Who to Start, Who to Sit Week 2
Quarterbacks
Start: Eli Manning, New York Giants vs. St. Louis Rams. Donovan McNabb made mincemeat of the Rams secondary on his way to a 361 yard, 3 TD game. It also seems that Eli Manning is a different QB after winning the Super Bowl. His completion percentage definitely needs to improve some still, but his confidence is at an all time high. Expect Eli to throw at least 2 TDs and the Giants to move to 2-0.
Start: Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions. Nothing made me happier than to see Rodgers take that Lambeau Leap on Monday night against the Vikings. After all the crap and added attention that was given to him because of the Brett Favre fiasco, Rodgers was under more pressure than any other QB in football. But he looked poised, calm, and strong in his first start, against a division rival, in Lambeau, on Monday Night Football. I was impressed. Look for Rodgers to have another impressive game against division rival Lions with at least two touchdowns and 250 yards passing.
Sit: Jake Delhomme, Carolina Panthers vs. Chicago Bears. Delhomme had a solid first game against the Chargers, including the game winning touchdown throw in the final seconds of the game. I am not buying in that this is going to have a bounceback year, especially since he still has another game before his star receiver Steve Smith comes back. Find a better option for this week.
Sit: David Garrard, Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Buffalo Bills. Garrard did not have a great first week, especially since his main draw, the lack of turnovers, was not the case in the game against the Titans as he threw two picks. Garrard draws another tough defense with the Bills, and I don’t see him going over 225 yards or more than one touchdown.
Running Backs
Start: Ryan Grant, Green Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions. After the way that the Falcons team ran though the Lions “defense” (and I use that term loosely), how can you not suggest starting Grant? Not only is there the fact that the Lions are horrible, but Grant had a decent day against the stifling run defense of the Vikings. Granted 57 of his 92 yards did come on one carry, but the fact that he lasted the entire game and gave the Packers some sort of running game was fairly impressive. Now he faces a team that gave up over 300 yards on the ground. Start Grant with confidence and expect over 100 yards and hopefully a score.
Start: Brandon Jacobs, New York Giants vs. St. Louis Rams. Against a pretty decent run defense in Washington, Jacobs was able to get over 100 yards. He didn’t score, but really wore down that Redskin defense. Now he faces a Rams defense that was torched pretty good in Week 1, both through the air and on the ground by the Eagles. Jacobs is a big boy, who gets all the important carries around the goal line, and should be able to get a touchdown this week against St. Louis.
Sit: Jamal Lewis, Cleveland Browns vs. Pittsburgh Steelers. He had a so-so game against the Cowboys in Week 1, and I am not convinced that the Browns will be anywhere near the team they were in 2007. Lewis is getting close to that horrible age of 30 for running backs, and I don’t see him getting close to that 1,300 yards he ran for this season.
Sit: DeAngelo Williams, Carolina Panthers vs. Chicago Bears. After last Sunday night, it looks, after one game at least, that the Bears defense might be back to their 2006 form. They completely shut down Joseph Addai, and even beat him up. This week it is DeAngelo Williams that draws the Monsters of the Midway, and I would try to find a better option on my team to start this week.
Wide Receivers
Start: Santonio Holmes, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cleveland Browns. Holmes had a very disappointing first game as he only caught two balls, but he is way too good to be that disappointing again. The Browns pass rush was non-existent against the Cowboys and the secondary wasn’t much better. Couple that with the fact that the Steelers passing game was on the mark the first week, and Holmes second week should be at least six catches including a score.
Start: Dwayne Bowe, Kansas City Chiefs vs. Oakland Raiders. His quarterback situation is horrible as Damon Huard will be starting for the Chiefs this week, but Bowe is still a quality receiver no matter who the quarterback is. He had five catches including a touchdown against the Pats, and you have to think that he could at least match that against an Oakland defense that was torched by Jay Cutler and the Broncos.
Sit: DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys. Jackson had a great preseason, and a more impressive opening weekend with six catches and over 100 yards receiving, and almost 100 yards in the return game as well. However, I don’t see this Monday night game against the Cowboys being a high scoring affair the way these two teams are capable of playing defense, particularly the excellent secondary that the Eagles have. Jackson has a chance to be the most dynamic rookie, but I think he might struggle in Week 2.
Sit: Chris Chambers, San Diego Chargers vs. Denver Broncos. The Chargers passing game had a very good debut against the Panthers, and Chambers had a 44 yard touchdown catch. It was his only catch of the game however, and I am guessing that he will be drawing Champ Bailey on the other end of the field from him. Bailey is one of the best in the game, and I think he will be able to keep Chambers under control.
Tight Ends
Start: Greg Olsen, Chicago Bears vs. Carolina Panthers. The Panthers allowed Antonio Gates to get four catches and a touchdown in Week 1. Olsen wasn’t a big part of the Bears offensive attack against the Colts, but I believe that Kyle Orton will be looking his way this weekend. I expect five catches for 50 yards and a touchdown for Olsen this week, who I expect to over take Desmond Clark for the starting tight end in Chicago by the end of September.
Sit: Owen Daniels, Houston Texans vs. Baltimore Ravens. Daniels burst on the fantasy scene last year when he caught 63 passes as the Texans tight end. He is a big target and a nice safety net for Matt Schaub. The Texans passing attack completely revolves around Andre Johnson, leaving only limited catches for everyone else. The Ravens absolutely shut down the Bengals passing attacking, leaving Carson Palmer with one of his worst games as a pro. I don’t have much more faith in Matt Schaub.
As always, your questions (adds, drops, trades, or anything else) and comments are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours.
