Brady fantasy owners, don't panic and overreact
Now what?
That's the question fantasy football owners of Tom Brady are asking themselves this week after the Patriots QB went down for the season.
Those of you without a capable backup are wondering if San Francisco's J.T. O'Sullivan, Miami's Chad Pennington, Buffalo's Trent Edwards, Baltimore's Joe Flacco or - gulp - New England's Matt Cassel can get the job done.
Doesn't seem likely, does it? Edwards and Pennington seem to be the best of that group, if you are desperate.
The best move, though, is not to overreact and accept a trade that just makes things worse. In other words, don't give up a top-10 RB for Aaron Rodgers, Brett Favre, Jake Delhomme or Eli Manning.
Unless you are offered a fair and balanced trade, my advice is to sit back for a week and let things develop a little more. Work the trade wires a bit, don't panic in front of your league's owners, and go back at it next week when people realize you aren't going to sell the farm for a bag of cow dung.
(Now, on the flip side, if you can fleece a Brady owner with a trade that seriously upgrades your team without giving up much in return, by all means go for it. There's always two sides to every disaster).
Other story lines: The Brady saga was hardly the only interesting development from Week 1. Owners of RBs Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew should bench both players until further notice.
The Jaguars have lost three starting linemen, including Richard Collier, who Thursday was still in critical condition in a Jacksonville hospital after suffering a gunshot wounds last week.
Not only is the team hurting physically - the other two linemen were lost for the season - but dealing with Collier's situation has taken an emotional toll as well. After a full day of film sessions, meetings and practice, many players head right to the hospital.
On a happier note, NIU product Michael "The Burner" Turner (220 yards, 2 TDs) showed the rest of the NFL that, A., the Lions still have an atrocious defense, and B., he's the real deal. I wouldn't expect these kind of monster performances all season, but Atlanta is going to have to run the ball with rookie Matt Ryan at quarterback. The good defenses will certainly step up and stop Turner, but when Atlanta is facing a weak opponent, Turner should be starting in almost any lineup.
Grant owners, beware: If you have Packers RB Ryan Grant, keep a close eye on his status this week. He's nursing a sore hamstring and apparently re-aggravated it on a 57-yard run Monday night against Minnesota. He should be a surefire good bet, but this lingering injury casts some doubt.
My teams: An ugly start. In my unit-league, I fell 68-48 with mediocre performances from Tony Romo, Terrell Owens, Clinton Portis and Darren McFadden. In my regular league, Michael Turner (43 points) wasn't enough to help me beat the opponent who scored the most points in the league as I fell 136-110.
Good bets
• Packers QB Aaron Rodgers at Detroit. With a semi-gimpy Ryan Grant, watch for Rodgers to throw 2-3 TD passes.
• Giants RB Brandon Jacobs at St. Louis. One would think the Rams would show some life in their home opener, but the defending champs figure to stuff the ball down their throats.
• Niners WR Bryant Johnson at Seattle. Unbelievably, three Eagles receivers went over 100 yards last week against the Seahawks. Johnson (3 catches, 48 yards) is a nice play as a No. 3 WR.
• Bucs RB Earnest Graham vs. Atlanta. Tampa coach John Gruden said he needs to get the ball into Graham's hands more. Ya think? All Graham did was rack up 91 yards on 10 carries last week at New Orleans.
• Cardinals QB Kurt Warner vs. Miami. I'm giving Warner another shot in the good bets this week. He should torch the Dolphins, especially at home.
Bad bets
• Colts RB Joseph Addai at Minnesota. It's tough to recommend sitting a top-five back like Addai, and in most cases I wouldn't. Just don't expect a huge day against the league's best run defense.
• Bengals QB Carson Palmer and RB Chris Perry vs. Tennessee. The Bengals' offense was in neutral all day against Baltimore with Palmer (99 passing yards) and Perry (18 carries, 37 yards) frustrating many fantasy owners. The Titans have a solid D, too, so watch for more problems.
• Patriots RB Laurence Maroney at New York Jets. Know this: Bill Belichick will try to lean on his running game with Tom Brady out for the season. But know this also: His opponents have little to fear with Matt Cassel directing the show.
• Broncos RB Selvin Young vs. San Diego. Looks like there will be a three-headed RB monster in Denver this season, which would kill Young's value.
• Eagles WR DeSean Jackson at Dallas. Jackson, who was one of Week 1's hottest waiver-wire pickups after a 106-yard opener, figures to come down to Earth against a tough Cowboys defense.
• Panthers TE Dante Rosario vs. the Bears. If Rosario (ankle sprain) plays, the Bears won't allow anything close to his 7-catch, 96-yard, 1-TD performance in San Diego.
jdietz@dailyherald.com
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