Redskins/Giants isn't most glamorous opening matchup the NFL has ever served up, but who cares? The first of 512 regular season games is worthy of thanks and celebration. The first Opening Night I'm not giddy for will be the night I quit. And I'm not leaving this gig until Rotoworld Grand Poobah Rick Cordella locks the company doors on me ala Steve McNair or offers me the Brett Favre Stay Retired and Like it Package.
Thursday's game allows us to focus sharply on two teams before Sunday's head-spinning insanity. The key offensive players are almost identical to last season, but the teams in drastically different situations. While Eli Manning enjoys an underrated offensive line and improving weapons, Jason Campbell is struggling to learn another new offense. His receiver depth has failed to improve because Washington will get nothing Thursday from their high-drafted rookies. New coach Jim Zorn forced to rely heavily on Clinton Portis stabilize the offense. It's like Joe Gibbs never left.
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Due to popular demand, the Week 1 rankings are posting early because of the Thursday night opener. As always, Season Pass subscribers have access to detailed weekly stat projections for every player listed. Our Rotoworld Oracle uses those projections and your scoring system and lineup requirement to make weekly lineup suggestions. We also crank out exclusive weekly columns, stat tools, game picks, IDP help, top 200 ranks, and much more. It's like hiring an assistant GM without having to talk to someone.
I've made comments on the Giants/Redskins tilt below, but the rest of the Week 1 notes will come later in the week. An updated set of rankings after the Friday injury report comes out.
Week 1 Quarterbacks| Rank | Player Name | Opponent | Notes |
| 1 | Tom Brady | vs. KC | Fully expected to play |
| 2 | Tony Romo | at CLE | - |
| 3 | Donovan McNabb | vs. STL | - |
| 4 | Peyton Manning | vs. CHI | Bears are bigger concern than knee |
| 5 | Drew Brees | vs. TB | - |
| 6 | Ben Roethlisberger | vs. HOU | - |
| 7 | Carson Palmer | at BAL | - |
| 8 | Derek Anderson | vs. DAL | Will start |
| 9 | Kurt Warner | at SF | - |
| 10 | Matt Hasselbeck | at BUF | |
| 11 | Eli Manning | vs. WAS | - |
| 12 | Jay Cutler | at OAK | No Brandon Marshall |
| 13 | Matt Schaub | at PIT | - |
| 14 | Jon Kitna | at ATL | - |
| 15 | Aaron Rodgers | vs. MIN | - |
| 16 | David Garrard | at TEN | - |
| 17 | Marc Bulger | at PHI | - |
| 18 | Brett Favre | at MIA | - |
| 19 | Vince Young | vs. JAC | - |
| 20 | J.T. O'Sullivan | vs. ARZ | - |
| 21 | Jason Campbell | at NYG | - |
| 22 | Jeff Garcia | at NO | - |
| 23 | Jake Delhomme | at SD | - |
| 24 | Philip Rivers | vs. CAR | - |
| 25 | Trent Edwards | vs. SEA | - |
| 26 | Tarvaris Jackson | at GB | Expected to start |
| 27 | Chad Pennington | vs. NYJ | - |
| 28 | JaMarcus Russell | vs. DEN | - |
| 29 | Matt Ryan | vs. DET | - |
| 30 | Kyle Orton | at IND | - |
| 31 | Brodie Croyle | at NE | - |
| 32 | Joe Flacco | vs. CIN | - |
QB Notes: The Redskins may struggle to apply pressure on Eli Manning with their front seven. Losing defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was a huge blow. Jason Taylor may not be ready, and their defensive line is average at best. With time to throw, Manning's receivers can win one-on-one battles against Washington's man coverage. . Washington's offensive line is healthier than last season, although they are benching stalwart Jon Jansen. Look for Campbell to get the ball out of his hands faster than last year, concentrating on shorter routes. The question is whether his smurfish group of receivers fit this system of slants. It could take a while to get the timing down; I'd expect mediocre numbers on Wednesday.
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RB Notes: There has been a lot of speculation about how the Giants backfield will be used this season. While Derrick Ward and Ahman Bradshaw's roles are to be determined, it's safe to pencil in 15-20 carries from Brandon Jacobs. Since he's always a good bet to score, the train cannot be benched. I still expect Bradshaw to have plenty of stand alone value as a fantasy reserve. . The Redskins plan to keep Clinton Portis on the field as much as Joe Gibbs did, if not more. Ladell Betts is a true backup, not a committee partner.
Week 1 Wide ReceiversWR Notes: The Redskins put a lot of pressure on their cornerbacks to play man coverage. If they can't generate pressure, the Giants could expose them. Still, it's hard to pick Amani Toomer or Steve Smith. The team will go four wide and get tight end Kevin Boss involved, so the pie is split up too many ways. Plaxico Burress is an every-week play until proven otherwise. . Santana Moss will play flanker this season, which should increase the amount of short passes he says. While that should help his consistency, it also increases his chance for injury. He could really use some development from the young Washington receivers to take pressure off.
Week 1 Tight Ends| Rank | Player Name | Opponent | Notes |
| 1 | Jason Witten | at CLE | - |
| 2 | Kellen Winslow | vs. DAL | - |
| 3 | Antonio Gates | vs. CAR | Expected to start |
| 4 | Tony Gonzalez | at NE | - |
| 5 | Jeremy Shockey | vs. TB | - |
| 6 | Chris Cooley | at NYG | - |
| 7 | Vernon Davis | vs. ARZ | - |
| 8 | Owen Daniels | at PIT | - |
| 9 | Dallas Clark | vs. CHI | - |
| 10 | Tony Scheffler | at OAK | - |
| 11 | Todd Heap | vs. CIN | - |
| 12 | Heath Miller | vs. HOU | - |
| 13 | Zach Miller | vs. DEN | - |
| 14 | Greg Olsen | at IND | - |
| 15 | Alge Crumpler | vs. JAC | - |
| 16 | L.J. Smith | vs. STL | - |
| 17 | Ben Watson | vs. KC | - |
| 18 | Ben Utecht | at BAL | - |
| 19 | Randy McMichael | at PHI | - |
| 20 | Marcedes Lewis | at TEN | - |
| 21 | Donald Lee | vs. MIN | - |
| 22 | Desmond Clark | at IND | - |
| 23 | Kevin Boss | vs. WAS | - |
| 24 | Dustin Keller | at MIA | - |
| 25 | Anthony Fasano | vs. NYJ | - |
| 26 | Chris Baker | at MIA | - |
TE Notes: Mike Lombardi expects Chris Cooley to get double-teamed regularly on third downs. While you can't bench him, another slow start to the season wouldn't surprise. . Kevin Boss is a nice developmental player, but there are too many excellent fantasy options to use him at this point.
Notes: This is a great test for the Giants team defense in the post-Strahan era. This is a matchup in which they should be able to force mistakes
Week 1 Kickers| Rank | Player Name | Opponent | Notes |
| 1 | Stephen Gostkowski | vs. KC | - |
| 2 | Nick Folk | at CLE | - |
| 3 | Nate Kaeding | vs. CAR | - |
| 4 | Josh Scobee | at TEN | - |
| 5 | Josh Brown | at PHI | - |
| 6 | Ryan Longwell | at GB | - |
| 7 | Mason Crosby | vs. MIN | - |
| 8 | Shayne Graham | at BAL | - |
| 9 | Adam Vinatieri | vs. CHI | - |
| 10 | Rob Bironas | vs. JAC | Sidelined(groin) |
| 11 | Phil Dawson | vs. DAL | - |
| 12 | Robbie Gould | at IND | - |
| 13 | Neil Rackers | at SF | - |
| 14 | Jason Hanson | at ATL | - |
| 15 | David Akers | vs. STL | - |
| 16 | Matt Bryant | at NO | - |
| 17 | Matt Stover | vs. CIN | - |
| 18 | John Kasay | at SD | - |
| 19 | Joe Nedney | vs. ARZ | - |
| 20 | Kris Brown | at PIT | - |
| 21 | Jeff Reed | vs. HOU | - |
| 22 | Martin Gramatica | vs. TB | - |
| 23 | Sebastian Janikowski | vs. DEN | Sidelined(hamstring) |
| 24 | Jason Elam | vs. DET | - |
| 25 | Rian Lindell | vs. SEA | - |
| 26 | Shaun Suisham | at NYG | - |
| 27 | Mike Nugent | at MIA | - |
| 28 | Dan Carpenter | vs. NYJ | - |
| 29 | Matt Prater | at OAK | - |
| 30 | Olindo Mare | at BUF | - |
| 31 | Nick Novak | at NE | - |
| 32 | John Carney | vs. WAS | - |
