Here are some thoughts on games and players for Week 2’s games:
Chicago at Carolina - Not much to like in this game from a fantasy perspective - I expect a fairly low-scoring game. With Bears’ RB Matt Forte’s ankle bothering him, I’d bench him if you have healthier options. QB Kyle Orton will probably be forced to throw more than he did in Week 1, but I’d still stay away from both him and his WRs. TEs Desmond Clark and Greg Olsen should be the primary beneficiaries if Orton does throw more, but since they split time and catches, I’d stay away from both. On the Panthers’ side, I expect all of their offensive players to struggle; I’d stay away from all of them. Week 1 star Dante Rosario is questionable with a foot injury, so find another option for this week. Both Kickers (Robbie Gould for the Bears; John Kasay for the Panthers) are decent options, as they may each get several field goal opportunities.
Tennessee at Cincinnati - A tough game to figure. Ordinarily, you’d expect a backup QB, even one as experienced as Kerry Collins to struggle in his first start of the season; however, this is the Bengals’ defense we’re talking about here. Still, RBs LenDale White and Chris Johnson, along with TE Alge Crumpler figure to rack up decent fantasy stats in this game. Bengals’ QB Carson Palmer will almost certainly look better than he did last week against the Ravens; he’s worth starting, as are his dynamic duo of WRs T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Chad Ocho Cinco. Both Kickers (Titans’ Rob Bironas and Bengals’ Shayne Graham) are worth starting this weekend, but I’d avoid both defenses.
Green Bay at Detroit - Both offenses figure to be productive on Sunday. For the Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, TE Donald Lee, and WRs Greg Jennings and Donald Driver are all worth starting. If RB Ryan Grant’s hamstring is healthy enough to allow him to play, he’s also worth starting. For the Lions QB Jon Kitna, RB Kevin Smith, and WRs Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson are all worth starting. Both Kickers (Green Bay’s Mason Crosby and Detroit’s Jason Hanson) are also worth starting. In anticipation of a high-scoring game, I’d avoid both defenses.
Buffalo at Jacksonville - I believe that Bills’ QB Trent Edwards will put up good, but not great, fantasy numbers this year, and if you’re looking for a replacement for injured QBs Tom Brady or Vince Young, he’s definitely worth a free agent claim. Still, this is probably not the weekend to start him. Start Bills’ RB Marshawn Lynch, but stay away from the Bills’ receivers. Jacksonville’s offensive line has been decimated by injuries, which may limit the effectiveness of QB David Garrard and RBs Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew, but they’re still all worth starting. TE Marcedes Lewis and WR Matt Jones should also produce decent fantasy numbers this weekend. Jacksonville Kicker Josh Scobee and the Jaguars’ defense are also worth starting.
Oakland at Kansas City - Two weak offenses against two seemingly weaker defenses. Raiders’ QB JaMarcus Russell, RBs Justin Fargas and Darren McFadden, TE Zach Miller, and WRs Ronald Curry and Javon Walker are worth starting. Do not be fooled by WR Ashley Lelie’s TD reception last weekend - with Walker returning, his playing time figures to decrease significantly. Chiefs’ Head Coach Herm Edwards has spoken this week about instituting a QB platoon with starter Brodie Croyle out, so steer clear of both Damon Huard and Tyler Thigpen (not that you had either of them on your roster anyway!). Assuming that Huard gets the start this week, RB Larry Johnson, TE Tony Gonzalez, and WRs Dwayne Bowe and Devard Darling are all worth starting. If you have roster space, Chiefs’ RB Jamaal Charles is also an intriguing pickup under the assumption that Johnson may not stay healthy for the entire year. Both Kickers are worth starting this weekend (Sebastian Janikowski for the Raiders; Nick Novak for the Chiefs), but I’d avoid both defenses.
Indianapolis at Minnesota - Hard to believe that one of these supposed Super Bowl contenders will start the season 0-2. Expect Colts’ QB Peyton Manning to shake off the rust this weekend and have a big game facing the Vikings’ secondary. Assuming that Manning is able to throw effectively, RB Joseph Addai also figures to be in for a big game. WRs Reggie Wayne, Marvin Harrison, and Anthony Gonzalez are all worth starting, but I’d stay away from TE Dallas Clark this week due to injury concerns. For the Vikings RB Adrian Peterson is the only start-worthy option this weekend. The Colts’ defense and Kicker Adam Vinatieri are also good starts this weekend.
NY Giants at St. Louis - Reports of the Rams’ offensive demise have been greatly exaggerated. Even without a legitimate second WR to throw to, I’d expect QB Marc Bulger to bounce back from his disastrous showing last weekend. RB Steven Jackson, WR Tory Holt, and TE Randy McMichael are also worth starting. For the Giants QB Eli Manning, RB Brandon Jacobs, and WR Plaxico Burress all figure to have big days against a weak Rams defense. Once again, both Kickers are worth starting (Josh Brown for the Rams; John Carney for the Giants), but I’d avoid both defenses.
New Orleans at Washington - Another game that figures to be an offensive shootout. Even with star WR Marques Colston out for the Saints, QB Drew Brees, RB Reggie Bush, TE Jeremy Shockey, and WR David Patten should all be started this weekend. Do not start Saints’ RB Deuce McAllister or WRs Devery Henderson and Robert Meachem unless you are in a very deep league and don’t have other options. For the Redskins QB Jason Campbell, RB Clinton Portis, TE Chris Cooley, and WRs Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle El are all worth starting. Both Kickers are worth starting (Martin Gramatica for the Saints; Steve Suisham for the Redskins), but I’d avoid both defenses.
San Francisco at Seattle - Seattle has been decimated by injuries, which makes this game tough to analyze. This is the week where we find out if Seahawks’ RB Julius Jones has anything left in his tank - I’d start him on the assumption that he does. QB Matt Hasselbeck is worth starting, and since he’s got to complete passes to someone,TE John Carlson and WR Courtney Taylor are also worth starting in deeper leagues. If any NFL team has a weaker pair of QBs than the 49ers’ J.T. O`Sullivan and Shaun Hill, I’m hard-pressed to name them (KC, perhaps?) 49ers’ RB Frank Gore is worth starting, and if you’re really desperate TE Vernon Davis and WR Bryant Johnson also figure to catch a few passes each. Seattle’s Kicker (Olindo Mare) and defense are both worth starting too.
Atlanta at Tampa Bay - Will the real Falcon team please stand up? Is it the team that looked impressive (at least on offense) last weekend against the defensively challenged Lions? Or is it the team that most experts figured would be in for yet another losing season due to a Swiss cheese defense? I still vote for the latter. QB Matt Ryan is worth a speculative add if you have room on your roster, but it’s unrealistic to expect him to look as good this week facing the Buccaneers’ defense. RBs Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood are worth starting, and if you’re in a deeper league WRs Roddy White and Michael Jenkins are too. With Brian Griese taking the reigns from Jeff Garcia at QB for Tampa Bay, I’d avoid all of the Bucs’ offensive players this week (even facing a Swiss cheese defense!), even RB Earnest Graham and WR Joey Galloway. Expecting a low-scoring game I would avoid both Kickers but start either Defense.
Miami at Arizona - If you’re looking for a Tom Brady replacement in a deeper league, you could certainly do worse than Miami QB Chad Pennington or Arizona QB Kurt Warner. I’d prefer Warner over Pennington simply because he has better receivers to throw to, but both are worth starting this weekend against suspect defenses. The Dolphins’ RB situation continues to be muddled - I’d avoid starting either Ricky Williams or Ronnie Brown this weekend unless I had no other options. I suspect Brown will eventually prove to be the more effective of the pair, but that’s still no reason to start him this weekend. Along with Pennington, WR Ted Ginn and TE Anthony Fasano are worth starting this week. I’m not a fan of Cardinals’ RB Edgerrin James in spite of his 100-yard game last weekend against the 49ers, but he’s worth starting against the Dolphins’ defense. If you have room on your roster, rookie Arizona RB Tim Hightower is worth a speculative pickup. WRs Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin are both worth starting this week (as they are every week), as are Kicker Neil Rackers and the Cardinals’ defense.
San Diego at Denver - Another potentially high-scoring game. Chargers’ QB Philip Rivers, RB LaDainian Tomlinson, and TE Antonio Gates should all be starting this weekend on your roster. I’d avoid the inconsistent WRs Chris Chambers and Vincent Jackson unless you’re in a deeper league and don’t have other options. For the Broncos QB Jay Cutler, RB Selvin Young, and WR Brandon Marshall are all worth starting this weekend. I’m not sold on WR Eddie Royal yet, but if you already own him, chances are you’ll start him this weekend to see whether he can have another big day with Marshall back to divert the Charger defense’s attention. I’d stay away from both defenses, but Kickers Matt Prater for the Broncos and Nate Kaeding for the Chargers are both worth starting.
New England at NY Jets - Finally, a week without Tom Brady being listed on the Patriots’ injury report with a sore shoulder! No one can say for certain how the Patriots’ offense will react after practicing with new starting QB Matt Cassel for a full week. Unless you picked him up as a replacement for Tom Brady or Vince Young, I wouldn’t start him this week. He may prove to be a viable fantasy option as the weeks go by, but probably not this week. Given the uncertainty in the Patriots’ backfield, I’d avoid both RBs Laurence Maroney and Sammy Morris this week as well. WRs Randy Moss and Wes Welker are still worth starting, even with Cassel at quarterback, and TE David Thomas (who may start for Ben Watson) may also do well this weekend, given that he’s probably more familiar with Cassel than the other Patriots’ receivers. On the Jets’ side I’m still not counting on Brett Favre putting up fantasy results worthy of a starter, and I’d avoid him this weekend unless you have no other options. The only Jets’ offensive players I like this weekend are WR Jerricho Cotchery and TE Chris Baker. Expecting a low-scoring game, I’d stay away from both Kickers but start either defense.
Pittsburgh at Cleveland - Let me be (one of) the first to jump off the Browns’ bandwagon - at least for this week! While not every team (check that, maybe no other team) is as talented as the Cowboys, the Steelers still figure to do well against a questionable Browns’ defense. QB Ben Roethlisberger, RB Willie Parker, TE Heath Miller, and WRs Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes should all be starting this weekend if they’re on your roster. For Cleveland QB Derek Anderson, RB Jamal Lewis, TE Kellen Winslow, and WR Braylon Edwards are all worth starting, but don’t expect any of them to lead your team to victory this week. Both Kickers are worth starting this weekend (Jeff Reed for the Steelers; Phil Dawson for the Browns), as is the Steelers’ defense.
Philadelphia at Dallas - I expect a high-scoring game here too, so plenty of fantasy options on both sides. For the Eagles QB Donovan McNabb, RB Brian Westbrook, TE L.J. Smith, and WR DeSean Jackson are all worth starting. For the Cowboys QB Tony Romo, RB Marion Barber, TE Jason Witten, and WRs Terrell Owens and Patrick Crayton are all worth starting this week. Both Kickers are worth starting this week (David Akers for the Eagles; Nick Folk for the Cowboys), but in anticipation of a high-scoring game, I’d avoid both defenses.
Baltimore at Houston - The magic carpet ride (if you can call it that) is probably over for Ravens’ rookie QB Joe Flacco after just one week - even if you picked him up this week as a free agent, he’s not worth starting against a defense that figures to put more pressure on him than the Bengals did. RB Willis McGahee is a risky start this week due to ongoing injury concerns - RB Ray Rice is a good alternative, but RB Le`Ron McClain is not. TE Todd Heap is still worth starting in spite of injury concerns, but I’d avoid WRs Mark Clayton and Derrick Mason this week if you have better alternatives. For the Texans I’d avoid starting QB Matt Schaub and rookie RB Steve Slaton, but TE Owen Daniels and WRs Andre Johnson and Ken Walter should be started. I’d avoid both Kickers, but both defenses are worth starting this week in anticipation of a low-scoring game.
Good luck this week!
The Sherpa