If you managed to weather the storm of Week Two’s brutal injuries and dud performances to the tune of a win, congratulations. If, like me, you were let down by your studs (I’m looking at you, Brandin Cooks and Mike Evans), my sincerest condolences. Between a slew of quarterback setbacks and random disappointments, the second week of the NFL season was pretty brutal. That said, when stars disappoint, chances are some random players turn into usable assets. We’ll get into some of the more surprising bursts of productivity in a minute but we should probably address the injury bug that’s floating around first.

The biggest injury to come out of Week Two was that of Tony Romo’s broken clavicle. Although surgery won’t be necessary, Romo is still in line to miss at least eight weeks of play. The Dallas offense is just getting decimated by injuries with Dez Bryant breaking his foot last week and Romo injuring his collarbone on Sunday. What was once a reliable offense is turning into a situation to avoid. If Romo was your only start-worthy QB, poke around the waiver wire to see if someone like Carson Palmer, Marcus Mariota, or even Jameis Winston is available. I’d rather add someone on waivers than trade away a serviceable asset to acquire a new starter so use all of your available resources before you make a drastic move. It’ll be interesting to see how backup Brandon Weeden (yuck) affects tight end Jason Witten. Good tight ends usually aren’t hurt by backup QB play but we’re talking about Brandon Weeden here. Weeden is either going to be the dinkiest, dunkiest fill-in of all time that allows Witten to maintain relevance or he’s going to be so brutal that Witten falls off a cliff. Let’s hope it’s the former.

Two other quarterbacks suffered injuries on Sunday with Jay Cutler expected to miss at least two games due to a hamstring issue and Drew Brees suffering a shoulder problem. Cutler’s injury appears to be a lot more straightforward whereas Brees’ might take a couple days to sort out. Either way, same philosophy here, see who’s available on waivers before you pull the trigger on a trade. Ideally you weren’t starting Cutler anyway but with Brees I’m more concerned that this offense just isn’t going to be all that good going forward so I’d be more inclined to make a big move. Even when he was on the field on Sunday, Brees and the Saints looked lost out there. More on that in a second. In general, I’d be shaking in my boots if Brees was my only quarterback and I’d be looking to trade for someone else entirely.

This’ll likely be the last week you have to buy low/sell high on certain players before guys start looking like their true selves so we’re going to be touching on some trade scenarios. After week three, we’ll have a much more reasonable sample size to evaluate talent so now might be the time to pick a side on certain players. Alright chums, let’s do this.

 

Denver Broncos @ Kansas City Chiefs

This game was essentially the tale of the two Peyton Mannings. In the first half we saw a version of Peyton that looked like a cross between a guy who had a wet noodle for an arm and one of those giant inflatable tube things you see in front of car dealerships. But in the second half we saw the Peyton of old, leading the Broncos to a much needed comeback win. This tells me that one, Peyton is going to a struggle a little more than we’re used to due to his age and two, he’s not going to be as bad as he looked last week. He’ll be fine as a top-five QB the rest of the way but he’s not exactly the superstar he once was. It is what it is at this point. I’m much more concerned about this team’s running game now. Ronnie Hillman outplayed C.J. Anderson once again but neither guy was super impressive. Honestly, I’m cutting bait on this entire team’s ground attack. I’m trading Anderson if I can but I doubt you’ll get great value for him right now. Still, it’s worth trying to see what you can get for him.

On the Kansas City side of the ball there isn’t really much to report other than the fact that the game losing fumble by Jamaal Charles is a stinger. Hopefully his 125 yards and a touchdown were all you needed to come away with a win and aren’t panicked by him ending this game with butterfingers.

 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New Orleans Saints

So about those Saints…they don’t look so good anymore. After seeing the Titans torch the Tampa Bay defense last week, everyone in the galaxy thought the Saints would be able to steamroll this secondary. Instead, we saw an offense that was just plain old flat. The most productive player for New Orleans was that of Mark Ingram who only managed to rack up 53 yards with a touchdown. Brandin Cooks finishing with five catches for 62 yards likely didn’t do you any favors. Like I said earlier, I’m worried this offense just isn’t as good as it should be yet outside of trading Drew Brees, there probably isn’t much you can do about it. Cooks and Ingram are neither a buy-low or a sell-high so you’re just going to have to tough this one out and hope things turn around once Brees is healthy.

Mike Evans ended up suiting up for the Buccaneers but he probably should have sat this one out. He didn’t have a single catch in this game which is disastrous for those of us who started him expecting to see a big debut. Hopefully one more week will be enough for him to return to full strength. Either way, you have to start him if he’s playing and hope for the best. It was nice to see Vincent Jackson find the endzone for the first time in what feels like an eternity. As long as this team can move the ball, the trio of Evans, Jackson, and tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins can reel in touchdown passes at will. Evans is still a high-end WR2 and Jackson should be a solid flex play going forward. Lastly, seeing Charles Sims run eight times for 38 yards compared to Doug Martin’s 21 rushes for 78 raises an eyebrow. I think this backfield is going to start looking a little more like a committee going forward so keep that in mind if you were hoping for the Muscle Hamster bounce back.

 

Arizona Cardinals @ Chicago Bears

Raise your hand if you successfully spot-started Carson Palmer in a league. (High Five!) Palmer threw four touchdowns in this game, showing that this offense can be as good as any. Palmer is off to a hot start and looks locked in as a top-12 quarterback going forward. He should be your top priority if you were starting any of the injured or struggling quarterbacks. The more shocking aspect of this performance was the fact that Larry Fitzgerald caught three of those four TD passes. I’m not sold on this as a sign that Fitzy is going to return to his glory days but it does make him more usable as a WR3/flex. He’ll be ok this season and I’m still convinced that John Brown (who caught the other touchdown) is the wide receiver you want to own in Arizona. Chris Johnson ran 20 times for 72 yards filling in for the injured Andre Ellington and to that I offer you a disinterested shrug.

Alshon Jeffery ended up missing this game which is better than him suiting up only to net you zero point a la Mike Evans. We’ll have to see how Jeffery progresses throughout the week before we can evaluate him going forward but honestly, this just reinforces the fact that Matt Forte is the most underrated RB1 in the league. He had 104 total yards in this game and should be relied on even more with both Cutler and Jeffery banged up. If you can still somehow buy low on Forte, now would be the time to do it before he continues to explode.

 

San Diego Chargers @ Cincinnati Bengals

Is it me or did this game just feel completely uneventful? I guess you can consider Giovani Bernard’s unexpected 123-yard day eventful but I don’t think you should make too much of it. Jeremy Hill just happened to struggle and fumble here so game flow swung in Bernard’s favor. It happens. In fact, I’d use this opportunity to try and steal Hill away from a disappointed owner. Andy Dalton threw three touchdowns here. Yawn. Just wait until they play on primetime and he turns back into a pumpkin.

R.I.P. Keenan Allen’s return to glory. Two catches for 16 yards just ain’t gonna cut it, pal. I was never convinced his week one performance was sustainable so I think the best way to approach this situation is to assume he’ll be somewhere in the middle the rest of the way. Melvin Gordon had a solid day here with 16 rushes for 88 yards but is completely overshadowed by Danny Woodhead in the passing game. Woodhead is a PPR machine whereas Gordon’s value is much more reliable in standard scoring. Woodhead is basically a must start in PPR at this point so grab him if he’s still available.

 

Tennessee Titans @ Cleveland Browns

Well, well, well, what do you know, maybe Johnny Manziel isn’t as terrible as the Cleveland Browns organization wants him to be. Going eight for 15 on passing attempts for just 172 yards and two touchdowns isn’t exactly an Aaron Rodgers-level performance but let’s face facts, the offense is clearly moving better with Manziel. He’s by no means anywhere close to a fantasy starter but if he’s going to net us more production out of the Cleveland offense then maybe we can wind up with some interesting bench stashes. Isaiah Crowell’s 72 yards and a touchdown proves he can be a serviceable flex with Manziel under center. Even more interesting than that is the back-to-back performances from wide receiver Travis Benjamin. I basically poo pooed him as a waiver add last week but now that he’s done it twice in a row, it’s time to give him some respect. This is a team that is desperate for a number one receiver so it looks like Benjamin has taken that role by the horns. 115 yards and two touchdowns officially puts him in the waiver wire add discussion but here’s the thing; I’m worried that his value is tied directly to Johnny Football. If Josh McCown reclaims the starting gig, Benjamin might need to be dropped. We’ll have to see what the Browns decide but for now I’m willing to roll the dice on Benjamin.

Marcus Mariota had a decent game here, throwing for 257 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. The Titans offense in general looked like what we expected it to be without tight end Delanie Walker. They’ll spread the ball around enough to pretty much negate everyone’s fantasy value. Mariota is a solid QB2 and a favorable bye-week fill in given the right matchup. Everyone else not named Delanie Walker can be ignored.

 

Houston Texans @ Carolina Panthers

As someone who took a flier on Arian Foster this year, all I can think about in regard to the Houston Texans is when he’ll be back. It sounds like he has a pretty good chance to suit up in week three against the Buccaneers. Hopefully your team is good enough so that you don’t have to rely on Foster right away so temper your expectations in the short term. If he plays, I’ll likely use him as my flex rather than an RB2 just in case he needs a week or two to return to his old self. DeAndre Hopkins struggled here but such is life when Ryan Mallett is throwing you the ball. You win some, you lose some.

Cam Newton had a great day, throwing for two touchdowns and running a third one in. If Cam is going to rush 10 times for 76 yards, he’s going to bounce back in a big way this year. I was concerned about him as even a top-12 quarterback this year but after this week I’m willing to roll with him for the time being. He might just be a little more inconsistent than we’d like but he’s certainly going to be usable. Lastly, Greg Olsen’s six catches for 70 yards should be viewed as the norm in regard to this team’s pass catchers.

 

St. Louis Rams @ Washington Redskins

I literally have nothing to say about the St. Louis offense. Seriously, I got nothing. That’s not a good thing or a bad thing, the team just isn’t really offering anything of note right now. Once Todd Gurley starts playing we’ll have much more to talk about.

Everything I have to say about the Redskins this week is directly related to rookie running back Matt Jones. Jones outplayed Alfred Morris in a big way, finishing with 123 rushing yards and two scores compared to just 59 yards for Morris. Morris should still be viewed as the primary back in Washington with Jones being a flex play with upside. It’s possible that the team shifts this workload a lot closer so there might be weeks like this where one back considerably outplays the other. Either way, Jones is a must-own for Alfred Morris owners and is worth a stash in all formats.

 

Detroit Lions @ Minnesota Vikings

So last week we had to deal with the fact that Calvin Johnson’s targets were scary low and now this week we have to wonder what in the world the Lions are doing with their running game. I suppose you can chalk both up to game plan but I’m starting to think this is just a poorly coached team. With news that Matthew Stafford is less healthy than initially thought, it’s confusing why no running back had more than six rushes in this game. Ameer Abdullah only had six for nine yards while Joique Bell went four for two. It’s hard to be productive with such limited touches so I can’t really fault either guy for their low yardage totals. At least Megatron had a solid game with 83 yards and a score. It’s a sign that better days are ahead for Calvin, I just wish Detroit would figure out how to utilize both aspects of the offense rather than one at a time.

If you were panicking about Adrian Peterson last week you can safely exhale now. Peterson finished with a total of 184 yards and should have had at least one touchdown to go along with it if not for penalties and Teddy Bridgewater running it in. He’ll be totally fine long-term, here’s hoping that the touchdowns come sooner rather than later.

 

New England Patriots @ Buffalo Bills

Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, and Julian Edelman are looking like absolute beasts this year. Even with the return of the suspended LeGarrette Blount, the Patriots relied heavily on their passing game and gave running back Dion Lewis the majority of the touches out of the backfield. You should probably just avoid the New England ground game entirely if you can. Bill Belichick has always rotated RB’s at will so it’d be wise to stay hands off until we have more clarity.

As for the Bills, it was nice to see LeSean McCoy total 106 yards even while hobbled by a hamstring injury. It’s unfortunate that Karlos Williams and Tyrod Taylor are the ones who scored the rushing touchdowns but at least McCoy was productive while banged up. It should be a sign that he’s still a low-end RB1 going forward so you can relax if you own him. That said, you should absolutely grab Karlos Williams as his handcuff if you haven’t already. He won’t possess major value with McCoy on the field but he’s shown that he’d be good enough to use if anything were to happen to Shady.

 

Atlanta Falcons @ New York Giants

Julio Jones and Odell Beckham Jr. are studs. Next topic.

The biggest bit of news to come out of this game was the rib injury to Atlanta running back Tevin Coleman. It’s unclear just how long he’ll be out so DeVonta Freeman becomes a must add at the position. Freeman has high-end RB2 upside now that he’ll be getting a ton of touches so get ready to throw him in your lineup if your running backs are suspect. We’ll have to see what happens when Coleman returns, however, as this is likely going to continue to be a committee when both guys are healthy.

The Giants relied heavily on their passing attack in this game, allowing Eli Manning to throw 40 times for two touchdowns. Running back Shane Vereen led the team in catches with eight receptions, proving that he’s the clear PPR option on this team with Rashad Jennings being the more traditional runner. Their touches will likely be close to even going forward with both guys being nothing more than flex plays with some upside.

San Francisco 49ers @ Pittsburgh Steelers

 

How amazing is Antonio Brown? I love that man. 195 receiving yards in one game is just absolutely insane. Antonio and his fantastic hairstyles aside, DeAngelo Williams and Darrius Heyward-Bey have been great filling in for the suspended Le’Veon Bell and Martavis Bryant. The suspended players are obviously way better than their counterparts so just imagine what this offense can do once all of their weapons are on the field. If Williams and DHB are any indication of how good this team can be, Bell and Bryant are both going to have big years upon their return so get ready for some serious fantasy goodness.

Carlos Hyde got pretty banged up in this game as he was evaluated for a concussion and suffered a leg injury to boot. We’ll have to see how he recovers in the coming days it’s just unfortunate that he couldn’t follow up his massive week one performance. Colin Kaepernick had a nice game here with 335 yards and two touchdowns, most of which came once this game was already way out of reach. Kaepernick is a decent QB2 with some upside, nothing more. Torrey Smith had a big day here with 120 yards and a score which is kind of how he operates. He’ll have a big game here and there with a bunch of duds sprinkled in. He’s just not a reliable fantasy option and is basically a bye week fill-in.

 

Baltimore Ravens @ Oakland Raiders

Speaking of possible bye week fill-ins, don’t go crazy with the Michael Crabtree hype, as that’s exactly what he is, even after putting up 111 yards and a touchdown this week. Amari Cooper is still the primary receiver in Oakland so let’s pump the breaks on the Crabtree resurgence. It was nice to see running back Latavius Murray find the endzone here as tons of owners drafted him as a mid-tier RB2. When this offense gets rolling the way they did on Sunday, Murray and Cooper are solid fantasy options. It won’t happen every week but you’ll be satisfied overall by year’s end.

Is it too early to say “I hate to say I told you so” on Justin Forsett? Yea? Ok, I’ll wait. What I will say though is that Lorenzo Taliaferro eating into his workload is legit. That’s not going away anytime soon and you can view his redzone work as something that’s here to stay. In fact, don’t be surprised if this turns out to be a committee or Taliaferro outplays Forsett outright. I won’t pat myself on the back too much for this one just yet so it’s probably best we move on before I start gloating too much.

 

Miami Dolphins @ Jacksonville Jaguars

Plenty of fantasy analysts had been talking up wide receiver Allen Robinson as a potential sleeper all summer and he’s already delivered with a massive 155-yard and two touchdown performance. I think this breakout is the real deal and it’s something that is absolutely sustainable going forward. Robinson should be looked at as a WR3 with considerable upside the rest of the way although I’m interested to see how this offense operates once tight end Julius Thomas comes back. I’m not sure that this team is capable of producing two fantasy relevant pass-catchers simultaneously so someone might end up being the odd man out. Either way, I’m willing to throw Robinson in my lineup.

I’d be lying if I weren’t hitting the panic button on Lamar Miller. 10 rushing attempts for 14 yards is a scary stat line for any RB, let alone one you likely drafted early. Granted, this could be another case of game flow considering the fact that the Dolphins threw the ball 44 times with their wide receivers putting up some big numbers. Nevertheless, Miller has to show us something soon or his status as a high-end RB2 will remain in doubt. I would consider him as a buy low option although I’m probably not doing that deal unless another more reliable piece is involved.

 

Dallas Cowboys @ Philadelphia Eagles

We’ve already touched on the Tony Romo injury and what it could mean for Jason Witten but how about the fact that Brandon Weeden came in and immediately went seven for seven with a touchdown? Like I said, Weeden is either going to be super dink-and-dunk or just plain old terrible. I’d be concerned if I had picked up Terrance Williams off waivers last week but still, he’s the number one receiver on a team that’s struggling to run the ball effectively. Both Joseph Randle and Darren McFadden were lackluster out of the backfield with Randle receiving more touches. This is still Randle’s job to lose so maybe the injury to Romo results in the Cowboys leaning on him a little more.

What on Earth is going on with the Philadelphia Eagles? This was an offense that was supposed to be one of the more productive ones in the league yet they can’t even run the ball to save their lives. I was already abandoning ship on DeMarco Murray last week and I’d like to re-emphasize that concept. Not only would I abandon ship, I’d let that bad boy sink all the way down to the bottom of the ocean. Murray had 13 rushing attempts for a grand total of TWO yards. Two! Sell, sell, sell, if you can. Luckily, wide receiver Jordan Matthews is looking like the solid WR2 we expected him to be so far. He managed to find the endzone here to go along with his 80 yards. The Eagles might not be as good as everyone and their mother thought they would be but at least Jordan Matthews is living up to the hype.

 

Seattle Seahawks @ Green Bay Packers

As of writing, the ankle injury to running back Eddie Lacy isn’t as serious as it appeared. In fact, Lacy might even be ready to go next week on Monday night football against the Kansas City Chiefs. That said, Monday night games are risky so you should definitely add James Starks or have a backup plan just in case. Starks ran well against the Seattle defense so he should do just fine against the Chiefs. Lacy wasn’t the only Packer to get banged up in this game as wide receiver Davante Adams dealt with an ankle injury as well. The re-acquired James Jones is considerably outplaying Adams so you should probably just sit him until he’s back to full health regardless.

The Seahawks utilized wide receiver Doug Baldwin effectively to the tune of seven receptions 92 yards and a touchdown. Baldwin is locked in as the team’s number one receiver so feel free to use him in deeper PPR leagues. Unfortunately, Jimmy Graham was completely ineffective, finishing with just one reception for 11 yards. Seattle as well as Graham himself have stated that he’ll mostly be used as a blocker but as long as his redzone targets are there he’s still a top-3 tight end. If you’re worried about Marshawn Lynch, stop it. They face the Chicago Bears at home next week so you can set your alarm for the return of Beast Mode because it’ll be coming in hot in week three. I’d even go as far as saying Lynch will be worth every penny in any sort of daily/salary league format. I’m not worried about his season long outlook whatsoever.

Let’s hope the injury gods are a little nicer to us in week three and that our studs actually start producing. I promise that’s an unbiased statement that has nothing to do with me owning Mike Evans and Lamar Miller. Maybe.

 

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