Week 2 Matchup Preview

By Cory

Week one is said and done and now it’s time for ridiculous projections to come into play. Cam Newton is going to throw for over 7,000 yards! Mike Tolbert will end the season with 48 touchdowns! Cory will spend 240 hours sitting in front of the TV watching football! While that last one will be true, fantasizers should not read too much into Week One production moving forward. As we said in our podcast, some studs performed like duds and some duds performed like studs. If you lost this last weekend with Big Ben and Vincent Jackson, it’s not time to press the panic button yet. Big Ben will have a rebound game this weekend against the pitiful Seahawks and if the New England secondary made Chad Henne look like a pro bowler, then Rivers will have a field day connecting with Jackson this weekend. With that in mind, here are the matchups this weekend that we’re most interested in and some Sit-or-Start advice that should hopefully get you through Week Two with a victory.

Cardinals at Redskins

Outside of Beanie Wells, the Cardinals are not a team that we gave a lot of attention to during the offseason. We knew that if Fitzy could post solid numbers with the carousel of “No-No” quarterbacks he did last season, he would have an even better season with a competent Kevin Kolb at the helm. Fitzgerald may have disappointed fantasy owners last week but he was facing double and triple coverage against Carolina. Start Fitzgerald without concern, and don’t be too eager to jump on Early Doucet. Beanie Wells also posted workhorse back numbers in an age where the workhorse back is a dying breed, so be sure to keep him in your starting lineup.

The Gross Man showed us what he was capable of last weekend against an injured Giants secondary. Sexy Rexy will have a slightly tougher matchup this weekend against the Cardinals secondary so we would hope you have better options at quarterback (though Grossman would be serviceable in 2 QB leagues). My favorite player in the Washington passing game is Fred Davis. Davis slimmed down during the offseason and is outplaying the oft-injured Chris Cooley. Davis is one of our favorite waiver adds this week, but TE is so deep this season that it might make sense to stash Davis and wait until his production becomes more consistent. Santana Moss is startable but temper expectations. As for Tim Hightower – see Beanie Wells.

Ravens at Titans

Joe Flacco was my sleeper pick at quarterback this season and I stand by it. Flacco has consistently outperformed Matt Ryan but has not been getting the attention he deserves. Flacco will have a solid matchup against the Titans, but the Ravens are a conservative offense so much of Flacco’s value will depend on his touchdown total. Lee Evans has the potential to have a solid rebound season but he is less than 100% even if he does play this weekend and could easily post a goose egg again. Boldin was Flacco’s favorite target last week and should be a solid WR2 the rest of the season. Ed Dickson is worth keeping an eye on, but as I said with Fred Davis, TE is such a deep position this year that it might make sense to wait on plugging Dickson into your starting lineup. Ray Rice – ‘nuff said.

This is not a great bounce-back matchup for Chris Johnson against the vaunted Ravens defense. The Ravens gave Mendenhall a hard time last week and the Titans may have to abandon the running game when they fall behind to the Ravens. However, Chris Johnson has big play ability and is the heart of the Titans offense so he should get enough touches to make him worth starting (nothing too controversial in starting your first round pick, I know). Kenny Britt is not the piece of Britt I thought he was and I now have to endure choruses of “I told you so” and “Brett loves Britt” from Brett. Britt and Matt “this guy’s still in the league?” Hasselbeck have a tough matchup against the Baltimore secondary but the Titans will have to be throwing and Britt is the only viable receiver. We had high hopes for Jared Cook to start the season but with how many quality tightends there are, Cook should be riding the bench or the waiver wire this weekend.

Seahawks at Steelers

Seahawks suck. You wanna start a Seahawk? That’s a “No-No.”

All systems are go for Big Ben, Mike Wallace (the receiver and the news reporter), and Rashard Mendenhall this weekend. This big story on the Steelers is the other receiving options. Brown had nine targets to Sanders’ three targets but both receivers couldn’t do much to run away with the gig. Hines Ward, love him or hate him, is the number 2 receiver on the Steelers. Ward had 9 targets last weekend and outperformed Sanders and Brown in a major way. Is Ward old? Yes. Is he losing a step? Yes. Will he be unthroned by Sanders or Brown by season’s end? Yes. But for now, Ward is the number 2 option in Pittsburgh and is one of Big Ben’s favorite targets especially in the redzone. I don’t feel comfortable starting Sanders or Brown until one of them locks up the number 3 role, but I do feel comfortable starting Ward as a WR3.

Jaguars at Jets

If you haven’t already, add Deji Karim. Karim is the handcuff to fragile Pocket Hercules and he is already getting very involved in the Jags offense with a healthy MJD. Karim is only startable in deep leagues this weekend, but he and MJD will be the Jags offense this season.

Shonn Greene had a troublesome game against a mediocre Dallas run defense. LaDainian Tomlinson came in and dramatically outperformed Greene. Rex Ryan has said that he wants to get Greene more involved in the offense so you have to leave him in your roster, but this is starting to look and sound an awful lot like the Jets backfield of last season. If Greene struggles again this weekend, it might be time to start panicking. If ever there were a time to start Plaxico it would be during the first few weeks of the season. Rex Ryan wants to prove that he made a good decision in grabbing Plaxico Burress (with whom I've had a historic Bromance), so he will be drawing up plays to get the ball to Burress. But Burress has injury issues of his own (suffering from shooting pains in his thigh) and he looked rusty last weekend against the Cowboys. Still, Plax is a solid flex play against a weak Jags secondary.

Bears at Saints

Drew Brees will have a tough matchup against the Bears with or without Lance Moore. The departure of Colston opens up a big opportunity for Saints receivers. Brees completed 32 passes last weekend against a tough Packers secondary so there will be plenty of love to go around for Meachem, Henderson, Graham and possibly Moore. Sproles put together a great game last weekend but that was with the Saints trailing the whole game. This weekend, the Saints will figure to use Thomas and Ingram more often on early downs so Sproles should not be started except for deeper leagues. I like Pierre Thomas more because he will be the starting tailback and will get more touches, but of course, Ingram has the goal line potential upside.

Buccaneers at Vikings

The Vikings pass rush looked good last weekend putting pressure on Phil Rivers, but Josh Freeman is a more mobile quarterback than Rivers so the Vikings will have to respect the sneak. Freeman will be looking to connect to his two favorite targets Mike Williams and Kellen Winslow. Freeman is not a top-12 quarterback this weekend but if he is your only option he should be good for some fantasy value. I’m not super high on Mike Williams but he is the redzone target on the Bucs and as long as he keeps producing, owners should keep starting him. The real storyline in Tampa is Blount. Blount is not the third down back and is losing goal line duties to Earnest Graham. The Bucs want to put the ball in the hands of Blount more often, but he now looks to be part of a committee. Blount was supposed to be a bruiser back like he was at Oregon, but the fact that he’s losing short yardage opportunities should be a major red flag to Blount-owners.

Controversial statement warning – start Adrian Peterson. After McNabb’s phenomenal 39 yard performance last weekend, it is tough to have high expectations for anyone in the Minnesota receiving corps. Percy Harvin is the number one receiver and has speed to kill, but his migraines aren’t the only headaches on the Minnesota passing “attack.” Harvin can be started as a WR3 but he will need a little help from McNabb of old and not Old McNabb.

Browns at Colts

Kerry Collins for MVP! Collins managed to establish a nice connection with Reggie Wayne – but make no mistake, Collins is not Peyton Manning. The Colts are a pass first offense and without Manning the whole offense will struggle. Garcon was the clear number 2 receiver on the Colts, so Collie should be nowhere near your starting lineup. Garcon is also a big risk until Collins figures out the Indy offense. Steer clear of the Colts backfield as Addai and Carter appear to be in a bit of a timeshare for the time being and neither have looked too impressive.

Peyton Hillis is the Browns’ offense. He gets goal line carries, he is the clear starter, and he is a talented receiver out of the backfield. Don’t be too worried with his struggles from last weekend; the Colts were shredded by Ward and Tate so Hillis should rebound.

Chiefs at Lions

The Chiefs offense, like the Colts, is starting to enter panic mode. Matt Cassel is a No-No, Steve Breaston is a No-No, Thomas Jones is a No-No. The only fantasy relevant players in KC are Charles and Over Da WayneBowe. Charles is a must start but Bowe remains a question mark. I had low expectations for Bowe entering the season since the Chiefs have a much harder schedule this year and replicating 14 touchdowns is not an easy feat. This should be a decent matchup for Bowe though as the Chiefs will have to attack through the air and Bowe is the number one option.

Start Stafford, start Calvin Johnson, start Jahvid Best. The Chiefs gave up over 100 yards to Fred Jackson last weekend so Best should be able to put together a nice game. Brandon Pettigrew outplayed Tony Scheffler last weekend and was in on more snaps so Pettigrew is the TE to own in Detroit (cue me sounding like a broken record about the depth at TE this season and do not start Brandon Pettigrew or Scheffler this week). Monitor Nate Burleson and Jerome Harrison in this matchup. If Stafford is going to do all that he is expected to do, there will need to be another receiver involved and Burleson is the number two option in Detroit. Jerome Harrison edged out Maurice Morris for the number 2 spot behind Jahvid Best and Best is too fragile to carry a full workload. Harrison is already getting involved in the offense and could become an every week starter if Best starts getting banged up.

Packers at Panthers

Start Rodgers, start Greg Jennings, and start Jermichael Finley. Jordy Nelson has taken over where he left off last season in the playoffs as the number two receiver in Green Bay. Donald Driver is on his way out and James Jones was a non-factor last weekend. Jordy Nelson is on the verge of being an every week starter. Ryan Grant is listed as the starter in Green Bay, but he was outperformed by James Starks last weekend. Starks is the better receiving back and the more aggressive runner. Grant and Starks are both flex play options but we strongly prefer James Starks.

Deangelo Williams and Jonathon Stewart are going to cannibalize each other and neither will be start-worthy until the other is injured. Cam Newton had a stellar outing last weekend but will have a much tougher time against the Packers this week and should not be started. This matchup also does not bode well for Steve Smith who will be seeing a heavy dose of Charles Woodson this weekend. Newton throws to his most talented receiver so Smith could still be serviceable but he is more of a high risk/high reward player. Greg Olsen is a nice safety blanket option for Newton and is one of our darlings at the TE position. Olsen outplayed Shockey and is the number one TE in Carolina and is startable this weekend.

Raiders at Bills

Avoid the Raiders passing game. Even if Jacoby Ford is healthy. the Raiders have not done anything yet to demonstrate that any of their receivers should be started. Darren McFadden is a beast with speed and power and should be started. The Raiders have moved away from the thunder and lightning approach with Run DMC and Michael Bush and have moved more towards a feature runningback scheme. Bush came in at the goal line last weekend, but that play was a QB Sneak all the way and followed a huge DMC run so DMC may have been winded and removed himself from the game.

Ryan Fitzpatrick a.k.a. Baby Santa (yes Brett, they are calling him Baby Santa) is not an elite QB but he has one of the easiest matchups this weekend. The Raiders without Asomugha are one of the worst secondaries in the NFL. Stevie Johnson will be covered by Stanford Routt and should have an easy time getting open. Start Johnson and consider Fitzpatrick in deeper leagues or if you had Sam Bradford. As for the Bills backfield, the Raiders are not an easy team to run on, especially considering how easy they are to pass on. Fred Jackson had a great game last week but will struggle against the Raiders. Spiller should not be started, and Jackson is a low end RB3.

Cowboys at 49ers

Tony Romo has a much easier matchup this week against the 49ers who struggled to contain Tarvaris Jackson. Romo, Witten, Bryant and Austin all should be started. Romo will throw the ball enough to provide solid games for all four players. My preseason prince, Felix Jones, struggled on the ground last weekend against the Jets but will have a slightly better matchup this weekend. Jones also had the touchdown and was the fourth favorite target of Tony Romo out of the backfield (behind, you guessed it, Bryant, Austin and Witten). All five of these players should be started.

Alex Smith deserves a double catch phrase shout out. If you’re thinking about starting Alex Smith, you better shut your mouth (courtesy of Kevin). Alex Smith is an absolute No-No (your welcome). Even with a banged up Dallas secondary, Crabtree and Edwards are not startable. The Niners offense revolves around Frank Gore and Vernon Davis. Start Gore and Davis but stay away from the rest of the Niners.

Chargers at Patriots

Start Phil Rivers, start Vincent Jackson, and start Antonio Gates. This should be a high scoring affair so both sides will be forced to move the ball. The real question mark is the San Diego backfield. Tolbert and Matthews both had solid outings last weekend and had a very even timeshare. We give the edge to Tolbert because he will be the goal line back and he was one of Rivers’ most targeted options last weekend behind only Antonio Gates. Matthews and Tolbert are both startable as flex options until one emerges as the predominant back. One player worth monitoring in this game and going forward is Malcom Floyd. Rivers is a proficient passer and so Floyd has a valuable position as the number 2 WR (number 3 option behind Gates and V-Jax).

Start Brady, start Wes Welker. Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski are the redzone targets on New England (edge goes to Gronkowski) and both should be started this weekend. Ochocinco is fun to watch and you gotta love his antics, but his timing and chemistry with Brady are not there yet. Similarly, Deion Branch is too unpredictable to be starting at this point. Hernandez and Gronkowski are really the number 2 and 3 receivers in New England. Want more headaches out of New England? Let’s get to the backfield. Benjarvus Green-Ellis was the hot hand last season and the “run out the clock” back, while Woodhead was more of the third down, change of pace back. But as Brady tried to break records on Monday night, The Lawfirm didn’t get an opportunity to run out the clock when the Pats had the lead. BJGE is startable because of his touchdown potential and he should see more action this weekend. I’d still like to see more consistency out of Woodhead before I would consider plugging him into my fantasy roster.