Fantasy Football: Week One Hangover

So we have all the games in the books, here's how the fellas at the 'Table saw it.

Fantasy Up

1. DeSean Jackson - Jackson put together one of the best initial outings by a rookie receiver in some time. With Reggie Brown out, Jackson became McNabb's favorite target. He'll have the opportunities to succeed, especially with Kevin Curtis out for a while thanks to a sports hernia.
2. Plaxico Burress - He picked up right where he left off last season. He racked up 133 yards on 10 catches, doing everything but score a touchdown. The only pause for concern would be the viability of his quarterback.
3. Willie Parker - I love this one. All of last season, the guy scored a total of two rushing touchdowns. He beats that in one game against a team that has been given a rep of having a good defense—Houston. Parker needs to do these things to keep the ball away from Rashard Mendenhall. Not bad for one week.
4. Michael Turner - This is a guy that many people are uncertain will be able to hold up for an entire season. That could very well be the case, but this is something that teams and owners won't soon forget. Worry about his durability in Week 12, not Week Two.
5. Frank Gore - He's going to be the best piece of offense in San Francisco. The fact is, with an inexperienced quarterback and suspect receivers, Gore is what they have to offer. He'll need to continue to put up these numbers.

Fantasy Down

1. Carson Palmer - Regardless as to if this was Week One or not, there was nothing encouraging about Palmer's performance against a weaker-than-normal Ravens defense. Palmer is in trouble without a running game behind him and struggling with receivers who just don't seem motivated at this point.
2. Matt Hasselbeck - Take the injury out of the equation. Seattle has now lost their top-four receivers and Maurice Morris. That doesn't spell fantasy success in the short-term. Factor in the back injury and the outlook isn't bright.
3. The Cleveland Offense - Yes, Dallas is a very good football team, but these guys haven't been healthy enough to become cohesive in the way they were last season. Edwards still looks like he's struggling, and the offensive line was a train wreck. This could be another bad week against Pittsburgh.
4. Ahmad Bradshaw - Didn't see a carry on opening night as Brandon Jacobs' backup. Those duties went to Derrick Ward. Another week like that and Bradshaw can comfortably find himself in fantasy irrelevance.
5. Larry Johnson - Johnson, on the surface, had a decent day in his return to action. He ran for 3.4 yards per carry, a total of 74 yards on 22 attempts. Problem is, one of those runs was for 22 yards. That would make 52 yards on 21 attempts, or about 2.5 yards per carry. Jamaal Charles looked much more explosive and useful in the KC attack.

You Shouldn't Trust The Performance of...

...Matt Jones. Jones is going to be a third option in the Jacksonville offense. Once Williams is fully healthy and Jerry Porter is playing every down, Jones will see a decreased role. That could be as soon as two weeks from now.

Given a run-heavy mentality that will rely on the use of Jones-Drew more extensively and Fred Taylor as a solid RB2, there isn't much room for Jones in an attack that will ask Garrard to be more of a game manager than quarterback.

I'm worried most about...

...Wes Welker. Outside of Derek Anderson and Carson Palmer, the performance by Welker makes me most nervous. Why? He was successful running underneath patterns when Brady was under center. He could be again, but as a secondary option, and that's not as likely with a backup quarterback.

I believe that Moss will still get his numbers, but Welker's numbers could be the ones that suffer more than any other option on the Patriots, strictly because of his role with the team.

Workin' the Wire

• Eddie Royal - Should be grabbed as the true second option for the Broncos in the offense. His performance last night was partly because of the suspension of Brandon Marshall, but the Broncos did some interesting things with him. He wasn't strictly used by running patterns, but also as an underneath option and in flanker-screen type packages. He could be very exciting and very beneficial for owners.
• Jamaal Charles - Should be the handcuff for all Larry Johnson owners. Charles, apparently, had an offensive gameplan tailored to what he can do with the football. While the Chiefs may not be a great team, Charles could be a surprise and a great guy to own in keeper formats.
• Matt Cassel - I don't care if he's a backup or hasn't started, he should be able to be moderately successful in the Patriots' offense. He still has Randy Moss and still has one of the better offensive lines in football. If you need a backup quarterback or a bye-week fill-in, there are worse options out there.
• Chris Johnson - He may already be gone in many formats, but he could supplant LenDale White as the full-time starter in Tennessee.
• Steve Slaton - Speaking of guys that could start, we don't know the extent of the injury suffered by Ahman Green. Until that point, Slaton has some immediate short-term value and could be a good play against weaker defenses.
• Philly Wideouts - Reggie Brown hasn't necessarily proven himself as a No. 1 threat in the past, and while out, his replacements did a more-than-admirable job against a suspect pass defense. While Dallas isn't as bad as St. Louis, upgrading Jackson, Baskett, and Lewis isn't a bad thing. Johnson is a play and Baskett could be a decent flex option in deeper leagues.