Sunday Recap: Week 2

Well week 2 went somewhat according to plan. The Cardinals torched the Bears defense, and Antonio Brown is pretty good at football. However, it was a rough day for chalk running backs and defenses. The Saints, Ravens, Rams, and Dolphins were all heavily owned, yet were big disappointments. Injuries continued to plague the NFL, with Jay Cutler, Tevin Coleman, Tony Romo, Lamar Miller, Eddie Lacy, and Carlos Hyde leaving games early.

Texans @ Panthers

This game was off the grid for many daily players, including myself. We did see Greg Olsen bounce back with six receptions for 70 yards. He had 14 targets, which led the Carolina receivers. This is good news going forward, as Olsen burned many in week 1. Cam Newton registered 70 yards on the ground, with a score, and had two more in the air. Newton's upside comes when he has success on the ground, but I don't expect we see these numbers much this season. Newton remains just a tournament style QB going forward. The Texans were an easy fade, but the offense will receive a big boost next weekend, as Arian Foster is likely set for a return. This should open things up a little more, and help the surrounding players, mainly DeAndre Hopkins. The 41 points scored between the two teams was about the number many projected.

49ers @ Steelers

The Steelers offense is scary, and they didn't even have LeVeon Bell, who is coming back next week. Brown showed why he was the top priced wide receiver this week, with 195 yards and a touchdown. Big Ben slung the ball around going 21-for-27, for 369 yards and three scores. DeAngelo Williams found the end zone three times. These are not your father's Steelers. The offense is good enough to establish three cash game plays, with Big Ben, Bell, and Brown. If you don't already, the Steelers offense should jump right to the front of your list on most weeks. Even though Carlos Hyde left the game, the way the game was going, he was not going to pan out. If the 49ers are not ahead, or running the ball well, fantasy points will be tough to come by going forward. I will be checking spreads on the 49ers to decide if I want to invest any sort of stock in any of their players.

Bucs @ Saints

You were either on the Saints or were calling the chalk plays idiotic. The Saints' performance Sunday really has me questioning them for the rest of the season. Sure, it is early, but Drew Brees and company had nothing going until the Bucs made some mistakes towards the end of the game. I believe Jimmy Graham's departure is hurting Brees more than we thought it would. Brandin Cooks needs another established receiver to be truly efficient, and the Saints really lack that. Mark Ingram salvaged his line with a touchdown, and could have ended up with two, but those vultures, man. Ingram will stay on my radar due to his low price. Jameis Winston was very impressive today, playing relaxed, and he managed the game well. It also helped that his team was not down 30 points in the first quarter like last week. Winston totaled two touchdowns, one in the air and one on the ground. Simply put, there are better offenses to target each week, but the receiving core has some tournament options. We saw Wintson spread the ball out, and despite success in the air, none of the big names had major fantasy value.

Lions @ Vikings

The Vikings actually had a game plan, and that was feed Adrian Peterson the ball. He had 134 yards on 29 carries, and oddly didn't finish with a touchdown. He also led the team in receiving yards, with 58 on two catches. This should be the game plan going forward, and AP takes on the San Diego Chargers next week. Teddy Bridgewater also was more efficient, completing 14 of 18 passes, for 153 yards and a touchdown. He also had a bootleg touchdown in the red zone. Bridgewater's upside is minimal, and same with the receiving core going forward. This is Peterson's team and he will be the workhorse. Detroit chased the Vikings for most of the game, and after a down week 1 for Calvin Johnson, Stafford fed him the ball with 17 targets. For the second week in a row, Eric Ebron finished with a touchdown and 43 yards. After being a featured part of the offense in week 1, Ameer Abdullah was non-existent in week 2. For a back who can thrive in passing game, the Lions chasing the game can't be the blame for his low amount of targets. For an offense with many weapons, the Lions have disappointed in the first two weeks.

Cardinals @ Bears

Carson Palmer to Larry Fitzgerald times three. If you paired up Fitz and Palmer, you probably had a pretty solid day. The Cardinals offense has dropped 79 points in two games so far this season, and they face a 49ers defense who were just torched by Big Ben. The Cards offense is impressive, but I am still curious to see them play a top 15 defense. I would love to see Fitzgerald be a consistent target for Palmer, but I am sure next week John Brown will be the guy. I will be keeping an eye on targets each week in the desert. The running game is off the table in fantasy at the moment for Arizona, just rely on the passing game. The Bears are battered, and Cutler leaving the game really hindered any sort of fantasy points for the main targets. Matt Forte almost missed the entire second quarter, as Jeremy Langford gave him a breather. This is something to keep an eye on in the future. A seven-minute Cardinals' drive, surrounded by a four-minute Bears' drive with Langford took out a quarter from Forte. With all the injuries for the Bears, it is very tough to dissect their offense going forward. Instead, just pick on their awful defense.

Patriots @ Bills

I did not see 72 combined points from these two teams, and I faded the game entirely. As much as I personally dislike the New England Patriots, they are in midseason form already. Does Tom Brady have a chip on his shoulder? Maybe, but he also has a freak of nature tight end, a PPR gold mine receiver and a pass catching back in Dion Lewis. Julian Edelman was targeted 19 times in this game, and Gronk had 13. There is no guessing game when determining Brady's targets, which is always nice when setting lineups. Remember, friends don't let friends fade Gronk. I am curious to see when we get a LeGarrette Blount game, because Bill Belicheck will drop that game on us out of the blue. The Bills scored the majority of their points in garbage time, but Tyrod Taylor put up four touchdowns. Taylor does have a lot of upside given his legs, and even showed the ability to throw the ball, despite three picks. Clemson wideout, Sammy Watkins, found the end zone in garbage time. LeSean McCoy was much more efficient this week, but still put up a lackluster performance given his price. Once again, I am not a big McCoy fan for this season. There are simply too many options in his price range, and even below him, who are consistent.

Chargers @ Bengals

Vegas did not have this one as a high scoring game, but the names on both teams gained interest in the DFS world. I will start with Jeremy Hill, as he burned me pretty bad. This is not a venting article, so I will keep it to myself. Hill fumbled the ball twice, and he was eventually benched, but Giovani Bernard was more efficient on the ground. He rushed for 123 yards on 20 carries and had a couple of receptions. Hill is still going to be the lead back, but if Bernard is the more efficient runner, will he steal more and more touches? A.J. Green found the end zone, but had just four targets in this game. The Bengals spread the ball, which is fine if you are a fan, but I want Green getting more than four targets. A monster line from the wideout is coming, and you better have him when it comes. Tyler Eifert posted another solid week, as he has established himself as a threat for the second week in a row. Melvin Gordon rushed the ball very well, going for 88 yards on 16 carries. Danny Woodhead still had value with six catches for 68 yards, but neither found the end zone. Woodhead was the leading receiver for the Chargers, once again showing how much of a tossup it is choosing from the Chargers' receiving core. After a monster week from Keenan Allen in week 1, he was a ghost this week. Stevie Johnson remained consistent, with a 5-45-1 line, and it will be interesting to see if he keeps it up going forward.

Titans @ Browns

Johnny Manziel versus Marcus Mariota, and you only played this game if you were trying to go completely off the wall. However, I am looking at the DK Millionaire Maker, and the leader has Mariota. Both of these offenses are a GPP tossup each week, as we have seen in both weeks of the season so far. Despite some flashy lines between the two weeks from a few players, I cannot get behind any one of them going forward.

Falcons @ Giants

Falcons-Giants was one of the games I had circled for big offensive production, given the two defenses. Outside of Odell Beckham Jr. and Julio Jones, though, nobody really wowed in the points department. Tevin Coleman was off to a great start in this game, before leaving with a rib injury. If he was to miss any time, Devonta Freeman is the lone back. He could be a sneaky value play, due to him also working well in the passing game. Julio Jones did not find the end zone, but he still had 13 receptions for 135 yards. We know Jones is the guy, but we saw Leonard Hankerson become a factor with a 6-77-1 line. Roddy White, not so much, as he was only targeted once. The Falcons passing game will be one to ride for most of the season. Beckham Jr. came alive in week 2, once again showing us the upside he has, as if we needed a reminder from 2014. The Giants offense has not looked great so far this season, and the running game is one to avoid. I really liked the way they used Shane Vereen today, who saw eight targets, and caught all eight for 76 yards.

Rams @ Redskins

This was an easy avoid this weekend, but Matt Jones? He out touched Alfred Morris, and he had 123 yards on the ground with two scores. He is a different style back than Morris, bringing a lot more speed and playmaking ability to the table. It is hard not to go crazy in speculation over one good performance, but the Redskins do lack a playmaking threat right now. Jones could fill that role. Jordan Reed continued to pick up the slack in the passing game, catching all six targets for 82 yards. Pierre Garcon found the end zone, but had just 23 yards on six catches. Did you really expect the Rams to repeat their week 1 numbers? Next week is the week we likely see Todd Gurley. I am sure his workload will be tamed somewhat, so really Rams are on the do not play list right now.

Dolphins @ Jaguars

Ryan Tannehill really aired it out today, throwing for over 350 yards and two touchdowns. The running game was non-existent, and Lamar Miller left the game with an injury. I would love to see an all out passing attack from this Dolphins team, much like they did today. Tannehill threw the ball 44 times and completed 30 passes. Jarvis Landry and Rishard Matthews dominated receiving game, with 225 combined yards and 14 receptions. Jordan Cameron was another player to leave the game today, but he did have 62 yards on three catches. Landry has 16 receptions in two games, proving he is one of Tannehill's go-to guys. I expected a cluttered group, but we have not seen Kenny Stills or DeVante Parker make noise early. Tannehill-Landry is the combo going forward from this team. The Jags have two relevant fantasy players, T.J. Yeldon and Allen Robinson. While Yeldon rushed the ball 25 times today, he only had 70 yards and did not find the end zone. The Jags are not expected to find the end zone a lot, which hurts Yeldon's value, due to us looking for touchdowns. Robinson is a different story. He went off for 6-155-2, and led the team with 12 targets. He tripled any sort of projection I had for him this week, and flashed the upside he has. With the Jags projected to be behind a lot, I actually don't mind chasing some Robinson points going forward.

Ravens @ Raiders

The Ravens defense allowed 37 points to the Oakland Raiders? Uh oh, they face the Bengals next week, and these games can often be low scoring affairs, but the Bengals offense could actually put up some points. Derek Carr shredded the secondary for 351 yards and three scores. Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper put up huge lines, and now we ask the question of can Oakland put up these numbers against average defenses? I wouldn't bank on it, but nice to know they have GPP upside. The Ravens had a few no-names find the end zone this week, with Kamar Aiken and Crockett Gillmore catching touchdown passes from Joe Flacco. Steve Smith dominated the targets with 16, and he caught 10 balls for 150 yards. Right now, Steve Smith is the only viable option for the Ravens. I am beginning to believe the Ravens offense is not good enough to allow Justin Forsett to have any shot of recreating his 2014 numbers.

Cowboys @ Eagles

Where do I even begin with this game? A giant total was predicted, and many of us invested in this game to a certain degree. Thirty points were scored, and only two of the touchdowns were scored on offense. DeMarco Murray rushed for two yards, Sam Bradford had a 5.3 QB rating and they turned the ball over four times. This sums up the Eagles day, and the lone bright spot was Jordan Matthews and a garbage time touchdown. I am not necessarily worried about the Eagles, but the offensive line is somewhat of a concern. With the tempo and weapons, I still will not be able to shy away from them. The biggest news of the weekend was Tony Romo breaking his clavicle, and already being ruled out eight weeks. Dallas is already without Dez Bryant. Brandon Weeden had a touchdown late in the game with Terrance Williams, who was a top value play of the weekend. Jason Witten is also banged up, with two sprained ankles, and a sprained knee. It is safe to say we can avoid the Dallas offense for a while.

Seahawks @ Packers

Another injury plagued game, where we saw Eddie Lacy get carted off with an ankle injury, and Davante Adams missed a good portion of the game. Aaron Rodgers was elite again, but the matchup limited his upside. Adams missed out on hitting value for the second straight week, and James Jones found the end zone again. The ownership of Adams is going to continue to go down, and eventually we will see a breakout game. I loved seeing Randall Cobb get double-digit targets, and he finished with eight catches for over 100 yards. If Lacy misses anytime, it is clear the Packers will rely on James Starks. He finished with 95 yards on 20 carries, and honestly ripped through that Seahawks defense fairly easily. Jimmy Graham was targeted twice, and caught one pass for 11 yards. I believe the 6-51-1 line he put up last week is his ceiling, and we saw the floor this week. Marshawn Lynch has not been a factor yet this season, but it seems the Seahawks have to sort out some problems before things start clicking. It is hard to stop a Rodgers' offense, but Seahawks defense did not look good again.