September is arguably the most important month of the season for fantasy owners. We have to very quickly evaluate teams/players with very little information or game time to go on, and if we judge wrong the consequences could last the remainder of the season. A hasty decision to cut a guy who had a bad week 1 could be a huge blunder, but then letting a week one gem get away can be equally devastating. A very intense time indeed for the serious addict. Let me do my best to shed some light on a few things I believe are or at least could be very important.

New England Patriots
Don't over react to Roman Phifer leading the Patriots in tackles against Indy. Not every team is going to call 40 running plays against this defense as the Colts did and Phifer is going to have a lot more 4-2-0 games than quality outings. On most weeks Bruschi is going to be the better tackle producer and he's developed into quite the big play threat as well. One thing I saw in this game that concerned me when it comes to Rodney Harrison; The Colts were very successful running away from him. When he was in San Diego, Harrison's numbers would drop like a rock whenever Seau was out of the lineup. Offenses would simply run away from him. Its way too early to be overly concerned but this is a copy cat league and the Colts may have provided the blue print.

Indianapolis Colts
There were a couple of things that leapt out from the Colts week one contest. Dwight Freeney is going to be a man on an island this year. I watched him closely in this game and saw not one pass play was called that he wasn't at least double teamed. Unfortunately the rest of the Colts D failed to generate much rush so its a safe bet this will become a trend. With the Pats rushing the ball just 17 times in the game its tough to get a read on the linebacker situation. I'm sure a lot of people were very disappointed in Cato June but don't give up too quickly. I will say however that June didn't hold up well at the point of attack as the ran right at him on many of their runs and had a lot of success. At least 2 of David Thornton's tackles came as he made plays on June's side of the field. Another problem here is all the situational substitutions at LB. Only Thornton stayed on the field for all downs while 4 other players all saw a significant number of snaps at the other 2 positions. The injury to Michael Doss was a blow to the Colts as he is one of their most talented defenders. It looks like he is going to miss at least a few weeks which makes Donald Strickland the starting SS. Normally safeties in cover 2 schemes aren't all that productive but the Colts are hurting for talent on defense so Strickland will probably be solid until Doss returns.

San Francisco 49ers
There was a time when Andre Carter was a quality fantasy DE. A lot of people drafted him late this year thinking he might rebound after a disappointing '03. Cut your losses and move on. Not only is Carter currently fighting a bad back that kept him out of week one but it looks like nothing will change with the scheme that will help Carter either. The Niners led us to believe they would play more 4-3 this year but seem to have reneged on their word. Against the Falcons they stayed in a 3-4 base defense all day. As we would expect all 4 of the Niners sacks on the day came from linebackers or blitzing DBs Don't be alarmed over Tony Parrish's mediocre production. The guy was not 100% and it looked like it. Keep in mind though that he was dinged and got off to a slow start like this at the beginning of last season as well, then caught fire. Derek Smith had a huge week one but he hasn't suddenly become Ray Lewis. Smith has a history of having a couple of huge games a year with most of those coming early in the season. Over the long haul he's still a quality backup or maybe a #3 starter at best.

Atlanta Falcons
Both DE Brady Smith and DT Rod Coleman finished 4-0-1 on Sunday. Both of these guys were on the sleepers list heading into the season and its looking like they won't disappoint. The Falcons new 4-3 scheme uses a lot of stunts and/or movement from the front 4 and will continue to depend on them providing a strong pass rush. Coleman in particular is the real deal so if your looking for DL help he should be near the top of your list. Chris Draft is not a guy I have ever been high on but even I was surprised by his lack of production in week 1. Its tough not to over react to a 1-1-0 out of a starting MLB but you should probably give him one more chance just to see if this is a fluke or the beginning of a trend.

Detroit Lions
Injuries were the story of the day for the Lions D in week one. Dre' Bly sprained his knee and will be out at least until after the teams by week. This opens the door for Andre Goodman. Detroit plays a lot of cover 2 so their corners are often quality options. If you have Bly don't hesitate to replace him with Goodman for the short term. Keep an eye on Chris Cash as well here. He could push Goodman for playing time. Teddy Lehman was also injured in the game suffering what is being termed a "mild concussion". This makes it even more difficult to determine what value he may have at this point. Lehman managed 2-1-0 with a forced fumble before leaving the game. At this point its looking a lot like James Davis (6-2-0) is the best bet among the Lions linebackers. He got the start at WLB and posted the best numbers.

Chicago Bears
The Bears may have lost the game but their defensive box scores suggest they are headed in the right direction on that side of the ball at least. As designed and drawn up on the chalk board Brian Urlacher led the club in tackles followed by Lance Briggs. When the linebackers are the leading tackles the system is usually working. Obviously Urlacher isn't going to be available anywhere but Briggs may very well be. If your thin at the position consider him a good pickup for depth and maybe even as a #3 starter. Alex Brown officially got the start opposite Adewale Ogunleye but it looks like those 3 are going to be working in a rotation situation. At least that was the case in the opener. They all put up very similar tackle numbers but Haynes was the only one to land a sack. This kid is going to be very good. I took a little heat on the message boards last week about ranking Charles Tillman so low. From what I saw of the game the Bears may be gravitating away from the cover 2 scheme which would keep Tillman's production at a much lower level than last year. Its only one week but its looking like Mike Brown (6-1-0) may be on the upswing again. If they continue to get away from the cover 2 he will have a much better '04.

Cleveland Browns
With a mark of 3-1-3 and a forced fumble to boot, Kenard Lang was the week 1 MVP among defensive linemen. While 3 sacks in a game is not going to be a regular happening for any DL, this was not entirely a fluke. Lang had a very solid '03 which included a career high in sack production and obviously he has a great shot at eclipsing those totals in '04. He's a great fit in the Browns scheme, is an excellent run defender and seems to have found his pass rush. If your in need of help on the DL this is the first place I would look. Don't let the less than stellar number from Andra Davis get you down. Cleveland came out fired up, intent on proving that last years debacles versus the Ravens wouldn't happen again. SLB Kevin Bentley played the game of his life and Jamal Lewis was held to 20 attempts for just 57 yards. The Browns D looks much improved but lets see what happens when they face an offense with some balance. Davis will be just fine.

Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle box score from week one is a little deceptive. No one would have predicted the Saints would fall behind so quickly and call just 16 running plays. Even so its a little strange that there were 3 safeties among the top 4 tacklers on the day. Michael Boulware didn't get the start but saw extensive playing time while giving us a glimpse at why the Seahawks are so high on him. He made a couple of bone crunching hits along the way, came up with an interception and didn't make any glaring mistakes. Expect him to continue seeing a lot of action even if he doesn't start but I believe he will be in the lineup full time by the end of the month. He's just too talented not to be. I am however a little concerned with the goose egg from Grant Wistrom. To his defense he saw a lot of double teams and the Saints worked away from him most of the game but it is still reason for concern. We are no closer to resolving the MLB question that we were when training camp opened. Orlando Huff started but played sparingly. Solomon Bates saw a few snaps as did Niko Koutouvides. With the Saints in passing mode most of the game the LB's who saw the most action were Anthony Simmons and Isaiah Kacyvenski who stood in for Chad Brown. Guess we have to wait at least another week for answers.

New Orleans Saints
Rookie Courtney Watson proved to be even better than advertised in the opener. His 8-3-0 led the team and the kid has already established himself as the teams best linebacker, at least from a talent perspective. There was some scare late in the game when Orlando Ruff replaced him for the final 3 series but it was later learned that Watson had experienced leg cramps and probably could have returned had there been any point in it. The Saints tried to replace SS Jay Bellamy last year but are now happy to have him in the lineup. Bellamy isn't flashy but is a solid veteran contributor who may well end up second on the team in tackles when the season is over. He slipped through the cracks in a lot of leagues so take a look at your available free agents. He'll be solid and consistent, an excellent #3 DB at worst. Will Smith started in place of the injured Darren Howard but didn't make much noise.

San Diego Chargers
In most leagues some astute owner snapped up Terrence Kiel as a mid to late round bargain. His 7-3-1 against the Texans has those owners smiling ear to ear. If you didn't make that move on draft day take a long hard look at Jerry Wilson. You saw him on last weeks EOTG as a guy to look at, after his 5-0-0 with a pick and a forced fumble he will probably be on someone's pickup list this week. If you need DB help he should be on yours. The Chargers front 7 is nothing special and the safeties are going to remain very busy all year.

Houston Texans
Rookie Jason Babin was impressive in his debut with a 6-1-0 but don't count on consistent tackle production from any OLB in a 3-4 scheme. The best I have ever seen from an OLB on a 3-4 team was in the area of 70 solo's on the year (Joey Porter 2001 I think). FS Marcus Coleman had a nice debut at his new position and could prove a quality pickup. No Texans DB has ever posted stellar numbers but Coleman brings a big play ability to the mix that they have never had either. He's certainly worth keeping an eye on at this point. Don't get too down on Jay Foreman after a week first outing. At this point there is no reason to believe that was anything more than a fluke.

Cincinnati Bengals
The big surprise out of week one here was the career high 9-2-0 by Kim Herring. This is a who has never shown any consistent fantasy production and has averaged fewer than 4 tackles per start over his career. Its hard to ignore the numbers and he is in a completely new situation so anything is possible. If you need the help go ahead and pick him up since you don't want to miss the boat but beware of fools gold here. Rookie Madieu Williams got the start at corner for the injured Deltha O'Neal and made a strong box score impact. The Jets picked on the inexperienced transplanted corner mercilessly early in the game with great success. To Williams credit he learned very quickly and looked like an all together different player in the second half. I believe Williams will eventually settle into a starting safety position and should be considered a good dynasty sleeper at the very least. At best once O'Neal returns Williams could move to SS in place of Rogers Beckett who suffered another concussion on Sunday. Beckett also suffered a concussion last December which has team officials/doctors concerned that this might become a serious problem in short order. So far there has been no word on Beckett's availability for week 2. One very big disappointment in Cincy was MLB Nate Webster who wasn't able to make an impact despite the Jets success in the running game and their large number of rush attempts. I wouldn't suggest dumping him too hastily as it could be a mirage but he certainly shouldn't be in your lineup for week 2 against a Dolphins club without an established running game. Cincy is desperately in need of WLB Brian Simmons return this week after he sat out the opener with a sore knee. Rookie Caleb Miller was a surprise starter at WLB but suffered an injury early and was on crutches during the second half and into this week. Landon Johnson replaced Miller only to be injured himself late in the game. The good news for Simmons owners is that the WLB position as a whole accounted for a respectable 7-4-0 on the day.

New York Jets
There has been a great deal of debate about who to grab and who to avoid among the Jets linebackers. All along I have suggested that Sam Cowart was the best option of the group at least for the short term and his 11-2-0 mark in the opener proves my point. Vilma is the future and will be a stud when his time comes but Cowart is a top flight player in his own right and will be very productive. The Jets stuck mostly to a 4-3 alignment against Cincy which kept Vilma on the sideline most of the game. They plan to stick with that alignment as their base scheme but I expect that we will still see a lot of 3-4 from them as the season moves on with both backers on the field together. John Abraham was eerily quiet in the opener and Shaun Ellis was completely absent from the box scores. With the team playing mostly 4-3 this is particularly strange. Unfortunately at this point I can't tell you why but I will certainly be looking a lot closer at these guys come Sunday.

Miami Dolphins
Marty Booker had better pay big dividends for Miami this year because they are sure going to miss Adewale Ogunleye. As expected Jason Taylor was the focus on the Titans blocking scheme on Sunday, facing multiple blockers on nearly every down. David Bowens got the call at the other end but was unable to make a significant contribution. He was replaced by Jay Williams on passing downs from the start and late in the game on early downs as well. Williams managed a sack and forced fumble so don't be surprised if he moves into the starting role soon. None of the Dolphins options are going to fill Ogunleye's shoes so don't be surprised if Taylor has a down year.

Pittsburgh Steelers
Two years ago Aaron Smith overcame the 3-4 scheme to be one of the fantasy games hottest linemen during the second half of the season. Last year he was unable to even post average numbers. Watching him play in the opener leads me to believe he may once again step up. Smith officially accounted for 1 sack, a forced fumble and a recovery but he was able to pressure Gannon on several plays and was a disruptive force all day. One game doesn't make a trend but Smith is certainly a guy worthy of watching in the coming weeks. Clark Haggans was a huge success in his first game as starter. The Steelers may have found the missing link to make their zone blitz formidable again. Owners in leagues that rely heavily on big plays should be all over this guy.

Oakland Raiders
There is much to talk about with the Raiders starting in the secondary where Marques Anderson has quickly secured the starting role at SS. Apparently the team has decided to keep working rookie Stuart Schewigert behind Ray Buchanan at FS in an effort to get him ready for the position he is best suited to play. While Schewigert is still a very interesting long term prospect, Anderson becomes the guy to have now. By the end of the season (especially if the Raiders are struggling) we will probably see these two starting side by side. Travian Smith had some big games late last year and started off with a team leading 8-3-0 in the opener but I am still not sold on him. The Raiders are using a lot of 3-4 and Smith is playing on the outside. Pittsburgh ran to Smith's side about 80% of the time in this game which is something that won't happen every week. The other factor is that Napoleon Harris is expected to return by week 3 if not sooner. I believe Harris will be the impact player at LB for this squad over the long haul.

Arizona Cardinals
Corners Duane Starks and David Macklin accounted for 18 solo tackles against the Rams on Sunday. These numbers are actually more significant when it comes to future opponents of the Rams than when considering Starks or Macklin. In short they were the product of the opponents scheme and shouldn't be looked upon as some sort of revelation that the Arizona corners are going to be very productive. Facts of note with the Cards are that recently acquired Peppi Zellner got the start at DE opposite Bert Berry, veteran backup James Darling started at LILB with Lavar Woods moving to RILB and sending Gerald Hayes to the bench. None of these factors however have much fantasy value other than being a warning not to invest in anyone among the Cardinals front 7 at this point. After being last in the league in sacks a year ago we shouldn't be surprised that Arizona failed to land one in the opener. One situation we need to watch here is at FS where Quentin Harris got the call o Sunday and did a good job. The numbers weren't particularly big but he did manage an interception and a forced fumble. If the youngster continues to play well he may fend off Ifeanyi Ohalete who most expect to claim the job soon as his ankle will let him.

St. Louis Rams
There isn't much to talk about when it comes to the Rams defensive box scores from Sunday. Probably the biggest fact of note was the absence of Leonard Little from it. Little was in the starting lineup and there has been no word of his being injured. I didn't get to see much of this game so I really don't know what happened to him. I'll assume he was simply handled by what is actually a fairly talented Arizona offensive line. There is no doubt he was the focus of blocking schemes with Wistrom out of the picture so at this point lest write it off as an anomaly until/unless we learn differently. One thing that may help Little in the future is that the Rams got some QB pressure and production from Bryce Fisher on the other end. Fisher is another member of my preseason sleeper list who looked good in week 1. He impressed me on a couple of occasions last season while playing in a limited role and I just had a feeling he would be successful as the starter. Its only one week but he's off to a good start and should be looked at as a potential F/A addition in coming weeks. One situation outside the box score that is of significance is the injury to WLB Pisa Tinoisamoa who could miss some time a dislocated shoulder. Originally expected to miss several weeks, the club is now saying that he may be able to play in week two. I wouldn't hold my breath on that one. At this point its hard to tell what the Rams coaching staff would do to fill his spot in the lineup if need be but we need to keep a very sharp eye on youngster Brandon Chillar who was very impressive during the preseason and started the opener at SLB.

Kansas City Chiefs
Those who read this column last week already got the heads up on Monte Beisel who proceeded to lead the Chiefs in tackles on Sunday night. Beisel took full advantage of his opportunity by posting a 7-1-0 mark and displaying even more potential with an interception. It will be tough for the Chiefs coaching staff to bench him after that performance so Kawika Mitchell may find himself waiting a while to get another shot at the starting job once he is healthy. I have been scouring the net since Sunday night trying to find out what happened to Greg Wesley in that game. Apparently he was simply benched after whiffing on Quentin Griffin's long run. Either that or he hurt himself diving at Griffin's shoe laces. What ever the reason, Wesley was not on the field after that play. He was replace by Willie Pile during the 4th quarter. There is no word about the incident to be found anywhere so I have to assume there is no problem here but Wesley owners need to be observant just to be sure.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
I just have to shake my head at all the people who are scrambling to pick up Shelton Quarles after his 10-3-0 in week one. This guy is a decent linebacker but his talent and potential don't go beyond that. He was 31 before even becoming a starter in the league two years ago, is undersized and won the job because of his pass coverage skills and not his run support abilities. He just had his best game of the year and will make you a good #5 LB the rest of the season. Note of interest here, the Bucks failed to record a sack or a takeaway in this game. Without spending a bunch of time researching I would guess its been several years since that has occurred.

Washington Redskins
I'm very certain I wasn't the only one left holding the bag on Sean Taylor Sunday. After starting the teams final two preseason games and making a lot of big plays during the preseason, Taylor found himself talking to the water boy on Sunday. What the hell is up with that Joe? Andre Lott got the start at FS and did nothing at all to show anyone why. Apparently Gibbs is an old school coach who doesn't believe in starting rookies no matter how good they are. At any rate, those of us sitting on Taylor need to be patient until his time comes but keep him out of the lineup for now. The other side of that is the monster game turned in by Matt Bowen. 9 tackles, 2 sacks and a forced fumble are the kind of numbers we expected from Taylor. Needless to say Bowen is going to be a hot commodity on the waiver wire this week. The only problem I see is that once you start counting on him, Taylor might come in the back door and steal his thunder. That said I'll be trying to pick Bowen up in ever league I can get him this week. You might also want to consider Antonio Pierce this week. He got the start for an injured Michael Barrow in week one and did a good job. Barrow has been very slow to recover from the knee injury and if Pierce continues to play well it may just be his job for the duration.

Dallas Cowboys
We knew that Dexter Coakley and Bradie James were in competition for the starting WLB job all summer. Heading into week one the word was that Coakley had held onto the job but that James would see action in a time share situation. Coakley did indeed get the start but it was all James after the first quarter. Despite coming off the bench James led the club in tackles for the game and probably won himself the starting job in the process. I know he went undrafted in some of my leagues so chances are he may be available in yours. A 6-0-0 mark from Roy Williams is a welcome sight to all us dynasty owners who sat on him through last years sophomore slump. It's not a huge game but its certainly an improvement and cause for optimism.

Minnesota Vikings
Its usually a very bad sign for a team when all 4 of their DBs at at the top of the list in tackle production but somehow the Vikings managed to pull that off and still whip the Cowboys 35-17. One thing we learned from this game is that Antoine Winfield is Antoine Winfield no matter what color the uniform. His team leading 8-0-0 plus 2 forced fumbles is a clear sign that his production is going to do anything but drop with his new team. One thing we didn't see from this group however, that we are used to seeing, is a handful of interceptions. I can't see all 4 of these DBs continuing to be highly productive but at this point if you have one of them, keep him. I was very high on E.J. Henderson coming into the season and his 3-1-0 in the opener has done nothing to change my mind. A look at this game makes it very easy to explain Henderson's meager numbers. The Cowboys only ran the ball 19 times for 70 yards in this game. Hardly what we would expect from a Parcells coached team but once they fell behind he turned to Vinny (50 pass attempts). Henderson will be just fine. What does come as a surprise here is that the Vikings failed to land a sack on any of those 50 attempts. This doesn't bode well for the Vikings front 7 and especially Kenechi Udeze who went only 1-1-0 on the day. Chuck Wiley starter opposite Udeze over Darrion Scott. With the woeful pass rush we should see some of Scott (who is a better rusher) next week.

Jacksonville Jaguars
After all the talk and speculation about moving Akinola Ayodele to DE the Jags pulled a fast one on us by starting him at WLB and leaving him there full time. Rookie Daryl Smith did start as promised but I don't believe he saw a single snap at WLB. If Ayodele continues to play WLB which there is no reason to believe he won't, he'll have a big season. Part of the reasoning behind not moving Ayodele to end has to be the surprisingly quality play of ends Paul Spicer and Lionel Barnes. They only manages 1 sack between them but were able to pressure Bledsoe often. The Jaguars D looks drastically improved over last year in general. They are quicker looking and obviously playing a more aggressive style. Keep an eye on Barnes and Spicer, cut your losses on Smith and get all over Ayodele if you can.

New York Giants
I'm not a "told you so" kind of guy but those of you who have been reading my work over the offseason know that I was never high on Nick Greisen. In fact I have been saying for months that he would not be the opening day starter for the Giants. Almost on the eve of the opener Quincy Monk was waived and Kevin Lewis promoted past Greisen into the starting lineup. Lewis responded with a 8-2-1 against an Eagles club that rushed the ball only 23 times on the day. The G-men are seriously hurting on defense so both Lewis and Barrett Green bring huge potential to the table. Just wait until the Giants see someone like Clinton Portis. If either of these guys are available they should be scooped up pronto, especially Lewis who looked like a starting LB, not just a guy filling the uniform. The Giants may have a long term answer in him.

Carolina Panthers
Dan Morgan proved yet again that he deserves to be considered among the elite linebackers in the league when healthy. His 9-4-0 topped the Carolina box score on Monday night and best of all he was still on the field at the end of the game. There were several Panthers who put up quality numbers, the only one who is not a regular in terms of fantasy consideration being FS Colin Branch who managed a 6-0-0 in the game. I have a hard time believing that opponents are going to be able to handle the Panthers D the way the Packers did so Branch might not evolve into a serious consideration but he looked pretty darn good in this game and is certainly worthy of further attention.

That does it for the week 2 offering. Hope everyone got off to a great start.

Just Win Baby!

John