By JIMMY D / Book of Ricky Williams and Life of Riley | Jimmy's archive

If there were a Fantasy Football Hall of Fame, both Larry Johnson and Priest Holmes would be in it.

So how does rookie Kolby Smith respond to getting the ball after that Hall-worthy pair hit the sidelines with injuries? Pretty well for the 5th-round pick out of Louisville. Smith rumbled through an admittedly porous Raider run defence for 150 yards and a pair of scores Sunday for the Chiefs.

Maybe KC management knew something when they peddled useful tailback Michael Bennett to Tampa earlier this season. Whatever the case, Smith rewarded them and astute football GMs who grabbed him off waivers this week with his performance.

And with five games left, Smith gets three very soft run defences to produce more fantasy bounty for you.

If he is free in your league, grab him. KC hosts hot-and-cold San Diego next week. Also grab Justin Fargas of Oakland if he is lurking around unprotected. He generated 157 total yards and a score on the other side of the field from Smith.

No. 1 = NHL Goals

The No. 1 pick in the draft is supposed to be something special and a quick peek atop the goal list proves the point. Of the six players with 16 goals or more, four are former No. 1 overall picks (Ilya Kovalchuk, Vince Lecavalier, Rick Nash, Alexander Ovechkin). Only Henrik Zetterberg and Daniel Alfredsson were not top picks.

Conspicuous by his absence is Sidney Crosby, who still seems to working out the kinks with the Penguins and has just a dozen goals so far.

This underscores the critical value of draft preparation, especially in fantasy where having the top selection can give you an immediate leg up on the competition.

Wrong Adrian Peterson

Adrian Peterson was the featured back Sunday, but it didn’t happen in the usual way and not for the right team. Hell, it wasn’t even the right guy.

Peterson subbed for the wounded Cedric Benson as the Chicago Bears rallied against Denver Sunday. No, super-rookie Peterson from Minnesota did not sneak off the injured list and into a Bears uniform – it’s a different dude. He managed 17 carries for 45 yards and a touchdown in a game that featured 21 points in 27 seconds.

It was the ‘other’ Peterson and Devin Hester, who ripped off two more returns for touchdowns, who saved the Bears season as they rallied late to beat Denver in OT.

Defeat from the jaws of victory

When is 553 yards of total offence and 31 points against a 2-8 team riding an eight-game losing streak still enough to lose? When can you throw for 484 yards and still make the blunder in overtime that costs your team the game and a realistic chance at the playoffs? When you are Kurt Warner leading the Arizona Cardinals, of course.

A franchise that has learned well what it takes to lose, but never what it takes to win, was at its best (worst?) Sunday in losing to the 49ers.

It was the same sort of feeling you got watching the Eagles/Patriots game. Philly played very well as the biggest underdog in the NFL since the 1970s and had a chance to win late. But you just sensed they would make a dumb mistake to prevent themselves from pulling off the upset.

That blunder came in the form of a knuckle-headed Andy Reid call for a pass in Asante Samuel’s direction with three minutes left.

There is a reason why the city hasn’t enjoyed a championship season since 1983 and why a generation of Philly fans suffer and seem resigned to spectacular defeat. Even Smarty Jones, the seemingly unbeatable Philly horse that seemed a lock to win the Triple Crown, choked spectacularly, getting chased down by Birdstone in the 2004 Belmont Stakes.

Remember that the Packers and Cowboys play Thursday and keep an eye on the NFL schedule to ensure you have all your rosters set. There are Thursday and Saturday games on the slate in the next month and you don’t want to be the dumb-dumb who loses his league because he forgot.

Stay busy and get lucky.

Jimmy D