We finally had a game that counted Thursday night, which meant that we fantasy owners had our first chance to cheer for our players. Well, that is, if we own guys from the Redskins or Giants (and when you're in as many leagues as I am, you probably own someone from every team). I'm guessing people were yelling things at their TV like "Anytime you're ready to complete a pass, Campbell, go right ahead" and "Can somebody please cover Plaxico, I'm begging you" and "Run it in, Eli! Don't throw it, run you slow #$@%!" Ok, so that last one I myself actually yelped, but anyway, here are some fantasy observations I made from the game.

• There were hopes that QB Eli Manning would build on his success from last postseason and become a legit fantasy starter, but Thursday night put a damper on those hopes. While at times Manning looked terrific, especially in the first half, he was still the inconsistent QB we've come to know so well. His final passing numbers weren't great — 19-of-35 for 216 yards and an INT — but they could've been much worse had the Skins not dropped a few easy picks. Hey, at least Eli came through with a rushing TD.
• We thought it would take QB Jason Campbell a while to grasp Washington's new West Coast offense, and it looks like we were right. Campbell appeared lost at times Thursday and wasn't able to complete anything downfield. He did throw a TD to Santana Moss, but he finished with only 133 passing yards and a dreadful 4.9 yards per attempt. If you invested a pick in Campbell, it's probably wise to bench him until he has a better control of the offense.
• The Giants' distribution of carries was an interesting thing to watch. It was basically a two-to-one split between Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward. Jacobs looked like a beast, plowing through defenders on his way to 116 yards on 21 attempts, a 5.5-yard average. If he can stay healthy, which is unlikely given his physical running style, he could have a huge year. Meanwhile, Ward fared well on his nine carries and looks like the clear handcuff to Jacobs. It looks like Ahmad Bradshaw was a bit overhyped in fantasy circles — he didn't have a carry.
• Don't worry that RB Clinton Portis only had a ho-hum stat line. He was running hard and appeared sharp as usual. He'll perform better against lesser defenses in the coming weeks. The bigger concern with Portis is that he didn't catch a pass. Since he was expected to be a big part of the new passing attack, that's something to keep an eye on.
• WR Plaxico Burress sure must've been happy about getting that new contract before the game. He was unstoppable at times Thursday night, making a number of highlight-reel grabs. He and Manning look like they're on the a page that no one else is on, especially the defense. Eli definitely had tunnel vision in this contest. While Burress caught 10 passes for 133 yards, no other Giant had more than two catches. Plax is another guy who could have a monster season if he can only avoid injury.
• Maybe the most disappointing fantasy player in this game was TE Chris Cooley. Despite talk that he was going to have a much bigger role in the passing game, he finished with just one catch for seven yards. It didn't even appear that Campbell was looking his way all that often. I'm confident that Cooley will get things turned around and make a fantasy impact, though, so see if you can trade for him on the cheap after this lousy outing.
• One last thing: The 10-point performance by Giants PK John Carney proves the randomness of kickers in fantasy football. Nobody thought Carney, who was scooped up at the last minute to fill in for the injured Lawrence Tynes, would be a good fantasy play this week, and yet he goes out and drills three FGs. It just goes to show that in any given game, any PK could be really bad or really good.