NFL Picks Week 1: 5 Players to Watch in Patriots vs. Dolphins

The New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins kick off the season on Monday Night Football in an AFC East matchup at Dolphins Stadium. 

Embarrassed in both meetings last season, the Dolphins will look to win their first game against the Patriots since Week 13 of 2009.

Besides the superstars like Tom Brady and Brandon Marshall, both teams will need guys to step up in order to walk away victorious.

Here are five players to watch Monday night in the Week 1 AFC East matchup. 

Chad Ochocinco

Chad Ochocino has a lot to prove in the Patriots opening game of the 2011 season.

With just three catches in the preseason, all eyes will be on him to see if he has learned the Patriot offense and can be an effective for Tom Brady.

It appears as though Brady wants to get Ochocinco the ball as he was targeted 10 times in limited play. 

If he is unable to pick up the offense and can't become an effective target for the quarterback, don't be surmised if Belichick pulls the plug on the Ochocinco experiment. He has shown his is not afraid to cut or trade high profile guys in the past with Randy Moss and Brandon Merriweather.

Look for Brady to use Ochocinco as his top target in this game. What Ocho does with those targets is completely up to him.  

Albert Haynesworth

Another big Patriot offseason acquisition to watch on Monday night is Albert Haynesworth.

With limited playing time in the preseason, Haynesworth showed that he can be a disruptor in the passing and rushing games, something the Patriots desperately need on their defense.

But odds are he probably wont get much playing time because he is still not fully in game shape. 

Even with limited playing time on Monday night, if Haynesworth can disrupt what Chad Henne is trying to do, it could go a long way in deciding this game.

Keep an eye on Haynesworth in the trenches. His pressure could force Henne to make throws he doesn't want to that may result in interceptions. 

Daniel Thomas

With the departures of Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, the weight of the running game will now be on the shoulders of Reggie Bush and rookie Daniel Thomas.

Bush is known for being a threat on the edges and through  the air, so the pound it out running game will be fully on Thomas.

At Kansas State last year he rushed for an impressive 19 touchdowns with 1585 yards.

He has a tweaked hamstring injury so his status is still up in the air for Monday night but if he plays, he could be the key to a victory for the Dolphins. 

Cameron Wake

In order for the Dolphins to beat the Patriots, they will need to put pressure on Tom Brady. The man to do that, Cameron Wake.

Wake was the Dolphins best pass rusher last year with 14 sacks, and he will need to carry that over to this season if they want to be successful.

One issues with Wake being effective against the Pats is the man he will have to get through, Logan Mankins. 

An all-pro left tackle, Mankins doesn't allow many sacks but if the Dolphins want to win, Wake will have to get passed Mankins and get to Brady.

If the Dolphins fail to pressure Brady, expect the Patriots to win big. 

Andre Carter and Shaun Ellis

Just like the Dolphins, a key to a Patriot victory will be their pass-rush against Chad Henne, and the two men who will be responsible for that are Andre Carter and Shaun Ellis.

Both men play defensive end in the newly formed 4-3 base defense of Bill Belichick and have the ability to put pressure on the quarterback. 

In limited playing time in the preseason, both men combined for just one sack when Ellis got to the quarterback against the New York Giants in the final preseason game.

They will need to improve on that if the Patriots want to be successful. 

If the Patriots can find the pass rush that has been missing for so long, expect them to win this game handily as Henne will have to make rushed decisions resulting in mistakes.