Sizzle:
DeAngelo Williams/Jonathan Stewart: This pair made quite the one-two punch against the Redskins last Saturday night. Williams riddled the Redskins defense for 101 yards and a score on just nine carries Meanwhile, Stewart shook off a sluggish start to the preseason by totaling 100 yards and a touchdown on 10 rushes. Both ran with authority and showed their combo could be a force in the NFC South. Of course, this translates to splitting carries, which is never a fantasy favorite.
J.T. O’Sullivan: The 49ers’ new starting quarterback played lights-out against Chicago on Thursday night. Head coach Mike Nolan originally slated O’Sullivan to play longer into the game but pulled him after an outstanding 7 of 8 performance for 126 yards and a touchdown pass to Jason Hill. He doesn’t merit major fantasy consideration yet, but keep an eye on him. He easily outperformed Alex Smith to get the opening day starting assignment.
Kevin Smith: Since the departure of Barry Sanders in 1998, Detroit’s running game has been a non-entity, but Smith’s arrival in Motown gives the Lions a chance to produce a running game that may help restore the roar. The rookie back rambled for a 35-yard touchdown against the Browns, perhaps providing a glimpse of the future for Lions fans.
Rashard Mendenhall: The noise that Willie Parker hears behind him is the hard-charging Mendenhall, who looked sharp in a 79-yard effort against Minnesota. Parker will be the starter at season’s open, but if he struggles, don’t be surprised to see Mendenhall swipe some of his carries as the year progresses.
Brandon Marshall: If it wasn’t for his offseason nonsense, Marshall would likely have a lot more positive buzz surrounding him considering how he looks so far. He caught two passes for 71 yards, including a 49-yard scoring strike from Jay Cutler.
Fizzle:
Matt Leinart: 2.8. That is not Leinart’s GPA while at USC. The lowly number represents Leinart’s quarterback rating against Oakland on Saturday. The third-year quarterback finished 4 of 12 for 24 yards and threw three interceptions. His amazingly awful game is likely to land Kurt Warner the starting quarterback job.
Brady Quinn: The good news is that Quinn completed 14 of 24 throws in the start versus Detroit. The bad news is he averaged 4.4 yards per attempt. Should Quinn get pressed into duty at some point during the regular season, he’ll have to do a better job of pushing the ball downfield. Luckily for him, Braylon Edwards and Donte Stallworth will be able to assist him in that area.
Ryan Grant: Paging Ryan Grant…paging Ryan Grant? The second-half hit of 2007 is suffering from a nagging hamstring injury. While he returned to practice, Grant hasn’t gotten into the swing of things during the preseason. While Aaron Rodgers is a big question mark for Green Bay, whether Grant can duplicate his ’07 finish remains one of the biggest issues looming for the Cheeseheads.
Vince Young: Leinart doesn’t have the market cornered on disappointing Class of 2006 quarterbacks. Young has yet to throw a touchdown during the preseason and looked anything but regular season-ready against Atlanta. He was 9 of 18 for 102 yards and an interception. While he flashed improvement, his lack of offensive weaponry is going to be his downfall in 2008.
Rudi Johnson: Another year, another hamstring injury for Johnson, who is starting to fall out of favor in Cincinnati. Head coach Marvin Lewis is clearly ready to move on and said that he’s ready to start Chris Perry if Johnson is not ready to go. With a plethora of backs in Cincinnati, Johnson’s days as a starter could be numbered.