Ready ... set ... no!

Ready ...

Ben Roethlisberger @ ClevelandTony Romo vs. PhiladelphiaDrew Brees @ WashingtonPeyton Manning @ MinnesotaJay Cutler vs. San DiegoAaron Rodgers @ DetroitDonovan McNabb @ DallasEli Manning @ St. LouisPhillip Rivers vs. DenverJason Campbell vs. New Orleans

Set ...

Kerry Collins @ CincinnatiBrett Favre vs. New EnglandKurt Warner vs. MiamiJon Kitna vs. Green BayMatt Schaub vs. BaltimoreDerek Anderson vs. PittsburghChad Pennington vs. ArizonaCarson Palmer vs. TennesseeJake Delhomme vs. ChicagoMatt Cassel @ New York JetsTrent Edwards @ JacksonvilleJaMarcus Russell @ Kansas City

No!

Tarvaris Jackson vs. IndianapolisMatt Hasselbeck vs. San FranciscoMarc Bulger vs. New York GiantsDavid Garrard vs. BuffaloJoe Flacco @ HoustonKyle Orton @ CarolinaMatt Ryan @ Tampa BayJ.T. O'Sullivan @ SeattleDamon Huard vs. OaklandJeff Garcia vs. Atlanta

So a week into the season and the "Big Three" quarterbacks are now unquestionably Romo, Roethlisberger and Brees. This fantasy football thing sure is a fickle game isn't it? ... Hey look at that, Rodgers has already surpassed Favre in the echelon of NFL QBs, after throwing for a touchdown (he had a long one to Donald Driver called back as well) and running one in himself. I'm loving that matchup with the Lions ... I understand that Campbell looked awful in the opener, and yes, I realize that he's nothing more than a spot starter, but at home against the Saints is one of those spots ... I would have bumped Collins up a tier if he had any receivers to throw to ... Ditto for O'Sullivan ... Cassel will be plenty prepared for the Jets, and he does have a load of weapons, but Bill Belichick is going to put the Pats aerial attack on lockdown. If you're looking for a statistical comparison, look no further than Tom Brady's first season at the helm (2,843 yards, 18 touchdowns, 12 interceptions) ... I thought long and hard about putting Jackson as a Set player after he rushed 65 yards in the opener, but I just don't see much scrambling opportunity against the speedy Colts defense, especially considering the Vikings will be handing off every play ... I know you spent a high draft pick on Hasselbeck, Bulger or Garrard, but this is no time to be stubborn. Hasselbeck will be throwing passes to his backup quarterback and a bunch of practice squad players, Bulger hasn't been good for a year and Garrard is playing behind the offensive line from The Replacements ... You weren't really thinking about starting Ryan or Flacco were you? OK, just making sure.

Ready ...

LaDainian Tomlinson @ DenverAdrian Peterson vs. IndianapolisBrian Westbrook @ DallasMarion Barber vs. PhiladelphiaFrank Gore @ SeattleWillie Parker @ ClevelandClinton Portis vs. New OrleansMarshawn Lynch @ JacksonvilleRyan Grant @ DetroitBrandon Jacobs @ St. LouisMichael Turner @ Tampa BayWillie Parker @ ClevelandReggie Bush @ WashingtonThomas Jones vs. New EnglandSteven Jackson vs. New York GiantsChris Johnson @ Cincinnati

Set ...

Edgerrin James vs. MiamiLarry Johnson vs. OaklandJamal Lewis vs. PittsburghJoseph Addai vs. MinnesotaDarren McFadden @ Kansas CityJustin Fargas @ Kansas CityEarnest Graham vs. AtlantaLenDale White @ CincinnatiMatt Forte @ CarolinaKevin Smith vs. Green BayJulius Jones vs. San FranciscoRashard Mendenhall @ ClevelandFelix Jones vs. PhiladelphiaChris Perry vs. TennesseeLaurence Maroney @ New York JetsSammy Morris @ New York Jets

No!

Willis McGahee @ HoustonMaurice Jones-Drew vs. BuffaloFred Taylor vs. BuffaloRonnie Brown @ ArizonaRicky Williams @ ArizonaJonathan Stewart vs. ChicagoAndre Hall vs. San DiegoSelvin Young vs. San DiegoMichael Pittman vs. San DiegoChester Taylor vs. IndianapolisSteve Slaton vs. BaltimoreAhman Green vs. BaltimoreKenny Watson vs. TennesseeJerious Norwood @ Tampa BayWarrick Dunn vs. AtlantaRay Rice @ HoustonLe'Ron McClain @ HoustonTim Hightower vs. Miami

Those three touchdowns last week? That was Parker giving fantasy owners the proverbial middle finger for writing him off so easily ... Grant showed no ill effects from his holdout/hamstring injury, and now he faces the same Lions defense that was absolutely abused by Turner last week. By the way, Turner sends the same sentiments as Parker ... Bush is a receiver posing as a running back, stuck in a defensive back's body. And he's a must start no matter what the matchup is ... Well, it certainly didn't take Chris Johnson long to match the preseason hype did it? He rushed for 93 yards and added another 34 yards and a touchdown through the air. The Bengals defense will have fits chasing him around all day long ... I'm not as high on the other rookie runners this week. McFadden is still dealing with the Fargas issue, and Smith has a tough matchup against the excellent Green Bay defense. As for Forte, I want to see him succeed against a legitimate defensive front four -- the Colts have some serious issues stopping the run -- before I'll trust him as a must-start player (Carolina will be a good litmus test). Oh, and lest I forget, I like Felix Jones and Mendenhall to score this week, but don't count on them for much yardage ... With Hightower stealing James' goal line carries, Edge is going to have to break some semi-long runs to get his touchdowns. That doesn't bode well for a guy who hasn't a broken one for more than 27 yards since midway through the 2005 season ... I feel sorry for all the Maroney owners out there (yeah, I'm one of them). The talent and the opportunity is there for fantasy stardom, but unfortunately so is Morris. For what it's worth, I'm sticking with Maroney over Morris this week against the Jets, although I don't feel especially confident about it ... I already mentioned the offensive line woes for the Jaguars, but I'll reference it again, just in case you were thinking about starting Jones-Drew or Fred Taylor against a Bills defense that held the Seahawks to just 85 yards on the ground last week ... Addai is becoming increasingly fragile (he left the game against the Bears with a head injury), and a matchup against the stout Minnesota defense, with a makeshift offensive line blocking in front of him, will be a scary endeavor for Addai owners ... One final thought on the backs, I know that Young scored in the opener, but so did Pittman. Twice. And Hall got the majority of the carries. There's production to be had in Denver, but good luck figuring out who will deliver it.

Ready ...

Randy Moss @ New York JetsTerrell Owens vs. PhiladelphiaReggie Wayne @ MinnesotaAndre Johnson vs. BaltimoreBraylon Edwards vs. PittsburghLarry Fitzgerald vs. MiamiBrandon Marshall vs. San DiegoPlaxico Burress @ St. LouisCalvin Johnson vs. Green BaySantonio Holmes @ ClevelandGreg Jennings @ DetroitMarvin Harrison @ MinnesotaAnquan Boldin vs. MiamiJerricho Cotchery vs. New EnglandDeSean Jackson @ DallasHines Ward @ Cleveland

Set ...

T.J. Houshmandzadeh vs. TennesseeChad Ocho Cinco vs. TennesseeTorry Holt vs. New York GiantsWes Welker@ New York JetsRoy Williams vs. Green BayDwayne Bowe vs. OaklandPatrick Crayton vs. PhiladelphiaLee Evans @ JacksonvilleChris Chambers @ DenverDonald Driver vs. DetroitJoey Galloway vs. AtlantaSantana Moss vs. New OrleansBernard Berrian vs. IndianapolisTed Ginn Jr. @ ArizonaKevin Walter vs. BaltimoreEddie Royal vs. San DiegoAntwaan Randle El vs. New OrleansDavid Patten @ WashingtonMatt Jones vs. BuffaloSeneca Wallace (QB/WR) vs. San Francisco

No!

Roddy White @ Tampa BayLaveranues Coles vs. New EnglandJavon Walker @ Kansas CityAnthony Gonzalez vs. MinnesotaBryant Johnson @ SeattleDerrick Mason @ HoustonVincent Jackson @ DenverDarrell Jackson vs. San DiegoSidney Rice vs. IndianapolisJustin Gage @ CincinnatiD.J. Hackett vs. ChicagoMuhsin Muhammad vs. ChicagoDevery Henderson @ WashingtonGreg Lewis @ DallasIke Hilliard vs. AtlantaCourtney Taylor vs. San FranciscoRobert Meachem @ Washington

The impact of Brady's injury is being felt across the fantasy landscape, and not just by Brady owners. All the Patriots now see their fantasy roles altered (I actually heard a guy at the bar, upon hearing of Brady's injury, say with a completely straight face, "that's really going to affect my Gostkowski"). The one player who still has the same value for me is Moss. Of course, I didn't spend a first round pick on him ... I'll be honest, I'm a little leery about starting Edwards. The Browns offense looks out of sync, and last year Edwards had four receptions for 65 yards against Pittsburgh. In two games. That said, I'm still not considering benching him .... Harrison may not be among the elite at the wide receiver position anymore, but he's still a top tier guy. Bank on a patented play-action, Manning-to-Harrison long touchdown connection this weekend against Minnesota ... I still believe in the Bengals offense. Really, I do. But I'm not fully trusting Houshmandzadeh and Chad Ocho Stinko (couldn't help myself) until Week 4 against Cleveland ... Was this past week one of Evans' three productive games of the season, or does the development of Trent Edwards finally make him the steady, reliable force that fantasy owners have been praying for? I'm betting on the latter ... Did you see how many times Tarvaris Jackson unleashed bombs to Berrian downfield against the Packers? Surely one of those connects this week ... As much as Mike Holmgren hates it, Wallace is his best option at wideout. He's fast and explosive, and if the Seattle passing game produces anything significant against San Francisco, it'll be on the legs of Wallace ... I just can't seem to shake the feeling that White is going to be one of the bigger fantasy busts of the year, and I especially don't think the Falcons passing game produces much against Tampa Bay, who are much better than they showed against the Saints on Sunday ... Don't be surprised to see Muhammad nearly decapitated on his first play over the middle after making that "Chicago is where receivers go to die" comment ...

Ready ...

Antonio Gates @ DenverJason Witten vs. PhiladelphiaKellen Winslow vs. PittsburghTony Gonzalez vs. OaklandChris Cooley vs. New OrleansJeremy Shockey @ WashingtonHeath Miller @ ClevelandZach Miller @ Kansas CityL.J. Smith @ DallasAnthony Fasano @ Arizona

Set ...

Randy McMichael vs. New York GiantsVernon Davis @ SeattleTony Scheffler vs. San DiegoOwenDaniels vs. BaltimoreGreg Olsen @ CarolinaRobert Royal @ JacksonvilleDante Rosario vs. ChicagoJohn Carlson vs. San FranciscoBo Scaife @ Cincinnati

No!

DallasClark @ MinnesotaMarcedes Lewis vs. BuffaloDonald Lee @ DetroitKevin Boss @ St. LouisBen Utecht vs. TennesseeDesmond Clark @ CarolinaAlge Crumpler @ CincinnatiDavid Martin @ Arizona

Gonzalez owners should be happy that Damon Huard is back under center for the Chiefs. Gonzalez caught five touchdowns all of last year, and four of them came from the arm of Huard ... Here's a fun little stat for you: Cooley had two or fewer receptions on four occasions last year (he had one in this year's opener), and he scored a touchdown in the following game each time ... After JaMarcus Russell gets a look at the tape of all the drops and boneheadedness from his receivers during this past week's game, he's going to pay extra special attention to Miller against Kansas City. Miller would have had a touchdown against the Broncos if it weren't for a bogus non-holding call in the end zone ... Bill Parcells brought Fasano over from Dallas for a reason, and he's quickly become Chad Pennington's favorite "deep" target ... Admit it, you either picked up, attempted to pick up, or thought about picking up Rosario around 7 p.m. Sunday evening right? If you consider yourself a good fantasy owner, you better have followed through, because early pickups like Rosario sometimes prove to be season changers. If you were lucky enough to get him, I'd give him a whirl this week with Steve Smith still out ... Same goes for Carlson, who is the only legitimate pass-catching option left in Seattle ... Forget about Crumpler; Scaife is the tight end you want to own in Tennessee. New QB Kerry Collins played the equivalent of 2 1/2 games last year and hooked up with Scaife 12 times for 116 yards during his time on the field. This past Sunday, Collins' first pass of the game went to Scaife for a 44-yard gain ... After suffering some kind of knee injury against the Bears, Clark can be benched if you have the luxury. The Colts will offer no insight about the injury, and it's better to be safe than sorry in these instances ...