I hope you are all as excited as I am that there is live football on TV again.  After each week of the regular season comes to a close I will discuss the Fantasy Football relevant news from the week.  Lets get started since week two is underway!

Ravens vs Panthers

This was not a confidence building game for the Ravens and their fans.  Flacco performed admirably without Ray Rice in the backfield to provide the balance that will make them so dangerous.  His absence also allowed the panthers secondary to focus on Boldin and keep him in check.  What this game taught me was that the Ravens need to have all the peices of the puzzle in place in order to be an elite offense.

On the other side of the ball I hoped we would start to see the emergence of a number two receiver for Matt Moore, but both Dwayne Jarrett and Bradon LaFell showed me nothing.  There was a nice 23 yard run by DeAngelo Williams, but with no Steve Smith in the game and as little time as we saw Matt Moore it is too early to judge this offense.

Raiders vs Cowboys

The one question i kept asking myself over and over after this game was “Is Heyward-Bey in some sort of witness protection program?” Seriously, considering what the Raiders gave up for this kid he has to start producing and fast to erase the memory of last year (9 receptions for 124 yards and 1 TD… embarrassing).  I thought Michael Bush looked mediocre at best and I  would hope to see that turn around in the preseason before I targeted him on draft day.  I still don’t see how people can pick this team to make a surprise playoff run until one of their receivers steps up to give that offense a vertical threat.

I have enjoyed watching Romo get back to his old buddy Miles Austin early and often this preseason.  There are serious question marks on the offensive line right now, but by using the playaction and letting Romo move out of the pocket some they should continue with the same level of production.  I expect Jason Witten to return to an elite fantasy TE this year as he is an incredible red zone target.

Bills vs Redskins

The Bills saw injuries to both Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson in Week 1 leaving all the first team reps to go to CJ Spiller.  If he can capitalize on these reps and produce throughout the rest of the preseason he will keep climbing in my rankings.  Last nights week 2 game was a great start at catching up to Jackson for Buffalo’s top ranked fantasy RB.

Gotta love McNabb, despite all the challenges of changing teams after so long in one system he came out and delivered in the limited time he was on the field.  He will be the Redskins biggest offensive playmaker and if you are waiting as long as I am this year to draft a QB (and you miss out on Flacco) then McNabb may just be a bargain for the price.  I am starting to tone down my love of Devin Thomas as a really late round pick as he just did not look natural catching the ball from McNabb or kick/punt returns.  And lastly, Clinton Portis looked strong out of the backfield and is climbing in my rankings.

Eagles vs Jaguars

I was very interested in how Kolb would do in this game.  The Jags do not have the most solid pass defense in the league and I really wanted to see him able to find the open guy and move them down the field.  He sure did that.  His first pass was to DeSean Jackson on a slant pattern he took for 20 yards.  He later connected on two deep balls, one a piece to DJax and Jeremy Maclin. The play I liked seeing the most was his scramble to pick up a key conversion on 3rd and 5 to extend a drive and get points on the board.

The Jaguars looked terrible, MJD is definitely the number three back and Mike Sims-Walker has value in the middle rounds, but David Garrard is why none of these players will be able to fulfill their potential this year.

Browns vs Packers

It feels funny not typing something bad about the Browns these days… But Jerome Harrison found the endzone and Delhomme went 6/7 and 60 yards.  They didn’t play long and couldn’t sustain that type of success against that defense.  But for fantasy we don’t need them to to have value.  I am more confident grabbing Harrison now than I was before I watched them march down the field against the Packers.

Ryan Grant gave me quite a scare with his fumble and mild concussion, however he is back at practice and won’t be missing any time in the regular season.  No reason to lower him at all in the rankings, he is already a great bargain.  Aaron Rodgers and Greg Jennings sure looked in sync with each other and raise expectations a bit.  The battle for my number 10 WR this year is getting pretty fierce between Jennings and Marques Colston.

Chargers vs Bears

Phillip Rivers is the key to the success of this team.  After watching this game Vincent Jackson must be disappointed because the Chargers were able to move the ball just fine through the air.  Malcom Floyd is going to do just fine as a deep threat and Legedu Naanee is certainly eligible for sleeper status now.  Rookie Ryan Mathews looked good in this game as well, performing as I would expect from a 2nd round fantasy RB.

Johnny Knox is clearly winning the number one job in this offense.  His vertical speed is the perfect fit for this offense, but I am keeping Aromashodu above Knox in my rankings since he makes for a better red zone target.

Other players who had notable outings in week 1:

Eddie Royal

Calvin Johnson

Cadillac Williams

Mike Williams (TB)

Matt Schaub

Victor Cruz

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1. Aaron Rodgers
2. Drew Brees
3. Peyton Manning
4. Matt Schaub
5. Tom Brady
6. Philip Rivers
7. Tony Romo
8. Jay Cutler
9. Kevin Kolb
10. Joe Flacco
11. Brett Favre
12. Eli Manning
13. Matt Ryan
14. Donovan McNabb
15. Ben Roethlisberger
16. Chad Henne
17. Alex Smith
18. Matthew Stafford
19. Vince Young
20. Jason Campbell
21. Carson Palmer
22. Mark Sanchez
23. David Garrard
24. Matt Leinart
25. Matt Cassel
26. Kyle Orton
27. Matt Moore
28. Matt Hasselbeck
29. Josh Freeman
30. Sam Bradford
31. Trent Edwards
32. Jake Delhomme

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The Ravens added the most needed element to their offense when they acquired Anquan Boldin, a vertical threat.  This will help to keep the focus off of Ray Rice and give the offense a balance that everyone will benefit from.  The Ravens also used the draft to re-bolster their traditionally stout defense by selecting Terrance Cody and Sergio Kindle.  These two picks will give the defense its physicality back. Given that the offense is more than capable of keeping the defense well rested, the Ravens could be in for quite a run this season.

Top Fantasy Players

Joe Flacco – I am pretty high on Flacco this season, he has a dynamic running game and a better receiving corp. than the Ravens have seen in quite some time.  The table is set this season for this for a breakout year from this promising young QB and I think he will exceed expectations.

Ray Rice – Most people are ranking Rice as the fourth RB, but I have him at fifth.  We do all agree that he is a must draft no later than that and is set to have a huge year.

Anquan Boldin – Boldin is a big physical receiver that is not afraid to run over the middle of the field and is a nightmare to cover in the red zone.  He is finally out of the shadow of Larry Fitzgerald and is now in a more stable offense and all around team.

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Round One
Pick 1 (1) – Chris Johnson: CJ has an absurd mix of power and speed that makes him a threat to score every time he touches the ball.  A guy his size and speed should have trouble between the tackles, but as he proved last season he does not.

Pick 2 (2) – Adrian Peterson: The emergence of Chris Johnson is not why I rank Peterson at number two.  Peterson is in my opinion the most complete running back in the league, but has had some issues with fumbles and is seeing fewer touchdowns with Favre pulling the trigger.

Pick 3 (3) – Maurice Jones-Drew: MJD has a similar skill set to Johnson, but has a bit of trouble running up the middle.  He is a very capable goal line back due to his elusiveness, but does not have the supporting cast to have a breakout year.

Pick 4 (4) – Frank Gore: The Niners had an excellent draft, they appear to be lining up behind Alex Smith and opted to bolster their offensive line in a big way with Anthony Davis and Mike Iupati.  Iupati is one of the most athletic guards I have seen come out of college in a while and will do an excellent job pulling to seal the corner for Gore this year.  The Niners also appear to have rededicated themselves to a physical smash mouth style that matches their coach Mike Singletary.

Pick 5 (5) – Ray Rice: This guy came out of nowhere, and I do not expect him to be the next Matt Forte at all.  Until draft day Rice was my number four back.  After adding a deep threat and much needed talent at the WR position with Anquan Boldin, the Ravens ensured that they will still see consistent production from Rice.  It will be exceedingly difficult to stack eight in the box to stop this guy.

Pick 6 (6) – Michael Turner: Turner has dropped a fair few spots from last season, but it has little to do with him.  The emergence of the 49ers and Ravens on the offensive side of the ball are the primary reasons why Turner is not fourth on this list.  The injury at the end of last year certainly does not help, but I’m not going to downgrade him for it until he proves it was not an isolated incident.

Pick 7 (7) – Ronnie Brown: The Dolphins have a more balanced attack now with Marshall at wide receiver, but Henne is still unproven and the one-two punch of Brown Williams is still going to be the driving force of this offense.  Brown could see better productivity with a passing game to balance the defense.

Pick 8 (8) – Drew Brees: Yes, the Saints lost some talent on both sides of the ball, but regardless of the situation the only player that was always are the center of their success was Brees.  He repeatedly rallied the Saints whether it be the fourth quarter of a game, or after losing to the lowly Buccaneers, and then needing to make a playoff run.

Pick 9 (9) – Andre Johnson: The Texans have their issues, and it is impossible to know what Coach Kubiak is thinking when he puts Arian Foster or Ryan Moats on the field instead of Steve Slaton.  With that said they are a playoff caliber team with a very efficient passing game.  Johnson is the most consistent receiver in fantasy football.

Pick 10 (10) – DeAngelo Williams: With the question at quarter back and the best tandem of running backs in the league to lean on you can expect the Panthers to do just that.  Use the talent at the Running Back position to develop either Matt Moore or Jimmy Clausen into their Quarterback of the future.

Pick 11 (11) – Steven Jackson: He may be on the decline, but during a 1-15 season Jackson played through injury and was there for every game giving all the effort he had.  He can still be my  first round pick without a doubt.

Pick 12 (12) – Rashard Mendenhall: It is worth noting that the option of taking Reggie Wayne and Peyton Manning was available, but you cannot snub the RB position like that with the last pick. Mendenhall is likely to see an increased workload during Big Ben’s suspension, and he will remain the feature back the rest of the season.

Round 2
Pick 13 (12) – Reggie Wayne: This is the only wide receiver on the best passing offense in the AFC that we know their spot on the depth chart.  Whether Gonzalez or Garcon gets the number two job is still unknown and very possibly subject to change.  Wayne has been with Manning for a long time and has developed into an elite receiver.

Pick 14 (11) – Aaron Rodgers: If you’re scratching your head, then you need to look at the stats from the last two seasons.  Rodgers is likely going to be the highest scoring fantasy QB this season, but Brees is likely to have more passing yards.

Pick 15 (10) – Peyton Manning: Comes down to Moss or Manning here, and with Brady and the Patriots on the decline, Manning is the safe pick and the right one here.

Pick 16 (9) – Ryan Grant: Not taking a running back in the first round means you have to take the best one available to you in the second.

Pick 17 (8) – Cedric Benson: Carson Palmer finally has the best receiving core of his career, and he can’t use it because his career is over.  Benson will see 30 carries a game this year just like last year, as long as he is healthy.

Pick 18 (7) – Randy Moss: Despite his teams fall from the elite, they are still a Playoff quality team with great coaching, and more than enough experience to make a deep playoff run.

Pick 19 (6) – Pierre Thomas: Bush will never be an every down back, and Bell is not there to vulture red zone touches.

Pick 20 (5) – Miles Austin: Austin’s productivity was among the best last season, and considering he did not even start until week 5.  I would hardly be surprised if Austin ended up the top fantasy WR by the end of the season.

Pick 21 (4) – Shonn Greene: The Jets showed that they trust and believe in this young guy the way they used him in the playoffs.  Since Rex Ryan has yet to make a decision that didn’t work out for him, I am going to trust him.

Pick 22 (3) – Tom Brady: Brady has not fallen off.  It took a little to recover from his season long injury, but he’s back.  The difference is the team around him is not as good as it has been.

Pick 23 (2) – Larry Fitzgerald: Larry is still the most talented wide receiver in the league, and it only takes one play for a receiver to have a good day for you.  Fitz will remain a red zone matchup nightmare.

Pick 24 (1) – Joseph Addai: Towards the end of his career, but not there yet.  He will not have quite the year he did last year but he should be close.

Round 3
Pick 25 (1) – Vincent Jackson
Pick 26 (2) – Phillip Rivers
Pick 27 (3) – Roddy White
Pick 28 (4) – Matt Schaub
Pick 29 (5) – Beanie Wells
Pick 30 (6) – Tony Romo
Pick 31 (7) – Jamaal Charles
Pick 32 (8) – Ryan Matthews
Pick 33 (9) – Clinton Portis
Pick 34 (10) – LeSean McCoy
Pick 35 (11) – Ricky Williams
Pick 36 (12) – Joe Flacco

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With the first weekend of free agency drawing to a close its time to look at how the moves that have been made so far impact next years Fantasy Football season.  Many big-names have changed teams during this week, and  will shake up next seasons pre-draft rankings quite a bit.  Here are the roster moves made so far during this free agency period that have an impact on fantasy football:

Anquan Boldin traded to Ravens – The biggest move of the free agency period was not a signing, but a trade.  With the addition of Anquan Boldin to the Ravens offense three different players all receive a bump in my rankings; Joe Flacco, Anquan Boldin (shocker!), and Ray Rice.  The biggest weakness of the Ravens last year was balance in the passing game.  They have been lacking a serious play-maker at the wide receiver position, and Flacco’s production was hurt the worst by it.  Mason is getting old and may not be back in a Ravens uniform next year, but with the addition of Stallworth and now Boldin the Ravens will finally have two polished receivers that can stretch the field AND get open over the middle.  The impact on Ray Rice will also be significant, with Boldin on the roster the Ravens will have a balanced offensive attack instead of the Ray Rice show that was last season.  Next year he wont be a surprise, people know what he can do now and without a balanced attack he would be vulnerable to being schemed against.  With game-breaking talent at wide-out defenses will need to respect the deep ball and Rice will remain a top tier back.

Antonio Cromartie traded to the Jets – Another trade tops my list of moves made during free agency week, and yes I know it was the day before but its so significant I’m sneaking it in!  This move will solidify the Jets as my #1 Defense for next season barring some unforeseen incident.  While Cromartie  is certainly no Revis, he is a very gifted player filling the area of biggest need for the Jets already number one ranked defense.  Oh, and the Jets were already first in the league in passing defense last year… 30 yards fewer per game than the number two Bills.

Bears sign Chester Taylor – I am really excited to see what Taylor can do outside the shadow of Adrian Peterson… but I do not think we will know his full potential until at least next year.  The Bears have no picks in the first two rounds, and have an offensive line that could use quite a bit of work.  Good news for the Bears however, this is a VERY deep draft class at offensive line and there is a real chance they could find a diamond in the rough.  Taylor is a very complete back and he will likely take over the primary role leaving Forte to handle third downs.

Lions sign Nate Burleson – Calvin Johnson finally has someone that could pull some double teams away from him… ok not quite. However,  Burleson has 7 years of experience and a fair few left in him.  His veteran leadership and experience at being on mediocre teams could go a long way to helping the Lions on the road to average.  And lets face it, with a tough and talented kid like Stafford at the helm they could get there pretty quick.  Burleson will likely see similar production as he had in his disappointing last season, but he could really help Megatron get open a couple more times per game… and that is certainly a good thing.

Bears sign Julius Peppers – The Bears make my list twice since they needed to use the limited free agent pool as their draft, and lets face it… you cant draft the best pass rushing defensive end and that is what the Bears got in Peppers.  The biggest weakness for the Bears defense last year was… well… their offense.  With Cutler throwing such a large number of interceptions as well as the Bears’ inability to extend drives and provide some rest for their defenders, just about every game the defense was worn out by the fourth quarter and unable to stop much of anything.  Hopefully Taylor and Manumaleuna help to extend drives and give those poor guys a break.  If the Bears find a good lineman or two, their defense could be a top5 fantasy defense again soon.

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This is an interesting time to do some scouting very early for next year’s fantasy football team and now is the best time to start taking notes on players that made the Playoffs.

Among the biggest stand-out teams in this year’s playoffs are the New York Jets.  The player everyone will want to know about is Mark Sanchez, and I don’t see any way that Sanchez is a viable fantasy option outside of very deep formats.  The forecast that I see for him is similar to that of Joe Flacco.  His performance this season was streaky, but he made plays when it mattered most and he will continue to do so.  I think the Jets are likely to repeat a playoff berth and possibly even win the division.  With that said the player I see making the biggest impact on fantasy rosters next season is Shonn Greene.  The way Ryan and the Jets used him at the end of the season led me to believe that Thomas Jones was worn out.  I would expect Greene to take the majority of the work starting early next year so that Jones is able to contribute the entire season.  I envision Jones getting most the short yardage work and splitting goal-line carries with Greene, who will take up the primary rushing role.  Braylon Edwards will likely remain a Jet going into next season but when you think about drafting him think about the pass that bounced off his face mask in the the open field against Buffalo, because no matter who throws the ball Edwards has a problem with drops.

Another team that I felt stood out was the Baltimore Ravens.  With how young Flacco is it would be hard for them to be playing instead of Manning and the Colts, but all this post-season time he is seeing early in his career will help him to develop into a premiere QB in the league.  He may not yet be a starting Fantasy Football QB but that is not much his fault… If the Ravens can get some deeper talent at WR he will end up top 10 at his position next season.  Ray Rice never slowed down, all season.  He gained respect among Fantasy owners every time he touched the football this season and the Playoffs was no different.  He is a threat in both dimensions of the offense and will mature with the rest of that offensive unit.  I also respect the Ravens because of their Defense, which at times struggled and faced injuries to big play-makers but they kept Flacco and their offense in almost every game and they will lead the Ravens back to the Playoffs again next year.

The biggest disappointment this post season was the Cincinnati Bungals.  They swept their division by playing smart and disciplined in all three phases and with a punishing run game.  These are the most important elements to playoff football, but they still broke down at the end and took an early exit against the Jets.  I saw great things come from the Bengals all season and after the unfortunate passing of their teammate, they never quite seemed the same.  Not that this is why, but it definitely crushed the momentum they had built for themselves and following that incident Cedric Benson was ROBBED of Comeback Player of the Year and they were snubbed by the Pro Bowl.  All these distractions broke the focus of the team down and cost them a chance to make a deep run into the playoffs.  Next season they are hopefully able to retain focus deep into the year and Palmer has one last shot to win a Super Bowl because after that they may need a new QB.

Hard to call losing with such a profound effort a disappointment but I expected the Packers to go deep this year, not out in the first round.  It made for a fitting end to Warner’s career who is too often forgotten as one of the most incredible football players of our time, but I view it like the Packers do, a loss, and a big one.  Rodgers has yet to step up and really fill the shoes of Favre, and lasting long enough to beat him (or even face him) in the Playoffs would have done just that.  Next year will be another phenomenal fantasy campaign for Rodgers and a fair few Packers, but that is little consolation if they are one and done in the post season again next season.

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Brad

Pick 2 (PPR/PPC League) Mendenhall vs. Oak, Jacobs vs. Dal, Charles vs. Den, Forsett vs. SF, McCoy @ Atl, and Wells vs. Min

Mendenhall is a given versus the Oakland run defense, in my eyes, and I was leaning towards Jacobs vs. Dallas because both Bradshaw and their 3rd string RB may be unable to play, leaving Jacobs with a bulk of the carries.

What do you think?

I gotta disagree with ya here Brad, I think Charles and McCoy are better options for you.  McCoy is a solid RB2 down the stretch till Westbrook comes back, and Charles has been on a tear as of late and I don’t foresee his production getting any worse this week!  McCoy is the safest play, and Charles is the guy if you need a big game!

Ed T

I am in a 12 team no PRR league and trying to get into playoffs with an important match-up.  Any advice on setting my line up would be highly appreciated.

QB’s – V. Young against Indy or J. Flaco against Green Bay or A Smith against Seattle.

RB’s – 1) J. Addai, against TItans 2) S. Slaton against Jacksonville 3) J. Stewart against Tampa Bay 4) J. Charles against Denver 5) R. Mendenhall against Raiders 5) J. Forsett against 49ers

WR’s 1)R. White against Eagles 2)Derek Mason against Green Bay or 3) Randy Moss against Miami

TE – D. Clark against Titans

Def – Steelers against Raiders

I need 2 RB’s 2 WR’s and a FLex RB

Thanks in advance!!!!

QB – Flacco is a no go given the quality of the GB secondary as of late not to mention his inconsistancy.  Young is a solid option, but with a tough match-up I don’t think he is your best bet. Smith plays a soft defense and has plenty of weapons, he is your guy this week.

RB1 – J Addai’s been very consistent and he’s the guy your going to need.

RB2 – Rashard Mendenhall is your best bet with Big Ben likely not be the focal point coming off his concussion and versus a SOFT rushing D

WR1 – REVENGE! The Patriots are looking for it and they wont stop scoring till time runs out.

WR2 – Backup QB or not Roddy White is the most talented guy you’ve got and will probably be facing man coverage while the Eagles blitz heavy to confuse the back up.

Flex – J Charles has been a BEAST lately, ride that wave!all set on TE and D/ST so good luck buddy!

MyZou

Should I start Cedric Benson or Pierre Thomas? Adrian Peterson is my other RB.

Benson all the way here buddy, i’m currently riding these two backs into the playoffs with a bye week already locked down. Hope you were able to have as much success! Benson was held out last week as mostly as a precaution, he is at 100% and is set for a big game. Don’t value him any differently because of the injury. It wasn’t bad and they just didn’t need him at all banged up going into the playoffs.  I wouldn’t value Benson any differently than you did before he got hurt, he is still a top10 guy.

JoshG

Avant or Mason?

Start Indy or Balt for defense?

Avant for sure, much bigger upside and he’s is facing the 27th ranked passing defense!  I’d have to say go with Baltimore due to their play making ability. It is very possible that both teams have 28 points scored on them, but Baltimore seems more likely that they have a defensive score or even possibly two. Ravens are ranked near number 10 this week and the Colts are around 15th.

Brett

I’m starting Ray Rice and Matt Forte, but if Deangelo Williams is out on Sunday, do I swap Jonathan Stewart for Forte?

If Williams is INACTIVE then yes, if they say he’s got a decreased role that could be BS and just start Forte since his match-up is so good.

Eddie

Should I play Santonio Holmes or Jason Avant?

Avant, he has been vulturing big plays from Jackson and Maclin lately anyways, now he’s going to be used a lot more often.

That is it for this weeks columns folks, stay tuned on game-day for injury updates as well as a link to my live Q&A on game-days!

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Studs

A breakout game this week from the Cardinal RB Beanie Wells. This back made a huge impact with 16 carries and 85 yards and TWO scores. Hightower still knows the blocking scheme’s better and is better at blitz pickup so Beanie will not become the feature back this season, but from a keeper league stand point I really think that next season he will be just that. For the rest of the season Wells is a great option if the Westbrook Turner or Brown injuries hit you particularly hard, or as a flex play depending on match up. Great upside from here on out, he seems to have taken the top fantasy RB spot between the two in Arizona. In ESPN standard scoring Wells was third this week in fantasy points with 23 and has a great match up vs a terrible Rams team.

If you had Reggie Bush in your flex this week than you’re probably in a good mood after this weekend. The speedy back rushed only 6 times but totaled 83 yards rushing and had both a rushing and receiving score. Bush has a speed and elusiveness that makes him a threat from anywhere on the field. Bush becomes a solid flex play and has an excellent match up vs a surging Buccs team. Regardless of how promising play has been from the Buccaneers lately this is the 9-0 Saints so there is no concern in starting Bush in a flex role.

LaDainian Tomlinson was running for two this Sunday in a great game vs the Eagles that no one, myself included thought he had left in him. His wife left him a surprise of a positive pregnancy test in his locker for game day morning and he has his best game of the season with 24 carries 96 yards and a pair of touchdowns. This comes one week after his appearance on a great many dump lists so check your waiver wire and see. LT will be a solid flex play in some deeper leagues, but apart from a really good matchup we should see any more games like this. LT isn’t that old, and he can run through big wholes if they are there. Play him vs any bad defenses he is going to face such as KC and Cle in weeks 12 and 13.

Sydney Rice racked up just over 200 yards Sunday in a Vikings win over the Detroit Lions. Rice is a talented receiver that has built a relationship with Brett Favre. We will need to keep an eye on his production with Berrian back in the lineup and Favre’s recent trend of sliding off late in the season.

Lee Evans has put up respectable fantasy numbers with as much consistency as the Bills have had at quarterback. Evans will remain a flex option in desperate times that might be ahead given the lack of depth many of us are experiencing after this weeks injuries. Bowe was just suspended and this creates a small void for some fantasy owners. Evans can help you through this 4 week gap, but you don’t want to have to play him each week. Also worth noting is that while writing this entry the Bills fired Dick Jauron, how this will effect the offense is unknown but the defensive coordinator is taking over on an interim basis.

Duds

The Cowboy’s new fantasy stud Miles Austin had a terrible game this weekend vs a solid Green Bay secondary. Austin saw four catches for only 20 yards and showed his ability to be contained by a good defense that is able to plan for him. I believe whole-heartedly in Tony Romo’s inability to perform after the month of December begins, but typically this is after a near perfect November for the Cowboys QB. Austin will not be more than a flex play except against good match ups from here on out. With that said, he will be a very good flex play as Roy Williams get introduced into the passing game more and more. This will cause defenses to pick their poison over the course of a game by double covering one of them, leaving the other in single coverage where both are very dangerous.

Nate Burleson wasn’t able to catch a single ball Sunday versus a better than advertised Cardinals secondary. His teammate T.J. Houshmandzedeh saw 17 targets while pulling down 9 of them for 165 yards! It certainly is starting to look like the primary receiver in Seattle is Houshmandzedeh, however Burleson will not be gone completely. I do expect a role reversal here fantasy wise.

Marques Colston gobbled up every pass thrown to him Sunday against the Rams.  Yep, both of them!  The Saints WR was held in check the entire game and only totaled 17 yards in what should have been a big game.  So far this season defenses have been rolling coverage Colston’s way all season.  This hasn’t helped a single team to beat the undefeated Saints so I would expect decent production from Colston the rest of the way, just not at the level we hoped in the preseason.

Joe Flacco had a TERRIBLE game (from a fantasy perspective only!) Monday night versus a VERY favorable match up… the lowly Browns.  There was an inability on a part of the Ravens offense to move the ball in the first half.  This was definitely the case on the other side of the ball, so there was little urgency on the part of the Ravens to take any risks at all.  To compound the issue, very shortly after this first TD there was an pick six for the Ravens D, and from then out it was a ball control game featuring Ray Rice.  Don’t panic here Flaccoholics, no picks, no risks, and a good completion percentage.  This was no where near a game where Flacco needed to make plays.

Lastly, Pierre Thomas had only 11 carries and 37 yards in the same great matchup that Colston under-produced in.  Reggie Bush was the top Fantasy RB in New Orleans this weekend, however neither saw a large amount of carries.  We’ve seen Thomas’ ability after returning from an injury in week 3, and this is still the same guy.  He is the main back for the Saints still, he just had an off week.  I read nothing into this at all!  This is still his job, and Bell shouldn’t see any added work because of this performance.  Bush may see a few while he has the hott hand, but thats about it.

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