A
Axe Elf
Jeez, settle down, willya? It does take some time to research and write these things, you know.
QBs
Sleepers
Terrelle Pryor
Gotta go back to the Pryor well again with a home game against the Jaguars--who proved vulnerable to the run, if not the pass, last week against the Chiefs. Pryor shouldn’t do much more than 200/1/1 passing again, but he could approach the century mark in rushing again too--and this time he adds the rush TD to finish among the top QBs of the week with 25 or so in fantasy points.
Josh Freeman
One of last year’s best-kept secrets is that Josh Freeman was 9th among QBs in passing yards (4065) and 8th in passing TDs (27). His home opener against the Saints’ defense gives him plenty of opportunity to re-establish that pace after a sluggish road game. After a few dumpoffs to Doug Martin, Freeman will post 275/3.
Brandon Weeden
After the Baltimore pass defense looked like a rusted-out sieve last week, I have to go back to the well on Weeden again too. Maybe it was just Manning, but there was a lot of YAC that padded the QB stats, too. I really wish he had Gordon here, but if he can just get his guys to stop tipping the ball to defenders, Weeden should come out of Baltimore with 300+ yards, 2+ TDs and 1 INT.
Stinkers
Tom Brady
No Gronk, no Amendola, no Vereen, and Sudfeld and Thompkins can’t catch. Cromartie on Edelman, and Brady’s going to have to pass to... who? Brady is facing one of his worst weeks of 2013, and it will be another Brady miracle if he surpasses 225 yards passing and 1 TD. Throw in an INT and/or a fumble, and Brady will be flirting with single-digit fantasy points this week.
Tony Romo
Man, I hate having to put a guy I own in 41 leagues on the “stinkers” list, but his ribs are bruised, Dez’ foot is injured, and KC has one of the more solid secondaries in the league. This all adds up to a steady diet of DeMarco Murray and quick, short passes when necessary. Romo might add some garbage time stats to salvage his day, but the Chiefs will own him for most of the game. 235 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs.
Colin Kaepernick
Seattle did an excellent job of containing both Cam Newton and his receivers in Week 1. Now they are at home with the benefit of the 12th man, and I think they can do the same with Kaepernick and his two main receiving threats--which I also hate to say, holding Boldin and Vernon in 15 and 35 leagues respectively as well. Still, I’m “Kaepping” Colin’s production at 215 yards passing with a TD and an INT, and 40 yards rushing. Of the three eyebrows remaining, two of them will belong to Wilson.
RBs
Sleepers
DeAngelo Williams
One of the bright spots for the Panthers against the stifling Seattle defense last week, Williams reached the century mark in combined rushing and receiving yards on 20 touches. The Bills allowed 46 yards rushing to Ridley on 9 carries (5.1 ypc) before he was benched, and then allowed 101 yards rushing to Vereen on 14 carries (7.2 ypc). Vereen also added 58 yards on 7 receptions. I like Williams to be a workhorse in this game and compile upwards of 130 total yards; with a TD he will be one of the highest-scoring fantasy RBs in Week 2.
Eddie Lacy
Start any and every RB facing the Redskins’ matador defense. Absolutely gosh darn right. I said that after they allowed long TD runs to Chris Johnson and Shonn Greene in Week 1 of the preseason, and I forgot about it last week when my blind disdain for LeSean McCoy led me to call him a stinker when he was facing that same Redskins’ matador defense. Oops. I won’t make that mistake again, and this week the beneficiary is Eddie Lacy, who will post over 100 combined yards and score at least once.
LeGarrette Blount
Ridley may start, but he will have a short leash, and Blount is the kind of guy who plays with a chip on his shoulder and makes the most of the opportunities he is given. If he gets on the field Thursday night, he might not leave--and if he doesn’t leave, he’ll amass 80 yards and a dunk TD.
Da’Rel Scott
Like Ridley, Wilson may start this game, but he wouldn’t if there were any experienced alternatives. One more fumble and it won’t matter; Scott will play even if he loses yards on every play. Scott has some moves and speed, though (4.34 forty), and he had a higher rushing average than Wilson when he got into the Dallas game. If he gets into the Denver game--and with an injured knee in practice, that may not happen--but if he does, he could exploit some weaknesses in Denver’s defensive line for 60 yards and a score. UPDATE: MRI results on injured knee negative.
Stinkers
CJ Spiller
Carolina has a killer defensive line, and they handed Marshawn Lynch a 5-point fantasy day on opening weekend. Spiller only managed a 5-point opening day himself--while Fred Jackson more than doubled him up. Don’t look for things to get much better this week for Spiller--hey, I told you not to draft him. 60 combined yards, no TD.
Daryl Richardson
You can ask Richardson about the toughness of the Cardinals’ run defense, as he saw some time on the trainer’s table himself en route to a 99-yard, no-score day in a game where he and Jared Cook were the Rams’ only offense. This week he faces an Atlanta defense that held the Saints to 2.7 yards per carry--and Isaiah Pead will be back to show what he can do if Richardson falters--and he will--to the tune of 65 combined scoreless yards.
Reggie Bush
After a huge opening day, this may be my most foolish call of the week. Still, Reggie is a little banged up (thumb, groin), Joique Bell looked entirely capable of carrying the load in his absence, and the Arizona defense is twice as good as the Minnesota defense he faced in Week 1. I wouldn’t be surprised if Bush gets a whole lot of rest this week, and posts a meager 70 combined yards with no end zone.
Arian Foster
Foster is still facing a timeshare with Ben Tate, and also facing a Titans’ D that might be better than expected after holding Pittsburgh to just 32 yards rushing in Week 1. Now, the Texans have more talent at RB than Pittsburgh right now, but things are still pretty dicey in terms of getting first-round production out of this first-round draft pick. Foster underperformed my prediction in Week 1, but I’d be surprised if he goes two weeks without scoring. So I’ll make the same call I made last week--60 yards and a TD.
QBs
Sleepers
Terrelle Pryor
Gotta go back to the Pryor well again with a home game against the Jaguars--who proved vulnerable to the run, if not the pass, last week against the Chiefs. Pryor shouldn’t do much more than 200/1/1 passing again, but he could approach the century mark in rushing again too--and this time he adds the rush TD to finish among the top QBs of the week with 25 or so in fantasy points.
Josh Freeman
One of last year’s best-kept secrets is that Josh Freeman was 9th among QBs in passing yards (4065) and 8th in passing TDs (27). His home opener against the Saints’ defense gives him plenty of opportunity to re-establish that pace after a sluggish road game. After a few dumpoffs to Doug Martin, Freeman will post 275/3.
Brandon Weeden
After the Baltimore pass defense looked like a rusted-out sieve last week, I have to go back to the well on Weeden again too. Maybe it was just Manning, but there was a lot of YAC that padded the QB stats, too. I really wish he had Gordon here, but if he can just get his guys to stop tipping the ball to defenders, Weeden should come out of Baltimore with 300+ yards, 2+ TDs and 1 INT.
Stinkers
Tom Brady
No Gronk, no Amendola, no Vereen, and Sudfeld and Thompkins can’t catch. Cromartie on Edelman, and Brady’s going to have to pass to... who? Brady is facing one of his worst weeks of 2013, and it will be another Brady miracle if he surpasses 225 yards passing and 1 TD. Throw in an INT and/or a fumble, and Brady will be flirting with single-digit fantasy points this week.
Tony Romo
Man, I hate having to put a guy I own in 41 leagues on the “stinkers” list, but his ribs are bruised, Dez’ foot is injured, and KC has one of the more solid secondaries in the league. This all adds up to a steady diet of DeMarco Murray and quick, short passes when necessary. Romo might add some garbage time stats to salvage his day, but the Chiefs will own him for most of the game. 235 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs.
Colin Kaepernick
Seattle did an excellent job of containing both Cam Newton and his receivers in Week 1. Now they are at home with the benefit of the 12th man, and I think they can do the same with Kaepernick and his two main receiving threats--which I also hate to say, holding Boldin and Vernon in 15 and 35 leagues respectively as well. Still, I’m “Kaepping” Colin’s production at 215 yards passing with a TD and an INT, and 40 yards rushing. Of the three eyebrows remaining, two of them will belong to Wilson.
RBs
Sleepers
DeAngelo Williams
One of the bright spots for the Panthers against the stifling Seattle defense last week, Williams reached the century mark in combined rushing and receiving yards on 20 touches. The Bills allowed 46 yards rushing to Ridley on 9 carries (5.1 ypc) before he was benched, and then allowed 101 yards rushing to Vereen on 14 carries (7.2 ypc). Vereen also added 58 yards on 7 receptions. I like Williams to be a workhorse in this game and compile upwards of 130 total yards; with a TD he will be one of the highest-scoring fantasy RBs in Week 2.
Eddie Lacy
Start any and every RB facing the Redskins’ matador defense. Absolutely gosh darn right. I said that after they allowed long TD runs to Chris Johnson and Shonn Greene in Week 1 of the preseason, and I forgot about it last week when my blind disdain for LeSean McCoy led me to call him a stinker when he was facing that same Redskins’ matador defense. Oops. I won’t make that mistake again, and this week the beneficiary is Eddie Lacy, who will post over 100 combined yards and score at least once.
LeGarrette Blount
Ridley may start, but he will have a short leash, and Blount is the kind of guy who plays with a chip on his shoulder and makes the most of the opportunities he is given. If he gets on the field Thursday night, he might not leave--and if he doesn’t leave, he’ll amass 80 yards and a dunk TD.
Da’Rel Scott
Like Ridley, Wilson may start this game, but he wouldn’t if there were any experienced alternatives. One more fumble and it won’t matter; Scott will play even if he loses yards on every play. Scott has some moves and speed, though (4.34 forty), and he had a higher rushing average than Wilson when he got into the Dallas game. If he gets into the Denver game--and with an injured knee in practice, that may not happen--but if he does, he could exploit some weaknesses in Denver’s defensive line for 60 yards and a score. UPDATE: MRI results on injured knee negative.
Stinkers
CJ Spiller
Carolina has a killer defensive line, and they handed Marshawn Lynch a 5-point fantasy day on opening weekend. Spiller only managed a 5-point opening day himself--while Fred Jackson more than doubled him up. Don’t look for things to get much better this week for Spiller--hey, I told you not to draft him. 60 combined yards, no TD.
Daryl Richardson
You can ask Richardson about the toughness of the Cardinals’ run defense, as he saw some time on the trainer’s table himself en route to a 99-yard, no-score day in a game where he and Jared Cook were the Rams’ only offense. This week he faces an Atlanta defense that held the Saints to 2.7 yards per carry--and Isaiah Pead will be back to show what he can do if Richardson falters--and he will--to the tune of 65 combined scoreless yards.
Reggie Bush
After a huge opening day, this may be my most foolish call of the week. Still, Reggie is a little banged up (thumb, groin), Joique Bell looked entirely capable of carrying the load in his absence, and the Arizona defense is twice as good as the Minnesota defense he faced in Week 1. I wouldn’t be surprised if Bush gets a whole lot of rest this week, and posts a meager 70 combined yards with no end zone.
Arian Foster
Foster is still facing a timeshare with Ben Tate, and also facing a Titans’ D that might be better than expected after holding Pittsburgh to just 32 yards rushing in Week 1. Now, the Texans have more talent at RB than Pittsburgh right now, but things are still pretty dicey in terms of getting first-round production out of this first-round draft pick. Foster underperformed my prediction in Week 1, but I’d be surprised if he goes two weeks without scoring. So I’ll make the same call I made last week--60 yards and a TD.
