Fantasy Football: Parzych's Week One MVP Awards

The first week of fantasy football has concluded after an exciting Week One. With the first week of the 2009 NFL regular season complete, it's time to announce the MVP awards for Week One.

Quarterback: Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints

Last season, New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees finished with 5,069 yards passing, just 15 short of Miami Dolphins QB Dan Marino's record for most passing yards in a single-season. The expectations were high for him entering the 2009 season, especially in Week One.

As predicted, Brees had a field day against the visiting Detroit Lions. However, nobody predicted his numbers would be as impressive as they were.

Brees took advantage of the Lions' weak passing defense, finishing 26-of-34 for 358 yards and six touchdowns to lead the Saints to a 45-27 victory on opening weekend, helping him receive MVP honors for the quarterback position for this week's awards.

He may not put up these type of high numbers each week, but Brees is already showing owners why he was one of the first quarterbacks selected in most fantasy football leagues. Don't be surprised if Brees' name comes up on this list a few more times this season.

Running Back: Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings

There was hope in the Dawg Pound when the Cleveland Browns led the visiting Minnesota Vikings at halftime 13-10. Unfortunately for the Browns, any dreams of an upset were shattered when Vikings RB Adrian Peterson took over the game in the second half.

In the second half of last Sunday's game, Peterson finished with a one-yard and a 64-yard touchdown to help the Vikings beat the Browns 34-20. Peterson finished the game with 180 yards and three touchdowns on just 25 carries.

Not only did Peterson display a monstrous performance in the first game of the season, but he made life easier for Vikings QB Brett Favre, who was making his regular-season debut with his new team.

Thanks to a strong performance by Peterson on the ground, Favre wasn't needed as much at quarterback and finished just 14-of-21 for 110 yards and one touchdown.

Wide Receiver: Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis Colts

There were a handful of players that could have won the award this week, but no player was relied on more than Indianapolis Colts WR Reggie Wayne.

The Colts may have had one of the most interesting offseasons out of any team in the NFL. They had a new head coach in Jim Caldwell and were without WR Marvin Harrison, who was released in the offseason after spending 13 seasons with the team. The transition may not have been easy, but the Colts knew it was something they would have to adjust to.

With Harrison gone, Colts QB Peyton Manning knew he would have to rely on Wayne more on offense. What Manning didn't realize was how much he would have to rely on Wayne now that WR Anthony Gonzalez is out 2-8 weeks after tearing ligaments in his knee against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

With an injured Gonzalez, Wayne stepped up his performance against the Jaguars, hauling in 10 receptions for 162 yards and one touchdown. On the positive side, the Colts did sign former Philadelphia Eagles WR Hank Baskett to give Manning another option to throw to on offense, which could take the pressure off Wayne until Gonzalez returns.

Tight End: Ben Watson, New England Patriots

This was probably one of the hardest categories to select an MVP for this week, considering the impressive production from numerous tight ends around the league.

Seattle Seahawks TE John Carlson hauled in six receptions for 92 yards and two touchdowns against the St. Louis Rams. New Orleans Saints TE Jeremy Shockey looked like his old self against the Detroit Lions by hauling in four receptions for 31 yards and two touchdowns.

However, none of these player's performance would have as much of an impact as New England TE Ben Watson's against the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football.

With the Patriots down 24-13 late in the fourth quarter, Watson caught two touchdown passes from QB Tom Brady in the final four minutes to help defeat the Bills 25-24. Overall, Watson caught six receptions for 77 yards and two touchdowns.

Watson's fourth quarter heroics helped the Patriots win one of the most exciting Monday night games fans may see all season. What's even more impressive is he has already totaled his touchdown amount from last season.

Defense: Philadelphia Eagles

The defense of the Philadelphia Eagles faced numerous questions this offseason after losing their top three leaders in SS Brian Dawkins (signed with Denver Broncos), Jim Johnson (lost battle with cancer), and Shawn Bradley (torn ACL).

After finishing the final week of the 2009 preseason on the Least Valuable Player's list, the Philadelphia Eagles showed the NFL that despite an offseason in which they allowed 30 points per game to opposing offenses, they still have what it takes to be one of the top defenses in the league.

In his first career regular season game as the Eagles defensive coordinator, Sean McDermott showed everything he learned from Jim Johnson and dominated the offense of the Carolina Panthers.

The Eagles defense played so well against the Panthers, head coach John Fox replaced QB Jake Delhomme after a disastrous performance in which he finished 7-of-11 for 77 yards and four interceptions.

Overall, the defense finished with five interceptions, two recovered fumbles (one for a touchdown), and five sacks. With the offense struggling at the beginning of the game, the strong performance by the Eagles defense was a major reason the team was able to defeat the Panthers 38-10.

This article can also be found at FantasyPros911.com