We've covered the Brady fallout. Now let's get right into our weekly look around the league in the Morning After.
The Kids are all right1. Chris Johnson is the truth; just ask Rotoworld writer Chris Wesseling any moment of the day. If Johnson stays on the field, the kid is golden. Some cramps forced him off in the fourth quarter Sunday against the Titans, which evened up his carry split with LenDale White. But Johnson dominated the workload and production until then, when White scored a touchdown that saved his afternoon. The most impressive part of Johnson's 127 total yards was that he did it without any gains over 20 yards. The big gains are coming.
"There's going to be different Sundays where (White's) going and I'm not," Johnson said, "and he is going to get more opportunities than I am." Perhaps. The Titans may have to keep this split close to keep Johnson fresh, but it's clear they'd prefer him to lead the way.
2. Watching my man Matt Fortepick, dodge, squeeze, and jump through holes Sunday night, I was reminded of one player: Fred Taylor. And I mean the healthy Fred Taylor, in the highest compliment possible. Forte could be better in the receiving game, which makes up for lesser top-end speed. As long as the Bears don't run him into the ground, owners have a good-looking RB2 option.
3. So Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan only had 290 passing yards between them. But they're competent! Ryan made Michael Jenkins look like a deep threat, a trick five Falcons quarterbacks before him couldn't pull off. Flacco limited the Ravens offense, as expected, but who knew he had a 38-yard touchdown run in him? All rookie quarterback struggle, it's a matter of degree. Perhaps these two can keep their head above water for a while.
Sports
1. It's hard to overstate how poorly Cincinnati looked. Baltimore deserves most of the credit, but the amount of broken plays and miscommunications between Carson Palmer and his receivers was unacceptable. You could blame it on the lack of time together in August except similar mistakes happened last season. Marvin Lewis was also way too eager to run Chris Perry on fourth down to terrible results. (While the Perry will have his days, the Ravens defense will make most runners look poor.)
But these are the Bengals. They are Colts Light. Carson Palmer, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, and Chad Johnson are among the most consistent fantasy assets of the last five years. They usually put up numbers in bad times. I'll hit the panic button if they struggle against a normal defense. Too bad they are stuck with Tennessee's fearsome squad next.
2. Braylon Edwards had more drops than catches. Derek Anderson was out of synch. But this Cleveland team is too talented not to score and they had a very difficult Week 1 draw. Only panic with Anderson if this Browns team has a losing record halfway through the season. Then the calls for Brady Quinn will pick up. Anderson could use some help from his defense.
3. There are lots of ways to look at the Colts offensive effort Sunday night.
The good: Peyton Manninglooked healthy, even if he was very rusty. He put up 257 yards and a touchdown even in a shaky performance. Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison caught 18 passes between them on a slow night. That's why we love the Colts.
The bad: Indy's offensive line, short their starting guards and center from last season, got pushed around. Joseph Addai had no room to run. It took injury-prone Dallas Clark less than a half to go become a walking questionable tag again.
I'll take the optimistic approach. Manning will get his legs underneath him in time. Anthony Gonzalez is a more than capable replacement for Clark in the slot. The offensive line remains a big concern, but line coach Howard Mudd always manages to find a way.
Some Panic is Acceptable1. Maurice Morris is hurt. Nate Burleson is now hurt, along with Bobby Engram and Deion Branch. Hasselbeck completed 17-of-41 passes after coming off a back injury. Julius Jones had 1 yard on seven carries before garbage time against the Bills. Buffalo's defense is better than people think, but the consistent Seahawks offense looked to be in trouble before the opener. The definitely do now.
2. I suspect Jeff Garcia is on a short leash this season. And his performance Sunday (41 attempts, 221 yards) didn't make it any longer. Neither does his ankle injury. Brian Griese, anyone?
3. The Jaguars have lost their starting center, both starting guards, and a key reserve at tackle. Their top reserve at guard may also be hurt. Much of their offense was built on the strength of the offensive line. Now it's a huge question mark. David Garrard, Fred Taylor, and Maurice Jones-Drew are talented enough to overcome some issues, but that is a lot of carnage to deal with.
3. Robert Meachem was a healthy scratch, people. He's behind Lance Moore on the depth chart. He's not a sleeper and is a waste of fantasy roster space.
Preaseason Carryover?1. Calvin Johnson kept the preseason hype going, leading the Lions with seven catches and 107 yards. Both numbers are career highs. It will be interesting to see if Roy Williams leads the way next time or if this is a trend that will continue.
2. The Rams offense looked like a 2007 carryover. Torry Holt vanished, Steven Jackson was stuffed, Drew Bennett got hurt, and Marc Bulger continued to make us forget about the guy we saw two years ago. The Eagles defense has a chance to be dominant, though. Give the Rams some time to learn Al Saunders' offense.
See, the preseason is all phony!
The Lions were 4-0 in the preseason, and then got blasted by a Falcons team starting a rookie quarterback.
Injury Ward
Here are some of the players mentioned in our Season Pass injury column:
LaDainian Tomlinson
Maurice Morris
Brodie Croyle
Marion Barber
Vince Young
Todd Heap
Jamal Lewis
Also in Season Pass on Monday: Exclusive target report, workload report, and game analysis recaps with fantasy tips from our staff of writers. So, uh, <a href=" check it out. Or I might have to get a real job someday.
Yeah, this might work
1. Michael Turner rightfully got the headlines with 220 yards and two touchdowns, but don't forget about his backup. Jerious Norwood also put together a top-ten running back performance with 14 carries, 99 total yards, and a touchdown. The Falcons might resemble the '07 Raiders, running often and effectively despite a poor passing attack. Now if only they could play the Lions 15 more times. Detroit's star-making rush defense heads home to host Ryan Grant.
2. The second-year version of Trent Edwards looks promising. The composed 30 attempts against a strong Seattle pass defense is a great sign for Lee Evans owners. In a contract push, this could be the season we get some consistency from Evans. And the two plays over 30 yards for Evans helps quiet concerns that Edwards can't hit the big play.
3. Brett Favre magic traveled to his new uniform. While the Jets played conservatively, Favre still put up solid numbers and an 8.8 YPA in his first start for Gang Green. If he does it against the Pats on Sunday, I'll officially be convinced he's a fantasy starter again.
4. Reggie Bush has teased us before, so he'll have to prove he can stay consistent. After all, he only a 3.6 YPC Sunday. But PPR owners don't really care if he can continue his crazy mojo in the passing game. Maybe all those puff pieces about his "rededication" worked. Or maybe it's Kardashian power.
5. It's the system in Philadelphia, not the receivers. How else to explain DeSean Jackson, Greg Lewis, and Baskett going over 100 yards? Oh yeah, it's the quarterback too.
Committee Report
1. Miami: Ronnie Brown had nine touches for 51 yards. Ricky Williams had 14 touches for 39 yards. This doesn't let all the air out of the Ricky sleeper balloon, but it's a good sign for Brown owners that he's on his way back. Look for this split to remain close for a while.
2. Carolina:DeAngelo Williams had 18 carries to ten for Jonathan Stewart. Both were very effective, but Williams didn't come out of the game near the goal line.
3. Tampa: The worst fears of Earnest Graham owners were realized . almost. Graham only had ten carries to nine for Warrick Dunn. But Graham played so well, he still topped 100 total yards.
4. New Orleans: Pierre Thomas, not Deuce McAllister or Aaron Stecker, split carries with Reggie Bush. Thomas finished with 63 effective total yards. The Saints can call Deuce injured to save face, but the reality is he was benched. You can drop him.
5. Dallas: Felix Jones is the best-looking 40-year-old looking rookie I've ever seen. He could be the most talented rookie runner in this class, which is saying a lot. But don't get too carried away with his nine carries. He didn't have any in the first half when the game was close and Marion Barber was healthy.
Offensive minefield
Offenses are more consistent year-to-year than defense. That's one reason why so many quarterbacks started to go early in fantasy drafts. It's awfully early, but the consistent offenses in New Orleans, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh are off on the right track. And owners of Drew Brees, Donovan McNabb, and Ben Roethlisberger are glad they dodged Sunday's minefield.
Fluky Week 1 tight ends
Each Week 1, a few fluky tight end performances seem to pop up. Then it's my job as a fantasy writer to tell you not to overreact. Chris Baker, Alex Smith, and Courtney Anderson's efforts in 2005 come to mind.
This year, a slew of candidates cropped up. The top-five tight ends in PPR leagues Sunday were Anthony Fasano, Donte Rosario, Robert Royal, Bo Scaife, and David Martin. (Chad Pennington loves his tight ends.) Proving once again, we know nothing.
Not each one of these performances is a fluke, though. Royal doesn't have the talent to keep it up. Their tight end teammates will likely cancel out Scaife and Martin's production in the long run. Fasano and Rosario have the talent to keep it up.
Rosario is a serious athlete, a player I couldn't believe as I watched in the preseason. He can be a fine TE2 with potential for more. Fasano has less upside, but could put up workmanlike stats as a fantasy reserve. Randy McMichael is another player with a strong start worth a look for the needy.
(By the way, tight ends six-through-eight were Winslow, Witten, and Gates. Gates owners can breathe easy. The toe looks just fine.
Anyone looking for waiver picks . I'll put up a ranking in Pancake Blocks Monday afternoon.
The More Things Change .
Lions coach Rod Marinelli talked all off-season about Establishing The Run. But an early deficit forced Detroit to go pass wacky. They called 35 pass plays to 19 runs, and only gained 62 yards on the ground. It's like Mike Martz never left.
Speaking of Martz
Across the country in San Francisco, Martz was finally calling the running plays Marinelli always wanted. In the first half of San Francisco's game against the Cardinals, the 49ers ran 14 times and passed 14 times. J.T. O'Sullivan threw only 20 passes all game! Frank Gore wound up with 18 touches (for 151 total yards and a score) despite an absurdly low amount of team plays (44) and time of possession (22:55). The 49ers did manage to squeeze six turnovers in their limited time. Now that sounds like a Mike Martz team.
Lucky Break?
Dwayne Bowe had two catches and twenty yards with Brodie Croyle under center for two and a half quarters. The Chiefs had three points. In the 18 minutes Damon Huard was in, the Bowe had three grabs, 29 yards, a touchdown, and an unforgivable drop that would have tied the game. The Chiefs don't want to hear it, but their passing game, Bowe included, is better off with Huard in the lineup.
What the .
All the Ravens questions I received on Fantasy Fix Live were about Willis McGahee vs. Ray Rice. Who knew that LeRon McClain would outshine them both in 21 touches? The converted fullback looks more like a third tailback now that Lorenzo Neal is on the roster, but we still wouldn't pick him up. He'll go back to third on the depth chart next week.
