It may only be the first week of the NFL season, but there are some sad fantasy football owners out there already.

Those of you who drafted Ray Rice got the unfortunate news that he had been released by the Baltimore Ravens after the tape of him punching his now-wife got leaked on the Internet Monday afternoon. The NFL also upped his two-game suspension to now ‘indefinitely’.

All of this news came after the Ravens lost to the Bengals on Sunday, 23-16, and now Baltimore’s backfield situation is looking very suspect. Bernard Pierce started in place of Rice and was very ineffective (six rushes for 14 yards) before losing a fumble late in the second quarter. He was banished to the sideline and replaced by Justin Forsett, who carried the rock 11 times for 70 yards and a score.

Pierce should emerge as the running back to own and was touted in the preseason as a guy who fits offensive coordinator, Gary Kubiak’s one-cut rushing scheme the best. But if there is one thing fantasy owners hate to see, it’s your guy losing a fumble while you lose points. After Sunday’s debacle, Rice still has more points than Pierce who currently has -1 in standard leagues.

There were other disappointing performances from top running backs as Eddie Lacy, Doug Martin and Ben Tate all suffered injuries that limited their performances.

For Lacy, it is another concussion as he missed a game last season after Brandon Meriweather clocked him with a vicious blow to the head. The Seahawks were holding him down pretty well before he left the game and it’s uncertain if he will be ready to go next week. And Packers need to be without Lacy again like they need another hole in their cheese head.

Martin was awful with nine yards on nine carries as Bobby Rainey gobbled up playing time late in the game. It might be another disappointing year for Martin’s owners and he is now dealing with a lower leg injury, which is cause for more concern.

The Browns signed Tate this past offseason and he was paying quick dividends with six carries and 41 yards before hurting his knee before halftime. Rookie Terrance West took over and impressed with 100 rushing yards on 16 attempts. There hasn’t been any update on Tate’s knee injury yet, but your value won’t go up when a rookie makes that kind of debut in your absence.

Moving on to signal callers with games to forget, we have to talk about Tony Romo and how he threw three interceptions as the Cowboys lost to the Niners, 28-17. Romo’s three completions to San Francisco defenders was one more than he had to his All-Pro tight end, Jason Witten, and one less than his star wideout, Dez Bryant.

Tony Romo and Jason Witten along with the rest of the Dallas Cowboys, stretching before a game
Photo credit: Brandi Korte

Don’t worry Tony, you were not the only quarterback to underwhelm fantasy owners as Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Robert Griffin and Eli Manning all scored less than 10 points in standard leagues. I am not worried about Rodgers or Brady, but Griffin and Manning need to step it up as Nick Foles is the best quarterback in the NFC East right now. The former Arizona Wildcat is outplaying a two-time Super Bowl champ, a former second overall draft pick and a guy who signed a six-year, $108 million contract last year.

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That’s a wrap for this year’s first Fantasy Woes edition. Make sure to follow along each and every week as we give you all the info you need to take your fantasy football team to the promise land and earn yourself an awesome championship belt.

Ray Rice photo credit: Keith Allison

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