Well, one week into NFL 2005. It’s important to keep in mind that the following are developments that are still unfolding, and if you’re making major changes to your team after week one, you may be jumping the gun. It’s only one week for cryin’ out loud. But, it never hurts to stay on top of things.

After all, information is power, in fantasy as in life.

Battlin’ it outThe muddled Cleveland tailback picture sharpened up a bit. Reuben Droughns got 12 carries for 78 yards for a nice 6.5-yard average, while Willie Green got four carries for squat and Lee Suggs sat on the sidelines with his injury.

For leagues that count individual return yardage, Droughns was also returning kickoffs, making him especially valuable if he ends up with most of the carries as well. He’s the favorite so far.

Although the Patriots have spread the ball all over the field the past few years, last year’s Super Bowl MVP wide receiver Deion Branch appears to have emerged as Tom Brady’s go-to guy ?” as expected seven catches, 99 yards, one touchdown.

Fantasy cast-off Troy Brown reappeared against Oakland, snagging six receptions of his own.

Denver’s ‘plug ‘n play’ running back fight ended before it began really, as incumbent Mike Anderson hit the showers with bruised ribs after just four carries. Tatum Bell didn’t do much with his 13 carries as Miami’s resurgent defense shut the Broncos offense down completely. Depending on the severity of Anderson’s injury, Bell might be the main man by default.

The running back scene in Chicago played out similarly in their opener against Washington, as the Redskins’ defense held running backs Thomas Jones and rookie Cedric Benson to a measly 2.3-yards per carry. Jones got the bulk of the carries while holdout Benson is still learning the offense, so it remains to be seen how the starting job will shake out here. It might not matter much anyways if Bears rookie quarterback Kyle Orton doesn’t mature quickly. But hey, a starting running back in just about any fantasy league holds some value.

More backfield fantasy drama comes out of Carolina, where all the info I had pointed to Deshaun Foster beating out the rehabbed Stephen Davis. I was wrong there, as Davis took 13 carries for 81 yards and a touchdown, while Foster got only nine carries. I’d stay away from both right now if you have better options, but Davis is apparently the man, although I’d be holding onto Foster for sure.

Holding their own While he did make a couple of his trademark weirdo decisions, one of which resulted in a costly turnover (just hold onto the rock, man), Oakland quarterback Kerry Collins did put up some solid stats against a perennially solid Patriot defense 265-yards, three touchdowns, one interception. I’m sure that one guy Moss helped out a bit.

As I mentioned above, the Dolphin defense turned it up a notch in their opener at home. A top-ranked defense for years, their fantasy output had seemed to slip a bit the past year or two. But on Sunday they managed to hold a pretty good Denver offense 1-for-13 on third down conversions, defensive stalwart Jason Taylor ran a fumble back 85 yards for a touchdown, as they came away with three turnovers. Not bad for a unit that was probably drafted late in most leagues.

Speaking of defense, the Falcons defensive unit put a hurting on Philadelphia on Monday night, swarming all over the field and disrupting Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb’s timing with his good friend and No. 1 receiver Terrell Owens.

Although Owens finished with great yardage totals, the Atlanta defense kept him out of the end zone, a key in beating last year’s Super Bowl runners-up. They also forced three turnovers and did not miss any tackles that I saw. Maybe it’s time the long-standing powerhouse Philadelphia defense passed the fantasy torch on to the Dirty Birds. …

Breakout BreakdownCleveland WR Frisman Jackson (8 receptions, 128 yards, 1 touchdowns) came up big against my Bengals (yep, fan since ’80), but keep in mind we are talking about a generally porous Cincinnati defense here. Listed as a backup, I’m still thinking Antonio Bryant or Braylon Edwards will be getting most of the fantasy attention here, but if you’re thin at the position and want to take a flier, what the heck ?” at least you know he has the potential.

‘Fast Willie’ Parker (now there’s an original one) was probably the biggest surprise, racking up 22 carries, 161 yards and a touch on the ground for Pitt. With injuries to starters Jerome Bettis and Duce Staley, Parker was exactly what the Steelers needed, albeit against a young and inexperienced Titan defense, at home at Heinz Field. Also keep in mind that Bettis and Staley will be healthy at some point, so I’d suggest not giving up too much for Parker.

Untested first-round running back Carnell ‘Cadillac’ Williams pulled out of the garage in a big way for Tampa Bay Sunday, pasting the so-called ‘revamped’ Minnesota defense for 141 yards and a TD on 27 carries, although 71 of those yards came off his touchdown sprint. The Buccaneers feel he will be a major part of the team for years, and I’m hoping those drunks who heckled ‘reach’ when I picked him in the third round might not have much more to say than ‘nice pick’ soon.

Two unheralded tight ends took the spotlight this weekend, as both Alex Smith from Tampa and the Raiders’ Courtney Anderson had two touchdowns apiece.While they won’t maintain any kind of pace like that, if you settled for some nobody at tight end, you might want to keep an eye on one of these guys as a waiver pickup.

Chump changeThe NY Jets came out flat-footed against the Chiefs on Sunday, barely escaping a shutout against last year’s 31st-ranked defense. I’m not so sure signal-caller Chad Pennington has full strength yet in his shoulder, and it doesn’t help when ol’ buddy and No. 1 receiver Laveranues Coles is dropping sure things in the end zone. Come to think of it, I’m not all that sold on Coles as it is.

He has speed and skills but has really only had one decent fantasy season so far.

It took coach Joe Gibbs all of one game to ditch Washington’s inconsistent quarterback Patrick Ramsey, naming old-schooler Mark Brunell the starter on Monday. Ramsey was replaced by Brunell after getting sacked hard, but even though he was cleared to play, Brunell stayed in. The game could mark Ramsey’s last action as a Redskin, justifying rumors that Gibbs and his staff have no confidence whatsoever in him.

A name I didn’t expect to put here is Minnesota’s quarterback Daunte Culpepper, who accounted for five turnovers all by himself. Turnovers used to be a problem for Daunte, but he had gotten past that issue. The one ‘old’ problem I might be a tad worried about was his propensity for trying to do too much. With Randy Moss lining up in Oakland and the defense giving up big points to the previously offensively-challenged Buccaneers, he might be trying to shoulder the load again. I’d say no worries here though. He’s just too good, and he still has some quality weapons around him.

Talk about tripping out of the gate, Ravens kicker Matt Stover missed all three of his field goal tries against the Colts. Last year, he missed three all season.