This is not the same Minnesota team as last year's version. It's possible with more practice time Brett Favre becomes more comfortable with his receiving corps that now lacks Sidney Rice, but the Vikings basically admitted they were inferior to the Saints with Thursday's "keep away" game plan. Although after what New Orleans did to Favre during last year's Championship game, maybe it made some sense to think long-term. Still, that was about as vanilla of an offensive attack as you'll see…Although owners were probably ready to jump off a cliff after one quarter, Pierre Thomas' stock ultimately went up. If he's truly implemented like something of a workhorse, there's top-five upside…Over his last 12 regular season games, Reggie Bush has averaged 3.5 carries…While discouraging, Percy Harvin owners shouldn't panic…Jabari Greer is one of the most underrated players in football…I disliked Visanthe Shiancoe entering the year because I hate relying on players so tied to scoring touchdowns (a fluky stat year-to-year, and he was essentially worthless in games he didn't get a TD last year), but I was wrong. Without Rice, he's going to be targeted far more this season. Bump him way up.

Chris Johnson has run for 100 yards in 12 straight games, two shy of the NFL record held by Barry Sanders. He faces a tough task Sunday against the Steelers to make it 13…Jason Campbell sure didn't look like the big upgrade at QB everyone expected in Week 1, but he received little help from his offensive line and receivers. He'll start looking better than JaMarcus Russell soon enough…If you're looking for a deeper stash guy, how about Javon Ringer? All Johnson owners should have him rostered, but with few other options, a terrific situation and ostensibly some decent skills, he could prove quite valuable to any owner should CJ go down with an injury…Darren McFadden played his best football game in the NFL on Sunday. The situation was pretty ideal – Oakland had to throw a ton, resulting in a bunch of check downs – and Michael Bush will take away carries (including at the GL) once he returns, but McFadden finally showed an ability to break tackles. He's always had the speed. Now he just needs to stay healthy. If Bush is out in Week 2, McFadden is a must-start at home against the Rams.

Carolina's quarterback position remains a huge question mark (Matt Moore was nothing short of awful Sunday, and Jimmy Clausen obviously isn't ready), but realize the Panthers entered halftime with the lead while on the road facing a Giants team that could go deep into the playoffs this year. Don't consider Carolina some doormat…Sure, he threw three picks, but all were off his receivers' hands, and with three touchdowns, a 66.7 completion percentage and an 8.8 YPA mark against a Panthers secondary that allowed just 6.6 YPA with a 14:22 TD:INT ratio last season, Eli Manning's ascension to stardom continued. He should be considered a top-10 QB for fantasy purposes…The Giants' defense didn't have a single interception in the red zone last season. They had three Sunday…How did New York go from having WR possibly be the team's biggest weakness to a major strength in a year? What a remarkable turnaround, led by Hakeem Nicks, who should appear in multiple Pro Bowls in his career.

Despite predicting Arian Foster would finish as a top-15 overall player in 2010 (not that one week means he will be anything of the sort), he ended up on only a few of my teams. I'm an idiot. Remember, there was a reason Steve Slaton was drafted so early last year, and Foster has a build to be more durable and dominant at the goal line. Don't feel the need to sell high…It's safe to say Pierre Garcon had a hugely disappointing game with all those drops, while Austin Collie (who won't have to fight off Anthony Gonzalez for targets out of the slot anytime soon) absolutely impressed and is suddenly a viable weekly flex option, but I'd still rather own the former than the latter from here on out…Indy's offensive line (while dealing with numerous injuries) played terribly Sunday, and Peyton Manning dealt with essentially a jail break on every other drop back, yet he somehow was sacked just two times while attempting 57 passes. He's good…I'm beginning to think Bob Sanders is injury-prone.

Mike Sims-Walker has now recorded two catches or fewer in five of his past six games, totaling just 129 yards with one touchdown over that span. I'm not writing his obituary, and Champ Bailey played a part in Sunday's catchless effort, but this is a concern…While the knee injury could crop back up at any moment, Maurice Jones-Drew looked fine physically in Week 1, but that offensive line remains a problem…Again, why was Eddie Royal not used out of the slot last season? Jabar Gaffney remains the Broncos receiver to own in fantasy leagues.

Welcome back, Troy Polamalu. How does Matt Ryan get picked off there?...Curtis Lofton is going to be an absolute IDP monster this season…Is Hines Ward ever going to slow down?...I still say Michael Turner is the favorite to lead the NFL in rushing touchdowns this year.

It was just one game (5.4 YPA) against an underrated Buffalo secondary, but the recent report of Bill Parcells being "very disappointed" in Chad Henne's development at least needs to be noted. Maybe he's ultimately wrong, or maybe the addition of Brandon Marshall masks flaws, but we still don't know what type of QB Henne will develop into, and that quote could be telling. He's working an uphill battle playing six games in the AFC East (although he was obviously a better pick than Brian Brohm)…A wait-and-see approach is probably best, especially with Green Bay next on the schedule, but C.J. Spiller can absolutely be a difference maker in fantasy leagues this season…So let's get this straight, the Bills were down 13-10 with 1:39 left in the fourth quarter at their own 1-yard line, and the team decided to purposely take a safety? Huh? A best-case scenario ensued – a three-and-out, with even a five-yard Miami penalty mixed in as well as a touchback on the punt – which left the Bills with first-and-10 at the 20-yard line with 29 seconds left and down FIVE! Again, that was the best possible outcome of this decision (needing to go 80 yards for a TD in 29 seconds as opposed to needing to go 65 yards for a FG with 1:40 left). I guess Chan Gailey was more concerned about losing by five rather than 10 than he was giving his team the best chance of winning.

As someone who chose Tennessee in my survivor pool, I was rooting for the Calvin Johnson catch to be a TD. As someone who ultimately would have otherwise lost a close battle in my home league if it was ruled a score, I'm glad it wasn't. As a general football fan, I'm embarrassed by the rule. What a travesty. That's a catch…It's possible the additions of Julius Peppers, Kyle Vanden Bosch and Ndamukong Suh have improved Chicago's and Detroit's defensive fronts that much, but both teams' offensive lines were dominated Sunday…With seven catches, 201 total yards and two touchdowns, Matt Forte looks like one of the bigger steals of drafts. But just 2.9 YPC at home against the Lions? And after going 0-for-4 at the GL, he's now converted just seven scores over 37 attempts (18.9|PERCENT|) there during his career. Still, he's going to be a major impact as a receiver in a Mike Martz offense….Jay Cutler targeted Earl Bennett like crazy Week 1 last season, and he later became an afterthought. Still, if Sunday was any indication, Devin Aromashodu looks like the superior fantasy option to Johnny Knox…With 4:24 left in the fourth quarter down one point on Detroit's 38-yard line, how does Chicago punt? They truly deserved to lose Sunday.

I predicted the Patriots to win the Super Bowl (although against the Cowboys, which looks more stupid with every Wade Phillips decision. Ugh. I should have gone with Green Bay) and made my biggest bet before the season on New England over 9.5 wins, so Week 1 made me feel good. But it remains to be seen whether that demolition had more to do with the Bengals declining or the Patriots ascending (or things will change so much over the rest of the year, none of the above will prove true). Again, maybe New England fails, and I look like an idiot, but I just don't see why so many people wrote off the defense – based off a down year last season? No household names? They sucked in the preseason? This is Bill Belichick! With a ton of talented young players. And that offense is ridiculous. It's not like the Colts had some dominant D last year…Didn't Belichick just give Laurence Maroney a big vote of confidence recently? I'm starting to suspect he's not always totally truthful with the media.

I love Carnell Williams' tenacity to come back from injuries, but even with Tampa Bay's backfield all to himself, Sunday was a good example why he's not much of a fantasy asset. At home against the Browns, he ran for just 75 yards on 22 carries (3.4 YPC). His activity in the passing game was nice (23 yards receiving), and he'll score some touchdowns, but there's little upside here…Mike Williams is going to be a star and should already be considered a borderline top-20 fantasy WR in dynasty formats…How dare coach Raheem Morris pass on a field goal from the Cleveland 5-yard line with 44 seconds left. Forget strategically, that FG would have moved a push to a win ATS for me…I get the frustration by Jerome Harrison's fantasy owners, but realize Pro Football Focus (who grade all NFL players and do so well) rated Harrison as the second worst running back in the league last year (62 out of 63), and that was with him being a positive in penalties – he was that bad at running, receiving and blocking. And also, after blowing up in one game against a Kansas City run defense that was awful, Harrison only got 3.8 YPC in Weeks 16 and 17 (again in two terrific matchups), so a lot of his late production was the result of sheer volume (he set an NFL record with the most carries over that three-game span). I'm far from an Eric Mangini fan, but maybe he's onto to something here. If Peyton Hillis can control the fumbling, he should remain a big part of Cleveland's backfield.

On one hand, the final score of the 49ers/Seahawks game was hugely misleading. Over the first 25 minutes Sunday, San Francisco gained 139 yards compared to Seattle's 11, and dominated time of possession (19:58 vs. 3:23, which reveals what a meaningless stat that is), but failure inside the 10-yard line and later a truly atrocious pass interference call changed momentum. Things could have gone much differently. But on the other hand, it was truly pathetic how the 49ers responded, unable to produce any offense in the second half, even down big facing a conservative defense. Few players in the NFL played worse in Week 1 than Michael Crabtree…I'm all for enthusiasm and emotion, but Pete Carroll took it to a new level. We'll see how long that act lasts…Justin Forsett: seven carries, 43 yards. Julius Jones: eight carries, 18 yards. Something isn't right with this picture…Everyone keeps calling for the 49ers to go back to the spread offense out of the shotgun for Alex Smith, but he actually got a higher YPA when lined up under center last season. That's not the answer.  OC Jimmy Raye is a bigger problem than Smith right now in San Francisco.

As someone who had never missed an NFL game due to injury and in such an explosive offense as the clear workhorse, Ryan Grant was considered one of the safest picks this year, even if he wasn't a special running back. Naturally, he destroys his ankle in the first half of Week 1. Without question, I'd spend 100|PERCENT| of my FAAB on Brandon Jackson. Who knows if he'll hold up or get goal-line carries, but he's now the lead back in possibly the league's best offense. The former second round pick probably has more raw talent than Grant, and he also can catch the ball, so in a way, he has even more upside…I admit, I was high on Kevin Kolb, and what a brutal start. In my defense, I trusted Andy Reid's ability to assess his own talent and the terrific offensive system and receivers around him more than any conviction of knowing Kolb's ability. But no excuses, this could be a disaster, as he looked to be in a semi-platoon even before the injury. Let's not overreact, but if his concussion lingers, in that offense and with his speed apparently back, Michael Vick could be an absolute fantasy monster. Sure, defenses will be able to game plan against him more than Green Bay did, but it's not like Vick was getting many first team reps in practice either. He was highly impressive Sunday (although accuracy will always remain an issue). As long as he's the clear-cut starter, with that rushing ability, he's a QB1 for fantasy purposes…Andy Reid decided to use his three timeouts when Green Bay had the ball with five minutes left (the specifics here are up for debate, and you'll rarely find me arguing on Reid's behalf when it comes to in-game management, but it's always beneficial to use timeouts when on defense as opposed to offense, when you can control the action), and whether that decision was right or wrong, Joe Buck's commentary was embarrassing – when Green Bay later got the ball back inside two minutes, he chastised Philly, saying they should have used those three timeouts they previously wasted now. Umm, didn't those three timeouts save two minutes? The lack of simple logic and common sense was mind-boggling.

Larry Fitzgerald hauled in just three of 15 targets Sunday, and apparently his knee injury still lingers. With Derek Anderson being so inaccurate, there's cause for concern. Still, with such an easy schedule and Anderson's willingness to sling it downfield, Fitzgerald owners shouldn't sell low…Tim Hightower fumbling is hardly a new issue – he lost four last season. Chris Wells can't get healthy fast enough…I'm guessing the Rams didn't expect to ask Sam Bradford to throw 55 times during his first NFL start, but despite a 53.1 QB rating and three picks, he really shows promise…After Brandon Jackson and Mike Vick, Mark Clayton is my next top waiver wire target. There's more where that came from. He's got potential…With nine seconds left in the fourth quarter down four points on Arizona's 39-yard line, St. Louis called a run play! You can't make this stuff up.

The Cowboys play to end the first half Sunday night had to be the single worst of Week 1, hands down. This team has the talent to reach the Super Bowl, but coaching matters far more in football than any other sport. It's a big problem in Dallas…Let's not write them off though. The offensive line will get healthier in Week 2, and this is a defense that essentially just allowed six points on the road…Chris Cooley is likely to go down as the biggest TE bargain by the end of the year…Only health (a big concern) will prevent Santana Moss from having his best season since 2005…While Dez Bryant was used primarily underneath, it looks like he's going to be a huge part of Dallas' offense this year. He was targeted 12 times after missing the preseason while transitioning into one of the most difficult positions to learn as a rookie. Roy Williams shouldn't be owned even in deep leagues…Having Tony Romo certainly helps, but make no mistake, Miles Austin is easily one of the five best wide receivers in the NFL…I hate the cliché  "downhill" runner, but I must say, Clinton Portis really strikes me as an uphill runner these days. You're more likely to see Joey Votto hit a popup (he's hit zero this season!) than Portis break a long run.

What an ugly game Monday night. Kyle Wilson didn't have a very good NFL debut. The Jets' secondary is going to post a strong YPA against if they decide to commit PI on half the attempts. And why didn't New York have Darrelle Revis just shadow Anquan Boldin?...Shonn Greene's fumbling is a real problem, but I'm buying low in fantasy leagues. After all, he already has more catches than he did all of last season! LaDainian Tomlinson looked good Monday, but the concern with him wasn't can he impress in Week 1. It's the unlikelihood of someone approaching 3,000 career carries lasting a full season…Seriously, what was Tom Zbikowski thinking?

Give the crowd at Arrowhead some credit, as they brought it Monday night. San Diego's special teams deserves some blame, but Javier Arenas and Dexter McCluster are for real. Kansas City's return game is already among the best in football…As quite possibly Jamaal Charles' biggest fan, Week 1 was actually quite discouraging. You simply can't count on 56-yard TD runs every week (with him, it's more like every other), and the lack of carries (he had 11, the same as Thomas Jones) was a joke. Maybe he'll be more involved when the team is behind, as he should see the field over Jones in passing situations, but come on Todd Haley, give me a break. Use your best players!...It was a little unclear, does Trent Dilfer like or dislike Philip Rivers? I hope next time he's not so vague with his opinion.

You need Google Chrome (which you should be using anyway), but seriously, this is amazing.