Bengals at Ravens - Whatever happened to Mark Clayton? In his second season, he nearly hit 1,000 yards and had four 100-yard games. Last year, a foot injury slowed his season and bad quarterback play ensured a sour final stat line. That said, it's the Ravens! Bad quarterback play is in their blood. Even Derrick Mason managed 103 receptions last season. Clayton is hard to project this season and he's on waiver wires around the fantasy world. If he can manage four or five receptions, regardless of his stats, he is worth considering in waivers next week. I am also intrigued by what Chad Ocho Cinco can do with his injury restricting some arm movement. And yes, I just brought that up so I could type Ocho Cinco.
Jets at Dolphins - Forget Brett Favre (stop crying, Madden), I remain skeptical of the Jets running game. Thomas Jones, if I'm not mistaken, has zero career broken tackles. He is not an efficient back, so he needs to be given the ball a ton of times to appease fantasy owners. Also, when the Jets are in the red zone, will they give Jones the ball or let Favre throw to rookie Dustin Keller? On the other side, ummm, Ricky Williams? For cereal? The rumors are that the Dolphins will give him 20 carries, which floors me. I'm equally stunned that I think he could do well on those touches.
Chiefs at Patriots - When it comes to wideouts, it's equally as important to avoid the worthless games as it is to score the big ones. Any game without a touchdown and under 60 receiving yards is completely worthless to fantasy owners. As a rookie, Dwayne Bowe only produced six of those (for comparison, Marques Colston had five). He should only get better in his second season. Look for the Patriots to run, run, and run on Sunday. Tom Brady is ailing, Laurence Maroney was severely underused last season, and the Chiefs' defense was surprisingly good against the pass in 2007. And no, I don't want to hear about how opposing teams were running the clock out by the second quarter every week. I won't listen to that logic!
Texans at Steelers - Can someone step up to complement Andre Johnson in the passing game? Last year, Kevin Walter, Owen Daniels, and even Andre' Davis took turns in that role, but none could do it with any consistency. Matt Schaub could make the jump to start-worthy if that area is shored up. With Rashard Mendenhall's case of preseason fumbleitis, no one is really sure who will see the goal line carries for Pittsburgh. There were early rumbles that Mendenhall might have lost that job. The latest word says that the Steelers will stick with him, but if somehow, some way, Willie Parker can stay in for those carries, he could shoot back up to a top-10 running back value.
Jaguars at Titans - LenDale White, while a nice enough back, only has a lifetime 3.7 yards-per-carry average. Chris Johnson blew that number away just as fast as the helpless defensive backs trying to catch up to him. The NFL has become a league of big plays. The "matriculate the ball" offenses are stale while the spread offenses are in vogue. Johnson's presence will open up the Titans offense and it will be tough for the Titans to take him off the field. The Jaguars, meanwhile, need to find wide receivers. I am looking at Jacksonville's roster, and I have no idea who will get the stats. Jerry "Questionable" Porter? Troy "No Hands" Williamson? Matt "S***, It's the Cops" Jones? No current Jaguars wideout had more than 705 receiving yards last season. Screw that. I'm going to try out for them. I'm pretty sure I'd be the third best wideout on the team.
Lions at Falcons - Poor Roddy White. Let's look at the list of quarterbacks he has received passes from: Michael Vick, Joey Harrington, Chris Redman, and Byron Leftwich. Well, get ready to add rookie Matt Ryan to that list. I don't know what White can do this year, but if he can have a breakout season with Harrington, then he should remain relevant this year. It would be nice to see the Lions offense clicking on all cylinders. Now that Mike Martz is gone, Kevin Smith and Rudi Johnson might get double digit carries! It's an exciting time in Detroit.
Seahawks at Bills - For some reason, every preseason, someone tries to tell me that Julius Jones isn't a terrible running back. Every year, by about the third time he carries the ball in Week 1, I remember why I'd never take him for my team. This year, I don't even have to wait that long. Seattle has given Maurice Morris the nod with Jones and T.J. Duckett also splitting time. I don't expect any of them to be worthy fantasy starters, but anything is possible. The Bills need Lee Evans to step up. He and Trent Edwards never found much of a rapport, which makes me think Evans insulted Edwards' haircut or something. It will be interesting to see if that relationship has blossomed over the offseason.
Buccaneers at Saints - I've said it before and I'll say it again, Earnest Graham should be considered a top-15 running back since his main competition for carries is Warrick Freakin' Dunn. He isn't a flashy guy and he isn't explosive enough to be a top back, but he should be about what Rudi Johnson was in his prime, just at a much better value. Due to one preseason game, Robert Meachem was getting a lot of hype. The idea was that the second wideout slot in New Orleans could be a lucrative role and Meachem had the inside track. Well, Meachem did very little beyond that one good game, but the Saints still don't really have many options to compliment Marques Colston. Still, if he impresses in Week 1, think about him as a waiver pick.
Rams at Eagles - It's all about the Jacksons in this contest. For the Rams, Steven Jackson must be in game shape. Fantasy owners undoubtedly spent a first-round pick (or a good deal of auction moolah) on Jackson, and that means he can't start the season the way he did last year. The Eagles' defense will be a good test to gauge where he stands. On the other sideline, Philly's DeSean Jackson might only get one start to prove he should line up across from, well, whoever the hell the Eagles throw out there with him on a weekly basis. Reggie Brown will regain health and Andy Reid tends to favor the veterans. Jackson needs a good stat line to justify more starts.
Cowboys at Browns - I'm pretty sure Romeo Crennel decided to just put "Offense (Probable)" on the Browns' injury report. It seemed like everyone, other than the Soldier, I guess, was dealing with some ailment. This offense was unstoppable in many games and fantasy owners are obviously relying greatly on them to return to the top of their games. While it's not the most fantasy relevant interest, the Cowboys will see Adam Jones on the field and that could be another boon to an already stellar defense/special teams unit. Defense may not win fantasy championships, but the odd return TD can help win a fantasy game.
Panthers at Chargers - Who doesn't love watching carry counts? Every DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart owner should take extra care to follow who is seeing the touches for the Panthers. I still think Williams will get 60% of them. The Chargers saw Chris Chambers add a consistent wideout presence they haven't had since...umm...Curtis Conway? Expect Chambers to be a quality flex player all season.
Cardinals at 49ers - Yes! Game of the week! Direct TV should just advertise that you won't see this without NFL Ticket. Kurt Warner, Anquan Boldin, Larry Fitzgerald, and Frank Gore! Maybe Edgerrin James and J.T. O'Sullivan can contribute! Maybe Tim Hightower will look like the next Earl Campbell! Anything can happen here.
Bears at Colts - For some reason, I'm totally not into this game. I guess Anthony Gonzalez and Matt Forté pique my interest, but I'm strangely put off by this one. Maybe it's the bland jersey color combinations. Project Runway might be hampering my ability to enjoy football. This could be a problem.
Vikings at Packers - Bernard Berrian decided that catching passes thrown by Tarvaris Jackson would be a much better situation than going after the wounded ducks Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton tossed. While that's sort of like moving from Oklahoma to Tennessee (I hope that doesn't result in mountains of hate mail), it could lead to a few extra touchdowns. I suppose the nation will be watching Aaron Rodgers closely, but I'm more worried about Ryan Grant. His injury-plagued preseason has me questioning the top-10 rank I gave him. Even a decent week against the Vikings' killer rush defense would be welcome.
Broncos at Raiders - Without Brandon Marshall around, what will the Broncos passing game look like? Darrell Jackson and Eddie Royal will be expected to fill Marshall's shoes, but that won't be easy. Also, perennial tight end sleeper Tony Scheffler might lose looks to--wait, I have to google this--Nate Jackson. It might just be "Shananigans" that the Broncos used Jackson ahead of Scheffler in the preseason, but it is worrisome all the same. The Raiders have a stable of high ceiling backs, lead by rookie Darren McFadden and second year man Michael Bush, who might as well be a rookie after missing last season. If you need McFadden as a starter, you better hope the regular season goes about the same as the preseason, where the rookie outpaced his peers substantially.