Unknown Quantities - Revisited

On Saturday, I identified 10 players who, for a variety of reasons, represented unknown potential performance. With week 1 in the books, let's see what we've learned:

• Kevin Smith-RB-Detroit: Smith put up a decent line on Sunday afternoon (80 yds, 1 TD). And as a rookie, his performance would have been even more impressive if fellow freshmen Matt Forte, Chris Johnson and Felix Jones, hadn't also excelled this weekend. Most importantly for Smith owners, Rudi Johnson got only 3 carries, none of which was very impressive. Johnson's share of the carries in Detroit my increase down the road, but he's not poised to steal the starting job anytime soon.
• Eddie Royal-WR-Denver: If you read my Saturday assessment on Royal and picked him up, you owe me. Big. Royal's 146 yds receiving and a TD made him the highest scoring receiver of week 1. Brandon Marshall is due back in week 2, which will definitely cut into Royal's numbers going-forward. But he has obviously established some chemistry with Jay Cutler and he should be a productive WR2 going forward.
• Frank Gore-RB-San Francisco: The big factor in determining Gore's value was seeing how effective the rest of the 49ers offense would be. The situation was not pretty. J.T. O'Sullivan managed 195 yds, 0 TD's and 1 INT. The bulk of Gore's 96 yards came on a single 1st quarter breakaway. After that, Arizona wisely loaded the box, and limited Gore's production. He's definitely still a starting option, but the rest of the offense needs to pick up its game if Gore is going to produce a monster season.
• Peyton Manning-QB-Indianapolis: Those fantasy "experts" who kept saying "start Manning with confidence," may want to back off their position now. Manning looked uncharacteristically tentative and seemed to lack confidence in his "laser arm." I have no doubt he will bounce back to his previously superior form. But it may take a few weeks. The smothering Chicago D did nothing to boost his ego.
• Calvin Johnson-WR-Detroit: After his stellar pre-season, expectations were extremely high for CJ. And in a week where WR's were generally less than spectacular, Johnson managed to look good with 7 catches for 107 yards. He didn't see the end zone in week 1, but the yardage speaks for itself. Johnson will definitely be one of Kitna's top two targets this season
• Chris Perry-RB-Cincinnati: Perry, along with the rest of the Cincinnati offense, managed to make Joe Flacco and company look awesome by comparison. Racking up only 37 yards on 18 carries (2.06 YPC, Ouch!) Perry was less than impressive in his first game as a starter. But the Bengals need to turn their entire offense around before anyone, Perry included, sees an improvement.
• Greg Jennings-WR-Green Bay: Any doubts about whether Jennings could stretch the field for Aaron Rodgers like he did for Brett Favre were put to rest on Monday night. Jennings hauled in a monster reception to put the Packers in scoring position early and justified his ADP above the dependable Donald Driver. Jennings may not put up consistently huge numbers every week, but he will continue to be a home run threat, even in Mr. Rodger's neighborhood.
  
• Michael Turner-RB-Atlanta: 220 yds on 22 carries and 2 TD's. The number one running back week 1. Turner clearly demonstrated that he can handle the starting role in Atlanta. And Matt Ryan's solid first outing suggests that Atlanta may have a surprisingly balanced offense. But be aware that Turner's monster numbers say more about the quality of Detroit's defense than his running ability. He's a definite starter, but don't expect this kind of romp every week.
• Ted Ginn, Jr.-WR-Miami: The Jets D effectively shut down Ginn on Sunday, limiting him to only 17 receiving yards. As a result, Pennington spread the ball all over the field, often keying on TE Anthony Fasano. Given the ease with which the Jets took Ginn out of the game, he may not be able to achieve starter-caliber production in the short term.
• Rashard Mendenhall-RB-Pittsburgh: Anything Mendenhall could have done on Sunday would have been overshadowed by Willie Parker's 138 yards and 3 TD's. Of course, Mendenhall didn't do all that much. With 28 yards on 10 carries, and no red zone touches, it looks like Mendenhall will probably be waiting in the wings for a while longer.