Fantasy Reality: Don't panic (yet) about these fantasy-value killers

In sports, you often hear players use the cliche “We win as a team, and we lose as a team.”

The latter is not too comforting if you own a fantasy player whose value is being decimated by his underachieving teammate.

There is no reason to panic yet, but it might be worth strengthening your bench in case these examples from Week 1 persist throughout the season:

Kevin Kolb hurts DeSean Jackson. In the miserable debut of the Kolb era in Philadelphia, the new Eagles starting quarterback failed to complete any of his 10 pass attempts to Jackson, his best wide receiver. Kolb was knocked out of the game in the second quarter with a concussion and could miss Sunday’s game against Detroit.

Derek Anderson hurts Larry Fitzgerald. The terribly inaccurate Anderson, Arizona’s starting quarterback, targeted Fitzgerald 15 times against the Rams on Sunday but completed just three. Anderson was thrust into the starting lineup late in training camp, so perhaps the two just need more time to develop their chemistry.

Buffalo’s passing game and offensive line hurt C.J. Spiller. The Bills’ rookie running back was held to six yards on seven carries against Miami. The speedy Spiller won’t be able to show off his talents as long as Buffalo, with Trent Edwards at quarterback, lacks a plausible passing attack that can keep defenses honest and the Bills’ lousy offensive line cannot open lanes for Spiller.

Mark Sanchez hurts all of his receivers. The second-year quarterback had just 74 yards passing Monday against Baltimore, an unacceptable total. Last season, Sanchez had just four 200-yard passing efforts. Unless Sanchez turns a corner soon in his development, it will be tough for Braylon Edwards, Jerricho Cotchery or the suspended Santonio Holmes to put up big numbers.

Matt Moore hurts Carolina’s entire offense. The Panthers committed five turnovers in their season-opening loss to the Giants on Sunday — four of those by Moore, their starting quarterback. As a result of so many drive-killing plays, running backs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart saw their touches limited. Wide receiver Steve Smith (five receptions, 75 yards, one touchdown) managed to have a nice game, but he will have a hard time delivering each week if Moore continues to cough up the ball.

Ryan Chatelain (ryan@flexposition.com) is amNewYork’s fantasy football columnist.

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Week 2 Decisions

Start
• Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta (vs. Arizona): He failed to throw a TD, but Ryan looked sharp vs. the Steelers.
• Ahmad Bradshaw, RB, Giants (at Indianapolis): The Colts allowed 231 yards to Houston’s Arian Foster a week ago.
• Malcom Floyd, WR, San Diego (vs. Jacksonville): Jacksonville has the NFL’s 27th-ranked pass defense.

Sit
• Carson Palmer, QB, Cincinnati (vs. Baltimore): Palmer wouldn’t have passed for 345 yards last week if his Bengals hadn’t fallen behind the Patriots 24-0.
• Knowshon Moreno, RB, Denver (vs. Seattle):
The Seahawks held San Francisco’s Frank Gore to 39 yards in Week 1.
• Mark Clayton, WR, St. Louis (at Oakland): Facing corner Nnamdi Asomugha, Clayton won’t have 100 yards again this week.