Turf Tomlinson

Meet the new Patriots, same as the old Patriots. And when we say old, we mean 2001, not 2007. The unveiling of the Matt Cassel era was encouraging for Patriots fans, and discouraging for fantasy heads. Randy Moss owners do not want their first-round pick on a ball control offense.

Moss' first target of the game came just before halftime. He finished with three in all, one on a deep ball where Moss changed his route during the play, throwing up his arm in a sign that he was going deep. Cassel recognized the sight adjustment, heaved the ball, and watch it flutter high into the Meadowland breeze like a Pennington knuckleball. Moss stopped, came back for the underthrown pass, dropped it, and stared blankly, dreaming of Tom.

The Jets often slow down the Patriots, so let's not overreact. Wes Welker had a Welker-like seven catches for 72 yards. Kevin Faulk did his usual third-down thing. But a backfield that was full of questions before Sunday is a total mystery. New England's leading rusher by a large margin was LaMont Jordan! Laurence Maroney missed three quarters with a shoulder injury, but oddly returned for one play late. Sammy Morris scored a touchdown, but rushed for 0.00 yards. The Patriots may still win as a team, but the Greatest Offense Ever is slowly receding from the fantasy spotlight. Just like it's 2001.

Don't Panic

1. LaDainian Tomlinson has started slow before, but 40 total yards was his worst effort since Week 7 of 2005. He's had an injured toe before . but he played well through that one. This certainly feels different because of the injury, but we've doubted LT2 before at our own peril. Tomlinson says he felt better after Sunday's game than he did after Week 1. He says he won't go see a doctor again.

That sounds great, but turf toes can be very tricky for running backs. They can linger, they can frustrate, they can result in games like the one Tomlinson had Sunday.

LT2's run has to end eventually, and those who invested their top pick on him are praying this isn't the year. But let's wait more than two weeks before shoveling dirt on his grave, shall we? Stay patient. And pick up Darren Sproles!

2. At 3PM ET Sunday, the Big Story looked like it was going to be the continued struggles of the Colts and Bengals offenses. These two AFC fantasy pillars were crumbling. While the Bengals didn't turn it around in the wind against Tennessee, Peyton Manning somehow rallied to respectability against a strong Vikings defense.

Manning is right; the team doesn't have a running game. But Manning had thrown for over 300 yards by the end of Sunday. Despite all the scuffling, he's third in the league in yards through two games. An injury to left tackle Tony Ugoh is a big concern, but the passing game is surviving despite two tough matchups.

3. Nothing explains Ryan Grant rushing for 20 yards in 15 carries against the hapless Lions, especially when the final score is 48-25. So don't try to explain it.

Possibly Overrated Summer Storylines

1. The Ricky vs. Ronnie battle
2. Marshawn' Lynch's improving third down skills. Fred Jackson had seven catches Sunday; Lynch had one.
3. Who will play wide receiver at Seattle. How many guys have to get hurt for Courtney Taylor to catch more than two passes?
4. Tarvaris Jackson's development and new receivers.
5. Deuce McAllister's return

Some Panic is Acceptable

1. The aforementioned Bengals aren't right. Their offense has faced the toughest schedule in the league with the Ravens and the Titans. And we can't exactly fault Carson Palmer for struggling in 50 MPH winds, the worst I've ever seen for an NFL game. But that doesn't change the fact that Kerry Collins' Titans looked better passing the ball Sunday. The Bengals' formerly strong line is getting pushed around. The Bengals would probably be in the "Don't Panic" column, but two of their next three games are at the Giants and Cowboys. It's reasonable to think about benching Palmer for those matchups.

2. You can't run if you don't lead. Kevin Smith has 26 carries in two weeks for the Lions.

3. The Raiders called 47 runs to 17 passes Sunday. JaMarcus Russell is a long way from productive, which is going to drag down Zach Miller, Ronald Curry, and Ashley Lelie. It also won't help their third receiver Javon Walker get involved. And yes, you can safely drop Walker, who played intermittently Sunday.

4. I had Derek Anderson on our "Busts" list, but I still believe he will turn his stats around. Their schedule has been brutal and the offensive line will key efforts against easier competition. The problem for Anderson owners is that the Browns need to start winning fast, and the Browns defense may not allow it. The team heads to Baltimore next week. If they go to 0-3, the chances of seeing Brady Quinn this season rises. My guess is Cleveland needs to be 4-4 after eight games or D.A. is in big trouble.

5. Rashard Mendenhall didn't have an offensive snap Sunday against Cleveland, but Mewelde Moore did. Any hopes of Mendenhall having a MJD-like rookie season is slipping away.

6. The Jaguars running game misses their linemen. David Garrard has more rushing yards than MJD through two weeks.

7. Larry Johnson is panicking, so his owners may as well too. L.J. needs to calm down and realize he wasn't playing late in Sunday's game because he doesn't take snaps on passing downs often anymore. His owners need to worry that he's turning into Shaun Alexander, patiently waiting and waiting for a hole to develop as he's tackled at the line of scrimmage.

Injury Ward

Some of the injuries mentioned on our Injury Crunch column on Season Pass:

LaDainian Tomlinson
Laurence Maroney
Joey Galloway
Sidney Rice
Devin Hester
Damon Huard
Ben Utecht
Logan Payne/Seneca Wallace

Check out Pancake Blocks in the afternoon for more goodies and waiver pickups.

They're real and they're spectacular

Week 1 Heroes who backed it up

1. Oh, the joy of watching the 2008 Broncos. Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall's day deserved to start this entire column. They were the fantasy story of the day, the emergence of a new offensive power in the AFC.

The next great NFL quarterback can't "arrive" against the Raiders, but he has now. The kid's talent is criminal, fluky fourth quarter turnovers aside. Somewhere, Mike Mayock is smiling while remembering the crap he took from the Kipers of the world when he rated Cutler ahead of Matt Leinart and Vince Young.

Much thanks also goes to Baby T.O. for personally guaranteeing Antonio Cromartie wouldn't make the Pro Bowl again. He gave up way too many plays last season to make it there to begin with. Its fitting Marshall almost broke the real T.O.'s reception record for one game. Broncos fans shouldn't worry about the slight of getting stuck on page two today. Something tells me they will get plenty of Rotoworld love later this week, and into the season.

2. Matt Forte, rock solid RB2. He didn't score, but he was Chicago's best offensive player by a mile for a second straight week. We'll take 113 total yards and three catches, thank you very much.

3. The Philip Rivers revival is very real. With Antonio Gates and LT2 at less than 100%, this offense is still singing. The wide receivers benefit if the traditional Chargers are banged up.

4. The genius of Chris Johnson is that he can look inconsistent on the field and still be consistent in fantasy leagues. His day started slow, with only seven yards on his first six carries. LenDale White got the goal-line carries again and scored again. But suddenly Johnson can open up a 51-yard run and all is well. He's like a young Willie Parker, with far better passing game skills. Johnson played better after his big run and finished with over 100 total yards for the second straight game.

5. The Megatron hype wasn't loud enough, apparently. Good God.

The Redeem Team

Week 1 weak sauce that bounced back

1. They won't get to play a banged-up Saints defense every week, but Jason Campbell, Santana Moss, and Clinton Portis all looked exceptional for one Sunday. Beating up on the bad defenses is all we should ask for from Washington while Jim Zorn installs his offense.

2. Ahmad Bradshaw didn't have a carry on the season until the fourth quarter Sunday, but he still has two more touchdowns on the season than Brandon Jacobs. And LaDainian Tomlinson for that matter.

3. Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce turned back the clock, and punished impatient owners who benched Holt or dropped Bruce. Holt's 45-yard touchdown, however, was flukier than Bruce's 90-yard catch.

Quit while you are ahead

It took the Saints' 2007 first-round pick Robert Meachem 17 career games to be on the 45- man gameday roster. Yesterday, he was thrown the ball one time, a beautiful Drew Brees laser he caught for a touchdown. Meachem is now averaging a touchdown catch on every target, the highest career percentage of anyone with at least one target.

The More Things Change .

The Lions threw 45 passes Sunday and called eleven runs. It's like Mike Martz never left.

Speaking of Martz .

The 49ers have an offense! The offense only scored two touchdowns, but J.T. O'Sullivan showed plenty of spunk with 321 yards of frenzied passing against a strong Seattle pass rush. JTO was also sacked eight times and fumbled for the third time this year. A Martz offense if I ever saw one. Welcome back.

The Place for General Excellence

Kurt Warner's monster day against the Dolphins didn't fit into any other category. But anytime both Cardinals wideouts top 100 yards, the feat deserves mentioning. Anquan Boldin carried a lot of fantasy teams Sunday.

Committee Report

1. Selvin Young started again, but he was the third running back to get a touch. He often lined up out wide as a wide receiver. Michael Pittman continues to get goal-line carries, while the Denver pot is split three ways. Young saved his day with a 49-yard run and wound up with 85 total yards, but his owners are playing with fire. This three-way split is a trend.

2. I have no idea if LaMont Jordan will lead the team in carries again this season. I suspect he will, but good luck predicting when. The Patriots will use whatever running back is healthiest, playing well, and fits the current game plan. That's going to change every week, and it's going to be frustrating for anyone thinking Sammy Morris, Jordan, or Laurence Maroney will provide consistent value.

3. Did we witness a passing of the torch in Carolina already? I doubt it, but Jonathan Stewart is going to make it very difficult for the Panthers to keep him on the bench. Stewart dominated the workload in the second half Sunday, finishing with three more carries, 46 more yards, and two more scores than DeAngelo Williams. He's already passed the Panthers starter in fantasy value. Perhaps I'm jumping the gun, but I ranked Stewart much higher than Williams throughout the preseason, so why change now?

4. Chris Johnson had 19 carries to 18 for LenDale White. The Titans seem to favor Johnson early in the game when it's close and White near the goal line. At this rate, there is plenty of work to go around.

Yeah, this May Work

1. Kerry Collins has his faults. He can't move, for instance. But while Collins may be one of those relief pitchers that are exposed if he plays too much, he's clearly an upgrade in the vertical passing game. Titans receivers are better options now. Not great options, but better.

2. No Fargas, no problem. Darren McFadden looks more like a power back than I imagined. Looking at the rushing leaders Sunday was another good reminder that running is a skill for the young. Are we already entering the age of DMac and Peterson?

Not quite. McFadden still plays on the Raiders. And watching Bernard Pollard catch him from behind was shocking. If Fargas is out for a while, and it certainly appears he will be, McFadden becomes an every week play. Michael Bush is also worth owning.

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