One more week down in the NFL, one more fantasy title in the bag for me. That’s right folks, I fought off Red Red Ryan, his awkward red hair, and that allergy riddled red skin, and took home the top spot amongst the staff for the second straight week. If I ice the game for three weeks in a row, you can bet I’ll be talking hat trick once again. This is the review of my fantasy picks for Week 2, hope you enjoy the Fantasy Focus!
Elite Starters: Guys picked early that I love this week…
1. Michael Turner – Turner carried 28 times for a buck-0-five and a touchdown. But was just ok. C
2. Tom Brady – Tom was brutal this week, making me look like a rookie at this game. F
3. Marques Colston – 8 catches, 98 yards, 2 TDs, huge day. Those Eagles can’t guard big WRs. A+
4. Steve Smith – I told you week 1 was a fluke, Steve caught 8 balls for 131 yards in Week 2. B+
5. Brian Westbrook – Westbrook wasn’t as big a part of the offense as I thought. D
Solid Starters: Guys picked in middle rounds that should outplay their ranking/draft position this week…
1. Eddie Royal – Eddie is killing me. I’m not giving up on him yet. F-
2. Ronnie Brown – 4th amongst backs, Ronnie had a huge day on the ground against the Colts. A+
3. Joe Flacco– His second straight multiple TD game of the season, but only 190 yards. B-
4. Joseph Addai – Addai was hurt by the Colts quick strike offense, getting only 6 carries and 31 yards. F
5. Leon Washington – Leon didn’t do much in a low scoring game. F
Sleeper Starters: Guys ranked low, drafted low or not at all, but I still like them this week…
1. Michael Bush – The Raiders are dealing with 8 in the box, Bush had 9 carries for 35 yards. Ugh. D
2. David Garrard – 9th overall, that’s more like it, I think Garrard will have a quietly solid year. A-
3. LenDale White – Chris Johnson put on a show, and White got just 6 carries for 25 yards, tough deal. F
4. Mike Bell– Mike looked good again, and despite getting hurt, put up 85 yards and a TD on 18 touches. A
5. Nate Burleson – Four catches for 46 yards, no scores. The Hawks looked lost when Matt went down. D+
Sit ‘Em Son: I don’t care where they were drafted, I don’t like these guys starting this week…
1. Jay Cutler – Cutler played well, giving his team a chance even though they couldn’t run at all. F
2. Reggie Bush – 13 touches for 75 yards and a touchdown, better than I thought. D
3. Steven Jackson – 17 carries for 104, 4 grabs for 15 yards. Not bad, better than I expected, not great. C+
4. Julius Jones – He may have snuck in a short TD catch, but Julius had 11 yards on 8 carries. I was right. A
5. Patrick Crayton – 3 fantasy points in a PPR league. This one I got one right on the money. A
PS – If you started Wes Welker, it probably hurt you. I know I won a league because of it…
Week 2 Fantasy Rankings
Josh Arsenault Ryan Kauffman Papa Weimer Lucky Lester QBs---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.Drew Brees 2 1.Drew Brees 2 1.Drew Brees 2 1.Tom Brady 28 2.Peyton Manning 7 2.Peyton Manning 7 2.Tom Brady 28 2.Kurt Warner 9 3.Aaron Rodgers 14 3.Tom Brady 28 3.Tony Romo 23 3.Peyton Manning 7 4.Kurt Warner 9 4.Kurt Warner 9 4.Matt Hasselbeck 31 4.Joe Flacco 17 5.Matt Schaub 1 5.Aaron Rodgers 14 5.Kyle Orton 18 5.Drew Brees 2 RBs----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.Adrian Peterson 8 1.Adrian Peterson 8 1.Adrian Peterson 8 1.Michael Turner 15 2.Maurice Jones Drew 25 2.Chris Johnson 1 2.Michael Turner 15 2.Brian Westbrook 33 3.Brian Westbrook 33 3.Maurice Jones Drew 25 3.Darren McFadden 21 3.Adrian Peterson 8 4.Ronnie Brown 4 4.Clinton Portis 33 4.Maurice Jones Drew 25 4.Frank Gore 2 5.Clinton Portis 33 5.Brian Westbrook 33 5.Thomas Jones 41 5.Chris Johnson 1 WRs----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.Greg Jennings 109 1.Reggie Wayne 54 1.Larry Fitzgerald 27 1.Randy Moss 54 2.Larry Fitzgerald 27 2.Larry Fitzgerald 27 2.Reggie Wayne 54 2.Larry Fitzgerald 27 3.Reggie Wayne 54 3.Randy Moss 54 3.Steve Smith 7 3.Marques Colston 3 4.Andre Johnson 1 4.Roddy White 16 4.Jericho Cotchery 30 4.Andre Johnson 1 5.Steve Smith 7 5.Greg Jennings 109 5.Calvin Johnson 16 5.Steve Smith 7 TEs----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.Jason Witten 8 1.Jason Witten 8 1.Tony Gonzalez 3 1.Dallas Clark 1 2.Chris Cooley 6 2.Dallas Clark 1 2.John Carlson 13 2.Jason Witten 8 3.Tony Gonzalez 3 3.John Carlson 13 3.Dallas Clark 1 3.Zach Miller 49 4.Jeremy Shockey 18 4.Tony Gonzalez 3 4.Owen Daniels 4 4.Kellen Winslow 2 5.Zach Miller 49 5.Owen Daniels 4 5.Jason Witten 8 5.Chris Cooley 6 DSTs----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.Steelers 18 1.Vikings 4 1.Vikings 4 1.Steelers 18 2.Ravens 18 2.Steelers 18 2.Steelers 18 2.Packers 12 3.Vikings 4 3.Redskins 3 3.Ravens 18 3.Falcons 12 4.Seahawks 24 4.Patriots 16 4.Packers 12 4.Redskins 3 5.Falcons 12 5.Packers 12 5.Cowboys 31 5.Vikings 4 Kickers------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kickers be damned, but here's the Week 2 Rankings: 1. Rian Lindell 2. Lawrence Tynes 3. Dan Carpenter 4. Nate KaedingLooking back at the week's action... For the second straight week, I had higher rated players in my Top 5 lists than anybody else on the site. Josh took QBs, Ryan took the TEs pretty easily, and I had running backs, receivers, and defenses taken care of. Ryan had lots of second place finishes, but his terrible WR picks kept him in 2nd place, keeping me on top. It feels good to win, always. Papa Weimer pretty much pooped the bed, but he's old and basically needs help getting up at night to use the toilet, so that kind of thing is expected now and again. Josh was the only writer that had the balls to take Matt Schaub, plus he left Tom Brady off his Top 5, those two things gave him an easy win. We missed a lot of good quarterbacks in Week 2, Carson Palmer, Philip Rivers, Byron Leftwich, and Eli Manning finished 3-6 respectively - not one writer picked any one of those guys. As for RB, nobody picked Darren Sproles, Marion Barber, Fred Jackson, or Willis McGahee - those guys finished 3, 5, and tied for 6 on the week. Felix Jones and Carnell Williams also did work rounding out the top 10. In the receiver area, I had numbers 1, 3, and 7 in my top 5, seeing big games from Andre Johnson, Marques Colston, and Steve Smith. Plus, I didn't put Greg Jennings in my Top 5 like Red Red Ryan and Josh, his 0 point night put them in a tough spot. We left out Mario Manningham, who made a big name for himself with a great Sunday Night performance. A couple more Top 10 guys that didn't get picked, Steve Smith (NYG), Vincent Jackson, Mike Sims-Walker, Donald Driver, Ted ginn Jr., and DeSean Jackson. Jason Avant and Johnny Knox also had big games out of nowhere. Ryan took the TE list with 1, 3, 8, 4, and 13 all making his Top 5. Brent Celek, Marcedez Lewis, and Kellen Davis all made the top 10, and none of us picked them. The Broncos and Cardinals finished atop the defensive rankings, and went unpicked in any of our Top 5s. That's how it was, one more week for Lucky Lester!!! Keeping score for week 2! This is the positional breakdown based on Week 2's rankings:Josh Arsenault Ryan Kauffman Papa Weimer Lucky Lester 1.QBs 1 1.QBs 2 1.QBs 4 1.QBs 3 2.RBs 3 2.RBs 2 2.RBs 4 2.RBs 1 3.WRs 3 3.WRs 4 3.WRs 2 3.WRs 1 4.TEs 4 4.TEs 1 4.TEs 2 4.TEs 3 5.DST 3 5.DST 2 5.DST 4 5.DST 1