I toyed with covering any of the players in the OSU-USC match-up from
this past Saturday who will end up first round picks in the 2009 NFL
draft for this, the first NFL Eye for the College Guy. But contributing
to the heap of pure drivel written, spoken, and thought of about that
mess of a game seems so pointless now. For being the game of the
century of the year, the Clash at the Coliseum was almost entirely
unwatchable. All pipe and no bag; I fell asleep, twice.
Week 2 is in the books. That means it’s time to take a look at some guys that are moving up and some that are dropping. I've listed a few players who have rising values and others that are falling. We have players to pick up, bench, and look to trade for.
Moving on up!
QB Donovan McNabb – McNabb is on fire! He has 642 yards in his 1st 2 games. The rookie Jackson is going to keep getting open and Donovan is going to keep finding him. McNabb can only get better as Brown and Curtis come back. I look for Donnovan to be in the top 3 and possibly the top rated quarterback at the end of the season. QB Trent Edwards – Trent Edwards looks like he could end-up being a top 10 quarterback. He looks poised and confident and he has a strong arm. He has the 7th best QB rating at 107.7. He’s 12th in yards per game at 227. He’s 4th in completion percent at 70.9. If you need a QB and Edwards is still available, go get him right now! QB J.T. O'Sullivan – It looked this week like the 49ers are starting to get the Martz offense. They still have a way to go. With Bruce and Gore though, all they need is the quarterback and another receiver to get it and they could be off and running. Make sure to keep an eye on this guy and if you're having quarterback troubles in a large league, you may want to pick him up. RB Jonathon Stewart – Stewart had 14 carries for 77 yards and 2 touchdowns. DeAngelo Williams had 11 carries for 31 yards and no touchdowns. This guy is the complete package. He's much better suited to be the guy on 1st and 2nd and Williams is better suited for 3rd down. I think Stewart will be starting sooner rather than later. RB Michael Bush – Bush wasn't expected to do much as the 3rd back in Oakland. He didn't have a carry in week 2 until Justin Fargas went down. He then played second fiddle spelling McFadden and had 16 carries for 90 yards and a 32 yard touchdown. This boy can run. If Fargas is out for any length of time, Bush could make an impact. As it is, he should play a lot in the next few weeks. The Raiders are going to run a bunch and with the other back being a rookie, he should get plenty of carries to make an impact. RB Darren Sproles – This guy has shown that he can handle the load. LT has an injured big toe and Sproles may be doing more running than anyone thought. In week 2, with LT in and out of the lineup, Sproles ran 7 time for 53 yards and had 2 catches for 72 yards and a 66 yard touchdown. If LT is down for any length of time, Sproles will be the man. Even if LT plays, he might not be 100% for a while. WR Anthony Gonzalez – I think we may have a changing of the guard going on in Indy. Anthony Gonzalez had 9 catches for 137 yards in week 2 while Marvin Harrison had 1 catch for 16 yards. That just about says it all. Look for Gonzalez to be inconsistent, but he should have some big days. WR Isaac Bruce/Bryant Johnson – They had 10 catches and 231 yards between them. I just keep thinking, “this is Mike Martz! Even if it IS the 49ers, if they buy into it and learn it, they could be huge.” I don't know if I buy it yet, but I've got my eye on them just the same. TE Tony Scheffler – Scheffler had 6 catches for 64 yards and 2 touchdowns. Jay Cutler is having a break out year. With Marshall and the rookie Royal for defenses to have to contend with, look for Scheffler to have a big year. If this offense if half as good as it's been so far, Scheffler will finish in the top 5, especially in PPR leagues. TE John Carlson – I was wondering who Hasselback was going to throw to with all of his receivers out. I thought it was going to be Taylor, but he only caught 2 passes for 20 yards. Carlson caught 6 passes for 78 yards. If you need a bye week fill-in or spot starter, he may be your guy. The match-up has to be right, as it is this week when Seattle plays the Rams. Rams opponents - Anybody in the passing game that plays the Rams. They've given up 655 yards and 6 touchdowns in just 2 games! Start anyone they play until they show they can stop someone. Seattle and Buffalo are up next.
Falling!
QB Carson Palmer – Palmer and the Bengals offense has been horrible. Palmer only had 134 yards with 2 picks in 27 attempts. That's not too good. They can't run the ball at all. When all you can do is pass and your wide receiver core is banged-up, you're going to have problems. I think they'll get better as the season goes along, but it's going to be a long season overall for Cincinnati. RB Justin Fargas – Fargas has a pulled groin. He also has Darren McFadden behind him. He would have started for a while, because the Raiders wanted to bring McFadden along slowly, but know he's in the tub. McFadden is a beast and I don’t think Fargas will be getting his starting gig back anytime soon. RB DeAngelo Williams - Stewart had 14 carries for 77 yards and 2 touchdowns. DeAngelo Williams had 11 carries for 31 yards with no touchdowns. Stewart looks like the real deal and should get more and more of the carries. Williams will be back to 3rd down duties before too long. RB Fred Taylor – The Jaguars line is just too banged-up. The line is just not opening holes. Drew can still get his in the pass game, but Taylor doesn't get too many passes. I just don't think Taylor will be worth much until the line gets some guys back. WR Marvin Harrison – See Anthony Gonzalez above. We knew it was coming, we just didn't know it would come this fast. I don't think he's done, I just think that Gonzalez is younger and quicker and is a better compliment to Wayne right now. WR Chad Johnson – See Carson Palmer above. Chad also has a bum shoulder and he's wearing a harness. It's tough to play receiver with one arm. I think Chad's in for a very tough season. I don't think he'll be any better than a middle of the road receiver this year.
Mcnabb- The cowboys/eagles game was an offensive flurry, for those who watched the game it was a beautiful site and a good fitting end to Texas stadium.
Burress- Main man in NY shared some with Toomer but still was instrumental in win.
Ocho Cinqo- Bengals may be a flop team for awhile
S Jax- Horrible offense for the rams so far. Hope it picks up or they will be in with the Bengals.
Delhomme- Will get better in Week 3 with Smith back 128 yards and 1 int.
Schaub- Well he didn't play so a no brainier here.
Addai- Well he did score a TD but he had 15 rushes for 20 yards. He wouldn't have scored that TD if Wayne would have carried it one more yard. I'm calling success on this one.
Cassel- Very consistent only drawback was no TD passes.
Hightower- Ended up in the end zone again this week.
Tennessee D/ST- Looked very good on Sunday 7 points allowed not to mention the blocked punt and 2 int's.
Flops Grant- Shared workload because of bad hammy.
Johnson - Didn't do good with a great match up look into trading him.
Ginn Jr - Dolphins got shutdown and he was covered good
Fasano - Same Arizona D is better this year.
Did a little bit better this week, I wish I would have went after the Cards this week like last week. I had Anquan Boldin on 5 teams and Kurt Warner on those 5 as well.Was disappointed with LT this week, I hope he comes in next week. I sit J, Stewart and he had a big week. Mcfadden doing well now that Fargas is hurt. I look for Mcfadden to practically take over now. J Stewart may still share but he looked damn good yesterday. Thats it for week 2 look for my Sit/Startfor week 3 later this week. As always thanks for reading and stay tuned to FFcollective for all the latest news and fantasy advice.
Welcome to Fantasy Football Rant, week Two edition.
Hi, My name is Rob (Hi Rob), and I’m a Fantasy Footbahollic.
It’s been a crazy couple of weeks for the NFL, and with
months and months of pre-season excitement and anticipation, it certainly
hasn’t disappointed. There have been
storylines, and side storylines, injuries and unretirements. Rookie super-stars in the making, old fogy
superstars that are still getting it done.
And, after two weeks of the season, the talking heads are
actually starting to talk about someone other than Brett Favre! Hallelujah!
Speaking of Brady, I think I’ve discovered the real reason
for his injury. And, in true
headline-hogging fashion, I think a partial reason no-one saw it coming was
because of Madden-Cover Boy Favre.
Well, the Madden curse appears to have been broken…. Or… has
it just been cheated?
Sure, it’s only week one, so there’s plenty of time for EA
Sports Madden 09 to catch up to Favre (See; Vince Young 2008 (injured
quadricepts), Shaun Alexander 2007 (broken left foot), Donovan McNabb 2006
(sports hernia), Ray Lewis 2005 (torn right hamstring), Michael Vick 2004
(fractured right fibula), Marshall Faulk 2003 (ankle injury), Daunte Culpepper
2002 (knee injury).
My take? The cover of
Madden 09 WASN’T supposed to be Favre. Sure,
he was great last year, but the only reason he was on the cover was his (cough)
“retirement” (cough cough). I think we
can all pick a QB performance from 2007 that was better. Need a hint? How about a perfect regular season, and a record setting 50 touchdown
passes. OH YEAH. Him! But then, Mr. Tearful Goodbyes retires, and of course, the Madden
love-in is on. And you know Madden loves
him some Favre. The cover should have
been Brady. Ergo, and ipso facto, torn
ACL/MCL, and Favre skips the curse. Well played, Monsieur Favre.
My favorite story no one had written about yet is how if
Favre had waited until after week one, he would have been the main candidate
everyone would be talking about to take the Patriot’s QB job. But then again, Favre would probably just
hate all of that attention. But then of
course, I was watching NFL Network while writing a portion of this column, and
Adam Scheffler mentioned the exact same thing. Curse you Scheffler!!
Since we’re on the topic, and I don’t want to break what
seems to be a journalistic rule of mentioning Brett Favre at least 10 times in
every NFL-Related column… I better get the old fogey part of the column out of the
way.
"If you’re too old to cut the mustard, but you can still lick
the jar."
- Carmen, in "The Colour of Money".
Check out the old farts that can still get it done! Brett Favre has actually looked really good
in a Jets jersey (block your eyes if you’re a Packer fan). In week one, despite a whole new book of
tricks for an old dog, he looked great, showing some real chemistry with WR
Jericho Cotchery getting his first win (ok, half a win, it was Miami). In week two, he connected with WR Laveranues
Coles for 72 yards. Ok, it was a loss,
but it was the Patriots, so I still think he put on a pretty good performance.
And then, there’s Kurt Warner. Holy cow. Check out the stats on the grey beard! In week 2, he went 19-of-24 passes for 363 yards and three
touchdowns! If you’re keeping score,
(and I know you are, because if you’re reading this you’re a Fantasy
Footballaholic), that’s 38-of-54 passes for 558 yards and 4 touchdowns in two
weeks! In NFL.com fantasy football,
that places him as the 4th best point earner of any player. If you’re a Warner-owner (like this columnist)
I don’t know whether to rejoice at my Waiver-wire skills of picking him up
after Leinart was announced the un-starter, or whether it’s time to “sell high”. Let’s remember these numbers are against the
49ers and the Dolphins. Although, he did
a much better job against the Dolphins than the aforementioned Brett Favre.
Next week’s QB start of the week? Whoever is playing against the Dolphins.
Who invited Death from “The Family Guy” into the Seattle
Seahawks locker room? I picture him
with his little black robe, tucked under his Seattle Seahawk helmet, as sort of a cross between the Grim Reaper and that Puddy
character from Seinfeld who’s always looking for the high-five (Puddy). Unbeknownst to them, each week a
different Seahawk player comes up to him and gets a high-five, and then they’re
out for the season.
Preseason -
Death: Hey Engram, Branch! It’s only pre-season.. wanna go shoot some pool? Cool. High-five.
Burlesson: Thanks Death! (high fives him), ow! My knee!
Week Two -
Death: Hey Wallace, I heard you’re playing received this
week instead of backup QB… and you, you’re that new kid, Payne right? Hey. Good luck out there boys. High-five.
Wallace/Payne: Thud.
Thud.
And what about the running back rookies? Hopefully you had a couple of them in your
draft, or on the Waiver Wire before they went off. Forte looks like hbe’ll be great week in and
week out, as does Johnson,Stewart, and McFadden if Fargas stays out, others
look to be fine bye-week replacements like Felix Jones, Tim Hightower, Steve
Slaton and Ray Rice, Pierre Thomas and Kevin Smith. You know what sucks more than NOT drafting
one or more of these rookie RB’s? Drafting Rookie RB Rashard Mendenhall. He seems to be the only rookie RB you aren’t seeing on any score sheet
these days. I guess he doesn’t have the
trust of his coaches, but man, he really seems like the only rookie RB to miss
the boat so far.
All Points Bulletin – Be on the look out for the entire
Cincinnati Bengals offense, the Minnesota Vikings passing game, the Miami
Dolphins defense, and any sightings of and NFL franchise in the Michigan area.
Quote from the Florida Licensing Office – “Sorry Mister Cinco, it takes 60-90 days to change your
name again, even if it’s a “change” to your previous name.”
Have a good week in Fantasy Football.
Author – Rob Pashko, FFootball Collective.
Post any comments about this article below the article, and I'll try to respond.
With under a minute left in the San Diego-Denver game this Sunday, Chargers fans couldn't help but think about the squirrely call the zebras made earlier in the game in which Champ Bailey returned a Chris Chambers' fumble for a touchdown. The game wouldn't be within reach if the referees would have made the right call earlier. Unfortunately, now, Jay Cutler sat inside the ten yard line with his Broncos, ready to cap off a game-knotting drive. At the snap, Cutler rolled out, aimed under pressure, and cocked back his arm for a throw towards the endzone. In a freakish turn of events the ball flew out, backwards, into the air and onto the ground. Whistles blew. The Chargers recovered the ball. More whistles blew. The Chargers celebrated and fans sighed with collective relief.
"The play has been ruled a fumble..." senior official Ed Hochuli announced after review. "Ball will be placed at the ten, Bronco's ball."
One could almost feel the despair and anger sweep over the Chargers' sideline. According to Hochuli, the play had been blown dead prior to the Chargers' recovery, which was a mistake since the original whistle was blown out of the belief that the pass was incomplete. By rule, since the play had been blown dead upon the ball's contact with the ground, the Chargers could not have recovered the ball--fumble, incomplete pass, or not.
If the Chargers fans were adamant about the Chambers' fumble before, they were even more furious now. Coach Norv Turner heaved and ranted on the sideline. Cutler and the Broncos would retain possession and have two more chances for tying the game.
After a slight gain from a Selvin Young draw, the Broncos had one more chance to get into the endzone. Slicing between three defenders rookie sensation Eddie Royal found a crease, Cutler saw him. Royal took the bullet to his chest, clenched tightly and solidified 6 points for his Broncs. 36-37, Chargers still in the lead, an extra point attempt would knot it all up. Overtime and a possible Chargers' defeat seemed inevitable.
But Mike Shanahan raised two fingers--signaling either the guttsiest or stupidest call in the 2008 campaign. Hike! The pass... two point conversion attempt to... yes, Royal Eddie, king (thus far) of awe-inspiring play! Broncos go ahead of the Chargers 38-37. The Chargers' fans go nuts in a rage while the Chargers themselves stare in amazement at their misfortune.
In a phrase, the Chargers were inadvertently but undoubtedly royally screwed.
In interviews with Chris Collinsworth and other sports commentators, the call from Ed Hochuli was more than a bad one--it was perhaps the biggest flop of his great career. I couldn't agree more. I couldn't believe, after such a hard fought game from both teams that a bad call would determine the outcome. Even more importantly, however, the call helped drop the Chargers to an 0-2 start. Considering that the Chargers were once a Super Bowl contending team, and how Week 1 was heartbreaking enough, one must question if the Chargers will be able to get over their unfortunate series of events.
I'll sum up by extending my hope that the Chargers stumble upon luckier days and make the playoffs. However, the main point of this article is to spur discussion about this year's erratic mix of surprises. The Patriots are barely scoring, the Giants are putting up 40 points, and various rookies and young studs are spitting in the face of convention by performing like experienced Pro Bowlers. Seriously, what's going on this year? Are we in for a Giants dynasty? Will the Cowboys finally make a trip to the big stage? These are some of the questions bludgeoning my own senses as I try to rationalize the happenings of this season.
For me, the biggest surprise thus far has been the Colts' performances these first two weeks. I'll discuss this and my other surprises and disappointments in my upcoming article on Surprises/Disappointments of Week 2. Until then, feel free to respond and share your thoughts on your biggest surprises and disappointments. I'd like to be able to comment on the responses we receive here at ffcollective.com. Let's start by asking this: Were the Chargers screwed?
Change. That is the ominous word facing the NFL and
every fantasy addict after Week 1’s slue of bad news. At first glance one might think that change
means risk, danger, and a bleak future for one’s team (both fantasy and
real). However, along with key injuries
and player misconduct prompting radical change in the NFL, new talent and
strategy has emerged that one might not have otherwise noticed. This change—this type of unwelcoming yet curiously
exciting metamorphosis—is a reminder of why every fantasy season is special and
new.
Going into my fantasy
draft this year I had LT, Brady, and Adrian Peterson locked in as my top 3
prospects—which I’m sure mirrored 90% of the nation’s top picks too. My rankings weren’t completely based on past
performance and expected production though. Rather, I chose this trio because I believed that each of these guys
were sure-fire, bulletproof starters who would start every game this season
with little to no disappointment attached. In a word, I based my decision on consistency. And, for the most part, I was right: LT and
Peterson have been consistent thus far.
However, many NFL
starters/fantasy titans have bitten the dust. Tom Brady. Shawn Merriman. Bobby Engram. Alex Smith. Vince Young. Upon seeing these names in an injury report
instead of on the team’s depth chart, one begins to wonder if sure-fire and
bulletproof starters even exist anymore. I, for one, believe that age of athlete is gone—and not because the
athletes lack durability, but because the game of football itself has changed
dramatically. Not only have players
become more volatile physically, but contracts and loyalty have shorter
timelines than they did, say, 10-15 years ago.
For the past 4 years
I’ve won third place in my fantasy leagues by buying into the idea of change,
volatility, and “upside.” Granted third
place is not first place, nor a ranking one should brag about—but I achieved
this ranking time and again by beating the best teams in my league when it was
least expected. The reason: I drop stars
or short term thrillers, to pick up players with more upside, better matchups,
and with higher probabilities of having huge days. In fact, most of the time I lose 2 or 3 of my
best players to injuries and have to compensate for their losses by cutting
them entirely (some players in the past have included Priest Holmes, Larry
Johnson, Ronnie Brown, and Reggie Bush).
First, too many owners
in my fantasy leagues will hold onto injured “stars,” passing up the
opportunity to open up a roster spot to pick up a second or third string player
who will receive major playing time. Big
mistake. This year I let go of Deion
Branch (I had picked him up on the chance he would be ready within the first
three weeks—a sacrifice I was willing to make since I had my starting 3 figured
out) to land Eddie Royal before Week 1 started. Yahtzee!—Royal could make a huge impact on the fantasy front if he
performs anywhere near his league-leading 146 yard and one touchdown debut. I also picked up Anthony Fasano to backup my
number 1, Gates, with the idea that Fasano can eventually replace Gates
altogether. With Gates’ toe and sore
hamstring, coupled with Pennington’s lackluster arm strength and love affair with
throwing underneath, Fasano is a great option for any owner who has a busted up
TE or underperforming star.
In addition to cutting
players due to injuries, fantasy owners should have a plan in motion preempting
injuries to their studs. My philosophy this
year is pickup veterans who backup rookies or younger players. Why? Because these young bucks have a greater probability of getting injured
since (1) they’re actually starting and (2) they’re not as experienced as other
veterans in the league which means they’re likely to make mistakes and/or get
injured in the process of racking up as many yards as possible. Some pickups I would recommend to owners in
deeper leagues early on include Michael Jenkins of the Atlanta Falcons and Rudi
Johnson of the Detroit Lions. Both
players are veterans with major upside if their team’s starters get injured or
begin to disappoint. Preempt the
inevitable and lock in a guy who’s on a team that shows some amount of
promise—he’ll get playing time, the only question is whether you’ll be there to
reap the benefits.
The last problem
fantasy owners have is trading big name players for players with more
upside. Get over it Susy! It’s fantasy football, not some trading card
game or fashion show. You’re in it to
win, not to sport the flashiest or most iconic names in the sport. You want names and icons, go pick up the
tabloids and make way for an owner who will make the tough trades to pave a
more prosperous future for his/her team. This week I think a Michael Turner trade for a Steven Jackson or Terrell
Owens is a good call. Why? Because Turner is not yet proven and,
furthermore, Matt Ryan is a questionable weapon which also hurts Turner’s value. Turner will have big days and maybe even a
terrific season, but I don’t think he’ll be anywhere near consistent enough to
risk missing out on a Sjack, Westbrook, or Portis trade. Fantasy owners need to look at the overall
picture associated with each player before determining a cut or keep. That is, if you have a star player who is
surrounded by a mediocre offense, trade the guy for someone who’s in a better
situation. Teams like the Cowboys,
Colts, and even Eagles have many different weapons in different positions,
which makes it easier for your player to have a big game.
The moral of the story
is forego your loyalty and/or man crush on players that are having rough
starts: bench or release them, hit
it-then quit it. It’s that simple. You will not be competitive—much less
victorious—if you let sentiment direct your managing decisions. Sure, hold onto the likes of Randy Moss, Peyton
Manning, LT and Adrian Peterson if the going is rough, but don’t mistake the
fact that other “stars” in the league will have a bad case of puny stats or
others may thrill in the short term. Look
long term and land a guy that has a higher probability of performing well over
the length or remainder of the season. In
sum, don’t let one player’s unfortunate year or another’s streak of luck control
the way you manage your team. You're in it to win, remember that.
As a 30+ year Patriots fan, I was completely screwed by the injury to the NFL MVP. Not only is he my favorite player, he is also on BOTH of my fantasy teams!(Yahoo & CDM) To make matters worse, I also have Nate Burleson on yahoo! However, as a fan of this team and someone who has watched every game #12 has played and Bill Belichick has coached, I think I can give you an idea how this team will play offensively for the start of the Matt Cassel era.
1- Run,run, run- Team has more veteran and explosive runners than in 2001 when Brady had Antowain Smith, Kevin Faulk, Marc Edwards, Patrick Pass and JR Redmond in the backfield. This time, Faulk is joined by Laurence Maroney, Sammy Morris, Lamont Jordan and FB Heath Evans. They can run this group 35-40 times, slow the game down and rest that veteran D. Veterans Morris and Jordan are great fits in this system as a do it all types. Faulk is also a great screen-3rd down type back who can keep drives alive on draws and tosses. Maroney is almost exclusively used as a runner and returns kickoffs from time to time.
2- Spread them out--- In 01, Brady threw a ton of WR screens to the likes of Troy Brown and David Patten. This also allows Cassel time to read the D and ID blitzers and so forth. Wes Welker is a strong target in this area.
3- Max protect, send out Moss and Welker--Use TEs,Rbs and allow Moss and slot man Wes Welker to work magic. This WR core is far superior to the group Brady won the SB with. Players like Kelley Washington and Jabar Gaffney would have played bigger roles on that Super Bowl 36 club.
4- TE- Another Brady 01 staple was the underneath short zone TE pass to Jermaine Wiggins. I bet u even money TE David Thomas catches 5-6 balls Sunday. Ben Watson will be huge when he returns from a knee injury.
In summary, I would look at Cassel is you are Brady owner, start Moss, keep all WRs on the bench if u have stronger options and we see who is showcased with the new QB. I would also hold off on Pats runners if you have other healthy backs that are guaranteed touches, Pats RB situation as far as fantasy goes is among the hardest in the NFL to forecast.
Week 1 is in the books. That means it’s time to take a look at some guys to play and some to sit. These are a few players that should excel and others to keep on the bench for week 2.
Start-em! QB Kurt Warner VS Miami - The Dolphins defensive backfield will not be able to handle the dynamic duo of Fitzgerald and Boldin. The former MVP will continue to light it up in this game and should throw for a ton of yards and a couple touchdowns, with a fumble, or a pick, or both. QB Jay Cutler VS San Diego - The Chargers gave up 247 yards and a game winning touchdown pass to the Panthers at home last week. This week the Chargers are banged-up and traveling to Denver. Denver gets Brandon Marshall back from suspension to go with the rookie Eddie Royal. I expect Cutler to continue his break out year with 300 yards and a couple of touchdowns. RB Brandon Jacobs @ St. Louis - The Giants O-line should be able to handle the Rams front 7 in this game. I think the G-Men will run early and often. Look for the Giants to be too much for the Rams and Jacobs to have a bunch of yards and a touchdown. RB Chris Johnson @ Cincinnati - The Bengals gave up 5 yards a carry to the Ravens in week 1. With Vince Young being out this week, the Titans will lean on the run. This rookie and his 4.2 speed look like the real deal. Look for a big day with a couple of long runs and a touchdown. WR Hines Ward @ Cleveland - The Browns pass defense was not very good last year. It looked even worse last week and the pass rush did not exist. The Steelers will try to get an early lead in this game. If you don't have a pass rush against the Steelers, Hines Ward will have a big day. I expect him to get a lot of targets in this game and score a touchdown. WR Brandon Marshall VS San Diego - Cutler was in great form last week against the Oakland Pass D. Marshall is back from a 1 game suspension this week and San Diego is banged-up. Look for Denver to have a big game in the air and Marshall to score a couple of touchdowns.
Sit-em! QB Carson Palmer VS Tennessee - Palmer and his banged-up receivers only got 94 yards against Baltimore last week. This week they get the Tennessee D. The Titans are just too physical for the Bengals and they won't be able to handle the Titans pass rush. Look for Palmer to have another tough day. QB Matt Schaub VS Baltimore - The Texans only scored 3 points until the game was in hand last week against the Steelers. This week they face a Ravens defense that gave up 94 passing yards to the Bengals in week 1. Look for the Texans to struggle to score points against that defense. RB Joseph Addai @ Minnesota - It is very difficult to run on the Vikings. I also expect the Vikings to run very well on the Colts. That means the Colts will have to fling it around to win this game. Addai will get some yards, and some catches, but no touchdowns. RB Steven Jackson VS New York Giants - The Rams offense is just not clicking and they couldn't get anything going against the Eagles. I don't see them doing any better against the Giants. Look for the Rams to get down early and forget about the run. St. Louis will be hard pressed to even get in the end zone. WR Dwayne Bowe VS Oakland - The Chiefs offense will have an easier time running against the Raider run D. Damon Huard will start for the Chiefs and Asomugha will be all over Bowe. Both teams will want to run the ball in this game. I don't look for the Kansas City passing attack to get very many yards in this game. WR Chris Johnson VS Tennessee - The Tennessee defense will stop the Bengals rushing attack cold. Then the pass rush will be all over the Bengals passing game. Chad is still banged up and he only caught 1 pass last week. Look for the Cincinnati offense to struggle to score points this week.
As always I like to reiterate what happened to the players I predicted last week to be either stud or dud, and go over my waiver wire pickups to just check more so for myself and for you. A fantasy football "athlete" if you will is only as good as he is at catching his own mistakes. Now these week 1 predictions are hard to do. Anyone will tell you until you see these guys in a full regular season action, you can never be assured enough to pull the trigger on anyone that may be deep. Going into week 1 I expected a huge week from the Cards. They won but not the fantasy value I expected. I was impressed by the Bears offense, I was crying when the Tampa Bay game ended without 1 TD for Galloway. When Brady went out I was Ok I only had him in one league. However it wasn't a great feeling to see a fantasy monster go out like that. That is the fantasy football way the only thing you can trust is your gut. Like leaving Big Ben on the bench to start Kurt Warner. Or starting Michael Turner who you said from the day Atlanta picked him up was going to be a beast in that run offense, especially with a rookie QB behind center. You win some you lose some, as a writer you want everyone to succeed and you want every one to win. Someone always has to lose. I know that when you read these sit start columns this year you will stick to your gut I wouldn't expect any less all I am trying to do is provide the most accurate information I can give you to maybe sure up any spots that you really can't figure out. If I do my job well enough hopefully that player will produce. Enough of that let us see how I did this week.
(Successes)
J. Cotchery- What a wonderful showing, Donald Driver of NY.
R,White- Ryan had a TD pass but not to him.
A, Green- Did he forget to come to the stadium Sunday?
L,Johnson- If you wasted a pick on a has been, join the club some of us wasted our #1 on a QB that will end on the note of 73 pass yards all season.
R. Grant- Had 93 rushing yards, but didn't make the end zone against that strong Viking run defense.
(Flops)
JT O'Sullivan- Didn't use his weapons this week, except for Frank Gore. Really not bad in the passing game, 195 yards. However 1 int and 2 fumbles won't help you out any as far as fantasy value.
Orton- Did really well.
Flacco- Did even better
Schaub- Lets face it he was horrible.
Mendenhall- Willie Parker didn't sit down and let Mendenhall play. Anything more than 2 TD's is just showing off.
Shockey- Very valuable in the game, made some clutch catches but not fantasy relevant.
Ted Ginn- didn't produce this week, he was in the game but the Jets took him seriously.
Pollard- Wasn't as much going on as I thought with AZ.
L,White- Chris Johnson looked a lot better, but White got the rush TD and Johnson got the Rec TD.
(Underachievers)
Warner- Had a decent day but not the 2-3 TD day I thought he would have
Well, week 1 is now behind us, and there's not much to talk about. Nope, no big news at all this week in football. Well, maybe a little. OK, maybe a lot. Actually, now that I think about it, it was one hell of an opening week!
And so, with much ado about everything in the world of virtual gridiron over the past few days, there have been several pleasant surprises for owners clever enough to take a chance on an unproven draft pick. Inversely, there have been a handful of fantastic busts that have left owners groaning and wishing they had a less stressful hobby.
First, the winners:
SURPRISES
Michael Turner, RB ATL - Since leaving his last job as L.T.'s shadow, Turner has generated some excitement, mostly because the man rarely fumbles and has never really been given the chance to lead a team's run attack. Still, there was some talk about Turner still not getting a ton of chances to run, as many think that fellow RB Jerious Norwood would carry a large share of the ground assault. Well, it turns out that both sides were right. But what neither side expected was Turner's 22 carries (of the 36 total between both backs) would be good for a total of 220 yds (yeah, that's a 10 per average!) and 2 TDs. His stellar performance against the Lions made him the top fantasy scorer for week 1 (according to espn.com rankings). Rest assured, he will be seeing more starts in every league in week 2, even though the Lions defense resembled a big piece of stinky Swiss cheese at the same time.
Eddie Royal, WR DEN - I know that Jay Cutler would agree that rookie receiver Eddie Royal earned a spot on this list. Royal was the main reason for the Bronc's trouncing of the Raiders on Monday night, gaining 146 yards on 9 catches, with a TD for good measure. Be wary, however, as Denver's main man Brandon Marshall returns from suspension next week. Still, Royal may be worthy to fill in an extra spot on your starting roster.
Willie Parker, RB PIT - Oh, man, Fast Willie! With last year's TD total of 2, along with the presence of Steeler's draft pick Rashard Mendenhall, many people passed on Willie for fear of a repeat, myself included (kick self). Actually, I did draft him on one team, but he was benched Sunday (kick self harder). Well, at least the fear of another 2 TD season can be put to rest already, because he opened up the season with 3, count 'em, 3 TD's to lead the Steelers to victory over Houston. As for next week, the Browns are hoping that their previously horrendous run defense will get a boost from NT Shaun Rogers, but I've watched Big Shaun in Detroit for the last 7 years, and know that he can be worn down. I say start Parker with confidence.
Buffalo Bills Special Teams - I'm not going to get too far into this one, because I doubt that this will be a weekly occurrence, but it is worth a spot on this week's list, as the Bill's D/ST scored more fantasy points than most offensive players this week. Seriously, that was a sweet fake FG.
Honorable Mentions - Firstly, Pack QB Aaron Rodgers. You may have heard of him recently. Anyway, he took care of business in his Lambeau debut start, making the home crowd happy with a solid performance to get the win over the much-hated Vikings. He would've had another TD under his belt if his beautiful pass to Donald Driver hadn't been called back due to a wandering lineman. Doh! Also, I should say that I like what I see from Baltimore's rookie QB Joe Flacco. He has an absolute cannon for an arm, and even ran in a TD Sunday. He is still available in many leagues, so all of you desperate peeps looking to replace Tom Brady may want to give him a look.
And now, the busts.
DISAPPOINTMENTS
Marvin Harrison, WR IND - The aging Harrison was still considered a worthy candidate for early picks this year, even after battling injury much of last season. Both Harrison and his QB Peyton Manning looked liked a couple of grumpy old men ready for the retirement home against the Bears, with Marvin going 76 yds on 8 catches with no TDs, and a costly fumble as well. But if Peyton decides to hit the gas in the next few weeks, Harrison may go along for the ride, so don't give up on a past proven winner just yet.
Maurice Jones-Drew, RB JAC - Many owners spent their second pick on the scrappy RB, seeing a lot of potential for a load of offensive output on a team that can't always rely on the air attack. But with injuries thinning down the O-Line, Jones-Drew was limited to 5 carries for 13 yards, along with 4 receptions for 37 yards. Until the line proves it can clear a path, be wary.
Wes Welker, WR NE - 6 catches, 51 yards, 0 TDs. If that's any sign of the way Matt Cassel is going to distribute the pass this year, many owners will be left with a wasted 3rd or 4th pick. However, perhaps the new starting QB (man it still just sounds weird) will remember that Welker was a key component to the Pat's success last year, and give him his fair share of feeds.
Chad Ocho Cinco, WR CIN - With much self-hype going into week 1, many owners took the bait and started the loudmouth formerly known as Johnson. They were rewarded with one 22-yard reception. Yep, that's it. Sloucho Cinco then credited the opposing Baltimore pass defense for doing a great job. Now that was admittedly a decent move on his part, but if he is saying the same thing about the Terrible Titans D next week, sit him. Or trade him to the 12 year old kid in your league who doesn't know any better. To his defense, T.J. Houshmandzadeh belongs right up there next to him for his poor performance as well. At least Chad didn't blame Carson Palmer.
Honorable Mentions -Peyton Manning's fantasy numbers weren't terrible on Sunday. They were right along with many of the average QB scores for the day. The problem with that is, Peyton Manning isn't an average QB, and many owners spent their 2nd, or even 1st pick on the superstar. His hobbling and sulking on the sideline between drives was a sign that he was just not himself. Still, his use of the line, "It's on like Donkey Kong!" in a recent cookie ad keeps me on his side. Also, the Seahawks looked generally pathetic against the Bills on Sunday. This is a team that was picked by many, including ol' Swami, to make the big show this January. But really, the only fantasy impact comes from QB Matt Hasselbeck, who had a mostly average day, and the D/ST in some leagues, so it really might not be a big deal.
Oh, and there was something else...Some of you may be crying over the loss of Pat's QB Tom Brady. Let's face it, that was your first round pick, brother. It's OK. Try to trade a decent backup RB or WR for a respectable QB such as Jon Kitna or Phillip Rivers, or just pick up Joe Flacco, Matt Ryan, or Chad Pennington from the free agency pool. Or hey, what about Matt Cassel? He will still be throwing to Randy Moss, who could probably even catch MY passes.
