WEEK ONE FANTASY PREVIEW

By Dan Lewis, NFL Draft Bible

New Orleans @ Indianapolis
In this matchup of what will be two of the NFL’s top offenses, look for huge games from both your Saints and Colts. Neither team showed much ability to stop anyone last season. For the Colts, Manning, Addai, Harrison, and Wayne are must-starts every week, and shouldn’t disappoint here. Brees and Colston will undoubtedly hook up several times, and Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush must be eager to face the Colts notoriously poor run-D. Keep an eye on Saints’ WRs Deverey Henderson and Terrance Copper as well, as these deep threats compete for looks from Brees.

Philadelphia @ Green Bay
The Eagles offense will be as good as Donovan McNabb can make them, and when he’s not injured, he does not disappoint. He and Brian Westbrook are explosive together, but the interesting player to watch is Reggie Brown. Can he perform like his owners hope he can? Donovan made Donte’ Stallworth look amazing at times last season, and he could develop something with Brown as well. For the Packers, Brett Favre was very inconsistent last season, and the Eagles’ blitzing style could coax some very wobbly, errant passes from the veteran. Keeping in mind Donald Driver’s ailing foot, and injuries that have slowed both GB RBs Brandon Jackson and Vernand Morency in practice this week, the Packers could be in for a tough game, and Brett Favre’s record 147th win as a starter may have to come later. Start McNabb, Westbrook, and Brown from the Eagles, and Driver and Jackson from the Packers. The Eagles’ D should play well also.

Atlanta @ Minnesota
This game isn’t too interesting from a fantasy standpoint. The Falcons are running with Joey Harrington at QB, and a motley receiving corps that couldn’t make much of anything work with Michael Vick running the show. The Falcons also are up against the NFL’s top run-D from last season (61.6 ypg!!). The Vikings could suffer from losing their defensive coordinator, Mike Tomlin, to the Steelers, but they retained most key starters and have added rookie Chad Greenway to their linebackers. The Vikings’ offense faces similar problems; the Falcons’ defense ranked 9th last season in rushing ypg. The strength of both offenses is on the ground, and the strength of both defenses is stopping the run. Keep an eye on Adrian Peterson of the Vikings, who makes his NFL debut, but don’t look for outstanding numbers in this game, especially since he will split carries with incumbent Chester Taylor. Taylor and Peterson are OK plays for the Vikings. The Vikings’ defense should perform well also.

Miami @ Washington
Miami’s new regime gets its first shot against Washington’s lackluster defense. Miami’s running game was disappointing last season, and Washington did add LB London Fletcher-Baker, which should help against the run. Ronnie Brown couldn’t even definitively beat out Jesse Chatman in training camp. Trent Green also plays his first game for the Dolphins, and will have the opportunity to throw to a far more talented receiver than he ever had in KC: Chris Chambers. Chambers is also coming off a very disappointing season, but perhaps Cam Cameron can motivate him to play more to his potential. For Washington, Jason Campbell is healthy, but don’t start him. Clinton Portis practiced this week and should be ready to go. Santana Moss is always boom or bust. Start Portis, Moss and TE Chris Cooley for Washington; Ronnie Brown and Chris Chambers for Miami.

New England @ New York Jets
This game became much more interesting for the Jets’ offense when Rodney Harrison was suspended for his violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy. New England’s pass defense suffers tremendously without Harrison, and in 2005 was among the NFL’s worst without him. Chad Pennington, Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery will all benefit from this. New England sported a stout run D last year, so keep your expectations measured for Thomas Jones and Leon Washington. For New England, Tom Brady gets to test out all of his new toys at WR against the Jets’ mediocre pass defense. Laurence Maroney should have a big game against the Jets’ poor run defense. These teams are both difficult for fantasy purposes because of the versatility of their offenses, but expect decent numbers from your Jets, and a good game from Maroney. Brady and Stallworth are also starts.

Tennessee @ Jacksonville
This game starts with Maurice Jones-Drew, but the good times end there. Although Tennessee’s defense was pretty bad last season, too much about the Jaguars offense is unclear. They seem to have a different WR break out every game, and with David Garrard being named the surprise starter, there are many mysteries about how Jacksonville’s offense will unfold. Garrard had good chemistry with Matt Jones at the end of last season, but Reggie Williams and Ernest Wilford also had big games at times. Wait and see with their passing game. For the Titans, Vince Young is the favorite of many, but last year he had problems moving the ball against this defense. Tennessee’s defense did score three touchdowns against the Jags in their second matchup last year, but don’t expect a repeat of such a fluke. Start Jones-Drew for sure, and Fred Taylor of you have to. The Jaguars defense is also solid. Stay away from everyone else.

Denver @ Buffalo
Mike Shanahan has his best running back since Terrell Davis in Travis Henry, and Buffalo can’t stop the run. Henry should be salivating. Also, with Nate Clements off to San Francisco, Buffalo loses its top shutdown corner, which helps Jay Cutler and Javon Walker in particular. Buffalo’s offense may have a tough year this year. J.P. Losman impressed some last season, but Marshawn Lynch will have problems behind a poor offensive line and against a solid Denver run defense. Henry should have a monster game, and Cutler, Walker, and WR Brandon Marshall will be good for Denver. Also keep an eye on Daniel Graham, who could emerge in the coming weeks as a nice option at TE. For Buffalo, start Lynch only if you have to. Lee Evans will have to deal with Champ Bailey, but he should start every week.

Pittsburgh @ Cleveland
Cleveland’s defense is not good so most of your Steelers should have nice games this week. Ben Roethlisberger is primed for a comeback season after last year’s disappointment, and he’s ready to carry more of a load than he did in his Super Bowl year. Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes are good plays. Willie Parker is a first round running back (who ran for 223 yards in a game against the Browns last year) and starts every week. Also, look for tight end Heath Miller to get some looks. For Cleveland, Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow are your only decent options. Someone is going to have to catch the ball in garbage time…

Carolina @ St. Louis
St. Louis has an explosive offense, and Carolina has been disappointing for a few years now. Steven Jackson is a stud. Marc Bulger is also studly. Torry Holt has some knee issues, but with Drew Bennett banged up and likely out this week, Holt should put up some numbers. This is also a chance to see if Randy McMichael can be as successful as some have predicted in Scott Linehan’s TE-friendly offense. Start Steve Smith always. There should be rushing yards to be had against the Rams, but whether DeShaun Foster or DeAngelo Williams will get them remains to be seen. Bet on Foster here, but monitor the situation closely.

Kansas City @ Houston
Nothing too exciting here. You start Larry Johnson every week, and he should play well against the Texans despite his holdout. Tony Gonzalez is also a start every week. For the Texans, Andre Johnson is a start, as is Ahman Green. Watch Green, as he could have a slight fantasy resurgence in Houston, especially in point per reception leagues. Matt Schaub needs to show something before he is considered

Tampa Bay @ Seattle
Tampa doesn’t excite too much usually, but Cadillac could have a nice game against Seattle’s small defensive front. I always want to count Joey Galloway out, but then he surprises me with a few huge receptions. For Seattle, start Shaun Alexander, but watch how he moves. He is getting older, and doesn’t have the line he had in his monster year. Matt Hasselbeck can start if you need him, but he has fantasy disappointment Deion Branch and sleeper D. J. Hackett to throw to. You can start these players, but don’t expect too much.

Chicago @ San Diego
This should be a great game, but a tough one for fantasy. Chicago’s offense relies on the unreliable Rex Grossman, and against San Diego’s defense it could have difficulty. This makes Grossman, Bernard Berrian, and other Bears’ receivers, shaky plays. Cedric Benson fell into the starting job in Chicago, but he isn’t liked in the locker room, and he could be a bust this year. San Diego is also a great defense vs. the run, so temper your expectations for Benson, and keep an eye on the other Adrian Peterson, Benson’s backup; see how the Bears use him, and how Benson responds. For San Diego, LaDainian Tomlinson is fantasy’s top player, and Antonio Gates is its best tight end. They obviously start every week. Phillip Rivers could have problems against Chicago’s defense, which affects super-sleeper Vincent Jackson and other Charger receivers. You can start both defenses and San Diego’s could have a great day.

Detroit @ Oakland
These are potentially the two worst teams in football, but Detroit does have some things to offer the fantasy world. Mike Martz’s offense is prolific, and with the addition of Calvin Johnson to Roy Williams and Mike Furrey, Jon Kitna should have another huge year (21 TDs and 22 INTs isn’t a huge year, is it? I’d say “he could have a huge year”). Oakland, though, quietly had a very good defense last season. Kitna is a start, as is Roy Williams. It’ll be interesting to see how the Lions work Calvin Johnson into the receiver rotation. Mike Furrey may start now, but Calvin is silly good. Martz also finds ways to get the ball to many receivers, so Calvin not starting may not matter for fantasy. You can start Calvin and Furrey if you need to. As for the Lions running game, it is not good, and this is a bad week for it anyway so stay away from their RBs. You can start LaMont Jordan if you have to, but I want to wait and see if he can do anything this year before I start him. Don’t start any other Raiders. They stink.

New York Giants @ Dallas
As long as Eli Manning has Plaxico Burress to throw bombs to, he has the potential to put up fantasy numbers. Burress practiced this week despite his bad back, and is a decent play. Eli Manning should be a backup in most leagues until he proves he can be the quarterback he was drafted to be. Brandon Jacobs is one of the meanest runners in the league, and he seems to want to run into and over as many defenders as he can on his way down the field. Start him. Dallas’ defense should be improved this year with Wade Phillips and his aggressive style. Demarcus Ware will shine in Shawn Merriman’s role, and will wreak havoc on Eli unless his line can protect him (which it probably can’t). Start the Dallas D. On offense, Tony Romo faded badly down the stretch last season, but faces a mediocre Giants defense. Romo, Julius Jones, Marion Barber III, Terrell Owens, and even Jason Witten (if you need him) are good plays this week. Keep an eye on the Cowboys’ RB situation. Will their roles be similar to last season, or will Phillips experiment?

Baltimore @ Cincinnati
Prolific offense vs. downright dirty defense. Baltimore’s defense won my matchup for me last year more than once with all its sacks, turnovers, and defensive touchdowns. The loss of Adalius Thomas could hurt a little, but it is still a must start, even against the Bengals. Willis McGahee is also a decent play this week. Todd Heap starts every week. Cincinnati ranked last in pass defense last season, so you can start your Ravens receivers this week if you need to. Derrick Mason and Mark Clayton should have solid games, and see if McNair finds sleeper Demetrius Williams at all. For the Bengals, their offensive players start every week, even against this defense. Get Carson Palmer, Chad Johnson, Rudi Johnson, and T. J. Houshmandzadeh in there.

Arizona @ San Francisco
Arizona’s potentially explosive offense faces off against San Fran’s shiny new defense. You probably don’t have to start either of these quarterbacks this week, so don’t. Boldin and Fitzgerald start every week for Arizona. Edgerrin James had an awful year last season, but could come back to life this season. Maybe. He’s an OK play. For the 49ers, Frank Gore is always a start. Darrell Jacksonshould have a good week against Arizona’s lackluster corners. Vernon Davis could also have a nice game. He is ultra-talented, and it’ll only take him learning the system and getting into a rhythm with Alex Smith for him to explode.