This is the night that football fans everywhere have been waiting for. The NFL regular season kicks off this evening as the Dolphins face the Steelers in Pittsburgh (8:30 PM ET, NBC). Here are five big questions that fantasy owners want answered:
1. Will Daunte Culpepper’s knee hold up?
After a miserable 2-5 start in 2005 where he threw just six touchdowns against 12 picks, Daunte Culpepper suffered a horrible knee injury that knocked him out the rest of the season. The “Love Boat” scandal blew up, and the Vikings took off with Brad Johnson under center, so Culpepper became expendable. Now, after months of rehab, he lands in Miami and although he’s limping a bit, he has performed well, completing 22 of 30 passes in the preseason for a QB rating of 93.5. But will the knee hold up over a full game? How quickly will he bounce back up after a tough hit? The Steelers defense should be a nice test tonight.
2. Can Ronnie Brown carry the load?
Ronnie Brown has never been “The Man.” At Auburn, he split time with Carnell Williams. Last year, Ricky Williams was still in town. This season, he’ll be asked to carry the ball at least 275 times for the first time in his college or pro career. So can he handle the load? I don’t see why not. The guy is 6’0” and 232 lbs (bigger than Williams) and has a great skill set. If the Miami offensive line continues to improve, he should have a good year. But tonight against the Steelers, running room might be hard to come by.
3. Is Chris Chambers ready to take it to the next level?
Chambers was phenomenal over the last half of last season, catching 52 passes for 701 yards and eight TDs in the last eight games. Doubling those numbers to account for a full season gives us an idea of Chambers’ upside. Now he’s got a decent QB for the first time in his career – will the two click? Will Chambers be consistent enough to become an elite WR? The bottom line: if he gets consistent QB play, he’ll have a great year.
4. What about “Fast” Willie Parker?
Parker was one of the biggest surprises last season, rushing for 1202 yards and four TDs. Now that Jerome Bettis is gone, the team has said that Parker will get first crack at the goal line duties, which has really helped his perceived value this summer. The Steelers have a great offensive line, so if Parker performs well, he could have a huge season. Duce Staley is back in the mix, but he’s not a big guy either, so it’s not likely that he’ll vulture many goal line carries. Verron Haynes is a versatile player that might eat into Parker’s time. “Fast” Willie went in the second round of a lot of drafts and those fantasy owners are counting on him to be the main man in Pittsburgh. Tonight’s game should be a good indication of how the team plans to use him.
5. How is Hines’ hammy?
Hines Ward is an underrated fantasy player and his hamstring injury this summer served to deflate his value even more. He’s listed as probable tonight, but Ben Roethlisberger will miss the game due to his emergency appendectomy. With Charlie Batch under center, Ward may not light it up, but it’s important that he looks good tonight. Two things to look for – is he getting open and is he run blocking like he usually does? If so, Ward should have another fine season.
