Every preseason, there seems to be at least one major injury that sends shockwaves through the world of Fantasy Football. One week into the full preseason slate, we've already got our first glitch on the richter scale.

Bears quarterback Rex Grossman broke his left ankle in the second quarter of Chicago's game at St. Louis and is out for at least three months. Grossman tore his ACL last year after three starts and missed the rest of the season. That effectively ended the Bears' season, and it's likely that Grossman's absence will do the same in 2005.

Grossman is no Peyton Manning, but at least opposing defenses respected his arm. In the preseason Hall of Fame game vs. Miami, Grossman went deep multiple times and connected once with Muhsin Muhammad. That kind of aggressive passing is what forced teams to think twice about a blitz against Chicago. That's not the case anymore since the Bears are left with Chad Hutchinson, rookie Kyle Orton and Kurt Kittner at quarterback.

Obviously, Grossman's stock has plummeted; he should not even come close to a draft board now. His replacement could be Jeff Blake, who the Bears signed. Blake throws a mean deep ball and can scramble for yardage, but he's not going to be the starter right away.

Grossman's injury also affects Muhammad, who wasn't projected to have a huge year but now may have a hard time getting even 1,000 receiving yards. And while the Bears may have to rely on their running game now, Thomas Jones still drops because defenses will be rushing him and the quarterback even more. In fact, Jones' production was severly limited once Grossman went down in '04. Rookie Cedric Benson falls a little bit too since he'll also feel the defensive crunch (if he ever gets into camp). The DST still has value but the offense could put them in rough spots during the year.

The Bears have become this year's "run" Fantasy team: If you are thinking about drafting a player from Chicago, run the other way.

Fantasy recommendations

If the Raiders' first preseason game is any indication, LaMont Jordan could be a bigger Fantasy factor than first expected. Four of Oakland's first five plays involved Jordan (two runs, two receptions). In fact, Jordan had four catches in the game, including a nimble, one-handed catch from Kerry Collins. That's surprising to me; Jordan's career high in receptions is 17 in 2002. If this continues, Jordan will move up the charts. He's worth taking in Round 2 in most leagues.

Joey Harrington was perfect against the Jets -- literally. He completed all nine of his pass attempts, most of which were under 10 yards, for a total of 100 yards. He wasn't dead-on accurate, but he tossed a perfect lob on a 20-yard fade pass to Charles Rogers in single coverage. This is pretty encouraging, especially since Harrington holds the keys to several significant Fantasy players' seasons. Backup Jeff Garcia was a little more erratic, which is par for the course considering his all-or-nothing style.

Carson Palmer may have had a shoddy stat line (4 of 11, 37 yards, INT), but he really did look good against the Patriots' first-string defense. What stood out for me was his poise in the pocket and his willingness to scramble for yardage and throw deep. Twice he threw long in the direction of Chad Johnson, both times gunning a perfect spiral. Both times Johnson was in double coverage (one pass was picked off), but in the regular season that can change, especially if Rudi Johnson sets up the pass with his solid running.

Extra snaps: Eli Manning ran a dumbed-down version of the Giants offense and did very well. Most of his passes were for short yardage, not including a 20-yard jump ball to Plaxico Burress. He could move up the charts soon. ... It looks like Chris Chambers will be a frequent flyer for the Dolphins, going deep several times in both of Miami's preseason contests. Remember, Miami's new offensive coordinator used to be in Minnesota, so Chambers could be getting assignments similar to that of Randy Moss. ... Collins looked very sharp in Oakland's game against the Niners. His accuracy, which a lot of people think doesn't exist, was improved. Having Moss on his side helped some, too. ... Don't look now, but Kurt Warner shined against the Cowboys. He was 14 of 19 for 151 yards and a score to Larry Fitzgerald. If his depleted offensive line heals before the start of the season, Warner could move into the top 12 Fantasy QB echelon.

Fantasy warnings

Kyle Boller didn't look so good against the Falcons. (AP)

Two quarterbacks disappointed this first preseason weekend, and they played against each other. The Falcons' Michael Vick and the Ravens' Kyle Boller both were lacking and need to show improvement before falling down the charts. Vick was very mobile and his accuracy was pretty good, but he still does not have the No. 1 receiver he needs to become a valuable Fantasy commodity. Until then, he's going to throw between 125 and 225 yards per week, mixing in a big rushing effort every few weeks. As for Boller, he's got the receivers but doesn't have the accuracy. Several of his passes were either too high or behind his receivers and he only had one or two drops. Vick is still a No. 1 Fantasy quarterback, but he needs to find a reliable option other than Alge Crumpler. Boller is a No. 2 Fantasy passer bordering on being a No. 3, and his stock plummeting could affect Derrick Mason and Todd Heap as well.

This shouldn't come as much of a surprise, but top overall draft pick Alex Smith looked pretty shaky against the Raiders. Part of the problem was that Oakland absolutely abused San Fran's offensive line, meaning Smith had no time to make reads. He completed one pass against the Raiders' first-string defense. The line also impacted running back Kevan Barlow's production, so if that isn't fixed expect the Niners to be lacking in the stat department. In their defense, veteran tackle Jonas Jennings, guard Justin Smiley and rookie guard David Baas were not active.

Take away a 76-yard pass from Billy Volek to rookie Roydell Williams and the Titans' offense looked ghastly in their first preseason game. Without that play, they finished with 219 total yards, which is pretty weak. Also, Travis Henry's four-carry, 12-yard effort didn't do anything to set him apart from Chris Brown. The Tennessee offense remains a mystery.

Extra snaps: Domanick Davis couldn't score from the Broncos 1-yard line on four tries. Not good. It could mean a loss in goal-line work for the Texans' speedster. ... The Packers defense looked atrocious against San Diego's running backs, and that was with LaDainian Tomlinson on the sidelines. Early on this season, teams should have some success moving the ball against the Pack.

Fantasy sleepers

Philip Rivers is the real deal and will one day be a monster in Fantasy. He made an awesome 34-yard pass to Willie Quinnie to score San Diego's only TD. Rivers has the field vision, guts and gunslinging arm that make opposing defenses cringe. I'd love to see him get snaps with the first team at some point this preseason. Speaking of the Chargers, rookie RB Darren Sproles had 13 touches (seven carries, six receptions) in the Packers game. He could be a nice addition to that offense.

Rod Gardner had two nice catches for 31 yards and a TD in his Panthers debut, but look past the stats. Gardner was motivated to play big against his old team, Washington, and he saw time with the first team because Keary Colbert was sidelined with an injury. Gardner still has plenty of sleeper potential but could have a hard time seeing the field.

Two running backs in the Miami-Jacksonville tilt should be followed, and one is a fairly familiar name. Dolphins RB Ricky Williams looked like his old self when he shook two Jags defenders out of their cleats on a 13-yard run. He could start competing for time, especially with Lamar Gordon being dropped down the Fins' depth chart. The other running back is Jacksonville rookie Alvin Pearman, who had 64 rushing yards on 11 carries. With Fred Taylor nursing injuries and LaBrandon Toefield not impressing, Pearman could land some reps in the regular season.

Extra snaps: William Green, not Lee Suggs, was the best Browns running back against New York. He finished with 55 total yards and a touchdown and looked very good. He could receive some time with the first-string offense soon. ... Giants rookie Brandon Jacobs had 30 yards after contact in his first preseason game and had a 43-yard run negated by a penalty. He's going to end up stealing a handful of touchdowns from Tiki Barber. ... The Patriots may have another Tom Brady on their hands. Rookie Matt Cassel worked seven possessions, leading the Pats to a score on four of them against the Bengals. He finished with 135 passing yards, one touchdown and 46 rushing yards. ... Tim Rattay isn't likely to wrestle the starting job away from Smith, but his two-touchdown effort against Oakland could help.

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