By Zack Cimini
Notjustagame23@gmail.com

Week one is practically in the books and serious question marks have already risen, or for some fantasy players re-risen. Those of you that drafted some of the players we are about to mention might be panicking already. Before you dig in for a potential trade lets analyze some of the bust performances that occurred. It’s only one game but for most of these guys it’s lingering from last season.

DeSean Jackson
In a game where Philadelphia abandoned the run extremely early you would of expected Jackson to have a showcase game. Didn’t happen. He was quiet all night and his catches were short out routes with no YAC. Not what were use to from his 2008 and 2009 seasons. Just goes to show a different quarterback does make a difference. It looks like Jackson may have to get use to another arm in that of Vick’s here shortly, which could lower Jackson’s value even more.

Frank Gore
Gore is a prolific back no question about it. Are worries have to do with Alex Smith who looks as if he is in the bottom five of the league in that department. If he does not improve the formula the Seahawks used to stop Gore will be replayed all season. Seattle stacked the box and dared Smith to beat them with his arm. He couldn’t do it, and Gore suffered immensely from it.

CJ Spiller
Spiller had one of the best preseasons of any running back which had analysts sky warding him up draft boards. So for week one he goes out and gets fantasy owners a fabulous point total of one, and that’s if your league combines total yards. Buffalo’s offense has been anemic for years. Spiller’s going to have to earn his yards this year the tough way.

Mike Turner
His breakout season of 2008 is really starting to look like light ages ago. Last year he blamed his performance on fighting through nagging injuries and bulking up too much. The weight was lost and he was supposed to be back to 2008 form. Facing the Steelers is usually a tough task so will downplay his week one performance for now. We are still worried though. Maybe he just had too many carries in 2008.

Brandon Jacobs
The Giants survived week one thanks in large part to Matt Moore giving away three critical interceptions inside Giants territory. A win can keep certain aspects hidden temporarily. Not Jacobs. He just can not penetrate holes and carry the ball like he did two to three years ago. He looks like a big lumbering fullback carrying the ball, and defenders are taking him down with ease. If New York is going to be successful they’re going to have to replace Jacobs as the feature back quickly.

Tim Hightower

Squandered a starting role with Beanie out by doing what he did best last season, fumble. Hightower fumbled the ball twice and did little to get the balance offensively the Cardinals needed. Maybe he should of trained with AP in the offseason to work on his fumbling issues. He was near the top last season and is already on pace to earn those honors again.

Alex Smith
An atrocious outing by Smith just has Niner nation dumbfounded. Many had picked them to get over the hump they’ve been fighting since Steve Young retired. Defensively they weren’t there, and if Smith does not pick it up the team will likely lose interest. It all starts at the quarterback position and Smith just does not have it.

Jason Campbell
Debuting with a new team couldn’t go any worse than Campbell’s Sunday. He threw the football 37 times and average yards per attempt was below five. That’s Jamarcus Russel type numbers. Campbell needs to remove this game from his memory and utilize his speedy receivers. He has the arm to gun the football but needs to show some daringness to get out of his methodical approach.

Derek Anderson
He got the Cardinals a win with a late fourth quarter drive for a touchdown against the…….Rams. Were thinking Matt Leinart could of equaled or had this game wrapped up well before hand. Anderson has the arm but just can not seem to locate the football with regularity. His accuracy beyond ten yards is just erratic. For his credit Larry Fitzgerald is only around 70 percent, and he is working with a young cast of receivers without a formidable tight end to throw to.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

We’ve had a Mike Williams sighting. He was seemingly written off after bustling out as a first round pick by the Lions, and small stints with the Raiders and Titans. Someone has woken him up. Linking back up with his former USC coach, Pete Carrol, may have done the trick. Thus far in preseason Williams looks like the tall physical specimen everyone expected him to be. The thing different from him now than in years past is that he seems to be in supreme shape. That is enabling him to create a bit of separation against opposing defensive backs while utilizing his tight end size.

In the first two preseason games, Williams has had two solid performances. He had a big catch for a fifty one yard touchdown, and this past week had four catches for nearly fifty yards. Talks are in place with Seattle negotiating contract lingo with Chargers receiver Vincent Jackson. Delays between the Seahawks front office and Jackson’s agent could be the best thing for Mike Williams. He’d be buried if the Seahawks trade for Jackson, and would still have to fight off rookie Golden Tate. Currently it seems like Williams could be the Seahawks third receiver if the roster stays the same.

Deion Branch and TJ Housh are older veterans that have fought off injuries, especially Branch. Chances are at some point in the year either or could fade. Williams will have to stay completely focused in order to stay on the radar in Seattle. Remember he was the tenth pick in the draft in 2005. He has the talent to shine and cause some friction amongst his fellow Seahawk receivers. Hasselbeck was looking his way numerous times especially on third downs in their past preseason game.

Keep an eye on Williams as the Seahawks should have three formidable fantasy receivers. They’ve typically been fantasy friendly at the receiver position. If Hasselbeck can stay healthy it should happen again in 2010. Looking at their running back situation only spotlights the receivers more. Julius Jones and Justin Forsett are the same tandem a year ago that had a hard time netting 1,200 yards rushing combined.

By Vidur Malik

The shelf life for an NFL running back is usually short, and when the prime years have passed, it happens abruptly. Running backs can go from putting up a string of 1,000+ yard, 10 touchdown+ seasons, to being demoted to a third-down or situational back in the matter of a season or two.

The Washington Redskins currently have three backs who could fall into this category. Larry Johnson, Willie Parker, and Clinton Portis have all been considered elite running backs at one time in their careers, but have since dropped from that level. Here’s a look at all three Redskin backs, and how they could fare this year:

Clinton Portis-

Portis looks to be the starter coming into this season, and is not far removed from his 1,000 yard years. He only put up 494 yards and one touchdown last year, but missed half the season because of a concussion. Only two years ago, Portis had 1,487 yards and nine touchdowns, so his elite number days are probably not behind him. One good sign is that his yards per carry average has usually stayed around the 4.0 mark recently. One of the signs of an aging running back is a significant drop in yards per carry, and even though Portis is far from the impressive 5.5 yards per carry he had his first two seasons, he has still been solid in that category. He did take a few dips into the 3.8-3.9 mark a few years ago, but if he can keep it to around 4 this year, that should result in a productive season. He should be able to approach the 1,000 yard mark if he has been able to shake off the concussion, and if he can stay healthy, Portis should be a back you can draft pretty confidently.

Larry Johnson-

Johnson is not the back he once was. After putting up back-to-back 1,700+ yard seasons in 2005 and 2006, Johnson has not been able to get past a foot injury, which has sidelined him for games, and made his numbers take a severe drop. Last year, with the Cincinnati Bengals, he recorded only 204 yards with 0 touchdowns, while Cedric Benson resurrected his career with an All-Pro season. It doesn’t look like Johnson will be able to do the same in Washington. He’ll have to beat out Portis, or at least compete with him to get significant playing time, and with new quarterback Donovan McNabb and a solid group of receivers on offense, it will be tough for Johnson to get many reps. It’s sad to see a guy who was once the class of running backs struggle to get carries, but the situation isn’t ideal for Johnson, and unless you’ve got a late pick that you don’t know what to do with, it might be smart to hold off on him.

Willie Parker-

It looks like the man they used to call “Fast” Willie Parker will need to find a new nickname. Parker’s drop in production may be the most difficult to reverse of all three Redskin backs. While Portis and Johnson haven’t performed as well as they used to, it isn’t as difficult for them to show flashes of their former selves, because they are both downhill runners who make one cut and use their vision to explode through holes. Parker only relied on his quickness to gain yards in his glory days as a Pittsburgh Steeler, and when the speed goes, a running back’s time on the top is usually gone as well. After three consecutive 1,200+ yard years, Parker suffered a toe injury in 2008, which was the beginning of the end for him. He only had 98 carries last year, and didn’t score any touchdowns. Reports indicated that Parker lacked speed at the Redskins’ minicamp, which means that he isn’t a guy worth drafting.

By Vidur Malik

Around the league, talented wide receivers seem to keep on sprouting up year after year. Every team has multiple receivers who can have breakout games any given week. Because there are so many productive wide outs, there are bound to be players that can help your fantasy team who won’t be picked on draft day. If one of your players isn’t getting it done, you should be able to drop him for another receiver who can help your team. Picking up one of these players during the season off of waivers can boost your point totals, and gives you the opportunity to make a more educated decision, because you can make your choice based on how the player has performed during the season, which you can’t do in the off-season. Rookies who you want to keep an eye on before adding them to your team, number two or three wide outs who aren’t enough of a lock to use a draft pick on, or veterans who need to show that they have enough left in the tank are examples of receivers who are great for mid-season pickups. Here are five guys to look out for if you want to switch up your roster during the season:

Terrell Owens- Until T.O. signs with a team, picking him up off waivers is the only way you can have him on your squad. If he does participate in a training camp and settles down somewhere, he is still worth keeping an eye on. Last year was a down year for Owens, who had 829 receiving yards and five touchdowns, and even though he might not be a number one receiver anymore, there is nothing to suggest that he can’t get it done anymore. If he lands on a team and isn’t drafted in your league, he could be a valuable addition.

Brian Hartline, Miami Dolphins- The addition of Brandon Marshall should open things up for other Dolphins receivers. Hartline should benefit from more looks with Marshall occupying defenses. Davone Bess had a solid year for the Dolphins last year, and he should see an improvement from his two touchdown catches last year. Bess is worth a late draft pick, so Hartline is a guy to look at during the season. He caught 31 passes last year for just over 500 yards and three touchdowns, and if he can take advantage of the opportunities he will get, he will be a smart addition to your team.

Mark Clayton, Baltimore Ravens- Anquan Boldin and Derrick Mason will be reliable targets for quarterback Joe Flacco, and if Clayton can become another option, the Ravens offense will take off. Clayton caught 34 balls last year for 480 yards and two touchdowns, which were dips in production for him compared to previous seasons. With the addition of an All-pro wideout in Boldin, and expectations of a big year from Flacco, Clayton could be a guy who gets overlooked, but ends up having a good year.

Demaryius Thomas, Denver Broncos- The Broncos used their first-round draft pick on Thomas, a big receiver out of Georgia Tech. At 6’3” and 229 lbs., Thomas can get rough with defenders, and seems to have the physical ability to be a productive receiver. Because Brandon Marshall is gone and the quarterback situation in Denver isn’t wrapped up, it would be wise to keep Thomas on your radar early in the season. If he puts up good numbers consistently, he could be a great acquisition.

James Jones, Green Bay Packers- Jones had a solid rookie season in 2007, but had a down year in 2008 after suffering an injury. He came back with a productive 2009, with 440 receiving yards and five touchdowns on 32 catches, and is a player who can see a big jump in numbers this year. Greg Jennings and Donald Driver are locks to have good seasons, and quarterback Aaron Rodgers is a surefire elite NFL quarterback. Jones should get plenty of opportunities to become a consistent contributor to the Packers offense. If he isn’t drafted, he should be a very productive receiver for the owner who has the smarts to get him.