I almost forgot

Brandon Marshall is the new T.O., but not in the good way.  And, suspended.

Let us compromise on "some worrying" about the Seahawks

Burleson may be viable, but Seattle's injuries on the offensive line and the fact that Hasselbeck is going to favor Houshmandzadeh on short-to-intermediate routes will keep him mediocre.  And while Jim Mora has said that James will play a "complementary" role, the fact is that Julius Jones is on a short leash, and James is the better pass blocker; Seattle's injuries up front will again be a factor here.  I just don't have a good feeling about either of these guys, especially Jones, who could end up stuck in Committee Hell.  No, thank you.  We're playing to win championships, People.

 

You're right about my irrational love for all things Texas, though.  (Am I getting slogan smack from a "Buckeye"?  Really?)  That said, (1) in our league, there's very, very little in the way of running backs on the waiver wire except handcuffs and lottery tickets, and (2) as handcuffs and lottery tickets go, you could do worse than Jamaal Charles.  I don't think he'll take over in Kansas City (either the starting job or in the more qualitative, "pwning" sense of the term).  Rather, I see his upside as being Jerious Norwood-lite by season's end, and that's enough for me.

 

I'm less committed to Earl Bennett, especially since I own Matt Forte, but he's still worth watching.  (Good point about the weather, though.)  But all things in perspective.  As with this year's rookie running backs, there's decidedly less hype surrounding this year's "sleeper" wide receivers than there was last year.  I'm not feeling another Eddie Royal/DeSean Jackson/Steve Breaston in this group.  You?

 

Grant could see a slight uptick this year, if only because he gets more attempts, but Green Bay's defense needs to improve.  I agree on Minnesota, but I'm not as worried about their downside.  I've got to think that if Favre's one-to-one touchdown-interception shenanigans (read: throwing into triple coverage because I'm a legend) resurface, someone would sit him down and remind him that this is the AP show and Sage Rosenfels--yes, Sage Rosenfels--would love to get some playing time.  I also like Chicago to win the division.  (Note the non-mention of Detroit.)

 

I'm sorry "Man Bear" hasn't taken off, but all "bear"-derived nicknames are precarious, as bears, while fearsome and deadly in real life, can also be considered, however unwisely (e.g., fiction, toys, pet names), cuddly and cute.  It's a sticky wicket.

I wouldn't worry about the Seahawks

Accounts are that Hasselbeck is looking good.  Look, these aren't the days with Steve Hutchinson anchoring the left guard position, but they have to do better than last year.  And TJ Houshmanzadeh (I hope that's spelled right) will help Burleson, especially if he moves into the slot next to Housh. 

And Mike, let's just get this out in the open--you have an irrational love of all things Texas (someone still needs to explain what "Hook 'em" means) to even consider Jamaal Charles as an option, 12-team, 14-team, or 10-team league at this point until he pulls a Sproles.  He's not going anywhere with LJ still on the Chiefs.  They're going to air it out with Cassel for the first month anyway.

Did I miss the Earl Bennett hype?  Who is he?

NFC North--not sure what to say about Ryan Grant.  He had an amazing 1,000 yard season two years ago, duped me in to taking him in the 2nd round last year and then proceeded to all but demand that I (and thousands of others) waive him and admit they mussed up.  RBs in this league are becoming too flash-in-the-pan--LT (our generation's LT) was the last great consistent dominant RB.  If Peterson can be a top 5 back next year I'll be surprised.  Wear and tear just kills backs. 

That said, Chicago probably wins the division.  I'm highly skeptical of Childress's decisionmaking as the Vikings' coach, and not sure he'll really know how to effectively balance Favre's aggressiveness--read: limit it--when he has Adrian "Man Bear" Peterson (still trying to popularize it as a nickname, not working).  And if Minnesota goes south they'll go south hard.  Although Minny opens up against the Browns, which is as good a place to open as anywhere.  Chicago's slow-paced running attack and Lovie Smith's stern coaching style will keep Cutler in check.  I'm not sold on their receiving corps but you can't use receivers in Chicago in December/January.

Green Bay is interesting but I'm not sure why the love for Rodgers.  Excellent "rookie" season last year especially under pressure but they were still a 6-10 team.  I'm not shocked if Green Bay wins but they need to prove something first.

And Detroit?  C'mon.

(How great is it when an team is relegated to "c'mon" status--as in, really, we're discussing Detroit?)

So, I'd say, Chicago 11-5, Minny 9-7, GB 8-8, Detroit...ugh...3-13.  'Cause someone's gotta lose.

This is what happens when you invest in a Seahawk

The offensive line falls apart, Edgerrin James tanks Julius Jones's value, and my late-round Nate Burleson flyer pick looks dumb(-er). At least I wasn't the only one.

Solution (under the circumstances): drop both, pick up Earl Bennett and Jamaal Charles. The former is already a trendy flyer, but the latter? Well, that is what happens when you play in a twelve-team league. Every team has value, but unlike last year's ten-team league, there aren't many teams with enough value to entertain a wide variety of trade offers. I'm new to twelve-team leagues, of course, so maybe things will pan out differently over the course of the season.

Anyway, what of the NFC North? Green Bay learned that Ryan Grant is capable only of situational greatness and is likely to keep relying on Aaron Rodgers's arm. Meanwhile, Chicago, Minnesota, and Detroit all received upgrades at quarterback to complement dominant-to-viable rushing threats. Who wins this division? What should we expect fantasy-wise?

By the way, Knowshon Moreno notwithstanding, I stand by UST Numero Uno: Never trust a running back from Denver or New England.