Fantasy Football: Week Two Preview, Part Two

After covering the early games yesterday, it's time today to get in on the late-game action.  

Just as yesterday, the information is up-to-date as of the publishing. Always start your studs. There are very few instances we'll recommend benching a No. 1 anything, be it wide receiver, running back, or otherwise. 

Let's get to it! 

San Francisco at Seattle 

Who to Start: Julius Jones, John Carlson 

Who to Sit: Matt Hasselbeck, J.T. O'Sullivan, Seattle Receivers, Vernon Davis 

What to Expect: You shouldn't expect much from the Seattle offense. They were beaten up entering Week One and didn't put up many points. Now they've lost Maurice Morris and Nate Burleson. 

Hasselbeck will be without his top-four receivers and one of his better running backs. Just not a good matchup. The only thing the Seattle offense could have going for them is Carlson. He's a dump-off receiver that may see plenty of opportunities because of the inability of veterans to get open.  

Julius Jones will be the full-time running back and will be needed to take any pressure off the passing game. I'd expect to see Jones crack 80 yards and a touchdown. 

I'm just not a fan of much having to do with the 49ers' offense beyond Frank Gore. He'll be good for over 100 yards again and two touchdowns. He could end up being the most valuable pick in the draft. The 'Niners know they need to run block, and did so well against Arizona last week. 

Sleeper Pickup: John Carlson. Look for him to be Hasselbeck's primary target. 70 yards and a touchdown for the Seattle TE. 

Atlanta at Tampa Bay

Who to Start: Earnest Graham, Roddy White, Jason Elam
 
Who to Sit: Matt Ryan, Brian Griese, Jerious Norwood, Joey Galloway
 
What to Expect: The Falcons ran even more than they normally would last week because they came out firing against a bad Detroit team and built up an early lead. Turner isn't going to run for 220 yards this week, but he will be the team's offensive weapon of choice. Over 100 yards and two touchdowns isn't out of the question here. Bank on one for certain. 

Jerious Norwood had a better-than-average week last week simply because of the situation. Tampa has a better defense than Detroit, so don't look for Norwood to duplicate that effort. 

I won't recommend Matt Ryan. The Falcons won't be in position to win if they need Ryan to do a lot of throwing. Those are just the facts. He'll be held under 200 yards, throw a touchdown, and be picked off. It won't come as easy as it did last week. 

Without Jeff Garcia under center, this is a different Tampa team. Griese won't be asked to air it out, meaning a sideline receiver like Joey Galloway isn't going to have as much room to work with.

It will be a lot of underneath stuff, so look for Ike Hilliard to be the beneficiary on that. I'd suspect Galloway hangs out around the 70 yard mark without a touchdown. 

Earnest Graham will be good for over 100 yards, and a touchdown isn't out of the question. Atlanta's defense is not as good as they showed last week. Against the pass, they're vulnerable. Tampa and Gruden should be able to take advantage of this.
 
Sleeper Pickup: Ike Hilliard. I like him as an option underneath against a defense that doesn't go very deep in their secondary. He doesn't start, so it is a reach, but look for Hilliard to grab a touchdown pass through the air. 

New England at New York

Who to Start: Jets receivers, Wes Welker, David Thomas
 
Who to Sit: Matt Cassel, Sammy Morris
 
What to Expect: It's a short list here, but hear me out. 

First, the Patriots' secondary is their weakest aspect. Regardless as to if the Chiefs took advantage last week, the Jets have the quarterback that will. Croyle wasn't expected to be that type of guy last week, so the Pats were able to jam up front and keep Gonzalez and Bowe out of the game. Not so with the Jets.  

Expect Favre to have 260 yards and two touchdown passes. He'll throw a pick in for good measure. Both Jets main targets will have solid games, keep them active. Coles always comes up big against the Patriots, so expect Favre to use him often. 

On the ground, Thomas Jones will be fine against the Pats as well. He'll near 100 yards and be good for a score himself. 

Matt Cassel is in his first real week preparing as a starter. That makes me unsold on his prospects. Yes, he has the weapons, and his receivers will need to come through for him, but he's still a guy in his first official NFL start. Expect the Jets to make him throw by bogging down the line of scrimmage. 

Cassel may not always have the time to get the ball downfield to Moss, so Welker and Thomas could see passes coming often. I like Thomas as a pass-catching tight end in general, and his role is safe with Watson doubtful. 

That leads into my points on the Pats running game. Everyone is hyping Sammy Morris this week. Count me against that. Kevin Faulk is the change-of-pace/third-down back. Morris will see time, no doubt about it, but Maroney showed last week that he can be explosive. He ran better against the Chiefs than I've seen him run in a while.
 
Sleeper Pickup: David Thomas. I'm lovin' the tight end calls this week, just roll with it.

Miami at Arizona

Who to Start: Chad Pennington (deep leagues), Anthony Fasano, Kurt Warner
 
Who to Sit: Ricky Williams, Miami Receivers
 
What to Expect: Miami's defense struggled covering less-talented (sorry, Jets fans) receivers against a quarterback that knew half the playbook. The challenge is much tougher this week. 

Look for Arizona to throw the ball early and often. Kurt Warner should be good for 250 yards and, I'm going on a limb, three touchdown passes. Larry Fitzgerald is his main guy and will grab two of them, but don't sleep on Anquan Boldin. The guy may want to get out of town, but he wants to get paid. He'll near 100 yards and a score himself. 

I like Edge James, but I don't see a touchdown here. The one thing the Dolphins will be able to do is stop the run. James is still around a three-yards-a-carry guy, and Miami can keep him there. No surprises on that end. 

In Miami, Chad Pennington looked pretty good against the Jets, and the Dolphins QB put up 250 yards through the air. Anthony Fasano is the most consistent receiver, and Pennington will look to use him and guys out of the backfield more than his receivers.

Derek Hagan has moved to the No. 1 spot in Miami, but that doesn't mean a whole lot. Look for Pennington to duplicate efforts, with 250 yards and two touchdowns. 

Ronnie Brown is going to see the primary work for the Dolphins this week. He has better pass-catching ability, and that's what Miami needs. Still, wouldn't start him if you have better options available or as anything more than an RB3/Flex.
 
Sleeper Pickup: Anthony Fasano. To quote the Monkees, "I'm a believer." 65 yards and a TD for the big guy. 

San Diego at Denver

Who to Start: Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall, Eddie Royal, Philip Rivers
 
Who to Sit: Denver RBs, Vincent Jackson, Darrell Jackson
 
What to Expect: There are those that believe the return of Marshall is going to impact Royal. I believe it's going to impact Darrell Jackson. 

Royal is quick and can be used in a variety of ways by the Denver offense. That isn't going to change against San Diego. Merriman being out opens up a piece of the field as well, making it that much more challenging to cover a guy like this that no one has seen.

Royal may not be the scoring leader again this week, but is a good WR3/Flex play if you've grabbed him on waivers. 

I like Marshall for 85 and a touchdown, and Royal for a shade under that, but the other touchdown is going to Scheffler. Cutler should be good for 250 and two touchdown passes. 

It doesn't matter what Denver running back you pick, you aren't going to be right. It's just awful. Last week, Pittman gets a touchdown. No one knows about Andre Hall either. Just go with it, really all you can do. Yes, this is more proof that Mike Shanahan hates fantasy football. 

Chris Chambers is the only "safe" receiver play in San Diego. Antonio Gates will play, but isn't going to be 100 percent. He likely won't be that for a while. Rivers has enough weapons at his disposal to be effective and still register close to 250 yards and a couple touchdowns. He has Tomlinson to thank for that.

Sleeper Pickup: Eddie Royal, if he's around in your league. 

Pittsburgh at Cleveland

Who to Start: Regulars, no surprises here, or reaches for that matter.
 
Who to Sit: Rashard Mendenhall, Derek Anderson
 
What to Expect: So this is one of those times where if you have a better matchup, using it is a good idea. I didn't like what I saw out of Derek Anderson and friends last week against Dallas. Personally, I feel that Pittsburgh's pass defense is better than what Dallas has to offer. That means, to me, that I'd sit Anderson down if I had the option. 

Likely, you don't have better plays for Edwards and Winslow, so certainly keep them active. It's a good idea to temper expectations though, because of these issues. Add to that, the continued injury of Donte' Stallworth is concerning in that it allows defenses to key on Edwards that much more. 

I'm cautiously optimistic regarding Jamal Lewis, but I wouldn't consider him more than an RB2 of flex option. I'll call 70 yards and a score here. 

When it comes to the Steelers, it's going to be tough for Willie Parker to duplicate that performance. Don't think the Browns weren't watching some tape on that either. Parker is going to have to work much harder, especially in a division game against a rival team.

Still, I saw what Barber and Jones did last week and think that Parker can have that kind of impact. 120 yards and two touchdowns is my gut. 

Big Ben is going to have to get his receivers more involved, just because of the kind of game that this is. Holmes and Ward should both be good for yardage. Holmes will crack 75 yards, but Ward will end up with 100 and a touchdown.

I have a feeling they call Heath Miller's number in the red zone as well for one.
 
Sleeper Pickup: It's a reach, but Josh Cribbs. He's the only other guy in Cleveland that will likely catch a ball.

Philadelphia at Dallas

Who to Start: DeSean Jackson, Hank Baskett, Patrick Crayton, Felix Jones
 
Who to Sit: Reggie Brown, Greg Lewis
 
What to Expect: Well, you shouldn't expect another 350-yard day from McNabb. The Cowboys are not the Rams. Just in case anyone needed that clarified, figured I would help.  

The fact is, McNabb still looked better last week even if we took the stats out of the equation. He was more comfortable in the pocket and seemed more sure of his decisions than he did all of last year.

Health will do that for a guy. I'd still say that 270 yards and two touchdown passes are likely, but he'll add a pick this time. 

DeSean Jackson will crack the end zone and 100 yards. Hank Baskett will be the other major piece of the passing yardage. Greg Lewis just doesn't do it for me. He throws out a game like last week's every once in a while, but he's too inconsistent to count on and this is a much different team to face. Out and out, Brian Westbrook will be great. 

On the Dallas side, the only surprise should be the split of carries between Barber and Felix Jones. Barber should still see the bulk of the work, but using Jones as a flex-play is a good idea.

With Barber being bruised, it's likely the Cowboys won't gamble with his health. Jones could see a few more plays as a result. Patrick Crayton will be good for around 80 yards, but no touchdowns coming his way this time.

Sleeper Pickup: Hank Baskett. I like him better than Lewis, and he could still see some work when Reggie Brown is fully healthy. Lewis will fall to the No. 4 receiver. 

Baltimore at Houston

Who to Start: Andre Johnson, Steve Slaton, Owen Daniels
 
Who to Sit: Ray Rice, Willis McGahee, Joe Flacco, Matt Schaub
 
What to Expect: First, expect that this game will be played on Monday night, not on Sunday. Beyond that, it's anyone's guess here. Looking at the guys to start and sit, this one is just a disaster. 

That said, the Texans' offense looked awful against the Steelers. Baltimore's defense held down what should have been a good Cincy offense. Baltimore's offense looked rough against an equally unreliable Cincy defense. The Texans' defense was run all over by Willie Parker. 

In other words, expect nothing and everything, all at once (can you name that Green Day song?). 

Willis McGahee should play, but I would expect Le'Ron McClain to see the bulk of the work, with McGahee being worked in and Rice seeing some time as well. The issue is, if Rice runs well early, but McClain does not, there is nothing to say Rice won't be the guy.

If you need to make a call, the safe one is McClain. The backfield should break 160 yards on the ground, it's just how it ends up broken out. 

The Texans' offense could be a mess, though. Steve Slaton will see the bulk of the carries, but this will be his first legit opportunity to make some noise. 60 yards in a situation like this sounds good, but expect a touchdown to boot.

Schaub will be looking for Daniels and Johnson all day, and it can't be worse than the outing last week. Still, keep him reserved unless you're in a 2QB format that requires this kind of start. Johnson and Daniels will be fine plays, but only Johnson ends up with a touchdown here.
 
Sleeper Pickup: Kevin Walter. He's either hit or miss, but when he hits, he hits big. Walter is the secondary receiver to Johnson, but gets the looks just the same. I'd say 80 yards aren't out of the question here. 

Enjoy the games, and send your start/sit questions to [e-mail]!