Take a deep breath. It is Week One of a brand new (and long) NFL and fantasy football season. Time to digest what we saw this weekend...



Quarterbacks:

Drew Brees - Beast!  We expected 4 or 5 TD passes.  6 is just insane. 
Aaron Rodgers - Slow start.  184 yards and 1 TD was a bit of a disappointment.  The offense looked good though, and as they evolve as a group, Rodgers numbers will spike.
Ben Roethlisberger - Reality Football Stud.  If the Steelers keep passing as much as they do, he could become a Fantasy Stud as well.  The Steelers must find a running game however or else this passing prowess we have seen will not sustain.
Jake Delhomme - Done.  He'll get another start, but hopefully not on your fantasy roster. Seriously, how did the Panthers give him a contract extension this offseason?
Mark Sanchez - Impressive.  Solid numbers, and even more impressive, he was 13 of 15 on 3rd down.  Houston looked awful, so we want to see a larger sample of work.
Matt Stafford - Tough way to start an NFL career with an opposing QB throwing 6 TD's. A good learning experience.
Brett Favre - Boring!  This is what you will see from the old man all season.  The Vikings are going to have to preserve him, and when you have ADP in the backfield, there is not reason to think the gameplan will ever change.
Matt Schaub - Confusing?  Did Schaub look bad or was it the entire Texans roster?  We think a little of both.
Marc Bulger - Looked Bad.  So did the Offensive Line (Steven Jackson was entirely ineffective as well), but Rams fans are already calling for a replacement at QB.  Don't be surprised to see the Rams explore other options.
Joe Flacco - Poised.  The Uni-Browed Bomber looked great and threw the football quite a bit (43 pass attempts) for what is supposed to be a run first team.  Flacco is a great Dynasty QB.  We would say water him and watch him grow, but he is already 6'6".

Running Backs:

Adrian Peterson - Beast!  He could break 2,000 rushing yards this season.  He is a better receiver than advertised.  We would prefer to see him record 2,000 all purpose yards to preserve his durability some.
Matt Forte - Patience please. The Packers defensive game plan was to stop Forte and Olsen.  They did a great job.  The Bears offense started slow.  It will improve.
Thomas Jones, Willis McGahee, Julius Jones -  All were among the weekends top RB performers.  Who would have thought?  Don't expect this trend to continue.
Tim Hightower - Deceiving.  The 49ers were willing to give up the short yardage check downs to Hightower rather than deep plays to Fitzgerald all day.  The Defensive Scheme worked.  Don't get too excited by Hightowers numbers.
Cedric Benson - Really, Cedric Benson? Expect a heavy workload all season. Dare we say workhorse? Yes, we dare.
Mike Bell - In a monday morning interview with Sean Payton, coach was quoted that he told his 9 year old son (who was drafting a fantasy team for the first time), to take a late round flier on Mike Bell.  Take Paytons advice.

Wide Receivers:

Reggie Wayne - Anthony Gonzalez injury increases Reggie Waynes already high value.
Patrick Crayton - Monitor him over the next couple weeks.  Roy E. Williams had a nice game and Witten what somewhat quiet.  We expect the Cowbys to run more when they face more difficult opponents, but he may develop through the season.
Devery Henderson and Robert Meachem - Both deep threats that reaped the benefits of the Saints onslaught.  Meachem has more upside, but temper you expectations.
Percy Harvin - Looked good in his first NFL start.  He lined up everywhere and will be utilized this way all season.  He showed good instincts lining up in the slot.
Sidney Rice - Despite making no impact, he looks to be Favre's favorite Red Zone target...for now.
Mario Manningham - Was the Giants favorite and most impressive WR target.  His impressive TD reception and run can be somewhat attributed to DeAngelo Hall being a lazy, overrated DB.
Steve Smith (Carolina) - Value takes a hit.  See Jake Delhomme.
Earl Bennett - Promising. The Bears offense had terrible timing in Cutlers opener.  They will improve and the fact Bennett led the team in targets is a good indication of what could be in store for the 2nd year player.

Tight Ends:

John Carlson - Looks to be Matt Hasselbecks most reliable target.  Calson is poised to post big numbers in 2009.
Jeremy Shockey - Finally found the end zone again.  Was it a Shockey resurgence or the Saints (See Drew Brees)?
Todd Heap - Who?  Yes, Todd Heap.  We haven't seen anything from him in about 2 years.   Well the Ravens want a receiver and Flacco had a great Week 1, where Heap was a major contributor.  We basically had Heap written off permanantly, but were intrigued again.  Wait and see.
Jason Witten - Not Really Needed.  Witten was generally quiet in the Tampa Bay Game.  He is the primary target for the Cowboys and this won't change.  We are still confident he will be the #1 TE by season's end.
Greg Olsen - Be Patient.  See Matt Forte and Earl Bennett.

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