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The percentage of fantasy football owners that likely sat AP week one over starting him was likely sky high. Minnesota kept it under wraps until near kickoff that Adrian Peterson would start. Even hearing that Peterson would start, the idea of him getting a significant amount of carries seemed minimal. Maybe ten carries if he looked okay on his first few carries.

For a player coming off a major knee injury and having zero reps in preseason, the precaution red flags were up for fantasy owners. Minnesota had barely let the team tackle him in practice leading up to the week one game. Peterson had set a goal to make it out on the field by week one when he first got hurt, and it looked like the Vikings were giving him the start to feed his appetite and fulfill his goal.

Not only did Peterson boost his teams confidence with his presence, he was one of the top fantasy backs of the weekend. Rushing for over eighty yards with two touchdowns. He had a burst through the line and though he did not make too many sharp cuts that were use to seeing, he had enough straight ahead runs to show that he had a very dedicated recovery to get back out onto the field.

Dedication and how the body responds after his first football game are going to be two different things. Bodies have a hard enough time responding to a football game when healthy. Now will see how the knee responds in week two and beyond. Many NFL players have said it takes a full two years to come back 100 percent from tearing up their knee.

A great deal of Peterson’s week one success likely could be attributed to adrenaline and his first appearance on the football field. That is going to go away sooner than later, as adrenaline can’t fuel the body alone. It’s hard to put Adrian Peterson on a fantasy wonder performance but week one may have been just that. Short yardage plunge touchdowns are one thing, but the amount of carries and impact in every down situations is going to be an up and down battle.

For most of the game Jacksonville had kept Peterson’s yards in check, until the fourth quarter and overtime was when Peterson started getting some longer runs.

So was week one a mirage from Peterson? I believe a fall off will occur with him over the next few games to a month. An athlete just cannot turn it on suddenly with minimal practice and a full nine months off the football field. Peterson is a freak athlete but even his body is going to go through the agony of pushing his knee to certain levels throughout the season.

Minnesota will likely tone down his practicing throughout the year, as he will need to continue to be monitored. Peterson is a tier one fantasy back from the standpoint that he will be a “Leroy Hoard” for touchdowns. Games of 130 yards or more that have been typical from Peterson just are not going to happen this year. I wouldn’t be shocked to see Peterson have more games with sixty to seventy yards rushing than he does of games over 130 yards.

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So you lost week one in your high stakes auction or fantasy league. Your buddies are getting on you and it has you in the mindset that you can’t go 0-2. After all the smack talk after your draft you’re in need of a jolt to sidestep being the message board tagged “it”. The bogus trade offers are pouring in to try to sway you in over reacting on week one.

Do not do that, but take a look at the bottom of your roster and look at the buried depth you can dump. There were plenty of week one performers that can help you out immediately and in the long run of the 2012 fantasy season.

Quarterbacks

Joe Flacco-
What has been holding back Joe Flacco over the years has been the Ravens play calling. When called upon Flacco has shown the arm and capabilities of leading the team. The conservative passing game days are done in Baltimore. They’re going to run the no huddle and keep teams off balance with the air attack. Before big plays from Flacco would come off dump passes to Ray Rice, or the occasional bomb to Torrey Smith. It’s going to be a good mix from here on out. Flacco is a borderline fantasy starter with this new offense, and will help teams that are in need of an upgrade at quarterback.

Alex Smith-
There are a few differences with the 49ers that will make Smith a fantasy backup. Frank Gore has been one of the most warn down backs based on carries over the years. He has not necessarily been healthy either. Smith has developed a strong connection with Vernon Davis that is one of the top five quarterback to tight end connections in the league. Randy Moss may be quiet in front of the media, but the 49ers signed him to be a threat. Whether that’s a decoy to free up Michael Crabtree and Mario Manningham, or getting past the defense as he did in week one. Smith will have sneaky stats all year long with a receiver corp much better than the names of Ted Ginn, Braylon Edwards, and Joshua Morgan

Blaine Gabbert-
Gabbert led a poised drive to get the Jaguars ahead late in the fourth quarter but was never able to get the ball back in his hands. Minnesota drove and tied the game and ended it with a field goal in overtime. If not for that many people would have been praising the efforts of Gabbert on the road. He threw almost forty times and did not make a mistake with interceptions. He did that with a cast of receivers many would rank near the bottom of the league.

Running Backs

CJ Spiller-
Spiller was profiled in our one week wonders based on the fact that his game against the Jets will likely be his season high. With Fred Jackson dinged up for awhile, Spiller is going to see an obvious boost of a role. A high value for PPR leagues as he is going to get more plays on the field and become the safety net Fitzpatrick had with Jackson. Spiller may see a load share with Tashard Choice, but should get twelve to fifteen carries for the next month.

Alfred Morris-
It’s not a shock to see Mike Shanahan use a rookie drafted late. The Redskins pounded away with Morris whose yards per carry was not high, but made an impact with each run. It’ll be interesting to see if Shanahan stays with Morris for a great length of the season. For now though you can’t argue with the amount of carries he will receive.

Kendall Hunter-
Before last season Frank Gore had not played a full season since his second year in the NFL. Not many running backs can stay healthy the way Gore runs. San Francisco has an offensive line made to run the football and wear down opposing teams. The balance of the pass and run will be one of the best in the NFL this year, and may be the difference in the 49ers making it to the Super Bowl. This is a two back NFL league now, and Hunter is a top seven backup.

Wide Receivers

Alshon Jeffrey-
People are shocked that the Bears lit up the scoreboard mainly through a dynamic passing game led by Jay Cutler. The Bears have always thrown the football, it’s just now they have the talent to make plays. Instead of seeing Cutler throw a bomb that lands on the grass, chances are higher for completions with big targets Jeffrey and Brandon Marshall.

Coby Fleener-
Familiarity is always a good thing for a rookie, and Luck has that with Fleener. Based on the catches of Reggie Wayne you can say the same for them. Fleener has a knack for getting open and knowing how to shield himself from the defender and be ready for a Luck pass. It’ll take a few games for us to know how the Colts red zone offense will be, but Fleener has the best shot at being Luck’s main target down there.

Andre Roberts
There are only about a dozen teams where a third receiver on a team is fantasy worthy. Roberts may be listed as the Cardinals third receiver, but he is more a part of the Cardinals offense than rookie Michael Floyd. Both Kevin Kolb and John Skelton look for Roberts frequently, and Roberts has responded well. He is more of a Davone Bess type that is not going to break any long gains, but he may end up with a high quality amount of touchdowns. Arizona is not known for their tight ends, and that’s only going to benefit a possession receiver such as Roberts.

Randall Cobb-
Donald Driver may have returned for a last hooray, but much like Hines Ward last year the Packers are going to go with the youngsters. Cobb and James Jones are going to be in the fray of things along with regular starters Jordy Nelson and Greg Jennings. The special abilities of Cobb make him more intriguing for the Packers to involve more, and is why he should be for fantasy owners.

Brandon Lafell-
Carolina may have a great set of running backs at their disposal, but their bread and butter is going to be with the legs and arm of Cam Newton. Steve Smith has done it for quite awhile but defenses are not going to allow Smith to thrash them game after game like they did a year ago. No team was prepared for Newton’s excellence through the air. Now they are, and Lafell is going to be a receiver that can up his value based upon the extra eyes hoarding Smith. Lafell has been a Panther that has fought to get to his level on the team, and seems prepared to have his best year yet.

Donald Jones-
With David Nelson lost for the year, Jones gets to fill his shoes. Based on Buffalo’s defensive collapse for four quarters against the Jets, they may be down plenty of games this season. Ryan Fitzpatrick is a hot/cold quarterback but when he is on he can be a top ten fantasy quarterback.

Andrew Hawkins-
Getting out in the open field with speed still sets yourself apart even in the NFL. Speedsters can make a living besides on special teams, and Hawkins showcased that on Monday Night Football. A young quarterback needs a hot route receiver he can gun the ball too for short yardage plays that can turn into big ones. Hawkins looks like he is going to be a fine replacement for Jerome Simpson.

Sidney Rice-
Rice’s stats and Russell Wilson’s debut were not mind blowing at all. Rice for the first time in a regular season game though looked like he had some of his old self back on display. He made some tough catches for his rookie quarterback. Based on Wilson barely eclipsing over 100 yards, the more comfortable he gets the bigger upside for Rice. Rice is worth a waiver wire scoop now before that big game comes.

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San Diego at Oakland -1 Over/Under 46.5

Last season was a roller coaster game for both of these teams. Oakland went through the death of their long time owner Al Davis. After it occurred the team traded away first round picks for Carson Palmer. A puzzling move by former head coach Hugh Jackson. San Diego on the other hand witnessed their perennial Pro Bowl quarterback, Philip Rivers, have his worst season as a Pro.

Both of these teams had no problem lighting up the scoreboard on a weekly basis. The defenses had a hard time stopping opposing teams, therefore Palmer/Rivers were gunning the ball each drive. That’s the norm for some teams in the league, but the accelerated hike in turnovers is not. Philip Rivers will be without running back Ryan Matthews and lost running back Mike Tolbert and wide receiver Vincent Jackson to free agency. He still has Malcolm Floyd and pro bowl tight end Antonio Gates.

The problem is going to come at reliability at running the football. Ronnie Brown’s on his last days, and the Chargers will be forced into using a platoon of backs.

With a raucous Raider crowd, and pressure on Rivers arm, expect the edge to go to the Raiders in this one. The over/under is one to stay away from but I think it’ll miss the barrier of going over by a few points.

Cincinnati at Baltimore -7 Over/Under 41.5

This is a game where the over on points look much more friendlier. The identity of these teams seems to be a little unknown to lines makers. I expect the Ravens to switch their offensive philosophy just enough to give Joe Flacco more attempts down the field. He has the receivers and showed last year that he can deliver big throws in clutch situations. Now is the year where the Ravens hand the control more over to Flacco than the constant Ray Rice show.

A weakness in the Ravens defense continues to be the secondary. Therefore any shot at moving the football is going to have to come through the air, especially if the Bengals want to keep up in this one. Jermaine Gresham is quietly emerging as one of the most difficult young tight ends to cover in football. He’ll pose big problems in this one. Dalton also has one of the top receivers in the game in AJ Green.

Ray Lewis is an inspirational leader, and the honor of this game will belong to Art Modell. Lewis was drafted the same year the team moved to Baltimore so he has an emotional tie to the Modell move, and how it affected him. Plus he held Modell in high regards as did most people around him.

Last season to open week one the Ravens stomped the Steelers 35-7. This team truly believes they should have been to the Super Bowl a year ago, and they’ll come out and play that way Monday Night. Grab the Ravens -7 and the over in this one. Dalton will keep the Bengals in the game, but once the second half begins I believe the adjustments by the Ravens will be the difference. Dalton will make that extra error inside the red zone that proves costly.

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Tuesday will feature the waiver wire pickups post week one. Before the dash to click the add/drop button in your league there are a few things to consider. And no, waiver wire priority order is not one of them. Pick your spots before being one of those fantasy managers that is enamored with the waiver wire every week. Here are this weeks one week wonders.

Quarterbacks

Robert Griffin III- His dazzling week one performance is going to be attached to his career for quite awhile. Credit Mike Shanahan for fantastic play calls. He called specific options or run plays for Griffin that the defense seemed unprepared for. Game tape is always a young quarterbacks worst nightmare. Griffin will keep having solid games, but one without turnovers consistently will be hard to imagine. Worthy of a waiver pickup if he is out there, but do not expect to start him for at least another month.

Mark Sanchez- The Jets went from incapable of scoring a touchdown in the preseason to lighting up the Buffalo Bills. Sanchez and the offense seemed in the flow of things, and Buffalo gave them whatever they wanted. The performance of the Jets offense is not typical of a Rex Ryan coached team and will not continue. Turnovers led to a good portion of Jets points which they were able to capitalize off of.

Kevin Kolb- Kolb came in for one drive after John Skelton went down to an apparent gruesome injury. With teammates seemingly looking affected by the injury, Kolb was unflustered. He came in and looked prepared and ready to seize command of the game. He did just that, shaken off Whisenhunt running onto the field for a timeout, and throwing the game winning touchdown. Skelton’s injury looks like a season ending, and Kolb will have the duties for the year if so. With Kolb though he is the type of quarterback that just can’t put four quarters together.

Russell Wilson- I’ll add Wilson to this list based on hype. He was favored on the road against Arizona based on his preseason performance. A condensed NFL preseason experience is not going to mean a great career or regular season. Wilson seemed bothered by pressure, falling backward in the pocket at times. It does not look like Pete Carroll will expect Wilson to do more than be a game manager for a length of time.

Running Backs

CJ Spiller- Whenever an injury occurs to a top twelve fantasy back, immediate action is to pickup the next guy. Especially one that ran wild as Spiller did with 156 yards. As long as Ryan Fitzpatrick continues to be shaky with his arm, defenses are going to drill in on the ground game. Spiller is not a heavy work load back, which means he has to make the most out of twelve to fifteen carries.

Alfred Morris- The young back ran his heart out and demonstrated why Mike Shanahan wants to have him as their main back. He falls forward and carries defenders on his back. That’s the problem with Morris as he does not seem to have the ability to make a cut and give an extra burst. Shanahan is not afraid to use his full roster of running backs throughout the season. If RG3 is going to continue to have success he is going to need a back to average better than 3.8 yards per carry.

Wide Receivers

Kevin Ogletree- Ogletree will likely still be a solid contributor for the Cowboys, but week one will by far be his best game of the season. Tony Romo even stated he had become use to Ogletree with Witten and Austin out in training camp. He had eleven targets from Romo, which can’t be a weekly occurrence for someone that will be the teams fourth option.

Mike Williams- Williams has seemed to turn into a tier three tight end of sorts. A red zone specialist and that’s it. All other parts of the football game he just can’t be a factor. Since his rookie year in 2010, Williams has dropped off the radar considerably. A touchdown here and there is not going to cut it.

Stephen Hill- Of Mark Sanchez’s three touchdowns two went to Stephen Hill. Hill has outplayed veteran Chaz Schilens for roster depth, and appears to have developed the Plaxico Burress threat they are looking for. A big target that can haul in deep balls, Hill will be a factor in certain instances. Besides being a big play threat, Hill is going to have a tough time being a consistent every down threat. He is still learning the nuances of the game and developing at the receiver position.

Cecil Shorts- Even with Jacksonville likely to have an increased passing attack with the maturation of Gabbert, their receivers having a fantasy impact are going to be minimal. Marcedes Lewis and Justin Blackmon should be the only two Jaguar targets on your fantasy roster. Laurent Robinson has struggled since becoming a Jaguar but between him and Shorts, they’ll offset between decent fantasy noticeable games.

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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.