The first bye week of the season is upon us. Kansas City gets to think about its abysmal beginning. Herm Edwards seems to have as much clue as Trent Green does right now. San Diego is flying high and probably would like to continue to play. The Rivers runs through it, if by it you mean the AFC West. Dallas gets a week to heal and The Tuna gets fitted for a “Bro” or “Manzierre.” Oakland is off this week although you might not even notice. Al Davis and Art Shell take the week to enjoy a marionette show together. Al learned some new tricks and Art added some new strings.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
CAR @ TBB
Both Teams are reeling after the completely unexpected 0-2 starts. The Loser has a much harder chance to get to the playoffs and it is only September. Carolina couldn’t get passed Minnesota and Tampa couldn’t get past Vick, who they usually dominate. It makes you wonder, have the aging Buccs defensive stars hit a wall.
Jake Delhomme – Once again, his status is completely hinging upon the availability of Steve Smith.
DeShaun Foster – Fading, Fading, Fading, Fading, Fading, Fading, Fading, Fading.
DeAngelo Williams - He was better back last week and will be again this week. He will continue to share carries, FOR NOW.
Chris Simms – Call me crazy, but this is the week he starts to get respect. He played fairly well, not great, but ok last week and actually had time to throw the ball.
Caddy – Sophomore Slump is what you will start to hear about now. Carolina is missing some defensive players and is getting smashed on the run like the Bills were last year. He will go off and silence the naysayers for another week.
WAS @ HOU
Another battle of two 0-2 squads, except that Washington is heads above Houston. The skins look pitiful on offense without Portis, so much so that Bill Parcells threw up after the game Sunday night. Houston, so far, looks better than last season. However, they still suck. Watch out for one of those sneaky games that a bad team can win at home, but I really don’t see Gibbs letting that happening.
Mark Brunell – If he loses this game, he can start to fear for his job. Houston has already given up 6 passing TD’s and only has registered 3 sacks.
Clinton Portis - Houston has given up almost 130 yards per game rushing early in the season.
The Three Blind Mice - See how they run.
David Carr - Not a good play this week or any week.
Andre Johnson - He has really benefited from having Moulds out there and from the perpetual losing score to bolster stats.
TEN @ MIA
We have yet another battle of two ham-fisted 0-2 teams. Tennessee brings its sham of an offense into Miami where the addition of Daunte Culpepper has only seemed to aid in the regression of the Dolphins from last season. Collins had a 1.3 passer rating and is still the starter, not for long. Miami is one 0-2 team that is going up and will get a win this week with ease.
Drew Bennett - Get used to seeing Drew’s numbers inflate in the fourth quarter.
Daunte Culpepper - He had pretty good numbers and if you turn that red zone Int into a TD, he is a nice play. He should destroy the titans this week
Ronnie Brown - Yet another big o-lineman goes out indefinitely. He is still a strong play against the hapless titans.
Chris Chambers - Seen plotting a takeout move on Wes Welker.
Randy McMichael - All the talent, none of the receptions.
NYJ @ BUF
The Jets showed some heuvos in a comeback attempt against divisional rival Patriots last week, but fell short. Cotchery looked like a rubber band man on his touchdown catch and run. Buffalo could be 2-0 right now. Two teams projected to be around the cellar are playing above their respective heads right now and the loser of this one starts its nosedive.
Chad Pennington – He looks like the old Penny, accurate and decisive. If he keeps this up, comeback player is his.
Cedric Houston - He has been deactivated in both games this season. Blaylock and Barlow have hardly played well enough to secure the job and this week is Houston’s chance.
Coles - My sleeper of the year at WR is the leading receiver in the league thus far.
J.P. Losmen - I actually picked him up in one league, I can’t believe I did that. I still say he sucks.
Lee Evans - Based on the preseason, I thought he was going to be the man. Guess I was wrong.
JAX @ IND
Jacksonville has come out of the gate on fire ever since that first quarter against Dallas. That defense helps. Indianapolis hasn’t shown any signs of missing edge yet and I was right about Addai last week.
Byron Leftwich – He still has that crazy delivery and as soon as he is crowded in the pocket, he will suffer. Indy needs their defensive players to play and Freeney doesn’t look the same with that injury.
Fred Taylor - He is playing hard and focused. I like Fred a lot this week.
Matt Jones - Giant with speed. Any team would love to have a guy like this.
Peyton Manning - If he struggles any week, it will be this one.
Joe Addai - If the Colts are going to be successful, he will need to have a good game.
Marvin Harrison - Good Ole Marvin will get into the endzone this week.
GB @ DET
Alright we should just change week three to the week of 0-2 matchups. One week it’s the offense and the next week it’s the defense. Brett usually plays like hell in Detroit, but also usually wins. Detroit opened the season with a promising game and then folded last week against Chi-town. Will the real Lions please stand up.
Brett Favre - Brett usually struggles in Domes, I know, but this week’s game will be a shootout and Brett will be up to the task.
Donald Driver - Having a great year, now needs to find the endzone. He could be in for a huge week.
Greg Jennings - He is gaining Favre’s confidence more and more each week.
John Kitna - Martz’s offense is perfect to go against a defense that is as bad as Green Bay’s. Like I said for Favre, shootout alert.
Kevin Jones - Faced two strong defenses to kick off the season and performed badly. Can he perform well against the Packer? I doubt it.
Roy Williams - How come he won’t guarantee a victory against the Packers. Probably because Marinelli will knock his ass out if he does.
CIN @ PIT
The fireworks that are the Bengal offense started one week later than expected, but thrilled nonetheless. I know Pitt is better than Cleveland, but Carson torched them last year too. Pitt comes off a short week to face a defense that is playing well together. Anything other than Jacksonville should feel a ton easier.
Carson Palmer - A woozy CJ, and an injured Housh, no problem. Kelley Washington and Chris Henry do just fine.
Rudi Johnson - He will gain some tough yards this week, but nothing spectacular.
CJ - He’ll be dancin’ this weekend, count on it.
Big Ben - They say the fever had something to do with his performance last week. Well, he cost me a game in fantasy by completely ignoring Heath Miller all game. He will be much better this week with a game under his belt.
FWP - He’ll have more room to run that he did on Monday, but not that much more. Good news for Parker owners is that he doesn’t need much more.
Hines Ward - He was obviously frustrated with the Game on Monday and looks to rebound this week. He’ll get his first hundred yard game of the season.
CHI @ MIN
Rex Grossman has played Green Bay and Detroit, granted he did well, you should show caution before naming him Peyton Manning Jr. Minnesota has won a couple of scrums and Chester Taylor has proven his worth against two formidable defenses, this week however he faces the best, expect a lot of touches, but not a lot of yards.
Rex Grossman - This game is not going to be stat lovers game to say the least.
Thomas Jones - The loss of Erasmus doesn’t really affect the run defense that much and TJ should do alright this week, 75 and a score in the dome.
Desmond Clark - He gets half the looks from Grossman and Minny is notorious in recent history for yielding scores to TE’s.
Brad Johnson - He has not looked great and he is not a fantasy player by any stretch of the imagination, but he keeps winning.
Chester Taylor - Similar to TJ, with a few less yards and few more looks and receptions.
Troy Williamson - My nickname of the human colander lit a fire under him and he did well last week. He won’t see many balls this week.
BAL @ CLE
People who said Ray Lewis and Ravens defense were on the downward spiral were obviously licking some of my hallucinogenic amphibians. Winslow has been healthy for a grand total of 2 games and is already spouting about how the offense is being held back. Browns Ravens games of recent era were always dominated by Jamal Lewis and the Ravens defense. That should continue here.
Steve McNair – He is a great on field coach and leader and has shown me that he isn’t out there to make the throws all the time, just when called upon. He lets the running game take charge and the defense cleans the rest up. He’ll be marginal the rest of the way, with a couple of big games.
Jamal Lewis - After running wild on Cleveland in his 2000 year for 500 yards in two games, he was kept at bay last year. This was because of injuries and Chester Talyor. Niether of which are there this season. I see a big game for Jamal this week.
Heap and Mason - As long as McNair is not needed to put up big numbers, he won’t. With that, the receivers numbers take a dip.
Charlie Frye - You better run for life Charlie, Ray Lew has his eyes on you and you look like Meat. Meat is murder and murder is delicious.
Reuben Droughns – Baltimore has given up a total of 65 yards rushing this year on two games.
Kellen Winslow - I am going to love to watch the matchup between this guy and the LB’s and S’s of Baltimore
STL @ ARI
St Louis is having some trouble adjusting to the new offense and it just seems like Bulger is a bit tentative on some plays. He needs to let loose and gun it to his weapons. Arizona beats SF, SF beats St Louis, so Arizona should be St Louis right? Wrong.
Marc Bulger – He looks good for one or two drives and the rest of the time he seems to labor with the new offense. Arizona is a place that is boom or bust for Marc as well. These are usually close games as well.
S-Jax - He will continue his tear on the NFC.
Holt - Big game has another Big Game.
Kurt Warner - Ok, this is the game where he gets hurt.
Edge - St Louis looked mediocre against the run against Denver and pretty good against San Fran. Arizona’s o-line will make them look like the Chargers. Edge might not get a hundred yard game all year.
Dynamic Duo in the Desert - At one point, I thought that Edge would hurt their numbers, but the o-line took care of that.
PHI @ SF
Philly up and punched me in the gut last week. San Fran showed that they can still beat the Rams. The Eagles will annihilate in this game.
Donavon McNabb - 350 and 3 TD’s to keep up with what JoJo the monkey boy will be giving up on defense.
Westbrook - He will get his first hundred yards rushing game this week.
Stallworth - He had a big drop in a drive late in the Giants game that could have iced it, but I’ll forgive him for now. He is the #1 WR in Philly without question.
Alex Smith - His only option is to take advantage of JoJo the Monkey boy at corner. That is not a bad option to have.
Frank Gore - His receiving skills make him a threat out of the backfield, but the Eagles defense is tough.
Antonio Bryant - See Alex Smith.
NYG @ SEA
Eli looked terrible for about three quarters and then was given the gift of JoJo the monkey boy to save the day. I don’t care what anyone says, he was throwing off his back foot and completing lucky passes. Dawkins intercepts a ball that was never challenged and they get a gift forward fumble TD, that should have been Michael Lewis’. Seattle can’t get SA going and losing Porkchop won’t help that cause. Umenyiora is licking his chops now. They are 2-0, but a shaky 2-0.
Eli Manning - He can’t be lucky like that 2 weeks in a row. Shockey will be limited, so that hurts him too.
Tiki - He didn’t run for very much against the Eagles, but his ability to catch the ball keeps his value high.
Matt Hasselback - The Hawks are going to once again try to establish a ground game, but may need to rely on the air in order to sustain some drives.
SA - He had a better week against Arizona, but he needs to start scoring. No record this year.
D-Jax - He showed last week that the injury is not affecting him and against this sub par secondary, he will show it again.
Deion Branch - He will make his debut and have a minor game getting into the swing of things, look for him to play on third downs to get comfortable.
Sunday Night Game
DEN @ NE
Jake is playing like the snake we all remember. Denver is 0-2 and for me is the most surprising of the defeated teams. Things continue to be bad for Denver this week. At this rate, San Diego might wrap up the division by mid-season. New England is 2-0, but could easily be 0-2, they are really grasping onto ways that brought them so much prosperity and it is working. This is the first real test for this team this year and will go along way in exposing the true Patriots.
Jake Plummer - Is it because of Cutler that Jake is playing this way. I don’t know, but he better turn it around or else he’ll be behind Cutler on the depth chart.
For whom the Bell tolls - I give up with this situation. Flip a coin.
Javon Walker - He shined when Smith got his bell rung last week. NE also gave up big games to two WR’s on the Jets. Start him with confidence.
Tom Brady - If you want 13-15 points every week, then plug him in.
Laurence Maroney - There are some rumors floating around Boston that Dillon hurt his shoulder. Corey looked fine on Monday and says that people get banged up on Sunday, it comes with the territory. Well if Dillon’s load were to be lightened significantly, Maroney would be a top tier back instantly.
Ben Watson - So much for the Watson/Gates comparisons. He has been invisible around the goal this year and fantasy owners are wondering why.
Monday, September 25, 2006
ATL @ NO
Michael Vick and crew have been running all over their opponents thus far in the early season and look to be unstoppable in that regard. At one point, he is going to have to throw to win and he just can’t do that. The Saints have been playing inspired, oh wait, no they haven’t, they have played the Browns and the Packers. This one will be special though as it is the first game to be played at the Superdome since the disaster known as Katrina. The fans will be pumped and it will be loud. Can New Orleans go to 3-0 and take an early lead on the division?
Michael Vick - He can throw a rock in the ocean from 10 feet away, but as long as he has those legs he will get fantasy points.
Warrick Dunn - Who is more happier to see Duckett gone, Norwood or Dunn, I say the leading rusher in the league is.
Drew Brees - The 10 million fraud continues another week.
Deuce McCallister - Atlanta’s run defense is playing very well, but this game is going to be emotional and that is an intangible that you just cannot predict.
Reggie Bush - He has made some nice moves in kick returns and runs, but doesn’t really look very special to me. I think he averages like a little of 3 yards per carry.
Marques Colston - He scored again last week and has my vote for rookie of the year so far
Top 10 QB’s for Week 3
1. Donavon McNabb
2. Peyton Manning
3. Marc Bulger
4. Kurt Warner
5. Michael Vick
6. Daunte Culpepper
7. Matt Hasselback
8. Brett Favre
9. Carson Palmer
10. John Kitna
Top 10 RB’s for Week 3
1. Brian Westbrook
2. Warrick Dunn
3. Tiki Barber
4. Chester Taylor
5. Frank Gore
6. Clinton Portis
7. Shaun Alexander
8. Ronnie Brown
9. Steven Jackson
10. Ahman Green
Top 10 WR’s for Week 3
1. Larry Fitzgerald
2. Torry Holt
3. Marvin Harrison
4. Anquan Boldin
5. Donald Driver
6. Roy Williams
7. Chad Johnson
8. Chris Chambers
9. Reggie Wayne
10. Donte Stallworth
Bust of the Week
Edgerrin James - He couldn’t rush for a hundred yards against San Fran, he certainly won’t be able to against St Louis. The thing is Arizona’s offense is pass happy and gets into a passing game only by the fourth quarter. This is going to be a long year for Edge.
This season has seen its share of surprises already, but know that things will calm down. It is still too early to declare booms or busts, so be patient and as always go with your gut and don't look back.
...................Professor Ellis D Trails
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