Even though Week 1 isn’t quite in the books, it’s time to hand out some hardware for Sunday’s performances. And there were some big ones. Start in Atlanta, where newcomer and first-year starter Michael Turner torched the Lions for 220 yards in a 34-21 win, and in Pittsburgh were Willie Parker silenced some critics with 138 yards and three surprising rushing touchdowns.

It wasn’t all good, though, as you’ll see in our “Nightmare Squad” of Week 1 underachievers. Carson Palmer will be managing that offense after passing for just 99 yards in a 17-10 loss to the Ravens. Two suspended wideouts also make the list, as Brandon Marshall and Steve Smith watch from the sidelines and make zero fantasy contributions.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Michael Turner, RB, Atlanta Falcons
The first year starter racked up 220 and two scores in his Falcons debut. Turner got 22 carries and broke eight of those for more than 10 yards as Atlanta took it to Detroit. Look for the Falcons to turn to their new star now and down the road to carry the offensive load.
 
Runners Up
Willie Parker, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
“Fast” Willie Parker slipped down many draft boards because of his age (about to turn 28 years old) and lack of scoring punch (just 2 TDs in ‘07). It took all of one game for Parker to surpass his ‘07 TD mark by scoring three times on his way to 138 yards against the Texans.
 
Donovan McNabb, QB, Philadelphia Eagles
McNabb tallied 361 yards and three TD passes with a depleted wide recieving corps in the Birds’ home opener against St. Louis. If he stays healthy, look for these bigtime numbers to continue especially as veteran wide outs Kevin Curtis and Reggie Brown come back from injury.  
 
SURPRISING PERFORMANCE
Hines Ward, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
Ward, typically a solid possession receiver, fell down draft boards as teammate and home run threat Santonio Holmes was the first Pittsburgh wideout taken. However, in Week 1, Ward had 76 receiving yards and two scores in proving he’s still got some gas left in the tank.
 
Runners Up
Matt Forte, RB, Chicago Bears
The rookie starter out of Tulane got 23 carries in his NFL debut against the Colts on Sunday night and turned them into 123 yards, including a 50-yard TD scamper. Without a legitimate aerial attack, Forte will likely continue to make a large contribution to Chicago’s offense. Look for him to post numbers similar to those in his breakout performance regularly.
 
Chris Johnson, RB, Tennessee Titans
The rookie out of East Carolina made the most of his 15 carries by rushing for 93 yards and adding three receptions for 34 yards and a receiving score before leaving early with an injury. Many people saw Johnson carving out an early work load, but he showed signs of overtaking starting LenDale White on Tennessee’s depth chart.
 
DISAPPOINTING PERFORMANCE
Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
MJD couldn’t live up to the pre-season hype as he was only able to run for 18 yards on 5 carries against Tennessee on Sunday. In 2006, MJD proved to be the league’s biggest fantasy sleeper; if this continues, he could end up being the biggest bust just two years later.
 
Runners Up
Carson Palmer, QB, Cincinnati Bengals
With a career low passer rating (35.3), Palmer completed only 40 percent of his passes on his way to a miserable 99 yards and a pick. Palmer let down many fantasy owners as he was a “second tier” passer on most fantasy boards this season.
 
Steven Jackson, RB, St. Louis Rams
With 40 yards on 14 carries, Jackson caused a lot of frustration for fantasy owners who likely selected him in the middle of the first round. The Rams’ running threat proved to be anything but against the Eagles on Sunday as his longest run was only nine yards.
 
WAIVER WIRE SPECIAL
DeSean Jackson, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
This former Cal wide out looked phenomenal in his first NFL game. With Curtis and Brown out with injuries, he was slotted at number one on the depth chart for the Birds. He caught six passes for 106 yards and had a great day returning punts. And don’t tell anyone, but he’s only owned in 44 percent of leagues on yahoo.com
 
CUTTABLE PLAYER
Vince Young, QB, Tennessee Titans
Young was mediocre in is ‘08 debut before leaving early with what is being reported as a sprained knee. ESPN’s Chris Mortensen is reporting that Young could miss 2-4 weeks with the injury, which will thrust backup Kerry Collins into the starting role.
 
DREAM LINEUP
QB - Donovan McNabb
RB - Michael Turner
RB - Willie Parker
WR - Hines Ward
WR - Randy Moss
TE - Antonio Gates
K - John Kasay
D/ST - Buffalo Bills
 
NIGHTMARE SQUAD
QB - Carson Palmer
RB - Maurice Jones-Drew
RB - Steven Jackson
WR - Brandon Marshall (suspended)
WR - Steve Smith (suspended)
TE - Alge Crumpler
K - Jason Hanson
 
HIGHLIGHT REEL (Best play)
Jake Delhomme’s last second touchdown pass to tight end Dante Rosario sealed a victory over a San Diego team many analysts picked to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl at year’s end.  The 24-yard touchdown came after Delhomme recieved the snap with two ticks left on the clock and gave an oscar-worthy pump fake to get defenders off balance. Delhomme then fit a strike in between the outstreached arms of multiple Charger defenders and right into the hands of a leaping Rosario.
 
Runners Up
The Buffalo Bills special teams ran a fake field goal for a 19 yard touchdown when they took one man off his normal position on the line of scrimmage so he was nearly out of sight against the sideline and deep in the backfield.  At the snap, punter Brian Moorman stood up, caught the snap, and lobbed an easy touchdown pass to defensive end Ryan Denny. 
 
The Buffalo Bills special teams were at it again when return specialist Roscoe Parrish made Seahawk defenders look ridiculous with a shifty 63-yard punt return for a touchdown in the second quarter. Abrasive cutbacks, insane pivoting, and spin move at the end just for good measure made this return a play to watch over and over again on YouTube.
 
BIGGEST INJURY
Tom Brady QB, New England Patriots
The perennial MVP hopeful saw his season end the same quarter it started on Sunday, reportedly tearing his ACL when a Chiefs defender hit his left leg awkwardly. His fantasy owners everywhere saw their team’s most consistent and primary scorer go down for good.