1 down, 18 more to go for our Bears, and what better way to celebrate annual Chicago Bears came in as underdogs day (also known as opening weekend in the NFL) than to look around at all the guys starting to emerge as waiver wire pick ups as the Monday night games come to a close.
The article won't be perfect and may need some amendments, as I am writing it during the first half of the Miami-New England game. As an East Coast resident, I won't stay up for both games tonight, nor will I write an article from work tomorrow, so you get what you pay for....a free fantasy football writer.
Quarterbacks: First question: are the Giants that bad with 3 corners down, or is Mike Shanahan that good that the Sex Cannon Rex Grossman is ready to make a come back? I am not ready to go "all in", but if you had no viable 2nd-3rd option, you could gamble in a worse direction. (3% owned in ESPN, 8% in Yahoo). I feel about the same about Matt Hasselbeck, a decent backup QB who put up nice stats in week 1 (17% Yahoo/10% ESPN)...and if you happen to live in one of the leagues that let Ryan Fitzpatrick go undrafted, go get him (26% ESPN/48% Yahoo). Henne or Campbell may warrant addition later tonight....and dare I say, Cam Newton? 400 yards passing is no small thing.
Running Backs: If you have Foster and don't have Tate, I am sorry. If Ben Tate is a FA, get him either way. Foster may or may not miss more time, but Tate proved he can run. Darren Sproles seems like he will get #4 RB consideration, because while he didn't rush often, he is a big part of that passing attack in NO. Steven Jackson is out week 2 (most likely) so it looks like Cadillac Williams is a starter again. If Deji Karim holds up the same work load he has value going forward. The Chiefs seem serious about getting Dexter McCluster touches and that could pay off later too.
Wide Receivers: Devery Henderson showed a lot in the NO game, of course lots of receivers get good stats in 400 yard days. Early Doucet may be a real #2 receiver in AZ, even if it was a soft week 1 matchup. Walters is hurt already, so this may really by Houston WR Jacoby Jones year to step up and that is a great passing offense. Nate Burleson and Nate Washington are both potential mid-grade #3 receivers on the season. Washington looked good against us in pre-season and followed that up in the game this week, and Burleson gets very little attention across from Megatron....Oh, and had he finished the game, Roy Williams probably would have kept adding some stats. Not buying Mohammad Massaqoui yet though.
Tight Ends: If Scott Chandler keeps getting targets in Buffalo, he could be huge. Don't wait on the pickup. Didn't see that coming, but they drubbed KC so it might be an illusion. Jermaine Gresham had a good game, and that I predicted. Ed Dickson is probably a good pickup out of Baltimore too, as their system prefers a TE that can catch some. Benjamin Watson should have been drafted, so don't ask if you need a TE, its a sure thing. He will get plenty of chances this year and was a top 12 TE last year.
D/ST: I called Houston as a sleeper, and the Colts are bad without Manning, but it could be for real. Week 1 wins can be mirages, but Washington and Buffalo looked good too. I wouldn't start either, but I'd take a chance owning them if I was in a bad spot.
Writer's League Week 1 Results:
And down goes the so called "Expert"!
Punters for MVP [Schweick]
108.80 Final
Wildcards [Brendan]
92.22
Cuddly Babystealers [Kev]
86.20 Final
Hire Denny Green [Adam]
68.66
Super Bowl Shufflers [Sam]
109.20 Final
HoneyBear Maulers [Ash] [Not nice, Sam]
76.38
MobyDickInAFishBowl [JD]
90.46 Final
Toughactin Tinactins [DT]
145.36
Mel Kiper's lost son [Dom]
125.28 Final
The Sex Cannon [Ronk]
134.08
Drunken Polar Bears [TJ]
152.68 Final
Purple Cobras [Mallo]
145.60
Razz away!