Projo Fantasy Sports Blog

By David Ferris

I guess Randy Moss doesn't need training camp much, as he spent Sunday afternoon toasting the Jets secondary and partying like it was 2003. Tom Brady's supporting cast (and fantasy stock) has never been higher; consider that Reche Caldwell was New England's No. 1 receiver last year, but he didn't even make the club this time around. Don't overlook Wes Welker's contribution to the offense; he did a nice job working underneath in the opener and in a nutshell could be this year's Mike Furrey.

I'm not saying it's time to bail on Larry Johnson yet, but a few of his owners were drinking Hemlock Cocktails at the sports bar I dropped in on Sunday. You can't blame them, given how bad the rest of the Kansas City offense looked Sunday against an ordinary (if underrated) Houston defense. Say hello to eight men in the box every week, LJ, and that's without the benefit of the blocking sleds the Chiefs had in 2005-2006. And oh yeah, LaMont Jordan called, he wants his nickname back.

Speaking of Jordan, his fantasy value gets a major spike from the new coaching staff; last year's overmatched offensive coordinator, Tom Walsh, all but eliminated Jordan in the passing game, but the resurgent Jordan was all over the field Sunday (15-70 rushing, 9-89 receiving).

The problem has never been lack of talent with Titans RB Chris Brown, it's been other things; an upright style of running that makes him prone to injury, and a tendency to put the ball on the ground. By any account his 175-yard opener at Jacksonville was a stunner, though he'll probably stick in the time-share with LenDale White (18 carries, 66 yards) for now. White, for what it's worth, looked painfully slow to the hole on a key fourth-and-goal carry.

Somewhere in the Pacific Northwest Jim Mora Jr. is kicking himself for not giving Matt Schaub a chance to play when both were with the Falcons. And perhaps the Texans are knocking themselves, too, for not kicking David Carr to the curb a year earlier. Schaub consistently made good decisions in the opening-day win over Kansas City, and his home run ball to Andre Johnson was a throw Carr consistently missed (or didn't even try) over the last few seasons. This team has a legitimate chance to win eight or more games for the first time ever, in part because of a cushy schedule.

Give the Denver secondary credit for shutting down Lee Evans (two catches, five yards), albeit Evans was open for a long pass late and J.P. Losman just missed him. Volatility rules the wide receiver position more than any other; the difference between a strong week and a washout Sunday is just one overthrown pass.

The Rams are concerned that Pro Bowl tackle Orlando Pace could miss significant time after injuring his shoulder in the opener. In theory an injury to a star lineman hurts the running game more than the passing game, but when Pace got hurt in the middle of the 2006 season, it crippled the intermediate and deep passing game (and Torry Holt) more than anything else, and oddly, Steven Jackson thrived even without Pace in the mix. That all said, losing Pace would be a terrible blow to the St. Louis offense, and something Jackson, Holt and Marc Bulger owners don't want to see.

The Colts defense stunned everyone by stopping the Saints offense in the Thursday opener, but that doesn't mean this unit is a force to be reckoned with, at least not yet. Tony Dungy's scheme typically has a better chance to succeed against finesse teams (like the Saints), but a sterner test will come when Indy matches up with a physical club that wants to pound it between the tackles. In brief, that's a major part of why Jacksonville has given Indianapolis fits over the years.

Even though Vernand Morency (knee) didn't play in Green Bay's opener with Philadelphia, he still gained ground in the backfield carousel as Brandon Jackson (15 carries, 40 yards) went nowhere. We'll see if Morency is able to practice this week.

Reggie Brown was targeted six times from Donovan McNabb, though just one pass was completed. The bigger concern to Brown: No. 3 wideout Jason Avant (three catches, 54 yards, touchdown) worked his way into the rotation nicely, and Kevin Curtis had a respectable debut (53 yards, with McNabb missing him deep at least once).

There are plenty of glowing things you can say about Minnesota's defense, but what impressed me most were the six sacks. This team didn't always pressure the QB with consistency last year, and for all of Joey Harrington's fleas as a quarterback, he's normally good at getting rid of the ball. I look at the Vikings schedule and I can't see why this unit can't sneak into the Top 10 (perhaps the Top 5) for fantasy defenses.

Quick Hits

: It didn't take long for the Bills to hitch up the wagon to No. 1 pick Marshawn Lynch (21 touches, 99 yards, TD), while Anthony Thomas hardly played . . . Journeyman Derrick Ward stepped in as the Giants featured back when Brandon Jacobs (knee) went down Sunday night. Ward, a former seventh-round pick of the Jets, had an undistinguished 35 carries (for 123 yards) with the Giants back in 2005 . . . Give an upgrade to Jon Kitna, who sliced up a good Oakland defense for most of the day and really made just one bad decision (the end-zone interception in the first quarter). Kitna can't be blamed for the second pick, a pass that slid through Roy Williams' hands . . . You watch Plaxico Burress on a good day and you wonder why he's not in the Pro Bowl every year . . . Jason Witten is a fine player, but not as good as the Giants are making him look Sunday night. Get your tight ends ready to roll when they go up against Big Blue . . . Packers PK Mason Crosby drilled all three of his field-goal tries, one of them a 53-yarder that would have been good from 65. It looks like the club knew was it was doing when it cut Dave Rayner . . . The key for Jamal Lewis will be staying in one piece over a murderous opening six weeks. The Cleveland schedule against the run gets much easier after the bye, other than the trips to Pittsburgh and Baltimore . . . All Adrian Peterson needs to be an immediate star is some luck with injuries. It matters not to me if Chester Taylor is on the field; the Vikings realize that Peterson is the offense's meal ticket, even as they'll take the high road publicly . . . Laurence Maroney passed the eyeball test no problem, but with no receptions and others getting the goal-line work, his fantasy owners have reason to be concerned.

---