Fantasy Notes
Kurt Warner is obviously the big gainer this week; he's healthy (for the moment), and playing against a defense whose starting corners are likely to be Shawntae Spencer and Walt Harris. Expect a lot of points in the regular-season opener from Cardinals Stadium ... The top QBs all have pretty good matchups. Considering how good he looked in his two preseason games, Carson Palmer will continue dispite worries over his knee and the possibility that Ty Law reinvigorates the Chiefs' secondary puts Palmer at No. 6. Hey, it's about 100 spaces higher than I expected him to be Week 1 ... The Denver/St. Louis game has the potential for a shootout; I see little evidence that the Rams are better on defense, and the Broncos were susceptible to big plays through much of last year ... Jake Delhomme will dropoff somewhat because I think Atlanta's pass defense is going to be really good this year. That defensive line should generate a ton of sacks, and his mouth notwithstanding, you have to like the progress DeAngelo Hall has made ... Aaron Brooks at No. 13? Well, the Chargers were fifth-worst against the pass in '05, and it's pretty much the same cast of characters. Wake me when '06 first-rounder Antonio Cromartie is ready to start ... If Terrell Owens is ready, Drew Bledsoe could have a fine opener. But I love Jacksonville's defense this year, and I think they'll cause "Robot Drew" to cough it up once or twice ... The fact that the Seahawks were 25th against the pass in '05 is a bit misleading; they were ahead a lot, and teams had to play catch-up. Nevertheless, there are worse defenses for the new Mike Martz offense to debut against... Drew Brees will rely on the running game against the Browns who were the No. 4 team in the league last year against the pass (at least partially because teams were making so much hay against them on the ground) but there's still a little concern about his shoulder ... Batch over Favre? You read it here first. Favre could have a few renaissance nights, and I wouldn't be shocked if the home opener was one of them. But you'll have to go to Joe Theismann if you want someone to experience sensual delight over Favre. He's at the end.
