So did you have Arian Foster in your lineup week one? Hopefully you were the wise one who drafted him because he was a “must-have” in my eyes. If you were lucky enough to have him, then you definitely cashed in and won your league. Other players? Eh, not so much. Here’s your LBS week 1 fantasy report.
Big Timers:
Arian Foster – 3 touchdowns and team-record 231 rushing yards against the Colts
Hakeem Nicks – 4 rec 75 yards and 3 touchdowns against the Panthers
Matt Forte – 201 total yards, 2 touchdowns, one fumble lost
Chris Johnson – 150 total yards and two touchdowns against the Raiders
Austin Collie – 10 catches for 131 yards and a touchdown against Houston
Chad Johnson Ochocinco – 12 catches, 159 yards and a touchdown vs Pats
Busters:
Mike Sims-Walker – no catches, no stats, nothing.
Jonathan Stewart – 5 carries, 12 yards
Michael Crabtree – 2 catches, 12 yards
Buffalo’s offense – 166 total yards, 50 rushing yards
Matt Schaub – 9/17 for 117 yards one touchdown and one interception
Fantasy analysis on every game to follow:
Raiders @ Titans
If you had the number one pick in your draft and took Chris Johnson, he did not disappoint. 142 yards and two touchdowns gives Johnson 12 straight 100-yard games. A week two matchup against Pittsburgh will be difficult, but if anyone will rise to the occasion, it will be Johnson.
Vince Young put together an effective day with two TD passes. His yardage totals were low which is something you can expect the rest of the way, meaning he won’t be an optimal quarterback option unless he’s playing a team like the Raiders.
Darren McFadden surprised me with 150 total yards and a score. I said I wasn’t big on him and I still am not, but I like his week two matchup against the Rams if Michael Bush is out.
Panthers @ Giants
Eli Manning picked up where he left off last year, which is to say throwing the ball a good amount. He quietly will be a borderline elite fantasy QB throughout the year, especially with the emergence of Hakeem Nicks. Don’t worry about the three picks either–they all were the result of tipped balls.
Ahmad Bradshaw started off slowly Sunday but picked it up later on. His health could be questioned because of his history with foot injuries, but he will definitely be the Giants back to own, as I told you two weeks ago.
The Carolina running backs disappointed fantasy owners with low production. The Panthers have to be at home or winning for Stewart to get enough carries to be effective (or Williams needs to be hurt). Expect big games from both against the Bucs in week two. They stopped running when they were losing.
Colts @ Texans
Peyton Manning won’t always attempt 57 passes and Joseph Addai will usually have more than 10 rushing attempts. Still, his consistent brilliance had Peyton ranked at the top of my QB board, and as long as he keeps slinging it, all his receiving options will have value.
The Texans offense was the reverse of the Colts; with the big lead, they pounded it and stopped airing it out. Schaub’s yardage totals won’t be as astronomical as last year, but he’ll be good. Big days are ahead for him, Andre Johnson, and of course Arian Foster. Bernard Pollard, Zac Diles, and DeMeco Ryans are all good IDP options too, and I especially like Ryans.
Broncos @ Jaguars
David Garrard seems to be continuing his trend from last year of doing well at home. His three TDs were nice, but the yardage totals were low. He’s a safe quarterback but won’t ever light it up. And where was Mike Sims-Walker? No catches, yuck!
Maurice Jones-Drew went over the century mark in total yardage. He appeared to be healthy during the game but I’m still concerned for his health long-term.
The best news of all for Jacksonville was the three sacks they had. 1.5 by free agent acquisition Aaron Kampman and one by rookie Tyson Alualu. They’ll be a tough team with a decent pass rush.
I was also worried about Knowshon Moreno’s health but man did he look good. Hamstring injury? What hamstring? He’s another RB whose numbers will be much better at home when they feed him the ball more.
Kyle Orton is a solid quarterback if you need a backup during a bye week. Looks like Eddie Royal is the receiver to have in Denver, not Jabar Gaffney as I anticipated, but let’s see what happens next week.
Falcons @ Steelers
Atlanta’s offensive struggles was one of the biggest fantasy disappointments of the opening weekend. Only 42 yards on 17 carries for Michael Turner was pathetic, but he’ll turn it around next week against Arizona. Maybe it’s a sign that Pittsburgh’s defense is back to dominant form.
Roddy White had a monstrous 13 catches for 111 yards. His connection with Matt Ryan will be one of the most productive throughout the fantasy season, and expect Tony Gonzalez’s numbers to get better.
Expect Mendenhall, Hines Ward, and Mike Wallace’s fantasy numbers to be about as steady as they were in week one until Roethlisberger gets back.
The big takeaway is that Pittsburgh’s tough defense may be back.
Dolphins @ Bills
Chad Henne threw it 34 times but for only 182 yards. He’ll have some big weeks, but he’ll have equally as many that look like this one. Brandon Marshall had 8 catches for 53 yards and could have had more. He still should have a big season in Miami.
Ronnie Brown was the opening back and Ricky Williams was the closer. There are enough carries in Miami for both to have fantasy success, but I obviously like Brown more.
The Bills’ offense is still a disaster and nobody from their passing game is worth owning. I like C.J. Spiller, but their team is so bad it means he’ll have unproductive days like this. They only had 166 total yards on offense. That’s the reason I didn’t draft any Buffalo players on my fantasy teams.
Lions @ Bears
Matthew Stafford’s injury is a shame for Detroit, and fantasy owners hoping for an explosive Lions offense. The team only amassed 168 total yards, with just 20 on the ground. Jahvid Best’s two touchdowns were nice, but his low yardage totals are alarming. Lower your fantasy expectations for the Lions with Stafford out.
Jay Cutler was a fantasy monster with 372 yards, two touchdowns, a pick and a fumble lost. Devin Aromashodu appears to be the receiver you want in Chicago more than Hester and maybe more than Johnny Knox.
Matt Forte was a Big Timer with 151 receiving yards and two touchdowns. His 2.9 yards per carry and Chicago’s inability to punch it in from the one give me reasons for concern. Forte is an average runner behind a poor line, but his receiving yards will generate most of his value.
Bengals @ Patriots
Tom Brady put together a nice 258 yard, three touchdown day against Cincy. Wes Welker looks like he’s recovered from knee and shoulder surgeries and he already has half as many TDs this year as he did last year.
Big games are to come for Randy Moss, so don’t worry about this week. The bevy of tight ends will improve Tom Brady’s touchdown numbers, but there are too many options to choose just one as a fantasy owner. Patrick Chung also had 16 tackles as New England’s safety, so he’s worth a pickup in IDP leagues.
Carson Palmer and Chad Ochocinco’s final numbers were fantastic for fantasy purposes. Don’t get carried away, however. They did most of their work in garbage time after the team was already down 31-3. I would caution you to expect more of the same from their offense; it’s not the style they want to play.
Browns @ Buccaneers
Josh Freeman looked pretty good despite playing with a fractured thumb. He could form a nice connection with rookie Mike Williams, but it will be rare when both Williams and Winslow have good days in the same week. 100-yard games for either one will be few and far between.
Cadillac Williams may have only averaged 3.4ypc but he looked good running the ball when I saw him. The good news is he got almost all of the work for Tampa Bay, but against better defenses his production will be limited.
Jake Delhomme was his usual turnover-prone self, and that was against a poor defense. Not much has changed for him as he and his receivers will be unreliable.
The big development was the emergence of Peyton Hillis. He split carries with Jerome Harrison and is worth a pickup for week 2.
49ers @ Seahawks
Alex Smith is what I thought he was — not much of a quarterback in the NFL as proved by his 26/45 225 yard two interception performance. Hopefully you’re not banking on him as your fantasy quarterback otherwise you’ll be disappointed, just like the Niners.
Frank Gore’s rushing yardage was weak (38 yards on 17 carries), but what keeps him valuable is his receiving yardage (6 receptions for 45 yards). He’ll break his big plays and get his touchdowns, so don’t worry too much, but don’t expect a monster season without a big-time passing game in San Fran.
Matt Hasselbeck won’t be of much use in fantasy, but it appears as if Mike Williams will be his main target, making him worthy of an add if he’s available in your league. Just don’t expect too many touchdowns.
Seattle split their carries pretty evenly between Justin Forsett, Leon Washington, and Julius Jones. I like Forsett the most, but until one of them gets hurt you should avoid the situation except against weak defenses like the Rams in week four.
Packers @ Eagles
Aaron Rodgers didn’t look like the stud I and many others expected him to be, but he’ll be fine moving forward. The big news is Ryan Grant hurt his ankle, making Brandon Jackson a good pickup until Grant is healthy.
Jermichael Finley faced double-coverage most of the game and still caught four balls. His emergence will help open things up for Greg Jennings who faced most of the double-teams last year. Jennings responded with a touchdown already.
Kevin Kolb looked bad before his concussion but he was also facing a difficult defense. Mike Vick will be an excellent pickup for week 2 against Detroit because of his passing and running abilities. I didn’t think Kolb would bust onto the scene this year and I still feel the same way. I’m down on all of Philly’s receiving options this year. LeSean McCoy will be a steady but not explosive back.
Cardinals @ Rams
Maybe there is life after Warner. Derek Anderson threw for 297 yards and a touchdown, but keep in mind it was against the Rams. I’m still down on Arizona’s receivers and offense in general.
Tim Hightower had 94 total yards and two touchdowns with Beanie Wells inactive for the game. His two fumbles are a concern however, and his value will decrease when Beanie is back.
Sam Bradford was one of the big surprises to me this weekend. He may have thrown three interceptions, but the rookie quarterback looked like a veteran standing in the pocket and distributing the ball. There will be rough spots for Sam the rest of the year, but I definitely see a lot of potential for the future, and maybe even this year.
For IDP leagues, Greg Toler had 13 tackles for the Cardinals.
Cowboys @ Redskins
I’ve already told you how I feel about Dallas’ red zone struggles. Let me reiterate and say that it will severely limit the upside for the Cowboys’ offensive players. Yards are nice, but in fantasy, touchdowns are even better. The Cowboys could do much better in this department.
I felt the Cowboys’ running game was a situation to avoid and this contest did little to change my mind. Miles Austin is a stud and will wind up a top-five receiver barring injury. The surprise to me was how many targets Dez Bryant saw (8 catches for 56 yards) — he’ll have more fantasy value this year than I anticipated.
Donovan McNabb is a quarterback who will help the Redskins much more than your fantasy team. The big numbers won’t be there, but he won’t make many mistakes. His favorite targets Sunday night were Chris Cooley and Santana Moss, which was no surprise. I was expecting a big season out of Cooley and feel the same way. Moss should have a nice year too.
Washington’s running game — be it Clinton Portis or Larry Johnson — is a situation to avoid. You’re not going to get much production out of either. Also, don’t be fooled by LaRon Landry’s 17 tackle game. He’s a safety who will help the run, but it will be a longshot for him to reach double-digit tackles consistently.
