Empty the Bench

Reggie Bush, RB, New Orleans Saints: The running back situation for the Saints is still very much up in the air: a fair amount of fantasy owners have jumped on the Pierre Thomas bandwagon (but he’s already out this week with an injury), third-stringer Mike Bell is considered the dark horse, and though he’s only had one semi-remarkable season in three tries, find me a sports bar and I’ll find you a Bush fantasy apologist.

Given his celebrity and draft status as a former second-overall pick, Saints brass is pulling for Bush to emerge as the top guy in the rotation, and he has a golden opportunity to show what he can do against the traditionally porous Detroit Lions defense. I smell a flop, but he could just as easily bust out with 150 total yards and a few scores.

Matt Hasselbeck, QB, Seattle Seahawks: I’m cautiously bullish on a rebound season for the veteran Hasselbeck, who had a forgettable, injury-plagued campaign last year but is just two seasons removed from throwing 28 touchdown passes and almost 4,000 yards.

The offensive line is a real concern, but T.J. Houshmandzadeh is a huge addition to a subpar WR corps that sorely needs Nate Burleson to stay healthy. Hasselbeck figures to carve up the St. Louis Rams secondary; if he does, wait to see if he does it again against a questionable 49ers defense, then try to sell high… or sit on him and reap the benefits of some cake matchups later this season.

LaDainian Tomlinson, RB, San Diego Chargers: Everybody has an opinion about LT this offseason, with those falling on the “he’s done” side grabbing electrifying backup Darren Sproles as early as the 7th round. (I took him in the 9th round in one league.) With a juicy matchup against the head-in-ass Oakland Raiders Monday night, LT should dominate; if he doesn’t, the calls for Sproles will only grow louder both in San Diego and in fantasy circles.

Percy Harvin, WR, Minnesota Vikings: The rookie who can apparently do it all—run, catch, pass, return kicks—makes his debut with all eyes on Brett Favre and only those of fantasy owners on him. The hype machine has been running at maximum capacity for the first-round pick out of Florida, who could emerge as a huge fantasy bargain with an average Yahoo! draft-day position of 123rd overall.

Rookie wideouts usually take at least half a season to achieve any degree of week-to-week consistency, but the opportunity is ripe for Harvin to make an immedate impact with the Vikings facing the Browns, Lions, 49ers, and Rams defenses in four of the first five weeks.

Felix Jones, RB, Dallas Cowboys: We’re still fans of Marion Barber III, but Jones is the more explosive back in Dallas with greater home-run potential. Limited to just six games in his rookie season due to injury, Jones is similar in size to the Titans’ Chris Johnson and probably faster. He has a lot to prove, but if Jones gets on track early this season and Barber struggles, we could see Jones become the team’s primary back between the 20′s. Either way, we’re psyched to see what this kid can do on the road against a solid Tampa Bay Bucs D.

Five more players to watch with a fantasy eye after the break…

Jay Cutler, QB, Chicago Bears: My money is on Cutler having a big first season in Chicago and making Devin Hester, college teammate Earl Bennett, and tight end Greg Olsen look really good. He established himself as one of the league’s best young QBs as a Bronco, and despite less offensive weapons—at least on paper—with the Bears, I just can’t see him regressing. On the road in Green Bay against the Packers is a fantastic first test.

Donald Brown, RB, Indianapolis Colts: Don’t be surprised if incumbent starter Joseph Addai gets the lion’s share of carries this week against the underwhelming Jacksonville Jaguars. When given the choice between veteran and rookie, most head coaches tend to lean on the vet early in the season, and I think that’ll be the case here.

Still, Brown should get somewhere around 10 touches, minimum, and I expect him to break at least one of those… and force Jim Caldwell to get him on the field more in the coming weeks. Addai just isn’t long for the starting job—the future is in first-round pick Brown.

Matt Stafford, QB, Detroit Lions: Likely a plug-in fantasy QB play at best during his rookie season, the first-overall pick of this year’s real-life draft will still have a significant role this year for fantasy owners: that of the guy in charge of ensuring the best—you heard me, the best—wide receiver in the NFL, Calvin Johnson, gets the ball early and often.

The Saints secondary should be better than last year, but it’s still suspect and Stafford has the talent to exploit it, rookie or not. I’ll be disappointed with anything less than 250 yards passing in his debut, with 120+ of those going to Megatron.

Thomas Jones, RB, New York Jets: With the flashier Leon Washington waiting in the wings, nearly everyone thinks the 31-year-old Jones will finally fall off after an impressive four-year stretch in which he’s averaged somewhere in the neighborhood of 1,200 yards rushing per; he also scored 15 TDs last year.

Jones has proven extremely durable having played in all but three games over the past six seasons, but at this point in his career it’s now more a matter of “when” than “if” his production nosedives. Can he hold it together for one more season?

Brandon Marshall, WR, Denver Broncos: After serving a preseason suspension handed down by first-year head coach Josh McDaniels, Marshall reportedly had a good week of practice and is back in the team’s good graces, for now, and ready to go against the Bengals. Coming off consecutive seasons of at least 1,265 yards receiving and 6 TDs with Cutler under center, how will he mesh with Kyle Orton… and how long can he keep his mouth shut and just play football?

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