Fantasy Football R&D: Week 2 Updated Player Value Meter

Quarterbacks

 Vince Young TEN QB – (13 for 17, 154 yards, 2 TD’s, 7 rushes, 30 yards)

Young was extremely accurate on Sunday with numerous perfect passes.  After a slow start to his career, Vince has “exercised the demons” to become one of the brightest young QB’s in the league.  Throw in his lively legs and you have yourself a solid QB1.  As long as he runs for 30+ yards a game he really only needs to throw for 200 to be a fantasy force.  Consider him an every week option as long as CJ is healthy.

 Eli Manning NYG QB – (20 for 30, 263 yards, 3 TD’s, 3 Int’s)

Eli took a step forward in 2009 posting his highest career QB rating (93.1).  Although he will throw some interceptions, he continually challenges the defense downfield and that’s what you look for in a productive fantasy QB.  Expect him to continue the trend and flirt with 30+ TD’s.  A huge season is on the horizon.

 Matt Schaub HOU QB – (9 for 17, 107 yards, 1 TD, 1 Int)

The run was working so well that Schaub rested his arm on Sunday.  Don’t get nervous, Matt will have some huge games in 2010.  Ditto on Andre Johnson.

 Kyle Orton DEN QB – (21 for 33, 295, TD, Int)

Orton is an undervalued player that can make a difference in the passing game.  Grab him as a nice QB2.

 Matt Ryan ATL QB – (27 for 44, 252 yards, Int)

Ryan did not impress me in 2009 and this line trends the same.  He continually missed passes down the field that he completed in 2008 and looks like a different player now.  If your married to this situation just hope he gets his downfield accuracy back fast.  It took Roddy White 13 catches to get just over 110 yards.  That’s inefficiency.

 Jay Cutler CHI QB – (23 for 35, 372 yards, 2 TD’s, Int)

“The Butcher” looked as good as his Denver days on Sunday and put to rest all the weak offensive line talk.  I don’t care how bad Detroit’s defense is, 372 yards is impressive.  Feel confident if you drafted Cutler.

 Tom Brady NE QB – (25 for 35, 258 yards, 3 TD’s)

Tom lit up the Bengals secondary for the tune of 3 TD’s and will continue to fire in the red zone.  Throw yourself a party if you got him in the 3rd round.

 Matt Hasselbeck SEA QB – (18 for 23, 170 yards, 2 TD’s, Int, Rushing TD)

Hasselbeck is in a contract year and is campaigning for his last big pay day.  He was an elite QB for a few years and still holds a career 83.4 QB rating.  For a guy that was an afterthought on draft day, he looks like a great QB2 to have on your bench.

 Running Backs

Ahmad Bradshaw NYG RB – (22 touches, 93 yards, TD)

A draft day steal, Bradshaw is now the feature back in this high powered offense.  If he gets his 20 touches every week he is guaranteed to be a top 10 RB.  Expect big things from the little known star.  Grab Jacobs as a handcuff while you can.

Jonathon Stewart CAR RB – (5 rushes, 12 yards)

Carolina was forced to pass in the second half and that led to Stewart being used sparingly.  Expect him to bounce back with 15 touches against a bad TB run defense this week.  Don’t panic here yet.

Arian Foster HOU RB – (34 touches, 238 yards, 3 TD’s)

I hope you jumped on Foster “The Monster” a few rounds early and are now reaping the benefits.  Houston will continue to mount leads and this guy will close them out.  He’s now considered by everyone as top 5 RB and could have been taken in every 4^th round in America in August.  It’s amazing how value changes so quickly in the NFL.

Maurice Jones-Drew JAX RB – (26 touches, 113 yards)

Drew’s knee has drawn echoes of trouble everywhere, but this line makes me feel better about the situation.  “The Bowling Ball” would have never been allowed to get 26 touches if he had a true knee concern.  Exhale.

Knowshon Moreno DEN RB – (16 touches, 64 yards, TD)

Moreno seems to be the man in Denver when they run.  To help matters, Orton looks extremely good.  I personally would trade the guy, but that’s me.  I was not high on Moreno entering the season because of his lowly 3.8 yards a carry in 2009.  He is not a difference maker in my opinion and can’t stay healthy.

Michael Turner ATL RB – (20 touches, 49 yards)

Turner was facing a tough task with the Steelers defense and they got the best of him.  You can’t like seeing your first round pick average 2.2 yards a carry but expect things to get better.  Hopefully Turner’s coaches didn’t cry wolf about his weight loss and training camp quickness.

CJ Spiller BUF RB – (11 touches, 14 yards)

This was an absolutely pathetic display by CJ.  Mark it up to rookie nerves and expect the blazer to bounce back this week.

Matt Forte Chi RB – (24 touches, 201 yards, 2 TD’s)

This is where I differ from most experts.  I still see Forte trending down this year and feel he is at the top of his value right now.  He averaged 2.9 yards a carry on Sunday and is still a tortoise in the ground game.  Look for this to be his best game by far of 2010.  Trade him now while he is considered a stud.

Cedric Benson CIN RB – (16 touches, 54 yards, TD)

Benson had trouble getting going all day, but his 2.9 yards a carry on Sunday was not surprising considering his career line.  I would trade this guy as fast as you can say 1,2,3, although, I wouldn’t have drafted him in the first place.  Bernard Scott is clearly the better back and it’s only a matter of time before Benson gives way to the young runner.

Chris Johnson TEN RB – (31 touches, 150 yards, 2 TD’s)

CJ is clearly the #1 stud to have in fantasy football.  All the people that took AP over him are kicking themselves.  CJ added after the game that he is expecting to shatter Eric Dickerson’s regular season record with 2,500 rushing yards.  We love the confidence.

Darren McFadden OAK RB – (24 touches, 150 yards, TD)

McFadden quietly took the reigns of the RB job by this performance.  Michael Bush might be back this week but you have to think McFadden with get most of the work going forward.  Bump him up.

LeSean McCoy PHI RB – (12 touches, 82 yards, TD)

McCoy looked elusive on Sunday and will be a total yardage hound in the Philly offense.   He has great hands, so the 5 catches will be a staple moving forward and expect him to approach 80+ total yards almost every week.

Steven Jackson STL RB – (26 touches, 87 yards)

“Action” Jackson is slowly becoming “Friction” Jackson if he doesn’t show some explosiveness soon.  3.7 yards a carry is not going to cut it in the 1^st round.  Jackson bragged he was in tip-top shape this season so he better start running like it.  My opinion has always been he’s not an elite back.  His 4.3 career yards an attempt tend to prove my argument. 

Jamal Charles KC RB – (12 touches, 100 yards, TD)

Todd Haley continues to shield his best player.  I mean 12 touches is a complete joke for a guy considered, by myself, to be a mini Chris Johnson.  Charles continually dodges tough hits and seems to sniff out every hole, nook, and cranny he can run through.  He had arguably the worst offensive line in football last year and finished #2 in RB points the last 8 games.  Beg Haley to clear the way for the best kept secret in the NFL. 

 Wide Receivers

Hakeem Nicks NYG WR – (4 catches, 75 yards, 3 TD’s)

Say cheese!  Nicks is still smiling from his 3 TD barrage.  He looked extremely hard to cover and consistently caught the ball in traffic.  He is now the Giants #1 receiver and count on him to be a red zone monster.  Eli is coming into his prime years and someone will have to benefit.

Reggie Wayne IND WR – (7 catches, 99 yards, TD)

Reggie is still the man in Indy and you should be ashamed if you took Calvin Johnson over this guy.  Wayne is not happy about his contract and he knows the numbers earn the dough.  He is still arguably a top 5 WR in 2010.

Roddy White ATL WR – (13 catches, 111 yards)

“The Piper” is not messing around in 2010, and Matt Ryan seems to be forcing him the ball.  Expect Roddy to be top 5 in the NFL in targets and catches if he stays healthy.  Whether he gets his TD’s is another question.

Brandon Marshall MIA WR – (8 catches, 53 yards)

Chad Henne is the problem here.  He just can’t get the ball deep to Marshall and this will be a problem all year.  Chad Pennington might help a tad but not much.  You’re probably stuck with Marshall now so hope that they work him the ball inside the 20’s and he gets his 10 TD’s.

Calvin Johnson DET WR – (4 catches, 45 yards)

Calvin had his best year in 2008 when Kitna/Orlovsky were throwing him the ball.  Now Stafford goes down and in steps Shaun Hill who actually is pretty solid.  Hill boasts an 85.6 rating in 541 career attempts which is above average at that position.  Expect Hill to throw in Calvin’s direction early and often this week.  Stay with “Megatron”.

Devin Aromashodu CHI WR – (5 catches, 71 yards)

He was Cutler’s go-to-guy late in the year in 2009 and seems to be carrying that label over to this season.  Johnny Knox was the trendy pick on draft day but make sure Devin didn’t slip through the cracks and is on the FA wire.  He can get seperation and will have a real shot at 1,000+ yards in 2010.

Wes Welker NE WR – (8 catches, 64 yards, 2 TD’s)

Wes’ knee seems to be holding up so keep your fingers crossed here.  He’s already been a huge steal on draft day and it’s only been 1 week.  If healthy, he could get to 100 receptions again.  Kind of scary.

Chad Ochocinco CIN WR – (12 catches, 159 yards, TD)

With Owens collecting the double teams all day, Chad found some nice holes in the secondary.  The Bengals played catch up from the first quarter on, as evident by Palmer’s 50 pass attempts, so don’t expect this production every week.  Still, “The Ultimate Catch” is the man to have in the Cincinnati passing game.

Mike Williams TB WR – (5 catches, 30 yards, TD)

Freeman also overthrew Williams on another sure TD.  Expect Mr. Williams to be the go-to-guy in the Tampa passing game for years to come.  He should immediately be at the top of the list for WR rookie of the year.  Expect him to do something special every week.

DeSean Jackson PHI WR – (4 catches 30 yards)

Wow.  I never thought this nightmare would actually happen in the first game.  Kolb goes down in the 1^st quarter and Vick comes in.  I covet Jackson as an elite receiver and he doesn’t need much help to be productive, but I am pretty worried here with Vick at the helm.  Keep your fingers crossed that Kolb is back in week 3. 

Greg Jennings GB WR – (5 catches, 82 yards, TD)

Jennings was open all day with coverage being rolled towards Finley.  Rodgers should have more time to throw the ball in week 2 so Jennings will see his share of deep balls.  Expect big things from “Steel Legs” in 2010.

Mark Clayton STL WR – (10 catches, 119 yards)

“Sammy Guns” Bradford is going to wing it all year.  They let him loose for 55 passes in week 1, an absurd amount in its own right.  Clayton has always been a guy I loved since his Baltimore days.  He has great hands and can get separation.  Trust me; a move for this guy could be a huge stepping stone to becoming a solid #1 for St. Louis.  I’m sure the fact that Sam and Mark are both Boomer Sooners has the people in Norman talking.

Miles Austin DAL WR – (10 catches, 146 yards, TD)

Miles is trying to push the #1 fantasy WR button this year.  He’s off to a roaring start and won’t be slowing down anytime soon.  Expect a shootout this week with Chicago and Austin going past 100 yards again.

Dez Bryant DAL WR – (8 catches, 56 yards)

Dez looked pretty solid this week and made some nice catches.  He ran mostly short patterns but seemed in sync with Romo.  With Roy “Mr Invisible” Williams inability to get open, Dez is now officially the #2 WR. 

Anquan Boldin BAL WR – (7 catches, 110 yards)

I watched most of Flacco’s snaps in 2009 and I can assure you he struggles mightily with his deep passes.  This bodes well for Boldin who loves the underneath catch and run stuff.  AB will continue with his lethal 10-20 yard crossing patterns that Flacco has good accuracy with.  Once the ball is in his hands, Boldin is harder to bring down than a brick wall.

 Tight Ends

Mercedes Lewis JAX TE – (2 catches, 31 yards, 2 TD’s)

If you are in need of a TE grab Lewis.  His numbers in 2009 were extremely productive per reception.  He averaged 16.2 yards a catch, that’s WR turf, and stands at 6’6 with 275 pounds to boot.  He is almost completely unknown but should be a nice fill in at TE.

Jermichael Finley GB TE – (4 catches, 47 yards)

The “Green Giant” was blanketed all day with double teams and couldn’t get loose for a TD.  Don’t bite your nails here; Finley will get in the end zone this week against the hapless Bills.  He is still the best TE to have besides Antonio Gates.

Chris Cooley WAS TE – (6 catches, 80 yards)

Cooley seemed right at home with McNabb on Sunday and will be his favorite underneath target all year.  Look at Brent Celek’s numbers in Philly last year and then transfer that mojo to Cooley.  I would feel good about Chris as my TE1.