Week One Fantasy recap

(While week one of the NFL season isn't over just yet, I put this together for the Falcons for the upcoming Falcons Program. Enjoy!)

There is possibly nothing more frustrating than the last-minute decision when it comes to fantasy football rosters. You have a star player, say Arian Foster, who is questionable all week but still may go Sunday. You have to make the decision on whether or not to sit a player you spent the No.1 overall pick of the fantasy draft on. If you do sit him but he plays, he could go on to show why he was a high pick. Or say you keep him in, but the coach sits him. Now you have a huge hole in your fantasy lineup. How do you cope? Perhaps you pick up the star’s back-up just in case they do sit the star, you have the chance to sub him in Sunday morning. Or maybe you scour the waiver wire and try and snag a specialist, a la a goalline back or a slot receiver on a team that will likely be trailing towards the end of the game and will throw to catch up. Ben Tate was an excellent pick-up this week as Foster was benched as Tate picked up right where Foster left off with 116 yards and a rushing score. Or perhaps you snagged Jabar Gaffney or Anthony Armstrong of Washington, knowing that Rex Grossman would be slinging it all over the field and Santana Moss would be covered all day by the Giants. Gaffney went for 54 receiving yards and a score while Armstrong pulled in a touchdown reception.

Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees both went nuts when the Saints and Packers faced off. Rodgers threw for three scores and 312 yards while Brees topped him with 419 yards and three scores of his own. Those two will be among the top quarterbacks all season long. Michael Vick also passed for two scores and 187 but gave great value with 98 yards rushing as well. Philip Rivers is also a fantasy footballer’s dream as he once again provided some serious numbers (335, 2TD) for the Chargers, per usual.

Ryan Fitzpartick provided a load of points, passing for 208 yards and four touchdowns, but he probably did so on your bench. Should you run out and claim “Fitz” on the waiver wire? Should you start him next week? Probably not. You have to be extremely careful not to overvalue a single opening game or a game against a less-than-stellar defense. Fitzgerald simply took advantage of a poor Kansas City defense and he is one of several players that should be shied away from next week. Ben Tate is another player that you probably won’t want to pull from the well again. The Colts defensively aren’t what they were in their Super Bowl seasons and Tate will be game-planned for going forward if Foster really is out for an extended period of time. Lastly, you hopefully didn’t spend a first round pick on Peyton Hillis. He is a spot-starting back at best, perhaps a flex pick, not a No.1 back selection.

Who will have a bounce-back week in the second week? Matt Ryan faced a difficult pass rush in Chicago and while the Philadelphia defense will be tough, being inside the Georgia Dome is sure to help Ryan bounce back with some high fantasy numbers. Tennessee’s Chris Johnson missed most of camp while holding out for a new contract. His rust showed in week one with just nine carries and 24 yards. The explosive Johnson is sure to bounce back now that Kenny Britt is showing he is a threat outside and Matt Hasselbeck gets more comfortable in the Titans’ system.