Tony Cutillo
Here we are. Week 2 is in the books and you’re already reevaluating how your team is constructed. Is it time for a trade or do you stand pat and wait for your players to perform? In the average fantasy season, you only have 13 weeks to shine. Obviously you do not want to cut bait too soon, but if you wait too long, odds are you already passed on a few stars that are shining for another team. This week showed us that the fantasy football gods continue to be unpredictable and leaves us scratching our heads as we shake our Magic 8-Ball for answers.
Let’s take a look at the recap below:
Standout Stars
QB
- Newton…………353 yds 4 TD/1 INT
- Ryan……………..396 yds 3 TD/1 INT
- Rivers……………220 yds 4 TD
RB
- Forte……………..100 yds, 3 TD….2 rec, 9 yds
- Bernard…………17 yds….9 rec, 100 yds 1 TD
- Williams………..94 yds…4 rec, 38 yds 1 TD
WR/TE
- Diggs……………….9 rec, 182 yds, 1 TD
- K. Benjamin.…..7 rec, 108 yds 2 TD
- T. Benjamin……6 rec, 115 yds, 2 TD
Last week’s picks: 4 out of 8, 50%
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Substandard Stiffs
QB
- Luck……………….197 yds, 1 TD/1 INT
- Wilson……………254 yds
- Winston…….….243 yds, 1 TD/4 INT
RB
- Foster…………….9 yds…(Injury)
- Martin……………23 yds…(Injury)
- Bernard…………25 yds….2 rec, 5 yds
WR/TE
- Moncrief…………1 rec, 9 yds (Injury)
- J. Brown………….1 rec, 14 yds
- G. Tate…………….2 rec, 13 yds
Last week’s picks: 3 out of 6, 50%
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Surprise Performers (Sleepers)
Stefon Diggs – Diggs came into his own as a rookie last year and compiled 85 targets in 13 games. He was up and down as rookies usually are, but showed flashes of a true #1. It looks like he has turned those flashes into a reality and is going to make 2016 the year he puts it all together. Through his first 2 games this season he has a line of 16/285/1. In a PPR league he has compiled 50 fantasy points and is sitting in the top 15 for WR’s. In an offense that will be looking for options without AP, Diggs looks to produce WR1 numbers for the foreseeable future. Congrats to the owners who took a chance on him in the later rounds.
Travis Benjamin – When Benjamin signed as a free agent in the offseason, he was being talked about as an underrated option in San Diego. Now that Allen and Woodhead are out for the year, he becomes the main target for Phillip Rivers. He has the speed and deception to be a great asset, but will have to prove he can put up WR1 numbers before he inserted into weekly lineups.
Last week’s picks: 2 out of 3, 75%
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Statistical Busts
Devonta Freeman – If you are anything like me, you have reservations for players who come out of nowhere in year 1 and have a risk of the sophomore slump in year 2. Freeman was that guy for me. He took the NFL by storm and looked like the next Priest Holmes, but he slowed down after the first 8 games and came into 2016 with alot of questions. With a head coach who already mentioned the words of RBBC, his future outlook doesn’t look promising. He honestly may struggle to finish in the top 20 this year. A total of 50 yds rushing and 3 catches in 2 weeks isn’t going to cut it.
Allen Robinson – The milk carton, “Have You Seen Him” award this week goes to ARob. This is a guy who was picked to be one of the top WR’s in fantasy this year. Instead he has been stuck in neutral as his QB looks like he studied the motions of Jay Schroeder over the summer instead of John Elway. The Jacksonville offense is very talented and hasn’t even touched on their potential yet this year. ARob has lived in garbage time over the last 2 weeks and is hungry for a main course. I still think he will get his numbers, but I can’t lie and say I don’t a bad feeling going forward. Hopefully, this isn’t one of the guys that falls from fantasy grace this year. Keep hope alive my fellow owners.
Last week’s picks: 2 out of 2, 100%
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Week 2 Thoughts and Theories
-It’s time to worry about Jamal Charles – Jamal Charles continues to work his way back from a torn ACL and the fact that he hasn’t been able to play yet is concerning. There wasn’t much info coming out of camp until the last few weeks when we started to hear whispers about him not being ready to get on the field. You know it is serious when his doctor was quoted as being concerned. Unfortunately, I see this playing out like the Dion Lewis situation. He could go back under the knife to see what is going on. In that case he may not be back until week 10. Either way this is a mess for fantasy owners who drafted in early August.
–Carson Wentz is a winner on the NFL field, but not a relevant fantasy QB. In the world of fantasy we always look at stats and not win/loss percentage. We want to see who can throw up the most points instead of concerning ourselves with who wins the game. Carson Wentz has been stellar in his first 2 weeks as a rookie, but his line of 468 yds and 3 TD’s isn’t going to make him a weekly starting option. He is definitely an Alex Smith prototype.
–Adrian Peterson’s best days may be behind him – When people asked me who my choice for biggest bust of 2016 was I told them AP. Most were shocked and couldn’t believe I was down on the electrifying RB. I was really concerned with how much tread was on the tires and thought this was the year he would be taken off the field on third downs more frequently. Unfortunately for AP owners, my prediction came true for the first 2 weeks and now he is on the shelf with no timetable for a return. Jerick McKinnon is the man to own in Minnesota going forward.
–Giovani Bernard continues his PPR dominance. – Last year we seen the rise of Gio in an offense that loves to throw the ball. Sure Jeremy Hill will score on the goaline, but in a PPR league Gio will continue to see 8+ targets a game helping him stay among the top pass catching backs in the league. Start him as a FLEX with confidence.
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My Skinny Post for Week 2
The injuries continue to mount for the Chargers, as they must have been breaking mirrors in the offseason; two starters in two weeks seems like a new form of the Madden curse … Cam Newton and Kelvin Benjamin are clicking more than a dollar store cap gun. These guys are taking over the offensive side of the ball while Benjamin flips everyone off who said he was an out of shape replacement players in the summer … The Atlanta Falcon’s backfield continues to be unsettled as the whispers of the dreaded abbreviation RBBC is being flashed with every other carry. Freeman owners can now panic … Melvin Gordon proves to be one of the biggest steals in the draft. The Bob Marley throwback has piled up 177 yards from scrimmage and 3 TDs in two weeks, which are RB1 numbers. Congrats if you were the owner who dropped the chicken wing in round 12 to draft him … Eddie Lacy continues to move like he is running a marathon in the streets of Boston and their record snowfall. Has anyone one else found the weight he supposedly lost in the offseason? … Mark Ingram is starting to play like the guy we all knew he was. All hype and no game in an offense that treats him like the unwanted child in a dysfunctional family …. Arian Foster once again is injured after two games. This is what happens when you pound your body with cheeseburgers all offseason and try to hang with well conditioned athletes … Looks like Pete Carroll may actually be Sleepless in Seattle as he tries to figure out why his offense is moving the ball at a slower speed than Rob Ryan’s fastest time in the 100 yd dash … Speaking of Ryan, looks like the Buffalo Bills have been torn apart by the huge ego and arrogant preaching of Rex. This may actually be where Fantasy players go to die. You have been warned.
Now, it’s onto Week 3.
As always, you can stop by my Facebook page (Fantasy Sports Addiction) or tweet me (@TCutillo23) for questions or some nice fantasy debates. I can also be heard weekly via the internet stream live at WENG RADIO every Monday at 4:00 P.M. ET for a weekend sports wrap. But most importantly, you can catch me here at Pi!
For fantasy purposes, all my articles are predicated upon a PPR-based system.