Seth Vigdor
The NFL’s Week 2 is upon us and if it’s anything like Week 1, we’re in store for another treat. Week 1 didn’t just have some great games being played, it really reminded us why we yearn for football during the entire calendar year. It’s just simply a great product.
Let’s take a look at my five biggest Fantasy Football storylines heading into Week 2:
1. What’s up with Peyton Manning?
Peyton Manning’s first game this year was awful as he was 24/40 for 175 yards and 0 touchdowns. I’ve touched on his throwing velocity in one of my previous articles and there appears to be a lot of questions that need to be answered with Manning himself and with the Broncos team as a whole. This situation needs to be monitored closely because the Manning show might be coming to a close and a lackluster ending.
2. Will the real Indianapolis Colts please stand up?
Given the fact that Buffalo’s defense is tremendous, I suppose we could give the Colts a pass for looking flat against them. Last year, they went to the AFC Championship game after starting the season 0-2. However, on Sunday, they really looked bad, including their new additions Frank Gore and Andre Johnson. T.Y. Hilton is considered day-to-day with a knee bruise and the Colts play on Monday Night Football this week against another tough Jets defense, so it doesn’t get any easier. The Colts don’t want to start off the season 0-2 looking the way they did in Week 1. There’s already pressure on Chuck Pagano and any other distractions like a losing streak will not help his cause.
3. Can the Buffalo Bills stop the Patriots’ freight train?
Next up on the Patriots’ Express is Buffalo. The Bills dominated Andrew Luck and the Colts in Week 1. The Colts couldn’t get anything going against the Bills. The Patriots – Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski more specifically – were torching the Steelers in the season opener last Thursday. The Bills are going to have to play nasty to win and if any team can do that, it’s a Rex Ryan led team. This game is going to be fun to watch. We’ll truly see if Buffalo is for real.
4. Dez Bryant is injured – now what?
Dez Bryant suffered a broken bone in his foot and will need at least 4-6 weeks to heal. So where does this leave the Cowboys? Their running game is suspect to begin with and now this injury puts Tony Romo in a terrible position. If the run game doesn’t improve, it’ll be a long month and change for Romo. Dallas travels to Philly this week to play the Eagles and this may be the start of the rough patch of the season for the Cowboys.
5. Eagles in an early season must-win game
No one was expecting the Eagles to lose on Monday night against the Falcons. They got off to a sluggish start in the first half of the game, much like they did in last year’s season opener against the Jaguars, but pulled things together in the second half. If not for a late missed field goal by Cody Parkey, perhaps the panic level wouldn’t be so high in Philly. The Eagles are playing a Cowboys team without Dez Bryant, so this might make Byron Maxwell look a little bit better than he did against the Falcons. The Eagles need this one and I fully expect them to have it, mostly because it’s the team’s home opener and a loss to the Cowboys will usher in a living hell in the city just days before the Pope is set to arrive. I’m just assuming that can’t happen.
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Each week I will present what I think are the juiciest fantasy matchups at each position. I don’t want to keep you guys waiting, so let’s take a look at the juiciest matchups for Week 2.
Quarterbacks
Drew Brees (NO vs TB)
Did you see what Marcus Mariota did to Tampa Bay last week? He carved them up. Enter Drew Brees, who was 30/48 for 355 yards, with one touchdown & one interception in a 31-19 loss to Arizona. Brees should bounce back nicely in the Dome and look for the Saints to get in the W column.
Matt Ryan (ATL vs NYG)
In perhaps the second biggest shocker of Week 1, the Falcons beat the Eagles. Matty Ice has what I project as the best wide receiver in the game in Julio Jones, so look for another 2-3 TD tosses for Ryan this week against a Giants team that blew a late lead and ultimately the game in Dallas this past Sunday. The Ryan/Jones connection will do some great things in this game.
Sam Bradford (PHI vs DAL)
Last week, despite Vegas’ line, many expected the Eagles to smoke the Falcons. This week, the Birds return home to face the rival Cowboys. Sam Bradford played well in the second half against the Falcons and I think that his momentum will continue to build. I expect a big win here for Philly and at least two TD passes for Bradford.
Wide Receivers
Brandin Cooks (NO vs TB)
Brandin Cooks was quiet in Week 1 against the Cardinals. However, I don’t expect him to be held in check again this week when the Saints play Tampa Bay. The Bucs got slaughtered in Week 1 by the Titans, so imagine what the Saints are going to do here. Cooks is going to be the big benefactor of a poor Tampa D, so expect big numbers from him this week.
Odell Becham Jr. (NYG vs ATL)
ODB was almost invisible last week against Dallas. I don’t expect Beckham to be silent two weeks in a row. This game against Atlanta should be fairly high scoring, so look for Beckham to find the end zone once or twice.
Jordan Matthews (PHI vs DAL)
The Eagles’ last chance against the Falcons last week went literally right through the hands of Jordan Matthews. I expect a rebound from him and the Eagles this week in the NFC East showdown at the Linc. The Birds need to make sure that he doesn’t lose his confidence, so I expect a heavy dose of Matthews in the offensive game plan. Maybe we’ll see Nelson Agholor out there, too, since he took Monday night off.
Running Backs
Adrian Peterson (MIN vs DET)
Adrian Peterson had a bad outing against San Francisco when he rushed 10 times for only 31 yards. Peterson needs to get accustomed to rushing out of the shotgun formation. He’ll adjust and it’ll start this week. The Vikings need to feed him the ball more if they want to have any shot of making the playoffs. Look for Peterson to get back in the swing of things against the Lions.
Jeremy Hill (CIN vs SD)
Jeremy Hill had two touchdowns last week when the Bengals demolished the Raiders. Look for Hill to keep rolling here against San Diego. Hill is too beastly to stop.
Matt Forte (CHI vs AZ)
Forte had himself one hell of an opener against the Packers. He had 24 carries for 141 yards and a touchdown. Plus, he added 5 receptions for 25 yards. The Bears will continue to feed him as their offense is banged up at this point of the season. Look for 100+ overall yards and another touchdown against the Cardinals.
Tight Ends
Travis Kelce (KC vs DEN)
If Andy Reid is committed to getting Travis Kelce the ball, then there’s very little that any team will be able to do to stop him. Kelce had two touchdowns in Week 1 and I’m not sure that the Broncos are the team that can stop Kelce. I expect at least 75 yards from him to go along with one touchdown.
Tyler Eifert (CIN vs SD)
Eifert had his coming out game against the Raiders in Week 1. While the Chargers aren’t the Raiders, I think that Eifert will still have a nice game. Eifert is the type of player that is injury prone, but if healthy, he’ll be in the top five fantasy tight ends this year. He’s going to find the end zone again this week.
Austin Seferian-Jenkins (TB vs NO)
With Mike Evans out with an injury last week, Seferian-Jenkin’s number was called on quite a bit and he delivered with two touchdowns against the Titans. Clearly, Mike Evans’ health will play a role in his production this year, but we should see consistent play out of him all year. I expect the Saints to march the Bucs out of the Superdome, but that doesn’t mean that there won’t be garbage time points to be had by Jenkins in this one.
Kickers
Adam Vinatieri (IND vs NYJ)
The Colts should rebound this week on Monday Night Football against the Jets. They were held in check last week by a dominant Bills D, but they’ll put 30+ on the board this week against the Jets and Vinatieri will have plenty of attempts to put some Fantasy points on the board. While I think the Jets’ D is good, this game has a Colts blowout written all over it.
Stephen Gostkowski (NE vs BUF)
The Patriots’ offense is deadly and although the Chiefs have a solid D, I’m not sure the Pats can be slowed down early on in the year. Gostkowski is always one of the better Fantasy kickers and I expect more of the same from him this week.
Defense
St. Louis Rams (vs WAS)
The Rams pulled out a nail-biter last week against the Seahawks and this week they’re rewarded by playing pathetic Washington. The Redskins have no shot, so expect the Rams D to tee off on them.
Philadelphia (vs DAL)
The Eagles D looked suspect last week against the Falcons, but their special teams are a different story. Dez won’t be playing and the Cowboys’ running game isn’t good at this stage of the year. Expect lots of blitzes from Billy Davis’ D and I expect 15-20 Fantasy points from the Birds D/ST this week.
While I always try to stress the importance of patience in Fantasy Football for the first three weeks of the season, now is the time to start looking for trends that may pop up. Follow this week closely, as there aren’t many opportunities in Fantasy Football to right the wrong.
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