Twitter gives a whole new insight into the day to day comings and goings of your favorite players.  Since the vast majority of players have public twitter feeds and love to tweet every aspect of their lives, you get to take a look at the real person.  This of course answers the real questions of player work ethic, behavioral problems and friendships.  You find out if the player is a gym rat (good), club hopper (bad), spends most weekends at his grandma’s (good) or spends every weekend in Vegas (bad).  If you are not on twitter yet, open an account today, just so you can spy on your prospective fantasy studs.

Justin Forsett, RB Seattle Seahawks:

• Up early headed to Stockton for Lavelle Hawkins football camp if your out that way come out 9:35 AM Jul 17th via mobile web
• The verse for tonight is 1 Corinthians 6:18 Goodnight & God Bless!! 1:06 AM Jul 17th via mobile web
  Having lunch watching Lean on Me its a classic 1:23 PM Jul 14th via we
• Good pool workout this morning got to rest up for this Pilates class later today 11:46 AM Jul 14th via API The verse for tonight is Romans 4:17 Goodnight & God Bless!! 11:19 PM Jul 13th via web

Justin does nothing but watch movies, workout and read the bible! This is a guy you want on your team. He is not going get caught in a meth lab and he will not show up to camp out of shape!

Aaron Rodgers, QB Green Bay Packers:

• Another great day in Tahoe. Hoping to shoot a score around 75 tomorrow. I’ll let u all know how it goes Friday, July 16, 2010 12:10:07 AM via Twitterrific
• I’m in Tahoe loving Edgewood and seeing some good friends. Best week of the summer Wednesday, July 14, 2010 11:13:00 PM via Twitterrific
• Excited about the best week of the offseason in beautiful tahoe. If ur a betting person it’s probably not a safe bet to put $ on me golfing Tuesday, July 13, 2010 4:18:03 PM via Twitterrific
• At the store n the lady in front of me just told on the lady at the front of the line who was trying to shoplift! They got her Tuesday, July 13, 2010 1:07:20 PM via Twitterrific
• @PURPLEDRANK128 what’s up beach bum. See u up there Tuesday, July 13, 2010 1:20:05 AM via Twitterrific in reply to PURPLEDRANK128
• @scoobydiesel much appreciated. Loved my time at PV and BC so much Monday, July 12, 2010 6:16:25 PM via Twitterrific in reply to scoobydiesel
• @MrMichael_Smith I could honestly care less about rankings and top 5′s n all that. I just retweet my fans when they say something funny Monday, July 12, 2010 5:20:21 PM via Twitterrific in reply to MrMichael_Smith
• RT @TrippHardin @AaronRodgers12 Hasselbeck isnt a top 5 analyst for ESPN….and they only have 3.(hahahahahaha) Monday, July 12, 2010 3:46:31 PM via Twitterrific

Aaron spends his time quoting movies, talking about the beach and junk food and retweeting trash talk from his followers.  Not one mention of the gym or off season work outs.  He will most likely not violate the NFL ethics rules, but he will be the kind of guys that team mates don’t really like, kind of like Barry Zito.  He is on a good team and he is fairly talented so he will be productive but he will not last forever on the Packers. (this is of course just me reading tea leaves via tweets.)

Maurice Jones-Drew, RB Jacksonville Jaguars:

• RT @JohnVetsch: @Jones_Drew32 I did a mock draft yesterday and people trippin when I took u 1 over AP and CJ. (cont) http://tl.gd/2k8r4n     about 8 hours ago  via UberTwitter
• @Treenie5 I don’t do clubs anymore I got kids now… Lol but the a shooting now man… about 8 hours ago via UberTwitter in reply to Treenie5
• Done wit my workout… Beast as usual… Its great when u can workout wit the best…. Greatness here I come!!!!! about 9 hours ago via UberTwitter
• Rise and grind… Another day another chance to become great….. Use ur time wisely tweeps. about 14 hours ago via UberTwitter
• @MIKESPN lebron whoop both wade and bosh tho Sunday, July 18, 2010 4:55:33 PM via UberTwitter in reply to MIKESPN
• RT @Fantasy_Guru: @Jones_Drew32 You won’t find our mag this year; after you graced the cover in ’09 and did (cont) http://tl.gd/2jml3e Sunday, July 18, 2010 4:51:48 PM via UberTwitter
• College football is about to start and I think my bruins are gonna do work this year…. UCLA is where its at (cont) http://tl.gd/2jlt83 Sunday, July 18, 2010 3:15:11 PM via UberTwitter
• @iNkEdUp03 man grinding like last year getting reggie for the season to begin… How about u? Sunday, July 18, 2010 3:11:39 PM via UberTwitter in reply to iNkEdUp03
• I’m on my way to winn dixie to check out their magazine section so I can prepare myself for the big XM draft on july 21st…. teamgreatness Sunday, July 18, 2010 3:05:41 PM via UberTwitter
• RT @Donny_Moore: Over last 4 seasons, the Jaguars rushing offense and @Jones_Drew32 are one of only 2 teams with (cont) http://tl.gd/2jlpt6 Sunday, July 18, 2010 3:03:39 PM via UberTwitter
• RT @pammyb29: @Jones_Drew32 http://bit.ly/cIJ5Ls My 48 yr old cyclist brother in law died of bowel cancer. Thanks Saturday, July 17, 2010 6:31:25 PM via UberTwitter
• Good morning tweeps what do u have on ur agenda today Saturday, July 17, 2010 11:33:26 AM via UberTwitter
• Up and at em Saturday, July 17, 2010 11:27:37 AM via UberTwitter
• @chitownforte22 where r u at brother Saturday, July 17, 2010 12:59:52 AM via UberTwitter in reply to chitownforte22
• RT @ITSNEB: @Jones_Drew32 u going to have time to murk on black ops while u scoring 30 tds?<— always got time Friday, July 16, 2010 3:40:31 PM via UberTwitter
• RT @nate_robinson: @Jones_Drew32 good luck this season bro…<—- thanks bruh u were balling this year.. I’m (cont) http://tl.gd/2i9dsd Friday, July 16, 2010 3:29:13 PM via UberTwitter
• RT @imJmi: just scored a touchdown with this one! NFL Pro Bowler and Jacksonville’s starting RB @Jones_Drew32 (cont) http://tl.gd/2i9ck3 Friday, July 16, 2010 3:25:24 PM via UberTwitter
• RT @ChrisB357: hey @Jones_Drew32 wanna help with a noble cause? tweetout for my twin 3yr olds with SMA www.byrdsforacure.org Friday, July 16, 2010 3:21:45 PM via UberTwitter
• Todays workout was a beast…. Sled pulls and conditioning then to the weight room for a monster leg workout. (cont) http://tl.gd/2i9b1v Friday, July 16, 2010 3:21:00 PM via UberTwitter
• RT @MsTerryMcMillan: Black people kill each other more than white people do. Who’s racist? Friday, July 16, 2010 12:20:47 PM via UberTwitter
• Good night tweeps 9:45 PM Jul 15th via UberTwitter
• @MikeSimsWalker my man owns bella limo 8:51 PM Jul 15th via UberTwitter in reply to MikeSimsWalker
• LA its been great now time to get back to grind mode. South florida hear I come 11:07 AM Jul 15th via UberTwitter

MJD is a superstud.  He gauges his worth by how hard his workouts are.  He goes to bed early.  He has a lust for greatness seen in few players.  His only short coming is his choice in BFFs (Mike Sims-Walker the same guy that missed a game last year for  a booty call).

Signings
Real Story, Terrell Owens, still unsigned!

Arizona Cardinals – The only signings to note for the Cardinals are QB Derek Anderson and LB Joey Porter. Both of these players have had success in the past and have the possible of a resurgence and big upside. However, Porter is getting really long in the tooth and always a head ache from an attitude standpoint and Anderson has only ever had one good fantasy football season. Anderson is intriguing because he had success on an awful Browns team, it will be interesting to see what he can do with protection and weapons. Keep in mind though that he does have really big feet, I mean really huge.

Atlanta Falcons- Dunta Robinson…that’s it. Is he enough to make a difference in the Atlanta from a fantasy football perspective? Probably not.

Cleveland Browns – Jake Delhomme, yes the same one that has been ineffective for several years in Carolina. He signed a big contract with the Browns after looking awful for a few years in Carolina, no idea why, oh ya it is the Browns, they are ridiculous. Seriously, if he does not hit Steve Smith for the 80 yard TD in the NFC championship game in overtime against the Rams, he is a valet attendant by now. If he is named the starter, that is a hit to the fantasy value of any skill players on the Browns. If you don’t believe me see Steve Smith’s numbers fantasy numbers for the last couple seasons. (although if you have Browns skill players on your fantasy team you are probably in trouble anyway).
Ben Watson – K2 (Kellen Winslow Jr. for the uninformed) was able to put up good fantasy numbers in Cleveland . . . Watson isn’t Winslow, I am just saying.

Houston Texans – Neil Rackers – Wait, isn’t he a kicker? Never mind

New England Patriots – Torry Holt – Holt seems like he has been around forever. He is the oldest 33 year in history and isn’t even close to the form he was in St. Louis but he may get some looks in New England. He is probably a non-factor, but with Randy Moss taking away all of the coverage, Holt has a chance to make some noise. He has amazing hands, he is one of the greatest route runners in history (thanks to tutelage by Isaac Bruce) and unlike Moss, he goes hard every play. If Welker show signs of linger effects of his surgery look for Holt go catch a lot of balls.

NY Jets – Jason Taylor – The Jets defense which was the best in football last season, just got better. These guys are going to be good on both sides of the ball. With Sanchez having Edwards, Cotchery and now Santonio Holmes to throw to will be a top 10 fantasy QB. No I am not joking.

Seattle Seahawks – Charlie Whitehurst – Heir apparent to Matt Hasselbeck?? Will it be this year? Maybe.

St Louis Rams – A.J. Feeley – Only on here because the Rams need a veteran to take some licks while Bradford gets used to the NFL game. Feeley is a perfect 2nd string guy to sit on the bench with a clipboard when Bradford take the field in about week 5.

Washington Redskins – The skins have been soooo busy this offseason. Signed Larry Johnson, Willie Parker and Ryan Torain (2 effective runners with a lot of wear on their tires and a full back the Shanahan once got production out of). With Shanahan in town you can be sure there will be a stock pile of horses in the stable with enough inconsistency to be pulling your hair out if you have anyone of these guys on your team.

Now let’s get to where the real action has been

Trades
Donovan McNabb to the Redskins I know, this sounds crazy for the Eagles, trading the best QB in franchise history to a division rival. Deon Sanders actually invented a word to describe it “Shibacle” ( I think he is just not that sharp and meant to say debacle). For Washington this trade is spectacular, finally they have someone that can run an offense and make good decisions, McNabb has never thrown more than 13 interceptions in a season. Now all they need to do is get him some weapons. To aid in that quest, rumors have McNabb suggesting to management that they sign free agent Terrell Owens. Yes the same one who was McNabb’s BFF and then they hated each other and then T.O. was doing sit ups in his driveway. That might work, it would give Santana Moss room to fly which is what he does best. Except for the fact that TERRELL OWENS IS A TURD! He is a cancer on ever team he gets near and his hands suck so he cannot be the possession guy they would need him to be. Even without the T.O. factor McNabb was able to get Philly to the NFC Championship 3 time with no one around him so this may work out after all. I am not sure if this trade will affect McNabb’s fantasy value but it definitely improves Santana Moss.

Tony Scheffler to the Lions, Ernie Sims to the Eagles – So I am not sure what or why the Eagles were in this trade. Why would a team that has terrible defense trade their most talented defensive player ? Especially for yet another tight end. Hey Lions, going all offense hasn’t worked for the last 10 years, try a different philosophy!!!!

Santonio Holmes To the Jets – Holmes is suspended for the first 4 games but when he comes back he should help Mark Sanchez become a top 10 fantasy QB (see above).

Brandon Marshall – So we have a T.O. type talent with a T.O. type head on a Bill Parcells run team . . . can anyone else hear “the player” being referenced. Marshall should help Chad Henne for years to come and make it so Ronnie Brown doesn’t have to take all the snaps. Look for this trade to upgrade the fantasy football value all of the offensive players on the Fins.

Jason Campbell to the Raiders – This will upgrade the value of the Raider WRs slightly but they don’t really have a player on the team, so it won’t matter. Jason Campbell fantasy value will drop greatly. Remember, Campbell had more fantasy points last year than Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco (don’t believe me, look it up). Oakland it an abyss for QBs, the last fantasy football quarterback to have any impact in Oakland was Rich Gannon (yes the commentator from NFL Blitz, same guy)

With the retirement of Kurt Warner, there has been a void created in the fantasy football universe. Kurt Warner was a legit fantasy stud and one that could be counted on to consistently slip into the third round of the fantasy draft.  As long he was surrounded by quality weapons and secured with good pocket protection, Warner continued to surprise fantasy owners and pundits year after year, game after game, with a level of play the helped many owners over the last few seasons ride deep into the playoffs.  The true surprise and absolute travesty is that even with his elite ability and elevated stats, every team he played for tried to give his job to someone else.  So the initial impact your fantasy team will take is that you will no longer be able to wait until the 10th quarterback selected in your draft to secure a top 3 guy, but the tremors do not stop there. 

The Cardinals have tried on a couple of occasions to give Warner’s position to the heir apparent Matt Leinart and they would have done just that if Leinart’s interceptions and bad decisions had not proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was not ready for the job.  Regardless of Leinart’s on field ineptness the Cardinal brass was still bent on him being the guy and it was not until Ken Wisenhunt took over the helm and stated without reservation that Kurt would lead this team, that the Cardinals started to produce for their fantasy owners.  However, because of the insistence on Leinart we did, as a fantasy industry, get a good look at the future and it spells a diminishment in the production of the red bird supporting cast.  

I am not going to say that the Matt Leinart is going to a worthless fantasy quarterback. It is my guess that his extended time with a clipboard and opportunity to learn from a veteran who is notorious for being generous with his knowledge and wisdom has allowed Matt to improve on the things that led to his removal, reading defenses, decision making and patience.  I am going to say that even an improved Matt Leinart, is not Kurt Warner.  

This will have a trickle down effect across the entire team.  The value of Larry Fitzgerald will slip slightly, although Fitzy was Leinart’s favorite target when on the field so Larry should still be a top 8 wide out.  The impact of Anquan Boldin will be greatly reduced.  Boldin has been almost invisible in the majority of Leinart starts.  The greatest impact however will be in the running game.  Beanie Wells showed some flashes of greatness as his rookie year wore on.  The loss of Warner will have an immediate impact on the win/loss column for the Cardinals because Kurt was the unquestioned leader of this team, Leinart is not.  If the Cardinals trail in more games than not, the running game will be completely ineffective, leaving Beanie wells where Edgrerrin James was, 65 yards a game, no touchdowns. 

Although I am not saying dismiss Leinart or the Cardinals in your fantasy draft next year, I am saying tread lightly.  As the second installment of the Matt Leinart era in Arizona begins again, the hopes of Cardinal fantasy owners everywhere is dependant on Matt Leinart’s maturation, an assumption of which there is no evidence whatsoever.

In most leagues, the championship game is played on week 16.  This is to prevent the elite fantasy teams from being left with no one to play in the championship game while the Colts sit Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne and every other starter on their team to get ready for the NFL playoffs.  This is the only week you should be thinking about right now.  The fantasy playoffs are going to play out the way they play out, but the worst possible scenario is to have the planets align allowing you to get to the finals only to score 45 points because your marquis players have either been nicked up through out the year and are missing time, or being rested just to be safe. 

Here is the plan that I have put together using lessons learned from my own beats!  First step is to look at the schedule.  Look for good teams who are playing opponents with weakest defenses in the league.  At this point in the season you can be pretty safe in assuming that if a team is ranked 28th against the pass, they are horrible and will most likely give up big yardage to both QBs and WRs in week 16.  No one is 28th against the pass in week 13 by accident, it means they are terrible.  Next step is to look for the secondary receivers on these good teams playing bad defenses. (this applies to bad run defenses and secondary RBs on good teams as well, but good back up RBs are harder to come by and they are a bigger gamble because they may not see the field if the starter is healthy).  A perfect example of the type of player you should be looking for is Malcolm Floyd of the San Diego Chargers.   Floyd is available in more than 90% of ESPN fantasy leagues right now (this is critical, it is tough to pick up a player who is not available), he plays for a good team that loves to pass the football and most importantly, the Chargers are playing the Tennessee Titans who happen to be the 31st ranked defense against the pass!  The only way this could be better is if Vincent Jackson were available, which he is not!

So now you know who to look for, who do you get rid of?  This one is easy.  The first move is look at your kicker situation.  If you are still carrying more than one kicker, smack yourself and then drop one.  Next is defense.  Carrying a second defense is not as ridiculous as carrying a second kicker but it is unnecessary.  By now you know which defense averages the most points per game, just commit to one and be done.  If you have been following our advice here or on Fantasy Draft Master and you do not have an extra kicker or defense, good for you, but you still need to drop someone.  Your last option is to release your back up quarterback.  This is a risky move since it leaves you naked in the event of a major injury to your stud QB in week 15 but, if your QB goes down in week 15 your back up QB is probably not going to save your season anymore than someone you can snag off the waiver wire.  On the flip side however, having Laverneus Coles go off for 110 and a TD against the 28th ranked Chiefs defense might be the difference between being the champion and being the first loser.

So, to recap:

1. Look for good teams playing weak defenses on week 16
2. Grab as many play makers as you can get from those good teams
3. Drop all non-critical players on your team to make as much room as possible.  First, back up kickers, then defensive teams and last, back up QBs

Remember the reason I know this is not because I am some kind of fantasy football savant, it is because I have made every mistake in the book!

See you on the field!

The question is, if you are sitting on one of these pro bowlers and they happen to have a terrible match up, or they have not yet performed up to expectations, do you sit them and play someone unproven in their place? The answer to this conundrum seems very hazy with no clear answer…on the surface. If you play them and they do nothing, frustration builds. If you don’t play them and they explode for 25 points, you are an idiot. What do you do?

The answer to this “question for the ages” is actually more simple than it seems, it comes down to simple math. If you sit your stud, you need to have 2 things fall into place in order for you to not feel stupid. Your stud has to lay and egg, a big one and what ever marginal player you started in their place, has to come up big. In case you are a little slow, these two events happening at the same time are not as easy as it sounds. The reason you drafted Steven Jackson when you did is because (when healthy) he performs more often than he doesn’t and the reason you didn’t draft Austin Collie at all is because he is a complete unknown. If you start your stud only one thing needs to happen for you to feel validated, your stud needs to be his studly self, if he does..you are golden!

Here is meat of it. If you play your Matt Forte and he does nothing, you can blame it on Matt Forte. If you play Mike Wallace and he catches 2 balls for 18 yards while you sat Anquan Boldin who caught 6 balls for 118 yards and 2 touchdowns, you have no one to blame but yourself.

Don’t be a dummy, start your studs!

First published on Lockhaven.com

In the first couple of weeks, everyone plays their studs and hopes for the best.  The problem is that the first couple of weeks of the season is the time when surprises are the norm and dependability is the exception.  Those weeks are behind us and we can start to make assumptions that we were afraid to make in weeks one and two.  For example, we can now safely assume that Cedric Benson has finally become the running back that everyone thought he would be coming out of U of T years ago.  With that we can also safely assume that he is a pivotal part of the Bengals resurgent offence built around a power running game and the arm of “Comeback Player of the Year” Carson Palmer.  We can safely assume that whomever the Colts choose to use in the WR2 spot in the post Marvin Harrison era is going to put up some numbers.  It was going to be Anthony Gonzalez but he got hurt, and now it is Pierre Garcon.  The truth is it could be me or Raven Simone, it does not matter, Peyton Manning is going to be Peyton Manning and everyone around him is going to flourish.  We are pretty sure that contrary to all of the preseason Ray Rice talk, Willis McGahee is going to be the go to back in a very powerful Baltimore offense (I know it feels weird saying powerful Baltimore offense). 

So what does all this mean?  It means that it is time to go to work.  This is the part of the season where championships are won and lost.  If you have spent any time playing fantasy football, you know that what I am about to say is absolute fact.  There is always at least one guy in your league who seems to make “lucky” waiver pickups or who seems to always “luckily” get an irrelevant player in a trade who comes on strong down the stretch.  If you are convinced that this guy or lady just has a large collection of horseshoes strategically placed in an uncomfortable area, there is no mystery as to why you never make it past the first round on the playoffs.  Now, every season there is usually someone who does happen to be truly lucky enough to have his first five draft picks perform as well as they should and stay healthy.  This guy puts his team on autopilot and sits back while everyone else hates him, for the other 11 people in the league, it is all about work.    

One of the great things about weeks 4 through 6 in the fantasy season is buy low shopping.  Right now there are several players who projected highly in everyone’s pre-draft cheat sheets, but so far have not done much to earn their paychecks.  Many of these are going to end up being lost causes due to bad team situations and flukes that appear to be trends.  Clinton Portis is a perfect example of a player that is going to ruin someone’s fantasy season.  Portis was ranked highly due to past performance, but he seems to have lost his burst and he is playing on a team that is going to lose a lot of games so their offense is going to be throwing…all the time.  This is not good if you are the owner of the “Cheeky Monkeys”.  (if you do not get this reference, email me, I will explain it. If you do get this reference, email me, we should hang out and go for beers).

Some of these underachievers however, are going to be the key to success in your run for the championship.  The first step is to look at reasons for the underachievement, if it is a short term problem that is going to work itself out, the player will probably bounce back.  Kerry Collins, although not a great fantasy QB, is someone who is probably still available in most leagues and might be a good back up plan in case your Drew Brees or Donovan McNabb is on the IR during your playoffs.  Collins has faced both the Steelers (with Polomalu) and the Jets surprising good defense in the first two weeks so his numbers are depressed.  The Titans will end the season however, facing the Rams, Bills, Texans, Cardinals and Dolphins.  Another great “buy low” grab if you have some players in your league with itchy trigger fingers is Matt Forte.  Forte was projected by many as a top three overall pick but has had a rough start due to some chemistry issues with Jay Cutler, but he is a legit stud on a team with very few weapons.  Cutler seems to have settled in and Matt Forte who is a great pass catcher out of the back field will be the beneficiary of Cutler’s increased confidence and comfort in the offense.  In addition, Forte still gets to play the Rams, the Lions (at least once), the Cardinal and the Browns.   

I am not suggesting that you should be constantly shuffling your team, there is no need to fix what is not broken, but if you see a weakness at this point and your can grab a diamond in the rough, now is the time to do it.   Remember, the key is to think long term.  Look at the schedules in weeks 12 through 16 and figure out which teams have the best match ups and who might be sitting behind a known injury concern.  There is no magic in fantasy football, the more active and informed you are the more successful you will be. 

This Week’s Strong Plays: 

Steve Slaton, Houston-  The Texans are facing the floundering Oakland Raiders.  The Raiders are in complete disarray and have not been able to stop anyone on the ground.  Add to that the fact that Matt Schaub has been lights out the last couple of weeks so the Raiders will have to play lots of pass defense formations.  Slaton should have plenty of room to move between the tackles 

Justin Gage, Tennessee- The Jags have one of the worst pass defenses in the league and they have been torched by every quarterback who has faced them.  Both Manning and Schaub went for over 300yds and Warner set a record against them with 24 completions in 26 attempts.  Gage has been Collins most frequent target this season especially in the red zone.  I would say that Collins is a strong play this week as well, but he is a free agent in most leagues. 

Eli Manning, New York Giants- Manning has been mister consistent this season. This week matched up against a Chiefs defense who has been questionable against the pass all year anyway but will have even more trouble this week since their suspect defense will have their hands full with the Giants 2 headed running back monster.

In the category of “fantasy fools gold” we should start with Devery Henderson of the New Orleans Saints.  Henderson amassed 103 yards on 5 receptions with a touchdown and had the 5^th highest production of all wide receivers.  Contrary to what the numbers say, Devery is the 5^th option on a Saints team that laid a record setting beat down on the hapless Detroit Lions.  Remember, not every team is the Lions.  The Saints will face a tough Philadelphia Eagles defense next week and Henderson should return to his standard 2 receptions for 35 yards and no touchdowns.  Fred Jackson of the Buffalo Bills is another player performing way over his head.  Jackson had a great game against the Patriots this past Sunday but he is ultimately a backup who happens to be capitalizing on the fact that Marshawn Lynch is suspended for 2 games.  Jackson should be productive for one more start but don’t sacrifice much to snatch up a player who only has one game left as the featured back.

The first week of football also had a disproportionately high number of underachievers who will make you look extremely foolish if give up on them. Andre Johnson of the Texans was blanketed by a surprising New York Jets defense and consequently looked very pedestrian with only 4 receptions for 35 yards and no touchdowns.  The Texans played Mike Tyson to the Jets Buster Douglas caught very off guard by the aggressive Jets pass rush, but Johnson should still be an every week starter on your team.  Matt Forte of the Bears was another highly touted fantasy stud who looked more like Clark Kent than Superman in week 1.  Forte’s anemic production was more a side effect of the poor play of Jay Cutler (really Jay, 4 picks?? You are making Josh McDaniels look like Stephen Hawking) than a reflection of Forte’s ability.  The Bears have a rough stretch coming up with the Steelers next followed by the Seahawks before they get their turn to wail on the Lions.  If Cutler continues to struggle, it could make the going pretty tough for Forte but he is too big a part of the Bears offense to not be started (he had 25 carries against the Packers this weekend, eventually a couple of those have to go for more that 1.8 yards).

Strong Plays for week 2:

Every player you have in a bright purple jersey.  The Vikings take on the Lions this weekend, so Peterson and Taylor should both have plenty of success at running back.  In addition, there will be enough balls for Berrian, Harvin and Shiancoe to make noise.  The Viking defense is a safe play against the rookie QB as well.

Terrell Owens, Buffalo Bills: Tony Romo torched the Bucs for 350+ yards last weekend.  Look for Edwards to do similar things and look for him to go to T.O. early and often.  Owens was not nearly as involved in the offense against the Patriots as he would like, I am sure he will make this known all week to everyone who will listen.  If history has shown us anything it is that the only way to make Terrell happy is to give him the ball!

In the NFL the quarterback is unquestionably the player with the most impact, both positively and negatively. There are some QB stories unfolding that have great drama written all over them.

Brady Quinn over Derek Anderson: Coach Eric Mangini has finally made his decision, Brady Quinn is his guy. This dilemma has been brewing since Anderson went to the pro-bowl the same season the Browns drafted Quinn in the first round. When you draft a QB in round 1 there is always pressure to get him in the game. There is money tied up in him, people have there careers wrapped up in that pick, eventually you have to put him on the field or trade him. This is his year. Will he prove to be the next Bernie Kosar? or Tim Couch?

Two Rookie quarterbacks starting again this year: Last year, the highly touted Matt Ryan out of BC and the little known Joe Flacco out of Delaware, took to the field immediately out of college and took their respective teams to the playoffs. Flacco even became the first rookie Quarterback to win a playoff game. This year, the 0-16 Detroit Lions and Favre-less New York Jets are hoping that history can be repeated. Both the Lions and the Jets drafted QBs in the first half of the first round and have hung their hopes and careers on the new face of the franchise. Matthew Stafford was taken by the Lions with the first overall pick. He has all the tools to be a big time playmaker in the NFL, huge arm, great vision, patience and from all accounts, the right attitude. Remember though, for every Matt Ryan, there are 5 Akili Smiths. The Big difference between Stafford and Ryan is that Stafford is leading a team that has a lot of work ahead of it. The Lions were bad in every area of the game last season, when Matt Ryan took the reigns in Atlanta, the Falcons we not nearly as far from greatness as a team as the Lions are. This does not mean that Stafford will not have success in the NFL. Peyton Manning and Troy Aikman both led really bad teams as rookies and both will be in Canton eventually. Mark Sanchez appears to have a much more likely chance of first year success. He is joining a Jets team that went 9-7 last year and has a fantastic offensive line, running game and defense. If you are looking for a fantasy football longshot, go with Sanchez.

Gray Beard Ressurgence: Last season both Kurt Warner and Kerry Collins had amazing comeback seasons. Warner lead a high flying Arizona offense to the superbowl. In the process he looked like the Kurt Warner of 2002 rewarding many fantasy football owners with a MVP type season that people dream about. He had 3 one thousand yard receivers, I mean seriously! Kerry Collins did not have the same statistical year that Warner had but he did play very efficiently down the stretch leading the Titans to the best record in football and recapturing a seat at the capable QB2 table in the world of fantasy. The question is, can they do it again??? Arizona had a dream season and the Titans made a respectable run as well, but in football years, both Warner and Collins are so old they fart dust!! Can they hold up? We will see. Neither of them can move real well and they don’t take hits like they once did.

JaMarcus Russell’s time has come: Need I say more? Russell was Matthew Stafford before Stafford was Stafford. Huge arm, big, strong, great college career, drafted first overall. The difference is that Russell decide to hold out for most of his rookie year, setting him back 2 football years. When he finally did join the team, it took him forever to learn the offense and catch up to the speed of the NFL. He did show some flashes of brilliance at the end of last season but they were only flashes. This year he has a new coach and a new toy in Darrius Heyward-Bey. It is his time to show the world if he is John Elway or Ryan Leaf.

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Some of the notable players in this years Fantasy Football Open Championship are Rick Cordella from RotoWorld.com, David Dodds from FootballGuys.com, Scott Ferrall from Howard 101 Sirius Radio (Shake it up!!) Chris Liss of RotoWire.com, and Louis Tranquilli of BFDFantasy.com