A look at the performances (highs and lows) to note in week 1 of our young fantasy football season:

 Quarterbacks:

Tony Romo - Wow, I guess that miss snap made him angry, not jittered.  Romo came out with a vengence in week one and depending on your quaterback scoring categories may have led your league in points.  If you really look closely at the game though a few things are still questionable.  Romo had a really hard time finding his wide receivers.  Witten was open all day, but his big play guys didn’t get things going until the second half.  Owens had two touchdowns, but only three catches overall.  Also the running game was adequate but not great.  All in all an excellent week one for Romo and he is always a safe start, but don’t expect this production each week until the wideouts are more involved.

Tom Brady - I have been saying it all preseason.  Brady with horrible receivers is still an excellent fantasy QB.  Brady with stand-out receivers could be scary.  Brady made Moss a star again in one afternoon, connecting with him 9 times for 180+ yards.  That is more yards than many QB’s had in total.  Mix in Stallworth and Welker and he has some weapons.  If everyone remains healthy, Brady is going to be in for a big season.  He should have been the third QB off the board in drafts.

Big Ben - Well they said the offense would open up and Ben would air it out more, but throwing for four touchdowns in his first season start was unexpected.  BUT, if you look inside the numbers, he still did not have a great fantasy day.  He still only threw for 160 yards on 12 completions, total in the game, he just happened to open it up with some big plays that came through.  Take away a couple of those plays and Ben would have been average at best, or actually, like he has been in seasons past - low yards and a couple TD’s.  I like the new offense, but would like to see Ben throwing more per game, before I declare that he is on his way to a major fantasy contributor each week.  This game was also against the Browns which does not instill confidence that those big plays will be made against anyone.  Ben is not yet a safe play, but would make a great sell high candidate.

Running Backs:

Marshawn Lynch - 19 carries for 90 yards and a touchdown.  Only in deep leagues was Lynch probably started, since owners did not know what to expect after a quiet preseason from the rookie.  Well the future is Lynch and Anthony Thomas only carried the ball three times, so until Lynch has a bad game I would fully expect him to be the dominant back in this offense.  Getting out to this start was huge for him and his owners.

Adrian Petserson - Chester Taylor started, Chester Taylor got hurt, Adrian Peterson went off.  Could not have worked out better for the rook.  All the talk is that this duo will split carries, but AP proved in week one that he is a difference maker.   Watch for him to continue to get more and more looks as the season goes on, just as expected.

Chris Brown - Chris Brown was a fantasy star three seasons ago.  Now an after thought following two seasons filled with injuries, Brown is healthy and went off for 175 yards rushing in week 1.  The Titans are trying to move to LenDale White as their starter, but Brown is still young, and they won’t force the White issue if Brown continues to play like this.  Watch this situation closely, because if Brown stays healthy he can easily start for the Titans and put up good fantasy numbers.  He just has to stay healthy. 

Cedric Benson - Benson was nearly boo’ed off the field in week 1.  Thomas Jones was a team favorite, ran hard, helped take the Bears to the superbowl and then was traded.  Benson had a lot to prove in week 1 that he deserves the position he has been given, and it didn’t happen.  This wasn’t a great week for Benson to debut though, as he met a Chargers defense which was clearly fired up.  He had no room to run and Grossman is not the type of QB who will make him a great receiver out of the backfield.  Many are down on Benson, but I think he is going to have a solid year. You don’t meet the Chargers every week, so as long as the Bears can get to the red zone, I expect Benson to put up some numebers.  Don’t read too much into week 1.

Larry Johnson - They said LJ was going to be worked into the offense slowly.  I think that was a lot of hype, and it is more coincidence that KC couldn’t get anything going and needed to go to the air, more the reason that LJ only got 10 carries.  He still managed 43 yards on those limited carries, so no worries here.  LJ will be back to form by week 2. 

Wide Receivers:

Chad Johnson - Well he brought out the H.O.F jacket on his first trip to the end zone and had a fairly productive game.  Most of his damage came in the first half, but CJ showed how explosive he can be on a couple big catches.  The Bengals offense didn’t look as impressive as expected, but you know CJ is going to get his.

Calvin Johnson - The new CJ was said to be playing on a limited basis so as not to be overwhelmed - Riiiiiight - Calvin showed why he is the best WR rookie to enter the league in years with a quick 4 catches for 70 yards and a TD.  He has hands, size and break away speed.  He is the total package at wideout and will be a safe play each week in the Detroit offense.

Randy Moss - He needs a mention, though every fantasy football player in the world knows his performance on opening sunday.  9 catches for 180+ yards.  Moss is back and probably went for a steal in your league’s draft.

Plax Burress - Burress was looking like another steal at wideout with the way he came out in week one, but a big red flag went up when Eli went down to injury.  The Giants don’t have an experienced backup QB, so the ability for Burress to put up serious fantasy stats with anyone else is in question unti proven otherwise.  And Eli might be out a month….

Tight End:

Tony Gonzo - Gonzo is not going to put up the stats he has in the past.  It is that simple.  As the second best option in KC, he should still be an elite TE, but in games like week 1 for KC, it will be tough for him to do anything.  When KC has to go to the air, defenses are just sitting on Gonzo as they know he is the only threat.  What Gonzo needs is LJ to have some big games to open up the field.  He is an obvious start, but don’t count him to carry you at all like years past and is probably worth more in a trade by name, than actual value.

Jason Witten - Could be in for a big year.  Romo likes to check down to the TE quickly, so Witten gets many, many looks and has sure hands.  We will watch a couple weeks first, but it appears like Witten will be a big part of the Dallas offense, especially if Glenn goes out for the year. 

Heath Miller - Could be a big steal this year as like Witten, he is a focal point in the Pitt offense as the check down option for Big Ben.  Even as a rookie Heath was a red zone option, and that only seems to be more the case now.  Could easily equal the production of Gonzo or other TE picks taken rounds earlier, if you could investigate trade options where you downgrade to Miller, getting more value at another position.