Depth Chart Watch: QB Battle in Philly Already?

Depth Chart Watch: QB Battle in Philly Already?

This article is part of our Depth Chart Watch series.

BILLS RB:C.J. Spiller sits atop the depth chart, but his NFL debut was one to forget - he tallied just six yards on seven carries. Spiller was also targeted six times in the passing game but he caught just four passes for eight yards. Fred Jackson's hand looks fine, but he only had four rushes for 19 yards; and Marshawn Lynch received three carries. This situation will be a headache for fantasy owners all year. The Bills have a bad offense with a lot of options.

BRONCOS WR:Brandon Lloyd was a surprise starter Sunday, and he responded by catching five passes for 117 yards. Jabar Gaffney started opposite Lloyd and Eddie Royal was in the slot when necessary. The three receivers were targeted 25 times by Kyle Orton, and all look fantasy-worthy right now. Demaryius Thomas should be back soon, but he may struggle to make it into the rotation.

BROWNS RB:Montario Hardesty's torn ACL gave the starting running back job to Jerome Harrison; and while Harrison was not bad on Sunday, Peyton Hillis saw just as much action and was the only one of the pair to find the end zone. Both backs had nine carries, with Harrison outgaining Hillis 52-41, but Hillis also caught four passes for 24 yards. On the negative side of the ledger, Hillis fumbled twice; expect his playing time to suffer if he continues to have problems holding onto the ball.

BUCCANEERS RB: The Cadillac never made

BILLS RB:C.J. Spiller sits atop the depth chart, but his NFL debut was one to forget - he tallied just six yards on seven carries. Spiller was also targeted six times in the passing game but he caught just four passes for eight yards. Fred Jackson's hand looks fine, but he only had four rushes for 19 yards; and Marshawn Lynch received three carries. This situation will be a headache for fantasy owners all year. The Bills have a bad offense with a lot of options.

BRONCOS WR:Brandon Lloyd was a surprise starter Sunday, and he responded by catching five passes for 117 yards. Jabar Gaffney started opposite Lloyd and Eddie Royal was in the slot when necessary. The three receivers were targeted 25 times by Kyle Orton, and all look fantasy-worthy right now. Demaryius Thomas should be back soon, but he may struggle to make it into the rotation.

BROWNS RB:Montario Hardesty's torn ACL gave the starting running back job to Jerome Harrison; and while Harrison was not bad on Sunday, Peyton Hillis saw just as much action and was the only one of the pair to find the end zone. Both backs had nine carries, with Harrison outgaining Hillis 52-41, but Hillis also caught four passes for 24 yards. On the negative side of the ledger, Hillis fumbled twice; expect his playing time to suffer if he continues to have problems holding onto the ball.

BUCCANEERS RB: The Cadillac never made it out of the garage and was limited to a modest 75 yards on 22 carries Sunday. More interestingly, it was fullback Earnest Graham – and not Kareem Huggins – who was next in line for carries in the opener. Graham has had success in the past, but Huggins looked like a nice sleeper during the preseason. He didn't touch the ball Sunday.

CARDINALS RB: Beanie Wells was a late scratch with a sore knee, which made Tim Hightower the primary back on Sunday. Although Hightower fumbled twice, he also scored and finished with 54 yards rushing and 40 yards receiving. LaRod Stephens-Howling wasn't bad backing up Hightower, but Wells is expected back next week.

COLTS WR:Anthony Gonzalez was already unhappy about playing a reserve role; and after catching just one pass for 12 yards on Sunday before leaving with an ankle injury, he will have a difficult time working his way back up the depth chart. Austin Collie had a monster effort in Week 1, catching 10 passes for 131 yards, most of which came on a 73-yard score. Collie was in the starting lineup with Reggie Wayne and Pierre Garcon, which means Gonzalez will be no better than the fifth option in the passing game when he returns.

DOLPHINS RB: Although Ronnie Brown was better (13 carries for 65 yards, including a score), Ricky Williams had a whopping 18 carries and gained 62 yards. This sure looks like a timeshare, which could actually keep Brown fresh throughout the season. Williams may have ran the ball more in Week 1, but Brown is still the better bet.

EAGLES QB: Vintage Michael Vick showed up in Philadelphia on Sunday. In place of an injured Kevin Kolb, who left with a concussion, Vick threw for 175 yards and ran for 103 more. Things weren't going so well for the Philly offense before Kolb was knocked out, so the notoriously impatient Eagles fans will likely be calling for Vick to start even when Kolb is healthy.

FALCONS WR: It appeared all week as if Brian Finneran was going to be the starter opposite Roddy White, but at the last moment the Falcons decided to go with Harry Douglas instead. Finneran was held without a catch, Douglas caught three passes, and backup Eric Weems caught four. Someone is going to lose his job when Michael Jenkins returns; and if Sunday's game was any indication, it looks like Finneran is the one who's going to have to polish his resume.

GIANTS TE:Kevin Boss sustained a neck injury and concussion on Sunday and will likely be out next week against the Colts. Travis Beckum will assume the starting job in the event of Boss' absence.

LIONS QB: The first big injury of the regular season belongs to Matthew Stafford, a popular sleeper pick in RotoWire circles. Stafford suffered a significant shoulder injury and could be out a month or more. Shaun Hill will take over as the starter.

PACKERS RB: A second-quarter ankle injury knocked Ryan Grant out of the game, and he was seen wearing a walking boot after the game. Grant's status for Week 2 is unknown, but Brandon Jackson played decently in Grant's stead, running 63 yards on 18 carries, and would get the majority of the carries if Grant has to sit out.

PANTHERS QB:Matt Moore suffered a concussion on Sunday against the Giants, but he made the flight home after the game and is otherwise fine. Of course, suffering a concussion is never a good thing, so it's possible that rookie Jimmy Clausen will start next week.

PANTHERS WR:Brandon LaFell won a starting job over the perpetually-disappointing Dwayne Jarrett. Both caught two passes Sunday, but neither will have much fantasy value this year.

PATRIOTS RB: With Laurence Maroney inactive, Fred Taylor got the majority of the touches in the New England backfield and finished with 71 yards on 14 attempts. Kevin Faulk (who actually started), BenJarvus Green-Ellis, and Sammy Morris ably backed him up with 47 more yards on nine carries. For one day, at least, New England certainly didn't miss Maroney.

RAIDERS RB:Darren McFadden had a huge game in Michael Bush's absence, gaining 150 all-purpose yards and scoring on a seven-yard reception. Bush was a game-time decision Sunday, so he'll be back soon; but if Run-DMC keeps playing so well, Bush could be forced into the backup role.

RAMS WR: New acquisition Mark Clayton made an immediate impact in the starting lineup Sunday, finishing with 10 catches for 119 yards. He showed great chemistry with Sam Bradford and was targeted a whopping 16 times. He's the Rams receiver to own this year.

SEAHAWKS RB: Seattle find themselves in the same position as Buffalo - three decent running backs and a mediocre offense around them. Of course, the Seattle troika of Justin Forsett, Leon Washington, and Julius Jones isn't nearly as good as the one in Buffalo; but the Seattle offense – as evidenced by its 31-6 victory over San Francisco – may be a bit better. Despite the 31 points, the trio could not get anything going on the ground, combining for just 73 yards on 21 carries, with 32 of those yards coming on one Forsett run. Forsett still looks like the best choice here, but until that becomes clear, it might be a good idea to stay away from this situation.

STEELERS RB: The Steelers unexpectedly named Isaac Redman their short-yardage back last week, and he was used in that capacity on Sunday. However, they also stated that he's not necessarily a goalline back. Rashard Mendenhall is the team's top back and will likely receive some goalline carries as well, so don't worry about Redman stealing too many touchdowns.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kenn Ruby
Kenn has been writing and editing for RotoWire since 2003. Though he attended Northwestern with the co-founders of RotoWire, he is not considered a made member of the RotoWire Northwestern mafia, as he can't trace back all of his ancestors to Dan Okrent.
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