Quarterbacks

Must Start: The Top 10

1. Daunte Culpepper @ PHI - He tallied almost as many touchdowns (five) as he did incompletions (six) against the Cowboys. Not hard to figure how he's the highest-rated passer after one week of play, is it? Daunte looks supremely poised in the pocket and is even spreading the ball around a la the Ol' Gunslinger (completions to nine different receivers on Sunday). That means he's maturing into an all-world QB. Look out.

2. Peyton Manning @ TEN - Not including his own two carries, the Colts ran the ball 40 times in Foxboro (against 29 passes). Does that mean we should expect less from Peyton and Co. in the passing game this year? Hardly. You take what the defense gives you and it seems unlikely Tennessee will give Edge and the Indy backs as much room to roam as New England did. Peyton is a great start in a game the Colts cannot afford to lose (and won't).

3. Chad Pennington @ SD - C-Mart stole the headlines but Pennington was razor-sharp in his first opening day start. What else is new? The guy's completed over two-thirds of his career passes and can also boast of a two-to-one TD-to-INT ratio. Newsflash: he's an upper-echelon NFL signal-caller RIGHT NOW! Forget about the future.

4. Michael Vick vs. STL - The numbers weren't staggering but those who watched him against the Niners know he played within himself for the most part, demonstrating laser-like precision and good decision-making skills for the most part. And to think some wondered (aloud) this preseason whether Matt Schaub is a better fit for this offense. Patently ridiculous, my friends. Stick with Vick in '04.

5. Steve McNair vs. IND - Fourteen pass attempts? We'll give him an "incomplete" for his Week 1 performance in South Florida but we're expecting more-MUCH more-against the awful Colts secondary. Keep your eyes peeled for any news on Chris Brown's status as a healthy Brown means less from McNair (and vice versa).

6. Marc Bulger @ ATL - I'm bearish on him at the moment and it has everything to do with his inability to avoid big mistakes. He's lucky a second pick in Sunday's game was called back (defensive holding) since the Cards took it 90 yards the other way for an apparent score. If he doesn't cut down on the boneheaded plays, he won't achieve the kind of success he's capable of achieving. Neither will you. Beware.

7. Donovan McNabb vs. MIN - His scrambling TD toss to T.O. was a thing of beauty and perhaps (Philly fans hope) a sign of things to come. I'm still worried about his other targets (what other targets?) so I'm not shooting him up the list just yet. I do, however, own him in one of my dynasty leagues so don't go callin' me a hater (you know who you are).

8. Tom Brady @ ARI - Corey Dillon owners were probably aghast after the Pats' first series last Thursday night. Eight straight no-backs sets? Though Dillon eventually got some touches, Brady threw more passes (38) than all but three QBs last week (three losing QBs, mind you). Make no mistake about it: Charlie Weis intends to control the ball with a short passing game. That means you want Brady.

9. Brett Favre vs. CHI - Like McNair, he was emasculated by a conservative game plan in Week 1. That tends to happen when your backs are running ROUGHSHOD over the "best front seven in football." Batman and Co. should do the same against an unspectacular Bears front but I still see Favre taking advantage of the strong running game and throwing for a few scores.

10. Matt Hasselbeck @ TB - Tampa's gonna stink this year but don't blame a still-stalwart defense. Sure, Portis got his yards but the 'Skins weren't able to do a thing through the air last week. I suspect Hasselbeck will have a little trouble navigating the airways, as well…especially if Shaun Alexander is unable to go.

Grab A Helmet:

Drew Brees vs. NYJ - Didn't he start off last year with a bang, too? Brees may not have much to work with at wideout but he does have a luxury tailback lining up behind him every week. He looked sharp in Houston (209 yards and two touches) and could post big numbers at home this week against a Jets team that struggled to contain the very inexperienced Carson Palmer.

Aaron Brooks vs. SF - I took a little heat for not including him last week so I may as well give you my general take on Mr. Brooks to avoid future confusion. I like him. I don't love him. He puts up solid numbers but makes precious few game-altering plays. Start him if you can live with 200-some yards and a touchdown on the average.

A.J. Feeley @ CIN - He paid dearly for one poorly thrown ball against the Titans (a second half pick-six) but performed admirably overall. Though there's no such thing as job security in Miami, he's been assured he won't be yanked like his cohort, Mr. Fiedler, if things get off to a rocky start. With a rookie CB on one side of the field and two experienced receivers at his disposal, that seems unlikely. He's a sneaky play this week.

David Carr @ DET - There was talk of a playoff push in Houston this offseason but an opening day loss to the Bolts might disabuse some of that pipe dream. That said, Carr wasn't as bad last Sunday as his numbers might indicate. He completed 76% of his throws (tops in the league for starters) and will be facing a Lions secondary sans its best corner ('Dre Bly). Look for Mr. GQ to hook up with Andre Johnson for at least one scoring strike.

Carson Palmer vs. MIA - Forget the game-clinching INT. This kid is gonna make Marvin Lewis look pretty smart this year. He can make all the throws (especially the deep ones) and can even tuck and run (well, mind you) when he has to. He may throw a pick against the savvy Fish secondary but 300 yards and two or three scores is not out of the question.

Grab A Clipboard:

Trent Green vs. CAR - Eddie Kennison's numbers were skewed by a long catch-and-stumble (and fumble) early on but overall, the deficiency at wideout was obvious in Denver. Tony Gonzalez faced constant double-teaming and couldn't find any room to negotiate. Expect better numbers from Green in Week 2 but nothing groundbreaking. Why? Because Priest Holmes is gonna go Ahman Green on a suddenly susceptible Carolina D.

Rex Grossman @ GB - As promised, he's the worst starting QB in the league so far (43.4 rating). Though well protected by a veteran line, he tends to lock on to his receivers and, even worse, isn't all that accurate when he does sling it to them. I'm not saying he'll NEVER become a legit NFL QB but I AM saying it won't happen this year.

Brad Johnson vs. SEA - Short the disgruntled McCardell and injured Galloway, Johnson is almost completely bereft of weapons at receiver. The result? He's gonna have a hard time improving on his pedestrian Week 1 numbers (4.57 yards/attempt…lowest in the league). Did I mention he's almost as immobile as Vinny Testaverde?

Jake Plummer @ JAX - His decision to go southpaw at the start of the second half, though hilarious, was characteristic of his decision-making skills in general: poor. The resulting interception got KC back in the game and COULD have cost the Broncos a big win. It didn't but there will come a time (soon, perhaps) when it does. The Jags play good defense and it wouldn't be the least bit surprising to see the Snake struggle on Sunday.

Kyle Boller vs. PIT - Teams are loading up to stop Jamal Lewis and why shouldn't they? Boller has shown no ability to make them pay for such a one-sided approach. Until he does, expect the Ravens to continue struggling.

Running Backs