Fantasy Football Collective

    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.

-- Jay Hathaway
hathajay@aol.com