The fantasy football season has concluded in many leagues, and will reach it’s denouement in other leagues shortly. And with that in mind, and a new year upon us, now seems like a good time to review, position-by-position, what went on this season, and compare it to what we thought would happen going into the year. (Note: All statistics are through Week 16)

QUARTERBACKS

BIGGEST BUST - Matt Cassel, Kansas City: After being traded to the Chiefs and signing a big new contract, Cassel came into this season as, at worst, a QB2, with some fantasy football owners considering him as a possible low-end starter, depending on the match-up. He hasn’t lived up to the contract he signed, and he wasn’t even on most fantasy radars after the beginning of the season. He is 21st in the NFL in passing yards with 2,717, tied for 20th in touchdown throws with 16, is tied for seventh in the league with 15 interceptions, and is 28th with a completion percentage of 55.0.

- Runners-Up: Jay Cutler, David Garrard

BEST VALUE - Kyle Orton, Denver Broncos: Orton was considered far down the totem pole of fantasy quarterbacks, and though he certainly wasn’t an every week starter, he was solid enough to play if the match-up was correct. He threw for 20 touchdowns, which was tied for 16th in the NFL, and 3,371 yards, which was 15th. Orton didn’t hurt his fantasy owners with negative points much, either, throwing only eight interceptions.

- Runners Up:  Joe Flacco, Ben Roethlisberger

RUNNING BACKS

BIGGEST BUST - Darren McFadden, Oakland Raiders: While nobody had McFadden as a first-round pick, it was generally thought that he would make a solid contribution as a RB2, or flex play on most weeks. To say that hasn’t happened is an understatement. McFadden was on most waiver wires at the end of the season with numbers that were paltry even when you consider the fact that he missed four games. The former Arkansas Razorbacks star has run for 348 yards, at 3.5 per carry, and just one touchdown, with 21 catches for 245 yards. If anybody told you before the season that McFadden would have three times the amount of lost fumbles as he did touchdowns going into the season’s final week, would you have believed it?

- Runners Up: Steve Slaton, Larry Johnson

BEST VALUE - Rashard Mendenhall, Pittsburgh Steelers: This was a close call, as both Ray Rice and Ricky Williams were close, but they were likely drafted higher than Mendenhall. But considering that Mendenhall didn’t play much last season due to injury, and had all of 45 yards through the season’s first three games, he gets the nod. Mendenhall is 11th in the NFL in rushing with over 1,000 yards, and has scored seven touchdowns.

- Runners Up: Rice, Williams

WIDE RECEIVERS

BIGGEST BUST - T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Seattle Seahawks: Houshmandzadeh came to Seattle over Minnesota in part because he liked the team’s quarterback situation more. That turned out to be a great thing for the Vikings, who saw players like Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin emerge, while Houshmandzadeh struggled all season, ranking 29th in the NFL with 845 receiving yards, and, most disappointingly, just three touchdown catches, which ranks him tied for 66th in the league, and behind players like Louis Murphy and James Jones.

- Runners Up: Terrell Owens, Ted Ginn

BEST VALUE - Miles Austin, Dallas Cowboys: If Austin was drafted at all in fantasy leagues, it was near the bottom of the draft. And through the season’s first four weeks, you saw why, as he caught just five passes for 81 yards in the first quarter of the season. But he caught 10 passes for 250 yard and two scores in Week 5 in Kansas City, and is now fifth in the NFL with 1,230 receiving yards and fourth with 11 touchdown catches.

- Runners Up: Sidney Rice, Mike Sims-Walker

TIGHT ENDS

BIGGEST BUST - Anthony Fasano, Miami Dolphins: After catching 34 passes for 454 yards and seven touchdowns last year, many fantasy owners believed Fasano was on his way to bigger and better things in his fourth season. Unfortunately, he’s gone backwards, and has just two touchdowns among his 29 receptions, along with 298 receiving yards, which is 29th in the NFL among tight ends.

- Runners Up: Martellus Bennett, Bo Scaife

BEST VALUE - Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers: Fantasy owners have been waiting for Davis to break out, but after he regressed statistically last season, many had given up hope. He was still a draftable player, but nobody believed he’d accomplish what he has so far this season. He’s more than doubled his numbers in every category from 2008 to this season, and has 72 receptions for 876 yards. More importantly, he’s caught 12 touchdown passes, which is tied for second in the NFL.

- Runners Up: Jermichael Finley, Brent Celek

Overview

Matt Schaub and the Houston Texans are struggling to get their third win of the season, having neither won or lost consecutive games this season. Their 12th ranked scoring offense has been just good enough to get the team two wins, and in their only wins of the season Houston scored at least 29 points. Already the Texans are three games out of first place in the AFC South while ranking 10th in the AFC standings.

Cincinnati, meanwhile, is tops in the AFC North with wins over Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Baltimore the past three weeks. The Bengals are on a hot four game win streak but haven’t won any games by more than seven points. Their margin of victory the past three weeks has been three points.

Injuries

Houston: No major relevant injuries, though DE Mario Williams (shoulder) has been limited in practice this week.

Cincinnati: Carson Palmer (sprained left thumb) is probable.

When Houston has the Ball

When the Texans have won this season their offense has been responsible. In their three lowest scoring games, in which they scored 7, 21, and 24 points, Houston is 0-3.

Their offense is powered by Matt Schaub and the passing game. Steve Slaton and the running backs have been largely unsuccessful this season and rank 30th in rushing yards. No running back is averaging at least 4.0 yards per carry; Slaton and Chris Brown, the two primary backs, are averaging a combined 3.1 yards per carry, and both have just one rushing touchdown this season.

Fortunate for fantasy players that drafted Slaton high, Houston’s leading back is making a significant contribution in the passing game. He is the third leading receiver on the team with 17 receptions for 180 yards and one touchdown. He’s netted 411 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns this season, and in the past three weeks he’s racked up 300 yards and one score. Those are unexpected numbers for a projected first round back, but things could be worse.

Where the team has not struggled for the most part is when passing the ball, especially when Andre Johnson is involved. The Texans are ranked 5th in passing yards this season, and Matt Schaub’s 10 passing touchdowns are enough to tie him for second in the NFL. Johnson is the team’s clear leading receiver with 28 receptions for 437 yards and four touchdowns this season. Most of those numbers have come in the past four weeks, during which he has accumulated 402 yards and all four scores.

The other key contributor to the passing game, tight end Owen Daniels, isn’t far behind Johnson in receptions. In fact, among fantasy tight ends, Daniels is sixth in receptions and fourth in yards. Unfortunately, he has has just one receiving touchdown this season and is tied for 20th in that category. As things go, he’s a lower-end TE1 in many leagues but especially PPR leagues.

Considering Cincinnati’s defense this season, which ranks 23rd in passing yards allowed, Houston should be able to play to its strengths. Cincinnati even allowed an otherwise hapless Derek Anderson to pass for 269 yards and one touchdown two weeks ago. Considering Houston’s passing game, I would expect the Texans to find only mild resistance this week when traveling to Cincinnati.

When Cincinnati has the Ball

One of the biggest surprises this season has been Cedric Benson. Though he was expected to handle a lot of carries this season, few, including myself, expected him to excel to the degree he has thus far. Benson is currently second in the NFL in yards per game and first among backs with at least 50 carries. Furthermore, only a handful of backs (six in all) have more rushing touchdowns than Benson, who has plowed his way in three times.

Well worth noting about Benson is his yards per carry average, which hasn’t dipped below 4.0 since week one, and his relative consistency: he hasn’t been held to under 74 yards this season and he’s scored a touchdown in three games.

When Benson isn’t carrying the ball, the Bengals’ passing game has been erratic at best. Carson Palmer has passed for 1,116 yards, seven touchdowns, and six interceptions this season. The last of those is most important to players in leagues which penalize for interceptions, especially considering he has thrown one or two in four games this season.

Fortunately, in the past three weeks he’s thrown just two picks and four touchdowns, and in the past two weeks Palmer has passed for at least 230 yards. The two weeks prior to that (weeks 2 and 3), Palmer finished with 183 and 185 yards.

The primary beneficiaries in the passing game have been Chad Ochocinco and Andre Caldwell. Aside from those two, no Cincinnati receiver has put up fantasy relevant numbers. Ochocinco has 24 receptions for 352 yards and three touchdowns, putting up solid numbers on a regular basis this season. Caldwell, unfortuantely, has been far from consistent. He’s caught just two passes in three games and six passes in each of the other two; and in the past four weeks his (non-PPR) fantasy points have rollercoastered from 2 to 11 to 3 to 9.

It’s important to note this week that Houston’s defense has allowed at least 24 points in four games this season; the only team they’ve held below that mark, Oakland, averages 9.8 points per game. And on the road this season they’ve allowed 28 and 31 points. Expect Cincinnati to put up one of its biggest scoreboards of the season this week.

The Advantage

Cincinnati, but it may need to score a lot of points to keep up with Houston’s high-powered passing game. The Bengals have struggled throughout the season to stop quarterbacks, and Schaub is one of the best they’ve face. Expect a one score victory for Cincy at home.

Fantasy Booms and Busts

Boom! Cedric Benson is going up against the 26th ranked rushing defense in the NFL. Considering he’s averaging a bit more than 22 carries per game, and keeping in mind that Cincinnati will want to keep the ball out of Schaub’s hands as much as possible, expect another big effort from Benson.

Bust! This probably isn’t the week Steve Slaton busts out of his funk. He’ll probably put up decent numbers — 60 rushing yards and 30 receiving yards — but unless he scores a touchdown, which he’s done just once this season, his final numbers will disappoint again.

To say that Steve Slaton is off to a slow start would be an extreme understatement.  After posting 1282 rushing yards and scoring 10 touchdowns in 2008, nearly every fantasy site had Slaton as at worst, a 2nd round pick.  But things have not worked out quite as planned for Slaton, his team, or his fantasy owners.  Slaton is only averaging 46 rushing yards per game, which currently ranks 31st in the league.  He also only has two total touchdowns, or the same number as safety Darren Sharper and only has one game where he’s scored more than 10 fantasy points.  So now those who have Slaton are faced with the question, “Should I trade Slaton before he loses what little value he has left, or should I hang on to him with hopes that he can turn his season around?  Interesting question, and hopefully my analysis will make the answer a little clearer.

The biggest problem facing Slaton is that his explosiveness is not where it was last season and it’s showing in his rushing attempts.  He’s averaging 1.6 fewer yards per carry than what he did in 2008 and that could possibly be attributed to the fact that he’s gotten bigger since he was drafted.  At WVU he played at right around 200 lbs. and now he admits that he’s at 212 lbs. which is about seven more pounds than he carried as a rookie.

Besides the lack of burst, Slaton is also fumbling at a much greater rate than he did last year.  He already has four fumbles (two lost) on 89 touches after fumbling only three times in 2008 on 318 touches.  This is one of the reasons why Slaton is losing goal-line touches to Chris Brown as the Texans can’t afford him coughing the ball up in the redzone.  On the season Brown has six goal-line carries and one goal-line touchdown and Slaton has two goal-line carries and zero goal-line touchdowns.

Because of the Slaton’s inability to sustain a ground game, Coach Kubiak is losing patience with his team running the ball at all.  After the loss to the Cardinals, Kubiak said, “If we’ve got to go out there and throw it all the time, that’s what we’ll do.”  It appears that’s what they will have to do to win games as they couldn’t get any offense going against Arizona in the first half as they tried to establish the run.  But in the second half, Schaub threw the ball 32 times and Slaton only ran five times and the Texans scored TDs on three straight possessions to get back into the game.  This may be the common theme for Houston going forward which means Slaton’s touches could dwindle even more and that will make it nearly impossible for him to match last year’s total of 11 games with more than 10 fantasy points.

So when you combine Slaton’s lack of explosiveness, his fumbling problem, his lack of goal-line touches, and his coach’s affinity to throwing the ball, you should get a clearer picture as to what Slaton’s value will be going forward.  The one thing that he does have going for him is that he is being utilized more in the passing game this year (which is actually a by-product of him not being able to run the ball).  He is fifth in the league in receiving yards among running backs and is on pace for 54 receptions, which slightly increases his value in PPR-leagues.  But overall, the bad far outweighs the good and you would be best served to send him packing before the bottom completely falls out.

Overview

Oakland (1-2) can’t find an offense this season, and the performance of JaMarcus Russell is troubling. Many suggest he has regressed this season and the numbers validate that point: 41.3 percent completion rating, one touchdown, and four interceptions. If the Raiders don’t find some offense this week, it could wind up looking a lot like last week when the Broncos blew them out 23-3.

Houston (1-2), on the other hand, is the anti-Oakland; Matt Schaub has completed nearly 69 percent of his passes for 657 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception in Houston’s last two games. The obvious note to take is that, in spite of that, Houston has the same record as Oakland. The Raiders, who have scored 16 points in their last two games, and the Texans, who have scored 58, have the same record.

When Oakland has the ball …

… this is the week to score points. The Raiders have one glimmer on offense, the running game, and it’s going toe-to-toe with the league’s worst rushing defense. Houston has allowed 615 rushing yards in three games this season, and though the Raiders haven’t had a lot of luck running the ball — Darren McFadden and Michael Bush average a combined 3.8 yards per carry — the talent is there.

McFadden is explosive and the Texans may struggle to contain him, just as they have failed to contain Maurice Jones-Drew, Chris Johnson, and Thomas Jones this season. All three running backs broke 100 yards in their respective games against Houston, and Oakland’s only real shot in this one is to keep the ball out of Matt Schaub’s hands and make plays in the running game.

It would be nice to bank on JaMarcus Russell keeping pace with the Texans, but it’s a silly suggestion. Russell has looked worse in each progressing game this season: week one he completed 40.0 percent of his pass attempts for 208 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions; the following week he completed just 29.2 percent of his passes for 109 yards; and last week he completed 57.1 percent of his attempts for 68 yards and two interceptions. By every measure he has gotten worse and even against a poor defense like Houston, expecting more than 150 passing yards and a touchdown seems naive.

When Houston has the ball …

… they should not underestimate the Raiders’ defense. Oakland hasn’t allowed more than 24 points in a single game this season, despite facing San Diego week one. Furthmore, fantasy players should recognize that the Raiders held Philip Rivers to just one touchdown while forcing an interception.

In other words, Houston’s running backs — mainly Steve Slaton — should see more work this week against a Raiders defense that has allowed 155 rushing yards and one touchdown per game this season. Slaton is off to a slow start, but this may be the opponent to get him back on his feet.

That said, Houston’s passing game is very good. As noted in the overview, Matt Schaub has played stellar the past two weeks and this is a scary offense to face. At the same time, both Jacksonville and Tennessee — Houston’s last two opponents — have struggled throughout the season to stop quarterbacks. Compare that to Houston’s week one opponenent, the New York Jets, a team that has defended the pass very well this season and held Schaub to 166 passing yards and an interception week one.

I’m not necessarily suggesting Schaub will have a bad week, but it may not be the week some fantasy players expect when they Oakland’s name on the schedule.

The player who will no doubt have a good week is Andre Johnson. The Raiders have consistently allowed an opponents’ starting wide receiver to have a respectable game; that won’t change when they face arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL.

The advantage goes to …

Houston. Oakland simply doesn’t have enough offense to contend with Houston, and unless JaMarcus Russell pulls something out of a magic hat, this could be another tough loss for the Raiders.

Studs and Duds

Stud: Steve Slaton — Oakland has consistently given up yards and touchdowns to opposing running backs this season and with Chris Brown listed as questionable (shin), there’s no doubt Slaton will get the vast number of touches. Besides, Slaton has been a consistent contributor in the passing game with nine receptions for 97 yards this season. This week is lined up to be a 100-yard, touchdown matchup.

Dud: Anyone Involved in Oakland’s Passing Game — The Raiders have had almost no success passing the ball this season, and in spite of the fact Houston has allowed seven passing touchdowns, Russell is the worst starting quarterback in the NFL. If Kansas City kept him from completing 30 percent of his pass attempts, I doubt other NFL teams will have trouble.

• Since Week One of the 2008 season, a span of 19 games including the playoffs, the Colts have allowed only six passing touchdowns while intercepting 17 passes.  Indianapolis has also allowed fewer passing yards this season than any other team.  If there ever was a week to bench Kurt Warner, this would be it.

• If you have Chester Taylor in a PPR league, this is the week to start him.  San Francisco has allowed 23 receptions, 179 receiving yards, and 1 receiving TD to running backs alone thru the first two weeks.  The 49ers have allowed 51 receptions total so the 23 by running backs accounts for nearly half of all receptions allowed.  Also, Percy Harvin missed practice on Thursday and Friday due to migraine headaches and may not play Sunday and that would likely increase Harvin’s touches even more.

• Zach Miller of the Raiders is normally a must-start at tight end but this may be the week to sit him.  The Broncos have allowed only three receptions for 32 yards and no touchdowns to tight ends this year.

• The Tennessee Titans have allowed a microscopic 1.8 yards per carry to speed backs Willie Parker and Steve Slaton.  Accordingly, those two are tied for second in stuffed rushing attempts with seven each while Tennessee’s own Chris Johnson has been stopped the most times behind the line of scrimmage – eight.

• If Anthony Bryant does play for Tampa Bay, he should not be starting on your team.  It’s not because of his knee problem, but rather because of the team he is facing.  The Giants are only giving up 80 yards per game to wide receivers and have not allowed a touchdown to a receiver this year.

• For IDP leagues, avoid playing Julius Peppers this week as Dallas is the only team that has yet to allow a sack to an opposing defensive lineman.  Tony Romo can thank Flozell Adams and his “kick-saves” for that.

• After hearing that the Jets will be down one starting cornerback and their nickel back in Sunday’s game vs. Tennessee, you may be tempted to start Kerry Collins.  But the great equalizer comes in the form of old Mother Nature.  There is a 90% chance of rain during game time in New York on Sunday and historically, Collins has struggled in both the rain and snow.  In 11 career games in some form of precipitation, Collins has thrown fewer touchdowns, 12, than interceptions, 15.

• On the other side of the ball, the Titans pass defense has struggled immensely this season.  The loss of former defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz has seemed to really affect the communication among the defensive backs.  Against opposing wide receivers, Tennessee has allowed the most receiving yards, the second most receiving touchdowns, and the third most receptions.  These are common problems for teams that lose long time coordinators (like Tampa Bay and Baltimore) but they are usually ironed out later in the season.  For the time being, take advantage of this and if you have Jerricho Cotchery, he is a solid WR2 for this week.

The Overview

Despite a strong effort against the Colts week one, Jacksonville (0-2) fell to Arizona a week later by a margin of 14. In the same day, Houston’s offense found its spark in a shootout win at Tennessee. The Texans (1-1) were reeling after a smothering defeat at the hands of the Jets, 24-7, the week before.

Both teams have displayed serious inconsistency through two weeks, and this division game will come down to which team shows its best face.

When Jacksonville has the ball …

The Jaguars best weapon, Maurice Jones-Drew, was one of the most underutilized players on offense last week against Arizona. Despite his 5.1 yards per carry average in the game, Jones-Drew carried just 13 times, while David Garrard went to the air 43 times.

Garrard wasn’t too spectacular in that game. In fact, he hasn’t been very good at all this season. His completion percentage has hovered around 50 percent in both games — it’s 52.1 percent this season — and his touchdown percentage (2.8 percent) is quite low.

Meanwhile, against the Cardinals, Jones-Drew was stopped for a loss once, and he picked up three or more yards on 11 of his 13 carries. When he carried 21 times the week before, he rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown in a much closer game. Furthermore, David Garrard didn’t throw an interception or fumble three times.

Considering Houston’s defense allowed Chris Johnson and Thomas Jones to rush for 197 and 107 yards, respectively, a big dose of Jones-Drew could be exactly what Jacksonville needs to win its first division game of the season.

When Houston has the ball …

Matt Schaub lit the Titans up for 357 passing yards and four touchdowns last week and it proved to be enough to get Houston past division foe Tennessee. Schaub’s stellar performance was matched only by Andre Johnson who caught 10 of Schaub’s 25 completions for 149 yards and two touchdowns.

The week before wasn’t the same story; Schaub struggled to pass the ball against the Jets’ defense, putting up just 166 yards, while completing just a tad over half his pass attempts. Andre Johnson caught just four passes for 35 yards in that game.

Steve Slaton is the one player who has noticeably struggled in both games this season. Slaton is averaging just two yards per carry this season, and he hasn’t broken that mark in either game. He has 51 rushing yards this season, and is still yet to score a touchdown. Whether he’ll turn it around soon is a big question mark for the Texans this season.

Jacksonville has been weaker against the pass this season, partly due to facing two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL: Peyton Manning and Kurt Warner. Schaub can hold his own, too, so the passing game will be crucial to the Texans’ success.

The advantage goes to …

Houston at home. The Texans finally found a spark last week, whereas Jacksonville only found more struggles. Unless Jacksonville can contain the Texans potentially lethal offense, this will be a very difficult road game.

Booms, Busts, and Sleepers

Boom: Matt Schaub — Matt Schuab was outstanding last week against the Titans, and considering the Jaguars’ trouble getting pressure to opponents’ quarterbacks, this could be another big week for the Texans’ passing game.

Bust: Steve Slaton — The Texans have the 22nd ranked passing defense, so the odds of this game turning into a high scoring affair is relatively high. That means less carries and touches for Slaton, and more pass attempts for Schaub.

Sleeper: Omar Daniels — He has 10 receptions for 116 yards and one touchdown this season, and last week was a big game for him: 6 receptions for 72 yards and a touchdown. He could be primed for another solid showing this week.

Denver Broncos (1-0) at Cincinnati Bengals (0-1): Denver, 12-7

Notes on Denver: The Denver Broncos caught a miraculous break at the end of week one as a pass intended for Brandon Marshall was tipped by Leon Hall and caught by Brandon Stokley who took it to the house, 87 yards down the field.

Prior to that pass, Kyle Orton had just 155 passing yards and Denver had zero touchdowns. The Broncos attempted a west coast, short pass offense throughout the game resulting in Orton’s paltry 5.7 yards per attempt (again, prior to that big completion) and limited scoring. Stokley hadn’t caught a pass in the game and, surprisingly, Eddie Royal was held to just 2 receptions for 18 yards.

Another surpise: Tony Scheffler was outdone by Daniel Graham. Though Scheffler did pick up 29 yards on his sole reception, Graham was on the receiving end of 3 completions for 40 yards.

As the running game was concerned, Correll Buckhalter and Knowshon Moreno both carried 8 times, Buckhalter getting the most mileage out of his attempts with 46 yards. Moreno finished with a disappointing 19 yards, including an 8 yard run. (Without that run he averaged around 1.6 yards per carry.)

Denver Stud: Brandon Stokley – 1 reception for 87 yards and 1 touchdown

Denver Dud: Eddie Royal – 2 receptions for 18 yards

Notes on Cincinnati: Though the Broncos struggled on offense, the Bengals weren’t any better. In fact, they were worse when you consider Carson Palmer’s two interceptions and zero touchdowns. Palmer was pressured and sacked three times; he finished with 247 yards passing, 89 of which went to Chad Ochocinco.

The Bengals did have a semi-successful running attack, though; Cedric Benson rushed for 76 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. His rushing average was boosted quite a bit by a 20-yard carry in the fourth quarter. Recalculating without that carry, his average was just 2.8 yards per carry, nearly a full yard less than when including it. All-in-all, he picked up 108 yards from scrimmage – a very good week.

Perhaps the most important thing to take away: Benson did get over 20 carries in the debut. Oh, and Palmer is off to another horrendous start against a defense that doesn’t figure to be great this season.

Cincinnati Stud: Cedric Benson – 20 carries for 76 yards and 1 touchdown; 4 receptions for 32 yards

Cincinnati Dud: Laveranues Coles – 1 reception for 11 yards; 3 drops (leads NFL)

New York Jets (1-0) at Houston Texans (0-1): New York, 24-7

Notes on New York: Mark Sanchez’s debut was a relative success; he got his first win, but he also completed just 58 percent of his pass attempts and threw his first (and only) NFL interception. As could have been guessed before the game, one of his favorite targets was tight end Dustin Keller who caught 4 for 94 yards. Jericho Cotchery led the team in receptions with 6 for 90 yards, while the only other wide receiver to catch a ball, Chansai Stuckey, finished with 4 receptions for 64 yards and a touchdown.

But the real source of firepower on offense was the running game. Thomas Jones was outstanding and is off to another great start this season after he rushed 20 times for 107 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Jones’ change-of-pace and the “hands” of the group, Leon Washington, carried 15 times for 60 yards and added 24 receiving yards on 4 catches. The two combined for 191 yards from scrimmage and should be an integral part of the offense in every game this season. Rex Ryan wants to run the ball a lot this season to keep Sanchez’s reps relatively low and the offense balanced; this was a great start to that end.

New York Stud: Thomas Jones – 20 carries for 107 yards and 2 touchdowns

New York Dud: David Clowney – N/A

Notes on Houston: Where exactly was the aerial attack we expected from Houston? In fact, where were the points? Houston’s offense was shut out as Rex Ryan’s blitz packages took the Texans by surprise. Matt Schaub was barely able to complete half his pass attempts (18-of-33) while throwing one to the defense. Andre Johnson and Omar Daniels led the team in receptions with four each, but in a twist Daniels led in yards – 44-35.

Meanwhile, the team’s running game was far from impressive. Steve Slaton carried just 9 times to rack up 17 yards while Chris Brown took his 3 carries 15 yards. All told, the offense rushed for 38 yards. Slaton’s saving grace was his contribution as a receiver where he added 35 yards on 3 receptions.

Houston Stud: N/A

Houston Dud: Steve Slaton – 9 carries for 17 yards; 3 receptions for 35 yards

In three weeks, the NFL season will have arrived in full force. Until then, however, we’ll have to deal with exhibition contests in which players that won’t even be on practice squads have a lot to do with the final score. Still, there is fantasy information to be gleaned from these games, so let’s examine the proceedings that took place over the weekend.

Cincinnati 7, New England 6: A particularly meaningless contest that left fantasy owners in the cold about the progress of Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer, who did not play due to his injury, most people probably only know that Chad Ochocinco kicked off once and also kicked an extra point. From a fantasy perspective, if looking for a runner to handcuff to Bengals starter Cedric Benson, Dede Dorsey ran four times for 60 yards while Brian Leonard carried the rock seven times for 34 yards, and is considered the favorite for the backup job.

Indianapolis 23, Philadelphia 15: Not very encouraging numbers running the ball for either team, as Eagles rookie LeSean McCoy managed just four yards on five carries, and Colts rookie Donald Brown posting similar numbers with five yards on three carries. Still, McCoy is an absolute necessity as a handcuff to Brian Westbrook, though you may have to take him earlier than you like in order to ensure a spot for him on your roster. As for Brown, he’s a popular pick to become the Colts’ full-time back this season, even with the presence of Joseph Addai. That may be pushing it, but 700-800 yards and five or so scores are realistic expectations.

Dallas 30, Tennessee 10: Most of the news surrounding this game is the hilarious fact that the brand-spankin’ new $1 billion stadium the Cowboys play in has a $40 million scoreboard that punters can shell with the ball when booting it away because it sits too low. Nice attention to detail there. As for game action, there was a lot for fantasy owners to like about what Cowboys gunslinger Tony Romo did, connecting on 18-of-24 passes for 192 yards. On the other side, Vince Young’s encouraging performance in the Titans’ first preseason game gave way to a performance that saw him go 3-for-9 for 33 yards and an interception.

Atlanta 20, St. Louis 13: Michael Turner was in 2008 form, running for 65 yards and one touchdown on the first series of the game before having a seat the rest of the night, so no worries there (except for the Rams defense, which nobody in their right mind would use in fantasy). For St. Louis, wideout Laurent Robinson continues what has been an impressive showing throughout camp with five catches for 65 yards. He’s a decent sleeper choice, and certainly someone to pay attention to.

Minnesota 17, Kansas City 13: So, Brett Favre is back (see his 2008 week-by-week fantasy points in the graph below), and he really showed, well, nothing, completing one of his four throws for four yards. He should get better, obviously, but he’s still a QB2 right now. For the Chiefs, Matt Cassel’s 99 passing yards and one touchdown pass were encouraging considering some have speculated that former Patriot is losing his grip on the starting job.

Cleveland 27, Detroit 10: Matthew Stafford struggled mightily, completing just five of his 13 passes for 34 yards and an interception, taking a step back in the race for a starting gig. Even if he improves mightily the rest of the way, drafting him is a risk not worth taking. The Browns’ quarterback job is still up for grabs, and Derek Anderson showed pretty well, completing 10 of his 13 throws, but also tossing a pick. In the sleeper category, rookie running back James Davis ran the ball 12 times for 116 yards and a score, including one run for 81 yards. Jamal Lewis’s best days are behind him, and Davis is someone who has the potential to eventually get a chance to contribute.

Miami 27, Carolina 17: Chad Pennington was steady as usual, and Ronnie Brown had a nice all-around game, with 74 total yards and a touchdown on 10 touches. Many believe he’s overrated, but with his ability to both run the ball and catch it, he offers a lot of value.

Washington 17, Pittsburgh 13: Two disappointing rookies from last season were notable here. For Pittsburgh, running back Rashard Mendenhall, ran for 5.2 yards a pop, amassing 26 yards on five carries, and is someone that has the potential to unseat Willie Parker. For Washington, tight end Fred Davis was on the receiving end of two passes, hauling them in for 31 yards and a score.

Tampa Bay 24, Jacksonville 23: Running back Chauncey Washington ran the ball four times for 32 yards, making his case to be the backup to starter Maurice Jones-Drew for the Jaguars. Luke McCown threw two scores for the Buccaneers, possibly gaining some ground in the race for the Buccaneers’ starting quarterback job.

New Orleans 38, Houston 14: A solid backup for Steve Slaton has yet to emerge, as Chris Brown ran for just five yards on four carries, and Ryan Moats ran for 25 yards on nine carries.

Green Bay 31, Buffalo 21: It was a so-so performance by Trent Edwards, even though he completed seven of his 11 passes. He only amassed a paltry 45 yards on those throws, and also threw an interception.

Chicago 17, NY Giants 3: Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw, a viable RB3, showed his explosiveness with a six-carry, 54-yard performance. Meanwhile, it was a much better showing for Bears signal-caller Jay Cutler, who was 8-of-13 for 121 yards and a score.

San Francisco 21, Oakland 20: Rookie running back Glen Coffee ran for 129 yards, and has quickly established himself as the necessary handcuff to Frank Gore. Coffee leads all players in rushing this preseason with nearly 200 yards.

San Diego 17, Arizona 6: Cardinals first-round pick Beanie Wells has yet to play in a preseason contest, giving Tim Hightower an opportunity to win the starting job. He didn’t hurt himself in this game, running for 42 yards on nine carries.

Seattle 27, Denver 13: The panic surrounding Kyle Orton should have ceased, or at least lowered somewhat after he completed 18 of his 26 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown, though he also threw a pick. Matt Hasselbeck also looked very good, reminding fantasy owners of what he did two years ago by slinging the ball 23 times with 16 completions for 171 yards and two scores.

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.

We Americans love our projections, whether they are being used for something as salient as election night or in a relatively less important way, like for fantasy football (shameless plug alert: get 2009 NFL player projections from Sports Data Hub via Twitter).

However, projections can be tricky, and are best used as part of a more engaging process of collecting information. Nobody out there projected Steve Slaton to run for nearly 1,300 yards and nine touchdowns last season, or for Antonio Bryant to accumulate over 1,200 receiving yards after not playing the previous year. So let’s travel down the unbeaten path for a while and make some rather bold predictions about the upcoming fantasy season. Just remember, use these as guidelines, and hopefully we’ll steer you in the right direction.

Shonn Greene Will Lead NFL Rookies in Touchdowns: What you see in the graph below are Thomas Jones’s touchdown runs per week over the past three seasons. You may notice something of a disparity there. In 32 games in 2006 and 2007, Jones scored in only six separate contests. Then last year, out of nowhere, he put the ball in the end zone in nine separate weeks. Which one looks like the aberration? Jones, at age 31, is due for the inevitable running back slowdown, and Leon Washington is better suited as a third-down back for the Jets. Enter the 230-pound Greene, a rookie from Iowa. He’ll become the team’s primary goal-line threat, and this year’s version of Le’Ron McClain, someone new Jets head coach and former Baltimore defensive coordinator Rex Ryan is quite familiar with.

Matt Leinart Will Become Fantasy Relevant: Forget all this hubbub about Leinart in a battle with Brian St. Pierre for the backup job to Kurt Warner in Arizona; Leinart will be second on the depth chart. There are red flags surrounding Warner this season, entirely due to his health. He’s 38 years old, and last season was the first time since 2001 he played in 16 games. He had off-season hip surgery, and the malady is still bothering him, and will limit his play in the preseason. At some point during the year, Warner will be sidelined, and Leinart will take over the offense.

Steven Jackson Will be No. 1 in Fantasy Points at the End of the Season: Jackson is one of the most dynamic players in football, though he’s gone somewhat unnoticed because he’s wallowed in the dregs of a dysfunctional Rams team and front office that mustered just five wins the past two seasons. He suffered injuries during both of those years and missed four games in each of them. However, in 2005 and 2006, Jackson missed just one of the team’s 32 contests, and racked up a total of 3,700 yards and 26 touchdowns. This season, he is the unquestioned offensive leader of a club that has seen it’s No. 1 receiver, Donnie Avery, already go down for what could be the start of the regular season. He’ll be relied on heavily to move the chains and put the ball in the end zone, and will succeed behind a new, more rugged offensive line.

Eli Manning Will Not Throw for 20 Touchdowns: Manning the younger has thrown for at least 20 scores in each of the past four seasons, but his totals have fallen each of the past three years. The loss of Plaxico Burress cannot be understated. In the six games, including the playoffs, that Burress was not with the Giants last year, Manning tossed only three scores and six interceptions and threw for at least 200 yards just once. While first-round pick Hakeem Nicks could very well become a star, rookie wideouts in the NFL very rarely come in and make a huge impact. The rest of the wide receiver corps is underwhelming at best, so expect the Giants to put an even bigger emphasis on the running game inside the red zone, with fullback Madison Hedgecock leading the way for the talented triumvirate of Brandon Jacobs, Ahmad Bradshaw and rookie Andre Brown.