Stars of Week 2
QB: Aaron Rodgers 34-42, 480 yards, 4 TDs
RB: Knowshon Moreno 13 carries, 93 yards, 2 TDs
WR: DeSean Jackson 9 catches, 193 yards, 1 TD
TE: Martellus Bennett 7 catches, 76 yards, 2 TDs
- Aaron Rodgers finding his way on this list shocks no one, but the other three names pose surprises ranking from mild (D-Jax) to bewildering (Moreno). We’ll take a closer look at Moreno’s future prospects below. Without further adieu, let’s get to it.
Week 2 Takeaways – A Closer Look
Each week we’ll take a closer look at a handful of performances and sort out what such performances mean going forward.
- Robert Griffin III 26-40, 320 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT (4 carries, 1 yard)
Analysis: The start of RGIII’s season resembles A-Rod’s on-field baseball career in the sense that his stats are there, but are being accumulated when the game’s already decided. That does not matter for fantasy purposes though, so no worries for our purposes. But, the above stat line says it all: Griffin is passing, not running. While he will certainly run more once his knee is further healed, you should temper any expectations that RGIII will run at anywhere near the clip that he did in 2012. Whether his knee will heal at the level his fantasy owners desire is another matter. RGIII owners should definitely be concerned as to whether or not he will make it through the full season.
- Philip Rivers 36-47, 419 yards, 3 TDs
Analysis: Chip Kelly and Michael Vick were the talk of Eagles/Chargers tilt pre-game, and what happens? Philip Rivers puts on a gutsy, Tom Brady-esque performance on Sunday. Who’s he throwing to again? We’ll take a look at Eddie Royal below. So can Rivers be trusted to return to elite level status that he maintained from 2008-2010? Not quite, but it’s fair to expect a bit of a bump from the 2011-2012 seasons, as Rivers appears to be making better decisions with the ball. Consider Rivers a high end QB2, but due to the depth at QB this season, he’s not more than that.
- Knowshon Moreno 13 carries, 93 yards, 2 TDs
Analysis: Moreno had himself quite a game against the Giants. Moreno has been a disappointment throughout his career thus far, and one game won’t change the career trajectory. Moreno has average RB skills at best. So what to expect going forward? He’ll split carries with Montee Ball (and perhaps even lead the time share for the immediate future). Moreno does have value for the season, and is a fine flex play/RB3. But don’t expect a major breakout season.
- Eddie Royal 7 catches, 90 yards, 3 TDs
Analysis: Eddie Royal already has 5 TDs in this young season. So is Royal the solution to your WR issues? Not sold that he is. We need to see more production than just two weeks. Plus, he only has 114 receiving yards on the season, so the TD rate is fluky. Royal is not a bad player to take a flyer on, and his ceiling is that of a WR3, but I’m not yet ready to move him higher than a WR4.
- DeAndre Hopkins 7 catches, 117 yards, 1 TD
Analysis: While we’re somewhat hesitant here to back Eddie Royal, we’re all in on the DeAndre Hopkins train. The rookie was targeted 13 times by Schaub and he certainly delivered the goods. With Andre Johnson as the lead WR, Hopkins will have a great situation to produce. You should definitely add Hopkins to your team if you’re looking for a WR. Expect solid WR3 results, and with some upside to boot.
- Anquan Boldin 1 catch, 7 yards
Analysis: Last week some people (not the majority opinion) thought that Boldin could be a WR1, and now we see this dud of a game. The takeaway here is not to overreact to one week’s performance, good or bad. So which performance is more realistic for Boldin – week 1 or week 2? In this space, we still go with week 1. The Seahawks with their big, physical corners (yes, Richard Sherman) are an awful matchup for Boldin. Boldin and Kaepernick do have a good connection, week 2 notwithstanding, and Boldin remains poised for a terrific year.
Rapid Fire Pickups
One suggested free agent pickup at each position (in each case a player available in most leagues):
QB: Alex Smith (solid if not spectacular)
RB: Fred Jackson
WR: DeAndre Hopkins
TE: Coby Fleener
Week 3 Rankings
Quarterbacks
1. Peyton Manning, Broncos (OAK)
2. Colin Kaepernick, 49ers (IND)
3. Drew Brees, Saints (ARI)
4. Matthew Stafford, Lions (at WAS)
5. Aaron Rodgers, Packers (at CIN)
6. Michael Vick, Eagles (KC)
7. Cam Newton, Panthers (NYG)
8. Robert Griffin III, Redskins (DET)
9. Tony Romo, Cowboys (STL)
10. Matt Ryan, Falcons (at MIA)
11. Tom Brady, Patriots (TB)
12. Alex Smith, Eagles (at PHI)
13. Eli Manning, Giants (at CAR)
14. Carson Palmer, Cardinals (at NO)
15. Russell Wilson, Seahawks (JAC)
16. Terrelle Pryor, Raiders (at DEN)
17. Philip Rivers, Chargers (at TEN)
18. Andrew Luck, Colts (at SF)
19. Sam Bradford, Rams (at DAL)
20. Matt Schaub, Texans (at BAL)
Running Backs
1. Marshawn Lynch, Seahawks (JAC)
2. Adrian Peterson, Vikings (CLE)
3. LeSean McCoy, Eagles (KC)
4. Jamaal Charles, Chiefs (at PHI)
5. Doug Martin, Buccaneers (at NE)
6. C.J. Spiller, Bills (at NYJ)
7. Frank Gore, 49ers (IND)
8. Matt Forte, Bears (at PIT)
9. Alfred Morris, Redskins (DET)
10. Chris Johnson, Titans (SD)
11. Trent Richardson, Browns (at MIN)
12. Knowshon Moreno, Broncos (OAK)
13. Darren McFadden, Raiders (at DEN)
14. Stevan Ridley, Patriots (TB)
15. DeMarco Murray, Cowboys (STL)
16. Arian Foster, Texans (at BAL)
17. Rashard Mendenhall, Cardinals (at NO)
18. Reggie Bush, Lions (at WAS)
19. Giovanni Bernard, Bengals (GB)
20. Lamar Miller, Dolphins (ATL)
21. Daryl Richardson, Rams (at DAL)
22. James Starks, Packers (at CIN)
23. Joique Bell, Lions (at WAS)
24. Darren Sproles, Saints (ARI)
25. David Wilson, Giants (at CAR)
26. Fred Jackson, Bills (at NYJ)
27. DeAngelo Williams, Panthers (NYG)
28. Ryan Mathews, Chargers (at TEN)
29. Bernard Pierce, Ravens (HOU)
30. Ahmad Bradshaw, Colts (at SF)
Wide Receivers
1. Calvin Johnson, Lions (at WAS)
2. A.J. Green, Bengals (GB)
3. Dez Bryant, Cowboys (STL)
4. Demaryius Thomas, Broncos (OAK)
5. Julio Jones, Falcons (at MIA)
6. Brandon Marshall, Bears (at PIT)
7. Wes Welker, Broncos (OAK)
8. Vincent Jackson, Buccaneers (at NE)
9. DeSean Jackson, Eagles (KC)
10. Randall Cobb, Packers (at CIN)
11. Jordy Nelson, Packers (at CIN)
12. Pierre Garcon, Redskins (DET)
13. Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals (at NO)
14. Dwayne Bowe, Chiefs (at PHI)
15. Victor Cruz, Giants (at CAR)
16. Hakeem Nicks, Giants (at CAR)
17. Anquan Boldin, 49ers (IND)
18. T.Y. Hilton, Colts (at SF)
19. Steve Smith, Panthers (NYG)
20. Andre Johnson, Texans (at BAL)
21. Marques Colston, Saints (ARI)
22. Reggie Wayne, Colts (at SF)
23. Mike Wallace, Dolphins (ATL)
24. Eric Decker, Broncos (OAK)
25. DeAndre Hopkins, Texans (at BAL)
26. Steve Johnson, Bills (at NYJ)
27. Mike Williams, Buccaneers (at NE)
28. Torrey Smith, Ravens (HOU)
29. Julian Edelman, Patriots (TB)
30. Josh Gordon, CLE (at MIN)
Tight Ends
1. Jimmy Graham, Saints (ARI)
2. Tony Gonzalez, Falcons (at MIA)
3. Rob Gronkowski, Patriots (TB)
4. Jermichael Finley, Packers (at CIN)
5. Martellus Bennett, Bears (at PIT)
6. Vernon Davis, 49ers (IND)
7. Jared Cook, Rams (at DAL)
8. Jason Witten, Cowboys (STL)
9. Greg Olsen, Panthers (NYG)
10. Julius Thomas, Broncos (OAK)
11. Antonio Gates, Chargers (at TEN)
12. Owen Daniels, Texans (at BAL)
13. Jordan Cameron, Browns (at MIN)
14. Coby Fleener, Colts (at SF)
15. Brandon Myers, Giants (at CAR)