Week 1 may seem too early to be reading articles on the waiver wire and to be looking for potential steals and sleepers. I mean, no actual games have been played yet, right?

This is true if you are looking at your fantasy football season on a week-to-week basis and not over the long haul of an entire season.

ProFootballinsight takes a look at a few players heading into Week 1 who can contribute on your roster all season long.

Waiver Wire Steal: Chris Chambers, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

Did everyone forget what Chris Chambers accomplished last season after joining the Kansas City Chiefs? Chambers filled in nicely for Dwayne Bowe (as he served a four game suspension) by posting stats similar to his more youthful years.

In only 9 games last season, Chris reeled in 36 receptions for 608 yards and 4 touchdowns.  With a full 16 games, at that pace Chambers would have eclipsed 1,000 yards with ease.

Chambers still currently holds a starting WR spot with the Chiefs, and the addition of Dexter McCluster will only make the Chiefs’ offense more explosive, which in turn will free up Chambers from drawing top defensive back coverage.

The fact that he is heading into his second year with the teams and had his first offseason with Matt Cassel will only add to Chambers’ value, both in fantasy and real life, as he and the KC offense become more familiar with eachother.

Chris Chambers showed last year that he can clearly carry the Chiefs’ passing game from the receiving aspect.  In case you were wondering, Chambers is available on the waiver wire in nearly 90% of all fantasy leagues.

I look for Chambers to contribute on a regular basis in 2010.

Waiver Wire Steal: Patrick Crayton, WR, San Diego Chargers

Patrick Crayton is a name that was buried near the bottom of the Dallas Cowboys wide receiver depth chart only a few days ago.  There was no mention of Crayton as a player who could contribute in any way, shape, or form to a fantasy team on any level, or to the Cowboys for that matter.

It is amazing what a few days and a new location can do for your fantasy value.

For More on Crayton and other Week 1 Waiver Wire Steals, Click Here

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Kurt Fraschetti / ProFootballinsight.net

* – Chris Chambers photo credit: Arrowhead Addict

Kurt@profootballinsight.net

First off, I find it hilarious that the talking heads on television are still waiting for the Cardinals to come to Kurt Warner’s house and drag him kicking and screaming out of retirement.

It’s not happening, and Warner can’t possibly make it any more clear.

But now that Matt Leinart has been cut, and Derek Anderson is still, well, Derek Anderson, an undrafted rookie free agent named Max Hall has positioned himself to be a potential sleeper at the QB position in 2010.

LEINART SAW HANDWRITING ON WALL W/MAX HALL (RIGHT)

It’s no surprise that Matt Leinart was a failure in his last chance to seize the Cardinals starting QB job. Warner himself was thought of as a stopgap when he came to the Cards in 2005, and conventional wisdom had him merely keeping the seat warm, before being named the starter the first time Leinart spit the bit early in ’07.

The amazing thing about the Leinart’s career path was how San Francisco 49ers fans were bent when he did not declare for the 2005 NFL Draft, where he was projected as the #1 overall choice. The Niners wound up taking Alex Smith that year, bypassing a kid that was playing locally at Cal the previous fall and completing 23 consecutive passes against the vaunted USC Trojans in the LA Coliseum. Maybe that day the NFL draftniks should have figured out who the top QB prospect should had been.

Leinart ends up slipping to the tenth overall pick in the 2006 Draft, and it turns out AZ may have been better served with Jay Cutler (the #11 overall pick) if they were willing to endure that headache. Leinart’s legacy will likely be simply of someone who fared much better at the NCAA than NFL level. Whether it’s his personality or work ethic or getting the respect of teammates, Leinart apparently fell short in those areas that are hard to measure before draft day.

I was not high on Leinart in fantasy football turns going into this season. And the Cardinals hedged their bets by getting Derek Anderson as a free agent and drafting Jon Skelton in the fifth round of this year’s draft. My original projection was that it would be Week 3 when coach Ken Whisenhunt would make his final decision to name Anderson as the starter, which would not be a tasty thought to AZ fans or fantasy owners of Larry Fitzgerald.

Fortunately, though – I don’t see Anderson lasting long into the season.

The Cardinals decided to give a free agent offer to undrafted rookie and local product product Max Hall, who has emerged as the Cardinals’ best QB period during camp, and suddenly could end up being the franchise’s future.

The quick Bio Blast on Max. Nephew of former Dallas Cowboy Danny White. Originally went to Arizona State, eventually transferred to BYU, where he had a nice three-year career in the Mountain West Conference and won some big games vs. the likes of UCLA and Oklahoma. Kind of a Danny Ainge 2.0, it was said that one practice in Provo had to be halted after Max got into three fights on the field. Also went on a Brandon Phillips routine calling out the University of Utah program after a BYU/Utah clash (Utah fans allegedly doused Max’s folks). Also called out Arizona Wildcat fans for the same reason, but more recently backed off (likely because U of A people buy Cardinals tickets too).

The Cardinals coaching staff has raved about Hall, mentioning that he has some ‘Kurt Warner’ qualities. From mini-camp on, it’s been said that Hall has shown that he has all the NFL throws, and more importantly, can command the respect of his teammates. In games, Max has been equally impressive, going 7-9 for 126 yards passing (plus rushing TD) in the Cards pre-season finale. Meanwhile Anderson, Leinart, and Skelton had 61 passing yards combined. It was enough to convince the coaching staff to cut their losses with Leinart and name Hall as the #2 QB going into the season, that’s #2 and fast closing in on #1.

So why would Hall go un-selected on Draft Day??? A quick look at the player profile gives a good clue.

Height: 6’1”

Actually, it’s said that Hall is only a shade over 6 feet (6′ 1/4”), by comparison Leinart is 6’5” and Derek Anderson 6’6”. Meanwhile Aaron Rodgers in 6’2”, Favre also 6’2”, Tony Romo 6’2” Drew Brees 6′ even. One of these days scouts are going to figure out that height is over-rated.

It isn’t a matter of if but when Hall gets the starting job, and I figure it shouldn’t be long. Rookies ending up seeing significant time as a NFL starting QB is rare, not to mention an undrafted rook. But also take into consideration Hall grew up in football and he turns 25 in October and played in a pro-style offense in college. I would look at him more as the equivalent of a second or third year man.

The Cardinals open the 2010 season at St. Louis, Anderson might be able to get through that game. AZ then goes to Atlanta before hosting Oakland, and then play the Chargers and Saints leading into a Week 6 bye. Conventional wisdom says around that time a change would be made if Derek is not lighting up the skies. And even the Cards are 2-3 at that point, there would be plenty of time to right the ship in the weak NFC West.

Or Sam Bradford could totally outplay Derek on opening day and Whisenhunt may get the sense of urgency even sooner.

And actually Danny White wouldn’t be surprised if Max thinks he should be starting now.

I would not totally put the anointing oil on Max Hall at this point, but at the very least I can see him doing a solid job this season, or at least easily exceed the low bar that was set by Leinart. And having the likes of Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston at one’s disposal, as well as playing in the NFC West, also will make such a transition smoother. If in a fantasy football league and looking for a fill-in QB, I would make a waiver claim now, especially if you have a spot where you can afford to stash someone away for a while.

Hopefully Max Hall will at least be a good short-term answer in the desert, and that Kurt Warner can finally R.I.P (Retire In Peace).

Every year I see people do it. Hell, I’ve even done it myself.

However, I have learned from my draft day mistakes, and in the last 4 years I have been able to win once and finish second three times. (Of course, now that I stated that in a public forum I will probably finish last this year…)

Today, I want to show you how you should approach your fantasy football draft, and I’ll do so by using an analogy that all guys can relate to: I’ll compare fantasy football draft strategy to a night out trolling the bars for ladies.

Pre-Drinking

Fantasy Football Draft Equivalent: Preparation

Think of this like drinking before you get to the bar to help you save money on your tab (which in my experience didn’t really save any money…it just caused me to black out earlier.) You need to do some research, and this isn’t as hard as you think. Just find a few draft ranking sheets.  They are everywhere, compare them, and find one that you most closely agree with.

The next step is to check for injuries and suspensions, and then consider a few things and rank accordingly:

• Is this a good player on a horrible team?
• Is this a great WR with a horrible QB?
• Does this team have any good complimentary players?

These are all reasons to discount players. For example, if JaMarcus Russell was the starting QB for the Colts it would have a severely negative impact on the receiving core of that team, because even Reggie Wayne couldn’t catch enough balls from a no talent ass clown like Russell to be a #1 WR.

First Round of Drinks

Fantasy Football Draft Equivalent: Round 1

When you walk up to the bar to get your first round of drinks, there are ladies everywhere and you haven’t F-ed up your chances with any of them yet. This is just like the first round of the draft, as all the badass players are available and you’re assured to get one of them.

As the rounds of the draft progress, of course, the talent slowly dwindles and drops off. This is the same concept as the more rounds of shots you take, the worse your chances of impressing a lady are. Apparently slurring “You wanna come home with me?” isn’t what they want to hear. Who knew?

Middle Rounds of Drinks

Fantasy Football Draft Equivalent: After Round 4

This is the point in the draft when all of the research you did before the draft will pay off. By knowing which players are actually starting and the caliber of complimentary players around them, you will be able to find guys who are being overlooked, guys like WR Marques Colston and WR Wes Welker, who both havegreat QBs throwing to them.

Also make sure to check injury updates as the rounds get later because drafting a player who is injured for the season is comparable to making out with a tranny…and that’s f-ing gross!!

Later Stages of the Night

Fantasy Football Draft Equivalent: Final Rounds

Hopefully you haven’t blown your load and picked a kicker already. The difference between the best kicker and the 10th best kicker last year was 36 points, which averages out to just over 2 points per week. A kicker is not going to win you a championship. QBs, WRs, and RBs are.

The same thing can be said about Defenses. The difference between the best and 10th best was 55 points, which is between 3 to 4 points per game.

Last Call

A word about Rookies and players from your favorite team

You don’t get points for drafting players from your favorite team, so rank them honestly and if your league is local let someone else be the jackass that makes a homer pick prematurely.

Rookies are like a cock tease: they look really good, however it is often the case that they don’ t put out. Occasionally a rookie will surprise us and have a strong fantasy season, but more often than not – to finish the “not putting out” metaphor – rookies will leave you with blue balls.

You’re better off going for the chubby chick who is still hanging out by herself at closing time. This would be equitable to picking up a veteran starting WR like Jabar Gaffney in the final rounds. He isn’t sexy or exciting, but you know that he’ll put up some fantasy points when needed.

[Editor's note: Welcome to the first installment of Fantasy Football Black & White, a weekly fantasy football debate between MSF's own Jerod Morris and Robert Littal from Black Sports Online. Each week, Jerod and Rob will figure out what they genuinely disagree on and then analyze it for you in simple black and white terms, 250 words or less. Then you get the final decision. Is it black...or is it white? Michael Jackson couldn't decide...can you?]

In today’s edition of Black & White, Rob and Jerod debate Chicago Bears RB Matt Forte, who was one of the biggest disappointments of the 2009 season.

Many people drafted Forte in the top 5 after his terrific rookie season, but Forte could never seem to find a rhythm behind a struggling an offensive line and with a QB who had a penchant for red zone INTs.

What will 2010 hold for Forte?

Many are predicting a bounce back year, mainly because Mike Martz has been brought in as offensive coordinator. However, these positive predictions are muted by the memories of last year, as well as Forte’s career sub-4.0 yard per carry average.

Rob tells you why Forte will be a bust, while Jerod thinks Forte will follow in the long line of successful fantasy RBs under Martz.

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Black: Matt Forte will be a bust in 2010

I can already hear it: “Mike Martz is going to make Matt Forte into a Poor Man’s Marshall Faulk.”

It can be argued that Faulk in his prime was the greatest Fantasy Football Running Back of all time, so a poor man’s version of him is much better than any back going in the 3rd round of drafts.

Unfortunately it will never happen.

Matt Forte has a lot of similar skills to Marshall Faulk, but the Bears are nowhere near the teams Faulk was on with the Colts and Rams. Jay Cutler is no Manning or Warner. Devin Hester is no Harrison, Bruce or Holt.

But beyond all of that, the #1 reason gambling on Forte is a bad move? The Bears offensive line may be the worst in the NFL.

If you are Barry Sanders you could make it work, but a straight ahead, one cut runner like Forte will never have an opportunity to shine.

PS – Sources tell me (Stephen A-style) don’t be shocked if Chester Taylor is starting by mid-season.

White: Matt Forte will go boom in 2010

Quick, go here and look at the bulleted list about halfway down the page. Those are the reception numbers for running backs under Martz. Notice a trend? Mike Martz running backs get involved in the passing game. Period. End of story.

And lest you think that career backup Chester Taylor will be anything but a backup this year, remember that Forte already has 120 receptions in just two seasons, so it’s not like he needs to come off the field on passing downs.

And what about the Bears’ offensive line? Yes, it sucks. So? That’s not great for the Bears in real life, and it won’t make things easy on Matt Forte, but it doesn’t make him fantasy asbestos. The guy accounted for 1,700 yards and 12 TDs as a rookie despite a 3.9 yard average, so he can be a very productive #2 fantasy back even if he’s not wowing you with Chris Johnson-type success.

If Forte just reaches the averages of his two seasons so far, his 2010 numbers will be as follows:

• 1,083 rushing yards
• 6 rushing TDs
• 60 receptions
• 474 receiving yards
• 2 receiving TDs

Would you take 1,500 total yards and 8 TDs from your #2 back? I sure as heck would. And that’s a conservative projection.

Throw in the potential for Forte to catch some Mike Martz magic, and this is a player who will be a fantasy boom based on where you can land him in your drafts.

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Fantasy Impact: It is likely best for Merriman to sit out and Week 1 and get healthy, rather than to play with an injury and risk further hurting himself. Merriman is a prolific pass rusher and the team needs him to be healthy to do what he can at his best.

Fantasy Impact: Whether you like Haynesworth or not, it is undeniable that he is an impact player. And without him, the chances of beating the Cowboys Week 1 are severely decreased. If priority number 1 for Shanahan is to win football games, then sitting Haynesworth is not in the best interest of the team.

The Cowboys got some good news as the wide receiver that was lighting up the college football betting boards, Dez Bryant, has been cleared to practice. Dallas head coach Wade Phillips has not indicated whether or not Bryant will play in the final preseason game, but Bryant is expected to make an impact on NFL betting in the Cowboys’ opening regular season game against the Washington Redskins.

The recent offensive woes experienced by the Cowboys first stringers has prompted the Dallas coaching staff to remain tight-lipped as to whether or not the starters will play at all in the last preseason game. The offense under quarterback Tony Romo has not looked sharp at all, and head coach Wade Phillips may want to use the last preseason game to try and get his offense tuned up for the season opener. It is expected that no one will really know until the Cowboys take the field against the Miami Dolphins on September 2 for the final preseason game.

In an interesting story that may not affect NFL football betting lines but still may be of interest to some Dallas fans is the release of free agent wide receiver Terrell Hudgins and tight end Scott Sicko. Hudgins played his college ball at Elon and was a long-shot to make the team, but Sicko had created a stir by releasing an Internet video that said he was more interested in staying in school than playing in the NFL. It was shortly after that announcement that Sicko was signing a free agent contract with the Cowboys.

Cowboys safety Barry Church is getting more than a little friendly ribbing about being tackled by quarterback Phillip Rivers after an interception in the Cowboys most recent preseason game. Everyone from the defensive coordinator to the head coach has indicated their displeasure with the way Church allowed Rivers to prevent an interception return for a touchdown. It is doubtful that disciplinary action will be taken, but Church has learned to step up the pace and get by the quarterback next time he is in that situation.

If the road to the Super Bowl is going to go through and then end in Dallas, then the Cowboys are going to have to step up their game right from the beginning of the season. The Cowboys first six opponents are all playoff contenders. The Cowboys open the season in Washington against the Redskins and then move on to play the Bears, Texans, Titans, Vikings and Giants. The Cowboys defense is expected to be up to the task, but without offensive points on the board the Cowboys may be watching Super Bowl XLV from the stands.

Texas Rangers

The Rangers began their week last Friday with a 5-1 win Oakland, but they dropped the last two games of the series against their American League West rivals.  The Rangers then had a couple of days off before they welcomed the defending World Series champion New York Yankees for a two-game set at the Ballpark.  If MLB betting players are going to take the Rangers seriously, they would like to know how they would fare against the best, and Texas definitely showed a good account of themselves, earning a split, and they would have won the second game if not for a late rally by the Yankees.  They got surprising power from the likes of David Murphy and Taylor Teagarden, who went deep twice each last week, while Murphy also led the team with eight RBIs.  Cliff Lee made two starts, winning one and taking a no-decision in an 11-strikeout performance against the Yankees, but Neftali Feliz blew a save opportunity against the Bronx Bombers, and the Rangers will need him to be steady against the best teams in the league.  This week, the Rangers are off on Thursday, then they’ll host the Boston Red Sox for three games before heading to Tampa Bay early next week for a three-game set.

Dallas Cowboys

Some college football betting players in Dallas will have been disappointed not to see rookie Dez Bryant in last week’s Hall of Fame Game against Cincinnati, but the Cowboys won a sloppy 16-7 game in which they forced four turnovers.  Tony Romo and the first-team offense looked good in their minimal playing time, but the team looked pretty solid as a whole, albeit a bit rusty, which is a given.  The Cowboys controlled the clock, holding the ball for over 36 minutes, and as we said, in the little time that their defense was on the field, they completely dominated the Cincinnati offense, holding them to 179 total yards, including a measly 43 on the ground.  The Cowboys have a short week now as they turn around and host Oakland at Cowboys Stadium on Thursday night, and with each game, the starters will play more and more, which will give you a better feel for how the Cowboys will play this year, although they’ll still be watching out for injuries.  The Cowboys are a 3-point favorite on Thursday night according to sports betting odds, so get some early preseason research in on Dallas this week.

Training camp is already underway for the 2010-11 sports betting season, as the Cowboys go through practices every day until opening their preseason this upcoming Sunday at Canton against the Cincinnati Bengals in the annual Hall of Fame game. Taking part in this contest means that Dallas will have five preseason dates this year, which appears to be fine for Phillips and his staff given the emphasis on attention to detail that the team will focus on this year. While the Cowboys’ draft picks have been working with the coaching staff for a couple of weeks, now is the time for the veterans to get their reps in, with the hope being to get through the next month without any of the starters suffering major injuries. The good thing for Dallas is that it will welcome just one new player to the mix from free agency in tackle Alex Barron, which should result in a continuity that will help this team be prepared.

Heading in to this football betting week, players on both the Cowboys and Bengals are getting amped up at the opportunity to participate in a full contact preseason game again, and this will be the first chance for fans and scouts to get a look at who has the edge to win the position battles that have been contested since the opening of camp. In Dallas, the biggest preseason battle will be for which of the reserves will replace the heavy-hitting Ken Hamlin at the safety spot after the veteran safety was not retained this summer. Converted cornerback Alan Ball has worked with the first team defense in every practice and looks to have the early edge to start, but reserve Mike Hamlin will push him. Meanwhile the offensive line will get back to work with a new left tackle for the first time in 12 years after Flozell Adams was let go by the organization, a move the team may regret of holdover Doug Free and Barron aren’t able to raise their game to another level. The Cowboys Bengals betting game will be the first look players have at this year’s NFL rosters on the field, so let the fun begin.