Matt Forte and 10 Usual Starters Who Should Be on Your Bench in Week 2
Winning and losing in fantasy football can sometimes be simple as making the gutsy decision to bench a guy who is normally in your starting lineup in favor of a player who may have an easier matchup.
Though there is no guarantee that these players will have bad games, these matchup do indicate that they may have a significantly more difficult time than normal in producing up to the level of fantasy value that owners would expect.
1. Vince Young, QB, Tennessee Titans (vs. Pittsburgh Steelers)
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Though not considered an every-week starter in all leagues, Vince Young was a solid week one quarterback in the Titans’ victory over the Raiders. Young was so good, in fact, that he currently leads the entire NFL in quarterback rating at an impressive 142.8.
But that was just one game—and it was against the Raiders. Nnamdi Asomugha can’t cover everyone at the same time.
This week Vince Young and the Titans host one of their biggest rivals from the past few season, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Though the Pittsburgh defense will almost assuredly be focused on stopping Chris Johnson and the running game, players like James Harrison at linebacker and Troy Polamalu in the secondary make this a tough matchup for Young, who is prone to making mistakes when he feels pressure off the edge.
I’m usually a proponent of Vince Young in fantasy football due to his rushing ability, but the Steelers are quick enough to keep up with him.
2. Carson Palmer, QB, Cincinnati Bengals (vs. Baltimore Ravens)
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Coming off a train wreck of a loss the New England Patriots in week one, Carson Palmer and the Bengals will look to get back on track in week two as they host their division rivals, the Baltimore Ravens.
Baltimore’s defense, always one of the best, absolutely destroyed an inferior New York Jets passing game in week one, knocking QB Mark Sanchez and holding him to just 74 yards passing on the night.
While Carson Palmer is certainly a Palmer has more passing credibility and better targets than Vince Young, many of the same concerns remain. Palmer, like Young, is prone to making mistakes when pressured.
Worse yet, Carson Palmer has a total of just two touchdown passes in his past four games against the Ravens.
Palmer was productive in week one, but there are plenty of other quarterbacks who have higher ceilings and better history against their opponents.
3. Matt Forte, RB, Chicago Bears (at Dallas Cowboys)
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Bears RB Matt Forte had a return to glory in week one, compiling over 200 yards of offense against a terrible Detroit Lions defense.
This week, however, the matchup is much tougher, as Forte and the Bears head to Dallas for the Cowboys’ home opener.
Though not considered a particularly excellent defense overall, the Cowboys do have a very good run defense, one which has had them ranked near the top of the league for a few years in a row now.
The bonus about Matt Forte is that he seems to be being used more in the passing game which could create matchup problems. Unfortunately, however, the Cowboys do have a great pass rush, which could mean that Forte spends more time helping to protect quarterback Jay Cutler.
Forte was a monster for owners in week one and it might be tough to sit him, but be sure to give your other options a second look before placing Forte back in your starting lineup in week two.
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4. C.J. Spiller, RB, Buffalo Bills (at Green Bay Packers)
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The fastest running back drafted in the 2010 class, Buffalo Bills RB C.J. Spiller started his career off in very slow fashion. With fellow backfield members Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch both battling injuries, Spiller was expected to take the majority of the team’s carries in week one.
Spiller ended up with just seven carries, four receptions, and 14 yards of offense. Not exactly the way that he and the Bills had hoped.
What’s tougher to swallow is that this performance came in a game in which the Bills were competitive through its entirety. If the Bills fall behind in this week’s game against the Packers, we could see even less running, meaning even less opportunity for Spiller.
At this time, it’s probably best to avoid C.J. Spiller or anyone else in the Buffalo backfield trio.
5. Jahvid Best, RB, Detroit Lions (vs. Philadelphia Eagles)
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Much like fellow first round pick C.J. Spiller, Detroit Lions running back Jahvid Best is just in a bad situation.
Even though the Lions were in it until the last minute of the game against the Bears in week one, they struggled mightily to move the ball on offense and put points on the board.
To his credit, Best scored both of the Lions’ touchdowns on the day, but he ran for just 20 yards on 14 rushes with 16 yards receiving.
Best is the kind of player who can score from anywhere on the field, but with the run-blocking we saw from the Lions’ offensive line in week one, those types of runs are likely to be few and far between.
The Eagles, who ranked in the top-10 in rushing defense in 2009, are another difficult matchup for Best and the Lions. Don’t count on the two easy touchdowns this week—and without them, Jahvid Best doesn’t have much fantasy value.
6. Beanie Wells, RB, Arizona Cardinals (at Atlanta Falcons)
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The situation is brutal for Beanie Wells.
While Wells is certainly considered the running back of the future for the Cardinals, he has also battled injuries throughout his college and now professional career. It’s tough to really get him established as the team’s top back when he’s constantly missing time with injuries like the “bruised knee” that kept him out of last week’s game, as well as practice this week.
Both Tim Hightower and LaRod Stephens-Howling ran the ball well in the Cardinals’ week one victory over the St. Louis Rams, so there isn’t necessarily a big push for Wells to get back on the field. If he does play, he will likely be splitting carries with both Hightower and Stephens-Howling on an already pass-first offense.
Coach Ken Whisenhunt wants to see Wells practice before he puts them in a game, but even if Wells does practice, he’s a weak play in week 2.
7. Mike Sims-Walker, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars (at San Diego Chargers)
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Hey Mike Sims-Walker, where the heck were you in week one?!
How is it that David Garrard had the best quarterback rating of his career and three touchdown passes while his top receiver doesn’t catch a single pass?
It’s embarrassing. Really—it is. The Jaguars passing game is so unpredictable and they’re a run-first offense to begin with, so the upside of a player like Mike Sims-Walker is still very limited.
With the Jaguars facing the Chargers in week two, a team which completely shut down the Chiefs passing game in week one, the matchup is even worse.
Until we see Garrard start connecting with Sims-Walker again, he needs to be on your bench.
8. Chad Ochocinco, WR, Cincinnati Bengals (vs. Baltimore Ravens)
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Despite a monumental defensive collapse in week one against the Patriots, Carson Palmer and the Bengals’ passing game actually produced a pretty nice statistical output, most of which went to top receiving option Chad Ochocinco.
The difference, in this case, is that the Ravens’ defense looked absolutely excellent in week one, while we all expected the Patriots to be among the worst in the entire league in pass-defense.
The Ravens’ secondary is depleted without Ed Reed, but Ray Lewis has this defense firing on all cylinders, playing well above their skill level and creating pressure on the quarterback from a number of different positions.
Carson Palmer struggles while being pressured, which has made things difficult for Chad Ochocinco in recent history against the Ravens. Ochocinco hasn’t scored a touchdown against the Ravens since he was still “Chad Johnson” back in week 1 of the 2007 season.
Ochocinco was an absolute stud in week one, but don’t necessarily expect the same thing in week two. The Ravens seem to have his, and more importantly his quarterback’s number.
9. Jason Witten, TE, Dallas Cowboys (vs. Chicago Bears)
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There is very little doubt from NFL experts that Jason Witten is among the best receiving tight ends in the entire NFL. The problem, though, is that he is every bit as good of a blocker is he is a receiver.
The Cowboys’ biggest problem on offense in week one was pass-protection and penalties by the offensive line. Even while QB Tony Romo made a great would-be touchdown pass to Roy Williams as time expired, the offensive line was still getting penalized and costing them the game.
Witten is one of the least selfish players in the league so with tackles Doug Free and especially Alex Barron struggling in pass-protection, it seems likely that Witten will spend much more time blocking in week two, and even going forward.
It’s tough to bench Witten because Romo does use him as a security blanket, but Witten is very rarely used in the red zone to begin with and it’s hard for a tight end to produce big fantasy numbers without getting into the end zone.
10. Brent Celek, TE, Philadelphia Eagles (at Detroit Lions)
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As if there weren’t enough question marks about this offense to begin with, the Eagles now have Mike Vick as their starting quarterback—at least for this week.
In Atlanta, Vick was known for having a particularly nice connection with tight end Alge Crumpler. But when Vick took over for an injured Kevin Kolb in week one, he didn’t look Brent Celek’s way nearly as often as one would have expected. Vick completed just two passes to Celek in the second half, both of which came on one drive, and didn’t target him before or after that drive.
While Vick will spend time working with the first team offense this week, he will probably spend most of his time trying to get his timing down with receivers Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson.
Celek is a good fantasy option this season, but having to go back and forth between Vick and Kolb could be a tough situation for this young tight end to deal with.
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