Week 1
9/4/08
Steppin' Up
Kurt Warner,
ARI: It wasn't officially announced until the final game of the
preseason was over, but Kurt Warner will be the Cardinals starting
quarterback in 2008. He started eleven games for them last year
following Matt Leinart's week five season-ending injury and performed
well enough (3409 yards passing, 27 touchdowns) to place pressure
on the former first round pick this preseason. Following a few
poor outings from Leinart, the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player
was given the starting nod.
There is good reason to expect another strong outing from Warner
given the success he had last year running the offense. Larry
Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin remain paired together for at least
one more season to give him arguably the best starting duo of
wide receivers in the entire league.
With those two at his disposal Warner is a legitimate threat
to throw for over 3500 yards and 25 touchdowns. The only drawback
in acquiring him as your starter would be the possibility he gets
benched for Leinart later in the season should the Cardinals start
accumulating more losses than victories. It's also worth noting
Warner has dealt with his own fair share of injuries over the
years.
Steppin' Down
Matt Hasselbeck, SEA: Through no fault of his own, expectations
for Seattle's gunslinger need to be lowered going into 2008. Although
Hasselbeck set career highs for himself last year by throwing
for 3966 yards and 28 touchdowns, the Seahawks put a lot of effort
into revamping their ground game this offseason.
It began in January with the addition of Mike Solari to Holmgren's
staff. Solari will coach Seattle's offensive line, a title he
held with the Kansas City Chiefs for the last eleven years. The
Seahawks also changed things up in the backfield with the offseason
acquisitions of Julius Jones and T.J. Duckett before releasing
former franchise running back Shaun Alexander.
Further detracting from Hasselbeck's value is the loss of receivers
Deion Branch, Bobby Engram and Ben Obomanu. Branch is recovering
from offseason knee surgery and it remains uncertain as to when
he'll return. Once he does, which may be as early as this week,
he won't be at 100% and his number of snaps will likely be limited.
Engram meanwhile is lost for the first few weeks of the season
with a broken shoulder and Obomanu is out for the year after suffering
a broken clavicle in late August. All things considered it could
be a disappointing year for Hasselbeck from a fantasy perspective.
Steppin' Up
Chris Perry,
CIN: With the recent release of Rudi Johnson, Chris Perry is now
cemented as the starter in the Cincinnati backfield. It's hard
to pinpoint the type of production he will provide in this role,
but the opportunity itself is one that gives him great value as
a third option at the running back position.
Perry should find himself with an ample amount of scoring opportunities
as a member of the Bengals high powered offense. The presence
of T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Chad Johnson in the passing game loosens
up opposing defenses and is a benefit to any back that starts
in Cincinnati .All in all, a healthy Perry in 2008 should produce
1250-1500 total yards from scrimmage with 6-8 touchdowns.
Steppin' Down
Steppin' Down: McGahee is falling out of
favor with fantasy owners.
Willis
McGahee, BAL: John Harbaugh's selection of Cam Cameron as
his offensive coordinator this offseason gave good reason to expect
increased production from Willis McGahee in 2008. McGahee after
all is coming off a season in which he rushed for over 1200 yards
and set career highs in receptions (43), receiving yards (231),
and yards per carry (4.1).
In Cameron he was being paired with the man who ran the San Diego
offense from 2002-2006. During that time Cameron played a role
in developing the young careers of players such as LaDainian Tomlinson,
Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, and Antonio Gates. His task in Baltimore
is to now do the same with the likes of Joe Flacco, Willis McGahee,
and Todd Heap.
McGahee however looks to be facing a stiff challenge for playing
time throughout the season from Ray Rice, Baltimore's second round
pick out of Rutgers.
Further complicating matters is McGahee's recovery from arthroscopic
knee surgery he had nearly four weeks ago. Though he's participated
in recent practices, it doesn't sound like he's near 100% and
it's still uncertain as to whether he'll suit up for the opener.
Given the circumstances Ray Rice is going to get an early chance
to make his mark in this offense. Any good showings could lead
to decreased playing time for McGahee. The offseason retirement
of left tackle Jonathan Ogden could also be cause for concern,
as is the Ravens being forced to start rookie quarterback Joe
Flacco this early in the season.
Steppin' Up
DeSean Jackson,
PHI: Rookie wide-out DeSean Jackson may be starting earlier than
expected in Philadelphia due to injuries at the position. Kevin
Curtis is expected to miss at least a couple games following his
recent sports hernia surgery. Reggie Brown meanwhile, the Eagles
other starting wide receiver, has been hampered by a hamstring
injury that limited him to taking just one snap during the preseason.
As a result Jackson received increased playing time in the exhibition
games and made the most out of his early opportunity. He caught
16 passes for 189 yards and showed the type of playmaking skills
needed to gain yards after the catch.
If the success he had in the preseason carries into the regular
season he could become a valuable part of the Eagles offense this
year. At the moment he looks like a nice addition as a fourth
receiving option on your fantasy team.
Steppin' Down
Javon Walker, OAK: Walker may have landed a big contract with
the Raiders this offseason, but it's doubtful he'll ever live
up to it.
Raiders head coach Lane Kiffin has openly criticized him for
being out of shape and was none too happy about his altercation
in Las Vegas. Walker ended up contemplating retirement after the
incident but was reportedly talked out of it by owner Al Davis.
Not that a starting wide receiver from the Raiders offense is
an attractive option to begin with, but right now Walker may not
even be worth owning.
The most recent dose of bad news regarding the high priced free
agent acquisition is that a pulled hamstring kept him out of Wednesday's
practice. He's expected to be listed as questionable for the season
opener.
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