Should You Start Bengals Players vs. the Ravens in Week 1

Every time one of your fantasy football players goes up against the best defenses in the league there is a temptation to bench 'em. While this is understandable, it is not always your best option.

This Monday night, the Bengals go against the Baltimore Ravens. This affects a number of the top fantasy football players in the league due to the Bengals explosive offense. Here are some key stats for the top Bengals players against the Ravens.

• Carson Palmer - 91.5 QB rating, 10 touchdowns 7 interceptions in 6 games.
  
• Rudi Johnson - 52.7 yards a game, 4 TDs in 9 games.
• Chad Johnson - 61 receptions...76.8 yards per game...6 TDs in 12 games.
  
• T.J. Houshmandzadeh - 55 receptions...87.1 yards per game...5 TDs in 4 games.
  

Based on these stats, it seems very safe to play Palmer and TJ on Monday. The only players that warrant hesitation are CJ and Rudi Johnson. However, there numbers, although below par, are not terrible. If you have a deep bench at RB, you may have someone that can replace Rudi Johnson this week. But it is unlikely that you will have a backup WR that is any more of a sure thing than CJ. (CJ had 8 catches for 91 yards in the Bengals last game against the Ravens....a respectable performance.........Rudi had 78 yards and a TD in the first game against the Ravens last year).

Bottom line: Play the Bengals players this week. It may not be their highest scoring fantasy football week of the year, but they are all elite players and should still put up acceptable numbers. Unless you have a really deep bench, you are not likely to have any better options on your team.

Are the Colts Fantasy Football's Sleeper Defense in 2007

Somebody in my league has already picked up the Indianapolis Colts defense off the waiver wire. It may be a shrewd move. The Colts, like the Chicago Bears, play a swarming defense that aims to create turnovers. Against the New Orleans Saints, the best offense in the NFL last year, the Colts defense allowed only 4 points and had 1 sack, 2 interceptions, a fumble recovery, and a defensive touchdown.

Its very early in the season and this could be a fluke, but the Colts defense performed this way in the NFL playoffs last year and they look like they have carried that momentum into 2007. If you have room on your bench or you are carrying a mediocre defense, you may want to give the Colts a look. More than likely they are still available in your league.

Hot Waiver Wire Fantasy Football Pickup - Patrick Crayton

Espn is reporting that Terry Glenn will miss the entire season after reinjuring his right knee. If this is true, then this makes Patrick Crayton this years first red-hot waiver wire pickup.

If you are looking to boost your fantasy football bench at wide receiver, or even add a quality WR2, then Crayton is a necessary pickup. Glenn posted 70 catches for over 1000 yards and 6 touchdowns last year for the Dallas Cowboys. If this story is true and Crayton takes over Glenn's position opposite TO, then Crayton could be in store for similar production this year.

Week 1 Fantasy Football Sleepers

Here are my top week 1 fantasy football sleeper picks.

• Donte Stallworth (Patriots vs. Jets) - With Randy Moss not yet at full speed, look for Stallworth to get a lot of looks.
  
• Ladell Betts (Redskins vs. Dolphins) - Portis will play, but Betts will get carries.
• Brandon Jackson (Packers vs. Eagles) - Not sure if Jackson is still a sleeper, but he has a chance to prove himself in this game.
  
• Matt Schaub - (Texans vs. Chiefs) - Schaub takes over the Texans offense and should play well.
• DeShaun Foster - (Panthers vs. Rams) - The Rams can be run on, and Foster can be really good when he is on.
  

Colts Light it Up - Shut Down Saints in Fantasy Football Week 1 Opener

This was supposed to be a 2 team shootout, but the Colts did all of the shooting on the NFL Thursday night opener. Here are some of the highlights from the Colts fantasy football starters.

• Peyton Manning - 18 of 30 for 288 yards and 3 TDs
• Reggie Wayne - 7 receptions for 115 yards and 2 TDs
• Marvin Harrison - 4 catches for 83 yards and a touchdown
• Joseph Addai - 117 yards rushing for 1 TD, 3 receptions for 25 yards

Meanwhile, the New Orleans Saints high-powered offense was shut down by the revamped Colts defense. Here are the results.

• Drew Brees - 28 of 41 for 192 yards and 2 interceptions
• Reggie Bush - 38 yards rushing for no TDs, 4 catches for 6 yards
• Deuce McAllister - 39 yards rushing for no TDs, 2 rec. for 7 yards
• Eric Johnson - 8 receptions for 56 yards

A possible waiver wire pickup is the Indianapolis Colts defense. Its early in the season, but the Colts only allowed 4 points and had 2 int.'s, a fumble recovery and 1 touchdown. Pretty good start to the year. If you watched the game, the Colts D looked fast and hungry. If Bob Sanders stays healthy all season, this could be a fantasy defense on the rise.

Fantasy Football Week 1 Starters: Wide Receiver

Here are the top 5 ff WR starters for the first week of the fantasy football season. Start these WR's with confidence.

1. Marvin Harrison vs. New Orleans Saints - I've been saying all week, this will be a shootout.
   
2. Reggie Wayne vs. New Orleans Saints - There is plenty to go around in this game.
   
3. Steve Smith @ St. Louis Rams - The Rams are still not known for their defense.
   
4. Larry Fitzgerald @ San Francisco 49ers - Fitz is poised for a comeback year.
   
5. Marques Colston @ Indianapolis Colts - The Saints will be forced to pass a lot in this game.
   

Ronnie Brown is Officially Named the Starting RB for the Dolphins

Cam Cameron has officially named Ronnie Brown the starting running back for the Miami Dolphins, after sending mixed signals that Jesse Chatman could steal carries. At this point, it should be safe to start Ronnie Brown as your 2RB on Sunday. The Dolphins play the Washington Redskins in their season opener.

Opening Kickoff for the NFL is Tonight - Set Your Rosters

The 2007 NFL season kicks off tonight with a great game between the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints. If you have any FF players starting in this game, make sure you play them tonight because this could be an offensive shootout. Here are the key fantasy football starters from each team.

Indianapolis Colts

• Peyton Manning
  
• Joseph Addai
• Marvin Harrison
• Reggie Wayne

New Orleans Saints

• Drew Brees
• Reggie Bush
• Deuce McAllister
• Marques Colston

Feel free to start any of these players with confidence tonight.

Week 1FF Midweek News Roundup

Here are some of the headlines that you need to know about for your week 1 fantasy football match-up.

• ESPN news is reporting that Daunte Culpepper will start at QB for the Oakland Raiders in week 1.
  
• Rams coach Scott Linehan says Torry Holt looks 100% to him - This is good news for those of you who ignored the news on Holt last week and drafted him anyway.
• T.J. Duckett could steal snaps from Tatum Bell when Detroit plays Oakland Sunday....This may be a no-start week for Detroit running backs.
  
• Randy Moss is not on the Patriots injury report and should start Sunday.
  

Don't Game your Fantasy Football Lineup

One of the biggest mistake that fantasy football players make each year is to try and game their lineup on a week to week basis. I equate this to trying to beat the stock market. You may get lucky with a couple of wins, but over the long haul, you will lose.

Gaming your lineup means that you bench a great player with a tough match-up in favor of an average player with a great match-up. Its very tempting to do, but over the course of a long fantasy football season, its too risky. Great players like LaDainian Tomlinson are a near-lock to get 20-25 touchdowns over the course of the season and its impossible to know in which game they will occur. Sometimes, a great fantasy football player's numbers will come in spikes or bunches. You are better off starting a great player every game regardless of the matchup rather than trying to guess when the spikes will occur.

This year, try and resist the urge to game your lineup. Stick with your big guns and ride them out through the entire season. You're likely to end up with a better record after its all said and done.

Fantasy Football Week 1 Projections: Quarterback

Here is my list of the top 5 ff quarterback starters for week 1. These guys should score well this week.

1. Peyton Manning vs. New Orleans Saints - Last time Peyton played NO he put up 6 TDs.
2. Drew Brees @ Indianapolis Colts - This one has the makings of a shootout.
   
3. Donovan McNabb @ GB Packers - 2 passing TDs and 2 rush TDs against Pack last year.
   
4. Tony Romo vs. New York Giants - Post-Parcels Cowboys could score more this year.
   
5. Jon Kitna @ Oakland - Martz will unleash the passing game in week 1 with Kevin Jones out.
   

FF Week 1 Running Back Matchups vs. Last Year

Sometimes a player's past fantasy football performances against a team can predict future successes. Lets take a look at some week 1 RB FF matchups and see how they performed last year against the same team.

• Steven Jackson vs Carolina - 7 rushes for 27 yards, 7 rec. for 30 yards, no TDs
• Frank Gore vs. Arizona - 16 rushes for 87 yards, 6 rec. for 83 yards, 2 TDs
• Shaun Alexander vs. Tampa Bay - 28 rushes for 92 yards, 1 rec. for 14 yards, 1 TD
• Willie Parker vs. Cleveland - 16 rushes for 46 yards, 4 rec. for 17 yards, 2TDs 32 rushes for 223 yards, 1 TD
• Laurence Maroney vs. NYJ - 16 rushes for 65 yards, 1 TD 12 rushes for 37 yards, 0 TDs
• Rudi Johnson vs. Baltimore - 18 rushes for 78 yards, 1 rec. for 2 yards, 1 TD 16 rushes for 47 yards, 2 rec. for 17 yards, 0 TDs
• Maurice Jones-Drew vs. Tennessee - 8 rushes for 56 yards, 2 rec. for 29 yards, 0 TDs 25 rushes for 98 yards, 3 rec. for 47 yards, 1 TD

Based on these stats alone, I would expect big games out of Willie Parker, Shaun Alexander, and Frank Gore.........with a solid performance from Maurice Jones-Drew. Temper your expectations for Laurence Maroney and Rudi Johnson.

But of course, this isn't the only factor that plays into this week's performances.

Best Week 1 Running Back Starters

The best week 1 fantasy football starting running backs are as follows:

1. Larry Johnson @ Houston Texans - LJ will have a good first game against Houston.
   
2. Frank Gore vs. Arizona Cardinals - 2 TDs last year in opener vs. Arizona.
   
3. Joseph Addai vs. New Orleans Saints - Colts will move the ball all night long.
   
4. Reggie Bush @ Indianapolis Colts - Colts will have a problem defending Reggie Bush.
   
5. Edgerrin James @ San Francisco 49ers - Over 100 yards in last game vs. SF
   

Waiver Wire Bench Rider: Selvin Young

Apparently the Denver Broncos have already found their new no-name fantasy RB of the future. Selvin Young has reportedly taken over the #2 position at RB for the Denver Broncos behind Travis Henry after having an impressive preseason (167 yards on 34 carries).

If you have room on your bench to spare, you may want to consider picking up Selving Young and parking him there for a few weeks. Henry has always been prone to injury....and suspensions. If he goes out for a few games this year, Selvin Young could put up some fantasy football points at running back for the Broncos.

Fantasy Football 2007 Live Draft Results

I recently completed a live draft over Labor Day weekend and I've posted the results below. My team is T Daniel. I've removed the "real" names of the other teams in the league.

Overall I think it will be a competitive season. As usual, there were some early round surprises. Matt Hasselbeck went in the 3rd, probably 2 rounds too early. I also felt like team 1 jumped on Marion Barber a bit too soon. The top 6 quarterbacks lasted only 4 rounds. I felt lucky to still get Marc Bulger when I did.

There was a huge run on RB's early as expected. I had hoped that Travis Henry might fall to me, but he was the 1st pick of the second round. I decided to take 2 stud receivers and wait on RB until the 6th round (This is a reception league). It was a tough choice but I feel like I have a team with some big home-run hitters. I always feel that its best to go against the grain when drafting, otherwise your team will look like everyone else's and you will have a hard time finding a competitive advantage.

Here are the results.

Team 1
1. (1) LaDainian Tomlinson
2. (20) Maurice Jones-Drew
3. (21) Reggie Wayne
4. (40) Marion Barber III
5. (41) Philip Rivers
6. (60) Bernard Berrian
7. (61) Todd Heap
8. (80) Santana Moss
9. (81) Michael Turner
10. (100) Santonio Holmes
11. (101) Dallas Clark
12. (120) Minnesota
13. (121) Matt Schaub
14. (140) Mike Nugent

Team 2
1. (2) Steven Jackson
2. (19) Carson Palmer
3. (22) Antonio Gates
4. (39) Brandon Jacobs
5. (42) Marques Colston
6. (59) Ahman Green
7. (62) Darrell Jackson
8. (79) Julius Jones
9. (82) Chris Chambers
10. (99) Jerricho Cotchery
11. (102) Jeff Wilkins
12. (119) Owen Daniels
13. (122) Dallas
14. (139) Chris Henry

Team 3
1. (3) Larry Johnson
2. (18) Steve Smith
3. (23) Matt Hasselbeck
4. (38) Edgerrin James
5. (43) Randy Moss
6. (58) Chris Cooley
7. (63) Reggie Brown
8. (78) Kevin Jones
9. (83) Terry Glenn
10. (98) New England
11. (103) Isaac Bruce
12. (118) Daniel Graham
13. (123) Jay Cutler
14. (138) Josh Brown

T Daniel
1. (4) Joseph Addai
2. (17) Chad Johnson
3. (21) Terrell Owens
4. (37) Marc Bulger
5. (44) Carnell Williams
6. (57) Jamal Lewis
7. (64) Jerious Norwood
8. (77) Vernon Davis
9. (84) Matt Leinart
10. (97) LenDale White
11. (104) Jacksonville
12. (117) Brandon Jones
13. (124) Neil Rackers
14. (137) Donte' Stallworth

Team 5
1. (5) Frank Gore
2. (16) Thomas Jones
3. (25) Cedric Benson
4. (36) Anquan Boldin
5. (45) Lee Evans
6. (56) Baltimore
7. (65) Hines Ward
8. (76) Jon Kitna
9. (85) LaMont Jordan
10. (96) L.J. Smith
11. (105) Jerry Porter
12. (116) Warrick Dunn
13. (125) Eli Manning
14. (136) Robbie Gould

Team 6
1. (6) Peyton Manning
2. (15) Laurence Maroney
3. (26) Ronnie Brown
4. (33) Roy Williams
5. (46) Marshawn Lynch
6. (55) Laveranues Coles
7. (66) Alge Crumpler
8. (75) Tony Romo
9. (86) Fred Taylor
10. (95) Benjamin Watson
11. (106) Mark Clayton
12. (115) Joe Horn
13. (126) Olindo Mare
14. (135) Philadelphia

Team 7
1. (7) Shaun Alexander
2. (14) Marvin Harrison
3. (27) Deuce McAllister
4. (34) Tom Brady
5. (47) Clinton Portis
6. (54) Plaxico Burress
7. (67) Ladell Betts
8. (74) Joey Galloway
9. (87) Chester Taylor
10. (94) Vincent Jackson
11. (107) Heath Miller
12. (114) Denver
13. (127) Brett Favre
14. (134) Matt Stover

Team 8
1. (8) Willie Parker
2. (13) Willis McGahee
3. (28) Drew Brees
4. (33) Javon Walker
5. (48) Andre Johnson
6. (53) Jeremy Shockey
7. (68) Tatum Bell
8. (73) Brandon Jackson
9. (88) San Diego
10. (93) Braylon Edwards
11. (108) DeShaun Foster
12. (113) Wes Welker
13. (128) Alex Smith
14. (133) Stephen Gostkowski

Team 9
1. (9) Brian Westbrook
2. (12) Rudi Johnson
3. (29) Donovan McNabb
4. (32) Torry Holt
5. (49) Tony Gonzalez
6. (52) Donald Driver
7. (69) DeAngelo Williams
8. (72) Deion Branch
9. (89) Jason Witten
10. (92) Vernand Morency
11. (109) Devery Henderson
12. (112) Nate Kaeding
13. (129) Carolina
14. (132) Jacoby Jones

Team 10
1. (10) Reggie Bush
2. (11) Travis Henry
3. (30) Larry Fitzgerald
4. (31) T.J. Houshmandzadeh
5. (50) Adrian Peterson
6. (51) Chicago
7. (70) Vince Young
8. (71) Kellen Winslow
9. (90) Adam Vinatieri
10. (91) Calvin Johnson
11. (110) Ben Roethlisberger
12. (111) Leon Washington
13. (130) Shayne Graham
14. (131) D.J. Hackett

Fantasy Football Week 1 Running Back Updates

Its time to start working on fantasy football lineups for week 1. Here are some running back updates to digest as you plan out your first matchup.

• Portis completed a regular practice and will "take the load" with Ladell Betts in week 1.
  
• Kevin Jones was not placed on the PUP list and practiced Monday. He is now considered week to week.
  
• Frank Gore practiced Monday and will wear a right hand pad in his first start.
  
• Cecil Sapp is now listed as the #2 running back on the Denver Broncos depth chart.
  
• Thomas Jones is reportedly ready to practice this week and should start week 1.
  
• Brandon Jackson is expected to start for the Packers on Sunday.