Plenty to digest from initial preseason action

A year ago, everyone was touting Tom Brady as a can't miss first-round pick with potential for another big season. Fantasy Football was the only place where he was hotter than Gisele.

And after the first week of the preseason, he still is.

After watching him play at Philadelphia last week, any concerns we might have over Brady's knee should be put to rest. In what might have been the only time that the Patriots have done something to convey a message they didn't have to send, Brady took the field against the Eagles defense and played like it was 2007. The only difference is that he had a torn ACL and didn't play for all but eight minutes of last season. His receivers? Still there, still awesome, if not even a little improved with veterans Joey Galloway, Greg Lewis and tight end Chris Baker tacked on. His O-line? Still there, still awesome. His offensive scheme? Still there, and expected to be as cunning as always.

So why isn't he ranked close to the top again? Not to trivialize reconstructive knee surgery, but there's really nothing new here that should make Fantasy owners scared, right?

Think of it like this: Brady's been in a time capsule for the last year. You haven't seen him play, but the one thing you can clearly get from the Patriots' first preseason game is that he hasn't changed one bit. He's not gimpy, he's not tentative, he's nothing but the guy who set the NFL passing touchdowns record with 50 in '07.

You don't want that on your Fantasy team?

We did note that all but two of Brady's pass attempts came in the shotgun formation. Was this done by design to protect his knee from pass rushers? Maybe, but even if it was it shouldn't be considered a negative since the more he's in shotgun, the more he'll throw the ball. He sure was in the shotgun a lot in 2007.

Most importantly, Brady's arm is still fantastic. Aside from one errant lob intended for Randy Moss that was well underthrown (and picked off), Brady was on-point and accurate. His best toss didn't even count: before the deep-ball interception, Brady tried to find Moss deep down the other sideline in single coverage. He put the ball right in Moss' arms, but Eagles cornerback Asante Samuel interfered on the play and Moss couldn't hang on (he almost caught it one-handed). Even though the play didn't register stats for Brady, it showed that he can still sling it with the best of them.

And as for the pass that was picked off? Brady was so ticked off with the throw that he slammed his helmet on the ground once he sat on the sideline.

OK fine, so he's an injury risk because his knee has been rebuilt. So is every other quarterback who steps into a throw just as a defensive back lunges into his leg. Injuries happen. The reality is that the Patriots didn't even have to let Brady play here, and they very easily could have handed off three times and gotten him off the field. Between his one half of preseason play, the Patriots' dealing of Matt Cassel and numerous votes of confidence from teammates and coaches alike, there is no reason for Fantasy owners to hesitate to take Brady as at least the second quarterback off the board at this point.

Tomlinson makes debut

Previously, we had to wait until Week 1 to get our first look at LaDainian Tomlinson. Not this year -- driven by the critics who don't believe he can still perform like he used to, Tomlinson took to the field against the Seahawks and worked in two series.

The results? Depends on who you ask. If you ask Tomlinson or Chargers head coach Norv Turner, they'll tell you he did great things. If you ask an impartial observer, perhaps somebody who covers the NFL to help Fantasy owners draft well and win their leagues, they'll tell you that he really hasn't changed that much from last season.

Tomlinson got four carries and a catch, and up until his final touch it seemed like his acceleration still was not what it used to be. The explosiveness is still a notch down from where he was. Case in point: Tomlinson's final carry was a fullback lead to the left side that created a decent hole. Tomlinson showed some good speed there and hit the hole hard, but Seattle defensive tackle Colin Cole made a heads-up play and nabbed his leg to make the tackle. It's the one play that everyone, including Tomlinson, pointed to as his best run of the game. But in our eyes, Tomlinson might have been too quick for Cole to wrangle down in the past -- he probably would have had a much longer gain had this been a few years ago.

An additional caveat is that the Seahawks' first-string defensive line played surprisingly well. The holes the Chargers' O-line opened were headed off quickly, making it harder for Tomlinson to have the space to actually build up his speed.

The one note we found interesting was that the Chargers failed to give Tomlinson carries on consecutive plays. Unlike the Patriots with Brady, the coaching staff seemed to be shielding Tomlinson a little bit. Granted, this is the same coaching staff that previously would never let Tomlinson even put on shoulder pads during the preseason, so they are likely just being careful.

We'll see if that lasts -- and if Tomlinson's acceleration and speed improves -- soon enough. He's expected to play in the Bolts' next preseason game against the Cardinals.

Bucking Broncos

Trying to find positives about the Broncos' first-team offense in their first preseason game against the 49ers is like trying to find negatives in a free steak dinner at a five-star restaurant.

Josh McDaniels' new-look Broncos were a mess for much of the first half. For starters, Knowshon Moreno didn't start. He was actually third in the rotation among running backs for the game, and he got hurt on his second carry (his first was a nice nine-yard run). He stayed in the game, grinding out a small gain on the very next play before exiting with what turned out to be a sprained left MCL. Had the injury been more severe, McDaniels would have been heavily criticized for letting Moreno stay in the game longer than he did. A nice but inauspicious start for Moreno.

The bigger issue was the play of quarterback Kyle Orton, who clearly was spoon fed a safe offensive game plan and still wound up throwing three interceptions. The first pick killed the team's initial drive when he targeted tight end Daniel Graham in the end zone from three yards out but cornerback Nate Clements made a nice read on Orton for the pick. The second interception was far worse as Orton was locked in on Brandon Stokley and threw off the mark into the hands of Dre Bly. When Orton attempted to throw a deeper pass late in the first half, it floated on him and was an easy interception for Reggie Smith.

Remember how we touted Eddie Royal as this year's Wes Welker because he seemed to be a terrific fit as a short-area target for the Broncos pass attack? Remember how the Broncos debunked that theory before the game, saying that Royal wouldn't fill that role? Well, they were wrong and right: everyone filled that role! Royal, Stokley, Chad Jackson, Peyton Hillis and LaMont Jordan all got in on the act as Orton almost exclusively threw short-area screens and dump-off passes. In fact, all three of his interceptions came on attempts that were forward and not sideways or quick-hitting. Maybe the return of Brandon Marshall fixes some of those ills in the coming weeks, but those of us who drafted Orton as a backup quarterback aren't feeling good after that performance.

Might Chris Simms, who threw for nearly 150 yards in the second half and brought the Broncos to the doorstep of winning the game, be an option to replace Orton? Simms had his moments -- his heady choice to throw deep to Kenny McKinley on a broken play proved to be huge -- but he did his work against the runts of the 49ers' defensive litter. Only if Orton struggles again might Simms be a candidate to steal the starting job.

Quarterback notes ...

Jets rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez played well in his debut against the Rams, but the praise heaped upon him as if he was the second coming of Joe Namath was a bit much. The best thing Sanchez did was read the Rams' blitzes well and react accordingly. Oh yeah, the deep ball to David Clowney wasn't a bad piece of work, either. Let's see how he does against a better defense.

Marc Bulger did not play like a guy who didn't fully know his playbook. His passes were crisp and he made smart, fast reads, completing every pass he threw to his motley crew of receivers. The downside is that his offensive line was manhandled with Alex Barron at left tackle and Adam Goldberg at right tackle, and he was sacked three times in seven drop backs. He's still a big risk despite the sharp play. ... Shaun Hill still is our pick to be the 49ers starting quarterback, even though Alex Smith threw a touchdown pass. Smith's score came off a Broncos turnover and was elementary as he found a wide-open fullback sitting on the goal line. A high school quarterback could have made the play. We like Hill's ability to make a play when there's no other options, as he did on a nine-yard scamper in the first series. That might give him the edge over Smith. ... What can you make of Derek Anderson's 0-for-2 passing, one interception performance? Are the coaches trying to make him look bad so that Quinn is a no-brainer to the public for the starting job? And does it even matter?

Running back notes ...

Cedric Benson did fumble the ball away against the Saints, but he also showed some quick-twitch and burst in his running. Actually, the entire Bengals' O-line deserves a round of applause for their work in helping Benson run and Carson Palmer pass. Aside from the play where Palmer got hurt on a near-late hit, the front five did a surprisingly good job, and that's without first-round pick Andre Smith. We feel Benson will be a good situational No. 3 Fantasy rusher this year.

We've had a lot of nervous Fantasy owners ask about Steve Slaton's value following the news that Chris Brown will be a short-yardage/goal-line specialist for the Texans this season.We're not too worried. Brown looked good in the Texans' preseason game at Kansas City and even scored on a 2-yard plunge (he was the rusher for most of the drive). But he also has a very long track record of being hurt, and chances are he'll get battered in his short-yardage role and miss playing time -- just like he has in every single year of his career. So we're not really worried -- Slaton will still have a ton of work in the Houston offense and be a capable No. 1 Fantasy running back.

Don't judge Thomas Jones, Leon Washington and Shonn Greene by their play against the Rams as the Jets worked with what was essentially a second-string offensive line. ... As advertised, LaMont Jordan looked slimmer, but it didn't stop him from working in the Broncos' two-tight end package when they were inside the five-yard line for a pair of plays in the first half. ... Kevin Smith looked great in limited action, showing burst and good hands in one series of play. The fact that the Lions sat him after one drive suggests they want to keep him fresh for the season. He might wind up being an every-down back for them. ... LeSean McCoy looks and plays just like Brian Westbrook. It's uncanny. He might be as good of a tackle breaker, too. If you draft on pure talent, not depth charts or roles or anything of that ilk, you have to get McCoy on your team. ... I continue to admire the play of Kregg Lumpkin, the unassuming reserve running back for the Packers. He had four consecutive carries for at least four yards each and punctuated his game with a 14-yard effort against the Browns. If he finds playing time, he'll be a surprise to many (but not you). ... Darren McFadden looked incredible running in the creases his offensive line carved out for him against the Cowboys. He's going to overdeliver this year.

Wide receiver notes ...

Welcome back to Fantasy relevance, Chris Henry. The Bengals receiver didn't see a lot of work with the first-team offense but did play with the second string and was hot and cold despite registering 100 receiving yards and a touchdown. He had two smooth deep receptions, including a 14-yard rainbow catch for a score over a Saints defender, but he also had a ball hit him in the hands and was absent for the entire third quarter. Unless he starts regularly playing in the Bengals' three-receiver sets (Andre Caldwell is there now), you can only expect him to be useful in deeper leagues as an option in games where we expect the Bengals to play from behind and/or throw a lot.

It was very encouraging to see Donald Driver absolutely shred two Browns defenders on a deep ball for a touchdown. Driver is treated as an over-the-hill second fiddle in Green Bay with Greg Jennings as the lead wideout, but this one play was enough to at least remind Fantasy owners that he can still get up and down the field. It was also interesting that he lined up in the slot on that play. ... Raiders receiver Chaz Schilens was targeted more by JaMarcus Russell than any other Oakland receiver (five times, catching four), and he also played with the second-team offense. Get a look at this guy before you draft -- he's got a shot to be a really sweet low-end bargain. ... Another preseason, another big performance from Jets receiver David Clowney, as he hauled in two deep passes against the Rams. He might earn some reps as a third or fourth receiver for New York.

Tight end notes ...

We love what we saw from Jets tight end Dustin Keller, who should effectively be the team's No. 2 receiver this season. He lined up as such throughout his time on the field and also ran nice routes, including an out route where Kellen Clemens threw a ball a little high but still made the catch before going out of bounds. He also shed a tackle on a catch-and-run from Sanchez. He's the real deal and has been a middle- to late-round steal in many drafts. ... Two rookie tight ends to keep your eyes on: Jared Cook of the Titans and Shawn Nelson of the Bills. Both are very athletic and have caught the eyes of their quarterbacks through a pair of preseason games. If you're in a deep draft and are looking for the deepest of sleeper tight ends, these two are worth a look.

Have a question or a comment for Dave about Fantasy Football? Send your thoughts or questions to DMFantasyFootball@cbs.com and he'll get to as many as he can. Be sure to put Attn: Preseason in the subject field. Include your full name, hometown and state.