Fantasy Football: Parzych's Week One LVP (Least Valuable Player) Awards

The first week of fantasy football has concluded after an exciting Week One. After taking a look at the MVP's for Week One of the 2009 NFL regular season complete, it's time to announce the winners of the Least Valuable Player Awards.

Quarterback: Jake Delhomme, Carolina Panthers

After a disastrous performance against the Arizona Cardinals during last year's playoffs, Carolina Panthers QB Jake Delhomme was on a mission to prove that his six-turnover game was just a fluke.

Instead, he put on a performance against the Philadelphia Eagles that was almost a mirror image to what he did against the Cardinals.

In the Panthers' opening game in Carolina, Delhomme finished 7-of-17 for 73 yards, zero touchdowns, and five turnovers. He struggled so much against the Eagles' defense that head coach John Fox had to bench him in the second half.

In his last two games at quarterback for the Panthers, Delhomme has recorded a total of 11 turnovers. If he wants to keep his job as a starting quarterback, he will need to get out of this funk as soon as possible.

Otherwise, the Panthers may regret giving him that massive contract extension during the offseason.

Running Back: Larry Johnson, Kansas City Chiefs

A few years ago, Kansas City Chiefs RB Larry Johnson was considered one of the top running backs in the NFL. Now, he seems to be finding himself closer to the bottom each season.

With the Chiefs playing one of the best defenses in the NFL in the Baltimore Ravens, Johnson struggled on the ground, finishing with 11 carries for only 20 yards as the Chiefs went on to lose the game 38-24. It may be difficult for any running back to have a productive day against the Ravens defense, but that is no excuse for a player with the type of talent Johnson has.

From 2005-06, Johnson rushed for 3,539 yards and 37 touchdowns in the 32 games he played in.

In the two seasons after, he only played in 20 games, rushing for 1,433 yards and 12 touchdowns. One can only wonder what happened to a player like Johnson who had so much potential.

Johnson was once a running back who was arguably the best option at his position in all fantasy football leagues. Now, he is considered a No. 3 option at best in most leagues.

When a player has an average of less than two yards per carry, it's no surprise when he finds his name on the LVP list the following week.

Wide Receiver: Anquan Boldin, Arizona Cardinals

He may have been struggling with a hamstring injury, but Arizona Cardinals WR Anquan Boldin will need to perform better this week against the Jacksonville Jaguars to prevent the team from falling back further in the NFC West.

The Cardinals entered Week One as heavy favorites to the San Francisco 49ers, considering they had one of the best offenses in football behind QB Kurt Warner, WR Larry Fitzgerald and Boldin. Instead, the 49ers pulled an upset on the road, defeating the Cardinals 20-16.

Boldin struggled throughout the game, finishing with just two receptions for 19 yards. He played a major part in the success of the offense last season, finishing with 1,038 yards and 11 touchdowns.

When healthy, Boldin is one of the best players at his position in all of football. Hopefully, his hamstring injury is healed and we will see a better performance from him in Week Two.

Defense: Buffalo Bills

There were a few teams in consideration for winning the LVP award at defense this week. The New Orleans Saints could have won for allowing the Detroit Lions to score 27 points, showing signs that they refuse to have another 0-16 season. The Cleveland Browns allowed Minnesota Vikings RB Adrian Peterson to have a field day against them.

However, no defense collapsed worst than the Buffalo Bills during the last few minutes of Monday's game against the New England Patriots.

Even though Bills CB Leodis McKelvin's fumble in the final few minutes was a major factor in why the Bills lost to the Patriots 25-24, the defense still allowed Patriots QB Tom Brady to throw two touchdown passes to TE Ben Watson in the final four minutes of the game, which is unacceptable.

The Bills were on their way to pulling off one of the biggest upsets in Week One of the 2009 season as they held on to an 11-point lead near the end of the fourth quarter. Instead, they were left in complete shock, wondering how it was possible for a game to slip away as easy as it did.

This article can also be found at FantasyPros911.com