2008 Week One preview - Part one

Here's part one (of three) of our predictions for week one of the NFL season. Of course, the Giants, we had them to win. Cough. Actually we did, and our entirely-legal-in-international-territory accumulator is still on. In every match up we will post fantasy picks, fantasy drops, and of course, our prediction for the winning team is the bold team in the title.

Sunday September 7th, 1pm EST

Detroit at Atlanta

The Lions hold a big edge over the Falcons, mainly in that their high powered passing game is in direct contrast to the inexperience of the Atlanta secondary. Expect Jon Kitna to torment the Atlanta Defence, and for the Falcons to lean heavily on the running game.

Fantasy Pick: Lions WR's Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson should dominate the youthful Chris Houston and Brent Grimes. Also consider Falcons RB Jerious Norwood, who will return kicks and share carries with Michael Turner.

Fantasy Drop: The Lions Defence is not a bad unit as a whole, but could struggle against teams that rely heavily on the run. Let's be honest, if you own the Lions D, you aren't going to win your league this year.


Seattle at Buffalo

The Seahawks should edge what could be a close encounter. A lot will rely on how the Seattle receivers get going early in the game. If they establish a passing attack, it could in turn set up the backfield committee of Julius Jones, TJ Duckett, and Maurice Morris. For the Bills, their best chance is to get a lead and force the Seahawks to rely too heavily on QB Matt Hasselbeck as they chase the game. The Seahwaks are notoriously poor when playing on the east coast however,

Fantasy Pick: The Seattle Defence are (in our opinion) the best all-round unit in the league, and should be able to stifle a young Bills Offence that lacks depth.

Fantasy Drop: Any Seattle Running Back. Jones, Duckett and Morris will all split carrries. Only Jones is a last ditch starter, whilst the other two could have a great game, but will likely not.


Jacksonville at Tennessee

This is not a foregone conclusion, but in all honesty, the Jags are a safe bet to turn over the Titans in Nashville. The Titans are strong on Defence, and will need to hope that Jacksonville crumble under the pressure of being the 'sleeper' Superbowl pick this season.

Fantasy Pick: The Titans Defence gave up just 96yds per game on the ground last season, and were actually a surprisingly strong fantasy option. For some reason, we think Matt Jones could figure heavily for the Jags, and is definately worth a look if you are short at WR.

Fantasy Drop: Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew will not only split carries, but also come up against a team that can stop them running the ball. Jones-Drew has slightly better value for his return ability, but avoid Taylor, who is also coming off an arrest last weekend.


New York Jets at Miami Dolphins

We don't like this one bit. The Dolphins have the potential to upset the Jets in Miami, so if you're a betting person, it's worth a flyer for the odds you will get. Chad Pennington could easily gain revenge on the franchise that dumped him, but Brett Favre, who replaced him in New York, is as good as they come. Sunday is the litmus test for Favre, and it will be interesting to see his link up with WR Laveraneus Coles after the very public spat between Coles and the Jets over Pennington's treatment.

Fantasy Pick: Ted Ginn Jnr has looked sharper since Pennington arrived, and should be the main beneficiary of the new-found stability at the Quarterback position. Brett Favre may not throw against a weaker secondary in his career, which in turn means that Jerricho Cotchery and Laveraneus Coles are both good options this week.

Fantasy Drop: Either Defence is a complete non-starter, though in IDP leagues try the Jets Linebackers. Ricky Williams is a marginal play after Head Coach Tony Sparano praised Ronnie Brown's recent efforts in practice. Neither is a particularly safe bet, though of the two, Brown has the bigger upside.


Kansas City at New England

A Chiefs victory would pretty much be the biggest upset ever, but with the spread currently +16.5 to the Pats, don't be shy of a flutter on Kansas City, who could easily push them harder than most people imagine. At the very least, it's unlikely that any team will be firing on all cylinders in week one, not least an offence that has been without it's starting QB all preseason.

Fantasy Pick: Tony Gonzalez should be the main man for Brodie Croyle, but don't expect Croyle to put up big numbers himself. The Patriots are fantasy studs all round, except for one position...

Fantasy Drop: Laurence Maroney was considered a first round pick in some leagues last year. Sadly for those who may have drafted him as high as pick 8 in their Dynasty league (cough), he was a disaster, splitting time with Sammy Morris (who outperformed him in the first six weeks of the season) and never becoming a reliable starter in fantasy games. Until he rectifies that, stay away.

We'll have parts 2 and 3 tommorow.

Washington torched by Giants, Burress

For those of you who live in a cave, the Giants overcame the Redskins 7-16 last night in New York. Neither team scored in the second half at all, and the Redskins only got on the board with seconds to go in the first half.

Standout performers were Plaxico Burress (10 catches for 133yds), Brandon Jacobs (21 carries, 116yds) and bizarrely, Antwaan Randle El, who finished with 7 catches for 73 yards. As always, this will trigger Randle El's acquisition around fantasy leagues today, but he has a habit of tailing off after big games, so we'll hold judgement for now.

Tonight we'll break down some key fantasy picks for you. We're also still intent on bringing you our 16 player Dynasty league this season so that you can see what goes on in the deeper format of fantasy football.

Anyway, that's later this afternoon, so check back.