Week 2 Preview

Here’s a look at all of the week two matchups:

 Pittsburgh at Tennessee

The Steelers certainly weren’t pretty offensively in their opening week victory over Atlanta, but they got the job done.  Running back Rashard Mendenhall was kept pretty much in check until his 50 yard winning run in overtime.  The running game is still expected to be hit or miss with the Steelers offensive line decimated by injuries.  Speaking of running backs, the Titans Chris Johnson had another 100+ yard game versus Oakland.  The Steelers defense held RB Michael Turner to only 42 yards on the ground; they will need to do the same versus Johnson if they want to win this one.

 

Miami at Minnesota

The Dolphins had a warm up game in Week One versus the Bills, now they get the real deal at Minnesota.  The Dolphins secondary is by far the weakest link of the defense.  They may be just what the doctor ordered for the passing game of the Vikings.  Quarterback Brett Favre looked out of sync with his receivers last week, but Bernard Berrian, Percy Harvin, and ex-Dolphins Greg Camarillo, may have a lot to look forward to against that suspect secondary.

 

Arizona at Atlanta

Quarterback Derek Anderson and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald looked clearly out of sync last week as 15 passes were directed his way, but only three were caught, although one was a touchdown, thus saving his fantasy day.  Good chance that RB Chris “Beanie” Wells will miss this game as well, giving Tim Hightower another start.  The Falcons looked pathetic on offense last week versus Pittsburgh, but that game was in Pittsburgh and the Steelers have a top defense.  No such excuses this week.  Look for RB Michael Turner to get things going on the ground.

 

Baltimore at Cincinnati

The Ravens defense looked to be in mid-season form last week versus the Jets, although the Jets didn’t attack their biggest weakness, the secondary.  No such luck this week versus the Bengals.  QB Carson Palmer may have the best weapons he’s ever had at his disposal in WRs Chad Ochocinco, Terrell Owens, and Jordan Shipley, and tight end Jermaine Gresham had a solid professional debut.  The Ravens will have their work cut out for them.  QB Joe Flacco certainly has to like how Patriots QB Tom Brady tore apart the Bengals defense last week, but RB Ray Rice will still be tasked with keeping the ball out of Palmer’s hands.

 

Chicago at Dallas

A tale of two teams here.  The Bears won a game they should’ve lost last week, and the Cowboys lost a game they should’ve won.  Chicago survived four turnovers versus the Lions thanks to WR Calvin Johnson not having complete control of the football on a last second pass.  If the Bears aren’t more careful with the ball and don’t protect QB Jay Cutler better, the Cowboys pass rush should have a field day, but then again the Cowboys dominated every statistic last week versus Washington, but terrible offensive line play, penalties, and bad coaching decisions ultimately did them in.  They will get two offensive starters back this week, and one has a feeling that Dallas is going to put up 30+ points against the Bears.

 

Philadelphia at Detroit

Unless you have been living in a cave you know that Michael Vick will start at QB for the Eagles this week thanks to the concussion suffered by Kevin Kolb.  The problem is this, what will the Eagles do next week if Vick lights it up versus Detroit?  Vick was impressive coming in relief of Kolb last week.  The Lions will have a week to prepare for Vick, look for them to play a lot of zone defense so they can keep an eye on Vick’s running ability.  As for the Lions, they have QB issues of their own as Matthew Stafford suffered a dislocated shoulder in Week One and will miss this game at a minimum.  Rookie RB Javhid Best may have scored two TDs last week, but didn’t rush the ball worth a damn.  Look for the Lions to try their best to get the running game going this week.

 

Buffalo at Green Bay

What exactly do the Bills have going for them?  I have no idea.  Perhaps WR Lee Evans can put up some numbers in garbage time when the Bills are down by 28 points or so.  RB Fred Jackson still may need another week before he’ll be at full strength.  We all know to start all of our Packers in this one.  RB Ryan Grant is out for the season after tearing ligaments in his ankle, Brandon Jackson takes over and he should be started as well.

 

Tampa Bay at Carolina

QB Josh Freeman looked pretty good in Week One going 17-28, 182 yards and two touchdowns.  The Bucs figure to be a hit or miss offense.  Freeman is still going to have some growing pains as will the entire receiving corps.  The Bucs have also stated that they don’t want RB Cadillac Williams touching the ball more than 15-20 times a game, as they don’t believe he can withstand that type of punishment.  The Panthers played a solid first half versus the Giants in Week One, but were a disaster during the second half.  QB Matt Moore threw three picks before leaving the game with a concussion, but he will start this week.  Look for the Panthers to run the ball heavily with DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart.  Stewart is certain to see more than the five carries he did last week.

 

Seattle at Denver

The Seahawks and new head coach Pete Carroll shocked the 49ers last week.  Their defense kept the 49ers offense in check, and the offense took advantage of the opportunities handed to them.  WR Mike Williams, yes the one former Lions GM Matt Millen drafted, looked good with four receptions for 64 yards and almost scored.  Perhaps he will realize his potential after all.  Outside of QB Kyle Orton and RB Knowshon Moreno, there is not much to like about the Broncos offense.  It seems they will have a different hot receiver each week, and it’s anyone’s guess as to who it will be.  One week it could be Eddie Royal or Jabbar Gaffney, the next it could be Brandon Lloyd.  A situation that is sure to drive fantasy owners crazy.

 

St. Louis at Oakland

How could the Rams have number one overall pick in this past April’s draft, QB Sam Bradford, attempt 55 passes last week in his professional debut?  This game was never a blowout and you only let RB Steven Jackson run the ball 22 times.  This is a recipe for disaster.  Running back Darren McFadden had a solid game in Week One, rushing the ball for 95 yards, perhaps Michael Bush will not be getting the starting job when he’s healthy.  QB Jason Campbell did not have the desired effect on the passing offense as the passing game still seems to be a work in progress.

 

Houston at Washington

The Texans caught the Colts off guard in Week One with RB Arian Foster rushing for over 230 yards and three touchdowns.  He made many fantasy owners thrilled, especially the ones whose draft was months ago and may have gotten Foster in the later rounds.  Foster was one of the harder charges, and the closer your draft was to the regular season, the higher the draft pick was that you had to spend on him.  The Redskins somehow managed to win last week despite showing very little offensively.  Their defense could lead them a long way but sooner or later the offense will have to carry its own weight.  RB Clinton Portis looked slow and outside of WR Santana Moss and TE Chris Cooley there just isn’t much firepower for QB Donovan McNabb to throw to.

 

New England at Jets

Patriots QB Tom Brady looked like his old self in Week One as he tore apart the Bengals secondary, and WR Wes Welker proved he is back to full health as well with eight receptions for 64 yards and two scores.  Fred Taylor looks to be the main ball carrier for the Pats, especially after they traded Laurence Maroney to Denver earlier this week.  The Jets looked terrible offensively versus Baltimore Monday night.  They refused to attack the Ravens secondary even though this was clearly their weakness.  The running game was less than spectacular as Shonne Greene was benched after putting the ball on the ground twice.  Defensive tackle Kris Jenkins was also lost for the season with another torn ACL.  Whereas in Week One the Jets did not have cornerback Darrelle Revis shadow Anquan Boldin, he will shadow Randy Moss this week.

 

Jacksonville at San Diego

David Garrard is never going to be a QB that you can trust in fantasy until his receivers step up to be reliable targets.  While it was great that Mike Thomas had a solid game, what happened to Michael Sims-Walker?  How can you not catch a pass?  Well the good news is tight end Mercedes Lewis seems to be stepping up.  The Chargers lost to the Chiefs while playing in a rainstorm Week One.  WR Vincent Jackson isn’t going to play for the team this season, and while Legedu Naanee and Malcolm Floyd are reliable targets, the Chiefs chose to double and sometimes triple cover tight end Antonio Gates as teams are going to force QB Phillip Rivers to find someone other than his favorite target to beat them.

 

Giants at Indianapolis

You think coach Tom Coughlin saw what the Texans running game did to the Colts defense last week?  Yeah, I’m pretty sure he did to.  Look for the Giants to try and exploit that same weakness with Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs.  We know Colts safety Bob Sanders won’t be there to help out.  A strong running game would also keep Colts QB Peyton Manning off the field and that’s always a bonus as Manning threw for over 430 yards versus Houston despite several dropped passes from his WRs.

 

New Orleans at San Francisco

Seems like the Saints haven’t played in weeks doesn’t it?  While Week One wasn’t the offensive shootout that was expected, the Saints still won the game and QB Drew Brees has a history of having great games on Monday Night Football.  The 49ers are in a bit of turmoil as several offensive players have been blaming the offensive coordinator for either not being clear in his play calls, or not getting the calls in on time.  Head coach Mike Singletary also called out QB Alex Smith and WR Michael Crabtree for their poor performances in Week One.

 

This post was written by George Kurtz