This Week’s Top Team: 150+ points???
QB: Peyton Manning vs. Tennessee: I may be taking the safe bet here, but I also think Manning’s match-up with the Titans looks like the best bet. If Tennessee puts as much effort into stopping the Colts’ ground attack as they did in Week 1 against Jacksonville, then Manning will have no choice but to find open receivers all day long.
RB: Travis Henry vs. Oakland: The Raider’s get a lot of credit for having a very good defense, “The best pass defense in the league,” but the only way a team can get that ranking is by being one of the lesser run defenses. That way, teams will just run because it’s a better option than passing. Travis Henry showed that he’s going to be a beast this year, by running all over the Dolphins in Week 1. He’ll have his way with the Raiders as well.
RB: Frank Gore vs. St. Louis: Gore had a poor start to the season, but the running back always seems to struggle against the Cardinals. This week, he goes against a team he maimed last year, and a defense that gave up 150+ rushing yards to the Panthers last week. The Rams won’t be able to contain this 49er, as he’ll go over the century mark by the end of the 3rd quarter.
WR: Reggie Wayne vs. Tennessee: Reggie was one of the top receivers in Week 1, and I imagine he’ll be right up there in Week 2. Like I said in my Manning write-up, the Titans will have to spend too much defensive power to stop the Colts run, leaving Wayne and Harrison too much room to do their damage.
WR: Terrell Owens vs. Miami: I don’t think Miami’s secondary can slow down the Cowboy’s passing attack. They have some nice pass rushers, but their secondary is young and not all that reliable. TO will get over the 100 yard mark with at least a touchdown to his name.
TE: Kellen Winslow vs. Bengals: Todd Heap didn’t have a great day last week against Cincinnati, but he was open, and he did have a touchdown called back. I think the Browns will be way down in this one, while the young Brown quarterbacks will have to find someone to throw the ball to. Winslow is a sure handed playmaker at TE, and TEs are a young quarterback’s best friend.
K: Olindo Mare vs. Tampa Bay: Mare missed a 50+ yarder, and overall the Saints sucked it up in Week 1 against the Colts. That won’t happen for long, and you can bet Mare will benefit from an offense that is primed for a big day against the Bucs.
D: Bears vs. Chiefs: The Bears are pretty damn good, and the Chiefs have one of the worst offenses in the last couple years. Larry Johnson will get more carries in this game, but who is blocking for him? Who will keep Bear pass rushers off of Damon Huard? If you answered “No body!” they you win a huge point total from the Bears in Week 2. Congratulations!
LUCKY’S Week 2 SLEEPERS
Tarvaris Jackson: Nobody will start Jackson, but against a Detroit secondary that has nobody to stop even the most anemic of wide receiving corps, I think Jackson will have a couple touchdown passes. That will rank him in the Top 15 of Week 2 quarterbacks, and probably make him start-worth for some unlucky fantasy team out there.
Jeff Garcia: The most beautiful man in football should get plenty of opportunities to throw the rock against the Saints this weekend. I’m sure that the Saints will put up some nice point total, in the 30s, so Garcia will have to find Joey Galloway for over a 100 yards if the Bucs are to keep pace. Garcia will have a nice day, especially for a guy starting in 3% of fantasy leagues.
Jerious Norwood: Can a 2nd running back on a bad offense be a sleeper? He will if the Falcons want to stand a chance against the Jaguars. See, Dunn carried the ball for 55 yards on 22 carries last week, while Norwood averaged just under 5 yards a tote. Jerious is a gamebreaker, someone the Falcons will have to take full advantage of if Bobby Patrino wants to win any games this season. Even against a tough defense, Norwood is a nice sleeper candidate if you are in a bind.
Maurice Jones Drew: MJD was one of the many disappointing fantasy players in Week 1. He was picked in the first couple rounds of every draft, and he didn’t impress in Week 1. Like Norwood, Drew was limited in carries, but still managed just under 5 yards a carry while the #1 back carried for just over 2 yards per touch. The Falcons showed they couldn’t stop the run last week against Minnesota, so I like Drew this week.
Santonio Holmes: Can I ride Holmes as a sleeper for the 2nd straight week? I will, but if he does what I expect him to do, he loses all sleeper candidacy for the rest of the season. Look for him to blow up the Buffalo Bills secondary.
Vincent Jackson: I had two great sleeper wide receivers in week 1 that both scored double digits, and this week I’m going to try to pull another rabbit out of the hat. Everyone picked Vince to do solid things this year, but after 1 slow week, he’s being dropped – easy guys. Vincent will grab a touchdown against the Patriots, and have over 60 yards. Too much attention to LT will give this big athletic speedster a few nice chances.
Marcades Lewis: Lewis will be the guy exploiting the Falcons middle of the field. Remember, a sleeper at TE means he’s hoping for about 6-8 points. Haha; freaking tight ends.
Cowboys DST: One bad week, and there go the drops, the Cowboys being one of the fired units. Jump on them this week, Trent Green will be a sitting, interception throwing, fumbling, duck, and the Boys will take full advantage.
LUCKY’S Week 2 Saints
(The Saints were suggested by Tim Jennings in New Orleans – have a better name for my bad plays of the week? Email ’em to me!)
Mike Vick: Still going to jail, still watching his teammates struggle, and still thinking about how you can have everything and throw in right down the shitter.
Matt Leinart: Start him and pay the price. This guy wouldn’t take a chance to save his life during Monday Night’s loss to the 49ers. This week, he has to deal with Partick Kerney and Julian Peterson, and a ball hawking Seahawks secondary that played very well last week against Tampa Bay. A couple picks will hold Matt down.
Larry Johnson: How would you like to run smack into the teeth of a group of Bears without any special armor of offensive lineman blocking for you? Ask Larry Johnson? He’ll tell you, this is why he held out for more money.
Thomas Jones: The tough part is, I’d like to have both LJ and TJ on my fantasy roster. Hell, in one league I do. However, like LJ, TJ has a tough match-up against the Ravens this week. Baltimore has to be pissed that their offense couldn’t do dick besides put them in brutal situations all night long, and they are going to take it out on TJ. Especially with a rookie quarterback in there for New York.
Ronald Curry: He’ll do better than Lee Evans did last week, but for all those donkeys that went out and grabbed Curry or are starting him this week because of last week’s performance – don’t expect half of what he did against the Lions – he’ll be shut down by Champ and Drew Bly all day long.
Tony Gonzalez: Did you see the Chiefs offense last week? This week they play Chicago, not Houston. Good luck Tony!