by Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

There were a couple games on Saturday. Carolina versus Houston and Tennessee vs Seattle. First game action for both teams and notjustagame.com has news and notes on how performers played.

Tennessee’s first play from scrimmage was as disastrous as it could get. A designed quick throw ended up in a juggled attempt for a catch. The ball popped up right into the hands of a Seahawks defender resulting in a pick-six. Rookie Kendall Wright did not follow through the entirety of the play or could have batted the ball down or made a tackle on the interception.

The second series did not have much positives either. One was that Chris Johnson had a few decent runs. He turned one busted run to the leftside into a cutback run to the right that is a patented Chris Johnson fantasy football fans want to see.

Matt Hasselbeck looked decent even though he threw two interceptions. His last pick was a heave that was thrown as if he was ready to end his night. He had the offense in good rhythm and connected several times with Nate Washington. Jared Cook was also involved heavily for Hasselbeck, and should be a viable radar watch tight end this season. His opportunities for targets and numbers overall should rise compared to a year ago.

Seattle’s defense distracted both Hasselbeck and Locker. Crowd level noise is always an issue for opposing teams in Seattle, and even in a preseason game it was rowdy. Rookie wide receiver Kendall Wright did have a better connection with Locker than he did with Hasselbeck in a quarter of action with both.

For Seattle they are one of a few teams that owners will shy away from drafting. With a first time starter and a core of receivers that do not standout, it will take a standout performance before waiver wire attention happens. One area that should be a gem is a running back. Marshawn Lynch is going to keep tallying his solid stats.

Behind him though rookie Robert Turbin will get his fair share of carries. Turbin’s physique is comparable to former Arizona/Tampa Bay running back Michael Pittman. Saturday, Turbin impressed on his carries and should be drafted in deeper leagues.

Matt Flynn seemed quick to make his throws, even though he started out a perfect 8 for 8. His first progression is where he went with the ball, and never looked to stretch the field. Resulting in an interception in which the linebacker dropped back in the zone of a quick short throw. Zach Miller should benefit from Flynn, but no receivers on Seattle have value currently.

He needs to gain confidence in his pocket presence to be an upgrade from the quarterback woes of a year ago. A stellar defense and strong rushing attack should help Flynn progress at a proper game to game pace. It looks like it’s going to take Flynn some time though to adjust.

In Carolina vs Houston the starters did not stay on the field to long as expected. Both teams have solid direction on where their teams are shaped from top to bottom, unlike Seattle and Tennessee. Judging Matt Schaub and Cam Newton is not something to over analyze from limited pass attempts. During games two and three when both get more game action than it will be noteworthy.

Areas where fantasy owners could benefit from Saturday’s action is at receiver. Louis Murphy has dotted fantasy relevance in the past as an Oakland Raider. Young talent in Oakland forced him down the depth charts last season. Landing in Carolina and a chance to be the third receiver has importance. Carolina is going to keep spreading the ball around and Murphy should get a chance to be a top fifteen third receiver in the league. He had some nice connections Saturday with backup Derek Anderson.