Let Them Preach! Week One Edition

Editor's Note:  This is the first of a weekly article that blogger Christian Hardy will be writing for us.  The article will highlight what he saw over the weekend in the world of football.  You can check Christian's other work out at his blog, TheFFAddict, or follow him on Twitter.

By:  Christian Hardy

Hey ReclinerQB.com regulars, I just wanted to introduce myself.  I'm a complete fantasy football fanatic...I have been blogging about fantasy football for about three years now, and it just keeps getting better and better.  I am going to be writing on here about once a week in the Fantasy Corner.  I am also 14 years old and go to school near Wichita, Kansas where I am a sophomore.  I hope you enjoy my writing and hopefully the guys here at ReclinerQB.com will want me back.

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There it goes. It just blew right by your head! No not the ball! Week one of the NFL season decided to swing in and give us an entertaining Sunday for the first time in over seven months...but was it an even more exciting Monday? Well, I decided that I would start a new segment called “Let Them Preach”.  It'll be essentially one thing I learned from each game every week. I’m not sure how long this will last, but hey, you never know until you try. It will be out every Tuesday after the Monday night games. It will usually be a short little article so let’s get to it.

New Orleans Saints @ Green Bay Packers

1. James Starks is going to be the main guy for the Packers. Starks ran harder and just looked like the guy who the Packers can put their trust in.

2. Aaron Rodgers has a bromance with Greg Jennings. Rodgers loves to throw to the most talented guy on the field, and that is going to continue.

3.Jimmy Graham will become Drew Brees' favorite target with Colston out for a while.

Atlanta Falcons @ Chicago Bears

1. Bears can compete for the division championship in the NFC North again, and I think that is apparent to almost everyone who watched them this week.

2. With no clear WR1 for the Bears, Matt Forte is going to be a tremendous game changer for the Bears.

3. Julio Jones was the second most productive rookie on the weekend, and I thought that he looked better than A.J. Green.

Cincinnati Bengals @ Cleveland Browns

1. Jerome Simpson is relevant, at least with Bruce Gradkowski under center.

2. Cedric Benson can still get the rock and run with it, and the Bengals sure love to run the ball.

3. We still don’t know who McCoy is going to throw the ball to (when was the last time the Browns had a WR1 anyways?). I did find out that McCoy loves to throw to his tight ends, though, and Moore could have value.

Buffalo Bills @ Kansas City Chiefs

1. Ryan Fitzpatrick was, has been, and always will be an underrated NFL QB. No doubt about that. He has never gotten any man love from anyone, but the Bills and I know that he is a flower budding on a warm sunny day in spring.

2. Scott Chandler looks like he is going to be Ryan “Don’t Look Now” Fitzpatrick’s favorite target.

3. Jamaal Charles looks like he is going to share the ball . . . a lot.

Philadelphia Eagles @ St.Louis Rams

1. Eagles line isn’t as bad as I thought it was going to do. What do I mean by that? It means I didn’t puke, but Michael Vick could put up numbers.

2. Avant having more targets than Maclin is not going to happen often. And I will not be benching Maclin in week two.

3. Cadillac Williams still has it (“it” refers to his running skills). Oh, and if all of you out there didn’t know, Carnell “Cadillac” Williams is going to be starting next week, so GO GRAB HIM!

Detroit Lions @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

1. Josh Freeman is going to throw the ball, and it is really going to hurt Blount’s value.

2. Arrelious Benn should be watched. He had seven targets and I think he might even start stealing targets from Mike Williams.

3. Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson could have something special.

Tennesse Titans @ Jacksonville Titans

1. Mike Thomas is the #1 target for McCown, no doubt.

2. Kenny Britt is an incredible playmaker.

3. Hasselbeck might be able to actually produce with the Titans.

Baltimore Ravens @ Pittsburgh Steelers

1. Ravens are contenders to make it to the Superbowl. You heard me. Superbowl.

2. Hines Ward isn’t done yet, and it is hurting Emmanuel Sanders/Antonio Brown.

3. Anquan Boldin is going to be Flacco’s favorite target, unlike last year, and I think he could finish a top 10 fantasy football WR.

Indianapolis Colts @ Houston Texans

1. Peyton Manning should have won more than four MVPs.

2. I think we all found out that the Colts might be worse than the ’08 Lions. Ok maybe a  little over-exaggeration there, but the Colts are a giant wreck without Peyton Manning.

3. The Texans have a really good offensive line, and Ben Tate can run almost as good as Arian Foster...pick your poison. Without Arian Foster, Tate had himself a very good game.

4. Although they were facing old man Collins, the Texans pass defense didn’t look half bad against a pretty strong receiving corps.

Carolina Panthers @ Arizona Cardinals

1. Cam Newton can actually be a starting quarterback in this league. Shocker! All kidding aside, he had a great game and he has some great upside in the coming weeks.

2. Steve Smith will be a strong candidate for comeback player of the year if him and Newton continue to connect.

3. Newton’s running skills are going to really hurt the Carolina backfield.

4. Kolb is going to spread the ball around a lot, and it looks like his first option is Fitzgerald. But I think Doucet earned the backup role on Sunday.

Minnesota Vikings @ San Diego Chargers

1. Rivers, although he didn’t look phenomenal on Sunday, is going to be in contention for the passing yards crown again. He throws the ball as much as I tweet (a lot).

2. Mike Tolbert is the official goal line back of your San Diego Chargers.

3. Adrian Peterson is going to have to start leading the Vikings, as well as everyone rallying around McNabb if this football team wants to win games.

Seattle Seahawks @ San Francisco 49ers

1. Just like “All Day”, Frank Gore is going to have to take control of his offense if they want to win games.

2. With the way Tavaris Jackson spread the ball around, I don’t see Sidney Rice being a huge factor when he returns, but I could always be wrong. I think the Seahawks are the next Cleveland Browns...no clear #1 wide receiver.

3. Crabtree’s foot is going to bother him all year; I expect Braylon Edwards and Vernon Davis to become a bigger part of the offense this year, just in general.

New York Giants @ Denver Broncos

1. Tim Hightower is going to be the main man in Shanahan’s offense.

2. Rex Grossman, yes, Rex Grossman, could lead this teams to some success (but be realistic, we’re talking about the Redskins here). As of now Rex Grossman is actually right: The Redskins will win the NFC East, judging by the way the standings are right now.

3. Hakeem Nicks is a complete monster and he never quits (see injury).

Dallas Cowboys @ New York Jets

1. Tony Romo is one of the best quarterbacks in the game . . . in the first three quarters.

2. Just like I predicted, Jason Witten will be the most targeted pass catcher on this team.

3. Santonio Holmes is clearly going to be the guy for the Jets.

4. Plaxico can’t do much against a good corner, as seen in the second half on Sunday Night.

New England Patriots @ Miami Dolphins

1. I was actually right about Chad Henne.

2. Chad Ochocinco isn’t going to be much of a factor this year. He was hardly even on the field.

3. Tom Brady is a beast.

4. Reggie Bush cannot be a #1 RB in the NFL, even if the Dolphins try to make him one, he is just not.

Oakland Raiders @ Denver Broncos

1. Sebastian Janikowski has a leg.

2. Michael Bush and the rest of that backfield are going to get more carries this year than last. Or, at least they will get more playing time.

3. Orton and Lloyd both showed us that they aren’t one year wonders.

4. The Broncos’ offensive line was putrid. I would still buy low on Moreno. I completely still believe in the guy.

So there it is.  I hope you enjoyed my first edition of “Let Them Preach”.  You can read this original article (plus much more) on my blog.  If you would like to speak with me or have any questions then you can always catch me on Twitter or you can feel free to email me.  Thanks for reading, and I will see you next week.