Well week one has come and gone, and while for some fantasy baseball does still matter, for most it is football season! Here’s a weekly rundown of the week’s big action as well as busts and breakouts. We’ll breakdown sleepers and trading strategies and assist you in your hunt on the waiver wire.
First things first, Arian Foster broke out of the stable in week 1 and stole the show! The Houston running back ran wild for 231 yards on 33 attempts and scored 3 TD’s. The 33 attempts is the interesting stat because that is a huge number for such a young running, but with Houston’s intimidating passing game, the path may be easy to fantasy stardom for Foster. Look for him to continue his dominance next week against the lowly redskins.
Eagles QB Kevin Kolb sustained a concussion in the season opener against Green Bay and couldn’t finish the game. Michael Vick played the rest of the game for Kolb and did a great job of nearly leading a come from behind victory over the Packers. Vick threw for 175 yards and 1 TD while running for 103 yards. It is unclear whether Kolb will start on Sunday. He has been called the starter by head coach Andy Reid but keep a close on that and be ready to pull the trigger on picking up Vick for a start or two. Vick hasn’t started an NFL game since 2006.
Aaron Rodgers threw for a sub-par 188 yards with 2 TD’s and 2 INT’s, but Green Bay faces an easy one in Buffalo in week 2 so look for him to rebound.
The 49ers got smashed by the Seahawks partly because Frank Gore was limited to 38 yards on 17 attempts with no TD’s. Gore was rated by ESPN as a top-5 player, but in drafts he had an average draft position of 7.8 but keep a close eye on him in the next few weeks.
Austin Collie had himself a game after catching 11 passes for 163 yards and 1 TD. Collie surprised the fantasy world last season with his 676 yards on 60 catches and 7 TD’s. At this point it is definitely unknown who Peyton Manning’s top choice will be this year, but Collie, Wayne, and Garcon all are capable to have big games every time out.
Dallas wide receiver Dez Bryant had a solid start to his NFL career last Sunday. After missing all of the preseason because of an ankle injury, expectations for this rookie were greatly lowered because of his lack of experience. Bryant had 8 catches for 56 yards so we should expect more from Dez in the future. He isn’t going to replace Miles Austin, but it is a good thing that Romo seems to like him early on. Bryant led the team with 12 targets on Sunday night and in the Cowboys’ offense, Dez Bryant’s rookie season has amazing potential.
Ryan Grant suffered a season ending ankle injury in the Packer’s win over the Eagles this Sunday. While you might be one of the many disappointed Grant owners, don’t start crying yet. Brandon Jackson is the number two running back for the Packers and looked pretty good after taking over for Grant part way through the game. He had 63 yards on 18 attempts, and has an even more favorable match up this week against a lowly Buffalo Bills defense. Brandon Jackson should be owned in all leagues, and if possible starting on your team this Sunday. Non keeper owners should cut Grant and pickup Jackson ASAP.
Ahmad Bradshaw of the New York Giants is a player who is flying somewhat under the radar this year. In the past Bradshaw has taken more of a back seat to Brandon Jacobs, but this year the work load is expected to shift in Bradshaw’s direction. Bradshaw is the more explosive New York running back with the big play threat that the Giants love. In their game against the Carolina Panthers, he compiled a total of 93 all purpose yards. The more intriguing statistic is the amount of carries he received. Bradshaw carried the ball 20 times to Jacob’s 12 carries. If this time-share continues with the 2-1 ratio in Ahmad’s favor, he could be an excellent flex option, and possible number two running back this year for your team.
This week there are a couple of players with intriguing match-ups that should influence your line-up this week. Jamaal Charles, running back for the Kansas City Chiefs is one of these players. After coming off of an impressive performance against the Chargers on Monday,100 all purpose yards and 1 TD, Charles should run all over the Cleveland Browns this week.
LeSean McCoy is another player with a favorable match up this week. McCoy had 35 rushing yards and 48 receiving yards against the Packers on Sunday, but you should expect more this week as he goes against the Detroit Lions. Detroit gave up 50 rushing yards and 151 receiving yards to Matt Forte last week, so expect similar production from a similar style runner.
Stay tuned for next week’s match-ups and rundowns. Tell us how your league is going and ask us questions in the comment box below.
