What did we learn from fantasy football in week 2? Well, first we learned that fantasy owners are going to deal with injuries and a reduced workload for their players all season long. With no offseason and a limited training camp, owners have already lost Peyton Manning, Jamaal Charles and Sidney Rice. Yes Rice is supposed to play soon, but if he really does have a torn Labrum, and with Tarvaris Jackson throwing him the ball, you have a player I wouldn't let within ten feet of my fantasy roster.
Another thing we learned is that it is going to be a rollercoaster ride this season for starters. Players that normally perform well are off to slow starts (Arian Foster) and that is causing a lot of 0-2 starts for fantasy teams. The best thing I can tell you is to just ride the lightning and stick it out. You shouldn't bench the guys you took to start on your team just yet, unless you happened to take a Colts offensive player, Donovan McNabb or a Seahawk… ANY Seahawk!
Winners
Cam Newton: I am not putting Newton on the bench list again this season! He set an NFL record by throwing for over 400 yards in the first two games of his career (422 and 432 yards), but a lot of the yards this week came from playing from behind. He finished with 432 yards, 2 TDs and 3 INTs. Look, either Newton is the second coming of Randall Cunningham, or he has had two of the most perfect matchups known to man.
Jason Campbell: In true one-week wonder fashion, Campbell roasted the Bills defense to the tune of 323 passing yards, 3 TDs and a lone INT. The Raiders are an unpredictable team, and they won't get the Bills defense every week, but this was a good game for the 11 percent of people who own Campbell.
Darren McFadden:In true McFadden style, he feasted on a weak opponent and made people think he is a top fantasy stud. Run DMC put up a balanced stat line of 72 rushing yards, 71 receiving yards and 2 TDs. He plays the Jets next week, so caveat emptor!
Ben Tate: Arian Foster owners have to be worried about the dreaded RBBC that could be coming soon as Foster nurses a hamstring injury and Tater Tot continues to show that anyone can run if they are in a Texans uniform. This weekend Tate finished with 103 rushing yards and four catches for 32 yards. He failed to score, but the numbers are there.
Jeremy Maclin: Maclin burst onto the scene with 13 catches for 171 yards and 2 TDs on Sunday. Michael Vick may be the star of the team; the Eagles cornerbacks may get all over the news; heck, DeSean Jackson may even be the best WR on the roster. But Maclin finished the day as king of the hill and his owners are savoring the fruits of his victory.
Eric Decker: Decker had himself thrust into the spotlight when Brandon Lloyd was a pregame scratch and Eddie Royal strained his groin. Decker stepped up and hauled in five passes for 113 yards and 2 TDs. Decker is certainly a big-time sleeper heading into week 3.
Fred Davis: Davis has taken over the starting TE role for the Redskins and is a TE1 in fantasy leagues. This week Davis finished with six catches for 86 yards and a score. On the season, Davis has put up 191 receiving yards on 11 catches and has reached the endzone once. Davis is for real and should be owned in all formats.
Detroit Lions defense: The Lions are pushovers no more; this team is for real. They were helped this weekend by playing a Chiefs offense that is arguably just as bad as the Seahawks offense. In the end, they held the Charles-less Chiefs to just three points while racking up two sacks, three INTs and three fumble recoveries.
Losers
Chad Henne: And this is why you don't buy into a QB that was not very good heading into the season, but had an incredible first week performance. Henne followed up his 416-yard effort in week 1 with a robust 170-yard night against the Texans defense. Henne also added a TD, but the INT took that down a peg for fantasy owners.
Joe Flacco: We all expected big things from Flacco this season with the addition of Lee Evans to his WR corps, but this week he failed to deliver. The Titans defense held him to a modest total of 197 passing yards, a single TD and 2 INTs. There will be better weeks, but this wasn't one of them.
Jamaal Charles: The bigger they are, the harder they fall. Charles tore his ACL on his second carry of the day and finished with an empty 27 yards. He was placed on Injured Reserve, so his season is officially over.
Arian Foster: Foster was finally back, but that lasted for a half of football. Foster finished the game with 33 rushing yards and seven receiving yards, a far cry from #1 overall pick numbers. Foster is going to be a risky play until the hammy heals up.
DeSean Jackson: He may be the best talent at WR, but he certainly wasn't the best WR on Sunday. D-Jax was a victim of Maclin's stellar day and he finished with just two catches for 21 yards and no endzone visits. Write it up as an off-week and play him with confidence moving forward.
Mike Williams (TB): This is really turning ugly with Williams and his stats this season. This week he managed to do the impossible and ended the day with one catch for -4 yards. Yes, that is right, NEGATIVE yards! The problem isn't injury; rather, Williams is all the Bucs have to throw to so defenses are just doubling him up and shutting him down. I'd be afraid if I owned Williams right about now.
Antonio Gates: Gates got shut like a gate this weekend and finished the game with… well… nothing. Not a single catch, not a single yard. Although, on the bright side, he did register one target!
Baltimore Ravens defense: The Ravens are one of the better defenses in the NFL, but that was far from true this weekend as they allowed the Titans to put up a 26-spot on the scoreboard. The only positive for the Ravens was a single interception on the day.
Now, as for my picks last week, I missed on Cam Newton, Cedric Benson, Brandon Marshall, Dwayne Bowe and Tony Gonzalez. But that still means I went 11-16 this week and I am actually going to give myself an extra point because I said to start both NE TE's, and an additional half point because I went big and said to sit Chris Johnson. So, that leaves me with a record of 12.5-16 this week and a 78 percent for accuracy. Beat that ESPN, Yahoo and NFL.com!
