Love

Joe Flacco, QB, BAL – If you drafted Flacco I understand your frustration, but he IS playing against the Browns.  And really, he did well in week 1 considering he was facing the Jets.  Both Flacco and Boldin are pretty safe bets to have a big game this week.  Don’t let one bad game lead you to leave points on your bench.

Pierre Thomas, RB, NO – Like I said on twitter after Reggie Bush’s injury, I always hate to see an injury but as a Pierre Thomas owner I am pretty pleased with how much work Thomas is likely to receive in the absence of Bush.  Based off of the anticipated increase in both rushes and receptions as well as how effective Thomas was against a great Vikings run defense I expect Thomas to be a top 10 back while Bush is inactive.

Miles Austin, WR, DAL - Despite the massive concerns I have for the Cowboys running backs you can not really come up with a legitimate reason for why Austin will not succeed.  In the past two weeks the Cowboys have gone win-less and have struggled with penalties, protecting the QB and especially running the football.  Austin still leads the league in receiving yards and is currently the only consistent fantasy threat on the Cowboys.

LeSean McCoy, RB, PHI - Vick at the helm turns this offense into a more balanced attack.  Vick will be able to draw the attention of the linebackers on defense and make them more vulnerable to counters and misdirection.  This week the Eagles have a pretty good match-up vs a struggling Jaguars team that does not have an overwhelming defense and is trying to get past a problem with turnovers.

Donovan McNabb, QB, WAS – Even though you probably drafted McNabb as your backup QB he is set to have a great week.  I rank him at 11th so if you are in a deep format or a 2 QB league McNabb has been a diamond in the rough thus far.

Frank Gore, RB, SF – Despite losing the game the 49ers re-enforced my preseason opinion of the team.  Alex Smith was effective and showed poise in the pocket under pressure late in the fourth quarter.  The Chiefs do not have as good of a defense as the Saints do and with it being much more likely that the 49ers dictate the pace of the game you can be confident that Gore will be given plenty of opportunities.

DeSean Jackson, WR, PHI – With a 2nd good match-up for DJax and the Eagles combined with how well Vick has been performing it would be pretty foolish to sit a guy like Jackson that is such a dangerous weapon.  The balance of the Eagles offense will provide some chances to both Jackson and Maclin to face one on one man coverage and have a very productive week.

Rashard Mendenhall, RB, PIT - Some fantasy owners are not all that pleased with the performance of Mendenhall so far this season and I don’t quite get it.  Even though it took going to overtime in week 1 to get him in the end zone, it’s not like that doesn’t count.  He is the only consistent fantasy threat  on the Steelers offense and is currently 4th in the league in rushing yards.

Fred Taylor, RB, NE - With Faulk out for the season and Maroney shipped off the Denver Fred Taylor and BenJarvus Green-Ellis are about to get an increased workload.  It makes sense that Taylor gets the lead back carries with BJGE taking care of the third down and receiving work.  Against a great match-up at home against Buffalo Taylor may just have his best game of the season.

Roddy White, WR, ATL - Roddy White is the only reliable receiving target for Matt Ryan and currently leads the league in both receptions and targets.  Since White cannot get penalized for sacks or interceptions he is a great start this week.  The Falcons will not be as effective as the 49ers where at controlling the Saints defense with the running game and will need to abandon it for an aerial assault in an attempt to stay in the game.

Visanthe Shiancoe, TE, MIN – I expect that the Vikings are able to win their first game of the season in rather convincing fashion against the Lions in week 3.  The Lions are very vulnerable to the big play and with a lack of reliable receiving threats the smart money is on Shiancoe to lead the team in receiving.

Hate

Ricky Williams, RB, MIA - With Revis likely to miss the game this week I expect the Dolphins to lean heavy on the passing attack this week.  This was how the Ravens were able to beat the Jets.  With limited work to share and a stout Jets run defense there is not much room for fantasy value from the Dolphins running game this week.  Smart money is on Brown to be more productive, not Williams.

Thomas Jones, RB, KC - Thomas Jones is so beloved by the Chiefs coaching staff that they are willing to risk losing a close game and limit their offensive production just to feed him the ball.  Jones is not done in this league, but he should be be getting MORE carries than Jamaal Charles that is absurd.  It is not a matter of being greedy for fantasy points it is about production and yards per carry average.  Jones is too slow to be effective against a Patrick Willis lead 49ers defense.

Carnell Williams, RB, TB – I don’t care if the Buccaneers are 2-0 or how good Josh Freeman has been playing.  The Steelers defense has been dominating opponents even without a balanced offense to help them out.  They held Chris Johnson to 53 all purpose yards and forced 7 turnovers.  You have to ask yourself how good the Buccaneers really are have only beaten the Browns and an apparently bad Panthers team.

Pierre Garcon, WR, IND - I have been big on Garcon for the past two weeks and have been disappointed both times.  If you have any other viable options it is probably time to use them until Garcon earns the trust of Peyton Manning all over again.

Terrell Owens, WR, CIN - As I thought Palmer has looked pretty bad so far this season.  In order to win games and make a playoff push this season the Bengals will need to lean on the running game and while Ochocinco has been able to be productive this far, this offense cannot sustain two consistent receivers for fantasy football.

Mike Williams, WR, TB – See Carnell Williams.

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Studs

Jahvid Best, RB, DET - The concern that I have with Best is not about his talent, it is about his health.  He has a history of injuries from college including a pretty nasty looking neck injury where he was wheeled off on a stretcher.  I assume that every RB will miss at least one game throughout the course of a season and there is more risk when you have a history of them.  With that said, until that injury happens, fantasy owners and the Lions have themselves one hell of a running back.  After a 232 yard 3 TD game in Week 2, Best is the number 2 back in fantasy football.

LeSean McCoy, RB, PHI – On only 16 carries, McCoy totaled 120 yards and found the end zone three times. The Lions defense is certainly prone to big plays, but the Eagles offense isn’t used to such a productive running game.  Kevin Kolb is the starter of this team and while he is capable of leading an effective passing attack, I would not be surprised to see McCoy get more touches than we originally thought he would.

Matt Schaub, QB, HOU - I really wanted to see him cross the 500 yard mark this week, but fantasy owners will need to settle for 497 yards and 3 touchdowns.  If you were concerned about the passing attack of the Texans after week 1, you aren’t now.

Steelers, DST, PIT – Say what you want about the Jets and their blitzing scheme, the Steelers have the inventor of the zone blitz running their defense.  Dick LeBeau running the show and calling the plays.  Revis may miss some time and if he doesn’t he wont be 100%.  I said in the preseason that defenses rarely are drafted first and finish as the best at the end of the season and the Steelers are off to an early lead even without their starting QB to help the offense keep the defense off the field.

Adrian Peterson, RB, MIN – I really love when players remain consistent while their offense as a whole struggles.  As a fantasy owner I try to find consistent players and if you can average 100 yards per game and a TD while your teams starts 0-2 and struggles on offense then you are welcome on my team.

Jay Cutler, QB, CHI - This week we did not see the same old Jay Cutler.  He was effective, precise with the football and threw 0 interceptions.  The truly surprising thing to me in this game was the offensive line play of the Bears.  If they can keep it up the Bears might be able to make a playoff run.

Andre Johnson, WR, HOU – We all breathed a little easier when Andre came back on the field.  Then we all jumped for joy when he caught that long TD pass.  Johnson ended up the top receiver of the week just 14 yards ahead of fellow Texan Kevin Walter who also found the end zone.

DeSean Jackson, WR, PHI – I had high expectations for DeSean Jackson this week and he did not let me down.  Vick and the Eagles offense got DJax involved early when he took a 15 or so yard pass the distance to get this high scoring game started.  Jackson only had the one score, but totaled 135 yards receiving.

Mark Sanchez, QB, NYJ – It was nice to see some life from the Jets offense, even before they get Santonio Holmes back.  Sanchez only threw for 220 yards but threw 3 TDs and no interceptions.  The running game is the focal point of the offense so I don’t see any need to go pick up Sanchez in a 10 team league, however if you are in a 2 QB league and he is still available he could be very productive for you when Santonio returns from his suspension.

Frank Gore, RB, SF – The 49ers did better than expected against the defending world champs.  They dictated the pace of the game and did a great job running the ball down the throat of the Saints defense.  At the end of the game, after a great drive by Alex Smith to tie it up, Brees did what he does and led them right down the field to win the game in the last seconds.  My confidence in him has been fully restored and you can’t afford to sit this guy as long as Mike Singletary gets to run his style of offense.

Darren McFadden, RB, OAK - I am very surprised in the level of production the Raiders are getting from this guy in the absence of Michael Bush.  He may not have had a very high scoring game but touchdowns are not very predictable.  He is 2nd in the league in rushing and has earned the right to have the lead role in this offense.

Duds

Chris Johnson, RB, TEN – Wow, it is hard to be productive when your offense turns the ball over SEVEN times.  Johnson was only responsible for one of them but he was not very effective with barely over 2 yards per carry.

Joe Flacco, QB, BAL – Speaking of turnovers, I am concerned with Flacco in the short term after seeing throw for only 154 yards with 1 TD and 4 INTs.  He should be able to rebound, but after a week like that if your backup QB has a decent match up why risk that the slump continues?

Pierre Garcon, WR, IND - I don’t know what to say about Garcon’s lack of production the past two weeks.  I am very concerned about what his role will be throughout the season if Manning loses faith in his number 2 receiver. If it doesn’t get sorted out soon then Collie will start to look better and better.

Felix Jones, RB, DAL – I hope you didn’t reach for Jones in your draft.  The axe will fall on someone for the Cowboys lack of production and it wont be Romo or Austin.  Phillips will come into question soon and it looks like with the game on the line the Cowboys would rather give Barber the ball than Jones.

Jonathan Stewart, RB, CAR – The Panthers are in trouble after a rough loss to what everyone thought was a bad Buccaneers team.  You can’t start Stewart even in your flex spot until we see if it gets turned around.

Devin Aromashodu, WR, CHI – Nothing, that’s what Devin did during a big win for his team.  He didn’t play much at all on offense and it is not really clear why.  Earl Bennett came back into the lineup this week and Aromashodu owners should watch the situation carefully to see if they need to drop him.

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Pickups

Demaryius Thomas, WR, DEN – This rookie impressed a lot of people in the off season and even though he missed all of the preseason, Thomas fully participated in practice this week.  Clearly waiting until he was 100% was the way to go as the rookie totaled 97 yards and found the end zone in a sound whipping of the Seahawks.  I still am most confident in Eddie Royal, but Thomas was a sleeper pick of mine before his injury held him out of the preseason.  Nice to see him being an impact player immediately upon his return.

Mike Williams, WR, TB - Some of you more avid fantasy football researchers might not think of this as someone who should be available, but Yahoo! says he is owned in only 38% of leagues and after TD’s in each of his first two games Williams is a steal to grab off of waivers.  There is some undeniable chemistry between Williams and 2nd year QB Josh Freeman that could make this duo something special as they develop throughout their careers together in Tampa Bay.

Aaron Hernandez, TE, NE – Just when it looked like Gronkowski was going to be the best TE for fantasy owners Hernandez has a breakout game topping 100 yards.  I don’t think you should rely on him on a week to week basis but if you are still not comfortable with Owen Daniels, it is worth noting that Buffalo is very good at stopping receivers but not-so-much with TE’s.

Marshawn Lynch, RB, BUF – This is a bit of a reach and you may think I’m nuts, but I dropped Fred Taylor for Lynch right before game time Sunday.  I am not naive enough to think that he will be productive in a Buffalo Bills uniform, but after hearing the trade talk about Lynch I figured now is the time if they are going to deal him at all.  After seeing Lynch get 17 carries to Jackson’s 9, I am relatively certain that the Bills were showcasing him to the Packers and any other interested teams.  He did a very good job given how inept the offense truly is.

Jason Snelling, RB, ATL - Turner left after totaling 75 yards on 9 carries in Week 2 with a groin injury.  It was later said that Turner was cleared to return to the game, but with the performance of Snelling and the game in the bag there was no reason to push his return.  This was smart considering how costly it was for Turner and the Falcons when they tried to rush him back the week after hurting his ankle last season.  Snelling is not likely to see significant work with Turner in the mix, but he is a great handcuff who could certainly be effective with a feature-role in this offense.

Mark Clayton, WR, STL – I still don’t anticipate Clayton making the top 30 in my rankings, but if him and Sam Bradford keep this level of production up, I won’t be able to deny it for very long.

Mike Tolbert, RB, SD – Tolbert is not someone I would reach for unless we hear that Mathews is inactive for Week 3.  Since Mathews stayed in uniform after his injury it is possible he would have been available in a pinch… but I for one would not be surprised if the Chargers rest their prized rookie against the Seahawks who shouldn’t be a big problem.

Kevin Walter, WR, HOU - Jacoby Jones was a popular sleeper for fantasy owners on draft day and Kevin Walter has been completely under the radar.  Not anymore.  Walter finished Sunday as the leagues number 2 receiver, 14 yards behind teammate Andre Johnson.  I am not convinced he should be started just yet, because Schaub won’t throw for 500 yards every week… but he certainly earned a spot on a bench in all but the smallest of leagues.

Dump List

Bernard Berrian, WR, MIN – The Vikings have had a terrible passing attack so far this year and because of this they are discussing a Vincent Jackson trade with the Chargers.  Berrian is not getting the job done at the top of the depth chart and I don’t see that changing any time soon.  Hopefully for Favre they scrape out a couple wins and not be out of the playoff race by the time a quality number one receiver shows up, whether its Rice or Jackson.

Jabar Gaffney, WR, DEN – Gaffney is not a viable fantasy option that anyone should be relying on.  Both Demaryius Thomas and Eddie Royal look to be better athletes than Gaffney is and if he is Orton’s third best option then he is not an option for us.

Tony Gonzalez, TE, ATL – I hate to do it to a legend, but Fantasy Football leagues are even more cut-throat than the NFL and with how deep the talent pool is at TE I would not be able to trust Gonzo any more.

Brandon Jacobs, RB, NYG - Clearly a game in prime time is past Jacobs’ bedtime because after performing poorly last night his helmet “accidentally” found its way into the stands.  Temper tantrums are for children, not professional athletes.  Bradshaw’s workload will continue to increase.

Derek Anderson, QB, ARI – If you aren’t in a 2 QB league Anderson is not worth a roster spot for any extended period of time.  If a good match up coincides with your guys’ bye week then you can pick him up the week you need him.

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Early Games

Jake Delhomme (QB, Browns) : Inactive

Percy Harvin (WR, Vikings) : Active

Beanie Wells (RB, Cardinals) : Inactive

Kellen Winslow (TE, Buccaneers) : Active

Todd Heap (shoulder, questionable) : Active

Late Games

Michael Bush (RB, Oakland) :

Clinton Portis (RB, Redskins) :

Night Game

WR Hakeem Nicks (ankle, questionable) :

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