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Before stammering to the waiver wire to claim Kevin Ogletree do not get over zealous. Sure he produced a fantastic game and had eight catches to go with it. There are many keys to look at before deciding to go hunt through the waiver wire and believe Ogletree will help you out permanently this season.

Tony Romo sure lit a spark with his team and himself with the way he played Wednesday. Two of his three touchdown passes went to Ogletree. The touchdown category was not the only area these two hooked up in. Romo stated in the post game press conference that Ogletree and himself developed a higher chemistry than in years past this training camp.

With Miles Austin and Jason Witten dinged up, Ogletree saw an increased role and flourished. It transferred over to week one, as Romo looked for him often. Out of Romo’s twenty nine pass attempts he threw eleven targets to Kevin Ogletree, eight that were actual catches.

Romo’s twenty nine pass attempts are around what he will likely throw a game, it’s the amount of targets to Ogletree that may have peaked. With Jason Witten gutting it out on the field he was not even close to being in game shape. He willed himself to play, but his recovery is there as he had clearance from doctors. It’s just a matter of time before Witten gets back to being a main part of the Cowboys passing attack.

The Giants secondary was also down in this game with injuries. They decided to use their best corner to keep Dez Bryant in check, and for the most part they did a good job on him. The gap between their top corner and nickel cornerback is high, as Ogletree toasted the Giants with all types of routes.

Once again though, Bryant’s targets (5) and Miles Austin’s (4) will not that low when you average out their targets on the year. Ogletree can be a supreme third receiver and certainly have fantasy value. Is the value high enough to claim and put on your roster? Likely not.

It would take an injury to a Cowboys starter for that to happen. Based on Miles Austin and Dez Bryant’s history that is a possibility. In fantasy football you have to look at trends. Ogletree has worked hard to get to this point in his fourth year. It was his first touchdown and career highs across the board. Once Romo is back in sync with Austin and Witten there just will not be enough targets for Ogletree.

This was more of a chemistry from training camp and preseason carried over to the regular season. It will be short lived. Last year Ogletree had a total of seven catches in the first three games. Marginal numbers that dropped as the year went on as he finished the year with fifteen catches.

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At the beginning of the NFL season gaining a win on the point spread can be harder than trying to figure out the BCS point system. A strong key is to not over analyze and go after proper lines. Here is a mini breakdown of tonight’s game.

Current Line: NY Giants -3.5
Over/Under 45

The line has adjusted a half point in the favor of the Cowboys in the last day. After originally opening at 3, the line moved to four, and has settled in the middle at 3.5. Movement as such is going to happen, but is not going to affect the outcome of your bet if you’re rooting for the Giants. If anything if you put money on the Giants or Cowboys and feel uncomfortable on a three point cover, than buy a half point for a potential push.

Playing at home is the main reason the Giants have the point spread edge here. It typically would be three points in this close of a game, but another full point was tacked on originally because the Giants are Super Bowl Champions.

Criticism comes in waves at all quarterbacks, it’s just the nature of the position. Eli may finally be able to breathe in the media’s eye now that he has won another Super Bowl. Will he experience a setback in his career like he did after he won his first Super Bowl? Even though Eli has won two rings he has been fortunate to be on two teams that have caught fire at the right time. If it were not for that the teams he have been on regular season record-wise, have not lived up to their post-season success.

Last year though was a different Eli Manning. He seemed to take over games more and have better control than in the past. He limited his interceptions and kept command of drives.

Based on the home edge and history here I do like the Giants to win and cover. Dallas has been down right atrocious in prime time games on Sunday or Monday Night football. Even though this is a Wednesday game it is considered a prime time game. Last year the Cowboys went 1-3 in prime time games. Losing week one to the Jets, a blowout road loss to the Eagles week eight, and of course their melt down against the Giants late in the season.

Their only win was a two point victory over the Redskins. Not something to write home about. Of course two seasons ago was not much better. They opened in a prime time game against the Redskins and lost. That game set the tone for Wade Phillips departure. The capper was their blowout Sunday Night loss to the Green Bay Packers.

This should be a tight game do not get me wrong. I expect the defenses to play better than the over/under of 45. With how familiar these teams are with each other expect a couple of boots from the kickers instead of touchdowns to keep the total under 45. In the end though Manning will lead the Giants to a late drive to win and cover, and the defense will step up to thwart the Cowboys.

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When these two teams meet, playing defense is usually cast to the side. It’s been an offensive show on prime time, and the NFL has it set up once again for these two to be on display.

Everyone knows last season, the Cowboys and Giants were in a late season match up that the Giants stole from the Cowboys. That win gave the Giants the momentum they needed to finish the season off strong and sneak into the playoffs. Like they did in 2007 they were hot at the right time and steam rolled into the playoffs.

Starts to their season are what typically get both of these teams into trouble. December has been one of the better months for Eli Manning and Tony Romo in the wins department.

Those concerned about a couple of Dallas Cowboys players playing on Wednesday will have to wait up until kickoff, especially on Jason Witten. Witten is expected to be a game time decision. Miles Austin on the other hand returned to practice days ago, and will play. How effective he is after missing a bulk of practice and preseason games remains to be seen. The natural chemistry he has with Tony Romo makes him a safer play than most coming off injury at wide receiver.

Breaking down a game from a fantasy perspective usually is a showcase of who to start at each position. When it comes to New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys players it’s not necessarily on who to start. The talent on both of these teams are top tier guys that went high in fantasy drafts. They’re supposed to be your bread and butter fantasy players. Which guys will stand out though?

Eli Manning is the type of mid level fantasy quarterback that will drive you crazy. It’s what you get for waiting until the middle of the draft to secure your quarterback. The good thing with Eli is his usually god for a pair of touchdowns and those typically come off big plays. He has extremely talented wide receivers but with Dallas’s signings in the secondary this could be a troubling game for Manning. With the raucous Dallas crowd as an edge as well, I’d sit Manning this week in fear of turnovers being an issue.

Dez Bryant has had his fair share of negative media attention, and rightfully so. Football may be his only means of staying out of trouble right now. With a season started and a new focus with mandated rules, Bryant could be set for a career year on the football field. With Miles Austin just returning and Witten up in the air, Bryant should be the main guy. Double digit fantasy points is almost a guarantee.

With the Cowboys injury woes and the Giants trying to fill in depth at wide receiver with the departure of Mario Manninham there is a shot for a lesser known player to have a breakout game. That will not matter for most fantasy teams until next week when you’re scrambling for the waiver wire. Domenik Hixon is a player that has been around the Giants organization for quite some time, and had a decent year in 2008. He just simply lost playing time with Manningham and Cruz surpassing him.

If Dallas decides to blanket Cruz and Nicks a good portion of the time, it could lead to Hixon having a solid game. Nothing extraordinary but a touchdown to go along with fifty receiving yards is always a bonus.

Defensively I believe this game will have better defensive performances than we are use to seeing between these two. For one most of the players yapping away about their respective teams are coming from the defensive side of the football. Another reason is the odd early start of Wednesday. These teams will be ready but the first full game is typically one where the defense shines a bit more, especially in a divisional rival game.

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The ever valuable running back gem landed in the latter part of fantasy drafts can be the overall difference maker come December. A few years ago it was Arian Foster who ran wild on defenses and sprung fantasy teams to title success. It’s not typical but you can land that back from an array of happenings. It usually takes an injury or a new environment for that to be a possibility.

There is a running back out in Chicago that has exactly that. A solid contract and a history of producing higher each of the last three seasons. Michael Bush just needs the carries, and based on Mike Tice’s ideas he could very well get those.

Holding out as Matt Forte did was done in part because he was so heavily involved in the Bears offense the last few seasons. These were not improvised play calls that Forte happened to be the check down option. Mike Martz wanted to bring the St. Louis Rams offense of his hey days to Chicago. Once the Bears figured out they did not have the receivers to do so, it turned into the best show by Forte. Runs and designed quick throws to Forte led to him catching over 50 passes each of the last three years.

Carries with the ground attack are there for two backs nowadays. The Bears did not over run Forte with carries, as they substituted the dump off passes to lessen his load. This year will be different with Mike Bush in the fold. They did not sign him to be a back that only carries five to seven times a game.

He will see at least ten carries a game. With how much of a threat Forte is out of the backfield it would not be shocking to see both behind Cutler. This backfield could be comparable to Jonathan Stewart/DeAngelo Williams or even ex Giant, Brandon Jacobs/Ahmad Bradshaw.

That means a heavy workload inside the ten for Bush. Chicago has the capability and weapons to be a top ten team for points offensively this year. That’s a bonus for Bush owners, who know Bush has been one of the better number two running backs in the league the past two seasons.

A typical running back is going to have his share of injuries throughout the season. It may not lead to not starting, but playing through injuries can be just as detrimental. Forte is coming off an injury and the Bears will want to protect him by taking necessary precautions. That means handing the ball to Bush and if there is a short stint of games Forte misses, than they would rely on Bush heavily.

While in Oakland Bush has had a knack for getting starts due to injury. He started seven games in 2009, three in 2010, and nine a year ago. If he can get near 160 to 180 carries you can expect Bush to be a borderline number tier one fantasy back that you start in your RB2 slot.

The quiet benefit with Bush is he can also catch the ball out of the backfield. You do not see that arsenal with many backs Bush’s size. Last year though Carson Palmer threw to Bush 37 times for over 400 yards receiving.

Even if Bush does not get two to three starts due to injury, we know what he can do in a strong role behind a starter. Just because a back does not reach 1,000 yard mark does not mean you should deter yourself from drafting him. Bush will outdo plenty of backs ahead of him in rankings and ADP.

Expect 700-750 yards rushing, near 200 yards receiving, and double digit touchdowns from Bush.

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It has been barely over six years since Matt Leinart and Vince Young faced each other in a classic Rose Bowl. Vince Young got the best of the outcome that day, but both seemed primed for an excellent career in the NFL. From the time of that Rose Bowl game, Leinart and Young were going to be linked together for their football careers. As top ten picks in 2006 it looks like they both might end the same as well.

Both Leinart and Vince Young made it on the football field during their rookie seasons, starting in over ten games each. Common issues with rookies plagued both. High turnovers and adjustments to the NFL style left room for growth. Positives were also there as well, especially for Young who was a team leader right off the bat. Young had a knack for leading fourth quarter winning drives and finding a way to get it done with his legs.

Leinart on the other hand seemed indecisive on his reads and rushed to deliver a short dump off throw. His early starts with the Cardinals were marred by team melt downs. One that will stay in recent Monday Night Football history was crowned by Dennis Green. Arizona led 20-0, only to allow Chicago to come back and win by a point 24-23. All of their points coming from the aid of the defense or special teams.

Heading into the off-season of 2007, Leinart came in as the favorite but his poor play in the first five games of the year led to his benching. He was handed a clip board for three seasons and began being mentored from the sideline and practice fields. Learning from a potential Hall of Famer figured to be good for Leinart. Warner had fought of retirement talks after his days in St. Louis and revived his career with Arizona, throwing the football all over the field and leading a potent Cardinals offense.

Once Warner retired it figured to be Leinart’s job. He was the man in waiting and the Cardinals had kept him in their plans. Often times if a team feels it does not have a proper backup quarterback they will make moves quickly in case of injuries. Instead the job was handed over to Derek Anderson who out performed Leinart in the preseason.

That move may have been the ultimate confidence killer for Leinart as a Cardinal. He never was ready to prove himself after that even in stints of game action on the football field. The controversy had to end at some point and it did as the Cardinals parted ways with Leinart in the 2010.

A backup quarterback seemed to be the best chance for Leinart landing anywhere. After not signing with any teams in 2010, Leinart was given a chance by the Houston Texans. After Matt Schaub went down to injury, Leinart had the perfect opportunity to showcase himself once again. He went down to injury and TJ Yates fulfilled the role and supplanted Leinart as Houston’s backup.

Now Leinart is in Oakland where he has had a sub-par preseason. When your in a battle for a backup quarterback position and roster spot you need to show your value. Terrelle Pryor has outdid Leinart through the air and with his legs to solidify the backup role in Oakland. Leinart delivered simple check off throws in his preseason action, and is likely to be the teams third string quarterback.

What happens to him in the offseason? He will likely be let go once again, and may not be picked up this time around.

That would mean just like Vince Young, Matt Leinart would be out of the league.

Just like in 1999 when Tim Couch, Akili Smith, and Cade McNown faded as NFL Draft busts it appears the same is happening for the first two quarterbacks taken in the 2006 NFL Draft. You can bet the Titans and Cardinals would of loved to of drafted Jay Cutler instead.

How odd is it that the Buffalo Bills traded to get Tavaris Jackson? To secure quarterback depth after letting Vince Young go., the Bills traded to get Jackson who was drafted late in the second round of the same draft in 2006.

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Over the years Buffalo has become one of the teams that loves to have quarterback controversy. From recent battles with JP Losman and Trent Edwards, to Fitzpatrick himself versus Edwards, and the great battle of Drew Bledsoe vs. Losman, and Rob Johnson and Doug Flutie. Just like their division rival Miami Dolphins, Buffalo has had just as much of a struggle solidifying their starting quarterback since Jim Kelly retired.

You would think a maximum contract value of 59 million over the course of six years would be the proper vote of confidence in Ryan Fitzpatrick. Oh those tricky Buffalo Bills. Fitzpatrick’s guaranteed money is only 24 million, which means Fitzpatrick still has to prove himself each and every game.

Buffalo has been much more willing to spend free agency money the past few seasons but none was a bigger statement than offering and securing Mario Williams. With the offense young and on the rise, Buffalo believes they could be a playoff contender if the defense rises another level.

It’s not often that a journeyman quarterback for over five years finally finds his niche and begins playing well, as a Rich Gannon or Trent Green were able to.

Fitzpatrick has done that at times. He has advanced with his reads and abilities to throw the football down the field. Areas he still struggles are in the turnover department. When he is off, he can be like Carson Palmer and throw for multiple interceptions like he can afford to. Full time starters in the NFL do not throw two or more interceptions in half the games they played, and that’s exactly what Fitzpatrick did last season.

After getting his new contract, the second half of the Bills season last year was woeful for Fitzpatrick. Some of that can be blamed on not having his bread and butter running back Fred Jackson. Jackson was the beat to the offense, and did more than most would acknowledge. Weeks nine through eleven Fitzpatrick threw two touchdowns and a total of seven interceptions. Followed by another stretch in December in which he threw four touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Those are stretches that would find most starters on the bench, and may have happened to Fitzpatrick last year if it were not for the contract he landed. Buffalo made a lot of commotion this off-season for a backup quarterback and landed both Vince Young. A journeyman many figured would put the heat on Fitzpatrick for starting snaps.

We all know how the preseason went, and Young was cut as a result. In many preseason battles teams would stop right there with quarterback acquisitions and have faith in there other backups. Tyler Thigpen is a quarterback that has started in both Miami and Kansas City, and won the backup quarterback position.

One solid backup is not enough for Buffalo and they decided to trade for Tavaris Jackson.

If you’re Ryan Fitzpatrick there must be sub conscious thoughts that the organization is having its doubts with him. He has fought off the doubts the past few seasons, but an area he has to cement for the organization is his consistency. When he is on, Fitzpatrick can be that quarterback gem you started on y our fantasy team and got away with it. When he is off he can be the sole difference in a loss for your fantasy team.

Something is up in Buffalo with all the quarterback moves they have made. Some would believe it’s just to have insurance at quarterback. Look around the NFL and look at the backup propositions if injuries were to occur. Less than ten teams probably have a quarterback that teams would be comfortable having to start beyond one game.

Downgrade Fitzpatrick’s fantasy value going into 2012. Just as the last few seasons, his play on the field would have to develop for him to have waiver wire meaning. I do not believe he finishes the season as Bills starter. His interception rate just gets to high at crucial stretches.