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Warden Report Let the games begin again
By Ryan E. Houston, Special to CNNSI.com A lot has happened over the last couple of weeks. I believe it would be truly unfair if I didn't, at the minimum, speak about the true heroes in New York and Washington. Those people risked their life for the safety of others and subsequently costing them their own lives. Put that in perspective for one second. Everyday these people do just that. It didn't take a tragedy for me to realize how important fire fighters and police officers are to this country, it took a tragedy to help the nation realize their importance. In this country, some use terms such as "Pig," "Devil," "Pyro" and other very disrespectful terms to describe these people and their work force. Now we describe them as "True American Heroes." My question to you is: Weren't they that all along? As we shift this tragedy to a military operation, remember those that serve this country. As a former Navy Intelligence Specialist, I know that what they are about to embark upon will be both mentally and physically exhausting. Keep all of them in your prayers. Without them, you wouldn't be able to fly Old Glory from that flag pole on your porch. 'Nuff said!
Week 1 reviewWeek 1 saw some amazing performances: Ahman Green lighting up the Lions defense, Brian Griese methodically picking apart the Giants secondary, and the emergence of LaDanian Tomlinson. Along with the good, came some bad: Matt Hasselbeck's dismal display against the Browns, the unfortunate injury to Ed McCaffrey, and the shocking upset of the Vikings by, what was thought to be, a mediocre Panthers squad. This week should be another interesting week in the NFL. Questions remain about the competition level, how the players will perform and when the Super Bowl will be played. It is my belief that these fierce competitors will lay it on the line and regain their focus. After all, these are the greatest athletes in the world and they understand they have a job to do. In regards to my own picks from week one, I did pretty well. Let's take a look at how I grade myself for Week 1: Quarterbacks: Picking starters is normally the easy one. Normally guys like Culpepper, Warner, Griese and Garcia are no-brainers. I choose to focus on who I told you to sit in Week 1. The list included: Jeff George, Jay Fiedler, Rob Johnson, Charlie Batch and Steve McNair. I consider that a 4-1 record despite a surprise performance by Jay Fiedler. Running backs: I have to grade myself low in this category, not because I did a bad job in the who to sit portion, but because I listed Warrick Dunn as the No. 1 running back for the week. He let down the entire FF community with an awful performance against, what has to be termed as, an overachieving Dallas defense. I won't make that mistake again! The players I told you to sit in Week 1 included: Travis Henry, Garrison Hearst, James Allen, Emmitt Smith and Tiki Barber. Travis Henry ran very hard and looked impressive from that standpoint. It was nice to see Garrison Hearst back on the field. What was even more impressive, was he out-gained and outworked his heir apparent Kevan Barlow. James Allen ran extremely well against a tough Ravens defense, while Emmitt Smith and Tiki Barber did nothing to help their teams. I would have graded myself perfect here since none of those running backs were able to lead their team to victory nor score a single touchdown, but the Dunn fiasco cost me so it's another 4-1 record. Wide Receivers: Talk about surprises! Who would have thought that Randy Moss was going to be held to one catch for 25 yards? He wasn't the only disappointment from the start list. Darrell Jackson did his best "Houdini" act and basically disappeared, Antonio Freeman let Bill Schroeder take over, and Joe Horn was outplayed by Albert Connell. ... YUCK! Who would have thought! Meanwhile, the bench list didn't shape up so solid either. The list included: Derrick Alexander, Derrick Mason, Oronde Gadsden, Joey Galloway, and James Thrash. Derrick Alexander was a solid bench pick as he racked up zero catches for zero yards. Joey Galloway and James Thrash did little to impress the fantasy football community and continue to fall down team depth charts. Derrick Mason and Oronde Gadsden both had very decent games despite, what I thought would be, tough competition. I would have to give myself a 3-2 record at this position. Look for Derrick Alexander and Joey Galloway to be sitting on this list again this week. Overall: 11-4. Not bad considering it was the first week and the amount of surprises that occurred around the NFL. Let's see if we can keep it going.
This week's picks
Quarterbacks: Start 'em1. Brian Griese: This isn't even fair!2. Peyton Manning: The Bills lost their best defensive player for the season and now face the "Big 3." 3. Kurt Warner: I know the 49ers secondary is improving, but so is Kurt's thumb. 4. Daunte Culpepper: Will respond big against the Bears this week. 5. Elvis Grbac: I think Billick has a lot more confidence and will open it up this week. 6. Vinny Testaverde: I honestly think the Patriots are the worst team in the NFL. 7. Jeff Garcia: Hard to stop this guy in what has to be considered a shootout! 8. Trent Green: The Chiefs are tough at home and he looked solid two weeks ago. 9. Donovan McNabb: The Seahawks defense is improving, but so is this guy! 10. Kerry Collins: Sure did look good on Monday night! 11. Brett Favre: Back to MVP form. Goes against Smoot and Bailey! 12. Rich Gannon: It won't be easy, but this crafty veteran can get it done. 13. Tim Couch: I want to give him one more week before I discount him. 14. Jay Fiedler: This guy showed a lot of courage in a hostile environment. 15. Doug Flutie: Will this be the Flutie or LaDainian show? Quarterbacks: Sit 'em1. Matt Hasselbeck: The Eagles secondary is A LOT better than what he saw last week!2. Rob Johnson: The Bills will rely on Travis Henry to win this game, not Rob Johnson! 3. Charlie Batch/Ty Detmer: Batch was benched in favor to Ty Detmer. Browns defense looks solid. 4. Jon Kitna: Put a fork in him. No chance this week. 5. Jeff George: Against Green Bay on Monday Night at Lambeau....uh...okay.
Rookie RBs - a first lookLast week I told you that the "crème de la crème of fantasy football" is definitely the running back position and I broke down some rookie runners that could prove to be important for your teams this year. Let's take a look at how they did in week 1.
LaDanian Tomlinson clearly broke away from the pack and showed why he was a Heisman Trophy finalist. He looked very solid and showed great acceleration. His average yards per carry (3.1) was nothing to write home about, but he would make a solid second running back at this point. This week he faces the Dallas Cowboys defense that should allow him to pull further away from the other, thus far, pretenders. Michael Bennett was a different story. Asylum readers know I have been down on him for some time. There's a simple reason: Look at the Vikings schedule and offensive line. The Vikings have, by far, the hardest rushing schedule in the NFL. They also have serious offensive line problems that will hinder the abilities of a guy like Bennett. It may not have been apparent in preseason, but knowledgeable fantasy owners know this could be a long year for Bennett. Two things impressed me about Travis Henry in week 1. First, he looked very solid and strong. He looked like he wanted to run people over after he got past the line of scrimmage and I like that. Second, the coaching staff was dedicated to him as you could see in the amount of rushing attempts (22) he had. Look for him to be the featured weapon this week against a below average Colts defense. Last week I hyped James Jackson. I got a ton of e-mail about this guy. Most dedicated Asylum readers know I am not as high on this guy as some. I never believed the "Lil' Edge" hype, but I did like what I saw from the Browns in preseason. Emphasis on the Browns and not James Jackson. I believe he will be a decent back this year, but I am not convinced, yet, that he is ready to take on the responsibilities and duties of a full-time back. Look for Jamel White to get some of those carries as soon as this week. Two other running backs have been getting a lot of air time this week. They are Cecil Martin of the Philadelphia Eagles and Nick Goings of the Carolina Panthers. Both are probably available on your waiver wire or were snatched up this week. Nick Goings has been sharing some snaps with Tim Biakabutuka and both will get some playing time against the Falcons. It could be that both are simply keeping the seat warm for when Richard Huntley returns from injury. Watch this situation closely. In regards to Cecil Martin, something has to be said about why the running backs were catching all the passes in that offense last week. This could continue or Chad Lewis could regain that job in the red zone. Either way, he's worth a shot, but I wouldn't want to depend on him every week ... yet! And finally, Mike Anderson owners everywhere were found celebrating at various bars and taverns around the world. Their drunken state and celebratory mood was fueled by the news that Terrell Davis needs ANOTHER surgery. Need I say that Mike Anderson is a great start this week! Congrats Risk Takers!
Running Backs: Start 'em1. Marshall Faulk: The 49ers are no match for this fantasy giant!2. Edgerrin James: The loss of Sam Cowart will hurt the Bills chances. 3. Mike Anderson: This is what Anderson owners have been waiting for. 4. LaDainian Tomlinson: Are the Cowboys really that good defensively? 5. Curtis Martin: Martin is about to teach his old team another lesson! 6. Duce Staley: He is a lot better than his nine carries for nine yards a week ago. 7. James Stewart: Could have a huge week if Detmer can move the offense. 8. Fred Taylor: You didn't draft him to sit him! 9. Eddie George: This will be the type of game Eddie loves: Grind, grind and grind! 10. Lamar Smith: I guess last year wasn't a fluke after all! 11. Ahman Green: Something tells me he will be the key to a Packers victory. 12. Travis Henry: He may very well dominate the Colts defense. 13. James Allen: He impressed me last week. 14. Jamal Anderson: The Falcons go as he goes! 15. Corey Dillon: ONLY if you have no other choices. They play the Ravens!
Running Backs: Sit 'em1. Emmitt Smith: He's going to see a lot of eight-man fronts this year.2. Stephen Davis: Ditto! 3. Thomas Jones: Cardinals will have to pass to keep up! 4. Tiki Barber: The Chiefs defense is tough at home. 5. Priest Holmes: He's losing reps to Tony Richardson.
Lack of top names among early receiving leadersTake a look at the wide receivers who currently make up the top 20 following Week 1:
What I think you will find interesting about this list is the lack of "Top" names. Players like Randy Moss, Marvin Harrison, Keyshawn Johnson, Torry Holt, Eric Moulds, and Joe Horn are not listed. This basically paints a clear picture of that old argument that the Wide Receiver position is the deepest in Fantasy Football. Do I expect some of these names to be on the list at years end, No. But I do expect that some will remain and some of the same guys you picked in the Top three rounds of your drafts will not make the year end list. Every year wideouts emerge and bust in the NFL. In the first week it was guys name Troy Brown, Jerome Pathon and Todd Pinkston. Who will it be by years end? That is what makes this game so amazing and rewarding. If we all knew everything, we wouldn't play.
Wide Receivers: Start 'em1. Randy Moss: I'm not going to move him down because of one bad week.2. Marvin Harrison: You don't hold him out of the end zone two weeks in a row. 3. Rod Smith: The Cardinals secondary stand no chance against him. 4. Isaac Bruce: Failed to make a splash in Week 1. He's due! 5. Eric Moulds: If Henry doesn't pace the Bills, they will be forced to play catch up. 6. Torry Holt: Holt is the possession guy that Warner relies upon. 7. Cris Carter: What Vikings team will show up? Either way it could get ugly. 8. Amani Toomer: Moving up EVERYONE's board! 9. Muhsin Muhammad: Looks like he has chemistry with the Weinke. 10. Wayne Chrebet: His flashlight will be shining bright this week. 11. Jimmy Smith: Don't be nervous. Look at what the Fins did last week! 12. Troy Brown: The Patriots will have to throw to make this competitive. 13. Terrell Owens: Aeneas Williams vs. Terrell Owens ... a classic! 14. Tim Brown: The ageless wonder is off to a fine season. It must be the "Rice"! 15. Johnnie Morton: Has emerged as the No. 1 target in Detroit. 16. Derrick Mason: I don't make the same mistake twice. 17. Antonio Freeman: Will they roll coverage to his side or Schroeder's side? 18. Oronde Gadsden: Will be roam the middle of the field against Oakland. 19 David Boston: Too bad he plays for Arizona. Plummer will be gunning it all day. 20. Marcus Robinson: He's BAAACK literally! Wide Receivers: Sit 'em1. Derrick Alexander: Listed as Doubtful this week!2. J.J. Stokes: Listed as Questionable. Watch the injury report! 3. Keenan McCardell: Is he fully recovered yet? 4. Joey Galloway: You sit until you earn your money. You hear me? 5. James Thrash: Outplayed by Todd Pinkston last week.
Unpredictable tight endsThe tight end position is the most difficult to get a feel for. Who would of thought that Erron Kinney would catch a touchdown? Didn't think so. Same could be said with Jermaine Wiggins and Tony McGee. I know, Who are these guys? Well they are currently two of the top 10 tight ends from a statistical standpoint. Even scarier, they are ranked higher than Tony Gonzalez. Yeah you know, that same guy some of you drafted as high as the first round. Oh come on, you know who you are.
Side note: If you have the opportunity to pick up Byron Chamberlain, do it! This guy is going to have a phenomenal year for two reasons. 1. The offensive line is bad and will force Culpepper to make quicker reads. His first look is going to be Chamberlain. 2. He's a mismatch for LBs due to his size. I expect to see him near the top of the tight end rankings and wouldn't be surprised to see him with Tony Gonzalez-type stats at year's end. Believe it!
Tight Ends: Start 'em1. Tony Gonzalez: No-Brainer!2. Chad Lewis: I don't believe Cecil Martin will be doing that every week! 3. Shannon Sharpe: Is Todd Heap going to steal his thunder? 4. Freddie Jones: He will be the go-to guy for Flutie this week. 5. Byron Chamberlain: I have been riding him all preseason, and it shows!
Tight Ends: Sit 'em1. Ricky Dudley: The DUD is on this list every week!2. Jay Riemersma: Boy, does this guy miss Flutie or what? 3. Marcellus Rivers: One catch for one TD doesn't mean he should be on your roster. 4. David Sloan: Let's see how far he can fall. 5. Ken Dilger: Did you forget you had a football game Sunday? Ryan Houston is the co-owner of FantasyAsylum.com. His column "The Warden Report" can be found there along with other great tools to help increase your Fantasy Football knowledge. Follow The Warden and James Quintong of CNNSI.com as they do battle in INSANEX - The Insane Experts League only on FantasyAsylum.com. The Fantasy Football Institute for Insane Fans! Get Committed ... To Winning!
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