Salford Bloggers start or sit? – Week 4

Embed from Getty Images

 

Week 4 matchup – Wigan Warriors (2-1) @ Salford Bloggers (1-2)

 

 

Projected lineup for Wigan Warriors:

QB: Drew Brees (NO, @ DAL)

RB: Lamar Miller (MIA, @ OAK)

RB: Pierre Thomas (NO, @ DAL)

WR: Vincent Jackson (TB, @ PIT)

WR: Steve Smith Sr. (BAL, vs. CAR)

TE: Rob Gronkowski (NE, @ KC)

FLEX: Reggie Wayne (IND, vs. TEN)

D/ST: Chiefs D/ST (KC, vs. NE)

K: Phil Dawson (SF, vs. PHI)

 

 

Salford Bloggers

Quarterback (QB) – Tony Romo (DAL, vs. NO), Philip Rivers (SD, vs. JAC)

My decision here is to ride the hot hand – and that’s Philip Rivers. In three games this season, the San Diego signal caller has just one turnover, and that was in the season opener against the Cardinals. In contrast, Tony Romo has given the ball away on four occasions and has two touchdown passes and over 100 less passing yards than Rivers. Easy call.

Running Back (RB1, RB2) – Chris Johnson (NYJ, vs. DET), Mark Ingram (NO, @ Dallas, OUT), Stevan Ridley

By virtue of Mark Ingram being sidelined thanks to a hand injury, Chris Johnson and Stevan Ridley will be starting at running back this week for the Salford Bloggers. Both had underwhelming outings in Week 3, and I’m looking for them to turn things around. However, the sooner Ingram returns, the better.

Wide Receiver (WR1, WR2) – Demaryius Thomas (DEN, BYE), Randall Cobb (GB, @ CHI), Victor Cruz (NYG, @ WSH), Percy Harvin (SEA, BYE), Mohamed Sanu (CIN, BYE)

With over half of my wide receivers out for the first bye week, Randall Cobb and Victor Cruz will start by default. I planned to start Cruz anyway after he had his first big game of the season against the Texans on Sunday. Though I would have preferred to play either Thomas or Harvin over Cobb as a receiver, and had the Green Bay wideout at the flex position.

Tight End (TE) – Jimmy Graham (NO, @ DAL), Niles Paul (WSH, @ NYG)

Jimmy Graham is too good and is too valuable to drop in place of another tight end – especially one who’s acting as a backup for his team. Graham also has a favourable matchup against the Dallas Cowboys defense, and should see plenty of targets from Drew Brees on Sunday night. I’m looking for Graham to be one of my top Week 4 performers.

Defense/Special Teams (D/ST) – Rams D/ST (STL, BYE), Chargers D/ST (SD, vs. JAC)

The Chargers were a midweek pickup for me, to fill the void left by the Broncos as my backup D/ST. I decided to grab them because not only are the Rams on a bye week this week, but because of their favourable matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday afternoon. Jacksonville have the second-fewest yards per game and points per game in the league, and will be handing a first start to rookie quarterback Blake Bortles – so there is plenty of chance for the San Diego defense to exploit the Jaguars’ flaws on offense.

Kicker (K) – Stephen Gostkowski (NE, @ KC), Cody Parkey (PHI, @ SF)

Through three weeks, Philadelphia’s Cody Parkey is the highest-scoring kicker in fantasy football. I picked him up this week, dropping Seattle’s Steven Hauschka to make room for him. But I’m not going to start Parkey this week, instead opting for Gostkowski. The New England kicker has had three-straight weeks of double digits and unlike Parkey has not yet missed a field goal. I’d also expect the Patriots to have a tougher time reaching the end zone than the Eagles, maximising Gostkowski’s field goal opportunities.

 

 

*Italics denote starters.

 

 

Follow me on Twitter – @RealTomWoods.

Advertisements

Week 3: Cutting it fine; the Salford Bloggers are up and running

Embed from Getty Images

 

When it rains, it pours. But fortunately this week, I had an umbrella – my opponent wasn’t so lucky. Last week I had the third highest scoring team that The League had to offer, but then I missed out on a win thanks to Week 2’s top scorers Kardac Kids srm. This time around it was the complete opposite, and my points total was only better than my opponent’s – but no-one else’s.

However, with a tied game extremely uncommon in fantasy football (and football in general), it seemed almost certain that someone’s ‘0’ had to go – and thankfully it was mine. But it wasn’t without a nail-biting finish, which went right down to the wire on Monday Night Football.

With a 14 point lead gathered over Thursday and Sunday, the Salford Bloggers, with Chris Johnson left to play, had the advantage over La Linea Lineman, whose only player remaining was Alshon Jeffery. Both players had contrasting nights as the Bears took on the Jets at MetLife Stadium. Johnson struggled, and failed to pick up a great number of yards without scoring, whilst Jeffery was heavily targeted by Jay Cutler throughout the evening, and could easily have earned himself over 20 fantasy points. But with some drops and miscues along the way, the Bloggers’ 14-point lead dwindled to just 6 and they managed to cling on to give my team the first victory of the season.

Oh, how sweet it is to finally get off the mark.

 

Result

La Linea Lineman – 56

Salford Bloggers – 62

 

La Linea Lineman (0-3)

QB – Matt Ryan (286 passing yards, 2 rushing yards, 3 TD) – 23

RB – Eddie Lacy (36 rushing yards, 9 receiving yards, 1 fumble) – 1

RB – Knile Davis (132 rushing yards, 1 TD, 1 fumble) – 17

WR – Alshon Jeffery (105 receiving yards, 13 rushing yards) – 11

WR – Andre Johnson (24 receiving yards) – 2

TE – Dennis Pitta (12 yards) – 1

FLEX – Montee Ball (38 rushing yards, 6 receiving yards, 1 fumble) – 1

D/ST – Panthers D/ST (37 points allowed, 1 sack) – -7

K – Matt Bryant (1 field goal missed, 8 extra points) – 7

BENCH

RB – Alfred Blue (78 rushing yards, 10 receiving yards) – 8

RB – James Starks (38 rushing yards) – 3

WR – Justin Hunter (37 receiving yards) – 3

WR – Michael Crabtree (80 receiving yards, 4 rushing yards, 1 TD) – 14

WR – Michael Floyd (114 receiving yards) – 11

WR – T.Y. Hilton (80 receiving yards) – 8

TE – Zach Ertz (14 receiving yards) – 1

On another week, the totals would have been very different, but I caught a break because – Matt Ryan, Knile Davis and Alshon Jeffery aside – a lot of players for La Linea Lineman underperformed. Perhaps none more so than the Panthers D/ST, who managed a whopping minus seven points. If they’d had managed to stay out of minus points, then the result would have been the exact opposite, and it would be La Linea Lineman at 1-2 instead of the Salford Bloggers. Benching players such as Michael Crabtree and Michael Floyd in favour of Andre Johnson and Montee Ball also hurt the team’s chances of winning.

 

Salford Bloggers (1-2)

QB – Philip Rivers (238 passing yards 11 rushing yards, 2 TD) – 19

Philip Rivers turned in a performance against the Bills that would make any fantasy owner proud. He may not have eclipsed the 20 point mark, but he delivered a very satisfactory 19 point game, in which he threw for over 200 yards, two touchdowns, and didn’t turn the ball over. Hopefully Rivers can continue this run of form, and because of it he is shaping up to be the Week 4 starter for the Salford Bloggers.

RB – Chris Johnson (34 rushing yards) – 3

It appears I may have drafted the wrong running back. While Chris Johnson didn’t actually need to score any points on Monday Night Football to keep Alshon Jeffery at bay, his three points was still poor, and a lot less than Chris Ivory’s totals of 96 yards and nine points. It might be worth looking to trade for Ivory, whilst keeping hold of Johnson. Watch this space.

RB – Stevan Ridley (54 rushing yards, 7 receiving yards) – 5

Ridley looked as though he was ready to explode against an Oakland defense who has allowed the second-most rushing yards so far this season, but he failed to capitalise on the opportunity.

WR – Demaryius Thomas (31 receiving yards, 2 point conversion) – 5

He’s a second round fantasy pick, who’s had two bad weeks out of three so far this season. It’s probably a little too early to hit the panic button, but Thomas’ Week 3 points total is a cause for concern. Despite seeing a little time on the sideline in Seattle after picking up a knock, Thomas went almost an entire three quarters without a reception, even though he was targeted nine times. And to make matters worse, Victor Cruz – who I sat on my bench – scored 11 more points than the Broncos wideout.

WR – Percy Harvin (42 receiving yards) – 4

Harvin disappointed against the Broncos, scoring just four points with 42 yards, after opening the season with two straight mediocre weeks. What was also surprising about Harvin’s outing against Denver was that he had no rush attempts after being utilised in Seattle’s running attack in their opening two games. Despite his lowly points total, however, there is some good news. Harvin had seven receptions and was targeted nine times on Sunday – both team highs. If he starts catching a high-volume of passes for more yards and starts finding the end zone, then Harvin should fulfil his fifth round price tag.

TE – Jimmy Graham (54 receiving yards) – 5

The one thing missing from Graham’s game on Sunday was a touchdown. Whilst 11 points (the five he got including six for a potential touchdown catch) would still have been low by Graham’s standards, it would have been a lot more welcome than what he did get. These types of performances will frustrate Graham owners, myself included, but he has far too much upside and importance in the Saints’ offense to drop or worry about.

FLEX – Randall Cobb (29 receiving yards) – 2

And the underperformer of the week award goes to… Randall Cobb. Cobb was part of an underperforming Packers offense that managed just seven points against the Detroit Lions. His role was limited to just three catches for 29 yards. I’m not too disheartened by Cobb’s performance, however, because the whole offense had an off day, so I’m hoping that wrongs will be righted in Week 4.

D/ST – Rams D/ST (34 points against, 1TD, 1 INT, 1 fumble recovery) – 7

Probably the biggest help for me this week was having my D/ST outplay my opponents’ – and drastically so. Despite giving up 34 points to a buoyant Dallas Cowboys offense, two turnovers – including a pick-six – were enough to score a healthy seven points; 14 more than the opposing Panters D/ST.

K – Stephen Gostkowski (3 field goals made, 1 extra point) – 10

Gostkowski has been the most consistent Salford Bloggers player since the start of the season, and he didn’t disappoint this time around, scoring double digits for the third-straight week. He’s continuing to outplay Steven Hauschka, who doesn’t even look a threat to Gostkowski’s starting role in my fantasy team.

BENCH

QB – Tony Romo (217 passing yards, 14 rushing yards, 2 TD, 1INT) – 15

QB – Jake Locker (185 passing yards, 2 INT) – 8

RB – Mark Ingram – 0

WR – Victor Cruz (107 receiving yards, 1 TD) – 16

WR – Mohamed Sanu (44 receiving yards, 18 passing yards, 1 TD) – 8

TE – Niles Paul (68 receiving yards) – 6

K – Steven Hauschka (2 field goals made, 1 field goal missed, 2 extra points) – 7

The League: Week 3 Results and Standings

Embed from Getty Images

 

Week 3 Results

La Linea Lineman 56-62 Salford Bloggers

Abergele JETS 93-95 Wigan Warriors

Dallas Cowboyz2014 80-97 Team Zachrich

Team AZ Fixitmen 84-64 Kardac Kids srm

Barnyard Gems 87-83 Team apachefootball

 

Current Standings

East Division

Kardac Kids srm – 2-1, 279 PF, 263 PA

Wigan Warriors – 2-1, 253 PF, 270 PA

Abergele JETS – 1-2, 253 PF, 227 PA

Salford Bloggers – 1-2, 230 PF, 290 PA

La Linea Lineman – 0-3, 209 PF, 254 PA

 

West Division

Team AZ Fixitmen – 3-0, 298 PF, 246 PA

Team Zachrich – 2-1, 284 PF, 257 PA

Barnyard Gems – 2-1, 283 PF, 281 PA

Team apachefootball – 2-1, 272 PF, 241 PA

Dallas Cowboyz2014 – 0-3 280 PF, 312 PA

The Transaction Counter: Week 2

Embed from Getty Images

 

My transactions

Salford Bloggers (SAL) dropped Bishop Sankey (RB, TEN)

Salford Bloggers (SAL) added Stevan Ridley (RB, NE)

I’ve officially lost patience with Bishop Sankey just two weeks into the season. Not only has he only scored two points, but he has barely had any touches – and despite his rookie status, that is not good enough for a seventh-round fantasy draft pick. Stevan Ridley, on the other hand, is coming off a great week, and will be facing the worst team in the league – the Oakland Raiders – and my running game needs help.

Salford Bloggers (SAL) added Niles Paul (TE, WSH)

Salford Bloggers (SAL) dropped Allen Hurns (WR, JAC)

Allen Hurns was a Week 1 sensation, but that seemed to be beginner’s luck as he went virtually AWOL in Week 2, scoring just one point. One of the Week 2 standouts was Washington tight end Niles Paul, and so it was a straight saw for the pair. Depending on how he plays this week, Paul could be moved on in seven days.

Salford Bloggers (SAL) dropped Danny Woodhead (RB, SD)

Salford Bloggers (SAL) added Mohamed Sanu (WR, CIN)

Danny Woodhead is an important player in the San Diego offense, but he doesn’t seem to be able to turn on-field production into fantasy points. Because of this, I decided it was time to drop him, and I picked up Bengals wide receiver Mohamed Sanu who, with A.J. Green suffering turf toe and Marvin Jones out until at least Week 5, has chance to put some big numbers on the board.

 

Embed from Getty Images

 

 

 

Other transactions

Wigan Warriors (WIG) dropped LeGarrette Blount (RB, PIT)

Wigan Warriors (WIG) added Joe Flacco (QB, BAL)

Before Blount was dropped, the Wigan Warriors had five running backs on the roster, and a lone quarterback in Drew Brees. It only made sense to drop the lowest scoring of those backs and bring in some insurance under center for when Brees has a bye week, or if he picks up an injury. Flacco should provide that, and has been a serviceable fantasy option in both of the Ravens’ opening games.

Wigan Warriors (WIG) dropped Cecil Shorts III

Wigan Warriors (WIG) added Kelvin Benjamin

Cecil Shorts has missed both of Jacksonville’s opening two games with a hamstring injury, and it listed as ‘probable’ for their Week 3 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts. Although he will more than likely have the opportunity to produce this season, he doesn’t appear to have as much upside as Panthers rookie Kelvin Benjamin, who has 138 receiving yards and a touchdown through the first two weeks of the season, and could develop into a top target for Cam Newton throughout the season.

Barnyard Gems (HD) dropped Riley Cooper (WR, PHI)

Barnyard Gems (HD) added Josh Gordon (WR, CLE)

Riley Cooper hasn’t really lived up to his overall average draft position of 109, scoring a measly two points in one of the top two offenses so far this season. He was replaced by someone who won’t be able to make any immediate fantasy impact, but could contribute heavily at the end of the season. His name? Josh Gordon. After the passing of a new NFL drug policy, Gordon’s season-long suspension was reduced to just ten games – so if Barnyard Gems decide to keep him, then they’ll have an elite option to help their run towards the postseason, and in the playoffs. Smart move.

La Linea Lineman (LLL) dropped Stevan Ridley (RB, NE)
La Linea Lineman added Matt Asiata (RB, MIN)

This move was made ahead of the Week 2 games, so the La Linea Lineman owner can be forgiven for dropping Ridley after his dismal Week 1 showing. But he managed to turn things around in Week 2, rushing for over 100 yards, and adding on a touchdown to boot. However, Matt Asiata did seem like the player with most upside, after the controversy with Adrian Peterson led to the former first-round pick being deactivated by the Vikings. Asiata was left to fill the gap, and scored a respectable 13 points with 84 yards and a touchdown. I can see why Asiata was taken over Ridley at the time.

Team Zachrich (TZ) dropped Andrew Hawkins (WR, CLE)

Team Zachrich (TZ) added Shonn Greene (TEN, RB)

With Josh Gordon out, Andrew Hawkins is atop the depth chart at wide receiver in Cleveland, but he hasn’t really taken advantage of this, having only scored 15 points through the first two weeks of the season. Likewise, Shonn Greene is the starter at running back in Tennessee after staving off the challenge of rookie Bishop Sankey, but has produced even less than Hawkins. It is a head scratcher, but maybe Team Zachrich needed more depth at RB, and as a result Greene replaced Hawkins.

La Linea Lineman (LLL) dropped Matt Asiata (RB, MIN)

La Linea Lineman added Knile Davis (RB, KC)

Both of these running backs were in the same position Week 2 – replacing their respective teams’ All-Pro starters. Asiata was solid and recorded 13 points, but Knile Davis excelled, scoring a massive 21 points. If Charles is out, Davis has more upside – although it looks as though Peterson will be out for longer than Charles, so this is more than likely a short-term move.

Abergele JETS (ABJ) added James Jones (WR, OAK)

Abergele JETS (ABJ) dropped Saints D/ST (D/ST, NO)

Adding a receiver who is in the top ten after two weeks, and dropping a defense who have recorded a combined minus six points and were benched in favour of the Texans D/ST is a pretty obvious and straightforward move.

Team Zachrich (TZ) dropped Justin Forsett (RB, BAL)

Team Zachrich (TZ) added Bernard Pierce (RB, BAL)

Forsett was taken over Pierce in last week’s round of transactions, because the journeyman outperformed the Ravens’ primary backup in their Week 1 encounter. But Week 2 was a different story, because Pierce had more yards and points than Forsett – hence the swap. Bernard Pierce will not actually play this week, although he should return to the side in Week 4.

Barnyard Gems (HD) dropped Robert Griffin III (QB, WSH)

Barnyard Gems (HD) added Kirk Cousins (QB, WSH)

RGIII suffered a nasty-looking injury, as he dislocated his ankle against the Jacksonville Jaguars last Sunday. He will miss a number of weeks, although some sources say he will be back this year. In the meantime, the Redskins will have to rely on the competent Kirk Cousins to lead their offense, so the Barnyard Gems owner probably isn’t the only player to have made the Griffin for Cousins swap.

Team Zachrich (TZ) dropped Shonn Greene (RB, TEN)

Team Zachrich (TZ) added Bobby Rainey (RB, TB)

The Shonn Greene era was short-lived, but after failing to take the ball and run with it, it’s Greene out and Rainey in. With Martin inactive for the Buccaneers’ Week 3 game against the Falcons, Rainey took over, although he only managed a lowly six points. Still, his potential is greater than that of Greene.

Team apachefootball (zac) dropped Dexter McCluster (WR, TEN)

Team apachefootball (zac) added Matt Asiata (RB, MIN)

McCluster, who has been mainly lining up at running back for Tennessee hasn’t really been making many waves, so swapping him for Matt Astasia who has a much higher ceiling and a greater opportunity than McCluster to score fantasy points.

Salford Bloggers start or sit? – Week 3

Embed from Getty Images

 

La Linea Lineman (0-2) vs. Salford Bloggers (0-2)

 

 

Projected lineup for La Linea Lineman:

QB: Matt Ryan (ATL, vs. TB)

RB: Eddie Lacy (GB, @ DET)

RB: Knile Davis (KC, @ MIA)

WR: Alshon Jeffery (CHI, @ NYJ)

WR: Andre Johnson (HOU, @ NYG)

TE: Dennis Pitta (BAL, @ CLE)

FLEX: Montee Ball (DEN, @ SEA)

D/ST: Panthers D/ST (CAR, vs. PIT)

K: Matt Bryant (ATL, vs. TB)

 

Salford Bloggers

Quarterback (QB) – Tony Romo (DAL, @ STL), Philip Rivers (SD, @ BUF), Jake Locker (TEN, @ CIN)

Jake Locker failed to lead my team to the promised land in Week 2; managing a mere nine point display, which saw him throw more interceptions (two) than touchdowns (one). He was touted so highly because he was facing a Dallas defense who are one of the worst in the league, but this week the Tennessee offense go from one extreme to another as they face one of the league’s best in the Cincinatti Bengals defense. Tony Romo was also unspectacular, but he did show some improvement from the first week as he took care of the ball and scored two more points than he did in Week 1 en route to leading Dallas to victory over Locker and the Titans. However, neither played as well in Week 2 as Philip Rivers, who threw three touchdown passes to Antonio Gates and did not turn the ball over against Seattle – last year’s best passing defense. Due to Rivers’ play against the Seahawks, and that he’s not up against one of the top NFL defenses, he’ll be starting for the Salford Bloggers in Week 3 – hopefully he’ll get it done again.

Running Back (RB1, RB2) – Chris Johnson (NYJ, vs. CHI), Mark Ingram (NO, vs. MIN), Stevan Ridley (NE, vs. OAK)

Due to a number of roster moves, I enter Week 3 with just three running backs. Unfortunately, my best back Mark Ingram could be out for a month after picking up a hand injury last week; but on the flipside I have two started with favourable matchups this week. Chris Johnson will come up against the eighth-worst run defense in the league in Chicago, and the Oakland Raiders – who are just plain awful – will provide a good opportunity for Stevan Ridley to score plenty of fantasy points.

Wide Receiver (WR1, WR2) – Demaryius Thomas (DEN, @ SEA), Randall Cobb (GB @ DET), Victor Cruz (NYG, vs. HOU), Percy Harvin (SEA, vs. DEN), Mohamed Sanu (CIN, vs. TEN)

The wide receiving corps for my team remains unchanged from last week. Victor Cruz is still struggling, not only with his own play, but the play of signal caller Eli Manning. He has only seven receptions for 84 yards through the first two weeks of the season and has shown nothing to yet warrant a start. I also claimed Mohamed Sanu from waivers this week as receiver depth, but his production leans more on the health of Bengals player as opposed to his own talent – unlike Demaryius Thomas and Percy Harvin. Randall Cobb will remain in the FLEX position as opposed to being started as a wide receiver by virtue of being there to begin with.

Tight End (TE) – Jimmy Graham (NO, vs. MIN), Niles Paul (WSH, vs. PHI)

Niles Paul was another one of my pickups this week, but despite his potential, he isn’t dislodging Jimmy Graham who scored 23 points against the Browns last Sunday.

FLEX – Randall Cobb (GB, @ DET), Victor Cruz (NYG, vs. HOU), Niles Paul (WSH, @ PHI), Mohamed Sanu (CIN, vs. TEN)

I’ve already underlined Victor Cruz’s struggles, and Niles Paul and Mohamed Sanu are players who could both have good fantasy weeks, but are substantially bigger risks than starting Randall Cobb who has double digit totals in both his games this season.

Defense/Special Teams – Rams D/ST (STL, vs. DAL)

There isn’t much of a choice here. I’m yet to replace the Broncos as my backup D/ST after trading them away before Week 2, so the Rams D/ST get the nod.

Kicker (K) – Stephen Gostkowski (NE, vs. OAK), Steven Hauschka (SEA, vs. DEN)

I’m going to ride the hot hand (or rather the hot foot) in Week 3. New England kicker Gostkowski has  the second most fantasy points amongst kickers to this point, and Steven Hauschka is yet to live up to his 2013 as the fourth-best fantasy kicker.

 

 

*Italics denote starters.

Week 2: From bad to unlucky

Embed from Getty Images

 

I was watching an NFL Top 10 episode this week entitled ‘The best teams to never win a Super Bowl’, and there were some truly great sides who for all their efforts did not have the Lombardi Trophy to show at the end of it. Teams such as the ’84 Miami Dolphins and the ’07 New England Patriots made the cut and after Sunday night I can empathise with them – albeit to a lesser degree.

Week 1 was unkind to the Salford Bloggers, as the nine players in my team combined to score a mildly embarrassing 61 points. But after a few astute player moves, a much improved squad posted 109 points. At one point, it looked as though victory was all but secured, as Mark Ingram ploughed into the end zone for the Saints to put me roughly 20 points ahead of my opponent.

However, they – the Kardac Kids srm, that is – had an exceptional week. Aaron Rodgers, Giovani Bernard, Antionio Gates and the Bills’ D/ST all score over 20 points, helping the team to a 138-point week. To put it into context, the Salford Bloggers’ 109 points was good enough for third-best in the league, but I came up against Week 2’s highest scorers and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

Result

Salford Bloggers (0-2) – 109

Kardac Kids srm (2-0) – 138

 

Salford Bloggers

QB: Jake Locker (234 passing yards, 9 rushing yards, 1 TD, 2 INT) – 9

Here is where I fell victim to the waiver wire. After poor Week 1 performances from Tony Romo and Philip Rivers, I turned to Jake Locker – who had a favourable matchup against the Dallas Cowboys defense. Locker was also touted as a good starting option for Week 2 by various fantasy outlets, including NFL.com’s Michael Fabiano. But it didn’t pan out as expected, and Locker did no better in Week 2 than Tony Romo in Week 1. To make matters worse, I left Philip Rivers on the bench who threw for almost 300 yards and three touchdowns, scoring 24 points.

RB1: Chris Johnson (21 rushing yards) – 2

Chris Johnson looked like he had a shot at being a top-15 running back after his opening week showing against the Oakland Raiders, but he didn’t follow that up in Wisconsin. Johnson carried the ball 12 times for just 21 yards, for a 1.8 yards per carry average, and only recorded one reception for no gain – down four catches from his haul against the Raiders. Johnson will probably start for my fantasy team next week, but his performance against a lacklustre Green Bay run defense doesn’t exactly set him in good stead for the rest of the season. Hopefully this game was just a blip.

RB2: Mark Ingram (83 rushing yards, 21 receiving yards, 1 TD) – 16

Few have been better over the first two weeks of the NFL season than Saints running back Mark Ingram. Ingram had a solid game against the Cleveland Browns, and looks more like fulfilling the first-round price tag that New Orleans paid for him in 2011. It also looked as though I might’ve fixed a subpar running game with his addition after acquiring him in a trade last week, though that now looks to be in doubt after a fractured hand could see Ingram sidelined for up to a month. Hopefully Ingram will be back as soon as possible, because my team is worse off without him.

WR1: Demaryius Thomas (62 receiving yards, 1 TD) – 12

Thomas was closer to being a second round fantasy draft pick in Week 2, getting eight points more than the week previous. He could be doing better though, because he is still atop the depth chart in Denver, and has Peyton Manning thrown to him.

WR2: Percy Harvin (5 receiving yards, 45 rushing yards, 1 TD, 1 fumble) – 8

So through two weeks, Percy Harvin has been Mr Consistent, but what was surprising in Week 2 is how his fantasy production was mostly reliant on rushing, not receiving. I think Harvin has a higher ceiling that scoring eight or nine points every week, and weekly double digits aren’t out of reach. I’m looking for an improvement from Harvin, but he’s still an asset if he can get at least eight fantasy points every week.

TE: Jimmy Graham (118 receiving yards, 2 TD) – 23

This is the Jimmy Graham that cost me a first round pick. He had an underwhelming first week, but grabbed a pair of touchdowns en route to a strong Week 2. Long may this continue.

FLEX: Randall Cobb (39 receiving yards, 6 rushing yards, 2 touchdowns) – 17

Jordy Nelson was the star wide receiver for the Green Bay in their Sunday afternoon win over the Jets, but Randall Cobb showed that even if he is the number two option at the position for the Packers, he is still a more than viable fantasy option. He was helped out by catching two touchdowns, as he only managed 45 total yards – but as long as he’s putting up points, then I don’t care how they are scored.

D/ST: Rams D/ST (17 points against, 1 sack, 1 INT) – 8

The Rams D/ST massively improved in Week 2, after scoring minus points in Week 1. The main gripe with them is that they haven’t been anywhere near as good as the D/STs that I’ve come up against – but that’s not really something that the Rams can control. They’re not performing as well as expected, but hopefully they can perform like this every week.

K: Stephen Gostkowski (3 field goals made, 3 extra points made) – 14

New England kicker Gostkowski has shown through the first two weeks of the season why I invested a thirteenth-round pick in him – scoring the second-most fantasy points amongst kickers following a strong showing in Minnesota.

BENCH

QB: Philip Rivers (284 passing yards, 17 rushing yards, 3 TD) – 24

QB: Tony Romo (176 passing yards, 1 TD) – 11

RB: Bishop Sankey (3 rushing yards) – 0

RB: Danny Woodhead (32 rushing yards, 28 receiving yards) – 5

WR: Allen Hurns (13 receiving yards) – 1

WR: Victor Cruz (60 receiving yards) – 6

K: Steven Hauschka (3 extra points) – 3

 

Kardac Kids srm

QB: Aaron Rodgers (346 passing yards, 28 rushing yards, 3 TD, 1 fumble) – 27

RB1: Giovani Bernard (90 rushing yards, 79 receiving yards, 1TD) – 22

RB2: Shane Vereen (40 rushing yards) – 4

WR1: Calvin Johnson (83 receiving yards) – 8

WR2: Larry Fitzgerald (51 receiving yards) – 5

TE: Antonio Gates (96 receiving yards, 3 TD) – 27

FLEX: Terrance West (68 rushing yards, 22 receiving yards, 1 TD) – 14

D/ST: Bills D/ST (10 points allowed, 4 sacks, 1 INT, 1 fumble recovery, 1TD) – 21

K: Adam Vinatieri (2 field goals made, 3 extra points) – 10

BENCH

QB: Tom Brady (149 passing yards, 1 TD) – 9

RB: Ben Tate – 0

RB: Donald Brown (21 rushing yards, 10 receiving yards) – 3

RB: Trent Richardson (79 rushing yards, 16 receiving yards, 1 fumble) – 6

WR: Eric Decker (63 receiving yards, 1 TD) – 12

WR: Jarrett Boykin (6 receiving yards) – 0

WR: Sammy Watkins (117 receiving yards, 1 TD) – 17

 

You can’t be disappointed when four out of your nine players explode for more than 20 points apiece, and that’s exactly what happened for this team. For the second straight week, I came up against high-scoring opposition, helped out massively by their D/STs. In Week 1 the 49ers D/ST put up 17 points, and then the Bills scored 21 in Week 2. Antonio Gates also had a monster week, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if that was his best game this season. Probably most surprisingly , neither Calvin Johnson nor Larry Fitzgerald reached the double digit mark, but the rest of the team did well enough to lead Kardac Kids srm to victory and put them at 2-0.

The League: Week 2 Results and Standings

Embed from Getty Images

 

Week 2 Results

Salford Bloggers 109-138 Kardac Kids srm

Team apachefootball 79-56 Wigan Warriors

Team Zachrich 91-118 Team AZ Fixitmen

La Linea Lineman 55-90 Abergele JETS

Dallas Cowboyz2014 102-105 Barnyard Gems

 

Current Standings

East Division

Kardac Kids srm – 2-0, 215 PF, 179 PA

Abergele JETS – 1-1, 160 PF, 132 PA

Wigan Warriors – 1-1, 158 PF, 177 PA

Salford Bloggers – 0-2, 168 PF, 234 PA

La Linea Lineman – 0-2, 153 PF, 192 PA

 

West Division

Team AZ Fixitmen – 2-0, 214 PF, 182 PA

Team apachefootball – 2-0, 189 PF, 154 PA

Barnyard Gems – 1-1, 196 PF, 198 PA

Team Zachrich – 1-1, 187 PF, 177 PA

Dallas Cowboyz2014 – 0-2, 200 PF, 215 PA