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Steppin' Up Steppin Down
Week 2
9/14/07

Quarterbacks

Steppin' Up

Matt Schaub, HOU: The Matt Schaub era officially began in Houston last Sunday for the Texans. While his performance wasn't the kind that draws the immediate attention of fantasy owners, it was a strong debut for the 4th-year vet out of Virginia. In completing better than 70% of his passes, Schaub connected with star wide receiver Andre Johnson 7 times for 142 yards. He also found him in the end zone, finishing the game with 225 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception while completing 16 of his 22 attempts.

Its doubtful Schaub will crack the starting line-up in fantasy leagues based on one outing alone, but it’s enough for him to warrant a roster spot as a backup at the QB position. An injury to your starting quarterback can be a surefire way of losing a few games if you lack a competent replacement. With that in mind, make sure you have someone that won't dismantle your team by playing him should an injury occur to your starter. It's early, but Schaub looks like someone who could fill that need better than most should it arise.

Steppin' Down

Steve McNair, BAL: From one fantasy back-up to another, or so we thought. After reaching totals of 3050 yards and 16 touchdown passes during his first year with the Ravens, it seemed logical to expect a modest increase in those statistics for the year ahead. McNair's debut in the season opener however was a disaster. Against the Bengals on Monday night, McNair completed 20 of 34 passes (58.8%) for 203 yards--just fewer than 6 yards per attempt. To make things worse, he scored zero touchdowns, threw 1 interception and lost 3 fumbles.

All of this may not be reason enough to cut McNair loose just yet (bad performances happen from time to time), but there's another issue here as well. Late in the game it was apparent McNair was dealing with some type of injury as he was seen visibly limping on the field. Ravens back-up quarterback Kyle Boller came in to finish the game and it is now known McNair has a strained groin. His status for week two against the Jets is still uncertain. Given his injury prone background however, it’s not a good sign to see McNair nicked up after just one outing. Good advice would be to look for a more reliable back-up as the season progresses if you are currently relying on McNair to fill that role.

Running Backs

Steppin' Up

Adrian Peterson, MIN: It didn't take long for Peterson to showcase his talents in the NFL. Following his selection with the 7th overall pick in this April's draft, the questions surrounding Peterson weren't about his abilities to produce on the field. They were more or less focused on his return following a broken collarbone suffered on October 14th against Iowa State that forced the talented back to miss the rest of Oklahoma's regular season.

Peterson would return in time to play New Years Day in the Fiesta Bowl, but when it was revealed he re-injured his collarbone during that game it began to raise concerns about his health. Many thought that though Peterson was a bona fide top ten pick in the draft, the injury would require surgery that could keep him from participating in training camp and limit his availability throughout the preseason. As it turns out, no surgery was needed and Peterson was cleared to take part in all offseason activities. He went on to rush for 146 yards on 30 carries (4.9 ypc) during the preseason and built on that success last week against Atlanta in his NFL debut.

As expected Chester Taylor was the Vikings starting halfback, but a bruised hip forced him to the sidelines after just 3 carries and kept him from returning. In his absence Minnesota was forced to go with Peterson as their primary ball carrier and he didn't disappoint. The first round pick rushed 19 times for 103 yards and scored on a 60-yard touchdown reception.

Taylor's injury gave Peterson a heavier workload than expected, but given his performance the Vikings have good reason to incorporate the Oklahoma alumnus into their game plan on a weekly basis. If Taylor is out for week two against the Lions expect to see another strong outing from Peterson. Upon Taylor's return it's likely the two backs will split carries, but Peterson may prove the more valuable of the two by seasons end.

Steppin' Down

Cedric Benson Cedric Benson, CHI: Against the Chargers on Sunday, Benson had a miserable debut as the Bears starting halfback. He finished the afternoon with just 42 yards on 19 carries (2.2 ypc) and added 11 more on 1 reception. That type of production isn't going to cut it in the NFL and it isn't going to help your fantasy team either.

As the fourth overall pick in the 2005 draft it’s been a long wait for Benson to take over as the Bears starter. He spent his first two seasons backing up Thomas Jones. As a rookie it was a 36-day holdout over a contract dispute that kept Benson from having any chance of taking over the starting position early in the year. A bad MCL sprain suffered mid-season limited him to just 9 games and made certain he wouldn't take over the starting position late in the year either.

Entering his sophomore campaign, Benson was actually named the starter during the offseason after Jones skipped voluntary workouts due to a contract dispute of his own with the Bears. A separated shoulder suffered during training camp however would again push Benson to second on the depth chart. In his two seasons backing up Jones, Benson played in 24 games, carrying the ball 224 times for 919 yards (4.1 ypc) and 6 touchdowns. By comparison Thomas Jones would finish with 611 carries for 2544 yards (4.16 ypc) and 15 touchdowns during that same span.

This offseason despite Jones' solid production within the Bears offense, Chicago traded their lead rusher to the Jets along with a 2nd round pick in exchange for a higher 2nd round pick from New York. The move finally cleared the way for Benson to take over as the starter in the backfield, which brings us to last Sunday.

On the surface it appears Benson should have a fairly simple time meeting the standards set by Jones. Chicago's strong defensive play should keep them in most outings and allow them to rush Benson nearly 20 times a game. If he simply averages 4.0 yards per carry that would put Benson on pace for a 1200-yard season with expectations he could punch it into the end zone nearly 10 times based on the 6 he scored last year with limited opportunities. Trouble is Benson has never been a featured back in the NFL and many question whether or not it’s a role that should have been handed to him. Based on last weeks performance the Bears may regret trading Jones by seasons end.

Wide Receivers

Steppin' Up

Chris Chambers, MIA: Chambers enters the new season coming off the most disappointing year of his career. His 677 receiving yards in 2006 were an all-time low, as was his average of 11.5 yards per catch. His 4 touchdown receptions were his fewest since 2002. With so much going wrong for Chambers last season, new Dolphins head coach Cam Cameron made immediate plans to turn things around for Miami's lead receiver. So what was Cameron's plan to take better advantage of Chambers' skills within the offense? It's actually a fairly simple change.

In years past Chambers had been lining up as the "Z" receiver for the Dolphins while Marty Booker lined up as the "X" receiver. This year, those two will swap positions in attempt to get more production out of Chambers. As Chambers has noted, the move will allow him more space to operate while getting open. After one week, it appears the Dolphins got the results they were looking for.

Chambers finished last Sunday's game with 6 receptions for 92 yards. Though he didn't reach pay dirt on opening day expect his touchdown totals to climb well above the 4 he posted last season. If you own Chambers, it's likely you'd be wise to hold onto him throughout the season. If you don't own him, he's a good wide receiver candidate to go after in a trade if you can get him at a decent price.

Steppin' Down

Laveranues Coles, NYJ: Despite Coles' productive play for fantasy owners in week one, there is good reason to keep him on your bench this Sunday. Our first reason: The Jets face a tough opponent on the road as they travel to Baltimore to face the Ravens. As if that weren't reason enough, there is also a strong possibility Chad Pennington will be sidelined with an ankle injury.

The most recent reports have said sources closest to Pennington have stated that the veteran quarterback doesn't believe he'll be able to start due to soreness in his ankle. Should he be unable to play, second year QB Kellen Clemens will be making his first start in the NFL. Against the Ravens, that doesn't appear to be a very promising match-up. A less mobile than usual Pennington wouldn't make for a favorable situation either. Coles will continue to hold value throughout the season, but if you have better options in week two don't hesitate to play them.

Tight Ends

Steppin' Up

Eric Johnson, NO: In case you missed it Saints tight end Eric Johnson hauled in 8 receptions last week for 57 yards against the Colts in the NFL opener on Thursday. His output shouldn't come as a complete shock however as it’s a performance he's proved very capable of in the past during his time with the 49ers.

The issue with Johnson has always been regarding his health. Should he play a full 16 games this season there is little doubt the 7th-year veteran is capable of producing in the neighborhood of 50 receptions for 500 yards, making him a nice back-up tight end in fantasy leagues and a borderline starter though he's certain to have his fair share of sub par outings.

Steppin' Down

Vernon Davis, SF: Two receptions for four yards is far less then what anyone expected from the 49ers first round pick of a year ago in their season opener. He has the talent to do much more, but until he starts producing on Sunday's Davis' value is nothing more than fantasy hype. He's sure to have some monster outings at some point this season, but don't be too surprised when he delivers with the type of outing he had last week. Stick with him through the start of the season, but be sure to have a second option should sub par outings like this continue through the first half of the season.