2011 Fantasy Football Week 2 Game Previews & Predictions
Oakland at Buffalo: Both teams are a surprising 1-0 and I see this one being rather low scoring, something like 23-10 Buffalo. I don’t see Ryan Fitzpatrick getting anywhere near last week’s totals but he’s a borderline top-10 quarterback this week and I don’t have a strong feeling about any other Bills on offense. Oakland’s Darren McFadden got plenty of touches in the opener so I think he’s a solid RB2 this week.
Tampa Bay at Minnesota: Donovan McNabb will throw for more than 40 yards but I’m staying away from him. I don’t see the Vikings scoring more than 21-24 points and Adrian Peterson is the only must-play on the roster. Percy Harvin is boom-or-bust and I see him getting more involved in the offense this week, but he may still not exceed his unexciting week one total because he won’t return another kickoff for a score. The Buccaneers let their fantasy owners down and I see LaGarrette Blount getting the more carries he’s been asking for this week, but that doesn’t mean he will do a lot with them.
Chicago at New Orleans: Devery Henderson is the hot wide receiver pickup this week and I think he will leave his new fantasy owners disappointed. Another boom-or-bust guy who I don’t see nearing his 100-yard total from week one even with Marquis Colston out. Drew Brees and Robert Meachem are must-plays for the Saints and in deeper or PPR leagues, I think Darren Sproles has value. This could turn into a shootout so even if the Bears lose by double digits, Jay Cutler and Johnny Knox could have big days although I expect a below-average afternoon from Matt Forte.
Baltimore at Tennessee: All your Ravens who helped you win in week one, Joe Flacco, Ray Rice, and the defense, should flourish again this week. Chris Johnson will get closer to what you expect from him this week, but I still think his breakout game for the season is a few weeks away. Kenny Britt has struggled to put together back-to-back good fantasy games in his short career, so he may disappoint.
Cleveland at Indianapolis: I think Peyton Hillis has a return to his early 2010 form and gets near 20 points this week. Plus, Cleveland’s defense is also a solid play against the suddenly ineffective Colts. Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark will be fine, but I’m looking elsewhere rather than relying on Austin Collie until further notice.
Jacksonville at New York Jets: I like the Jets defense and Dustin Keller in particular this week. Expect average games from the likes of Mark Sanchez, Santonio Holmes, and Shonn Greene for now and that is not enough to start them for me. Maurice Jones-Drew is the only Jaguar worth starting except in deeper leagues where it is worth playing Mike Thomas and hoping he goes deep.
Seattle at Pittsburgh: Blowout written all over this one as Seattle struggles every time it goes east, the Steelers have some aggression to take out after the embarrassing loss to Baltimore, and face it, the Steelers are just better than Seattle. Play all your Steeler studs, Ben Roethlisberger, Rashard Mendenhall, Mike Wallace, and the defense and trust no Seahawks.
Arizona at Washington: Those who picked up Rex Grossman this week better play him right away because he may not get a better match-up this season. He may not match what Cam Newton did against the Cardinals, but I don’t think he’s far behind either. Santonio Moss is a must-start and I think Anthony Armstrong and Fred Davis will be reliable receivers this weekend as well. I’m riding Beanie Wells until he either gets hurt or gets benched, but for now he looks like he’s going to get 20-25 touches per game and that could get him in the end zone against Washington. Larry Fitzgerald will bounce back this week too.
Green Bay at Carolina: I see a high-scoring game with Green Bay torching the Panthers early and Carolina getting some scores in garbage time. Aaron Rodgers should play like a first-round fantasy pick again and Greg Jennings and Donald Driver are safe bets too, but I’m not jumping on the Randall Cobb bandwagon yet. I think Cam Newton will end up near 300 yards with a couple touchdowns and some rushing yards, but I also see three or four turnovers that could cripple his total. If you’ve got Steve Smith, sell high because he won’t have another week like the last one again this year.
Dallas at San Francisco: The Cowboys can either tank the season after a tough opening loss like last year or battle back and I see them fighting back more this year under Jason Garrett. Tony Romo has plenty to prove and he will team up with Miles Austin and Dez Bryant for big plays once again although I don’t see Jason Witten getting near his total from last week. I also like the Cowboys defense here. Frank Gore will get touches and some fantasy points, but I see something like 22 carries for 73 yards and a score plus a couple catches to get around 16 fantasy points without having a great day.
San Diego at New England: Play ’em if you got em. Philip Rivers and Tom Brady should have a shootout and I think Vincent Jackson joins the party this week for San Diego and Chad Ochocinco does the same for the Patriots. You’re playing Wes Welker if you have him unless you were able to sell high on him this week, which I would recommend. Mike Tolbert’s injury status takes him out of my lineup and as usual, and I’m not playing any New England running backs because you never know what you will get.
Houston at Miami: Chad Henne will come back to earth against an underrated Houston defense, but I see Reggie Bush making a few more big plays this week. Brandon Marshall too, if he’s healthy. I see Houston’s offense slowing down a bit this week so I expect a setback this week for Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson. Keep an eye on their running backs and if Arian Foster is cleared, get him in your lineup, and if not, hope you got Ben Tate and play him.
Cincinnati at Denver: Here’s one game I won’t be watching, but if I had Kyle Orton I would. I think he answers the critics here and Brandon Lloyd goes off as well. In deeper leagues, I think Willis McGahee may be ready for one of his few big games this year. I’m also playing Denver’s defense. Benching all my Bengals until I see more.
Philadelphia at Atlanta: Mike Vick will go off back in Atlanta and I see DeSean Jackson getting a couple of big scores. LeSean McCoy too. Matt Ryan will be better than last week at home, but I don’t think he’s a starter in a 10-team league right now. Roddy White is solid and Michael Turner seems to be getting more receptions this year, so play him and it could be a real good play in PPR leagues.
St. Louis at New York Giants: Monitor Hakeem Nicks injury and if he is in doubt heading into the weekend, you may need to bench him rather than get an unpleasant surprise if he is inactive on Monday. Mario Manningham become real valuable if Nicks is out, but I still don’t like Eli Manning a lot. The Giants defense should be a good play. You are not playing Sam Bradford or any of his receivers this week but with Steven Jackson out, I’d go ahead and play Cadillac Williams if you picked him up.
(August 31, 2011 – Photo by Rick Stewart/Getty Images North America)
Written by Steve Mims exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com. Follow Steve on Twitter @nwsportscards
Follow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfix
or for Free Fantasy Sports Advice use our Quick Fix to get help with your team!