Week 2 NFL Recap & Week 3 Fantasy Football Prep

Allow me to sum up all of Week Two in one word: Ouch. Injuries ran rampant all throughout the league this week with some being more serious than others. The good news is that none are to believed season ending despite several players expected to miss some time. Hopefully you managed to benefit from some of the week’s bigger performance to counteract the boatload of dinged up stars.

Fantasy Football Impact Players: Week 2 NFL Recap

Aaron Rodgers, Jordy Nelson, Brandon Marshall, and Antonio Gates (what?) were the biggest performers of the day for various reasons.

Rodgers and Nelson participated in a surprisingly close matchup with the New York Jets that actually had the Packers on the ropes at one point.

Still, Rodgers showed why he’s one of the best in the business with his 346 yards and three touchdowns, one of which went to Nelson. Nelson’s scoring came mostly via his astounding 209 receiving yards against a weak Jets secondary.

The other big performers, Brandon Marshall and Antonio Gates, were pretty surprising given Marshall’s dinged up ankle and Gates not being very fairly fantasy relevant the last two years. Marshall’s three touchdowns led the Bears to a much-needed win over the 49ers while Gates had three TDs himself against the mighty Seattle defense.

The most important thing is that the injury doesn’t appear to be affecting Marshall all that much, particularly when the dude is out there catching passes one handed. Ridiculous. As for Gates, don’t expect to see the old Antonio Gates for the rest of the season. It’s likely we’ve already seen his best game of the year and the Chargers have a lot of different offensive weapons to choose from. Gates should certainly be on a roster in every league if he isn’t already, but I would temper expectations for the whole season.

So about those injuries. They stink. But alas, we still need to address them so here it goes.

Fantasy Football Injury Updates: Week 2 NFL Recap

• We knew ahead of time that Ben Tate would miss Cleveland’s matchup against the Saints but now it appears Tate is targeting a week five return. Both Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell looked good in his absence so both guys are usable despite the timeshare. Their value will diminish as Tate nears a return.

• With Jordan Cameron out, no other tight end on the Browns stepped up. It sounds as if the Browns held out Cameron so that he can be closer to 100% in week three. If Cameron’s active next week, you’re starting him. That’s that.

• Robert Griffin III suffered a dislocated ankle in Sunday’s Redskins/Jaguars matchup. (I can’t even imagine what that must feel like considering how it looked. No thank you.) Hopefully you were wise enough to roster a backup QB given RGIII’s injury history, but the scary thing is Kirk Cousins actually looked better while he was in the game. Griffin might end up missing up to eight weeks and it wouldn’t be all that surprising to see Cousins win the job in the interim. I’d be seriously concerned if I were an RGIII owner and it wouldn’t hurt to snatch up Cousins if you can afford the roster spot, as he will be a very solid QB in the right matchups.

• I’m pretty sure I’ve never used the following segue in my life. Speaking of dislocations, Knowshon Moreno dislocated his elbow in Sunday’s blowout loss to the Bills. The current timetable is 4-8 weeks, which catapults Lamar Miller into solid RB2 territory. The Dolphins have also brought back Daniel Thomas, but he’s still Daniel Thomas so he’s pretty much useless.

• DeSean Jackson was the other Redskin to get banged up on Sunday yet he claims he intends to play in week three. Jackson has been referred to as day-to-day by the team so just monitor that situation as the week goes on. Ideally you have a backup option to start on your team in the event he doesn’t suit up in Philadelphia.

• Doug Martin is expected to play in Thursday Night’s Buccaneers/Falcons matchup despite banging up his knee. The problem is, Bobby Rainey has actually looked like the better back on Tampa Bay. If Martin does indeed play, don’t be surprised if their workload starts looking closer to a committee than a clear starter-to-backup tandem.
• One of the biggest stars to suffer an injury this week was Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green. It’s unclear how long Green will be out, but if he does miss time the entire Bengals offense will suffer. Marvin Jones is worth an add should A.J. Green be ruled out for a lengthy amount of time but don’t expect him to be nearly as good as Green. He’ll get a similar workload for sure but let’s not forget who he’d be replacing.

• Perhaps an even bigger fantasy star was injured as well in Jamaal Charles. Charles left the Chiefs matchup against the Broncos due to an ankle injury that was ultimately revealed to be a high ankle sprain. That could put him out for about a month, if not more, and leaves Knile Davis as this week’s must add. He’s obviously not Jamaal Charles but he’s one of the better backup running backs in the NFL so he will certainly be productive and could be the waiver wire pickup that helps you win a week.

• Mr. Glass Ryan Mathews suffered an MCL sprain that will cause him to miss 4-6 weeks. Some might expect Danny Woodhead to get the nod for the starting gig but that role will actually end up going to Donald Brown. Woodhead is the Chargers preferred passing back and a much better play in PPR leagues. Brown will get the majority of the carries and is the #2 waiver wire add this week.  Mathews is known for getting banged up so I’d be cautious even when he does come back.

• Just when Mark Ingram was starting to look like the back many expected him to be he goes and breaks his hand. He’s expected to miss a month of action which automatically bumps up Khiry Robinson and Pierre Thomas. Robinson is the back you want in a standard league where and Thomas is a better PPR play. I doubt Thomas is available in your league but Robinson very well might be. Both guys are RB2s and should be treated as such.

• A surprising absence was that of Carson Palmer in the Cardinals victory over the Giants. Palmer had a quietly decent game in week one’s opening bout against San Diego so it’s a shame he didn’t get the chance to torch the below average Giants defense in a tasty matchup. No one knows just how long the shoulder injury will keep him out for. It would be wise to leave both Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd on your bench until Palmer returns if you can afford to.

• Lastly, 49ers tight end Vernon Davis hurt his ankle Sunday night and was seen walking around on crutches after the game. It’s too early to know just how long Davis will be out, if at all, but you should definitely grab a tight end off the waiver wire if you don’t already have a second one. Travis Kelce or Delanie Walker perhaps?

Whew, that was exhausting/sad. Injuries are never fun especially when they occur to guys you own and like. In a perfect world you’ve drafted well enough that your bench can keep you afloat in their absence and you’re able to snag key players off the waiver wire. Diving into the actual games should help ease the pain as well.

Steelers @ Ravens

With Ray Rice officially gone, it was Bernard Pierce who stepped it up in the Ravens run game despite reports of Justin Forsett getting the nod. Forsett got some run in as well but it was Pierce who was the beneficiary of 22 rushes for 96 yards. Even more surprising than that was the continued usage of Steve Smith over Torrey Smith. I was under the mindset that Torrey would remain the number one receiver and that Baltimore couldn’t support two fantasy relevant wide receivers at the same time.

It’s starting to appear as if I was half right: the Ravens seem to prefer Steve over Torrey and only one guy is currently relevant. If I’m a Torrey Smith owner, I’m starting to panic right now. I would remove him from the lineup until he starts to show me something. And what on earth happened with Owen Daniels catching two TDs? I don’t think that automatically makes him add-worthy in shallow leagues but it does hurt Dennis Pitta’s value a bit.

On the Steeler side of things, Antonio Brown didn’t karate kick anyone this week so that’s kind of unfortunate. That said, the guy is an absolute stud who managed to avoid a concussion and grabbed seven passes for 90 yards. He’s on his way to having a huge year. I can’t imagine Markus Wheaton being available in your league but grab him now before it’s too late as he’s starting to come into his own. Le’Veon Bell had a “meh” game but he should be fine long term. Not much else to address on Pittsburgh as the offense struggled as a whole throughout the game and didn’t even get into the end zone.

Patriots @ Vikings

This game was a trendy upset pick with New England on the road coming off of a letdown loss in week one. Those sentiments were obliterated as the Patriots steamrolled the Vikings 30-7. As expected, the Patriots continued to utilize a carousel at running back that saw Stevan Ridley as the week’s biggest beneficiary with 101 yards and a TD.  It's notable that Ridley had the bulk of the carries when the Pats were up, while Vereen had the bulk in Week 1 when the Pats were down.  Expect similar usage patterns going forward. Julian Edelman had a nice game here as well despite Tom Brady only putting up 149 yards.

The highly anticipated bounce back year for Brady doesn’t appear to be coming so I would be concerned if he was my only quarterback. Might be time to push the panic button and pick up someone else. As for Minnesota, the Vikings imposed a one game suspension on Adrian Peterson and Matt Asiata got the nod at running back. It sounds as if Peterson will be back on the field next week, but with the 2nd set of possible charges, and Radisson pulling their Vikings sponsorship, the situation is extremely murky.  Until we hear the official word from the NFL regarding AP's court case, Asiata should still be owned in all leagues. The passing game suffered as a whole due largely to Matt Cassel throwing four interceptions. Might be time for Teddy Bridgewater to dust off his helmet…

Falcons @ Bengals

Speaking of interceptions, Matt Ryan threw three of his own against the Bengals. The Cincinnati defense is legit so Julio Jones owners should be satisfied with their 88 yards and a touchdown. The rest of the Atlanta offense struggled mightily but they’ll be fine once their matchups get easier.

As for the Bengals, losing A.J. Green stinks so their entire offense will suffer until he’s able to come back. Concerns about Jeremy Hill cutting into Giovani Bernard’s carries appear to be valid however Bernard still got 32 touches. So basically, who cares if Hill gets 15 carries as long as Cincy is running the ball nearly 50 times? Bernard is going to get his looks regardless and with Green banged up, both guys might get even more work.

Saints @ Browns 

The Browns upset the Saints with a last second field goal despite being without their two best remaining offensive weapons in Ben Tate and Jordan Cameron. Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell performed about equally in Tate’s absence and Andrew Hawkins continues to be a solid PPR receiver. His value is diminished in standard scoring but he’s absolutely worth stashing in PPR leagues. Apparently, Josh Gordon’s suspension will be reduced to ten games, leaving him eligible to return in week 12.

If that’s the case, he’s a must add in all leagues if you can afford to hang on to him for that long AND still be in contention by the time week 12 rolls around.  I picked him up in one of my own leagues and I can tell it’s already going to be difficult to burn a roster spot on him for the next ten weeks so good luck with that. As for the Saints, you know who’s pretty good? Some dude named Jimmy Graham. He’s proven his worth as a border-line first round pick while Brandin Cooks came back down to reality a bit.

That’s kind of what the Saints do: one week it’s the Brandin Cooks show, the next week he’s nowhere to be found. Speaking of nowhere to be found, Marques Colston vanished on Sunday and was held to a catchless game for the first time in 87 games. I wouldn’t put him anywhere near a regular starting fantasy lineup any time in the foreseeable future because it's a complete roll of the dice as far as which Saints receivers will see targets.

Lions @ Panthers

A week after Calvin Johnson proved why his nickname is Megatron he simply had a regular game of six catches for 88 yards. A lot of that can be attributed to the mighty Panthers defense but some of that is just the law of averages at work. (Kind of silly saying anything related to Calvin Johnson with the word average involved.)

The Panthers defense kept everyone on the Lions in check whereas the offense looked great with Cam Newton back. Any concern about Cam’s rib injury hampering his performance should be thrown out the window after tearing up Detroit. Trendy sleeper Kelvin Benjamin didn’t have a great day but target machine Greg Olsen managed to put up 72 yards. He’s Cam’s most trusted target so expect that trend to continue.

Jaguars @ Redskins 

Remember when some Patriots reporters were suggesting that Kirk Cousins looked better than Robert Griffin III in camp? Yea, turns out they might have actually been on to something. Cousins stepped in once RGIII dislocated his ankle and looked really good against a better than advertised Jacksonville defense. Cousins should be added in virtually all leagues and could be a serviceable fantasy starter if you own a guy like Tom Brady who is off to a slow start as long as you play the matchups right. Don’t be surprised if Cousins manages to hold on to this job even after Griffin returns.

And speaking of backups, Niles Paul stepped up big time in Jordan Reed’s absence to the tune of 99 yards and a touchdown. Unfortuantely this isn’t likely to continue and Reed will get his spot back once he’s fully healthy.

As for the Jags, Allen Hurns came back down to earth as expected. No one thought that would continue for the whole year. You don’t even need to hold on to him if you need to make a pick up this week. Yikes did Toby Gerhart disappoint. Seven rushed for eight yards is atrocious, as is his 2.0 yards per carry on the year thus far. If you're not concerned about Gerhart already, this pic might change your mind

I’m hoping this is mostly related to his ankle injury but either way Gerhart is an interesting buy low candidate. In a league where running backs disappoint, get hurt, or fall victim to committees, a clear number one back on any team is welcome. He’s not an automatic start right now but he could develop into one as the year progresses. By the way, Chadd Henne looks like a lost child out there. How is Blake Bortles not starting yet?

Cowboys @ Titans 

Practically every fantasy analyst expected the Titans offense to run wild all over the abysmal Cowboys defense but the only guy that showed anything was tight end Delanie Walker. Walker is in a group of tight ends that are all similar in talent/role where one guy pops at different points in the season. The titans have a plethora of receiving options and Jake Locker is better than people give him credit for so Walker is worth owning if you decided to wait on tight end and feel like taking a flyer on a guy.

Under no circumstances should anyone be starting Bishop Sankey. He’s a nice name to roster, especially in keeper or dynasty leagues, but Shonn Greene is the starter, end of story. Stop it with the “but he’s old and slow” narrative because it simply does not matter. Opportunity is the name of the game with running backs, and Sankey has none right now, He's had TWO carries for THREE yards. Enough about Sankey until he shows us something.

Enough with that rant, let’s talk Cowboys. DeMarco Murray might end up being a top three running back by the end of the year as long as he can stay healthy. And fear not Dez Bryan owners, he had the big game you wanted a week ago. The Cowboys offense has always been good with Tony Romo under center. It’s that Swiss cheese defense that could use some TLC.

Cardinals @ Giants 

Fire sale on the New York Giants: everything must go. Victor Cruz, Rueben Randle, Rashad Jennings, Eli Manning Andre Williams, even Kate & Rooney Mara. All things Giants should be on the block, although I doubt you can get anything even remotely close to full value for them.  This just isn’t a good offense, although Eli did look a lot better in week 2, and Jennings will continue to have solid value as a featured pass catching back.  The Giants might benefit with Odel Beckham Jr. coming back healthy and tearing it up.

As for the Cardinals, Andre Ellington doesn’t appear to be hampered by the foot injury at all: 15 carries to 91 yards is what you drafted him for.  Let's just hope he starts finding his way into the end one. We already mentioned the Carson Palmer injury and how it negatively affects all Arizona receivers. This was an ugly game despite the Cardinals managing to put up 25 points.

Dolphins @ Bills 

If you’ve read anything I’ve written about the Bills in the past you’d know that I am essentially the president of the Fred Jackson fan club. I’ve also stated that C.J. Spiller returning kicks is a horrible idea given that he gets hurt enough as it is, so why put him on the most injury-prone play in football? Turns out, I am not smarter than the Bills coaching staff as Spiller returned a kickoff for a TD. Most leagues don’t reward individual players for plays on special teams but perhaps you lucked out on that.

Spiller also did more with his 12 carries than Jackson but they’re a lot closer in usage than people might realize, despite Spiller being the superior talent. There will be weeks Spiller does something flashy like return a kick for a touchdown but there will also be weeks Fred-Ex proves his worth as a workhouse back and gets into the end zone at the goal line.
The Sammy Watkins era might have just begun. It’s possible this was just a one week fluke with his 117 yards and a touchdown but everyone is well aware of his talent. The concern has always been about the QB play, not Watkins' talent. We’ll see how this shapes up as the year progresses.  In Dolphins news, Knowshon Moreno’s injury allowed Lamar Miller to get more work while Mike Wallace snagged the Dolphins only touchdown on one of the most impressive catches I've ever seen.

Seahawks @ Chargers

The Chargers were another trendy upset pick, one that actually paid off in their 30-21 victory over Seattle. The injury to Ryan Mathews isn’t all that surprising given his past  All three of Philip Rivers’ touchdown passes went to longtime vet Antonio Gates. Not much else to see here as the other passes were spread out among San Diego’s many receiving options.

The Seahawks continue to utilize a variety of players at once which is why they’re the defending Super Bowl Champions. Percy Harvin found his way into the end zone while Marshawn Lynch had a quiet 36 yard performance on the ground. He’s still the guy we call Beast Mode so there’s no need to panic.

Rams @ Buccaneers 

Looks like those Zac Stacy concerns in regard to Benny Cunningham's potential workload were a bit exaggerated. Stacy still received the majority of the carries with 71 yards and a touchdown. He’s the number one back on the team for sure but he may not end up being worthy of his second round pick status by the end of the year unless he gets more involved in the passing game.

I don’t particularly care how long Doug Martin is out for but Bobby Rainey SHOULD be the starting running back in Tampa Bay. Who knows if that ends up happening upon Martin’s return but it’s not out of the realm of possibility.

Texans @ Raiders 

Arian Foster’s workload this season has been extremely surprising. Foster isn’t losing touches whatsoever despite his age and banged up body but hey, take the fantasy points any way you can get them. As far as the passing game is concerned, Ryan Fitzpatrick has basically been given the ball and told “throw less pick sixes than Matt Schaub” and that’s exactly what he’s doing.

With a “just don’t screw up” mentality, Fitzpatrick is showing he’s competent enough to 1) hand the ball off to Arian Foster 2) throw it to Andre Johnson when instructed to do so and 3) throw it to the guys wearing Texans jerseys. Maurice Jones-Drew was held out of this game for the Oakland Raiders which left Darren McFadden to run the ball. McFadden is ok at best, his time as a must-own fantasy player has been over for a while. James Jones was the big star of the Raider offense here who might be worth an add in deeper leagues.

Jets @ Packers 

This game was surprising in that the Jets managed to keep it close with the Packers, actually leading for most of the game. The Jets offense looked average which is what we’ve come to expect. Chris Ivory managed to get into the end zone and did more with his touches than Chris Johnson. We’ve already discussed the Packers passing game but here’s a recap: Aaron Rodgers is good, Jordy Nelson ain’t too shabby either.

Eddie Lacy remains one of the most polarizing players in all of fantasy this season. I could easily see Lacy falling into both the “buy low” and “sell now” categories. Personally, I own him in a league where I’m genuinely thinking about dealing him but I’m not sure I can bring myself to do it. I would stay put as a Lacy owner for now but be warned that this is your last chance to get top dollar for him in the event he doesn't start playing like a 1st round pick.

Chiefs @ Broncos  

Some expected this game to be closer to a blowout despite the fact that it’s a divisional game and the Chiefs are better than people think. It ended up being a one-possession game. Jamaal Charles leaving this game with an ankle injury might have had you thinking the offense would collapse but Kniles Davis was actually good enough to keep things afloat. Like I mentioned earlier, he’s this week’s number one pick up and it might be time to buy into Travis Kelce before it’s too late.

He led the team in receiving yards with 81 and it’s only a matter of time before he’s the clear number one receiving option on the team. Peyton Manning threw for three touchdowns in this game, all to different weapons. Both Julius and Demaryius Thomas caught one a piece while Jacob Tamme grabbed the other. That’s just how the Broncos operate, spreading the ball around as much as possible. Speaking of potential buy low candidates, Montee Ball fits that category as well. He’s going to be on the field a ton and he’s the clear number one back on the most versatile offense in football. He’s going to have a great season so just sit tight if you own him. He's a great buy low candidate if his owner is starting to get nervous.

Bears @ 49ers - Sunday Night Football
Both Chicago wide receivers were banged up heading into this game in Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery. There’s a decent chance both of these injuries linger throughout the season but as long as they’re able to take the field you’re starting them. There might be some more game time decisions down the line so just keep an eye on the situation. This weeks late start time on Sunday night didn’t help you make the decision but that won’t happen every week.

Marshall’s three touchdowns are legit, including this ridiculous one-handed grab, but obviously not very repeatable. He’ll have big games for sure but three touchdowns in one game is a rarity. Enjoy it for the week. Forte only getting 17 touches for 35 total yards is a head scratcher. Not enough for concern but it’s more of a one game hiccup against the 49ers defense.

Colin Kaepernick’s three interceptions were what led to the 49ers loss but he did manage to pick up 66 yards rushing the football. That’s what you get with Kaepernick, rushing yards and who knows what else? Frank “Goonies Never Say Die” Gore (I’m going to keep writing that until it catches on) put up 63 yards where as Carlos Hyde had four carries for ZERO yards. This isn’t a time share, folks. It’s simply Gore’s job to lose.

Whew, that was a meaty piece. All these injuries had this week end up being pretty crazy. Hopefully next week is a lot more clean and healthy.