Week 1 Review

By Dalton Del Don – Senior Writer

People shouldn’t overreact to week one action; after all, with so little preseason playing time by most of the sports’ stars, reality won’t even kick in for a few weeks (and thus, we are left with some truly ugly football, e.g. Seahawks/Lions). Also, matchups played a big role in the week one numbers. Nevertheless, let’s go over some movers and shakers after the opening weekend of football.

Moving Up

Ahman Green – The most impressive week one performance? Maybe, when you consider his team was shut out, their opponent was Chicago, and this was Green’s first game action since last October. He rushed for 110 yards on only 20 carries and added 22 more yards on the receiving end. With Dookie Davenport jettisoned, and Samkon Gado going for negative 7 yards on 2 carries, Green looks like a legit fantasy option moving forward.

Muhsin Muhammad – Another one of my week one “sit” misses, Muhammad abused Al Harris to the tune of six catches and 102 yards. Grossman/Griese will provide a much better Chicago passing attack this year compared to last.

Ben Watson – While 3 catches for 50 yards fell short of Watson’s high expectations, the fact Deion Branch was traded to Seattle means he’ll be New England’s No. 1 option in the passing game all year long.

Drew Bennett – Maybe Bennett will develop a similar rapport with Kerry Collins that he had with Billy Volek at the end of 2004. He was undervalued entering this weekend, but after 8 catches for 106 yards, he won’t be anymore.

Donte Stallworth – I wouldn’t go overboard here, but he could form a great combo with a healthy McNabb. Still, he makes for a good sell high candidate.

Donovan McNabb – He’s back. Consider him a top-5 fantasy QB.

Detroit Defense – No one would believe me now, but Detroit’s fantasy defense was squarely on my radar entering this year. After week one, they should now be on everyone’s. When healthy, they were sneakily good last year, and now with Rod Marinelli as head coach, don’t write off week one as a complete fluke.

Fred Taylor – While health is always the main issue with Fragile Fred, 125 total yards against Dallas’ D is a great start. The main criterion here, however, is Jacksonville’s lack of a viable No. 2 RB option. With all of those touches, Taylor will be valuable until injuries strike.

Matt Jones – He’s ready to step up and be a No. 1 WR.

Julius Jones – Not only did he rack up over 110 total yards and a score against a stout Jaguars defense, but most importantly of all, Marion Barber was rendered useless with just three touches on the day.

Frank Gore – Yes it was against an easy opponent, but Gore is for real, folks. He gets the tough yards Kevan Barlow couldn’t. Rarely does the first tackler take Gore down.

Antonio Bryant – Bryant not only went for over 110 yards receiving, but he also had a 50-yard TD catch negated by penalty. It’s clear Alex Smith has a favorite receiver, and it’s Bryant, who could easily turn out to be one of the better value picks made in fantasy drafts this year.

Brandon Jacobs – Unlike last year, Jacobs has transferred his preseason success into the regular season this time around. If Barber goes down, something at least mildly likely, Jacobs becomes a monster. Think Larry Johnson-lite from last year.

Moving Down

Chris Simms – While the Tampa system should still result in solid overall numbers from this laissez-faire QB, he looked pretty bad Sunday. Yes, Baltimore’s defense looks dominant again, but the chatter of Simms being soft is getting louder.

Reuben Droughns – If you can’t count on him while playing at home against the Saints, when can you?

Kerry Collins – I know he’s had limited time to learn the playbook and all, but completing only 44 percent of your passes is absolutely reprehensible.

Kevan Barlow – In case any of you got overly excited with the TD run, let me remind you that Kevan Barlow sucks.

Seattle Wide Receivers – While the offense is a potent one, and many of Alexander’s TDs from last year will turn into air strikes this season, Seattle basically has four solid options in the passing game now. In my mind, downgrade Nate Burleson, Bobby Engram, Darrell Jackson, and Deion Branch (although playing is better than sitting, a return to NE would have been ideal).

Edgerrin James – Sorry, but if he can only average 2.8 yards per carry against San Francisco, what’s that number going to look like against a real defense?

Dominic Rhodes – The good news is he had a 16/7 rush attempts advantage over Joseph Addai. The bad news is he only outgained Addai by three yards with those extra totes. While Rhodes may settle in as Indy’s goal-line back, that might be his only job, as he looks terrible to me.

Staying the Same

Carson Palmer – Don’t worry about his lackluster effort. While surprising against a suspect KC secondary, Palmer didn’t even have to throw the ball 20 times since Cincy built an early lead. He still completed over 68 percent of his passes.

Larry Johnson – While LJ had his 100-yard rushing game streak end, and now calls Damon Huard his QB, don’t go crazy or anything and trade LJ for anything less than you would have a week ago.

Jake Plummer – Plummer nearly threw half his INT total from last year in week one, and the media is calling for Jay Cutler. I say Plummer will be fine, and it was an impressive effort by Jim Haslett’s surprising defense. Plummer still makes for a fine QB2, especially when playing at home.

Kevin Jones – I’m stubbornly sticking to my stance that Jones is a stiff, but the 5 catches for 45 yards is a great sign for his fantasy owners. A back in Mike Martz’s offense needs adroit receiving ability.

Roy Williams – Don’t worry, he’ll be fine.