The first week of the fantasy football season was dominated by quarterbacks. Seven of the top 10 fantasy point producers were signal-callers. No one was better than Tony Romo, who posted 42 points on 345 passing yards and five total touchdowns. Eli Manning was also spectacular, as he threw for 312 yards and four touchdowns of his own. But he hurt his shoulder late in the game - check injury reports later this week to see his status.
It was also a big week for Ben Roethlisberger, who threw for just 144 yards but tossed four touchdowns against Cleveland. Peyton Manning threw for 288 yards and three touchdowns against New Orleans, Tom Brady posted 29 points on 288 yards and three touchdowns at the Meadowlands, and Jake Delhomme beat on the Rams for 201 yards and three scores. The final quarterback in the top 10 was Jon Kitna, who completed 27 of 36 passes for 289 yards and three touchdowns against Oakland.
All of these impressive quarterback performances prove one simple point: While it's great to have Peyton Manning on your fantasy roster, there are better value picks at the position in the middle rounds.
Week 1 was not as kind to stud running backs like Steven Jackson (one point) and Larry Johnson (eight points), but there were some notable performances. It was hard not be impressed with rookie standout Adrian Peterson, who shredded the Atlanta defense for 163 all-purpose yards and one touchdown. Peterson is a must-start back in Week 2 at Detroit.
LaMont Jordan resurrected his value against the Lions with 159 all-purpose yards and a score against the Lions. Head coach Lane Kiffin utilized Jordan much like Norv Turner did in 2005 when the veteran runner had a breakout season.
Wide receivers also shined over the weekend, as eight posted 100-plus yards and 10 had at least 15 fantasy points. The top performer was Plaxico Burress, who smashed a Dallas defense that was without CB Terence Newman. He hauled in eight receptions for 144 yards and three touchdowns in the loss.
Randy Moss posted nine receptions for 183 yards and scored a touchdown in his New England debut. While I wouldn't expect those sort of numbers from Moss on a consistent basis, this was a positive sign for the value of what used to be the top wide receiver in all of fantasy football.
It was also an incredible week for Ronald Curry, who burned the Lions for 10 receptions, 133 yards and one touchdown. He'll be one of the hotter names on the waiver wire this week, but he won't be a viable starter next week if he has to line up against CB Champ Bailey.
Fantasy footballers should also remember the names Antwaan Randle El, Shaun McDonald and Wes Welker. All three are worth a roster spot as a No. 4 or 5 fantasy wideout.
