Every season fantasy owners go nuts trying to figure out this whole running back by committee mess. Which guy will get the most carries, who’s the goal line back, who do they use more as a receiver out of the backfield… the whole shabang. However, has anyone ever heard of an NFL team having a kicker by committee?

Some of you may be scratching your heads in confusion, but anyone who started John Carney this past weekend knows exactly what I’m talking about. That’s right, the G-Men have decided that they’re going to alternate kickers. Yup, John Carney and Lawrence Tynes will be alternating the kicking duties for the rest of the season, it’s a good ol’ fashioned kicker by committee!!!

Now I obviously know that coach Tom Coughlin is not at all thinking about the millions of fantasy owners when making a decision like this, he’s obviously thinking about the team. Even so though, with John Carney having an amazing season and being 21 for 22 on field goals this season, what the hell do you bring in Lawrence Tynes for?? Because he was your kicker before he got hurt and now he’s belly aching because he lost his job to his grandfather?

To me, this NFL season has been filled with oooo’s and aaaa’s and what the hells… This definitely falls under the what the hell category. I would like to express my sympathy for anyone who lost a game this past weekend because they started John Carney. Clearly the fantasy news on kickers is slim and only those with an inside story on the G-Men would have known about his sudden benching. I sure didn’t know, and I lost quite a few games because of it myself… so again, I sympathize with you.

That’s all for now, until next time, go kick some ass!!

Alright everyone, I know I’m a bit late here… by a day or so lol, but here is the week 1 recap. After week 1 we’ve seen tons of surprises and plenty of injuries, enough to get a scare out of many fantasy owners, and even ruin some seasons. Let’s get the break down going… here we go!

*Note - All opinions below are based on how well these players played fantasy wise, not in reality. Of course a good game for someone in reality doesn’t always mean a solid fantasy start. Just keep that in mind.

Washington Redskins 7 - New York Giants 16

Jason Campbell looked absolutely horrible and should in no way be considered for a starting position on your roster. Portis had a solid game, but not a 1st or 2nd round game which most of us expect from our top tier running backs. Antwaan Randle El was a pleasant surprise with 7 catches for 73 yards, however Santana Moss owners will be happy to see that despite having 5 catches for only 37 yards, he did manage to get the ‘Skins only TD. Chris Cooley and Shaun Suisham who?

Plaxico is the real deal that’s for sure. Brandon Jacobs showed why you shouldn’t sleep on him, and K John Carney showed a little spice for an old timer. The rest of the team didn’t look so hot… Eli was ok, the defense was invisible and Kevin Boss got lost.
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Well if you’re a football fan, then you probably know by now that the Patriots record setting QB, Tom Brady, suffered a season ending knee injury in the 1st quarter of the Pats game vs the Chiefs yesterday. This is a huge blow to the Patriots organization, and an instant downgrade of most Patriots players… at least in the fantasy world. Backup QB Matt Cassel came in and played fairly well for the Pats, leading them to a 14-10 victory, and although Moss’ numbers were maintained, Welker’s dropped significantly, and all other Pats players were invisible. Let’s break down who will gain, and who will lose from this unfortunate situation.

Value Added

The Patriots Running Game.
Now that their all-star signal caller is gone, the Patriots will have to actually learn to run the ball. No more throwing the ball 30-40 times a game, so look for some added value to Laurence Maroney, Kevin Faulk and Sammy Morris. Deeper leagues should definitely look to add Morris, he seems to be the one they go to on goal line situations. Maroney will more than likely carry the bulk of the load, while Faulk will be the change of pace back, and the receiver out of the backfield.

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Indianapolis Colts

The Colts continue to defy all odds and stay atop that AFC South; a division that might be as tough as any in football. Over the past few years, there have usually been at least 2 or 3 guys that get taken in, or just outside of the first round. This year it is no different.

QB - Peyton Manning
Manning continues to have Pro Bowl season, after Pro Bowl season, after Pro Bowl season. He racked up over 4,000 yards for the 8th time in the last 9 seasons, and has never thrown under 25 TD passes in his entire 10 year career. Manning is as safe as they come when picking a QB, and has never missed a single game in his career. Last year he only had 3 games in which his QB rating was under 80; one of them, the 6 INT game against San Diego. He had 8 games, though, with a rating of 100 or higher.

Manning is my 4th rated quarterback this year. I wouldn’t end up picking him, for the sole reason of value. If you want Manning, you’ll have to get him in the very early 2nd round, and that’s if he’s still there. I would pass on him, and take a Carson Palmer, or Big Ben; just as good fantasy players, but ones that you can get in the 3rd-4th rounds.

RB - Joseph Addai
Addai is my 6th rated RB this year, but as of late, I have been regretting putting him so low. Addai has peaked 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons, running for 1,072 yards and 12 TDs last season, in 15 games. I feel like Addai is set for a break out year though. Last year, I think the departure of Dominic Rhodes hurt him, and was the main reason he only had the number of yards that he did. Addai was without a backup who could come in and keep him fresh throughout the course of a game. This year, Rhodes is back, and Addai should be healthier, and fresher this season, then last.

Addai has been a top 5 or 6 pick in most league’s recently, and he would be a good choice if you did have a pick in that range.

WR - Reggie Wayne
When you didn’t think Wayne could be anymore productive, he was. Wayne racked up a career best 1,510 yards, which was tops in the NFL, and 10 TDs. He was as productive and consistent as they come, only getting less then 60 yards receiving twice last season. Wayne became Manning’s favorite target after Harrison went down to an injury, and should have the same type of role this year.

The 29 year old is in his prime, and will probably have very similar numbers, maybe better, this upcoming season. Wayne is my 6th rated WR, but should probably be higher. He is a great pick in the mid to late 2nd round, although I have seen him slide to as far as the mid 3rd round in some leagues.

WR - Marvin Harrison
Harrison is not a very popular fantasy player, and let me just start off by saying that I would stay away from the future Hall of Famer. Harrison is entering his 13th NFL season, and will turn 36 before the regular season begins. Add that to the distractions that have been going on this offseason, and the fact that he is coming off a rather serious injury which sidelined him for 11 games last season.

Harrison seems to have been already replaced by second year man out of Ohio St., Anthony Gonzalez, who filled in nicely for Harrison last season. The 8 time Pro Bowler is nearing the end of his career, and while I have all the respect in the World for one of the best WRs to play in this game, I would, again, stay away from Harrison this year.

WR - Anthony Gonzalez
Gonzalez, to put it bluntly, was forced into a starting role that he was probably not ready for, in Week 6 of last season. Gonzalez, in 13 games, was a pleasant surprise for many Colt fans out there, getting over 500 yards receiving and 3 TDs. He had 2 games in which he had no catches though; but those kinds of performances are to be expected from a rookie. Gonzalez will likely be the Colt’s number 2 WR sooner or later this season, but unless you are in a big 16 team league, and are looking for depth at WR, I wouldn’t go drafting the former Ohio St. stud. On this Indy team though, being the number 2 WR could very well mean being the 4th target, behind guys like Clark and Addai. Speaking of Dallas Clark…

TE - Dallas Clark
Clark is entering his 6th NFL season and continues to improve every year, having career bests in yards, TDs, and receptions in 07, getting 616 yards and 11 scores on 58 receptions. Versatility is the name of the game for Dallas Clark, who makes DC’s around the league go nuts when trying to find a scheme to contain this guy. Clark has lined up as a WR as many times as a TE, and at times, has lined up in the backfield. Clark has great hands, and speed for a TE, and runs very crisp routes, something that seems to be a given coming out of Indy receivers.

Clark is my 4th rated TE this season, and is a great pick in the mid rounds of your draft. The only concern for Clark is that he has not had a 16 game season in his first 5 years in the league. But, then again, he has only missed more then one game twice.

Defensive Unit
The Colt defense has been the most over-achieving unit in all of football over the past couple of years, in my opinion. It’s amazing what a difference Bob Sanders can make. The Colt’s two starting corners last season had never had starting experience, and were each only in their 3rd year in the NFL. Their linebacking core is nothing to write home about, their two DTs are mediocre at best, and they were without Dwight Freeney for nearly half the season last year. Yet, despite all of this, they were the 3rd best defense in the NFL a year ago, ranking 2nd against the pass and managed to be in the top half of the league against the run.

The thing that makes them so great though, in my opinion, is speed, which forces the opposing running game to the inside, and does not allow for many short passes, and Bob Sander’s great ability to help out on run defense. Hopefully Freeney and Mathis will stay healthy this season. If they do, the Colts should generate plenty of sacks. The Colts are a good option heading into the later rounds of your draft.

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Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers might have the best team in the AFC North, and they definitely have a lot of great fantasy value. Pittsburgh has one of the best running games in the NFL with the combination of Mendenhall and Parker; they’ve also got one of the best passing games with Big Ben having a great starting receiver duo in Ward and Holmes, and a great pass catching TE in Heath Miller. Oh, and their defense isn’t bad either…

QB – Ben Roethlisberger
Ben Roethlisberger has gotten to one of the best starts to a career in the history of football. He was the youngest quarterback to ever win a Super Bowl. In his rookie season he had a QB Rating of 98.1. In his second season, the Super Bowl winning season, he had a rating of 98.6. That off season though, Roethlisberger got into a serious motor cycle accident, and to make matters worse, he wasn’t wearing a helmet. I’m not going to go into detail about the incident, but it definitely had an effect on his 2006 season; he did have a career high 3513 passing yards, but he threw 5 more interceptions then he did touchdowns, and had a rating of 75.4.

Big Ben turned it around last season and was a great late round pick for a lot of people, including me, as he threw for over 3100 yards, 32 TDs, and had a rating of 104. Besides the obvious, the reason that Roethlisberger was so much more successful last year then the year before, was that he threw the ball only 27 times a game, compared to 31 in 2006. This was because of the Steelers improved run game, and this year, with the addition of Mendenhall, Pittsburgh should give Ben the same kind of production, even with the departing of All Pro Alan Faneca. I don’t see a drop in Roethlisberger’s production at all this season, and I would draft him as soon as you feel necessary in order to get him. Roethlisberger is my 3rd rated QB, and he shouldn’t disappoint.

RB – Willie Parker
Parker has exceeded the 1200 yard mark the last 3 seasons. Although his yards per carry has gone down by .3 every year since then, and last year he only had 2 TDs, I wouldn’t shy away from Parker. Parker has been a dependable and durable running back since coming into the league, and with him not having to take the full load anymore, I would expect nothing less out of him this year then what he has been giving fantasy owners the last few seasons. You can get Parker in the mid round of your draft and I would definitely do so if still available. While Parker might not be considered a top flight fantasy runner anymore, I still think that he can give you a great season this year, and getting him in the 6th or 7th round is great value for a guy like Parker. Get him if you can; the injury should not be a concern and shouldn’t scare you away.

RB – Rashard Mendenhall
Mendenhall was the Steelers first round pick this past April after a fantastic year as a junior for the fighting Illini. After a couple of no-name type seasons, Mendenhall broke out last year for 1682 yards and 17 TDs, reaching the 200 yard mark twice, and having 8 100 yard or more performances. The knock on Mendenhall, is that was that junior year a one year type of thing or can that continue onto the Pro level.

Mendenhall is a powerful back, but also has the speed to turn the corner and beat you on the outside. Mendenhall will most likely be the number two back behind Parker, although he should be seeing plenty of action with the Steelers turning to the two back system. If Mendenhall is there in the later rounds, and you’re still looking for some depth at running back, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to take him, but I wouldn’t reach for him. I see Mendenhall having a pretty decent rookie year, but nothing special.

WR – Santonio Holmes
Holmes was the Steelers’ first round pick back in 2006. He has improved every year since being drafted, getting 824 yards in his rookie season, and last season picked up 942 yards on just 52 receptions, and 8 TDs. Holmes has had a career average of 17.5 yards per catch, and has only fumbled the football once in his career. Holmes is set to have a breakout season, in my opinion, and I think he’s good enough to be your number two WR. I would go get him this year, he shouldn’t disappoint.

WR – Hines Ward
Ward has always been a good fantasy wide out. Last year, his numbers dropped from what they normally are, but mostly because he missed 3 games due to injury. Ward is entering his 11th year, and the 32 year old is well past his prime. I would stay away from Ward this year, as Holmes is ready to take the spot of the number one WR on this football team.

TE – Heath Miller
Last year Miller bounced back from his mediocre 2006 season, catching 47 balls and 566 and 7 TDs. Miller is my 5th ranked TE this year, and I really think that Miller is ready to be ranked up there with the top TEs. I would get Miller when you get into the 5th or 6th rounds; he’s a great number one option. I think he is a steal considering the rounds he’ll still be available.

Defensive Unit
The Pittsburgh D was first in the NFL in yards allowed, only giving up 266 yards per game; they were 3rd against each the run and the pass. Pittsburgh did only have 11 INTs last season though, which was last in the NFL. Pittsburgh’s defense is one of the best none-the-less, and should be taken as early as any of the other defenses out there. Once the defenses start going, don’t ruin your chance at getting this defensive unit. The interception and sack total should increase this year because of the return of Troy Polamalu who hopes to have a comeback year. Polamalu is in intensive training to help come back and stay healthy this season.

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