| Week One bye: San Diego Chargers Arizona Cardinals
— Despite signing just days ago, WR Rob Moore is expected to play vs. Philadelphia.
So is QB Jake Plummer, despite an injured thumb on his throwing hand. … The Cardinals
are listing TE Terry Hardy ahead of Johnny McWilliams on their depth chart. Lay off
McWilliams for now and stay tuned for more details.
Atlanta Falcons — WR Chris Calloway’s ankle is fine, and he will be in
the starting lineup. However, he doesn’t provide the speed element to take the safety
out of the box. Jamal Anderson should expect to see more eight-man fronts this season.
Buffalo Bills — Neither Antowain Smith nor the Bills’ running game as
a whole did much in the preseason. The coaches and players say it was a case of not
game-planning for those exhibition contests, but the fact remains that Smith still looks
tentative at times. It’s unknown whether he’s not running free and easy because
of his recent groin injury or his lack of confidence in running out of a two-RB set.
Carolina Panthers — You may want to hold off on starting RB Tshimanga
Biakabutuka for a while until Carolina’s RB situation shakes out. Biakabutuka will
start, but head coach George Seifert plans to rotate his running backs, with Fred Lane and
Anthony Johnson also in the mix.
Chicago Bears — RB Curtis Enis is not yet ready to play a full game, so
expect Edgar Bennett to get about 10 touches this week. … With Jeff Jaeger (hip) on
the shelf, Brian Gowins will most likely be the Bears’ placekicker, at least for this
week.
Cincinnati Bengals — WR Carl Pickens probably will suit up this week, but
we don’t recommend playing him since he signed only a few days ago. If you have
Darnay Scott, this is definitely the week to play him. … Cincinnati’s
cornerbacks are inexperienced and should be exploited, especially early in the season.
Cleveland Browns — Phil Dawson won Cleveland’s PK job, but he’s
on shaky ground and must prove himself in clutch situations to keep his roster spot.
Dallas Cowboys — With CB Kevin Smith (back) out and CB Deion Sanders (toe)
iffy at best, the Cowboys’ secondary could be vulnerable vs. the Redskins this week.
Denver Broncos — Mike Shanahan won’t have a quick hook for new QB
Brian Griese, even if he struggles. One theory is that the Broncos will come out throwing
this week so as to avoid putting Griese in 3rd-and-long situations.
Detroit Lions — RB Ron Rivers is expected to start, with newcomer Greg Hill
also seeing his share of carries. Don’t be surprised if Hill eventually takes over
the starting role.
Green Bay Packers — TE Mark Chmura (neck) is fine and able to play this
week, but it’ll be up to head coach Ray Rhodes as to whether Chmura plays this week.
Regardless of Chmura’s status, Tyrone Davis should be viewed as a starting tight end
in most fantasy leagues. … QB Brett Favre says he and No. 1 WR Antonio Freeman still
have a long way to go to get their timing down, so it’s possible Freeman won’t
put up his usual huge numbers until a couple of weeks into the season.
Kansas City Chiefs — RB Bam Morris has fallen out of favor, meaning Kimble
Anders will get the vast majority of the carries. … RB Rashaan Shehee has come on of
late and seems to have emerged as the change-of-pace back.
Miami Dolphins — RB Cecil Collins (ankle) is not expected to play this
week, meaning Karim Abdul-Jabbar probably will get the majority of the carries. … WR
Tony Martin has looked very impressive in practice with his speed and strength. Martin has
an extra gear no Dolphins receiver has shown in recent years.
Minnesota Vikings — Don’t be thrown by the Vikings’ lackluster
preseason performance. Minnesota’s high-octane offense will be ready to fly when the
team hits the field in Atlanta to play the team that knocked the Vikes out of the playoffs
last season.
New England Patriots — Expect rookie RB Kevin Faulk to return kicks and get
about 15-18 carries a game. New RB Terry Allen will get about 10 carries a game and could
emerge as a goal-line threat.
New Orleans Saints — RB Ricky Williams has looked fine in practice and has
shown no noticeable limp from his sprained ankle. … TE Cameron Cleeland (Achilles)
won’t play this week. He’ll be replaced by Scott Slutzker. Cleeland could return
to the lineup in Week Two.
New York Giants — Rookie RB Sean Bennett will start and get the majority of
the carries with Gary Brown (knee) out for the next four weeks. Giants head coach Jim
Fassel is concerned about backup RB LeShon Johnson’s ability to hang on to the
football. Johnson’s thumb is still not 100 percent.
New York Jets — Dedric Ward replaces the injured Wayne Chrebet (foot) in
the starting lineup. Quinn Early becomes the new No. 3 receiver.
Oakland Raiders — RB Zack Crockett (foot; doubtful) probably won’t
play this week. Randy Jordan handled the short-yardage role during the preseason and
probably will again in Week One. … RB Tyrone Wheatley has looked good, but his role
right now is as a kick returner and backup to Napoleon Kaufman.
Pittsburgh Steelers — RB Jerome Bettis says his knee is OK, and he is
expected to get the majority of the carries vs. Cleveland. However, it remains to be seen
whether Bettis can hold up for the long haul.
St. Louis Rams — There may not be as big a drop-off as people think in the
Rams’ offense with QB Kurt Warner replacing Trent Green. Warner isn’t as mobile
as Green but actually has a stronger arm. The Rams’ offense is designed for the
receivers to make the plays anyway. As WR Isaac Bruce put it, all the Rams need is for
Warner to keep his eyes on the road and steer the car. Bruce and his teammates will be the
wheels.
San Francisco 49ers — RB Charlie Garner will start, though Lawrence
Phillips also will play. The offensive line did not do a good job run-blocking in the
preseason, so you may want to hold off on both guys for the time being.
Seattle Seahawks — WR Mike Pritchard (knee) will not play, and Joey
Galloway was still holding out as of this writing. The starters will be Sean Dawkins and
Charles Jordan, though newcomer Derrick Mayes will play a lot. … RB Ahman Green has a
case of fumblitis, so any plans of him taking P.T. away from Ricky Watters have been put
on hold for the time being.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers — WR Bert Emanuel has been dropping passes and could
be dropping down the depth chart. He could lose playing time to Karl Williams and Jacquez
Green. If he loses his starting position, Emanuel will still play a lot, as the Bucs plan
to use more multiple-WR sets.
Tennessee Titans — Be sure to play Titans QB Steve McNair and WRs Yancey
Thigpen and Kevin Dyson vs. a youthful Bengals secondary that could be very vulnerable.
Washington Redskins — Brett Conway won Washington’s PK job but, like
Dawson in Cleveland, is on shaky ground. After winning the job, Conway missed two field
goals in the next exhibition game. We don’t recommend starting him at this point.
… The Redskins’ first-team defense was very impressive during the preseason and
may not be the sieve vs. the run it had been the last few years. |
