Monday's Minings-Week 1

Feeling very confident in my preseason Bengals defense love. Absolutely obliterated a Bronco offense that was good last year, and will probably be mediocre this year. I'd rated the Bengals as a 2 star matchup but even that may have been underestimating them. They picked up right where they left off at the end of last year. For now, keep your backs away from this matchup.

The biggest surprise for me was the Jets. They looked good all around but especially on defense. I haven't turned on the Houston offense yet; I believe the Jets may be that good. Their defense carried them last year, adding Rex Ryan may put them over the top. Wouldn't be surprised if they end up top 5 defense. If Sanchez maintains this play level they are a real threat to win the division.

Along those lines, the Pats looked bad. I don't see how they can win the division playing defense like that. They were shredded by Fred Jackson and Trent Edwards. They're offense can still be counted on, and if you got Fred Taylor late, you should be pleased that he looks like the goal line back, but you should be prepared to send any rb against them that you can.

Michael Bush is your pickup of the week, there will be enough points in that powerful Raider running attack for him and McFadden. Raiders could be another surprise team, making a push for the AFC West. The Chargers look less than promised. We kept hearing the 2008 offense with the 2007 defense. Why is that more likely than getting the 2008 defense and the 2007 offense? In any case, they probably end up somewhere in the middle on both sides of the ball. Most likely the division winner, but not a defense to necessarily avoid.

One more self serving note on the Chargers. Some people had LDT in their top 5. But that fork is not coming out. Trade him for a Donald Brown if you can.

I'm not too worried about a lot of guys that had less than spectacular games. If someone has one bad week in week 8, noone cares. But if the bad week is week1, alarms go off. Foolish, especially for receivers. The only guys I'm cutting bait on are running backs that looked visibly bad. Guys like Slow Willie Parker. Hang onto your premium, odds are they all come through.

Don't worry about Cutler either. He looked much better in the second half. He was getting no protection in the first half and panicking. The line will get it together, I think the Packers will be one of the better pass rushes they face, if not in the league. Very happy with the leagues where is have GB D. He will have more picks than the other top qbs, but by the end, he'll have plenty of scores too. Loved the Hester connection.

I am worried about Turner. Worried in the sense that what I saw confirmed what I predicted going into the season, a rough outing in what should have been one of the better games on his schedule.

Rams look like the worst team. I'm playing someone against the Rams at every opportunity.

Shining diamonds. Guys that caught my eye.
1. Obviously Drew Brees and Adrian Peterson.
2. MJD looked fantastic, I'd take him second if we drafted now.
3. Vincent Jackson looked great in a tough game. Big year coming up. He's the guy now.
4. Tony Romo is gonna spread it around, but he'll put up numbers. Lucy for him the defense looks wretched, he'll be throwing in the 4th quarter more than most top qbs.
5. Clinton Portis looked good in a loss, 4 ypc against an elite run d
6. Eagles defense will crush the ravens point total this year