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After last season’s finish which saw Jay Cutler’s toughness come into question, this year comes with a sack full of questions  (pun intended).
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Cutler’s yardage dropped, but considering the weapons he had at his disposal, that shouldn’t come as a shock. Along with the yardage drop, Cutler saw his interceptions drop and his TD/INT ratio improve.
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His passer rating improved to 86.3, which is more in line with his career numbers than his forgettable 2009 season. His completion percentage remained about 60 percent and he ran for a career high 232 yards.
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Of course he was sacked 52 times after being sacked 86 times in his first four seasons in the league. See how tough you are after taking that kind of beating.
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Martz is still his coordinator so expect the sacks to continue. That’s just how things go in his offense. He puts a lot of pressure on the Bears offensive line.
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Without quality receivers Cutler could see more drops and “excusable” interceptions. Gone are the days of considering Cutler a QB1.
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However, he will have his moments. Cutler was much better at home last year than away, averaging 251.9 yard and 1.75 touchdowns. On the road he averaged 179.9 yards and 1.29 touchdowns. That is where he’s facing Atlanta.
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The Falcons ranked 22nd against the pass last year with a 226.6 ypg average. They were middle of the road with 23 passing touchdowns allowed.
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With their desire to open the playbook this year and convert to a more pass-oriented team, they do open their defense up to fatigue. They won’t grind the ball out as much to control the clock.
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I’m not saying this is an ideal match-up for Cutler this week, but if you are in a Peyton Manning bind, there are worse alternatives this week.
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Also check out:

• Week 1 Fantasy QB Rankings
• Week 1 Fantasy RB Rankings
• Week 1 Fantasy WR Rankings
• Week 1 Fantasy TE Rankings
• Week 1 Fantasy K Rankings
• Week 1 Fantasy DEF Rankings
• Week 1 Fantasy IDP Rankings
• Week 1 Start/Sit
• Week 1 Sleepers

• 2011 Fantasy Football QB Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Football RB Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Football RB Rankings – PPR
• 2011 Fantasy Football WR Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Football TE Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Football DEF Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Football IDP Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Football K Rankings

Click here to enter the 2011 LestersLegends fantasy football team name contest!
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Roy Williams was a highly coveted wide receiver when he came out of Texas in 2004. In seven of his eight seasons he has finished with fewer than 65 catches. Six times he’s finished with fewer than 55. Four times he finished with 45 of fewer catches. Chew on that. Roy has had 45 or fewer catches in half of his seasons in the league.
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He has also had fewer than 840 yards in seven of his seasons and fewer than 700 in six. In half of his seasons he’s had less than 600 yards. His one saving grace has been four seasons with seven or eight touchdowns and six with five of more. The bottom line is Roy Williams has been mediocre at best in all but one season.
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In that season Williams caught 82 passes for 1310 yards and eight touchdowns. That fool’s gold season earned Roy a big paycheck and a run of preseason fantasy love that never matched his production.
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Well, the love is back…somewhat. Obviously I won’t buy in on Roy like I once did, but there is reason for optimism. Unlike Sidney Rice who landed in a bad quarterback situation in Seattle, Roy gets Cutler. He may lack in the intangibles, but physically he’s as good as any quarterback in the league. He also doesn’t have to compete with an elite wide receiver. Since 2007 Roy has had to share the field with Calvin Johnson, Terrell Owens, Miles Austin, and Dez Bryant. That’s not entirely a positive though because it means he’ll likely draw the top opposing cornerback.
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Finally, Roy is reunited with Mike Martz, who was the offensive coordinator for the Lions when Williams had his monster year. Martz believes in Roy. It’s funny how players play differently when they feel wanted. It’s funny how a new start is all some players needs.
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Will that be the case for Roy Williams? Hard to say, but with a MockDraftCentral ADP of 62, he’s well worth the risk.
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Also check out:

• 2011 Fantasy Football QB Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Football RB Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Football WR Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Football TE Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Football DEF Rankings

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Adrian Peterson delivered once again despite playing on the Vikings’ sinking ship. He ran for 1298 yards and 12 touchdowns. He added 36 catches for 341 yards and another score. After being dogged by fumbles, he improved his ball control by coughing up just one fumble all year. Peterson is once again in the conversation for the first overall pick in fantasy leagues. He shouldn’t slip by the top four or five picks even in PPR leagues. With a rookie quarterback he’ll likely be called upon to take some of the pressure off. Toby Gerhart showed he was capable towards the end of the year, and should see an increase in touches this year. He remains strictly a handcuff though.
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Matt Forte bounce back from a somewhat disappointing 2009 season by running for 1069 yards and six touchdowns. He averaged a career high 4.5 yards per carry. Forte also added 51 catches, his third straight year with 50+, for 547 yards and three more scores. Forte figures to be a high-end RB2 in non-PPR leagues and a low-end RB1 in PPR leagues. Chester Taylor will keep Forte fresh and provide veteran insurance should Forte go down, but isn’t a hot fantasy commodity.
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Jahvid Best will operate between the 20s, but rookie Mikel Leshoure will get the touch carries near the goal line as well as closing out games. Best deal with turf toe last year which sapped his explosiveness, but injuries have been commonplace for Best. He has the ability to put up huge numbers, but is a fantasy risk even as an RB2 because of his injury concerns and Leshoure’s presence. It’s possible that both Best and Leshoure could each have weekly fantasy value.
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Green Bay has a bit of a mess at running back. For starters, we already know that they are first and foremost a passing team. We also know Aaron Rodgers always steals a few rushing touchdowns per year. With Ryan Grant and James Starks sharing carries, there may not be a reliable weekly option barring injury. The Packers added Alex Green in the draft who will likely handle third down duties and further muddy the water.
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Also check out:

• AFC East Running Back Situations
• AFC North Running Back Situations
• AFC South Running Back Situations
• AFC West Running Back Situations
• NFC East Running Back Situations

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Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers is by far the best in the division. The writing was on the wall the wall he handled the Brett Favre situation while still delivering on the field. A concussion cost Rodgers from reaching 4000 yards for a third straight year, but fantasy owners can live with the 3922 yards, 28 TDs (11 INTs), 356 rushing yards, and four rushing TDs. If he’s not the best fantasy quarterback in the league, he is certainly a top three choice.
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Chicago’s Jay Cutler cut his interception total from 26 to 16. His yardage (3274) and touchdowns (23) also dipped, but the Bears were winning and more committed to the run. He doesn’t have great weapons around him, but he makes do. The Bears drafted Gabe Carimi to provide some much needed improvement on the offensive line. His toughness may have come into question, but his arm strength never will. He’s a solid QB2 that is really hit or miss.
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Detroit’s Matthew Stafford just can’t seem to stay healthy. The Lions did not invest heavily in their offensive line, as their play was actually not that bad. They did give him some complimentary weapons in the form of Titus Young and Mikel Leshoure to add to Calvin Johnson, Brandon Pettigrew, Nate Burleson, and Jahvid Best. Don’t look now, but the Lions are on the rise. If the injury bug bites again, Shaun Hill has shown that he’s more than capable to step up.
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The Vikings finally addressed the quarterback situation with a long-term solution. Christian Ponder is a good fit for the offense and has the experience to play right away. The team will likely add a veteran to mentor Ponder, but it appears he’ll get his shot. If Sidney Rice does not return, the Vikings will need to give Percy Harvin some help at WR. Adrian Peterson will make the life of a rookie quarterback easier.
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Also check out:

• AFC East Quarterback Situations
• AFC North Quarterback Situations
• AFC South Quarterback Situations
• AFC West Quarterback Situations
• NFC East Quarterback Situations

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Did you really think Brett Favre would just ride off into the sunset? Not unless he had a caravan of reporters tracking his every moment. The media hungry Favre just won’t go away. Despite Favre racking up more injuries than the Vikings have wins, the signing of Patrick Ramsey, and a chance to look at potential future quarterback Joe Webb, it appears that Favre stands a chance of playing this week after being upgraded from out to questionable.
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Favre will test his shoulder well before kickoff to see if he can give it a go or not. If he is able to go, I like the chances of Sidney Rice, Percy Harvin, and even Adrian Peterson in the running game a lot better. However, if you were anticipating using Joe Webb in your WR slot, you may want to have Bernard Berrian, Greg Camarillo, Devin Hester, or Johnny Knox on speed dial so you don’t get stuck with a goose egg.
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It is snowing in Minnesota so none of the passing options make great plays, but that’s what happens when you play somebody from the Monday Night Football game. Good luck tonight. Hopefully you survive to fight another day.
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If you’re looking ahead to next week, check out:

• Week 16 Get ‘em or Don’t Sweat ‘em Waiver Wire Advice
• Week 16 Fantasy QB Rankings
• Week 16 Fantasy RB Rankings
• Week 16 Fantasy WR Rankings

Image courtesy of Icon SMI
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Having players go in the Thursday night games gives you a little bit of advantage. If your players do good, you can perhaps be a little more cautions with your team. If your players did not put up good numbers, perhaps you will want to take a bigger risk hoping for a bigger reward to make up for it. You also get a feel for your lineup depending on how your opponents players did.
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With the second Thursday night game in the books, let’s take a look at the fantasy ramifications.
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Quarterbacks:  Last week both Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco had great games. This week was so not about quarterback play. Tyler Thigpen (187 passing yards, INT, 27 rushing yards) was one of our sleeper picks, but he just didn’t deliver. Losing Brandon Marshall for the second half didn’t help. Meanwhile, Jay Cutler (156 yards, INT, 28 rushing yards) was one of our sit suggestions. One out of two ain’t bad. If you did happen to start one of these two, you’ll have to make up the points somewhere.
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Running Backs:  If you started Matt Forte (104 total yards, TD), you probably had a hard time falling asleep because you were so giddy. If you rolled with Ronnie Brown (29 total yards), Ricky Williams (13 total yards) or Chester Taylor (10 yards), you may have woke up with nightmares.
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If you started Forte, perhaps you don’t need to be as risky with your lineup (i.e. starting your backup tight end over Antonio Gates because you’re not sure what you’ll get from him on Monday). If you started someone from the terrible trio, you’ll have to make up those points.