By Erick Arnold
Week 1 is in the books or as Hall of Fame LB ?The Mad Stork? Tedd Hendricks used to say, ?It?s in the can?. Given recent events, there are obvious additions to be made on every fantasy roster that every fantasy owner worth a football should know to do. Thus, here is a list of players to keep an eye on in deeper leagues.
- RB Peyton Hillis
Hillis? value was first mentioned in RealGM's preseason articles, but now the timeshare is officially on. Hillis and RB Jerome Harrison split the Browns? carries 50-50 in week 1. Even with that, Hillis continued to receive playing time which should give us a strong indication that he isn?t going anywhere soon. Furthermore, if Jerome Harrison were to suffer an injury, Hillis would automatically have instant fantasy value. Then again, he could potentially take over the job full time seeing how much Eric Mangini likes him already.
- TE Evan Moore
It?s hard to be so eager to recommend more than one Browns player, but after a solid preseason and a nice game in week 1, Moore does present some value down the road. Moore is still competing for playing time with Ben Watson, which is why Moore is not worth adding just yet, but I?d expect Moore to eventually become the official starter sometime in the future. He?s got a lot of talent and should be on your watch list moving forward.
- TE Tony Moeaki
Although a rookie, Moeaki had a nice debut on Monday night, catching Matt Cassell?s only touchdown pass. Moeaki is the starting tight end for the Chiefs, however, which limits his fantasy value tremendously. But if the Chiefs continue to play as inspired and as physical as they did Monday night against the Chargers, upgrade Moeaki to a nice bye week fill-in.
- RB Dimitri Nance
This is a name nobody has heard of yet, but fantasy owners would be wise to have this name on their watch list. With the injury to Ryan Grant, Nance should be the backup running back for the Green Bay Packers. If newly anointed starter Brandon Jackson were to go down with an injury as well, Nance would become ?the man? for Green Bay. There is a very small chance the job could go to FB Jim Kuhn, but it?s hard to see the Packers signing Nance if that were the expectation. He holds no value as of yet but keep tabs on this situation in general but put his name to memory in the case that Jackson does go down.
- WR Josh Morgan
This name is nothing new to fantasy watch circles, but given the demonstrative game of counterpart Michael Crabtree, Morgan is worth more of a look than ever. However, the reasons for this are more to do with Crabtree?s ineptitude then Morgan?s skills as a receiver. Crabtree failed to play in any of the 49ers preseason games and it certainly showed in his Week 1 performance. How any coaching staff is to remedy the many errors made by Crabtree in such a quick amount of time is certainly questionable. Thus, keep a keen eye and expect Mike Singletary to roll with the players who actually produce. If Morgan has a decent showing in Week 2, I can?t see any reason not to add him to your team.
- RB Laurence Maroney
Denver?s newly acquired running back, Laurence Maroney, certainly adds depth to a depleted position on their team. Don?t take this the wrong way, just because Maroney is on a new team doesn?t mean he has any more value. In fact, it?s quite the opposite; RB Knowshown Moreno is the starting running back followed by Correll Buckhalter. There are positives to this situation, seeing as Maroney has played for Head Coach Josh McDaniel when he was the Offensive Coordinator for Patriots (hence, why the deal was made in the first place). In Moreno?s short NFL career, he has had nagging injuries that have kept him from being the sole running back for the Broncos. Thus, if Maroney blossoms during practice and Moreno goes down with an injury, Maroney automatically becomes not only intriguing but a solid addition to any fantasy roster. Stay tuned and watch how Mcdaniels uses Maroney in the coming weeks.
- RB Benjarvus Green-Ellis
With Maroney?s departure, the convoluted running back situation in New England only becomes slightly clearer. If Week 1 is any indication, RB Fred Taylor appears to be the starter here. That is, until New England gets into goal line situations. To the dismay of every Fred Taylor fantasy owner, they all cringed when they saw that the running back on New England?s goal line sets now had dreadlocks. If Green-Ellis is the goal line back for New England he definitely holds some fantasy value in deeper leagues. Additionally, if Taylor were to go down with an injury at any point in the season, Green-Ellis would theoretically emerge as the full-time replacement now that Maroney has been traded. New England?s muddled backfield is always the annoyance, but it?s not worth giving up on completely now that Maroney has been removed from the equation.
- Greg Camarillo
Bernard Berrian had a great season in 2008 as the primary receiver, but failed to develop any chemistry with Brett Favre in 2009. This same failed chemistry was further on display in Week 1 given that Favre?s favorite target from last season, Sidney Rice, was not at his disposal. One would think that Berrian would forcibly become the anointed primary target for Favre, but given the lack of chemistry between them, it definitely looks like it is Camarillo?s turn. One would have to assume that if that happens, Camarillo would be good for at least 75% of Rice?s 2009 totals of 83 receptions, 1,300 yards, and eight touchdowns. If that?s the case, then Camarillo should be on every fantasy owner?s radar. If Camarillo gets at least four more receptions then Berrian, move forward and add the former Miami Dolphin to your roster.
- Todd Heap
Once the Holy Grail of tight ends Heap has been buried behind numerous receiving tight ends in today?s ?Tight End Renaissance?. As noted in RealGM?s Preseason articles, his preseason production carried over into week 1 and it looks as though that trend will continue. Heap is part of a very good offense that features star players. Any Defensive Coordinator worth their salt will plan to double team RB Ray Rice and WR Anquan Boldin, leaving Heap open on most pass routes. However, if you currently have Kellen Winslow, Brent Celek, Tony Gonzalez, Jason Witten, or Heath Miller as your starting tight end, there?s absolutely no reason to hesitate adding Heap. For those of us who are more fortunate to have solid production from our tight end, monitor Heap?s situation for your upcoming bye week and act a week earlier then necessary should his production continue.
- Arizona Defense
Given that a rookie quarterback on the lowly Rams had some success on this defense should raise some concerns. Not to mention, this offense?s lack of production as a whole will also hurt this squad as evidenced this past week with the turnovers that put Arizona?s defense with a short field to protect. However, Arizona still created turnovers and tallied fantasy points and that?s what matters. With a presumably tough matchup this week against the Falcons, this is a good test to determine how good their defense actually is. If they hold the Falcons to 17 points and still create turnovers, Arizona would be a great defense to play in Week 3 against the woeful Raiders at home.
- Kansas City Defense
Traditionally a fantasy dud, KC?s week 1 performance against a strong Chargers offense should peak every fantasy owners interest. If you?re really in a pinch this week (if you drafted the 49er defense which is going against the high powered Saints in week 2) the Chiefs could be a nice plug-n-play against the troubled Browns. Browns QB Jake Delhomme was second in interceptions last season up until week 11 when he was benched and threw two last week against the lowly Buccaneers. For those fantasy owners who don?t need a defense this week, monitor the Chiefs D during week two and be prepared to add them to your roster if this newly found strength continues. With a very weak season schedule this year, the Chiefs could be a defense to rely on mid-season and fantasy playoff time (Weeks 7-9, 15, & 17).






