomme’s play was extremely puzzling considering the opposition. It’s a testament to truly how bad the Raiders are--no quarterback should win a game after completing just 7 of 27 passes.
Greg Jennings: Over the last three games, Jennings has just three receptions in each contest. Also, he has not scored since Week Six against Seattle. The Rodgers-to-Jennings deep ball lacks the rhythm it once had. Further complicating matters for Jennings is a tough schedule that recently featured Tennessee and Minnesota. The Packers offensive line is not giving Rodgers the necessary time in the pocket to hit Jennings on the deep ball.
Denver RBs: Jay Cutler’s big passing night was in part due to Denver’s running back situation. Ryan Torain scored a touchdown but suffered a season-ending knee injury. Meanwhile, Michael Pittman and Selvin Young are banged up Enter Peyton Hillis, who is being asked to carry the load. Good luck with that.
Trent Edwards: The bloom is off the rose in Buffalo. Edwards labored against the Patriots defense and threw for just 120 yards. So far, Edwards has failed to throw multiple touchdown passes in a game and has lost three starts in a row. Ultimately, Edwards needs help from the Bills running game, which has been dormant throughout the season.
Marvin Harrison: Luckily for the Marvelous One, Indianapolis pulled out the win. Harrison had critical drops and struggled to get open against Pittsburgh’s secondary. This season's performance is far from the Hall of Fame quality we’re used to from him. Through 10 weeks, he doesn’t have a 100-yard receiving day and has just three touchdown catches, with his last coming back on October 12. The days of Harrison being a number one receiver are over.