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In this week of Studs and Duds there will be a complete new crop of players that stepped it up to become a part of the studs category and a group of players you wouldn’t usually expect to see in the duds category.

STUDS:
Tony Romo: Romo had career highs across the board in passing completions, attempts, and yards but still didn’t win the game against the Giants. Good for him that he was still a fantasy stud and put up over 25 points. So much for the Tony Romo December curse because he played lights out. It’s also on the Giants defense that Romo did so well, but Romo still had a stud-like performance on Sunday. I don’t think Romo will put up numbers like this in upcoming weeks, but it’s a good sign for his career and fantasy owners.

Robert Meachem: Yep the other wide receiver on the Saints. He had 8 receptions for 142 yards and one of the most important plays of the Saints season with the strip of the ball for a 44 yard touchdown at the end of the first half. Drew Brees put up over 400 yards again, but when I was watching the game, the only thing I noticed was how productive Meachem was all game. Marques Colston owners might want to worry a little bit because his targets have gone and maybe his production will too.

Anquan Boldin/Larry Fitzgerald: They carved up the dominant Vikings defense and totaled 241 yards and 3 TDs on way to a dismantling of what some would think was the best team in the NFL. This is why the Cardinals may be the most dangerous team in the NFL because Boldin and Fitzgerald can do this in every game against any defense. I don’t see the Cardinals slowing down against the 49ers or even letting up on the gas a little bit. Fitzy and Boldin should repeat numbers like this for weeks to come.

Bruce Gradkowski: As much as I didn’t want to put him on the list, I checked out his stats one more time, and they are good against the
Steelers defense. I know that Troy Polamalu was out and that means that the Steelers defense is average, but Gradkowski put up over 300 yards and 3 TDs in the hostile territory of Pittsburgh. Did I mention that Gradkowski plays for the Raiders? The fact that JaMarcus Russell would never put up over 200 yards on the Steelers says something about how Gradkowski played. Even though some of his passes looked just awful, he won the game and put up over 25 points in doing so.

Other Notables: Jason Campbell, Kurt Warner, Ochocinco, and Devin Thomas

DUDS:
Vikings Offense: How the mighty have fallen. Adrian Peterson, 13 rushes for 19 yards. Brett Favre, 2 INTs and plenty of garbage time yardage and a garbage time TD. Not only that, but the Cardinals defense made Favre look like he was a new quarterback in the league and not a 40 year old gray-haired hall of famer. The Vikings seemed to have strayed away from their dominant player in AP and think that Favre will carry them into the Super Bowl. Remember Vikings, Favre is 40 years old and you have a stud RB and a stud offensive line. The fact that they only rushed for 19 yards with AP is a joke and Childress and the Vikings better fix that quick or they will be exposed by the Bengals next week.

Carson Palmer: When I saw that he had a matchup against the Lions defense at home I thought that he could put up over 20 points. And I believed that so much that I started him in my fantasy league and lost out on the #1 seed in the playoffs because of his 5 point effort. Only 220 yards and 2 INTs against the Lions? The Bengals have turned into a running team and Palmer may not be the fantasy producer that many thought he was. I’m sure he and the Bengals could care less because they are on their way to the playoffs and the defense and running game are going to get them there.

Frank Gore: I don’t know what the 49ers are doing with only giving Frank Gore 9 carries against the Seahawks defense. Frank Gore had been slumping as of late as the 49ers are passing the ball more with Alex Smith to Vernon Davis. Frank Gore owners have got to be worried with his lack of production against a defense that gives up over 105 yards a game on the ground. My Uncle in my fantasy league was trying to push that Gore was a top five fantasy back and worthy of a trade for Randy Moss or Andre Johnson. Well looks like Gore isn’t even worth a trade for Sam Aiken or Kevin Walter. Fantasy owners and especially my Uncle Frank should start worrying

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