Written by Brian Dezelske
This season I will be offering up my deep, dark fantasy football secrets to you, the fantasy owner, on who you should starting and benching each week. The main goal here is to tackle those tough flex-type decisions. So there won’t be any talk about Megatron, or Minnesota’s beloved Adrian Peterson, or any other player of their caliber for that matter.
Players will be analyzed from a 12-team standard-scoring point-of-view. So owners should adjust to their style of league accordingly.
Starts
Carson Palmer vs. NY Giants
Owners who are in need of an upgrade at the quarterback position, or simply prefer streaming quarterbacks, must have been salivating while watching Carson Palmer pick San Diego apart on Monday night. It should be more of the same in Week 2 against the Giants secondary who was just torched for 341 yards and two scores.
Jay Cutler vs. San Fransicso 49ers
San Fransicso pretty much dominated the Cowboys, right? Maybe. But it appears that the Niners’ dominance was more of an indictment on Tony Romo than anything else. And while, at times, it looked like the Bears’ offense spent three hours at Six Flags Great America riding the Cutler Coaster rather than playing actual football, Jay Cutler still managed to tally 17 fantasy points. He should produce similar numbers this week, with his two big-bodied receivers imposing their will on the smaller 49ers cornerbacks.
Chris Johnson vs. Green Bay Packers
As a unit, the New York Jets walked right through the Oakland Raiders to the tune of 212 rush yards—Chris Johnson getting 68 of those. More importantly he combined for 91 total yards and a score. Green Bay showed their weakness on defense, giving up 207 yards on the ground to the defending Super Bowl Champs. With the added work in the passing game, Johnson should be a high-end RB2 with upside this week.
Shane Vereen vs. Minnesota Vikings
Vereen was in the game on 61 of the Patriots 86 total snaps on Sunday. Stevan Ridley was in on just 21 of those. It’s obvious who Bill Belichick trusts behind Tom Brady. Vereen’s workload will increase going into Week 2 against the Vikings, and if the eight times Brady targeted him is any indication, Vereen should put up numbers in the RB2 range again, with plenty of upside to be giddy over. PPR owners should be starting Vereen each and every week with confidence.
Knowshon Moreno vs. Buffalo Bills
Pressing Knowshon Moreno on people wasn’t something I intended on doing this season, but after his delightful 124-yard performance against the New England Patriots I’m leaning towards changing my mind. The Buffalo matchup this week is much easier, especially without Kiko Alonso and Jarius Byrd leading the way on defense. The sheer volume Moreno will receive based on Week 1 makes him a fantastic flex option this week, with upside.
Jeremy Maclin vs. Indianapolis Colts
Buying Jeremy Maclin this week might not seem fiscally responsible based on how well the Colts handled Denver’s high-powered receiving threat on Sunday night. However, Philadelphia doesn’t possess nearly as much firepower, which will force Nick Foles to look Maclin’s way. He was targeted 11 times and scored on Sunday. Another 10-15 targets is not out of the question here, giving him plenty of opportunity to produce for a second week in a row.
Reggie Wayne vs. Philadelphia Eagles
The old man proved he’s back to 100 percent (ACL), and also proved he’s still Andrew Luck’s favorite target. He kicked off his Comeback Player of the Year campaign by hauling in nine receptions on 13 targets, for 98 yards. Wayne’s encore performance could be more of the same, as the Philadelphia Eagles’ secondary gave up a staggering 32 fantasy points to the receiver position. Plug him into your lineups and feel great about it.
Andrew Hawkins vs. New Orleans Saints
Miles Austin may currently be the de facto No. 1 wide receiver in Cleveland, but Andrew Hawkins is by far Brian Hoyer’s favorite. Hawkins compiled 87 yards while being targeted 10 times. And while Hawkins’ targets will drop eventually, the potential absence of Jordan Cameron this Sunday will put Hawkins in the driver’s seat to be a nice little flex option for fantasy owners. And the New Orleans Saints secondary gave up 37 fantasy points to opposing receivers in Week 1.
Sits
Ryan Tannehill vs. Buffalo Bills
Ryan Tannehill’s poise and command under pressure was at the forefront when he led Miami to a comeback win against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. However, fantasy owners need to suppress the urge to start him and wait for a better matchup. In four career games versus the Buffalo Bills, Tannehill is averaging a paltry 136.8 yards per game, and has never passed for 200 yards. Owners can expect that trend to continue this weekend.
Robert Griffin III vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
RG3 struggles in 2013 led him to being benched for the final three games of the season. And it looks like those struggles continued here at the start of the 2014 season. He amassed a pathetic eight fantasy points on Sunday. Something just doesn’t seem right; Griffin only took off running three times, and racked up a whole two yards in the process. Normally a matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars would end with a sure-fire QB1 fantasy outing, but don’t buy into that here. This is the very definition of a feast-or-famine matchup, and there are safer options available until RG3 gets back on track.
Philip Rivers vs. Seattle Seahawks
It just doesn’t get any easier for Philip Rivers. First it’s Patrick Peterson and the Arizona Cardinals secondary. Now it’s the Seattle Seahawks and the Legion of Boom, who held Aaron Rodgers to nine fantasy points in Week 1. Rivers will have a fine season, but this isn’t the week to roll with him.
Doug Martin vs. St. Louis Rams
Nine yards on nine carries is not the kind of return to action that fantasy owners were banking on when they drafted Doug Martin this year. Most owners drafted him fairly early and may be forced to start him this week as a result. But look elsewhere if at all possible. The St. Louis Rams did get beat up by Cordarrelle Patterson on those end-around plays, but the Rams held Adrian Peterson to 75 rush yards on 21 carries.
Reggie Bush/Joique Bell vs. Carolina Panthers
If I had to choose between Reggie Bush and Joique Bell I’d choose Bush simply because of his explosive play ability. However, big plays in the running game may be far and few between this week for the Detroit Lions. Carolina’s defense allowed an average of just 11.3 fantasy points to opposing running backs in 2013, and that trend continued in Week 1 of this year, as they held Tampa Bay’s running backs to 10 fantasy points.
Steven Jackson vs. Cincinnati Bengals
If owners have the ability to sit Steven Jackson, and I hope you do, go ahead and do it. The guy has been a beast his entire career, but it’s obvious he’s slowed down quite a bit. He only managed 52 yards on 12 carries this past Sunday, and he only touched the ball 13 times. And now he’s about to face a Cincinnati defense that allowed the third-fewest fantasy points (11.8) to opposing running backs in 2013.
Golden Tate vs. Carolina Panthers
Starting opposite Calvin Johnson really boosts Golden Tate’s overall fantasy value, and that was proven by his 6-93-0 stat line in Week 1. However, owners will want to temper expectations this week when Detroit takes on Carolina. The Panthers gave up the third-fewest fantasy points (15) to opposing wide receivers in 2013, and held Tampa Bay’s receivers to under 100 total yards last week.
Eric Decker vs. Green Bay Packers
Decker did lead Gang Green in receptions and yards in Week 1, but a 5-74-0 stat line should make owners slightly nervous, because it came at home—against the Oakland Raiders. It only gets tougher this week. The Jets will head to Lambeau Field to face an angry Green Bay Packers team who was just embarrassed on national television by the Seahawks. Green Bay’s defense will play much better this week, giving Geno Smith fits, and leaving Decker’s owners wondering why they started him.
Keenan Allen vs. Seattle Seahawks
Fantasy owners drafted Keenan Allen relatively high as their WR2, or maybe even their WR1 in some cases. If so, watching him struggle against Patrick Peterson must have been painful. Hopefully you have options to turn to avoid a second week of agony, because it only gets worse for Allen. The Seattle Seahawks, led by Richard Sherman and the Legion of Boom, come to town for a showdown with the Chargers. Don’t worry, owners, it eventually gets easier. Trust me.
 |
Brian Dezelske covers fantasy football for Sports Radio 105 The Ticket’s Cold Omaha. Recently, he co-hosted a podcast called Fantasy Forecast Central. Before that he was a contributor to Bruno Boys Fantasy Football, and was also a featured columnist at Bleacher Report covering the Minnesota Vikings. Follow him on Twitter @BrianDezelske. |