Installing Vince Young in your fantasy football lineup during the most critical part of the season isn’t going to make your team turn into the fantasy equivalent of the ’99 Rams or ’07 Patriots – just look at Young’s fantasy points-per-week on the graph below – but that doesn’t mean he can’t be at least somewhat beneficial.

True, he has thrown for over 175 yards just once in his last four starts, and has not thrown for multiple touchdowns in any of them, but at this point in the season, those fantasy owners who are in need of a quarterback for the fantasy playoffs have probably already made due with a lesser player at that position anyway, and instead have leaned on the strengths of their running backs and wideouts. Essentially, if you need a player like Young, you’re just looking for him not to kill you.

And any fantasy football owner who has used Young before is familiar with the pain he can cause. In 2007, for example, in his second season and with fairly big expectations after his rookie of the year campaign in 2006, he didn’t throw for 200 or more yards until Week 10, threw for multiple touchdowns in only three contests, and had more interceptions than touchdown passes in nine different games.

But the 2009 version of Vince Young is a seemingly different player, and one that needn’t be completely ignored by fantasy enthusiasts. Part of the reason for that is his match-ups the rest of the way. First of all, he has four home games over the next five weeks, including three straight at home from Weeks 14-16, which are dates that make up the fantasy playoffs in most leagues. But starting this week, really only two of his five match-ups that remain in the fantasy season could be deemed unfavorable – Week 13 against the Colts in Indy and Week 16 against the Chargers.

This week, however, he faces the Cardinals, who are just 27th in pass defense, and 18th (tied) in passing scores allowed. He follows that up with the Indianapolis game before facing St. Louis, Miami and San Diego. The Rams are 24th in the league in pass defense and 18th (tied) in passing touchdowns allowed, while the Dolphins are 22nd in pass defense and 12th in passing touchdowns given up. However, Miami and Oakland are the only two NFL teams to have given up four rushing touchdowns to opposing quarterbacks, and the Rams are one of just seven teams to have allowed at least two rushing scores to opposing signal-callers. On top of that, St. Louis and Miami are both in the bottom-half of the NFL in interceptions.

So, should you count on Young to single-handedly win you a fantasy championship? Of course not. But will he impede you in accomplishing that goal like he has in the past? Not if you use him wisely he won’t.

It’s Tuesday, and with all games having been played, it’s time to get going on our weekly routine of looking at targets from the previous day’s NFL action.

- Michael Crabtree, San Francisco 49ers: Early in the game between the 49ers and the Bears, it looked like Crabtree was going to have a monster contest, as San Francisco quarterback Alex Smith seemed intent on pumping the ball into Crabtree as often as possible. But that plan soon dissipated and Crabtree received just seven targets fr the game. Still, it’s an indicator of what the 49ers think of their young first-round pick, and how big a part of the game plan he’ll be moving forward.

- Nate Washington, Tennessee Titans: With Justin Gage hurt, it’s tempting to want to look towards Washington as a viable fantasy option, especially since he caught a touchdown pass last week. But he was only targeted twice by Vince Young, though Washington caught both. In fact, of the 25 passes Young threw in the Titans’ win over the Bills, just nine throws were meant for wide receivers.

- Brandon Gibson, St. Louis Rams: Gibson saw his first extended NFL action in the Rams’ loss to the Saints, and he was targeted nine times, which was tops among St. Louis wideouts. He wound up with seven catches for 93 yards, and now that Keenan Burton is out for the year, Gibson likely becomes a starter.

- Jerricho Cotchery, New York Jets: Cotchery was targeted 11 times, which is notable because it was more than double the amount of looks Mark Sanchez gave to Braylon Edwards, who received just five targets. And Cotchery was productive as usual, catching six passes, including one for a touchdown.

- T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Seattle Seahawks: Houshmandzadeh had wanted the ball more often, and he certainly got his opportunities last week. He was targeted 17 times by Matt Hasselbeck, and was productive with nine receptions for 165 yards. You just have to wonder how much that hurt Nate Burleson, who killed fantasy owners by failing to catch a single pass on just five targets.

Other Week 10 target numbers of interest: DeSean Jackson, 16; Devin Hester, Santonio Holmes, 14; Dwayne Bowe, Brent Celek, 11; Anquan Boldin, 10; Pierre Garcon, 9; Bernard Berrian, Muhsin Muhammad, 8; Terrell Owens, Davone Bess, Roy Williams, 7; Dallas Clark, 5; Mohamed Massaquoi, Vincent Jackson, 3; Marques Colston, 2.

Overview

Take the 32nd ranked offense and 31st ranked defense and what do you get? Well, at this stage in the season you get an 0-5 team with just a hint of a prayer to win a game this season: the St. Louis Rams. The Rams have been outscored by more than 22 points per game this season, have been shut out twice, and have scored more than ten points once.

But, hey, Jacksonville is struggling too. Last week at Seattle they were blown out 41-0, a startling loss considering they actually had a two-game win streak going into it. A frustrated Maurice Jones-Drew was prompted to say after the game that he is the second-highest paid “decoy” in the NFL behind Reggie Bush.

Injuries

St. Louis: No significant fantasy-relevant injuries, but Marc Bulger returns this week

Jacksonville: No significant fantasy-relevant injuries

When St. Louis has the Ball

Steven Jackson = good. Rest of offense = bad. That may be an exaggeration, but it’s not without truth. Jackson has rushed for 451 yards and taken 14 receptions for 92 more, averaging a few bit under 110 yards per game this season. Unfortunately, he hasn’t scored yet (which actually puts him in the majority when speaking of St. Louis’s offense) so fantasy players might find that disappointing.

When speaking of a team that has scored just 29 points in five games, it’s hard to advise on starting any of its players. Jackson may be the exception, but looking at the rest of the offense it’s hard to find a receiver who consistently gets receptions or a quarterback who consistently completes his passes.

To his credit, Marc Bulger had thrown two touchdowns and zero interceptions in games this season, and against the Vikings last week he completed 7-of-7 for 88 yards and a touchdown. It’s just too bad that prior to that anomaly performance he had completed 51.5 percent of his pass attempts for a 5.0 yards per attempt average.

As the receiving talent goes, only Randy McMichael has caught at least two passes in every game this season; too bad that’s about all he’s caught. With 13 receptions for 144 yards, McMichael is anything but a stud at tight end. Aside from McMichael, Steven Jackson is the most consistent receiver on the roster, yet another reason he remains the only fantasy-relevant player on the roster.

When St. Louis plays Jacksonville this week, they’ll be going up against a defense that either allows about 25 points per game. Only twice this season has it held opponents to under 20 points, and never has it kept opponents out of the endzone fewer than two times in a game. Whether St. Louis is the exception is in the hands of Marc Bulger and Steven Jackson.

When Jacksonville has the Ball

Inconsistency on offense and consistently poor play on defense has costed the Jaguars three losses this season. Only slightly ahead of Houston going into the week, the Jaguars need a win. The way to get it, at least according to Maurice Jones-Drew, is to run the ball.

“The running game is like chess,” explained Jones-Drew. “The running game is your pawns. They don’t really mean that much in the beginning, but at the end, they surround the king and it’s check mate. That’s what the running game is.

“We’re not going to break 30-yard runs every play. You’re going to get 2, 3 yards a pop. You might get a negative run, but (defenses are) going to respect the run game and that’s going to open up the pass game and open up the run game later on, where you’re going to be breaking 10-, 15-yard chunks.”

He later engaged reporters with another metaphor concerning offensive linemen and ballroom dancing, but that can be saved for another article. The point is Jacksonville fell behind early against Seattle and ditched the run to play catch-up. A couple of David Garrard fumbles and the offense’s trouble on third and fourth down — Jacksonville converted just 2-of-13 on third down and 1-of-2 on fourth down — kept the game out of reach of the Jaguars.

If the offense listens to Jones-Drew and runs the ball more often this week, they’ll probably be met with success. (Of course, the same could be said of passing the ball; St. Louis has struggled to stop teams trying to do either of those things.) MJD has been held to just 18 carries the past two weeks, so he’s due to get a heavy load. Let’s just hope his game will match his mouth if he gets a bunch of touches.

The Advantage

Jacksonville will be tough to beat at home, especially if the Rams fail to put points on the board. Again. Jacksonville isn’t a bad team; they’re just a team that had a bad week against the Seahawks. Expect them to bounce back against the 0-5 Rams.

Booms and Busts

Boom! Maurice-Jones Drew just has to live up to his comments, doesn’t he? Regardless, he’s been good for about 25 receiving yards per game throughout the season and in the first three weeks he rushed for 282 yards and four touchdowns. I think this is the week we see the return of that Jones-Drew.

Bust! Marc Bulger is back, but that doesn’t mean the offense is. Bulger has two touchdown passes this season and in the two complete games he played the offense scored seven total points. Don’t expect this week to be different.

As the saying goes, “once is an accident, twice is a coincidence and three times is a trend.” So though there was a lot to be learned by fantasy owners from the Week 2 tilts, it’s still too early to make any definitive judgments. For the most part, anyway. Because after examining the targets from the games on Sunday, you don’t need another week to proclaim that Jake Delhomme really, really likes going to Steve Smith (15 targets in Week 2, and an NFL-leading 28 overall). Delhomme isn’t the only quarterback with a heavy reliance on one receiver, however. Let’s take a look at some others who have been their signal-caller’s favorite go-to guy.

- Santonio Holmes, Pittsburgh: Ben Roethlisberger looked for Holmes 14 times in the Steelers’ loss to Chicago on Sunday, and Big Ben has targeted the former Ohio State star 25 times on the year, which is the second-highest mark in the NFL. They only converted five times for 83 yards this week, but it speaks volumes that Holmes is getting the majority of the looks over veteran teammate Hines Ward.

- Johnny Knox, Chicago: In that same contest, Knox, the lightning-footed rookie from Abilene Christian, was targeted nine times by Jay Cutler, and they hooked up on six of those for 70 yards and a score. That was two more targets than Devin Hester received, and three more than tight end Greg Olsen. If Knox is available on your waiver wire, give some serious thought to picking him up.

- Brent Celek, Philadelphia: With so many weapons at the Eagles’ disposal, you would think that the tight end would be something of an afterthought in their offense, but that hasn’t been the case with Celek. He was targeted 11 times in Philly’s loss to the Saints, and came up with eight catches for 104 yards. He is 11th in the NFL this year with 18 total targets.

- Laurent Robinson, St. Louis: We mentioned his name to you last week, and will do so again, as he was targeted nine times in the Rams’ loss to Washington, and wound up with six catches for 54 yards and a touchdown. His 19 targets are ninth in the league, and with supposed No. 1 wideout Donnie Avery having a sudden case of the butter fingers this year, don’t look for Robinson’s role to decrease any time soon.

- Other Week 2 target numbers of interest: Mario Manningham, 13; Joey Galloway 12; Torry Holt, 11; Nate Burleson, Chris Chambers 10; Kevin Curtis, Donald Driver, Bobby Wade 9; Nate Washington, Brandon Stokley, Jermichael Finley 7; Malcolm Kelly 6.

• Kansas City – Cut WR Amani Toomer; Cut WR Ashley Lelie; Placed WR Devard Darling on IR

Dwayne Bowe is a lock to start despite Coach Haley relegating him to third team during training camp, and Bobby Engram will operate from the slot.  That still leaves another starting wide receiver position available and the moves of the past week indicate that Mark Bradley has won that position.  Darling had started the first three games of preseason before tearing his ACL and veterans Toomer and Lelie just didn’t fit into Haley’s long-term or short-term plans.  Seeing how the Chiefs’ other two options are a sixth-round rookie (Quinten Lawrence) and a player who had zero receptions in seven games last year (Terrance Copper), it appears Bradley has this job locked up.  There’s a good chance that the Chiefs will not be ahead in many games this season so they will be throwing the ball to catch up to opposing teams.  Thus, Bradley makes for a viable late round draft pick or a free-agent pickup.

• Arizona – Cut TE Leonard Pope

Pope wasn’t cut because of lack of ability or skill, but rather because he’s not a Ken Whisenhunt type of player.  He’s a better receiver than blocker and while that kept him in favor for former OC, Todd Haley, Whisenhunt needs more than a one-dimensional tight end.  Pope’s loss is the gain of two players, Dominique Byrd and Ben Patrick, as the Cardinals will run more of the two-tight end sets that Whisenhunt ran as OC of the Steelers.  One of these tight ends will emerge as more of a pass catching threat, likely Byrd, but when that happens he is nothing more than a bye-week replacement.

• Buffalo – Cut RB Dominic Rhodes

Rhodes was expected to serve as the team’s number three running back and also the backup to Fred Jackson while starter Marshawn Lynch serves a three game suspension.  His release means Xavier Omon will serve as the backup to Jackson during those three games.  Omon is not worth a pickup as of right now but if Jackson gets hurt during his time as starter then you definitely want to grab Omon.  No matter how unproven Omon is, he would still be a starting running back and you can never have enough of those.

• Indianapolis – Cut WR Josh Matthews

Matthews was second among Colts receivers in receptions during preseason and had been in a battle with Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie to be the #3 receiver.  Neither player has done much to separate himself from the other but everyone knows how important the slot receiver is to the Colts offense.  This is a wait-and-see scenario as after the first game we will have a clearer picture as to whom will get the most playing time.  Don’t expect the production of past slot guys like Brandon Stokley or Anthony Gonzalez, but with as much as the Colts throw the ball, this player would be worth a pickup in deeper leagues.

• St. Louis – Cut RB Antonio Pittman; Cut RB Chris Ogbonnaya

The role as Steven Jackson’s backup has officially been won by Samkon Gado.  Pittman had been Jackson’s primary backup last season and Ogbonnaya had received the most carries during preseason.  If you have Jackson on your team then you may want to handcuff Gado as Jackson has missed four games in each of the past two seasons.  Don’t forget what Gado did with the Packers once Ahman Green was injured-he put up over 600 total yards and seven touchdowns in just eight games of play in 2005.

• The Cowboys will use the single set back as their base offense with a second tight end on the field instead of a fullback.  That means more playing time for the mercurial Martellus Bennett.  His ability to line up in the slot, out wide, and in the traditional TE position further enhance his value and though he won’t be a fantasy star like Jason Witten, this news makes him draftable and a safe start week-in and week-out.

• Ravens Pro Bowler Le’Ron McClain will be used more as a blocking back than he was last year.  After leading the Ravens with 902 rushing yards in 2008, McClain will give up his carries to the duo of Willis McGahee and Ray Rice.  Those two combined for 13 touches in the first two series alone in Baltimore’s win over Washington while McClain did not get a touch the entire game.  McGahee is expected to get the bulk of the carries while Rice serves as the 3rd down back and McClain will remain the goal-line back which should help him retain some of the value he lost with the shift in roles.

• Rookie running back Donald Brown impressed the Colts faithful with 58 yards on only five carries in their loss to the Vikings.  Brown has also impressed his head coach during training camp as Jim Caldwell told the Indianapolis Football Report that Brown would split carries with incumbent starter Joseph Addai and the back who gets more carries will vary week-to-week depending on the matchup.  This further drops Addai’s already-sinking stock and could spell the beginning of the end of his tenure in Indy.  He has one more year left on his contract after this season and could be jettisoned just as Edgerrin James was three years ago.

• Patriots TE Ben Watson is in danger of losing his starting job.  Watson, who has missed 25 games in his five year career, missed the Patriots’ opening preseason game vs. Philadelphia with an undisclosed injury.  His replacement and former Jet, Chris Baker, shined in his absence catching two touchdowns.  But before you draft Baker, Watson, or any New England tight end remember that Patriots’ tight ends only combined for 31 receptions last year, third fewest in the NFL.  Continue to monitor the remaining preseason games to see if the loss of Josh McDaniels as OC means a gain in receiving opportunities for the New England tight ends.

• The Bills remain committed to running a no-huddle offense.  Just as they did in the Hall of Fame Game, Buffalo QBs invoked memories of Jim Kelly and the K-Gun offense of the early nineties by eschewing the huddle vs. Chicago.  The change has been effective as the Bills have completed 77% of their passes in the two games, but it remains to be seen how effective the offense will be in a hostile environment.  Buffalo played at home vs. the Bears and at a neutral site in the HOF Game.  After playing at Green Bay in Week 3 and at Pittsburgh in Week 4, we should have a better view on just how effective the no-huddle will be for Buffalo.

• Laurent Robinson will serve as the de-facto #1 receiver for St. Louis until Donnie Avery returns from injury.  Though he had 52 yards against the Jets while playing with the first team Friday night, Robinson only had 52 receiving yards all of last season.  Also, although the Rams have shifted to running the West Coast Offense, QB Marc Bulger is still struggling to get rid of the ball quickly.  He was sacked on each of the three possessions he was in for.  But next week we should get a clearer picture as to whether this had more to do with the Rams’ offensive line, or the Jets’ new attacking defensive scheme led by Rex Ryan.

• Jacksonville is using former receiver, Ernest Wilford, is an H-back role this season.  In his first play of their preseason game vs. Miami, Wilford lined up in the backfield, then motioned to the left slot before the snap.  On that play Wilford caught a pass from Chad Henne, eluded a tackler, and raced to the endzone for a 33-yard TD reception.  If he can improve his blocking, and Coach Sparano says he is, then he could be an excellent pickup in deeper leagues provided that he has TE eligibility.

• Common belief was that once Derrick Ward left for Tampa Bay, Ahmad Bradshaw would be the one to inherit his 180 or so carries as Brandon Jacobs’ backup.  While that may happen, it’s not set in stone as Danny Ware’s skill set is more similar to Ward than any of the other Giants RBs.  Though he only averaged 1.8 ypc on 12 carries in Monday’s game vs. Carolina, Ware contributed in the passing game with 43 yards and a TD.  Jacobs and Bradshaw only combined for 11 receptions last year so it appears as though the backup position is Ware’s job to lose.

With Miami beating Jacksonville and the Giants dispatching Carolina on Monday night, Week 1 of the preseason is officially in the books. There are things going on all over the place, so let’s take a deep breath and dive right in.

Chris Brown, Houston TD Vulture?: The Houston Texans want running back Chris Brown to be their man at the goal-line this season. He punched in a two-yard touchdown in the team’s first exhibition game, and the Texans are expecting him to spell Steve Slaton, especially inside the red zone. This is potentially bad news for fantasy owners expecting Slaton to come close to his numbers of a year ago, but it shouldn’t be surprising news. Even last season the team was looking for someone to ease the burden Slaton was carrying in that regard.

Carson Palmer Sprains Ankle: Bengals signal-caller Carson Palmer won’t play in his team’s exhibition game on Thursday with a sprained ankle. The prognosis is good for the former No. 1 overall pick, but his injury history is disconcerting. As you can tell in the graph to the right, when Palmer is healthy, he usually delivers for fantasy owners. But injuries are something that has to be considered when drafting your fantasy team, and this is another mark against Palmer.

Brandon Marshall Wants New Deal or Trade: Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall wants a contract extension or a new team, which is what he’s been saying since the off-season. However, a meeting reportedly took place between Marshall and head coach Josh McDaniels, and Marshall did not practice Monday night despite being healthy. It doesn’t seem likely that Marshall would get moved, but if he does, it would have major fantasy ramifications, vaulting Eddie Royal’s value while hurting the already-shaky value of Kyle Orton.

Walter Jones is Hurt: Seattle offensive lineman Walter Jones, one of the best ever to play the position, started off camp with back problems, was deemed healthy, but on Monday had to leave practice due to recurring problems. This is potentially bad news for fantasy owners with quarterback Matt Hasselbeck or running backs Julius Jones or T.J. Duckett. When healthy, Jones provides significant protection in both the running and passing game, even at 35 years of age. There’s nothing that says this is an injury that will last into the regular season, and fantasy owners should certainly hope so.

Hester, Cutler Clear the Air: Bears quarterback Jay Cutler threw a horrible interception in the team’s first preseason game against Buffalo, just flinging the ball in the air as the pass rush got heavy, but he didn’t see it that way, apparently. Instead, he put at least some of the blame on the intended target of the pass, Devin Hester. It was reported that Cutler said, ”Devin is more of a go-get-it guy. He is not really a back-shoulder or jump-up-and-get-it [guy].” Or did he? Cutler is denying he said those words, and Hester, at least publicly, accepted that explanation. Still, it’s been an awfully rocky off-season for Cutler, what with the way he left Denver, then Brian Urlacher allegedly calling him a, um, wussy (which Urlacher denied), and now this. There is no Brandon Marshall-type of player in Chicago, so Cuter needs to build up some chemistry with his receivers, and things like this certainly don’t help.

Marc Bulger out for Two Weeks: Rams quarterback Marc Bulger will be sidelined for two weeks due to a broken pinkie finger on his throwing hand. Kyle Boller takes over for now, but Bulger should be back by Week 1 of the regular season. Bulger isn’t much of a fantasy option, other than in leagues that run pretty deep, but he has been a two-time Pro Bowler, so keeping up with his progress during the season makes sense.

 This is the second part of a four-part series that details how knowing an offensive scheme can go a long way in predicting player performance.  You can view the first part by clicking here.

Detroit Lions [HC: Schwartz (Titans), OC: Linehan (Rams)]

After leading the hapless Rams to a record of 11-25 over the past 3 seasons, Scott Linehan will return to what brought him the most success-being an offensive coordinator.  He even has the QB who brought him much of that success as OC in Minnesota, Daunte Culpepper.  But this isn’t the Daunte of old, just an old Daunte, and he will likely give way to Matt Stafford at some point during the season.  Neither one will have much fantasy impact this season, but if in a keeper league, you definitely want to keep an eye on Stafford in later rounds.  As everyone knows, the star of the offense is Calvin Johnson.  But as much as I like Megatron, I don’t see his numbers making a dramatic jump over last year’s.  It has nothing to do with talent, but more so with game situations.  The Lions were down in the 4th quarter of every game, so they had to throw the ball to try to catch up.  Detroit is not going to go 0-16 again, so that means more 4th quarter leads and more running the ball to consume time.  I do believe Johnson will increase his 78 receptions because of better QB accuracy but his other numbers (1338 yds. 12 TD) will remain about the same.

The beneficiary of the increased emphasis on the ground game is Kevin Smith, who had the sixth most rushing yards during the last 8 weeks of the season.  As the full-time starter, Smith will inherit the Steven-Jackson role in Linehan’s scheme as a dual-threat back.  I think 1500 total yards is possible and because of the Lions record last year, he will be overlooked in many drafts.  He’s not a top-10 running back, yet, but I do like him as a RB2 and as the talent around him increases, he will become a fantasy star.  The scouting report on rookie TE Brandon Pettigrew is that he’s a great in-line blocker, with good hands, but cannot separate from defenders.  Well if he couldn’t separate in college, then there’s no way he will be able to do it in the NFL.  I view him as a “move-the-chains” tight end who will get his fair share of receptions but won’t accumulate many yards.  His best comparison to an NFL TE would be Jacksonville’s Mercedes Lewis who’s also known more for his blocking than receiving.  If in a PPR league, then he may have value but otherwise he should only be used as a bye-week replacement.

St. Louis Rams [HC: Spagnuolo (Giants), OC: Shurmur (Eagles)]

Little is known about former Eagles QB coach Pat Shurmur.  Under Andy Reid the Eagles ran a version of the west coast offense (WCO), so it was anticipated that Shurmur would implement it into the Rams offense as well.  Now that training camp is underway, it has been confirmed by the Associated Press that the Rams will use the WCO in 2009.  That is great news for QB Mark Bulger as the WCO is designed for the QB to get the ball out quickly with 3 and 5-step drop backs.  I’m sure Bulger is ecstatic about this since he has been sacked 191 times since 2004, just one fewer than Ben Roethlisberger’s league-leading 192.  But Bulger has also played in 7 fewer games than Roethlisberger during that period.  Bulger doesn’t have the receivers he had when he was a Pro Bowler, but you can expect an increase in numbers across the board.  He’s a guy who will be overlooked because of his team’s lack of success but he still has now tools, and now has the scheme, to once again return to fantasy relevancy.

Steven Jackson only played 12 games last year and only had a FB for 7 of those, but he still managed 1000 yards rushing.  As the above graph shows, Jackson has averaged the third most yards from scrimmage per game over the last two seasons.  That shows you the ability that he has and he remains a top-5 pick.  What the WCO means for him is more receiving opportunities which further boost his status.  He has everything you want from a #1 back and if you could guarantee me that he would play a full 16, then I would have no problem taking him at #1.  TE Randy McMichael used to be a fantasy stud with Miami, but has been relegated to more pass protection with the Rams.  If you’re one of those people who drafts your starting tight end after drafting your backup RBs and WRs, then McMichael would be a good pick up.  The only other draft-worthy player on the Rams offense is Donnie Avery.  He’s a far different receiver than Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce as those two would run crisp routes as the QB would lob the ball and then they would just run under it.  Avery is a YAC guy-he could take an 8 yard slant route into an 80 yard touchdown.  With the WCO, Avery should play in the slot more which will increase his chances for a long catch-and-run.  I had high hopes for Avery until his injury.  I would only draft him if your league allows lots of bench players.  Otherwise just pick him up in free agency once you hear that he’s practicing again with the team.

Week 1 of the NFL’s preseason has come, and while every football fan probably watched their team with at least some level of interest, fantasy owners in particular were likely examining what information they could glean out of the contests. To aid in that pursuit, let’s take a look at the games played so far (there are two Monday night games – Jacksonville at Miami and Carolina at NY Giants) and the fantasy consequences of each.

New England 27, Philadelphia 25: One Mr. Bundchen, Tom Brady, was back to his old tricks, going 10-of-15 for 100 yards, one touchdown pass and one interception while staying healthy, which was just fine. It was interesting that Patriots tight end Chris Baker was on the receiving end of both of Brady’s scoring passes. As for Philly, rookie running back LeSean McCoy’s 10 carries for 55 yards made all those that will handcuff him to Brian Westbrook feel good.

Baltimore 23, Washington 0: At least Baltimore’s defense was in mid-season form. Washington did very little, and had just 48 offensive plays all night. In contrast, the Ravens had 54 passing plays, 15 of which came from Joe Flacco, who did a solid job by completing nine of them. On the running back front, Ray Rice (whose fantasy points from last year you can see on the right) carried the ball five times for 22 yards and Willis McGahee toted the rock four times for 26 yards, but Rice’s three catches for 38 yards trumped McGahee’s one catch for seven yards, and is a further indication why Rice is the favorite to be the starting running back.

Pittsburgh 20, Arizona 10: It was ho-hum for Arizona, but worth noting was that Matt Leinart was a bit better than Brian St. Pierre in the battle for that team’s backup job. For the Steelers, Rashard Mendenhall didn’t do himself any favors by running for only 2.7 yards per carry on nine attempts, but wideouts Shaun McDonald and Limas Sweed were productive. Sweed has big-time potential, but he was useless last season, and needs to step up this year. Still, he’s someone fantasy owners may want to keep in the back of their minds.

Oakland 31, Dallas 10: Dallas wideout Sam Hurd made the most noise by far in the team’s wide receiver battle, as he caught five passes for 79 yards, while no other wideout caught more than one pass. Darren McFadden used a 45-yard rumble to amass 63 yards on just four carries, showing the type of explosiveness that makes fantasy owners believe he can have a breakout campaign.

St. Louis 23, NY Jets 20: Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez played just one series, but that was enough for him to complete three of his four throws for 88 yards and be named the starter in the team’s next preseason game. For the Rams, the early battle for the team’s No. 2 running back job is being led by Samkon Gado, who ran for 93 yards, including one 77-yard touchdown gallop.

Minnesota 13, Indianapolis 3: Sage Rosenfels looked pretty good by completing 10 of his 13 passes for the Vikings, while the man he is battling for the starting QB job, Tarvaris Jackson, completed only seven of his 15 throws. Rookie runner Donald Brown started off nicely for the Colts, running the ball five times for and excellent 58 yards, including a 38-yard tote.

New Orleans 17, Cincinnati 7: Cedric Benson did what Cedric Benson always does - ran for under 4.0 yard per carry. His 28 yards on eight carries (3.5 ypc) does little to inspire those that have been burned by the former first-round bust in the past. Speaking of busts - okay, possible busts - Reggie Bush continues to show he makes an outstanding slot receiver for a running back, carrying three times and gaining 15 feet.

San Francisco 17, Denver 16: Disaster, thy name is Kyle Orton. Fantasy owners will need to see more than three interceptions in 16 passes from the new Broncos signal-caller before embracing him on their roster. So too will Denver fans. For the Niners, tight end Vernon Davis proved he could get downfield a bit, with two receptions for 41 yards.

Detroit 27, Atlanta 26: Not much happened to speak of for the Falcons, besides losing to Detroit after being up by nine with under 3:00 to play. Preseason or not, that’s a poor way to start. A much better way to start is by doing what Michael Turner did, running for 63 yards and a score on six carries. Matthew Stafford was a bit up and down for the Lions, connecting on half of his 14 passes, throwing for a score but also tossing a pick.

Buffalo 27, Chicago 20: Not the greatest of beginnings for Jay Cutler. While he wasn’t as terrible as the man he switched teams with, he completed just five of his 10 passes and threw an awful interception, chucking the ball in the air after feeling some pressure. Buffalo quarterback Trent Edwards was very good, however, despite not having Terrell Owens. He completed each of the 10 throws he made.

Green Bay 17, Cleveland 0: Some sizzling quarterback race in Cleveland. Brady Quinn did complete seven of his 11 passes, but for only 68 yards, and he also tossed an interception. Derek Anderson, meanwhile, threw twice and completed one - to the wrong team. All the Green Bay running backs did a nice job, and it was good to see Brandon Jackson - a must-handcuff to Ryan Grant - deliver 41 yards on eight carries.

Tennessee 27, Tampa Bay 20: Little seemed to have been done to uncoil the quarterback situation in Tampa, as Byron Leftwich, Josh Freeman and Luke McCown were each okay. For the Titans, rookie wideout Kenny Britt started off with a bang, with five catches for 89 yards and a touchdown. He’s definitely someone to look out for in the rookie wide receiver class.

Houston 16, Kansas City 10: Someone needs to be the backup and possible handcuff to Steve Slaton, and both Ryan Moats and Chris Brown got off to solid starts. Moats ran the ball 10 times for 52 yards, while Brown carried it six times for 25 yards and a score. On the Chiefs side, not much could be taken away from the start Matt Cassel had, as he completed just two of his five throws.

Seattle 20, San Diego 14: Neither T.J. Duckett nor Julius Jones ran for 4.0 yards per carry in what could be a sign of things to come this season in the Seattle running game. Then again, neither did LaDainian Tomlinson or Darren Sproles in this contest that told very little about either team’s stars.

St. Louis Rams at New York Jets August 14th, 2009  

Summary of 1st half. 

JETS

Drive 1: Drive stalled and sack/fumble turnover.

Drive 2: Slow sputtering drive with a long reverse play, struggled to get into FG range. 33 yd FG.

Drive 3: Solid consistent drive with Sanchez, nice mix of run and pass, resulting in a TD

Drive 4: Sputtering drive with 3rd string QB, resulting in a punt. 

Kellen Clemens (QB) - Sacked and fumbled. Looked ok.

Marc Sanchez (QB) -  Long strike for 48yds on first play. Looks good. Looks like a starter to me.

Eric Ainge (QB) -  Fighting for 3rd QB slot. Not great.

Thomas Jones (RB) - Looks good. Looks healthy. Looks like he’ll get redzone carries. TD.

Leon Washington (RB) - Looks very good. Showing good quickness. Still returning kicks.  Contract negotiations still underway.

Shonne Greene (RB) - Rookie.

Chancey Stuckey (WR) - Looks good.

David Clowney (WR) - Enough speed to go deep.

Dustin Keller (TE) - Looks like a favorite of Sanchez.  

RAMS

Drive 1: Turnover recovery in Jets end. Sputtering drive, sack, ended in a 48yd FG.

Drive 2: Hit and miss drive, with a few penalties. STL O-line is not solid, allows sacks. Results in 53 yd punt.

Drive 3: Long deep pass…struggled inside the 20..resulted in 34 yd FG.

Drive 4: More consistent drive against the 2nd string NYJ defense, struggled on NYJ side of the field. Resulted in a 39 yd FG. 

Marc Bulger (QB) - Looks good. Looks healthy.

Kyle Boller (QB) -  Looks ok.

Steven Jackson (RB) - Looks very good. Running with power.

Kenneth Darby (RB) - Looks ok. Good quickness on screens. Will return punts too. Got lots of work.

Antonio Pittman (RB) -  Looks good against the 2s.

LaRon Robinson (WR) - Deep catch.

Randy McMichael (TE) - Looks ok.