The basic purpose of the Crystal Ball is to provide you, at each position, with one player you should start who you might not have thought of, and one player you should not start who might think too much of.

QUARTERBACK

Byron Leftwich, Jaguars (YES!): Leftwich continues to get badly underrated in fantasy circles (among others). If you look at average points per game, his numbers put him in the middle of the pack among fantasy starters last year. His durability is a bit of a question, but most of the time, he gets his points. Even against the world champs.

Michael Vick, Falcons (NO!): Vick is the opposite of Leftwich -- name recognition leads to a tendency to overrate him. Vick is a notoriously inconsistent fantasy performer, and the good days are going to become less common as he gets older and runs less. Tampa Bay looked terrible last week, but they simply aren't that bad.

RUNNING BACK

Chester Taylor, Vikings (YES!): Here's one spot where I think you can overreact to week one. The Redskins play very stout, conservative defense, and they were slowly worn down by the Vikings running game. What was most impressive is the way they stuck with him despite limited success early. By the fourth quarter, Taylor was running free.  Even against another good defense, he'll get his touches and eventually put up some numbers.

Clinton Portis, Redskins (NO!): Is Joe Gibbs messing with the Cowboys by saying Portis won't play? Perhaps. Is Gibbs trying to get Portis on the practice field by saying he won't play? Probably. Nonetheless, you don't want any part of a running back who may not play if you can possibly avoid it. Even if he burned you by playing and scoring a touchdown last week, don't play him this week.

WIDE RECEIVER

Rod Smith, Broncos (YES!): Jake Plummer and the Denver offense couldn't stop turning the ball over last week, but things look like they should be easier against a Kansas City team without its offense. It also looks like Smith remains Plummer's favorite receiver, even with Javon Walker on board.

Darrell Jackson, Seahawks (NO!): Jackson's knees continue to throw up big red flags. The Deion Branch acquisition further emphasizes that the Seahawks don't think Jackson is a number one receiver right now. If he's not good enough for them, he's not good enough for you.

TIGHT END

Heath Miller, Steelers (YES!): Another guy who falls under the fantasy radar a little more than he should. Sure, his touchdown last week wasn't really a touchdown, and something obviously broke down defensively on the play. Nonetheless, the fact he could even come close to winning that footrace to the end zone speaks volumes.

Kellen Winslow, Browns (NO!): I know, last week's touchdown had you dreaming of having his father's production on your fantasy team. His quarterback and his injury history work against him.

DEFENSE

Cincinnati Bengals (YES!): I'm going to beat this drum until everyone finally realizes it. The Bengals are the best fantasy defense in football, and have been ever since Marvin Lewis got there.

St. Louis Rams (NO!): Another place to show caution. The Rams put up a lot of fantasy points in week one. Even against Alex Smith, you want to see them do it again before you start using them.

KICKER

Robbie Gould, Bears (YES!): There is a very good chance that the Bears are a good team this year (again). And there offense will probably be much better than last year, so long as they don't mess up the Thomas Jones Cedric Benson situation. Gould will be a primary beneficiary of more scoring.

Jeff Reed, Steelers (NO!): One bad kick doesn't necessarily mean you shouldn't start a guy. Except for Reed. This week.