Sunday's Best

Some questions answered, many doubts remain after opening week

By James Quintong, SI.com

Priest Holmes opened the season with 183 yards of total offense. AP

You can't win a fantasy championship in Week 1, but it's always nice to get off to a good start. Even after all of your preparation, analysis and draft strategies, sometimes it just comes down to blind luck to win your games.

Who would've thought top running backs such as LaDainian Tomlinson, Marshall Faulk or Corey Dillon would play so bad? The same goes for Peyton Manning or Kurt Warner. Top players like these could've sunk your team this week.

On the other hand, a few doubts were cleared up. Healthy and under contract, Priest Holmes is the same fantasy back we've grown to love the past few seasons. There's no sophomore slump for Clinton Portis. Tommy Maddox isn't a fluke.

Other questions are still lingering, though, after Week 1. Brett Favre is still a gamer, but is he forcing things too much? What's wrong with both Warner and Faulk? Does anyone want to run the ball in Chicago, New England, Dallas or Atlanta?

Here's the rundown of this week's top performers, underachievers, players who will attract plenty of attention on the waiver wire, plus other news from the first week of action:

Top 10

These are the top 10 fantasy players that owners likely played or at least had on the roster. Some of the other top performers not on this list probably never saw the light of day on any fantasy roster.

1. Priest Holmes, RB, Chiefs (18 carries, 85 yards, 2 TDs; 7 catches, 98 yards): His hip is healthy. He's got a new contract. If there were any doubts about Holmes' abilities this season, they were answered quickly and he ran all over the Chargers in the first half. He's back to reclaim the crown as the top fantasy back.

2. Clinton Portis, RB, Broncos (24 carries, 120 yards, 2 TDs; 5 catches, 39 yards): He went No. 1 in some fantasy drafts, and he proved why he deserved that honor by shredding the Bengals. Thankfully, Denver was playing Cincinnati because it seemed to have won in spite of Jake Plummer.

3. Shaun Alexander, RB, Seahawks (24 carries, 108 yards, 1 TD; 2 catches, 16 yards, 1 TD): He started slow last year, but by the time the final stats shook out, he was among the league's top rushers with 14 TDs. This season, he's starting just a bit quicker.

4. Chris Chambers, WR, Dolphins (7 catches, 118 yards, 2 TDs): Ricky Williams had a quietly productive game, but nothing like most fantasy owners would've liked. On the other hand, Chambers showed why he can be a solid fantasy producer, burning the Texans for a 100-yard game, plus two impressive scores, including a 57-yarder. How Miami lost to Houston, on the other hand, is still a major baffler.

5. Travis Henry, RB, Bills (28 carries, 86 yards, 2 TDs; 3 catches, 37 yards): Yes, his yards per carry isn't all that good. And yes, he did lose a fumble. But Buffalo still gave him the ball enough times to make fantasy owners very happy. And isn't that what matters after all?

6. Jeff Garcia, QB, 49ers (19-35, 229 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT; 7 carries, 36 yards, 1 TD): So much for that problem back. For those fantasy owners who took a gamble on Garcia, he paid off nicely, especially with that rushing TD. If Garcia stays healthy, expect more of the same numbers this season.

7. Hines Ward, WR, Steelers (9 catches, 91 yards, 2 TDs): Plaxico Burress made the big plays and had the 100-yard game. Ward got more catches and the touchdowns that are so important to fantasy owners. Considering Pittsburgh put up such nice numbers against the vaunted Ravens defense, signs are good the Steelers passing game will click once again.

8. Tommy Maddox, QB, Steelers (21-29, 260 yards, 3 TDs): Maddox looked sharp again and locked in on the great duo of Ward and Burress, plus he even got a tight end in the mix, throwing a TD pass to Jay Riemersma.

9. Daunte Culpepper, QB, Vikings (15-30, 195 yards, 3 TDs; 9 carries, 50 yards): On the downside, he lost two fumbles. But on the plus side, he put up just enough numbers across the board that add up to a big fantasy day. The Minnesota defense may have done a number on the Packers, but it was Culpepper who helped capitalize on it.

10. Randy Moss, WR, Vikings (9 catches, 150 yards, 1 TD): He's always had big games against the Packers, so this is no surprise. His expectations are always through the roof, but he did come through to open the season.

Bottom 5

1. Tom Brady, QB, Patriots (14-29, 123 yards, 4 INTs): Despite leading the league with 28 TDs last year, he's still nowhere close to being a must-start player. Games like this show why. The revamped Bills defense did a number on Brady.

2. Jake Plummer, QB, Broncos (12-25, 115 yards, 3 INTs; 3 carries, 17 yards): Not a great debut for the Snake. In this case, the Broncos had Clinton Portis and a good defense to carry them to victory. However, if Plummer is doing this against the Bengals, what happens against some real competition?

3. Marshall Faulk, RB, Rams (9 carries, 28 yards; 7 catches, 26 yards): He got his usual number of catches, but nine carries just won't cut it. If St. Louis is going to win games, Faulk needs to run the ball. Granted, the Rams often struggle against the Giants, but if this is what the offense will look like this season, Faulk could be a major bust.

4. LaDainian Tomlinson, RB, Chargers (13 carries, 34 yards; 5 catches, 27 yards): While the Chiefs may have revamped their defense this offseason, you still expect one of the top running backs in the game to do better than 61 total yards. Not a good start for a No. 1 fantasy pick. And if you think that's bad, new teammate David Boston was held to just two catches for 20 yards.

5. Brett Favre, QB, Packers (25-41, 248 yards, 1 TD, 4 INTs): The touchdown came in the final two minutes, otherwise the day would've been a total washout. Favre may be a gutsy player, but sometimes he forces the ball into coverage, and the Vikings took advantage of that.

Waiver wire wonders

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Mark Brunell, QB, Jaguars (23-27, 272 yards, 2 TDs): Let's not be so hasty in getting the Byron Leftwich era started in Jacksonville. Despite the absence of Jimmy Smith, Brunell was brilliant Sunday, especially in the first half, against a supposedly ferocious Panthers defense.

Jeff Blake, QB, Cardinals (28-46, 363 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT; 3 carries, 12 yards): Remember, this performance came against the Lions. Also remember that Arizona still lost the game. Blake is a veteran with a nice arm, but it would be foolish to think he'll match these stats anytime soon.

Ladell Betts, RB, Redskins (18 carries, 77 yards; 1 catch, 4 yards): Steve Spurrier looks to be implementing a committee approach, which isn't good for any back, but Betts could emerge as the main man based on his performance against the Jets where he outplayed Trung Canidate.

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Anquan Boldin, Cardinals (10 catches, 217 yards, 2 TDs): I always thought he was a better selection by Arizona than first-rounder Bryant Johnson. But there's no way anyone would've expected him to set the NFL record for most yards by a rookie receiver in his first game, even if it was against the Lions. Boldin isn't playing Detroit anymore this year, so don't be surprised if he barely matches the Week 1 stats the rest of the season combined.

Fantasy Game of the Week

This new feature points out the game that produced the most excitement for fantasy owners. That is big stats from a number of stud fantasy players.

Vikings 30, Packers 25: The Lions-Cardinals game had plenty of scoring and big-time fantasy stats, but how many of you actually had Blake, Boldin, or even Joey Harrington in the starting lineup. But over at renovated Lambeau, Culpepper, Moss and Ahman Green had solid fantasy stats (although Green was overshadowed by Favre's picks), Javon Walker played a big role in the offense, and Moe Williams didn't embarrass himself as a starting back.

Hurts so bad

Kurt Warner, QB, Rams: Depending on your league's scoring system, Warner either had a decent day (342 yards, one TD) or a horrible one if his four turnovers are counted. However, his status for next week is up in the air after he suffered a concussion in the first half yet played. Marc Bulger owners, be prepared to get him into the lineup.

Donald Driver, WR, Packers: Green Bay's top receiver was carted off on a stretcher after a scary-looking fall on his head in the second half. However, his injury has been diagnosed as a neck strain. Walker got a lot of catches in his place, although the Packers had to throw the ball often after falling behind big early. Even worse was fellow wideout Robert Ferguson, who injured knee ligaments in the same game and could be done for the year. 

Brian Finneran, WR, Falcons: The Atlanta passing game took another hit when Finneran broke his hand and will miss a month. Tight end Alge Crumpler emerged as a great threat, however, catching five passes for 94 yards, including a 41-yard TD grab in the third quarter. Crumpler will be needed as Peerless Price struggled a bit in his first game.

Darren Howard, DL, Saints: One of New Orleans' top linemen will be gone up to three months after dislocating his right wrist, which might need surgery. He's not the same sack master as he was in 2000, when he had 11, but his loss still will hurt many who play with individual defensive players.

Joe Nedney, K, Titans: He hurt knee ligaments trying to make a tackle and could be lost for the season. While punter Craig Hentrich, a former college kicker, did nail three field goals, Tennessee could be auditioning replacements pretty quickly.

Jerry Porter, WR, Raiders: He only had one catch for six yards after leaving early with an abdominal strain. With Porter out, Ronald Curry got his share of looks, and even allowed Tim Brown to make an impact.

Job hunting

• The Patriots didn't get many chances to run since they were down big to Buffalo for most of the game, but Kevin Faulk appears to be the go-to back as he outrushed Antowain Smith 62-7.

• You really can't tell who will be the main back in Chicago, but it may not matter if the offense plays as horrible as it did against the Niners. For what it's worth, Anthony Thomas had six carries for 15 yards, and Adrian Peterson had five carries for 12 yards. Yuck.

• Moe Williams played well as Minnesota's starting running back, going for 80 yards on 22 carries. Doug Chapman did little during his time in, and rookie Onterrio Smith wasn't even in the mix. Williams may have done enough to stay as the starting back for another week.

• Jake Delhomme replaced Rodney Peete as the Panthers quarterback at halftime and threw three TD passes to lead Carolina to a comeback win over Jacksonville. Delhomme deserves to be the starter, but not necessarily a spot on your fantasy team.

James Quintong is Fantasy Sports Producer at SI.com.