We got some good questions this week.  Not just the standard ones about who to start or bench but some good questions about tight ends and even one about individual defensive players.

If you missed the Week 1 post but have a last-minute question don’t worry, we’ll be checking all day, ask away.  And remember that you can also interrogate us during our weekly Q&A on Thursdays at noon.

Without further adeiu…

Q Jackson: I’m in a league with weird scoring. 1 point per completion, reception, and rushing attempt. 1 point per 5 yards rushing or receiving. Need some help making a few decisions.

We start 2 WR, 2 RB, 1 WR/TE, 1 WR/RB.

I’m planning on:
WR1: Andre Johnson @ PIT
WR2: L. Fitzgerald @ SF
RB1: Westbrook v STL
RB2: T. Jones @ MIA
W/T: Roy Williams @ ATL
W/R: Justin Fargas v DEN

My bench:
Ray Rice v CIN
Chester Taylor @ GB
Bryant Johnson v ARI
Roddy White v DET
–
Sidney Rice is out there on waivers, I had to drop him to pick up a kicker for this week. I can drop one of the above guys to get him.

Am I making the right choices?

A Jeremiah: You’re thinking too much. Your scoring isn’t so drastically different that it should cause you to make any decisions that veer too far away from “All else being equal, play RBs over WRs.” Sidney Rice is one of those guys you can afford to wait on. The guys you mentioned are all decent upside guys. No reason to do anything drastic yet.

Q darkspider42: Flex spot, any offensive player. 1 PPR and 4pt TD pass, all other points standard

Do you start:

Ricky Williams, Ray Rice, Desean Jackson or Jake Delhomme?

A Jeremiah: I play Ricky Williams. Same logic as with the guy above. Unless your league disproportionally rewards QBs, you’ve got a starting RB ready to go. Let Delhomme prove he’s back before you rush to play him.

Q Zach: This is kind of a broad question, but here we go:

I’m a first time fantasy footballer, but long time football fan. My problem is that I’ve never followed football in-depth. My knowledge usually lies on the surface of the well-known players and sometimes goes maybe one more spot deep.

It can all be a little overwhelming. The draft went fine, but when it comes to looking at the waiver wire and trades, I generally don’t recognize most players. How do I tackle this ineptitude?

A Jeremiah: Don’t pay attention to names, pay attention to numbers. Once the season starts, it doesn’t matter how much preseason hype a player receives. If he’s not producing, he’s not going to play. If a guy gets hot, don’t be afraid to take a chance. Most of the guys you’ve never heard of are that way for a reason: they’re unproven. One thing to play close attention to is the number of touches (rushing attempts and catches) a player gets in a given game. If it’s in the double-digits, he’s probably worth having on your roster.

Q Ungai Powa: For WRs(can only start 3):
WR
Marques Colston TB
Jabar Gaffney KC
Patrick Crayton @CLE
Anthony Gonzalez CHI

For RBS(can only start 2):
Ryan Grant MIN
Lendale White JAX
Ahman Green @PIT
Jonathan Stewart @SD

Scoring is standard free yahoo league scoring… so, who would you pick and why?

A Danny: For WRs, Colston, Crayton and Gonzalez. Nobody knows how KC’s QB is going to do so those are the surest things. But none of those are great options, might want to check the waiver wire.

For RBs, Stewart and Grant. I really like Stewart and I’m not completely sold on San Diego’s run defense, especially since Merriman can’t move laterally anymore. Grant meanwhile had the best year last season and we don’t have a whole lot else to go on.

Q Shinzo: Who’s going to have the better week this week - Brett Favre with his new team in New York or Aaron Rodgers with his new career in Green Bay?

A Danny: Favre, but only this week. Rodgers has the better team around him but for Week 1 Favre is playing the Dolphins, and you or I could look good at QB against the Dolphins.

Q Tophat: Pick 2:

RB Jamal Lewis @ Dallas
RB Ricky Williams @ NYJ
RB LenDale White @ Jacksonville
RB Chris Perry @ Baltimore

Also, Ray Rice and/or Chester Taylor are attractive options on waiver wire.

Advice?

A Danny: Wow, brutal matchups.

I’d go with Ricky Williams because he’s got the weakest D to run into and Jamal Lewis because he’s got the best passing game to keep the eighth man in coverage.

And keep an eye on Ray Rice. If one of your guys doesn’t perform up to expectations Rice has breakout potential.

Q Taber: First time playing Fantasy football.

Do I drop/trade Chris Cooley after his first game netted 0 points, or is it normal to sometimes get 0 points out of a TE?

Alternatively if in my other league someone drops Cooley, do I grab him over my Owen Daniels?

Also, at RB I have the choice between Grant vs Minnesota, and Selvin Young vs Oakland. My head says go with the known Grant, but my gut says Oakland has a much weaker run defense, and Green Bay has the receiver core to fly over Minnesota’s killer run defense. Or am I misremembering Minnesota having a great run defense but a poor secondary?

A Danny: Good question. Tight end is generally a low-scoring position. Unless you have Antonio Gates odds are you’ll get a couple points a week tops no matter who you’ve got.

For your situation, of the non-Gates second tier Cooley is one of the best. He had a bad week against a good defense but once Jim Zorn gets the hang of coaching he should improve.

Q BU Football: QB: Brees
WR: Owens
WR: Burress
W/R: Evans
TE: Gates
K: Rackers
DEF: San Diego
BN: Vince Young
BN: Reggie Williams
BN: Vincent Jackson
BN: Donald Lee
BN: Indianapolis

Looks pretty good, yea? The problem is…

RB: Ahman Green
RB: LenDale White
BN: Ahmad Bradshaw
BN: Darren Sproles

Any suggestions on who to wheel and deal to get a real RB? The guys in the league aren’t stupid, so everyone worthwhile is gone except like, Rudi Johnson. Ray Rice, Mehndenhall, Felix Jones, etc. are off the board already.

A Danny: Wow. That is a problem.

You’re deep enough at WR to shop one or two of those around for a back. TO should bring in a pretty good haul, and a guy like Burress or Vincent Jackson could probably net you one of the rookies. Wait until Monday and make a play for whichever rookie RB gets the most carries this weekend (out of your list plus Jonathan Stewart and Darren McFadden).

Q Kimble: Hey, I’m in an IDP league and Sammy Knight netted me 0 points from his 0 tackles in his game last night. I expected him to be solid this year but I have never done IDP before, should I trade him up or was it just a weird week?

Also, would you start Shockey over Dallas Clark this week seeing as Indy are facing Chicago?

A Danny: I mentioned how fluky tight ends are, DBs are even worse. In fact the best DBs often get the least points just because nobody throws in their direction. If you have the option to start a linebacker, if it’s general D rather than DB, I’d do that just because they’re more consistent.

That said, I wouldn’t dump the guy after one bad week. Never take too much out of the first game. The only Week One stats that really mean something are pass attempts for QBs and carries for RBs since it speaks to playcalling.

As for your tight end dilemma, it depends on your style. Shockey is an unknown, he’ll either be great or be ignored, so if you’re a gambler he’s the way to go. Clark has a better QB and is established in the offense so he’s the safe bet if you think the game is going to be close and you need the sure points.

Q Adam: I need to fill two spots (FLEX and WR) with some combo of these players:

Donald Driver
Dwayne Bowe

Rashard Mendenhall
Fred Taylor
Justin Fargas
Maurice Morris

NO PPR, standard scoring applies. My head says Taylor and Driver, but that is probably because they are low risk (although relatively low reward). My heart says Bowe and Mendenhall because they have more big game potential.

A Danny: Usually I would say split the difference and go with a safe WR and a risk-reward RB, but Fred Taylor is probably the best play. Mendelhall is tempting but we don’t know how he’s going to be splitting carries with Willie Parker yet. He could get a dozen touches or he could ride the bench, we won’t know until Week 2 at the earliest, so go with what you know for now.