Week 1
Sunday's Best: Week 1
Usual suspects rise to the occasion to open season
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Welcome to another season of the NFL and fantasy football. As usual, many things went according to form, and still a lot more went against the grain. That's why we play the games, and that's why fantasy football can be fun, addicting and aggravating all at once.
What we've learned so far from the first week is that it's always good to rely on your studs. There's a reason you drafted these guys early, and many of them proved it in a big way to open the season. Granted, not everyone did (see Jamal Lewis and Deuce McAllister), but there were plenty of top guys who did what they were supposed to do.
We've also learned that you can't always count out the old guys. Curtis Martin had a monster game, while Emmitt Smith and Marshall Faulk showed flashes of their best days in their matchup. Plus, 40-year-old Vinny Testaverde had a 300-yard game, not to mention three touchdowns from Jerome Bettis. There's something to be said about upside, but sometimes experience does count for something.
Now let's get back to the business of highlighting the best, the worst and the weird in fantasy football this week.
Top 10 Studs
1. Daunte Culpepper, QB, Vikings (17-23, 242 yards, 5 TDs; 6 carries, 25 yards): You knew Randy Moss loved facing the Cowboys, but someone has to get him the ball. Culpepper actually shared the wealth, with Moss catching two of the five TDs. You have to wonder about Dallas' defense after this performance.
2. Shaun Alexander, RB, Seahawks (28 carries, 135 yards, 2 TDs; 2 catches, 31 yards, 1 TD): He's usually considered among the second-tier of stud RBs, but he looked like a first-tier guy ripping through the Saints. He easily beat Deuce McAllister in the battle of stud RBs.
3. Quentin Griffin, RB, Broncos (23 carries, 156 yards, 2 TDs; 1 catch, 1 yard, 1 TD; 1 lost fumble): Further proof that just about any back can hit it big in Denver. However, Griffin had to avoid the charge of Garrison Hearst and rookie Tatum Bell before securing the starting job. By the way, does Griffin like playing under the Sunday night lights?
4. Priest Holmes, RB, Chiefs (26 carries, 151 yards, 3 TDs; 2 catches, -2 yards): What else would you expect from last year's fantasy MVP? This is why he's the No. 1 pick.
5. Donovan McNabb, QB, Eagles (26-36, 330 yards, 4 TDs; 4 carries, 12 yards): You think he likes having a real receiver as a target? Plus, he got a TD pass into L.J. Smith, one of the candidates for breakout tight end.
6. Curtis Martin, RB, Jets (29 carries, 196 yards, 1 TD; 3 catches, 7 yards, 1 TD): After last year, he looked to be over the hill. But he appears to be fully healthy after a couple of off years, and might be a great fantasy steal.
7. Terrell Owens, WR, Eagles (8 catches, 68 yards, 3 TDs): TO likes to make noise, and he did it in a big way in his Philadelphia debut. It appears he'll work just fine with McNabb.
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8. Tiki Barber, RB, Giants (9 carries, 125 yards, 1 TD; 5 catches, 75 yards): OK, so much of this happened in garbage time, but stats are stats. Ron Dayne actually got the most carries and scored a TD early, but Barber still has decent fantasy value.
9. Tom Brady, QB, Patriots (26-38, 335 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT): He looked just as sharp as he did in the Super Bowl, and like before, he spread the ball around to a bunch of good, but not great guys. Corey Dillon will help take the load off, but it took him a while before he actually entered New England's lineup.
10. Clinton Portis, RB, Redskins (29 carries, 148 yards, 1 TD; 4 catches, 15 yards): Things started well with a 64-yard TD run on his first carry. He was OK after that, but it's easy to see he's the center of Washington's offense.
Other top performances: Domanick Davis, RB, Texans (21 carries, 87 yards, 2 TDs; 5 catches, 70 yards, 2 lost fumbles); Vinny Testaverde, QB, Cowboys (29-50, 355 yards, 1 TD); Rich Gannon, QB, Raiders (20-37, 305 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs); Thomas Jones, RB, Bears (21 carries, 67 yards, 2 TDs; 6 catches, 38 yards); Antonio Gates, TE, Chargers (8 catches, 123 yards); Onterrio Smith, RB, Vikings (15 carries, 76 yards; 1 catch, 63 yards, 1 TD); Marshall Faulk, RB, Rams (22 carries, 128 yards; 2 catches, 17 yards); LaDainian Tomlinson, RB, Chargers (26 carries, 121 yards, 1 TD; 3 catches, -4 yards); Peyton Manning, QB, Colts (16-29, 256 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT); Edgerrin James, RB, Colts (30 carries, 142 yards; 3 catches, 29 yards, 2 lost fumbles).
Duds
Jamal Lewis, RB, Ravens (20 carries, 57 yards): After burning Cleveland for 500 rushing yards last year, there was nowhere to go but down. But this far down? Jonathan Ogden's injury hurts more than we might think.
Deuce McAllister, RB, Saints (16 carries, 57 yards; 2 catches, 20 yards): Respectable numbers, but not what you wanted from a guy considered among the elite fantasy backs.
Fred Taylor, RB, Jaguars (17 carries, 61 yards): For a No. 1 running back, you expected better, even against the tough Bills.
Charlie Garner, RB, Bucs (11 carries, 25 yards; 1 catch, 4 yards): Tampa Bay couldn't do anything on offense, and Garner was a big reason why.
Plaxico Burress, WR, Steelers (1 catch, 13 yards): It's Hines Ward or bust in the Steelers' passing game.
Tyrone Wheatley, RB, Raiders (11 carries, 24 yards; 1 catch, 20 yards): Oakland still can't run the ball.
Laveranues Coles, WR, Redskins (3 catches, 27 yards): Rod Gardner stepped up, but it's Clinton Portis carrying the offense now.
Steve McNair, QB, Titans (9-14, 73 yards, 1 TD; 2 carries, 11 yards): He won the game but the stats were meager.
Eddie George, RB, Cowboys (8 carries, 25 yards): He was one of the few grizzled vets to struggle Sunday.
T.J. Duckett, RB, Falcons (2 carries, 6 yards; 1 catch, 1 yard): It's Warrick Dunn's job to lose now.
Waiver Wire Wonders
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David Terrell, WR, Bears (5 catches, 126 yards; 1 carry, 20 yards): With Marty Booker in Miami, someone has to be the No. 1 guy, and maybe Terrell (a former first-round pick) will finally live up to that role. Bobby Wade and Justin Gage had just one catch each.
Drew Brees, QB, Chargers (17-24, 209 yards, 2 TDs): He still may not have the starting job for long, but at least he made a good effort to keep it. He also made great use of tight end Antonio Gates, who is a better safety valve option than wearing out LaDainian Tomlinson.
Doug Gabriel, WR, Raiders (3 catches, 81 yards, 1 TD; 1 carry, 3 yards): He was getting all the long TDs in the preseason, and he had another one to open the season. He's worth watching, especially now that Oakland is going to a more vertical passing game.
ReShard Lee, RB, Cowboys (5 carries, 35 yards, 1 TD): My colleague David Sabino had it right when he said Lee would get some touches at the goal line. Eddie George didn't do anything, and Julius Jones was inactive, so Lee might have a little value in TD leagues.
Eric Johnson, TE, 49ers (8 catches, 86 yards, 1 TD): Injuries kept him off the radar at the draft, but with San Francisco figuring out the receiver situation, Johnson could get his share of catches.
Stat Line of the Week
Jerome Bettis, RB, Steelers (5 carries, 1 yard, 3 TDs): It's pretty obvious that the Bus only travels in one-yard increments these days. I guess he won't have a problem just scoring TDs.
Fantasy Game of the Week
Broncos 34, Chiefs 24: OK, how many of you had a starting duo of Priest Holmes and Quentin Griffin? Just let them run, run, run.
Injuries
Shaun Alexander, RB, Seahawks: He could've had more yards but hurt his knee late in the game. Seattle says it isn't serious, but be careful and get Maurice Morris just in case.
Charles Rogers, WR, Lions: For the second straight year, he broke his collarbone. He might miss most of the season. That hurts Joey Harrington's overall value, but increases Roy Williams'.
Tim Rattay, QB, 49ers: He missed part of the game with a strained shoulder, with Ken Dorsey playing well in relief. However, he returned and threw two fourth-quarter TDs.
Joey Galloway, WR, Bucs: He injured his groin early against the Redskins, and early reports say he could miss most of the season. Not a good sign for Tampa Bay's offense.
Moe Williams, RB, Vikings: An ankle injury knocked him out in the fourth quarter, but his value was lessened a bit with Onterrio Smith's big game. But if and when Smith's drug suspension kicks in, he'll have value again.
News, Notes and Observations
A.J. Feeley takes over as the Dolphins' starting quarterback. He did throw a TD pass against the Titans on Saturday, but he was also picked off for a Tennessee score almost as soon as he came in for an ineffective Jay Fiedler. Avoid both.
Lamar Gordon had a so-so Miami debut (12 carries, 32 yards; 5 catches, 30 yards), but could make an impact with more practice time. However, I still wonder if he'll be more like Marshall Faulk or more like Trung Canidate, who struggled after leaving St. Louis.
Maybe those tight ends aren't such afterthoughts after all. Antonio Gates and Eric Johnson came up big as mentioned above, but Alge Crumpler (6 catches, 82 yards, 1 TD) and Todd Heap (9 catches, 86 yards) also shined. Plus, "sleeper" types like L.J. Smith and Erron Kinney both scored this weekend. However, Jeremy Shockey (2 catches, 39 yards) and Kellen Winslow (4 catches, 39 yards) were only fair in their openers, and Tony Gonzalez came up empty (2 catches, 17 yards).
The race for the real No. 1 WR on the Jets is still undecided with Santana Moss (4 catches, 55 yards) and Justin McCareins (5 catches, 66 yards) somewhat even.
If you play with individual defensive players, check if your rules allow for them to get offensive stats. The Broncos used Champ Bailey a lot on offense Sunday.
Carson Palmer did well for himself in his NFL debut, going 18-for-27 for 248 yards, two TDs and a pick. He's still got a way to go, but when you've got players like Chad Johnson as targets, the transition is much easier.
Rookie Watch: Roy Williams (4 catches, 69 yards) had a nice debut, but teammate Kevin Jones (15 carries, 36 yards; 1 catch, 34 yards) wasn't as lucky, although he did have a TD wiped out by a penalty. Larry Fitzgerald (4 catches, 70 yards) already looks like Arizona's big-play guy. Steven Jackson (7 carries, 50 yards) had a nice outing backing up Marshall Faulk but he lost a fumble. Michael Clayton (7 catches, 53 yards) may be Tampa Bay's go-to guy with Joey Galloway injured. Neither Reggie Williams (2 catches, 9 yards) nor Lee Evans (2 catches, 12 yards) did much in their debuts, but Williams' teammate Ernest Wilford caught Jacksonville's game-winning TD for his only reception. Atlanta rookie WR Michael Jenkins had no touches. Eli Manning (3-9, 66 yards) played some garbage time for the Giants.
Monday's Best
Stud: Ahman Green, RB, Packers (33 carries, 119 yards, 2 TDs; 2 catches, -3 yards, 1 TD): Another three-TD game from a fantasy stud, following in the footsteps of Priest Holmes, Shaun Alexander, Quentin Griffin and Curtis Martin.
Dud: Stephen Davis, RB, Panthers (9 carries, 26 yards; 1 catch, 22 yards): While Green torched a good Panthers defense, Davis didn't do much against an iffier Packers D.
posted by sasmo at 6:04 AM
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