Love

Beanie Wells, RB, ARI – Wells has had a very solid season in spite of some injuries.  When he has been in there, his production can not be denied. He did have a bad week in week 14 but everyone has against San Francisco this season and I am ready to look past it. Joe Haden will be locked up on Larry Fitzgerald, limiting his impact on the game significantly. Arizona is likely going to get another win this week on the back of Wells.

Jordy Nelson, WR, GB – With Greg Jennings on the sidelines for this coming game, Rodgers will be sure to look towards Jordy Nelson and all the rest of his receivers a bit more often.  The match-up is pretty good against the Chiefs and while we may see the starters on the bench by the 4th quarter again but I think all your Packers are good for a start this week regardless.

Tim Tebow, QB, DEN – There is no softer secondary in the NFL than New England’s.  Tebow is very unlikely to get a win this week but I do think he is very likely to have his highest fantasy point total of the season anyways.  Denver’s grind-it-out offense almost definitely can’t outscore the Pats and Brady but they will limit their production and keep it competitive.  This could be a 350+ yard passing day for the promising second year QB.

Cedric Benson, RB, CIN – The Bengals are on a two game losing streak and are looking to cling to their playoff hopes, which are fading fast, against the league’s worst rush defense. They should have little trouble righting the ship against the Rams, who have been inept all season and especially on defense. Benson is sure to play a big role in this game and is a must-start this week for your playoff match up.

Brandon Marshall, WR, MIA – I expect Miami to focus on the ground game early on and it should be effective against the Bills’ soft defense that has really missed Kyle Williams since he went on IR. This is going to open up the passing game and Marshall should have little trouble racking up stats, especially since Buffalo stopped forcing all the turnovers they were able to cause early in the year.

Felix Jones, RB, DAL – With DeMarco Murray on IR, the running game is now in the hands of Felix.  He handled himself well with a good match up last week and has another this week against the Buccaneers, who have allowed an average of 23.5 yards per game to opposing RBs.  You shouldn’t expect him to top 20 but it is possible and he will do just fine for a play as an RB2 this week.

Hate

Rashard Mendenhall, RB, PIT – He has had a disappointing season and plays the 9ers this week, who are by and far the best rush defense in the league. He fell outside my top 20 so don’t hesitate to put him on your bench if you have better options.

Plaxico Burress, WR, NYJ – I am down on both of the Jets’ receivers this week due to the depth of the Eagles’ secondary. With Vick back the Eagles offense is able to stay on the field more and limit opportunities against their defense too.

Jonathan Stewart, RB, CAR – Houston may be without some of their most important offensive weapons but their defense is still in-tact and playing great. The Panthers’ running backs have been thoroughly un-impressive this season and that is not likely to change with such a tough match up in front of them.  Lower expectations on all Panthers this week.

DeSean Jackson, WR, PHI – He rebounded slightly last week but it wasn’t a huge performance and he is on Revis Island this week.  He might draw some added coverage from Antonio Cromartie because Cromartie is slightly better defending vertical routes, which Jackson runs more often than not.

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Studs

Chris Johnson, RB, TEN – He didn’t find the endzone in this game but we can forgive him because he racked up 190 yards!  About time CJ. I’ll be treating him as a low end RB1 until im sure he really has it turned around. Hopefully he does and hopefully its not too late for you.

Drew Brees, QB, NO – The Saints have been a very good football team all year long. Brees and the offense played as close to perfect as I have seen them play all season last night and Brees ended up the top-scoring fantasy player in the NFL for week 12. If you own Brees and are headed into the playoffs, you should be ecstatic. This offense is scary to say the least and with Graham and Sproles really entrenched into this offense now, they are firing on all cylinders.

Roy Helu, RB, WAS – The Skins finally had a solid running game this week with Helu carrying the load and Torain riding the pine. We have little reason to expect Shanahan to keep riding Helu but he will remain a solid flex play for as long as he keeps being the most productive back on that offense.

Victor Cruz, WR, NYG – I am almost tempted to start rankings Cruz above Nicks but I just won’t be able to do it.  Cruz is a must-start and really ought to be above Manningham on the depth chart when both guys are healthy. Cruz’s hands and speed are a scary combination that have really proved to be a difference maker for the Giants.  Nicks is still the go-to-guy and a better red-zone target so he will remain above Cruz on my rankings but the gap is getting very narrow.

Beanie Wells, RB, ARI – Beanie is incredibly frustrating from a fantasy standpoint. He is #9 in the NFL among RBs for fantasy points scored yet he has had 4 pretty terrible games and very possibly cost you wins in each of those weeks. Bottom line with Wells is that when he is healthy, you have to start him.  The Cardinals offense relies heavily on the running game to provide balance and he WILL see a large number of carries in every start that he gets.

Johnny Knox, WR, CHI – Caleb Hanie played pretty poorly in this game but the Bears were competitive in the game and Hanie was able to exploit the Raiders’ secondary at times and find his top receiver on a fair few big plays. Knox had a great game all around and helped with kick returns too but I would be careful trusting him too much next week.  I want to see him do it next week before I bother to try and start him with my season on the line.

Duds

Jordy Nelson, WR, GB – This was a bit of an off-week for Rodgers and the Packers.  They won fairly convincingly but Jennings, Nelson AND Jones didn’t all catch TD passes.  Off weeks are tough… Keep starting Nelson as he scores far more often than not and there are a lot of mouths to feed in that passing game.

Frank Gore, RB, SF – Don’t beat yourself up for starting him, you had to. But, only one straw was going to break in that game on Thanksgiving night and it wasn’t the Ravens’. With the Rams and Cardinals as opponents over the next two weeks, Gore is sure to get things turned around.

Vincent Jackson, WR, SD – I still can’t decide what the bigger story was out of that GREAT game on Sunday between the Chargers and the Broncos; the Chargers’ continued collapse or the Broncos continued surge.  One thing is sure, talent isn’t enough.  Jackson and Rivers should easily both be top 10 fantasy producers at their positions but Norv Turner does not seem to have this team playing for anything at the moment.  VJax is just a mediocre WR2 the rest of the way and ideally you can use him in your flex.

Mike Wallace, WR, PIT – I loved Wallace this week and couldn’t have been more wrong.  I would love him again next week if they played against the Chiefs again however.  I didn’t see a lot of this game but it was disheartening that the Steelers were not able to rout the hapless Chiefs. A win is a win however so we will have to just keep playing our Steelers and not panic much over a mediocre game.

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Studs

Vincent Jackson, WR, SD – It is nice to see both Jackson and Rivers back with some elite fantasy numbers. Jackson went crazy in this game as the Chargers were throwing a lot to try and keep pace with Aaron Rodgers and the Packers.  I never really punished Jackson in my rankings for the poor play of Rivers early on and I do expect the Chargers to turn things around.  Bottom line is the Packers are the best team in the NFL and the Chargers were in that game till the end and that is saying something.

Willis McGahee, RB, DEN – Willis came back very quickly from his hand injury and I was concerned that it might have been too soon. It turns out that it was not too soon at all.  McGahee had a phenomenal game and provided a great balance to the Broncos offense.  This balance forced the Raiders to slow their pass rush on Tebow, which really allowed him to excel in this game too.

Julio Jones, WR, ATL – It finally happened and I can’t really say that I am surprised. Jones’ talent was self-evident and it was only a matter of time before his big play ability led to a huge fantasy performance. Jones is going to be a bit of a hit or miss guy but I think he is a very good flex play. You don’t want him to have these type of games on your bench.

Matt Moore, QB, MIA – What the hell Kansas City? Coming off a three game winning streak, you can’t beat the Dolphins at home? They LOVE to lose and have been finding a way to forfeit games all season.  I was mildly considering the Chiefs as a potential wild card contender despite their injuries but that is dead now. Moore is not a serious option down the stretch as KC’s secondary is not very good without Eric Berry.

Reggie Bush, RB, MIA – We might need to consider Bush for more than a potential flex play.  Daniel Thomas was active in this game and Bush stole the show again.  He was just shy of 100 yards rushing and had a TD.  Once you add the 50 yards receiving, you’ve got a 20 point fantasy outing.  I think Bush has won over the coaching staff, who would probably like to stay employed and I think we can expect 15-20 touches for Bush as long as he stays healthy.

Marshawn Lynch, RB, SEA – This was an impressive outing for Lynch who has been unbelievably inconsistent since he had that 1000 yard rushing season as a Buffalo Bill a while back.  This isn’t a situation like Julio Jones, where you want to start the guy on a weekly basis to avoid missing these performances.  Lynch doesn’t often have even a decent game and I don’t see how he can be trusted unless he gets another solid performance or two over the next couple of weeks.

DeMarco Murray, RB, DAL – I don’t think there will be much of a competition for touches with Felix Jones anymore.  Murray has been great, even when the offense has struggled. I think Murray has earned a feature-back role in this offense and might be one of the best keepers going into next season.

Duds

Chris Ogbonnaya, RB, CLE – He clearly isn’t ready or capable of being a lead back in the NFL.  He might have still be seeing the bulk of the carries on this offense next week against the Rams but if you don’t need him for next week, get rid of him. Hardesty is the guy I expect to take over the starting job when he returns from injury and I think he has a decent shot at being a solid flex play once he does indeed return.

Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, OAK – This is not a surprise to me. Hey-Bey has speed and can be tough to cover at times.  It is not yet clear if there is a reason why he didn’t get on the field very much after 4 straight games of 8 or more fantasy points but I’ve been steadfast in saying that Jacoby Ford is the best receiver on that team and the guy I want to own.  I’m not excited about starting any of them quite yet but as Palmer improves and gets acclimated to this offense, the value of Ford might rise significantly.

Michael Vick, QB, PHI – This was a very winnable match up for the Eagles who went from being a team I thought would make it into the playoffs as a wild card team, to probably being too far behind to be a factor.  I am not concerned too much about any Eagle’s fantasy value the rest of the way as the schedule looks very favorable and this team is about big plays, which are near impossible to rely on.

Beanie Wells, RB, ARI – It is crazy to me that Wells was shut down by the Rams defense when he has had some good performances against some solid rush defenses this season.  I am going to treat this as an anomaly but I am certainly a little nervous about how bad he was in this game.

DeSean Jackson, WR, PHI – I think you need to keep starting this guy but he has NOT been a very good player for fantasy owners.  I am done ranking him above Maclin after 0 points this week. But at least as a flex play, you HAVE to keep him in the game.

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Love

Darren McFadden, RB, OAK – Run DMC tops my RB rankings this week with a great matchup against the Chiefs. Kansas City is allowing an average of 105 yards per game and a TD to opposing running backs. And I think we can all agree that McFadden is better than your average back. I think Oakland is going to lean heavily on the running game while they break in Carson Palmer at QB, so Michael Bush should see a slight increase in carries this week as well.

Miles Austin, WR, DAL – The Vultures are circling in Dallas as they do every time the Cowboys have a losing record and they sit at 2-3. I am not concerned that much about them personally as Romo is a gunslinger and sometimes it pays off and sometimes it backfires. They lost to a clearly awful Patriots team last week (seriously, are we supposed to hold this against Jason Garrett or Romo?) and have a really tough match up against the Rams this week, who are 0-5. In all seriousness, you can’t bench Austin or Dez Bryant this week against a team allowing an average of 28.4 fantasy points per game to opposing receivers (worst in the NFL).

Tim Tebow, QB, MIA – I can barely believe it, but I have Tebow at the 10th spot in my rankings this week. He plays against Miami whose offense has trouble staying on the field between turnovers (-7 on the season) and the worst 3rd down efficiency in the NFL (they are converting on a pathetic 24% of third downs).  Tebow no longer has Brandon Lloyd to throw to, but it is his rushing ability that gets him to crack my top 10.  He is not likely to have a large passing total but with his ability to rush the ball, he should be able to have a pretty nice game and earn a win for his Broncos.

Beanie Wells, RB, ARI – The concern with Wells has always been durability, so while he is healthy I think he has to be started. It looks like a bad match up against Pittsburgh this week, but looks can be deceiving. The Steelers have allowed three different opposing running backs to reach 100 yards this season and even Indy was able to put up 97 yards with their time-share situation.

Mike Wallace, WR, PIT – Wallace has stayed a quality fantasy receiver despite the lack of pass protection and the Cardinals have struggled to stop #1 wide receivers. They allowed very good games to Steve Smith (CAR), Sidney Rice, Hakeem Nicks and Santana Moss so far and I think Wallace is more talented than all of these guys.

Kellen Winslow, TE, TB – Winslow has failed to produce stats on a consistent basis, but his talent really should not be up for debate.  The Buccs offense has struggled at times and they certainly do not feature the TE.  This week however, I do not think you can afford to bench Winslow. He plays against a good Chicago defense that appears to be weak against opposing tight ends. The Bears are allowing the most fantasy points per game to the tight end position (11.8 points per game) and Freeman will very likely need his safety valve receivers against this pass rush.

Hate

Mark Sanchez, QB, NYJ – The Sanchize has been good for fantasy owners for the most part this season and when he wasn’t, we were able to see if coming from a mile away (i.e. that TERRIBLE game against Baltimore). This week he faces Philip Rivers and the Chargers and I see another bad game coming. The Jets want to pass to set up the run now and I don’t see Sanchez as good enough to pull this off against a good defense. I feel like the Jets are built to run a ground and pound offense still and think San Diego pulls off another win this week.

Mike Williams, WR, TB – The only thing that has Williams clinging to the top 20 in my ranks is the bye weeks. The guys on bye that I would start over Williams (if they were playing obviously) are Steve Johnson, AJ Green, Wes Welker, Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham, DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin. You’ve probably gotta play him, but I would hope you arent expecting too much from a guy that has been a huge disappointment thus far.

Montario Hardesty, RB, CLE – I haven’t heard that Hillis is definitely out this week, so I ranked both players. This drops them both from where they would be if we already knew but either way, I don’t want to start Hardesty unless I have to. Seattle is surprisingly 5th best in the NFL at fantasy points allowed to opposing RBs and have a better run defense than people seem to realize.  I wouldn’t be surprised if he did ok, but you should not expect a career game this week.

Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, OAK – Jacoby Ford is still the guy I want to play this week and it’s still because they use him in a wider variety of ways.  With a new QB that hasn’t played a down all season so far, I expect Oakland to lean on the running game and Ford is used in a lot of different packages and scenarios to try and get him the ball in open space. He is the second best play-maker on this offense after McFadden and something tells me that Kansas City will have their eye on DMC a lot. I don’t expect much from the aerial attack in Oakland this week.

Tashard Choice, RB, DAL – Even with the bye weeks, I am not too big on either of the fill-in RBs for Dallas this week. The one I want to play is Murray though.  Last week, Murray saw twice the carries that Choice did and with Jerry Jones shopping Choice around for a possible trade, I’d like to think they give Murray the lion’s share of the work this week. Both guys are decent plays if you are desperate though, just don’t expect too much.

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Studs

Cam Newton, QB, CAR – That’s it, I am done fighting it. Cam Newton is now to be treated as the top 5 QB that he has been playing like so far for fantasy owners. Only Tom Brady and Drew Brees has passed for more yards so far on the season and one of Newton’s games was in a monsoon. Ron Rivera and the Panthers coaching staff have done a great job of game planning to help him feel more comfortable. This has meant employing a spread-style offense and letting Cam play from the shot gun.  I had my reservations about Cam this week against the Bears but he blew me away and he has maneuvered his way to being an elite, must-start QB every week from here on out.

Matt Forte, RB, CHI – Last week the Bears seemed afraid to try and run the ball, this week Forte got 25 carries and racked up a staggering 205 yards on the ground with a TD just for good measure. I don’t know how long Mike Martz can keep this rushing attack going, but it is the only chance the Bears have of overcoming their O-line issues. Either way Forte is a top 10 back with his involvement in the passing game, but if they continue to run he might be a top 5 back.

Ravens, D/ST, BAL – In my Key Matchups article on Thursday, I stated that I thought the Ravens would keep Sanchez in check and force turnovers to win the game. I didn’t expect quite this dominating of a performance but I think we may have found the best fantasy-defense of 2011. The Ravens finished this week as the #2 scoring “player” in standard leagues with a whopping 32 points.

Beanie Wells, RB, ARI – We just didn’t see this coming as Wells returned from an injury that kept him out in Week 3. When healthy, expect big games from Beanie as he has had a TD in every game he has played as well as at least 90 yards each time as well. You can’t ask for more from a RB2 in my opinion.

Pierre Garcon, WR, IND – This was a fluke, I wouldn’t even go pick up Garcon just yet. It is hard to call 146 yards and two scores a fluke, but I did it anyways. Garcon only caught two passes and each was a big scoring play, but he also dropped some very catch-able balls and at best I see Garcon back to a frustrating player that is bound to have some serious consistency issues.

Arian Foster, RB, HOU – Foster looked like a beast this week against Pittsburgh. Tate was a quality back in his absence and I was never too sold on Foster for this season after he got banged up. I saw Tate splitting time with Foster, but I now think I was wrong. Foster was a punishing physical runner and showed his break away speed on a long TD run late to seal the game. Consider him back to being a top 5 back.

Calvin Johnson, WR, DET – Megatron is just hands down the fantasy football MVP of the first quarter of the season. He is on pace for a mind-blowing THIRTY TWO touchdown passes this season.  It is not likely that he can keep hauling in two TD passes per game the rest of the way, but he will no-doubt finish strong and have a career year.

Duds

Mario Manningham, WR, NYG – The Cardinals secondary is full of holes and after the Giants torched the Eagles in Week 3, I expected a big day from Manningham. It didn’t quite happen, but both Nicks and Victor Cruz DID have good games. I am not worried about Manningham yet, but Cruz is clearly going to be a long-term factor in the passing game and might eat into Manningham’s targets a little bit.

Tim Hightower, RB, WAS – I touched on this a bit yesterday, but Hightower saw limited work as he banged up his shoulder against the Rams in week 3.  The Bye week is well-timed for putting this behind him but with Torain running so well, it’ll be VERY difficult to trust any of the Redskins’ RBs come week 6.

Mark Sanchez, QB, NYJ – I really just don’t see Sanchez as a viable starting QB for fantasy owners. If you saw this game, you probably have little trouble agreeing with me. No matter how good the opposing defense is, a QB should NEVER have negative fantasy points and I would have no trouble dropping Sanchez if i had him as my backup. Rex Grossman, Colt McCoy and Andy Dalton are all guys I would rather use a bench spot on.

Rob Gronkowski, TE, NE – The Patriots spent an absurd amount of time in two tight end formations before Hernandez went down with an injury.  Now they only have one on the active roster and he did almost nothing against the Raiders.  Treat this as a fluke, because he is such a great red zone target for Brady. You just can’t afford to bench him.

Devery Henderson, WR, NO – The Saints receivers are getting back to healthy and Henderson and Meachem are back to the “too risky” category for me.  Someone will have a big game each week, but I think it is just too big a headache to try and guess who it will be each week.

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Love

Chris Johnson, RB, TEN – CJ has been disappointing fantasy owners for two weeks after he held out of training camp for a contract extension.  He has a very favorable match-up against last season’s 31st ranked pass defense that lost two interior defensive linemen before the start of the season.  I’m not saying for sure he’s back to his old self, but this is the week I think they really try and get him back to being the featured play maker of the offense.

Steve Smith, WR, CAR – With how Cam Newton has been playing and how bad of a secondary Jacksonville has, I see no reason not to expect a very good outting from Smith again.  He looks to be rejuvenated by his rookie QB and I think he is a must start in your WR 2 spot this week.

Beanie Wells, RB, ARI – Wells has run hard in the first two weeks. And with his carries being up in the absence of Tim Hightower and Ryan Williams, you’ve gotta like Beanie’s chance at success against a bad Seahawks team. Treat him as a must-start RB2 this week.

Devery Henderson, WR, NO – He seems to get the big game a slight bit more often than Meachem does and I have the both ranked much higher than I normally would for this week.  Houston’s secondary is still quite a weak spot and who better to exploit it than Drew Brees?  there will be plenty of catches to go around and the Saints are going to take a fair amount of shots vertically this week.

Philip Rivers, QB, SD – Hopefully Rivers doesn’t get the Chargers ahead too quickly in this game and make the passing game irrelevant.  Without Charles and Berry, the Chiefs are way outmatched in this game and the sky is the limit statistically for Rivers and the Chargers. I wouldn’t be shocked to see another modest performance due to a couple rushing TD’s, but there is zero risk with Rivers this week.

David Nelson, WR, BUF – The Bills have the NFL’s top scoring offense. It just feels good to say it.  The bubble is almost certainly going to burst for us Bills fans as we host the Patriots in week 3, but not for fantasy owners.  Buffalo will score points and be forced to do it in the air as they try and keep pace with New England’s offensive machine. The Bills are going to use Nelson a lot more in his most natural role, as the slot receiver, now that Roscoe Parrish is on IR. The Amish Rifle (Fitzpatrick) really seemed to have a connection with him and after Johnson, this is the guy that will be the most productive in my opinion.

Ryan Mathews, RB, SD – The Chargers are going to dominate the Chiefs in week 3.  I don’t think many people would disagree with that and it makes Mathews an attractive start as an RB2 for all the carries he will likely see later in the game to run down the clock.  I like Tolbert a lot too, but with how difficult TD’s are to predict, the yardage total for Mathews makes him a safer play in my opinion.

Hate

Eli Manning, QB, NYG – Eli has played less than inspired over the first two weeks of the season and against a ball hawking secondary like Philadelphia has, I think Manning is just WAY too risky of a play.

Arian Foster, RB, HOU – We can’t even be sure he’ll be active in this game but even if he is, I don’t think you can expect very much from him in week 3.  One of the scariest things for me as a fantasy owner is to see a guy come back from an injury and have to leave the game early again. Expect them to bring him back slowly with how well Ben Tate is running the ball and the sudden lack of a competitive division.

Reggie Wayne, WR, IND – On talent alone, Wayne is still a top 10 fantasy receiver in my opinion.  He isn’t likely to finish in the top 10 of points scored but he is tough to beat from a consistency standpoint. You probably need to start him as a WR2 or flex play still, but you definitely need to lower your expectations.

Steven Jackson, RB, STL – Even if he IS 100%, I’m hoping to not need him for more than a flex play against Pittsburgh.  I expected to see better offensive production from Bradford thus far and don’t think Jackson will exceed any expectations without teams being legitimately afraid of the passing game.

Fred Jackson, RB, BUF – I know what your thinking, he IS the 4th highest scoring RB in fantasy football over the first two weeks. But let’s face it… to keep pace with Brady, Buffalo will need to feature the vertical passing game and that suits CJ Spiller more than Jackson. I’m leaving Jackson as a low-end RB2 for this week, expect him to go up considerably when the match up is more favorable to a ground game.

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It’s that time folks.  The regular season is upon us and my Player Rankings for Week 1 have been released.  I hope you are all as excited as I am and good luck to you all this season!

Love

Jamaal Charles, RB, KC – Charles is a guy that I believe in and as Thomas Jones ages, Charles’ carries will go up.  The Bills allowed an abysmal 169.6 yards per game, which was the worst in the league.  They did draft Marcell Dareus to help fix this problem but with a shortened off-season due to the lockout, the immediate impact of Dareus will be lessened.  Charles is among the best young RB talent in the NFL and you have to like his chances to break a big play or two against such a mediocre at best run defense.

Vincent Jackson, WR, SD – The Chargers were one of the teams that managed to put together a decent off season program without the help of their coaching staff or management during the lockout. Also, there wasn’t too much turn-over from last season to this season as far as the offense is concerned.  This all adds up to an uncharacteristic fast-start for Norv Turner, Philip Rivers and the Chargers in my opinion.

Darren McFadden, RB, OAK – Denver is not just Oakland’s week one opponent, they were also last season’s 2nd worst rush defense.  This isn’t really about match-up either. McFadden averaged 128 yards per game in all-purpose yards last season and is, until further notice, a must-start in my opinion.

Kenny Britt, WR, TEN – I’ve been pretty open about my love for Britt for a while now and with no suspension and a weak opposing secondary in week 1, Britt is a must-start in my opinion.

Peyton Hillis, RB, CLE – You may be surprised to see ME put this guy on my love list, because I was not big on him going into the draft.  My concern with Hillis has always been about durability and the fact that Montario Hardesty is more talented than Hillis and below him on the depth chart.  I think that at some point this season, Hillis misses a game and Hardesty is someone I think will be able to take advantage of the playing time and win the starting role. Until then, Hillis is a great RB 2 and especially against a team led by a rookie QB (Cincinnati).

Josh Freeman, QB, TB – Freeman and the Buccs lost to the Lions at home last season and it cost them a playoff spot.  You think they want revenge? Because I’ll bet they are pretty pumped to start the season off with a W in such a meaningful way.  The Lions bolstered their defensive front this offseason while not addressing their porous secondary.  I expect Freeman to look deep a few times in this game and a tough week 1 for LeGarrette Blount if the Buccs can’t move the ball in the air.

Reggie Wayne, WR, IND – Let’s not mistake this for some crazy Kerry Collins love.  This is about the Texans secondary being almost the worst in NFL history last season and having to adjust to a new system ran by Wade Phillips.  Wayne is a very consistent and complete receiver and he is who Collins will trust on third downs.  He just barely cracks my top 20, but that makes him a starter.  Don’t let the lack of Peyton scare you into benching him.

Beanie Wells, RB, ARI – I wouldn’t have drafted him as my RB2, but injuries are the concern here and a healthy Beanie Wells should have a good day against the Panthers in week 1.  Cam Newton is not likely to start too smoothly in his first regular season NFL start without a short off-season and it’s very possibly that this is an ugly game for Carolina fans.  I expect the Cardinals to lead-off with a heavy rushing attack to ease new QB Kevin Kolb into a routine and comfort level too.

Hate

Julio Jones, WR, ATL – A lot of people reached for Julio Jones on draft day because of the absurd combine performance he had and how much the Falcons gave up to draft him.  What they don’t realize is the complexity of the Falcons offense as well as the lockout will severely limit the plays that Jones will be on the field for.  He will spend a  lot of time running deep routes to attract safety help out of respect for his speed and he will do a much better job of opening up passing lanes for Roddy White than anything else.  Look for Jones to start slow and slowly become a viable flex play.

Joe Flacco, QB, BAL – You are in trouble this week if you drafted Flacco as a starter or maybe as your backup to Peyton.  Flacco faces the division rival Steelers and after what I saw them do to Vick in the preseason, the focus will likely be on grinding out Ray Rice and the running game.  Flacco could have troubles breaking double digit points in this game.

Dwayne Bowe, WR, KC – Bowe had a great season last year and there is little chance he can repeat those numbers.  He played the Bills last year and was held to just 16 yards on his 3 catches.  Fantasy owners barely noticed this lack luster performance because a very short TD catch was involved and he ended up not ruining anyone’s week.  Don’t expect Bowe to be anything more than a good WR2 and you won’t get burned.

Marshawn Lynch, RB, SF – Lynch made for an interesting draft selection this year with top 20 potential.  But let’s make him prove he can live up to it before we risk a roster spot for him yet.  He faces a stout 49er line-backing corp led by Patrick Willis and Lynch is too inconsistent for my liking at the moment.

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