By Steve DeAngelo
Man oh man. The NFL is a whirlwind. How come every week you think you have everything figured out and the games for that week throw a huge monkey wrench into everything. A lot of craziness this weekend and we should expect more as well going forward. I will try to make sense of everything, break it down give and you my thoughts going forward. Oh yea and why is it every Sunday night I get that feeling of depression after feeling so good before the games start? I bet you get this too right? I guess when all the games come to end reality begins to set back in as we are getting ready to leave fantasy island.
The 1 O’clocks
Bills vs Pack
The spread was 12.5 and the Pack ended up covering this one easily. I am guessing that most people and their mother took the Pack in their survivor pools. As it ended up the Bills got smoked although it was only a 6 point lead for the Pack at halftime. However, Aaron Rodgers came out after a slow first half and tore up the Bills as the pack went on to win 34-7.
Simply put the Bills just seem to be in real big trouble again. They were up against a superior team here but their issues will continue week to week. Trent Edwards is just not the answer at QB. UPDATE: Ryan Fitzpatrick takes the job in week 3 as Head Coach Chan Gailey says the Bills are ” Looking for a “spark”. Regardless the offensive line can’t block very well and we still might be seeing a lot of this going forward just now happening to Fitzpatrick instead of Edwards. The bills biggest pass play was a PI called on Charles Woodson against Lee Evans. Besides the invisible catch that Evans had he had no catches, no yards, nothing. He will be what he has always been throughout his career disappointing.Who knows maybe Fitzpatrick helps him out now.
Their running game perplexes me as well. The Bills gave Marshawn Lynch the majority of the carries on Sunday as he got 17 carries compared to Fred Jackson’s 9 and C.J. Spiller’s 1. I really hope the Bills were showcasing Lynch and plan on trading him if not what they did makes little sense. Why then would you draft C.J. Spiller when there were other obvious needs (Offensive Line!) and then go out and give Spiller 1 carry on Sunday? The Bills seem lost hopefully they know what they are doing. They should just trade Lynch, move on and give their first round pick more touches because he is the most talented player on that offense, even as a rookie. After the game Chan Gailey stated that they will look to slowly work Spiller back in? What is this guy talking about and what is the Bills plan? Until Lynch is traded Spiller belongs on the bench or until we see Spiller get a bigger workload. It’s very frustrating to see so much talent left on the bench. Make sure you hold onto him in Keeper leagues. Lynch and Jackson make for Low end flex plays going forward. The rest of the offense needs to be ignored until further notice.
Aaron Rodgers seems to start games slow but always finishes strong. Obviously he can make every throw but also he has running skills that will help him battle to be the #1 Fantasy QB by the end of the season. Rodgers again hooked up with Driver for another TD as the ageless wonder continues to deliver. Driver should be fairly consistent each and every week because he is not only talented but his QB can get him and looks to throw him the ball. Greg Jennings had a rough day going for 3 catches for 38 yards but Buffalo’s secondary is their strength. He will be fine going forward he just needs to get his TD’s up.
Mike Mcarthy stated that Brandon Jackson was a 3 down back but he only received 11 carries while John Kuhn got 9. Jackson did end up with a Rushing TD but he only ran for 29 yards. Jackson is still the guy to own but it doesn’t look like Jackson is going to be anything special. Also it appears Kuhn will hurt his fantasy Value. BTW if Clay Matthews is out there in your IDP leagues make sure you grab him asap. 6 sacks in 2 games
Miami vs Minnesota
This was mostly a defensive game as neither offense did anything of significance. Minnesota had numerous chances to win Despite 4 Brett Favre turnovers but came up short as Miami held on 14-10. One of Miami’s touchdowns came on a Brett Favre fumble in the endzone.
Brett Farve is not playing well as he is missing throws and not making good decisions once again. Like Farve, Percy Harvin has suffered from missing training camp. Harvin is not playing well either as he has stopped short on routes and has dropped passes. As a result him and Favre are not on the same page. The only reliable option for Favre right now is Visante Shiancoe who has produced in the first two weeks. Greg Camarillo and Benard Berrian also are not in rhythm with Favre. With all that said I believe the Vikings will turn it around. I think you will see some of the turn around in Week 3. Things get better for the Vikings as they play the Lions in week 3 and then have a bye in Week 4. When they return from that bye I believe Favre and his receiving core will be much more in sync and they might possibly have Vincent Jackson on their team. Vikings may not win the division this year but I still think they get in as a wild card.
Adrian Peterson had a great game running for a buck 40 with a TD. He would have had another TD late in the game to take the lead but his offensive line let him down, it wasn’t AP’s fault. His touchdowns will start to increase when the Vikings passing game gets back in order which it will.
Chad Henne did his job. He was efficient and didn’t turn the ball over. Brandon Marshall has yet to score this year ,but he should have some big games ahead. It helps that Darelle Revis will most likely be out next week as the Dolphins play home against the Jets. Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams both fumbled and were mostly contained against the Minnesota front seven but that was expected. Still both of these guys will hurt each others value but they are good flex plays.
Kansas City vs Cleveland
Jake Delhomme was out and Seneca Wallace filled in. Wallace played ok throwing for 229 yards with a TD and a pick. Delhomme should take over duties once healthy but neither guy should be owned. Jerome Harrison surprisingly was given double the carries (16) to Hillis’ 8 however Harrison disappointed, rushing for only 33 yards and he also lost a fumble. Hillis finished with more yards (35) on less carries and was the one who scored again. Be interesting to see how it pans out in the next coming weeks, but Harrison is still the more talented back. Harrison, However most likely failed to gain confidence in his coach with his performance on Sunday. In the meantime it looks like Hillis is the safer play until Harrison starts to produce, which I think will come you’re just going to have to be patient.
Matt Cassell stinks, yet Charlie Weiss and Todd Haley seem to have more faith in him than Jamal Charles. Charles, who only received 12 touches did the most with them as he finished with 76 total yards. It’s really amazing to see two NFL coaches keep such talent off the field. Meanwhile Charles recently stated that he realizes he is the backup but doesn’t care as long as his team is winning. Great attitude but he knows he’s the best player out there. Apparently the two donkeys haven’t realized this yet. Thomas Jones received 22 carries that went for 89 yards. Jones remains durable and doesn’t fumble so that is why he will continue to play and take away from Charles’ value. However, once the Chiefs start to lose (currently 2-0) they will realize more and more that Matt Cassell stinks and they will need to use Jamal Charles more. If you are a Charles owner just hang on you’re just gonna have to remain patient for the time being. Eventually Charles should be getting 15-20 touches a game.
As a result of Cassell stinking, Dwayne Bowe will continue to suffer. Bowe and Cassell should enjoy some nice games here and there but it looks like Bowe will be mostly inconsistent unless Cassell turns into a good QB somehow. The Chiefs rookie tight end, Tony Moeaki is talented and will be consistent each week as the weak armed Cassell will look to throw to him often. I would go out and grab this guy this week if you aren’t already strong at tight end. End of the day Weiss and Cassell would be better off just dumping screen passes to Jamal Charles all game! Give this guy the damn ball!
Chicago Vs Dallas
The Cowboys are 0-2 and the Bears are 2-0. These records could easily be even in the next two weeks so don’t get too high on the Bears or too low on the Cowboys as of yet.
I have to give props to Jay Cutler. This guy went through hell in the first quarter as he had zero time and was getting smacked around by the Cowboys defense. The dude is tough though, he stuck through it and ended up playing a solid game finishing 21/29 for 277 yards and 3 TD’s. I doubted Cutler this week and thought he would have a tough time with this cowboys secondary. The bears speedy wideouts Devin Hester and Johnny Knox gave the cowboys problems. Cutler is off to a great start with 6 TD’s and 1 int, but he will show inconsistency throughout the year. However with how many times he will sling it he will put up 20+ TD’s once again and will be a good fantasy QB even if he ends up throwing as many picks as he did last year. For the way Cutler played Sunday I have to give him props. Knox and Hester will always be inconsistent but both should have some nice games here and there.
Matt Forte was bottled up on the ground and he looks like he will be effective most as a receiver this season. He’s a much better option in PPR formats. Chester Taylor is unusable unless Forte gets injured. Devin Arshamondu is now 4th on the depth chart after dropping 3 passes on Sunday. Earl Bennett now has moved up to the #3 wideout.
Tony Romo will continue to hit Miles Austin all day long. Austin just seems to have a knack for finding those open areas in the zone and him and Romo’s chemistry is top-notch. Romo didn’t play a good game throwing 2 costly picks, but from a fantasy standpoint it was Ok as he threw for 300+ yards with a TD. Austin finished with 10 catches for 142 yards. Austin is a dead-solid option for the rest of the year, he will be consistent as they come. Dez Bryant will continue to develop more and more with Romo and Bryant will be in for a very nice rookie season. Because of Bryant, defenses won’t be able to focus solely on Miles Austin. Jason Witten looks to still be solid in PPR leagues but it’s appears his TD’s will continue to be lacking.
The Cowboys went up against a good run defense in the Bears so better days are ahead for the Cowboys running game. That said, The 3 headed monster that is the Cowboys backfield will hurt every one of their value’s. Felix Jones has been pretty bad the first two weeks but he should be in line for some better games. The Cowboys need to get him the ball more. Marion Barber continues to run hard but he is nothing more than a flex play. I honestly think that Tashard Choice may be the better option as the power runner over Barber at this point unless Barber gets hurt we won’t see Choice much. He is worth stashing on your bench.
Arizona vs Atlanta
Matt Ryan had a good game as expected vs a suspect Arizona secondary finishing with 225 yards and 3 TD’s. His chemistry with Roddy White is similar to Romo’s and Austin’s in that they will be extremely consistent throughout the year. White finished with 7 more catches for 78 yards and a TD. If you can get creative, go out and try to trade for either White or Austin these guys will remain as consistent as they come. It was unusual to see Tony Gonzalez not getting more involved more as he only had 2 catches for 19 yards. This guy is still in great shape so I would expect him to improve.
Michael Turner ended up leaving the game early and didn’t return but it seems only as a precaution because the Falcons were destroying the Cardinals. He was on his way to a pretty productive game, he had 9 carries for 75 yards before exiting. That said, I believe Turner’s value is decreasing more and more and he should be traded. I advised to stay away from him in my running back outlook before the season and there a couple of reasons why. One is Jason Snelling is a capable running back and should eat into Turner’s workload more and more as they Falcons will try to preserve Turner and keep him healthy. 2nd Turner is coming off an injury from last season and two years ago took on a huge workload going for 376 carries. Turner is going to be an injury risk for the remainder of the year. Also he doesn’t seem to do much against the better defenses he only really produces against the lesser defenses. I would try to trade away Turner now while you can.
The Cardinals are in for a rough season because Derek Anderson is horrific. He is so inaccurate it’s scary. I personally think some of Ken Whisenhunt’s stubbornness got into the way of his thinking in releasing Matt Leinart like that and just giving the reigns to Derek Anderson so easily. Did he honestly think that Derek Anderson could play well over the course of the season? Matt Leinart wasn’t given a fair chance as he only started 15 games in his entire career. Larry Fitzgerald will suffer as a result of Anderson. He may still finish with the yards but his TD’s will be lacking. Still the presence of Fitzgerald should help the running game. Tim Hightower has run well with Beanie Wells out the first two weeks so it will be interesting to see what kind of role Beanie gets when he returns. Most likely Beanie will be given a chance as the lead back and he should be OK, but Hightower isn’t going away. Steve Breaston still remains a fairly solid option in PPR leagues despite the poor effort in week 2.
Tampa Bay vs Carolina
This game was a borefest so I didn’t bother paying any attention to it. There is some news to report however. Matt Moore is out as QB and Jimmy Claussen will take over. It remains to be seen how this affects Steve Smith who scored the past two weeks and who is often targeted by Matt Moore. I’m not a huge believer in Claussen but we’ll see, it is possible Moore takes the job back at some point. The Running game of Carolina continues to be dominated by DeAngelo Williams. Jonathan Stewart has been a disappointment thus far and it’s concerning why he has had such a lack of carries (11 carries in two weeks), but he should see more touches now that Moore is out.
Tampa Bay is 2-0! They also beat the Browns and the Panthers. The Bucs will get exposed soon enough. Still, Josh Freeman is playing decent and Mike Williams looks like he may have a fairly solid rookie year. Their Running game is terrible. Cadillac Williams has had too many surgeries and Earnest Graham isn’t the greatest option either. BTW who is this guy Kareem Huggins that was supposed to be the sleeper of the bunch ? Kellen Winslow should have a nice year as long as he remains healthy.
Eagles vs Lions
The Obvious story here is Michael Vick. He played solid once again throwing for 200 yards and 2 TD’s even though it was against the Lions. Vick threw some nice deep balls right on the money and didn’t throw any picks. Despite Kevin Kolb returning to the lineup this week I think he will disappoint overall although it won’t start this week against Jacksonville. Hold onto Vick, I think he takes the job back at some point as he gives the Eagles a better chance to win. I think the return of Kolb hurts Desean Jackson’s value. Again we may not see it this week against Jacksonville, but as the weeks go by and Kolb remains in there Jackson’s production will suffer.
Lesean Mcoy is like a nice back to watch. He hits the holes well and is nice and shifty. He should be in for a nice year, again I think his value increases when Vick is in the lineup.
Jahvid Best is going to win rookie of the year as long as he stays healthy. C.J. Spiller was drafted number 9 overall not to be used apparently (1 carry on Sunday) and Ryan Matthews is already banged up and now has the presence of Mike Tolbert to take away touchdowns from him. Best is their goaline runner, their best receiver out of the backfield and the guy is ultra speedy and quick. He hits holes fast and makes people miss. Eagles defense is no slouch defense so his performance Sunday was impressive. He has “stud” written all over him. Hopefully when I recommended Spiller and Best in my running back outlook this year over guys like Turner, Cedric Benson, Steven Jackson and DeAngelo Williams you went with Best.
Calvin Johnson did little once again until late in the game when he got a garbage time TD. Having Nate Burelson go out with an injury didn’t help but Johnson is going to constantly get double teamed. Hopefully for us Johnson owners Best’s presence will open some things up for Johnson down the line. He also needs Matt Stafford to come back as Shaun Hill is just not a good option. You may have to remain patient with Calvin.However Johnson is so beastly he could have me at QB and might still be able to produce. Then again I have been known to have the accuracy of Robin of Loxley
Update: Nate Burleson out 2-3 weeks for Lions most likely
Baltimore vs Cincinnati
Joe Flacco was awful Sunday throwing 4 picks. Now The Bengals secondary obviously was pissed after being torched by Brady and the Pats last week but Flacco just gave into them. Still Flacco will get better. He is talented has a solid offensive line around him, has good receiving weapons so don’t panic.
Ray Rice remains without out a TD for the first two weeks but still is the workhorse of the offense. He had a similar slow start last year before breaking out in week 5 so just be patient with him, he will soon resort back to his fantasy beast self. Todd Heap as long as he’s healthy should be a nice tight end to own this year. Anquan Boldin will be fine but his touchdowns could be lacking.
Carson Palmer didn’t throw any TD’s against Baltimore but at least he didn’t turn the ball over. Owens and Ocho Cinco both were held under 50 yards receiving but they will both be fine. Ocho still remains the better option but as Owens and Palmer play more and more Owens will start to produce nicely. Update: Ocho Cinco reported on his Twitter that he has a cracked rib, it appears he should be Ok but it’s worth monitoring.
I am not a big Cedric Benson fan. I know he had tough matchup this week but I think he will disappoint as the season goes on. I would try to move him and address other needs on your teams. Also I think Benard Scott takes more of a role as the season progresses.
Pittsburgh vs Tennessee
Yet another defensive battle with little Fantasy excitement. Even your highness Chris Johnson king of the Fantasy Lords was shut down. Although he did have a 70 yard TD run called back because of holding. Vince Young was benched in the 2nd half for Kerry Collins but Fisher has said Young remains the starter. He just chalked it up as a bad game for Young. Young threw two horrific int’s and also fumbled, he just really looked confused out there. Still, the Steelers defense will do that to most QB’s so Young should be Ok going forward. Young really needs to play more instinctively though and start running more. He seems to have lost the passion for just taking off with the ball. With that I think Vince has lost some of his “Swag” He also needs to run more because his wideouts are lacking.
Dennis Dixon left in the first half after an injury and Charlie Batch came in. Charlie Batch! Dang he’s been playing forever. Anyway the Steelers did next to nothing on offense. Until Big Ben comes back Mendenhall is going to struggle some. Teams will just load the box and try to stop him. He is a pretty good buy low candidate right now because when Ben comes back Mendenhall will see many more TD opportunities. Mike Wallace and Hines Ward also are good buy lows as well. Update: Dennis Dixon going to be out 3 weeks with Torn Ligament in knee
The 4 O’clocks
Seattle vs Denver
Matt Hasselback obviously teased us last week because this week he was just awful as he threw 3 picks and Seattle got smoked. He can’t be relied upon. Pretty much everybody on this Seattle offense should not be started. The Backfield is just a mess with 3 backs in a poopy offense it’s kind of like the Buffalo situation.
Kyle Orton on the other hand will be a serviceable QB this year. He is a decent option to have. He has an array of wideouts to connect to. Eddie Royal I believe will be the most consistent option at wideout. The rookie wideout Demaryius Thomas also had a solid game going for 80 yards and TD. I believe him and Royal are the best options on the team while Lloyd and Gaffney will be more inconsistent.
Knowshon Moreno looks like he might be in for a fairly solid season. He won’t be great on the ground but he should be able to pile up TD’s and add some receiving yards to help his value. Against Seattle he finished with over 100 total yards and a TD. More games like this should be expected. Moreno appears to be a solid #2 Back.
St. Louis vs Oakland
Sam Bradford is going to be a good quarterback in this league. He will struggle because he’s a rookie but he has the tools to be a successful QB. Mark Clayton looks to be the biggest benefactor from Bradford. Despite only going for 20 yards receiving Clayton finished with two Tds. Bradford will continue to look Clayton’s way because of his lack of options and right now Clayton is turning into a reliable option. Be sure to hold onto Bradford in Keeper leagues.
Steven Jackson again had over 100 total yards but failed to score. This will continue to happen with Jackson because he is playing behind a Rookie QB and a weak offensive line as well. Hopefully for Jackson Owners he can beat his touchdown total of 4 from last season. I think he will.
Darren Mcfadden now has had two impressive games going over the 100 total yard mark in back to back games. Against the Rams he had 30 carries for 145 yards. Mcfadden is running with more conviction but I have some doubts about him going forward. First is durability. I believe his running style leaves him open to injury. 2nd Michael Bush will be back soon and that should take away goal line carries at least, from Mcfadden. Also he is playing on the Raiders who have no quarterback to speak of and will be blown out of games. They won’t be playing the Rams every week and Mcfadden won’t have the opportunity for so many carries. So I would sell High on Mcfadden. Mcfadden will most likely be a decent RB to own this year but he won’t be as good as he was in the first two weeks. So sell high and see what you can get for him.
Bruce Gradkowski came in for Campbell and filled in well, but Campbell will keep the job. Neither should be owned. Louis Murphy and Darius Heyward-Bey both had good games but both can’t be trusted. Zach Miller should be a decent option at Tight end. Again the Raiders stink, there were some good performances here but it was the against the Rams.
Houston Vs Washington
The skins looked to improve to 2-0 but their defense let them down as they got torched through the air by Matt Schaub as he passed for nearly 500 yards. The Skins were up the entire game but relinquished the lead in lead late in the 4th quarter and went on to lose 30-27 in overtime.
Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson got back to business as Schaub passed for 497 and Johnson went for 12 catches, 158 yards and a TD. These two will remain beasts for the remainder of the year. There was even a Kevin Walter sighting who went for 144 yards and a TD himself. It was Walter not Jacoby Jones who was the 2nd option at wideout although Jones finished with 6 catches and a TD as well.. The Skins secondary isn’t the greatest but much respect has to go to the Houston offense. As we know Walter had a big year two years ago so maybe he is back. We will have to wait and see but I would bank on him more than Jacoby Jones.
Arian Foster failed to reach the endzone but he still had over 120 total yards rushing and receiving. This guy is going to be consistent every week playing in this offense. He will have plenty of TD opportunities and is not in any type of committee. Steve Slaton remains in a very limited role.
Donovan Mcnabb had a good matchup this week and took advantage of it throwing for over 400 yards although he only had 1 TD. Mcnabb will be a solid QB to own this year and should enjoy some nice games like this from time to time. Santana Moss and Mcnabb have a nice chemistry together and Moss will be a good option as a #2 WR every week. If he starts putting up more TD’s which is likely he will emerge as a #1. I like the prospects of Moss this year. He has always been talented and a been solid route runner with great speed. He just lacked a QB to get him the ball. Chris Cooley is also in store for a nice season. Because of Mcnabb’s arm Joey Galloway may prove to be a decent option going forward, wait and see.
Clinton Portis finished with two TD’s but only 33 yards rushing. Even though portis is only 28 years old he has a lot of miles on his legs. He just doesn’t have explosiveness and quickness he used to. If he remains healthy he should get a good amount of TD opportunities however he is already questionable for next week. With Portis‘ injury history and the ineffectiveness of Larry Johnson rookie running back Keiland Williams is worth a roster spot. You never know he could emerge, because what this offense needs is young, fresh legs.
Pats vs Jets
For all the talk last week of how the Jets were clowns, chumps, how Mark Sanchez sucked, it’s amazing what winning can do to shut people up. The Jets came out and backed up all their talk as they went out and beat the Patriots 28-14. It just goes to show you that we need to be patient week in and week out in the NFL. Things will look one way and then the next week it all changes. It’s pretty simple there was a ton of overreaction by Jets fans and the Media after week 1.
Tom Brady started out hot hitting Wes Welker for a TD early in the game and connecting with Randy Moss on a 34 yard TD but ended up going dull in the 2nd half. Even with Revis out for the entire 2nd half Brady struggled missing throws. Credit does have to go to the Jets defense as Cromartie did a good job on Randy Moss and the Jets contained Welker in the 2nd half. However Welker didn’t play a lot of the 2nd half showing that his ACL injury from last year is bothersome but he should be fine, he also got popped by Eric Smith in the game.
The Pats running game is a mystery. I would just stay away from all parties whether it’s Kevin Faulk, Fred Taylor or Ben Jarvus Green-Ellis. Just stay away , don’t even bother with any of them. The Pats want to pass that is how they move the ball. Also now that they have Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski two extremely talented tight ends it gives them more reason to pass. Hernandez looks like a wideout out there and is going to cause a lot of mismatch problems for teams. Gronkowski remains a good option in the redzone for the Pats. Both guys are worth owning but Hernandez has the edge, go get him this week!
Mark Sanchez once again looks a like a QB to own this year and especially in Keeper leagues. He is probably on a lot of waiver wires after last week so go grab him he will be a nice QB to play matchups with this year. Braylon Edwards stepped up catching a TD and a two point conversion and he should continued to be targeted in the redzone. He isn’t the greatest option going forward because the Jets will remain a run first team and Santonio Holmes is on his way back as well, but Braylon makes for a fairly solid flex option. Dustin Keller has always been talented, so quick and such a good route runner for a tight end. He might do big things this year. Maybe wait for a slow week from him in the next coming weeks then go out and trade for him because he is going to have a nice year. Jerricho Cotchery is a possible flex but still is risky especially with Holmes almost back.
Much respect to Ladainian Tomlinson, he really has embraced coming to the Jets and he looks like he has found some youth. He ran well yesterday against the Pats and especially looked good on his 34 yard run. L.T. running behind this offensive line is most likely going to mean that L.T. is here to stay. He will have some injury concern going forward but for now he looks very healthy. It was good to see Shonn Greene get back in the mix this week as he finished with 15 carries to L.T.’s 11. The Jets know they know they need Greene and they realize they want to keep L.T. fresh towards the end of the year so we will probably see Greene remain getting the majority of the carries. Greene isn’t the solid #2 back we thought he was but he should still produce like it at times. End of the day Greene could easily finish with 1,000 yards and 8-12 TD’s when it’s all said and done. Be patient with him he should be fine.
Jaguars vs Chargers
Didn’t expect Jacksonville to get murked like they did this weekend. Then again I should have expected it. Jacksonville remains the same inconsistent team they have been the past couple of years. Garrard played great week 1 then threw 4 picks in week 2 and was pulled in the 2nd half. He job is secure however. Maurice Jones-Drew was also pulled in the 2nd half but that was only because the game was over at that point and it made no sense to keep him in and risk injury. Jones-Drew has disappointed thus far with zero td’s but he started slow last year as well. Jones-Drew should be fine although there is some risk because of his knee. It wouldn’t be the worst idea to maybe move him just make sure you’re getting top-notch talent in return otherwise hold on to him. Mike Sims-Welker got back in gear a week after getting shut down by Champ Bailey and Sims-Welker should be a nice #2 and/or flex going forward as he is a nice big target, Garrard will throw and throw to him.
Phillip Rivers tore apart the weak Jacksonville secondary for 300+ yards and 3 TD’s. It’s become evident that Rivers is going to look at Antonio Gates more than ever this season especially around the redzone with the departure of Vincent Jackson. Gates finished with 5 catches for 57 yards and two TD’s. Malcolm Floyd finished with 3 catches for 95 yards and a TD and showed up after a quiet week 1. Legedu Naanee was invisible with 1 catch for 14 yards but he will probably provide both good and bad games each throughout the season. Both Floyd and Naanee should remain on rosters because both will produce at different times.
Ryan Matthews was having a good start to the game with 50 total yards on 4 touches but left the game after an ankle injury. He was carted off the field but supposedly it’s not serious. Monitor his status throughout the week but I would expect for him to miss at least 1-2 weeks. Mike Tolbert is the guy to own he is like Jerome Bettis Jr. He is a tough runner who may not go away even when Matthews comes back. He scored early in the game even when Matthews was still healthy. Darren Sproles of course is a good guy to own especially in PPR leagues. He makes for a nice flex especially while Matthews is out. As a result of Tolbert’s effectiveness, Sproles being the best receiving option and the Chargers being a pass-first offense Matthews value takes a hit. However Norv did say today that he is anxious to get Matthews 25 carries in a game so that is a good sign.
Giants vs Colts
Another game that threw me off guard this week. I didn’t expect the Giants to look so poorly on Sunday Night. I actually expected them to win. Their passing game was bad and their defense was atrocious, but It was against the precision of the Colts offense and Peyton Manning. The Giants didn’t come out running as I expected but the Colts looked like they were prepared for that regardless.
Brandon Jacobs is on his last leg in New York. Reportedly he wants out of NY mostly because he can’t take being demoted. Ahmad Bradshaw is just better than him and the sooner Jacobs accepts that the better. Instead he wants to get all swoll and start throwing helmets. Stay away from him at all costs in Fantasy, don’t even bother with this guy. Trade him for a kicker or a defense he gets no respect from me. Trade him for a piece of cheese.
Meanwhile Ahmad Bradshaw’s value goes up. The Giants should have came out and ran the ball from the start of the game but their fate was probably sealed regardless. Bradshaw as long as he remains healthy will be in for a nice season.
Eli Manning had a rough game and he is no doubt very mad at his performance. You don’t want to perform like that against your Brother’s squad. Chalk it up as a rough game for Eli even though he still finished with Two TD’s. Hakeem Nicks was banged up coming into the game but got a late garbage TD and still remains the best endzone threat going forward. Steve Smith has been frustrating so far with no TD’s as of yet and two little dinky 50 yard games. It appears he was overvalued coming into this year, but still he was the most targeted by Eli on Sunday Night and should be fine in PPR leagues. Mario Manningham looks like he may end up giving solid value this year to owners as a 2nd flex or 3rd WR. Eli is going to finish with great numbers because he has loads of talent at the wideout position so no reason to worry about him, Eli has games like this from time to time.
Peyton was his usual self, throwing darts all over the field and connecting with Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark left and right. All 3 remain rock solid. Austin Collie continues to out-produce Pierre Garcon as Garcon only finished with 1 catch for 11 yards while Collie got another TD this week. It looks like Collie is the safer option, and it looks like Garcon was overrated coming into the year despite his talent.
One thing was Evident Sunday Night. The Colts wanted to run the ball more. In comes Donald Brown who was effective running for 69 yards on 16 carries with a TD. I expect Brown to remain a factor in this offense going forward. Running the ball only makes the Colts more effective and Donald Brown is a nice straight ahead runner who runs with some power. It also will help set up their play action pass that much more. It worked to perfection Sunday Night with this pass to Dallas Clark. Joseph Addai remains that underatted solid cog in the Colts offense. He ran the ball 20 times for 92 yards and had 2 catches for 21. He is a fairly solid #2 back but his role could decrease with the emergence of Brown.
Saints vs 49ers (upcoming)
Reggie Bush leaves game with Bad injury. Limped off the field it looked serious.
Fantasy Savvy 