Our first start & sit for the Washington - New York game last Thursday night did not go as well as I would have liked, but I think I made up for it with the start & sit for week 1.

As far as our start list was concerned, three players — Thomas Jones, Michael Turner and Jerricho Cotchery — had huge weeks. Jeff Garcia, Kurt Warner, Owen Daniels and Joey Galloway were misses on our part, but not terribly. Garcia and Warner were serviceable for fantasy teams in need of a spot starter.

I think the sit list was much more impressive. A late touchdown by LenDale White gave him 10 points in standard leagues, which is not a terrible figure for RB2. Of all the sits, he performed the best. Vince Young, Matt Hasselbeck, Darren McFadden, Chad Johnson, Marvin Harrison and Jeremy Shockey all had subpar weeks, and I hope you took my advice and had them on your bench.

Back to the grind this week, and hopefully I can improve the start list a little bit.

Start ‘em

Quarterbacks

• Aaron Rodgers @ Lions: Rodgers passed his first test of the season, now expect the Packers to open things up a little bit for him. If Ryan Grant and Brandon Jackson both miss this game, Rodgers could be relied on to pace the offense. Expect some fireworks against a defense that got lit up by one of the worst teams in the NFL last weekend.
• Matt Cassel @ Jets: If you were the Tom Brady owner, hopefully you scooped Matt Cassel off the waiver wire with your No. 1 waiver claim priority. Now is the time to start Cassel and hope he can pick up closely to where Brady left off. He could have a decent week and will need to throw the ball to keep the Pats in the game.

Runningbacks

• Earnest Graham v. Falcons: Atlanta’s offense will not have as easy a time of it this weekend against Tampa. With Jeff Garcia ailing and Jon Gruden admitting he needed to use Graham more last weekend, expect the Falcons to get a heavy dose of the bruising back this weekend.
• Chris Johnson @ Bengals: Johnson is a good play this weekend, and LenDale White is a safe play as well. Both backs should do well against a terrible Bengals’ defense, which gave up massive amounts of yardage to Baltimore’s second- and third-string backs last weekend.

Wide receivers

• Brandon Marshall v. Chargers: I know Marshall is a stud and you never sit your studs. But I just wanted to use this list to remind owners that he is back on the field this weekend and should have a great game.
• David Patten @ Redskins: Patten takes over as the No. 1 wide receiver in New Orleans, but may not be the No. 1 target. However, that allows him to see plenty of single-coverage and he always seems to make the most of his opportunities. He could score again this weekend.

Tight end

• Jeremy Shockey @ Redskins: Now you can start Shockey, especially with Marques Colston out. Shockey and Reggie Bush will see the lionshare of targets from Drew Brees, so expect great things out of both players in the coming weeks. Shockey easily could have 6+ catches, 80 yards and a score.

Sit ‘em

Quarterbacks

• Matt Hasselbeck v. 49ers: Hass graces this not-so-illustrious list again this weekend, mainly because he lost yet another starting wide receiver (Nate Burleson) and last weekend’s starting runningback (Maurice Morris). This offense is in shambles, and I would look elsewhere for consistent play from the quarterback position.
• Carson Palmer v. Jaguars: Yikes. Palmer almost threw up a goose egg for fantasy owners last week. Wait until he gets in sync with the offense before starting him, if you can afford that luxury. Otherwise, you gotta play him.

Runningbacks

• Selvin Young v. Chargers: Maybe Mike Shanahan was saving Young for the rest of the season. A garbage-time touchdown was the only saving grace for Young’s fantasy owners last week. History tells us to be wary of the Denver running game, and until Young — or someone else — emerges as the best back, it might be best to keep the Denver guys on the bench.
• Willis McGahee @ Texans: Yes, Houston gave up a butt-load of yards and rushing touchdowns to Pittsburgh last weekend. But we still do not know how healthy McGahee is, or if he is healthy at all. Last week, he was listed as probable for the game against Cincinnati and never saw the field. I would wait for one full performance from McGahee before throwing him in the lineup.

Wide receivers

• Chad Johnson v. Titans: Glad to see the NFL keeping Ocho Cinco on the sidelines. The Ravens just about did the same to Johnson last weekend, and while his numbers should be a little better this weekend I still think he should sit until he proves his worth. Look for a better option if you have one.
• Torry Holt v. Giants: Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Holt, once considered a fantasy football stud, is the product of a very bad offense. He would prosper almost anywhere else, but for some reason the Rams struggle terribly with consistency. I would keep him on the bench until the Rams’ offense shows some signs of life.

Tight end

• Chris Cooley v. Saints: Cooley was not utilized significantly against the Giants, nor was he targeted that often. Is that a product of the new offensive system in Washington, or just a one-game anomaly? That question may be answered this weekend, and you should look elsewhere for tight end help until it is known how the Skins plan to use Cooley this year.

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