Green Bay  42, New Orleans 34

The 2011 season opened with a bang that had a plethora of useable fantasy players.  Both Drew Brees (422 total yards, 3 TDs) and Aaron Rodgers (313 yards, 3 TDs) showed why they are elite fantasy QB options by kicking off the season with a sizzling aerial exchange. 
Devery Henderson (6 -100 yards, 1 TD), Robert Meachem, (5-70, 1 TD) and Jimmy Graham (4-56, 1 TD) were the benefactors of Brees’ scoring throws, but Marques Colston was useable in fantasy lineups as well (6-81), until he went down with a broken collarbone.  With Colston expected to miss at least four weeks, Meachem and Lance Moore (if healthy) should get slight bumps in fantasy rankings and both should be useable as high end WR3s-low end WR2s. 
Greg Jennings (7-89, 1 TD) and Jordy Nelson (6-77, 1 TD) led the way for the Packers receivers and were obviously the two starters, both playing the majority of snaps, and rewarding fantasy owners.  Rookie Randall Cobb, in addition to turning in an electrifying 108 yard kickoff return touchdown, scored on a reception as well (2-35, 1 TD).  Donald Driver was fairly quiet (4-41) and James Jones disappeared almost entirely (1-1).  Jermichael Finley (3-53) looked unstoppable in the 1^st quarter, but saw his targets afterward reduced to almost nil, leaving many owners to wonder what happened.
The running games for both the Saints and the Packers were exercises in RBBC fantasy doldrums.  For the Saints, Pierre Thomas (5 car., 31 yards; 4 rec., 38 yards) got the start, though most of the running duties fell on rookie Mark Ingram (13 car., 40 yards).  Ingram was the one in the game on the last play of the game, and failed to punch it in from one yard out.  Darren Sproles played quite a bit (2 car., 7 yards; 7 rec., 75 yards, 1 punt return TD) and looked every bit the threat out of the backfield that Reggie Bush should have been.
On the Packers side of the ball, Ryan Grant (9 car., 40 yards; 1 rec., 5 yards) got the start, but it was James Starks (12 car., 57 yards, 1 TD) that played the most snaps, including many of the third down plays, the short yardage plays, and was the one in the game to run the clock out at the end.  Even John Kuhn (2 car., 5 yards, 1 TD; 2 rec., 7 yards) got into the scoring action.

Baltimore Ravens  35, Pittsburgh Steelers  7

In a quarterback battle that has traditionally gone to the Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger (289 total yards, 1 TD, 3 INTs) was the one that didn’t look quite ready to start the season, while Joe Flacco was incredibly sharp (224 yards, 3 TDs).  For most of the game, the Steelers passing attack looked out of synch, which resulted in several turnovers, while the Ravens looked like a well-oiled machine that the Steelers vaunted defense had no answers for.
For the Steelers, Mike Wallace (8-107) looked every bit like a WR1 in rolling up a 100 yard receiving game, even though the passing game wasn’t clicking.  Hines Ward (5-67) also turned in a respectable stat line, but it was young up-and-comer Emmanuel Sanders that got the lone touchdown (2-20, 1 TD).  Antonio Brown (2-14) was on the field quite a bit as well, but never really seemed to be on the same page as Roethlisberger.  Heath Miller (3-42) also turned in numbers that most fantasy owners have come to expect from him.
The Ravens receivers were led by Anquan Boldin (4-74, 1 TD) and the promising young TE, Ed Dickson (5-59, 1 TD), who split time with Dennis Pitta (2-45).  Boldin looked particularly strong and healthy, and should continue to turn in useful stats for owners.  Noticeably absent was one of this year’s favorite sleepers, Lee Evans (0-0).  Evans was targeted a couple of times by Flacco, but the two still seem to need to work on their timing.
The Steelers running game was mostly forgettable, with the run having to be abandoned because of the Steelers falling behind early.  Rashard Mendenhall (12 car., 45 yards) didn’t get much of a chance to get the rushing game going, and the only other back to get carries, Isaac Redman (3 car., 12 yards) was a non-factor.
For the Ravens, Ray Rice (19 car., 107 yards 1 TD; 4 rec., 42 yards, 1 TD) looked very much like a player looking to challenge for top fantasy running back, running around and through the Steelers defense with ease.  Ricky Williams (12 car., 63 yards; 1 rec., 4 yards) is the obvious handcuff to Rice, but most likely will only be a significant factor in blowout situations.
The Ravens defense looked every bit the dominate squad that fantasy owners expect, forcing seven turnovers and harassing Roethlisberger all game long.  The Steelers defense, on the other hand, looked a step slow and didn’t have a answer for the running of Rice or the passing of Flacco.
 

Chicago Bears  30, Atlanta Falcons 12

A lot of owners were looking for Matt Ryan (319 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT) to take the next step toward fantasy stardom, while Jay Cutler (312 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) was much maligned in fantasy circles and in most drafts was taken as a starter.  But it was Cutler that looked the part of dangerous fantasy quarterback, looking quite sharp and in mid-season form while Ryan struggled.
Roddy White (8-61), Julio Jones (5-71), and Tony Gonzalez (5-72) benefited from Ryan having to throw the ball 47 times in an attempt to get back in the game, something that the Falcons do not want to have happen on a regular basis.  Going forward, all three look to be useable in fantasy lineups, with White the obvious choice to remain the highest value as a WR1, while Jones can be useable as a flex play and Gonzalez a low end starting TE.
The Bears receivers predictably had their catches split fairly evenly amongst several targets, rendering each less effective for fantasy lineups.  Devin Hester (3-60), Johnny Knox (3-60), and Roy Williams (4-55) were all primary targets in the passing game, although fantasy owners will have a hard time counting on any of them to be consistent enough to be utilized on a regular basis.  Tight ends Kellen Davis (2-23) and Matt Spaeth (2-7, 1 TD) were not part of the game plan enough to be on fantasy radars.
With the Bears jumping out to a big early lead, the Falcons didn’t get a chance to establish a regular running game, even though Michael Turner (10 car., 100 yards; 3 rec., 40 yards) did turn a very respectable fantasy game.  Jason Snelling (2 car., 10 yards; 5 rec., 32 yards) did get involved on third downs, as did rookie Jacquizz Rodgers (2 car., 0 yards; 3 rec., 33 yards).
For the Bears, Matt Forte (16 car., 68 yards; 5 rec., 90 yards, 1 TD) once again showed off his dual threat nature, taking a swing pass in the flat to the house for a 56 yard touchdown.  With Marion Barber out with an injury, Forte didn’t have to worry about anyone taking his red zone touches, although he was spelled by Kahlil Bell (10 car., 24 yards).  Forte is a solid RB1 and should be played with confidence, regardless of opponent, due to his ability as both a runner and receiver.
Both the Bears defense and the Falcons defense scored on fumble returns, but the Bears were especially dominant for fantasy owners with three turnovers and four sacks.
 

Cincinnati Bengals  27, Cleveland Browns 17

With two of the league’s young and promising quarterbacks squaring off, both Andy Dalton (81 yards, 1 TD) and Colt McCoy (224 total yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) started the game looking rough for fantasy purposes, but at least McCoy ended with passable stats.  Dalton got hurt earlier in the game (wrist), and Bruce Gradkowski (92 yards, 1 TD) brought the Bengals back for the win.  Dalton is not expected to miss any time.
Jermaine Gresham (6-58, 1 TD) was the primary beneficiary of the Bengals passing game, and he looked every bit like one of the next generation of superbly talented tight ends in the league.  Rookie A.J. Green (1-41, 1 TD) was stymied most of the game by the Browns defense, but finally broke loose for a late long touchdown reception to salvage the day for his owners.
The tight end position was also featured by the Browns, but the catches, yards, and scoring were split between starter Ben Watson (3 rec., 45 yards, 1 TD) and fantasy sleeper Evan Moore (3 rec., 35 yards, 1 TD).  Both tight ends merit fantasy lineup consideration going forward, and if one of them gets hurt for an extended period of time, the other could see a large jump in statistics.  Mohamed Massaquoi (3-77) was the only receiver for the Browns that had a useable stat line, as Josh Cribbs (1-13) and rookie Greg Little (1-12) caught one pass a piece, and Brian Robiskie (0-0) was shut out.
The demise of Cedric Benson (25 car., 121 yards, 1 TD; 1 rec., 2 yards) and the Bengals running game has apparently been greatly exaggerated, as Benson steamrolled the Browns and put the final nail in the coffin with a late touchdown.  Benson was the bell cow, with Brian Leonard (2 car., 15 yards; 2 rec., 29 yards) and Bernard Scott (4 car., 3 yards) only getting a token few touches.
Peyton Hillis (17 car., 57 yards; 6 rec., 30 yards) found tough sledding against a surprisingly stout Bengals run defense.  Montario Hardesty (5 car., 18 yards) got a few carries in relief of Hillis, and does look like his sole handcuff.  This season, opposing defenses are scheming to stop Hillis, so unless McCoy can back defenses off with the passing game, Hillis might run into more games like this one.
 

Houston Texans  34, Indianapolis Colts  7

With Peyton Manning shelved indefinitely after another neck surgery, most fantasy owners weren’t expecting much out of the Colts led by backup Kerry Collins (197 yards, 1 TD).  The Colts were conservative in their play-calling and had a hard time protecting Collins; once the score got out of hand, the Texans were able to pin their ears back and rush the passer relentlessly.  Matt Schaub (220 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs) was fairly efficient but did have a couple of mistakes in turning the ball over, but overall was sharp enough to bury a hapless Colts defense.
Reggie Wayne (7-106, 1 TD) led the way for the Colts receivers, and looked the least affected by Manning’s absence.  Pierre Garcon (3-39) and Dallas Clark (4-39) both had less than stellar stat lines, and Austin Collie was barely targeted.  Going forward, Wayne is probably the only one that fantasy owners can count on, while Clark owners will likely have to grin and bear it while starting him, as he was drafted as a TE1 for most owners.  Garcon and Collie owners should keep both on the bench until the Colts can establish a better semblance of a passing game.
The Texans were status quo on the receiving end, with Andre Johnson (7-95, 1 TD) turning in a typically effective fantasy game.  Kevin Walter (1-14) started opposite Johnson, but left with an injury early.  Jacoby Jones (3-43, 1 punt return TD) took over, and could be an effective flex play with his explosiveness should Walter miss time.  Owen Daniels (1-14) was mostly invisible, as he was even out-performed by second string TE, James Casey (3-29).
The Colts running game was ineffective, with Joseph Addai (8 car., 39 yards; 2 rec., 13 yards) not able to find much running room.  It was interesting to note that indeed Delone Carter (7 car., 25 yards) was the sole backup to Addai, as Donald Brown got no carries.  Until Collins is able to make defenses respect the play action pass, the Colts RBs will continue to find little room to operate and should not be counted on in fantasy lineups.
With Arian Foster down with a hamstring injury, Derrick Ward (11 car., 39 yards, 1 TD) got the start and the early carries, but gave way to Ben Tate (24 car., 116 yards, 1 TD) who had the look of a future feature back.  Tate ran strong, looked quick, and will be the back to have as Foster’s handcuff, especially if Foster continues to miss more time.

 

Jacksonville Jaguars 16, Tennessee Titans  14

In a matchup featuring two quarterbacks that are mostly looked at as simply game managers, Luke McCown (185 total yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTs) did the better job of getting his team the win, but Matt Hasselbeck (272 total yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) was the better fantasy option.  McCown was efficient (17 of 24) and got his team into field goal position enough times to get the job done, but was not really worth noting for fantasy purposes.  Hasselbeck on the other hand did a serviceable enough job to be worthy of consideration as a fantasy backup.
Predictably, the Jaguars receiving corps was led by Mike Thomas (8-55), who may get enough looks from McCown to end up a Wes Welker-ish slot machine.  Jason Hill (4-53) started opposite Thomas, and might be serviceable enough to be worth considering as bench depth at this point.  After a breakout season in 2010, tight end Marcedes Lewis (2-28) started 2011 slowly, but that also has much to do with a Jaguars offensive game plan that didn’t include much passing.
On the Titans side, it was all about Kenny Britt (5 rec., 136 yards, 2 TDs) who exploded for two touchdowns, one of them an 80 yarder.  Temper excitement a little bit though, as the 80 yarder was a result of a desperation pitch by Hasselbeck before he got sacked, and the coverage had broken at that point.  Nate Washington (6 rec., 67 yards) also put up a decent stat line, but no one should be in a rush to scoop him up off the waiver pile just yet.  Popular sleeper TE Jared Cook (1 rec., 7 yards) was very quiet, which can’t have impressed the owners who were looking to make him a starting TE in their lineups.
Maurice Jones-Drew (24 car., 97 yards, 1 TD) looked very spry in rolling up good yardage and a score against the Titans, and his knee didn’t seem to be an issue.  He was spelled quite frequently by backup Deji Karim (14 car., 33 yards; 3 rec., 39 yards), who might get enough touches to be a serviceable flex play in a pinch.  Jones-Drew wasn’t involved in the passing game at all, which bears monitoring as he has been a factor receiving out of the backfield in previous years.
Chris Johnson (9 car., 24 yards; 6 rec., 25 yards) on the other hand, looked like he was suffering from a training camp holdout hangover.  Johnson was extremely ineffective at the point of attack and didn’t look quite as quick as he has in the last couple of years.
 

Buffalo Bills  41, Kansas City Chiefs  7

Ryan Fitzpatrick (211 total yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs) led one of the most surprising box scores of the opening weeks on his way to being one of the top fantasy QBs of the week.  Matt Cassel (119 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) on the other hand looked atrocious, which has to worry both Chiefs fans and fantasy owners who have Chiefs players.
Fitzpatrick did a nice job of distributing the ball to receiver, Stevie Johnson (4-66, 1 TD), and tight ends David Nelson (4-66) and Scott Chandler (5-63, 2 TDs).  Johnson is a top 20 WR this year, but don’t read too much into the tight end numbers, as the Bills and Chan Gailey’s offense are not historically known to throw to the TE very much at all.
The Chiefs receiving was very spread out (7 players caught passes), which was a bad thing considering Cassel only passed for 119 yards.  Dwayne Bowe (2-17) was a disaster for owners, and Steve Breaston (2-26) wasn’t any better.  Until Cassel gets back on track, Bowe owners should be very worried.
Fred Jackson (20 car., 112 yards, 1 rec., 5 yards) continued to prove he is one of the best values in fantasy running backs, being drafted most often as a RB3/Flex player but regularly puts up low end RB2 numbers.  CJ Spiller (5 car., 16 yards, 1 TD; 1 rec., 5 yards) didn’t get nearly the snaps, but did manage to squeeze in a score near the end of the game.
Jamaal Charles (10 car., 56 yards; 5 rec., 9 yards, 1 TD) didn’t get many carries, mostly due to the Bills abusing the Chiefs’ defense to the point the run was abandoned.  It is interesting to note that Charles’ likely handcuff could be Dexter McCluster (4 car., 42 yards; 5 rec., 25 yards), who got many more touches than Thomas Jones (2 car., 3 yards).

 

Philadelphia Eagles  31, St. Louis Rams  13

Michael Vick (285 total yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs) was once again the story with great fantasy stats worthy of being a first round pick in most fantasy drafts, and would have had 100 yards rushing if it weren’t for a couple of kneel-downs at the end of the game.  Sam Bradford (173 total yards) on the other hand didn’t look as good as the expectations this season, and to make matters worse, he may have suffered some nerve damage to the fingers on his throwing hand, so owners will want to pay attention to the injury reports this week.
Lesean McCoy (15 car., 155 yards 1 TD; 2 rec., 15 yards, 1 TD) led the way for the Eagles running attack and looked explosive, while Vick (10 car., 98 yards) was the second leading rusher, as usual.  Ronnie Brown (4 car., 7 yards) was a non-factor.
Steven Jackson (2 car., 56 yards, 1 TD) started the game looking good, but pulled up lame with a quad injury during his long TD run.  Should he miss time, Cadillac Williams (19 car., 91 yards; 6 rec., 49 yards) looked rejuvenated in the backup role, and Jackson owners should be racing to the waiver wire to claim him if they don’t have him already.
Desean Jackson (6-102, 1 TD) was the lead amongst the Eagles receivers as usual, while Jeremy Maclin (1-20) looked rusty after missing most of training camp due to illness.  Brent Celek (1-13) continues to be a non-factor at tight end when Michael Vick is playing, and isn’t worth consideration except as bench depth.
The Rams receivers looked like a mess, but much of that had to do with the Eagles harassing Bradford all game long, and Asomugha effectively taking away whoever was unfortunate enough to line up across from him.  Brandon Gibson (3-50) and Danny Amendola (5-45) led the way for the Rams, but Amendola went down with an elbow injury that could end his season.  Mike Sims-Walker (1-5) and rookie tight end Lance Kendricks (1-18) were non-factors.

Detroit Lions  27, Tampa Bay Bucaneers  20

Matthew Stafford (305 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT) continued his trend of looking like a stud quarterback (when healthy) in picking apart the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense.  Josh Freeman (285 total yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) also ended up with serviceable numbers, but much of that came from the Buccaneers being in catch-up mode for most of the second half.
Calvin Johnson (6-88, 2 TDs) looked every bit as unstoppable as always as the Buccaneers could not deny him the ball.  Nate Burleson (5-60) and Brandon Pettigrew (4-57) were both serviceable for fantasy lineups as well, and as long as Stafford is in the game, both can be considered flex-level plays.
Kellen Winslow (6-66) led the way amongst the Buccaneers’ receivers and tight ends, while Mike Williams’ (4-50, 1 TD) fantasy day was saved by a late 4^th quarter TD.  Arrelious Benn (4-27) and Preston Parker (4-44) also got into the action, but neither was particularly noteworthy.
Jahvid Best (21 car., 72 yards; 4 rec., 42 yards) was effective as the full-time runner for the Lions, and it certainly looks like Jerome Harrison (8 car., 27 yards) is his handcuff.  While Best had decent numbers, the 25 touches were about the most owners should expect from him, as the Lions want to keep their only running threat healthy this season.
Lagarrette Blount (5 car., 15 yards) was atrocious considering how highly he was drafted in fantasy rounds, especially since he was out-performed by Earnest Graham (6 car., 13 yards; 8 rec., 58 yards) due to Graham’s receiving yards.  At this point owners have to wonder about the game plan with Blount going forward, as he only received five total carries and no receptions.
 

Arizona Cardinals  28, Carolina Panthers  21

Kevin Kolb (309 yards, 2 TDs) was a favorite fantasy sleeper at the quarterback position in a lot of drafts, and he did not disappoint.  But the real story was Cam Newton (440 total yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT), who had a record-setting day in his NFL debut, giving a hefty dose of crow for his detractors to feast upon.  Newton looked very promising; it is true this was against one of the worst passing defenses in the league a year ago, but Newton looks like the real deal.
WhileLarry Fitzgerald (3-62) had a relatively quiet night, Early Doucet (3-105, 1 TD) broke out in a big way with a 70 yard touchdown, and even tight end Jeff King (2-41, 1 TD) had a 41 yard TD.  Andre Roberts (2-21), pegged by many to be a sneaky late round pick-up was barely noticeable in the stat line.
Welcome back to fantasy relevancy, Mr. Steve Smith (8-178, 2 TDs).  Newton went to Smith as his obvious go-to guy, resulting in Smith having one of the best receiving days of his career.  Brandon LaFell (4-70) got the start opposite Smith, and also had a useable stat line.  Both tight ends got into the action, and going forward Greg Olsen (4-78) and Jeremy Shockey (3-61) may both be playable in deeper leagues.
Beanie Wells (18 car., 90 yards, 1 TD; 4 rec., 12 yards) took full advantage of having the starting RB job all to himself, tearing through the Panthers with relative ease.  No one else got more than token carries, so this is Wells’ gig completely.
The only offensive part of the game that didn’t take part in the yardage bonanza was the Panthers running backs, Deangelo Williams (12 car., 30 yards; 1 rec., 6 yards) and Jonathan Stewart (7 car., 26 yards; 2 rec., 14 yards).  If the Panthers are willing to let Newton take on defenses with his arm and legs, that could hurt the fantasy values of both players, especially if Newton makes a regular habit of calling his own number at the goal line.

 

San Diego Chargers 24, Minnesota Vikings  17

No two quarterbacks in Week 1 ended with as opposite stat lines as Philip Rivers (335 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs) and Donovan McNabb (71 total yards, 1 TD, 1 INT).  Rivers regularly torched the short and intermediate coverages by the Vikings, and smartly took what the defense was giving him.  McNabb on the other hand, couldn’t even muster enough passing yards to cover the longest field goal of the day (40 yards by Mike Scifres), and as a result the Vikings offense looked mired down.
Antonio Gates (8-74) and the surprising Mike Tolbert (9-58, 2 TDs) were the main beneficiaries of Rivers big yardage day, and even Ryan Mathews (3-73) got in on the action.  Starting WRs Vincent Jackson (2-31) and Malcom Floyd (3-45) had disappointing fantasy days, but with Rivers slinging it around, those fortunes are bound to change.
When your quarterback passes for an embarrassingly low 39 yards, you can’t expect your receiving stats to be even adequate.  Percy Harvin (2-7, 4 car., 15 yards, 1 kickoff return TD) was a disappointment, and only Michael Jenkins (3-26, 1 TD) did anything worth noting.
Tolbert (12 car., 35 yards, 1 TD) also had success on the ground, and Mathews (12 car., 45 yards) ended up with respectable total yardage numbers, even if his owners would have liked him to get at least one of those Tolbert scores.
Adrian Peterson (16 car., 98 yards; 2 rec., 6 yards) looked like his regular dominant self, although he was woefully under-utilized considering the Vikings struggles passing the ball.  No other rusher did anything of any note.

San Francisco 49ers 33, Seattle Seahawks 17

Predictably, the quarterback play of Alex Smith (148 total yards, 1 TD) and Tavaris Jackson (210 total yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) left plenty to be desired.  Smith didn’t have to do much to secure the win, and Jackson was forced to toil too much behind a shoddy offensive line already affected by injuries.  Neither is worth fantasy consideration at this point.
The only receiver threat of any note for the 49ers was tight end Vernon Davis (5-47), and even then he had a pedestrian day.  Braylon Edwards (3-27) caught barely enough balls to register a blip on fantasy radars, and Ted Ginn, the most effective 49ers WR of the day, did all of his damage on special teams (1 punt return TD, 1 kickoff return TD).
For the Seahawks, the receivers were just as bad with the exception of undrafted rookie Doug Baldwin (4 rec., 83 yards, 1 TD).  And if you had Baldwin in your fantasy lineup, then a smart bet would be Baldwin calls you “mama”.  Hopefully if Sidney Rice gets healthy, someone from this unit will at least be worthy of consideration as a flex play; until then, stay away.
The running games for both squads were also not worth noting, as Frank Gore (22 car., 59 yards; 3 rec., 19 yards) was shut out of the endzone and Marshawn Lynch (13 car., 33 yards; 2 rec., 14 yards) had his “Beast Mode” more closely resemble “Least Mode”.   Overall, this game was a fantasy wasteland, which wasn’t too surprising.
 

Washington Redskins 28, New York Giants  14

From the looks of the first game, Rex Grossman (305 yards, 2 TDs) actually more closely resembles a Pro Bowl caliber quarterback than Eli Manning (270 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT).  Grossman was efficient, got the ball to his playmakers effectively, and actually may make a decent fantasy backup.  Manning on the other hand was awful at times, and did not look like he had much in common with older brother Peyton, save for the name.
The surprising backup TE Fred Davis (5-105) was the top receiver for Grossman, tallying a 100 yard game while platooning with Chris Cooley (2-21), who got the shorter end of the stick.  Santana Moss (6-76) also looked good, but it was Jabar Gaffney (3-54, 1 TD) and Anthony Armstrong (2-24, 1 TD) that got the touchdowns.
On the other side, Manning was able to find Hakeem Nicks (7-122) early and often.  Mario Manningham (4-49) was drafted often as either a high end WR3 or a solid WR2, and owners couldn’t have been impressed.  Outside of Nicks, this was a disappointing day for the Giants passing offense.
Who said Shanahan was an RBBC scrooge out to ruin fantasy drafts?  Tim Hightower (25 car., 72 yards, 1 TD; 3 rec., 25 yards) got all but one carry for the Redskins, and he looked quite effective.  Of course, it could be anyone running the ball in a couple of weeks, but that’s the fun of trusting in Shanahan-igans.
The vaunted Giants running attack looked very pedestrian, with Ahmad Bradshaw (13 car., 44 yards, 1 TD; 1 rec., 10 yards) barely useable and Brandon Jacobs (6 car., 29 yards) lack of playing time, especially in short yardage situations with the game on the line, was puzzling.  Perhaps Tom Coughlin forgot he had a 6’4”, 265lbs running back on hand?

New York Jets  27, Dallas Cowboys  24

Both Tony Romo (351 total yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) and Mark Sanchez (338 total yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) started off a night of unexpected passing proficiency, which ended with both putting up fantasy starter numbers.  The aerial attacks were a little unexpected, as the Jets secondary was expected to put the clamps on the Cowboys’ passing game; on the other side, Sanchez isn’t exactly known for his gunslinging ways.
Sanchez did a good job of spreading the ball around, as Santonio Holmes (6-70), Plaxico Burress (4-72, 1 TD), and Dustin Keller (5-61, 1 TD) all had useable stat lines.  Don’t expect this to be the norm, as the Jets throw the ball less than almost any team in the NFL.  Going forward, Holmes is probably the only every week play, but Burress and Keller can be a solid part of a WR3/Flex rotation.
Revis Island was expected to maroon at least one Cowboys WR, but both Dez Bryant (3-71, 1 TD) and Miles Austin (5-90, 1 TD) had good games for fantasy owners.  Jason Witten (6-110) also started off the season with a bang, collecting the only 100 yard receiving game on either side.
Where was the Jets running game?  Perhaps part of the Rex Ryan messing with the head of brother Rob Ryan was to make the Jets a passing team for one game, as Shonn Greene (10 car., 26 yards; 1 rec., 7 yards) and Ladainian Tomlinson (5 car., 16 yards; 6 rec., 73 yards) both didn’t do much on the ground.  This should change though, because the run game is definitely the Jets’ strong suit.
Felix Jones (17 car., 44 yards, 1 TD; 3 rec., 22 yards) final stat line didn’t look all that impressive; until you remember it was against an extremely stout Jets run defense.  The best thing fantasy owners can take from this game is Jones is indeed the feature back and not part of a time share, as he got almost all the carries and even the short yardage plays, as evident by his 1 yard TD plunge.

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