Boss of the Week: Drew Brees- 358 Yds, 6 TD, INT
Drew Brees, the preseason No. 1 fantasy QB-hulk, easily shredded the pathetic Lions for 358 yards and six touchdowns. Not much to say here, other than I feel bad for anyone who faced Brees opening day, including myself…
During draft season, I maintained the belief that Brees should be selected ahead of Tom Brady, despite the encouraging preseason from Tom Terrific. Brees’ Week 1 performance suggests nothing different at this point. Of course Brady hasn’t played yet, but Brees is a machine and not coming off a major knee injury.
Brett Favre, and his weak 110-yard Week 1 performance, gets the pleasure of facing the Lions D next week. I’d spot start him if need be.
Weakest of the Week: Steve Slaton- 9 Att, 17 Yds, 3 Rec, 35 Yds
Steve Slaton was nonexistent Sunday against the tough Jets defense. Rex Ryan’s defense is legit, but so is Slaton. I was surprised he didn’t salvage his day in the passing game, which is his forte versus tough defenses, but the entire Houston offense was stymied. I expect them to get on track next week against Tennessee, a team they know well.
Honorable Mention: Matt Forte- 25 Att, 55 Yds
The explanation on Forte is the same as Slaton, except Forte had NO catches. What the hell? Better days lie ahead for both of these first-round investments.
No Surprises Here
Adrian Peterson- 25 Att, 180, 3 TD, 1 Rec, 18 Yds … Owned Cleveland like it was a Nike commercial or a video game.
Maurice Jones-Drew- 21 Att, 97 Yds, TD, 5 Rec, 26 Yds … The new Brian Westbrook.
Tony Romo- 353 Yds, 3 TD … Set a career-high in yardage. He and Dallas are better off without Terrell Owens and Jessica Simpson.
Reggie Wayne- 10 Rec, 162, TD … His sure bounceback campaign gets off to a big start. If Anthony Gonzalez misses serious time (knee, 2-6 weeks), Peyton Manning will look Wayne’s way even more.
Surprise Performers
Mike Bell- 28 Att, 143 Yds … Delivered in a nice matchup. The NFL journeyman is roster-worthy for Pierre Thomas owners and running back-thirsty squads. Reggie Bush didn’t do jack. Is he even a running back anymore?
Mark Sanchez- 272 Yds, TD, INT/Thomas Jones- 20 Att, 107 Yds, 2 TD … The rookie QB played well on the road, which bodes well for the 31-year old RB. We aren’t high on T. Jones this year, but the Jets’ run-heavy/strong defense philosophy may force Jones’ to maintain fantasy-relevance.
Jeremy Shockey- 4 Rec, 31, 2 TD … Not a huge surprise but worth mentioning since the dude had ZERO touchdowns last season. He’s looking like a nice late-round value.
Cadillac Williams- 13, 97 Yds, TD … Hard to believe he’s even playing at all after a few career-threatening leg injuries. I don’t buy him as a fantasy factor as much as a thorn in Derrick Ward and Earnest Graham’s value.
Passing the Torch
Santonio Holmes posted a Super Bowl MVP mimic of a game in Pittsburgh’s win Thursday night – nine receptions, 131 yards, TD – gathering 11 targets from Ben Roethlisberger. This looks to be the year Holmes overtakes Hines Ward as the Steelers’ No. 1 WR. If you didn’t know, now you know.
Postseason Carryover
We’ve hyped up Brent Celek all offseason as a great late-round TE1 and he didn’t disappoint Sunday, grabbing his first touchdown of the year. Celek dominated in the playoffs last year and we expect more of the same in a postseason carryover similar to Vincent Jackson last season. It’s very well possible that Celek is the next Chris Cooley/Owen Daniels-caliber TE. While we’re on the subject, John Carlson, who outperformed Celek, is in the TE conversation as well.
On the flipside, Jake Delhomme also picked up right were he left off last year, tossing four interceptions and losing a fumble returned for an Eagles TD in a forgettable performance. He now has nine interceptions in his last 51 attempts and it makes you wonder why Carolina invested $42.5 million in him for the next five years.
Too Legit to Quit
I just want to say that I love watching DeAngelo Williams run. He is an awesome talent has picked up right where he left off in ‘08, both in practice and on game day – 79 total yards and a beautiful TD in a loss vs. a tough Philly defense. I said back in the May don’t doubt him and I’ll say it again, especially since Jonathan Stewart has a bum Achilles. Those who believed in him as a surefire first-round value will be rewarded.
Random Thoughts
* Is Tim Hightower a receiver or running back? Dude finished with 12 catches for 121 yards. Both he and Beanie Wells will help fantasy teams this year, but don’t expect the Cardinals to neglect Hightower because he is reliable in the passing game. Also, they haven’t forgotten the big plays he made in crucial situations on their Super Bowl run last year.
* Despite his typical crappy yards per carry (2.5), Joseph Addai passed eyeball test, showing his trademark shiftiness and agility. He had a touchdown to show for it and also was active catching the ball. Addai had 22 touches to Donald Brown’s 13.
* Julius Jones showed his stuff in the new zone blocking scheme going for 117 yards, including a 62-yard TD. The question with him is consistency. Stay tuned.
* The Ravens running back committee was in full force with Ray Rice leading the way. He remains the most desirable fantasy option here. They’re the strongest committee in the NFL. Rice was only a TD or two away from a gaudy stat line.
* Ahmad Bradshaw is a hulk. I love the way he runs – low to the ground, quick and strong. He’s going to have a nice year and will decimate the planet if Brandon Jacobs ever gets hurt.
* The fact that Roddy White didn’t do much Sunday is actually a good sign. It shows that Matt Ryan doesn’t have to key on him to win anymore. Roddy will get his.
* I told you Devin Hester and Earl Bennett would be fantasy assets this year. Jay Cutler makes them better. As far as Cutler is concerned, relax about him. The loss and interceptions weren’t entirely his fault. He’ll be okay. He really doesn’t have a choice but to be okay in Chi-town.
* Surprisingly, Matt Forte and Greg Olsen were non-factors in the passing game. The Bears need to fix that and I’m sure they will.
* I was surprised the Packers defense looked so hulky in their new 3-4 defense. I figured there would be an adjustment period in the new scheme, but they were gangbusters from the start doing their best Steelers impersonation.
* Greg Jennings is hot.
* Donovan McNabb’s nice day was cut short by fractured ribs, which he suffered on a 3-yard touchdown run. He’s expected to miss Week 2 and his status is uncertain after that. |
