Deion Branch, WR, NE – Active
Reggie Bush, RB, NO – Inactive
Owen Daniels, TE, HOU – Inactive
Malcom Floyd, WR, SD – Inactive
Antonio Gates, TE, SD – Inactive
Percy Harvin, WR, MIN – Active (Should be limited, bench him if you have other viable options)
Legedu Naanee, WR, SD – Inactive
Beanie Wells, RB, ARI – Active
DeAngelo Williams, RB, CAR - Inactive
Love
Peyton Manning, QB, IND - How can you NOT love Manning, especially against the leagues worst overall defense? With the running game being so banged and the Texans pass defense being absolutely abysmal, Manning could easily top 400 yards in his effort to avenge their Week 1 loss.
Calvin Johnson, WR, DET - Matthew Stafford is a MUCH better QB than Shaun Hill and Megatron was able to keep his value up in the absence of the team’s franchise quarterback. Lions fans should be excited to see what they can do with Stafford back in the lineup… and fantasy owners should also be excited about the increase in upside for all their Lions players.
DeAngelo Williams, RB, CAR – The Panthers have a pretty nice schedule coming up and that has me excited to see how their offense is able to rebound. But, if Williams can’t get it done this week against the Rams then I will get very nervous very quickly.
Thomas Jones, RB, KC – I don’t understand why Todd Haley is so invested in using Jones extensively in the running game when Jamaal Charles is clearly a much more dynamic play maker that would make the most of the additional carries. With that said, it is not my job to understand it… just to analyze it. As long as Jones is looking to get 15 carries against the Bills’ terrible run defense, then I love his chances at having a very productive game as a #2 RB for his fantasy owners.
Arian Foster, RB, HOU – Foster has lit the league on fire thus far this season. This week he will be going against a Colts defense allowing an average of 20 fantasy points per game and he is a must start for your #1 RB spot this week. This is the same match up that led to Foster putting up 231 yards and three TDs (41 fantasy points) in Week 1.
Hines Ward, WR, PIT - In the past two games with their starting QB back, the Steelers receivers have been on fire. Ward is a possession receiver so his upside is less than his teammate Mike Wallace, but he will prove to be much more consistent throughout the season.
Miles Austin, WR, DAL - Who has two thumbs and isn’t worried about Jon Kitna for this week? THIS GUY! I love every WR when they play against the Jaguars and until Kitna proves to be completely inept, I am going to assume that he is not. A veteran QB should have very little issue hitting an elite receiver that is wide-open all day. Austin may no longer be a top 10 WR, but with this match up he still is.
Wes Welker, WR, NE – If its a PPR league, you should still be using Welker as a top 15 option and a must-start… but even in standard leagues it is not time to panic yet. Minnesota’s secondary is banged up and the offense will not be the same even if Favre continues his consecutive start streak this week. With two fractures in his ankle, there is little chance Favre will be able to push off as firmly on his throws and pick up the long 3rd down conversions he usually can. This will lead to more time on the field for the Patriots offense and opportunities for their receivers.
Tony Moeaki, TE, KC - The Bills are allowing an average of 13 fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends and Moeaki has made some great catches this year.
Jahvid Best, RB, DET - I like him for the same reason that I liked Matt Forte last week. That prediction backfired, but the Redskins still allow a lot of yardage and are currently ranked 31st in overall defense. With Best being involved in both the running and passing game the stage is set for a big game like we have not seen since week two… which was the last time he found the end zone.
Hate
Owen Daniels, TE, HOU – The Colts are so bad at defending the run that teams tend to focus on that in order to keep Peyton Manning off the field.
Danny Woodhead, RB, NE - The front seven of the Vikings is among the best in the NFL and I don’t see the Patriots trusting Woodhead with the ball in the red zone. Given he is in a committee situation there is a better option for this week on your team somewhere.
Vince Young, QB, TEN – The Chargers allow just over 7 fantasy points per week to opposing Quarterbacks and even if active Young will not be 100%. Stay away if possible this week.
Sam Bradford, QB, STL – The Panthers rank 24th against the run and 4th against the pass. You tell me what your game plan would be against the Panthers, but I am guessing it would include a lot of Steven Jackson.
Early Games
Jahvid Best, RB, DET – Active
Steven Jackson, RB, STL – Active
Ray Rice, RB, BAL – Active
Pierre Thomas, RB, NO – Inactive
Late Games
Joseph Addai, RB, IND -
Austin Collie, WR, IND -
Owen Daniels, TE, HOU -
Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, OAK -
Clinton Portis, RB, WAS -
It’s Week 1, I hope you all have live score tracking for your leagues! Here are the injuries for this week’s games!
Michael Bush (OAK) – Inactive
Laurence Maroney (NE) – Inactive
Julian Edelman (NE) – Inactive
Josh Freeman (TB) – Active
Fred Jackson (BUF) – Active
Owen Daniels (HOU) – Active
Demaryius Thomas (DEN) - Inactive
Late Games
Beanie Wells (ARI) -
Night Games
Donovan McNabb (WAS) -
Tight end is a very deep position this year. There is a lot of talent both inside and out of the top 10. The tight-end position is currently evolving in the NFL. The top two guys on my rankings (which can be found here) are used much more like wide receivers in their offense and are worth reaching for in rounds four and five of your draft. More and more teams are using their tight ends to create match up nightmares for opposing defenses. Later in the rankings you will be able to pick up some very good, but more traditional TE talent. Many young QBs and bad teams rely on their TE to pick up key first downs and be a big target in the red zone. When deciding on which TE to start this year rely on playing the most talented guy and do not take match up into heavy consideration.
The Top Two
Dallas Clark and Antonio Gates are in a class of their own. No matter who you put at number one, you acknowledge that there is a large gap between these two guys and the rest of the pack. When you draft Gates or Clark you are essentially drafting a very consistent WR. With Vincent Jackson missing extensive time and probably never playing in a Chargers uniform again, the only reliable and trusted target Philip Rivers has left at his disposal is Gates. Both Clark and Gates are likely to get close to 100 catches and 10 TD’s.
The Next Three
Lacking a clever name to call my tier two group of right ends is not the only problem that I have with this group of guys. Jermichael Finley is an unproven guy that many people, including me, think will have a year similar to Clark and Gates. In the preseason the Packers have been an explosive offense, and stout defense. The Packers use Finley often as he truly is a matchup nightmare, he is too big for 95% of defensive backs to cover and too fast for almost any linebackers to cover. Vernon Davis had a huge year last year, but primarily because of touchdowns and you just can’t count on him getting 10 TDs again. Witten had a off year last season and should rebound fine, but until I see that the Cowboys can reliably protect Romo in the pocket he is stuck at number 5 on my rankings.
The Last of The Starters
Rounding out my top 10 is the traditional tight ends. These guys are on bad teams, have young QB’s or have mediocre talent and a good team/QB. Brent Celek falls under the new QB category. There will be times this year that Kevin Kolb struggles, or is in need of a check down and he will be turning to Celek more often than not. It is also worth noting that Celek and Kolb are friends off the field and roommates when on the road so they should be a solid level of trust and comfort with each other. Zach Miller is hands down the most consistent receiving threat that the Raiders have and after a considerable upgrade at QB I expect Miller to have a career year. Owen Daniels was in the 2nd tier last year and started very strong, however due to an injury he missed most of the season and it will take a little time for him to be back to his old self. The inevitable slow start is why he is ranked at 9th, but he could be a top 5 guy come the end of the year.
The Best of The Rest
Rounding out the starters in deep formats and the backups is a hodgepodge of inconsistent big guys that are often on run-first teams. Visanthe Shiancoe is a serious threat in the red zone that was often used by Brett Favre last year. Brett cannot replicate the production of last season, but he will still get his share of passing TDs and so will Shiancoe. Chris Cooley is another guy that was hurt last year and he is on a team with a poor receiving corp, offensive line and a quality QB that can get him the ball. Cooley represents the best value TE this year and getting either him or Zach Miller is the reason why I let all the top guys go off the board and stack up on WR and RB talent.
Sleepers
Zach Miller, Chris Cooley, John Carlson and Anthony Fasano
Busts
Tony Gonzalez, Greg Olsen and Todd Heap
Recap
If either Gates or Clark falls to you in the 5th round and you don’t like any options left at WR RB or QB then do it! You will be getting to start an extra WR every week. If not, then wait for Zach Miller or Chris Cooley late in the draft. The fact that guys like John Carlson, Anthony Fasano, Heath Miller and Todd Heap should go un-drafted is pretty ridiculous in my opinion. Oh, and don’t take a backup… the guys I just mentioned can be gotten off waivers to cover your main guy’s bye week.
