Fantasy Football: Monday News and Notes

With the first weekend in the books, we're just waiting for the results of Monday Night Football to solidify all week one results. What we'll cover here on Mondays is strictly an update of important events that happened this weekend. Largely, we'll focus on injuries, but we'll also highlight major points of note. 

Tomorrow, you can expect a rundown of studs and duds for the week, as well as free agent pickups to look at for your week two games. Not just that, we'll hand out our game balls as well. Wednesday, we'll have news and notes updates, as well as answers to any questions that may have come across us this week. 

Thursday and Friday will be preview days for the weekend matchups. 

I can't stress strongly enough: The information we use is accurate as of the time the article is published. Things change very often in the NFL, and injury reports aren't always the best source of information. We search local newspapers, Web sites, and work contacts to bring as much information as we can. 

Please keep that in mind. We'll do our best to update posts once given more information, but that's not always possible. When decisions are made early in the week, we can get them across. Anything done Friday night, Saturday, or Sunday before kickoff isn't always accessible.

On to the notes:

• We're not going to begin another wild round of speculation as to what we think Tom Brady's injury is. We'll report that Jay Glazer on Fox Sports said after the games on Sunday that it was an ACL and Yahoo! Sports is reporting the same thing. This morning, Ron Borges of WEEI.com (Boston Sports Radio) is reporting an ACL injury. I've heard from two sources close to the situation and both are saying ACL. Obviously, if that is the case, Brady is done.
• Matt Cassel is likely the quarterback for the foreseeable future. We wrote about the chances of Brady being hurt and the impact to the team about 10 days ago. While the Pats are bringing in Chris Simms and Tim Rattay for workouts, it will take them a while to learn the playbook. Expect Cassel in there for several weeks while Brady is hurt. Fantasy impact, negligible. If Chris Simms or Daunte Culpepper is brought in, then the Pats have a legit fantasy quarterback. Cassel is not that. The Chiefs are awful, and that's why Cassel was even moderately successful.
• Brodie Croyle left the game against New England with an injury of his own. Croyle is expected to miss two weeks or so, according to reports. That brings Damon Huard back to fantasy relevance. Huard makes the Kansas City offense more effective, at least in the short-term. He's a more reliable passer and should make the right decisions. He should be considered a backup still, in nearly all formats, but he does upgrade Tony Gonzalez, Dwayne Bowe, and the Chiefs' backfield.
• Reports are out that Vince Young could miss two to four weeks with a knee injury of his own. ESPN is reporting that sources within the organization are saying it is a knee sprain and potential damage to his MCL. Kerry Collins is the likely replacement, but expect the Titans to bring Chris Simms in for a look there as well. In Tennessee, it is likely Simms has more immediate fantasy relevance and would be a serviceable backup quarterback.
• Cowboys running back Marion Barber was taken off the field with what are being called bruised ribs. The team expects him to be able to play through the injury, but in leagues where Felix Jones is available, he should be grabbed. Barber owners should, hopefully, have already handcuffed the two. If not, get on it now. Right now, his availability against the Eagles is uncertain.
• With Reggie Brown out, the Eagles were able to get stellar performances from Smith, Jackson, and Baskett. All three reached the 100-yard mark and provided fantastic boosts for all fantasy owners. The Cowboys will not be as easy to throw on as the Rams. The Rams are in for a long season, and this was just the beginning of that. Don't look for over 400 yards through the air next week from Philly, but upgrade all of these receivers while Brown is out.
• Nate Burleson was far better than my expectations, catching a touchdown pass and recording 60 yards before leaving the game with a knee injury. Burleson has never been considered a stud receiver, and this game shouldn't have you starting to make that claim. Yes, he was good, but he can just as likely disappear for the next three games. Be aware. With the injury, even if he can play next week, upgrade John Carlson and Courtney Taylor.
• Maurice Morris left the same game with an injury for the Seahawks. That will leave Julius Jones as the prime back in Seattle for the short-term. He will be evaluated on Monday. Keep an eye on the situation.
• No word yet on the extent of Dallas Clark's injury for the Colts. Clark is an integral part of the Colts' offense, and you could see that Manning missed him in key spots last night. Other than not seeming too comfortable in the pocket, Manning was dropping passes off much earlier and not making the Bears play for their blitz attack. Clark's absence is a large factor in that.
• I wish there were some good answers as to what to make of the Tennessee-Jacksonville game. Maurice Jones-Drew was virtually non-existent, picking up just 50 total yards. Greg Jones scored the touchdown on the ground, and David Garrard didn't even necessarily manage the game effectively. I'm willing to guarantee this: The Jaguars will not win a game when David Garrard is dropping back to pass 35 times. That's not how this team is built. You don't run 17 times and pass 35 and expect to beat many teams. Not with their personnel. Look for that to change heading in to next week.
• Of note in that game was the fact Chris Johnson was the leading rusher for the Titans, as he racked up 93 yards on the ground and scored on a pass. Big news for Johnson owners, and those who own LenDale White need to look into grabbing the handcuff. Always make sure you backup your studs. Just good business.
• Dating back to last season, there are still issues with Carson Palmer and the Bengals receivers/running game/offense. It was another bad performance by all concerned. Palmer should be one of the best quarterbacks in the game, but has struggled in the current offense. Without Rudi Johnson, there is nothing for defenses to be concerned with coming out of the Cinci backfield. That will have to change and we'll need something to keep these defenses honest for success to be seen from a fantasy perspective.