FANTASY WEEK IN REVIEW- Week 2

Fantasy Week In Review- Week 2

By The Oracle

This week we saw injuries to a lot of key players especially to the Running back position.   Jamal Charles tore his ACL, he is out for the season.  You can pick up Thomas Jones, but he’s not a good bet to do much with the way the Chiefs offense has struggled mightily out of the gates and McCluster still in the mix.  Arian Foster hurt his hamstring, again, Ben Tate went on for a big game.  If you had to draft again Arian Foster would not be a 1^st round pick with the concern that Ben Tate should play every game.   Felix Jones separated his shoulder, that didn’t take long for him to get hurt, though he’s not expected to miss time.  The other big injuries were Miles Austin, who could be out a few weeks, and Tony Romo who is going to be playing with a broken rib.  Lets get to the action.

Oakland 35 @ Buffalo 38

Run DMC is continuing his MVP fantasy season, 70 yards running, 70 yards receiving and two total touchdowns.  He continues to be the steal of the draft.  Michael Bush is definitely in at short yardage situations which will continue to be annoying while owning McFadden.  He’s a great handcuff, and would become a solid RB2 if McFadden goes down.  Campbell had a good week, 300+ yards and 2 touchdowns to show the fantasy world that the Bills defense is not really good, especially if Denarius Moore 5-146-1 can dominate.  Moore had a great pre-season and he could be picked up as depth, for now.  The potential is there, though the top 3 Raider WR’s were held out in this one.  Oaklands defense is only good on the right matchup, and Janikowski who didn’t get a FG still remains a top option at the kicker position while the Raiders offense continues to move the ball and stay competitive.

While DMC had a great game, Fred Jackson was equally impressive 15-117-2 running, to go along with a measly 23 yards receiving.  Ryan Fitzpatrick is making the Bills offense look so good that Jackson is starting to look like a high-end RB2 and climbing.  He is also hooking up with Stevie Johnson who found the end zone again to go along with his 96 yards.  He was drafted too low and looks to be a solid WR2 with the potential to play like a WR1 week in and week out.  Fitzpatrick on the other hand is for real, and he has proved against bad defenses that he can pick them apart.  He’s a solid QB2 with 7 touchdowns so far on the season, wait and see how he faces tough defenses.  Scott Chandler caught a touchdown, but so did Nelson and he had 8 more catches.  This is poor man’s version of the Patriots TE duo, stay away from these guys though, they are too inconsistent to trust.  You can drop Buffalo’s D, and Ryan Lindell is a good kicker when the Bills play easy teams.

Green Bay 30 @ Carolina 23

Cam Newton is at it again, he is 1/7 players to have back-to-back 400 yard games.  And he has only played two games.  I raved about him last week, and called a big game, he decided to out due my big game with 432 passing with a touchdown, to go along with 53 yards running and a touchdown.  He is a must start QB top 7 for the rest of the season.  If he can do that well against Green Bay then there’s no reason to believe he can’t put up numbers like that against every defense.  This also makes Steve Smith a WR1, he went from WR3 to WR1 in a matter of two games, start him with confidence after racking up 6-156, they throw to him often.   Jonathan Stewart 6 carries for 5 yards is playing better than Deanglo Williams 5 carries for 13, the big difference is the passing game where Jonathan Stewart had 8-100.  Stewart goes to RB3 status because he is also the red zone guys while Deanglo falls to low RB3.  I would play Stewart in good matchups, though he does come with risk since he hasn’t been running the ball that great.  Greg Olsen will continue to be hit and miss, he was a big miss in this one 1-34.  He is a TE2, Olindo Mare is on a great offensive team, he can be added as a K2 and Carolinas defense continues to look awful with one sack and one turnover.

Aaron Rodgers day was saved by a Jordy Nelson 86 yard touchdown.  The play also saved Jordy Nelsons day as that was his only catch.  Jordy Nelson could be benched for safer options, he is high-risk/high-reward status for now.  Jermichael Finley looked decent 5-68, they threw to him in the end zone often.  You have to keep playing him.  Greg Jennings had a poor day besides one long touchdown 2-55-1, the touchdown accounted for 49 of those yards.  He continues to be a WR1 with the potential of having poor days, he was lucky in this one.  Starks had more touches than Ryan Grant 12-9, and had more yards 115-39.  Until one of them is a clear cut starter Starks is a RB3, while Grant is a RB4 until he proves he can return to form.  Crosby had a busy day thanks to Rodgers stalling in the redzone, and Green Bays defense will look to be more dominant another week, owners will not complain with the 4 sacks, 3 INT, and 1 FR.

Kansas City 3 @ Detroit 48

Tough day for Jamal Charles owners, he is done for the season and this means Dwayne Bowe will be force fed at WR from here on out.  He will remain a solid WR2 because Cassel holds him back from unleashing.  Thomas Jones is addable but, Dexter McCluster does play, Dex had 12 touches, while Jones saw 12 as well.  I would avoid them both, and the same goes for the KC defense and Succop.

Matt Stafford continues to make it look easy, he’s a top 10 option as long as he stays healthy.  He had 4 touchdowns, two of them went to Megatron Calvin Johnson, and Jhavid Best found the end zone threw the air and on the ground.  All three of those guys are top fantasy options with the way Stafford is slinging the ball.   Nate Burleson who I said was going to be a sneaky WR2 had 97 yards, he is a good fantasy play based on the matchups.  Pettigrew was a bust 1-7 and is looking like the teams #2 TE with Schefler finding the end zone, though he only had one catch also.  Pettigrew is a TE2 for now.  Hanson is getting opportunities and the Lions defense is looking solid going forward forcing 6 turnovers, and only allowing 3 points.

Cleveland 27 @ Indianapolis 19

Peyton Hillis dominated like everyone thought he would on the ground 27-97-2, he also added a few catches, he is a beast and should continued to be played like one in fantasy, though this was an easy matchup with a small Colts defense.  Colt McCoy showed that you can waive him after doing nothing 211 yards with 1 touchdown.  Because McCoy sucks, so does every other option besides Hillis.  Cleveland defense is nothing special, Joe Hayden is.

Kerry Collins couldn’t get anything going again for the second straight week.  Wayne was limited 4-66 and Dallas Clark was saved by a late Touchdown with the game being already over,  4-32-1.  Both of these guys are going to be hard to trust with Collins looking his age, Wayne drops to WR2 and Dallas Clark who is now more of a blocker is a TE2.  Trade Clark while you can, he still has some value.  Reggie Wayne should be traded if he can have a good game next week, his value dropping quick.  So is Joseph Addai’s this is clearly a split backfield,  for the second straight week Carter got close to the same amount of touches, you can safely bench Addai for the future until Collins can turn this team around.  Bench Vinterai as a K2 and drop Indys defense if you own them.  Noticed how I didn’t mention Garcon or Collie, they can pretty much get cut for better option, they have become non existent in the offense, and continued the trend against Cleveland.

Tampa Bay 24 @ Minnesota 20

It’s important to note, the Bucs looked like a great football team in the second half out of nowhere and they should carry this momentum going forward.

LaGarette Blount bounced back with a huge second half rushing for 2 touchdowns and 66 of his 71 total yards.  Blount is back to a RB2 for all those owners sweating bullets.  Mike Williams was shut out, 1 catch for negative 4 yards, he had a touchdown called back.  Williams has always lacked consistency in his young career but he can still be a WR2.  Winslow did nothing, he is too inconsistent to be relied upon, and Josh Freeman 243 yards and 1 touchdown is looking like a better QB than a fantasy QB.  He is QB2 status since he simply isn’t getting it done so far.  Tampas defense is okay, play them on matchups.  Barth is a perfect K2 to own as he gets attempts every week.

Purple Jesus Adrian Peterson is their offense.  25-120-2 with a couple catches he is the man for this team, and remains an elite option.  Percy Harvin bounced back with 7-76 and a couple handoffs for 18 yards.  Harvin has big play capabilities, you don’t want him on your bench when he puts it together, low-end WR2 for now.  No other Vikings is worth owning including the defense.

Chicago 13 @ New Orleans 30

Drew Brees made it easy without Marques Colston.  He spread the ball out and put up 270 yards and 3 touchdowns against a great defense.  Brees is a top 4 fantasy QB, while Jimmy Graham continued to look good with 6-79.  He’s a top TE1 as he looks to be a consistent passing option for Brees.  The WR core for the Saints was the opposite, Meachem had 10 yards and a TD, Henderson had 3 catches for 109 yards and a TD, while Lance Moore disappointed with 6 yards.  All these guys are hit and miss, and so is the RB trio.  All of them had similar production ranging between 11-14 touches and 51-60 yards.  That’s amazing for all three RBs on one team to fall into that production.  Sproles was the leader with a receiving touchdown even though he was clearly out of bounds.  Pick your poison with the three, I’m going to stay away.  Kasay is solid, and the saints defense looked great.

Jay Cutler looked like Jay Cutler which was no surprise 244 yards and a touchdown, that’s what you can expect week in and week out from him, he’s a QB2.  Matt Forte is the offense running and catching the ball.  166 yards on 10 runs and 10 catches, he is crawling to RB1 status.  Gould is a solid K1 going 2/2 on FG and the Bears defense will see better weeks.  No other Bear is worth owning.

Jacksonville 3 @ NYJ 32

Mark Sanchez didn’t live up to week 1 hype and had a pedestrian 182 yards 2 touchdowns.  He is not a trusting QB.  There are way better options than him, same goes for Shonn Greene.  This guy was suppose to be a stud, and he looked like nothing special against a Jags defense that is not known for doing anything right on defense, 16-49-1.  The touchdown saved him but he is looking more like a RB3, than a RB2.  Santonio Holmes scored an early TD and did nothing else.  Dustin Keller was the go-to-guy with 6-101-1.  He is finally living up to the hype.  He’s a TE1 while Holmes remains a WR2.  Plax was held catchless, they did throw to him in the end zone.  For now he should be on your bench.  Folk was great 3/3 on FGs and the Jets defense dominated a Luke McCown, Blaine Gabbert offense.  Both are great options going forward.

If I was a MJD owner I would be a little nervous.  Yes he was good in a game like this 21 touches for 107 total yards, but teams don’t have to worry about the pass when facing the Jags.  MJD will get his touches, it just might be hard for them to drive down the field consistently.  He’s still a RB1, but those touchdowns might be hard to come by.  Scobee hit a 55 yard FG, do what you want with him, K2 at best.  Jags defense is not very good, leave them on the wire.

Seattle 0 @ Pittsburgh 24

No surprise here.  Mendenhall found the end zone, but didn’t look that spectacular 19-66-1.  He remains a RB2 just because they are going to score so many touchdowns inside of the 10, not because he’s talented and will rack up total yards.  Mike Wallace burned the Seahawks secondary, 8-126-1, he is a WR1 and is hands down the go-to-guy in this offense.  Big Ben had a scary moment but looked to be fine.  He’s not the top 8 QB you drafted him to be, very inconsistent start 298 yards a touchdown looks good, but this was Seattle.  He remains a High-end QB2.  Pittsburgh D got a shut-out, no surprise and Suisham missed a FG, that’s going to happen at Heinz Field.

Hopefully you took my advice in the last column which said bench all Seahawks.  Marshawn Lynch the only guy worth owning had 6-11, while Tavaris Jackson managed to last a whole game and not throw an interception.  The real question is, how much longer into we see Charlie Whitehurst?  I hope you don’t own Jackson.

Baltimore 13 @ Tennessee 26

No surprise to see CJ1.2K do nothing against a great Baltimore run defense, 24-53.  Javon Ringer stole a TD from him.  CJ remains a RB1 despite the poor performance, he should be fantastic moving forward.  The reason I say that is, Matt Hasselback threw for 358 yards and picked apart a defense that had Ben Rothlesberger throwing from his back last week.  If theTitans move the ball well, CJ will be great, but do you know who the best fantasy player on Tennesse is?  If you guessed Kenny Britt you are right.  He is easily WR1 status after another dominate performance 9-135-1.  Start him with confidence going forward, he’s too good to be benched.  Rob Bironas is back to being the #1 kicker in fantasy again also, despite missing a FG.  He went 4/5, and Titans defense might be good in a good matchup and when they are at home.

Ray Rice can only do so much.  He was not the problem getting 96 total yards on 18 touches.  He also found the end zone.  The problem Sunday was Joe Flacco.  Inconsistent is his middle name and he lived up to the hype completeing less than 50% of his passes for only  197 yards and 2 INT.  Anquan Boldin was suppose to have a big game but he only ended up with 46 yards.  Flacco goes back to a solid QB2 while Boldin looks to be more of a High-end WR3 with Flacco being inconsistent early.  Pitta and Dickson held each other worthless.  Neither player should be owned at this point.  Ravens D looked bad, they should bounce back and Billy C continues to get FGs knocking down a pair.  Both are solid options.

Arizona 21 @ Washington 22

Rex Grossman did it again, nearly getting 300 yards and 2 Touchdowns.  Most importantly he is leading a 2-0 Washington team, nobody could say they expected that.  Keep using him as 4/5 games have been good fantasy starts.  He is a low-end QB1.  Tim Hightower had a great game, but Roy Helu showed it could be the offensive line.  Both players did really well Hightower 20-96, Helu 10-74.  This drops Hightowers stock a little bit, he goes down to low-end RB2.  Helu is going to be a factor going forward.  Fred Davis had another great game 6-86-1.  Second game in a row he lead the team in receiving, Cooley didn’t make a catch.  It is officially time to add Fred Davis and use him as a TE1.  Santana Moss should have had a better game against Arizona after watching what Steve Smith did to them, but you can’t complain with a touchdown, Moss ended up with 5-61-1.  Moss is a low-end WR2 with his value going up.  Gano sucks, he missed a chippy, drop him.  Washington defense is not as good as we thought, they can be left on waiver wire.

Larry Fitzgerald had his breakout game thanks to a broken coverage 77 yard TD.  He ended up with 7-133-1, his owners can take a deep breath.  Beanie Wells continued to be a bowling ball 14-93-1, he’s red hot and owners should continue to use him as a solid RB2.  Kolb looked mediocre, the TD to Fitzgerald saved his stats as he ended up with 251 yards and a couple touchdowns.  Kolb is nothing more than a QB2.  Arizonas defense looked poor against a good Washington offense, didn’t think I would be saying that last part.  Feely is worthless.

Dallas 27 @ SF 24

Tony Romo came back to have one of his best Iron man performances.  After breaking a rib in the 1^st quarter he led the Cowboys in a comeback win with 345 yards and 2 touchdowns.  If it wasn’t for Holley being the slowest WR I have ever seen and getting tackled at the 1 yard line after a 77 yard reception with nobody close to him, Romo would have had a godly type performance.  He remains a QB1.  Miles Austin was the MVP 9-143-3.  Owners had to be licking their chops when they knew Dez Bryant wasn’t going to play to steal his targets.  Though after the game Austin re-aggravated his hamstring that held him out all preseason, he is expected to miss at least the next two games.  Jason Witten was a beast like always 7-102, keep playing him.  Felix Jones separated hi s shoulder, and the wheels came off the bus.  All three running backs, Choice, Murray and Jones had similar stats ranging around 10 touches and 25 total yards.  Who knows what happens next with that running situation, hopefully this was a temporary setback for Jones he is a high-end RB3, for now.  Dallas D looked good against Alex Smith, and shut down the run for a second straight week.  Use them in the right matchups, and Dan Bailey came back to hit the game-tying 48 yard FG and then the game winner after missing an attempt earlier.  His confidence should be 100%

Alex Smith is really killing this team.  He can’t get the ball in Vernon Davis’s hands 2-18, and because of that, Frank Gore has no room to run for the second straight week, 20-47-1.  Hopefully he gets something going or it’s going to be a long season for both of those guys.  Gore remains a RB2 while Vernon Davis has his value dropping, low-end TE1.  Akers could be played when they play easy teams, and SF D did all they could, but simply couldn’t hold the lead after Alex Smith gave them no time to rest in the 4^th quarter.  Use them in right matchups.

Cincinnati 22 @ Denver 24

Willis McGahee really turned it on with NoShow Moreno out, 28-101-1 on the ground alone.  Who knew he was capable of that many carries, he could be in line for more starts as the season continues with Moreno and his hamstring problems.  Moreno drops to RB3 as they look to completely share going forward.  Kyle Orton found his new second target with Brandon Lloyd not playing, Decker had 5-113-2, this goes to show how weak Cinci’s pass D is.  Decker could be added for depth, I don’t see him being consistent enough to start.  Orton on the other hand 195 yards 2 touchdowns, that QB2 production at it’s finest.  Denver’s D is awful giving up 332 yards to a rookie QB.  They also can’t stop the run, I would drop them if there’s better options.  Matt Prater is a solid K2, play him in good matchups.

Andy Dalton is showing everyone he can be a NFL QB.  Or the Broncos pass defense sucks, either way AJ Green 10-124-1 and Jerome Simpson 4-136 dominated Denver corners without Champ Bailey.  Dalton ended up with 332 yards and a couple of scores!  Who knew that would come so early, while Gresham his top option last week had 2 catches for 8 yards.  Dalton is better than Colt McCoy by far, use your discretion if you want him.  AJ Green looks to be on the same page as Dalton, he’s a WR3 with his value arrow going up, and Simpson’s big game should come to no surprise to the owners that had him at the end of last season.  Keep him on your bench.  Speaking of bench that looks like a good place for Gresham until he shows consistency.  Cedric Benson  had a disappointing 16-59, but why run the ball when Dalton was tearing it up.  Benson will be a fine RB2 going forward.  Nugent nor Cinci D should be on your fantasy roster.

Houston 23 @ Miami 13

Arian Fosters first game was one to forget.  Though nobody will, 10-33 while aggravating his hamstring yet again.  This let Ben Tate rumble for 23-103.  It is safe to say Arian will have a quality backup breathing down his neck, fantasy owners don’t want to hear that.  Fosters value is diminishing and if you can get top quality for him, then go do it now!  Matt Schaub looked like a QB2 230 yards 2 touchdowns, with almost half of that going to Andre the Giant Johnson 7-93-1.  Johnson remains the best while I am not a Schaub believer, he is a QB2 and there are better options than him.  Owen Daniels was saved with a touchdown 3-25-1, he’s beginning to look more like a low-end TE1 than a solid TE1.  Rackers was solid again going 3/3 and the Texans defense is a beastly unit, they can be added.

Reggie Bush saw his value diminish nearly from RB2 to RB3 thanks to Daniel Thomas.  Bush ended up with 6-18 on the ground while only adding a 3 yard catch, while Thomas racked up 18-107 and added a 10 yard catch.  Reggie is back to going on fantasy benches and so is Chad Henne, after his out of body MNF performance he returned to earth with 170 yards and a touchdown that went to his man Brandon Marshall 6-79-1.  The chemistry of the two is finally there and Marshall is at must-start status going forward.  Henne can be benched for now, and Miami’s D along with Carpenter can do the same.

San Diego 21 @ New England 35

Tom Brady is this years fantasy MVP, another 423 yards and 3 Touchdowns to add to his season.  He makes it look so easy time after time, and the Patriots could very well be on their way for another chance of a 16-0 season.  Gronkowski 4-86-2 and Aaron Hernandez 7-62-1 continue to change the TE game in New England, both are must starts going forward.  Wes Welker 7-81 and Deion Branch 8-129 continue to box out Ochocino who only had two catches.  Keep Ocho for now, but his value continues to drop and Welker continues to rise to a low-end WR1 being the best WR on the best QB’s team.  Branch is too hard to start since he may put up a clunker.  The law firm BJE got most of his points as the Pats were running down the clock, that will be a common theme every week he ended up with 17-70-1, he’s a solid RB2, while Woodhead played second fiddle only getting 6 total touches.  Gostowski got 7 extra points, that will happen being a Patriot kicker and the Pats D got torched again through the air.

Philip Rivers was the one who was holding the flamethrower, 378 and 2 Touchdowns, luckily he has Vincent Jackson 10-172-2 who is showing why most fantasy experts predicted a top 5 finish for him.  Both are must starts as well as Antonio Gates who was held without a catch, that shouldn’t happen again and if you’re looking to trade for Gates now is the time.  Malcolm Floyd had 2 catches for 59 yards and then got hurt, his status unknown, leave him on the bench.  First it was Tolbert dominating and then this week Ryan Matthews looked like the better back.  Matthews 19-126-1 as far as total touches go, Tolbert on the other hand 17-83, but 73 came through the air.  Both are making it difficult in knowing who to go with, Tolbert still has the edge since he is the 3^rd down and red zone back, both are RB3.  Novak didn’t get a FG try, he could be worth adding while SD D just had a tough matchup nothing more, keep using them.

Philadelphia 31 @ Atlanta 35

Michael Vick suffered a concussion, he could be okay for next week, but he was tearing it up before the injury 242 yards through the air and a couple of scores, through 3 quarters.  His running game was put on hold, though LeSean McCoy’s running game wasn’t 18-95-2, he’s looking like the better version of Ray Rice early on, he also had 4 catches.  McCoy is an elite RB now.  DeSean Jackson was shaken up early in the game, he returned and did nothing 2-21.  He will have games like this, and when he does it usually means Jeremy Maclin put up a monster game, in this case that held true.  Maclin broke out with 13-171-2, I feel sorry for whoever benched him, but you had to know they were going to get him the ball after last week’s 1-20.  They were talking about it all week. Maclin is a solid WR2 and Jackson is still a WR1.  They are both capable of having good games at the same time.  Celek saw a lot of targets and ended up with 4 catches, he is inconsistent but will put up some good games, TE2.  Henery missed a FG and the Eagles run defense is looking very weak, luckily their pass defense is the best and most teams are going to be throwing from behind.  Eagles are still great.

Matt Ryan threw for 4 touchdowns with less than 200 yards.  Fantasy owners that had the kahunas to use him will take that performance.  He goes back to low-end QB1 after this performance against a great Eagles secondary.  Tony Gonzales was his target 8-73-2, he is back folks, he is controlling the middle of the field again and Ryan is finding him.  Tgonz is a TE1 no question about it.  Roddy White continued his confusing season, first game he got his receptions with 8, and then the second game he got his touchdown with 1.  He forgot something in both games, which would be yardage.  So far he only has 84 through two games.  That will change, and so will Julio Jones who continues to disappoint.  He is showing his talent despite his struggles 2-29, scoop him up if any owner decides to give up early on the rookie.  He is big and strong and fights in traffic in ways Roddy White doesn’t.  Jones is a WR3 while White remains a WR1.  Speaking of top players, Michael Turner is back from that groin injury from a year ago and is showing explosivness we haven’t seen in a few years.  He had a big game 21-114-1 and is a top 10 fantasy RB again.  Too bad he wasn’t drafted like one.  Matt Bryant didn’t get to kick a FG, he’s still great and Atlanta D is more of a matchup Defense than a regular starter.

St.Louis 16 @ NYG 28

Eli Manning once again proved that he is ineffective in games he should of been productive.  He look shaky at best, yes he got 2 passing touchdowns, but that’s a good game from him.  Please do not use him as an every week QB you will not win.  Ahmad Bradshaw saw Brandon Jacobs vulture his fantasy value.  Not only did he steal the 7-yard touchdown that Bradshaw did everything to get them down there.  He also took all the 4th quarter carries to close out the game.  Bradshaw is a RB3 while Jacobs is a RB3 but an injury to one of them could push the other to every week status.  Nicks disappointed 3-15-1, luckily he found the end zone, while Mario Manningham lost his value and respect while causing himself a concusion bobbling a pass.  Nicks is still an every week play and we will wait and see about Manningham’s status.  NYG defense is still injured and let Bradford throw for 300+ yards against them.  Leave them benched until they can get healthy.

Sam Bradford threw for 300+ yards in what showed that he will be a good plug in play when S-Jax is hurt.  Or when any team plays a banged up Giants secondary.  MSW was clearly the go-to-guy he ended up with 7-92.  He’s a good start as long as Amendola is out, the other WRs Gibson and Alexander had decent games including Alexanders touchdown catch, but I would leave them three on waiver wire.  Kendricks again was a disappointment, you can drop him, and Carnell Williams had his chance and blew it, he’s done.  Josh Brown hit FGs not suprising there, and Rams D can be dropped or a matchup Defense.