TREFF

I think I need to clarify my start and sits of the week a little bit.  I'm not going to be the guy that picks Tom Brady vs the the Arizona Cardinals as my start of the week, nor will I be the guy that tells you to sit Mike Thomas when he's up agianst Darrel Revis.  Those things are obivious.  I take a few risks on these, and that's why they're listed seperatly.  If you chose to follow these two particualr pieces of advice, do so knowing that they're more or less just for S's&G's, my own little bragging rights thing I guess you might say.  Although I do follow my own advice.  It just so happens that I don't own Peterson in any leagues so i wasn't able to bench him last week..but I would've!!  I did start Denarious Moore in every league that I had him though..So at worst, if you do blindly follow my advice, at least you do so knowing that I'm righ thtere with ya!  On with the show!!

Start of the Week  - 
James Starks, RB, GB.  Okay so Starks isn't an "unknown" RB, but he is coming off a really bad game and the hot topic is how great Ryan Grant looked.  Well, Ryan Grant is doubtful at best to play this week, Denver's run defense is worse than its middle of the pack ranking, and Starks will find the endzone at least once in this one.  Redemption can be a very strong motivator.


Sit of the week  -
Larry Fitzgerald, WR ARZ.  I'm guessing no scores, and less than 75 yards vs the GMen
and in a double feature for the sits of the week--
LeSean McCoy, RB PHILLY-I see the Niners doing a decent job of shutting him down, and I like Andy Reid and Mike Vick to really open up the passing attack to silence some of the rumblings that are beginning to boil about this team not being all that and a bag of chips, 8 or less standard fantasy points for Shady

Waiver Pickups -I really need to get these out before Wednesday..I'll try and get better on that..but then again..I have my own leagues to worry about too..lol.
Nate Washington, Victor Cruz, Stevan Ridley, Titus Young, Ernest Graham (PPR ONLY)   I'm not a big beleiver in Torrey Smith.  Sure he'll have a few monster games, he'll also have a lot more weeks like one and two then he will ones like week 3.

Detriot @ Dallas-   
With the Cowboys banged up secondary, its not going to be a shocker to suggest that Stafford and Calvin Johnson are must starts, but what might be is that  I consider Titus Young to be a must start as well.  Newman, perhaps the healthiest Cowboys CB, and hands down their best will be on Calvin most of the time.  Now thats not saying that Calvin will get shut down, but what I'm saying is that it'll leave a hodgepodge of hurt CB's and out of position safeties covering Titus Young. I do not like Jahvid Best's prospects this week facing a rejuvinated Cowboys front seven with Ratlif, Ware and Hill.
The Cowboys success will hinge on Dez Bryants thigh, and that's all there is to it.  THe Lions offense is too high powered to hope that six FG's are going to win this game. Bryant must find a way to get over his little owie and produce.  Romo and Witten are almost always going to be solid though.  Felix Jones doesn't stand much of a chance in this one, and neither do Choice or Murray. If Romo thought the play from his center was bad last week, wait unitl that center looks across the line and sees Suh bearing down on him.

Must Starts- Stafford, Calvin, T. Young, Witten, Hanson, Bailey
Possible starts- Romo, Bryant, L. Robinson, Pettigrew, Burleson
must sits- Best, Felix Jones, Sheffler, Ogletree, both defenses
Game prediction- Lions 34, Cowboys 27

Carolina @ Chicago-
So we've had a week vs a pathetic defense, that resulted in a huge day for Cam, a week vs a great defense that resulted in a well above average day for Cam, and a week in a friggin hurricane that resutled in a bad day for Cam.  Is there anything that we can really get from this heading into week 3?  I'm not really sure.  One thing I do know is that Lovie Smith knows how to coach a defense.  And when facing a team like Carolina I think he'll do a decent enough job of containing Cam and the Panthers this weekend.  I'm selling DWILL and buying JSTEW, and in a holding pattern on Steve Smith, and Greg Olsen.  Speaking of Greg Olsen, I'm sure he's in the coaches ear this week just begging for a few chances to stick it to his old team.
Carolina isn't all that great at getting ot the QB, so maybe Cutler gets out of this one alive.  But that doens't mean his chances of success are all that great.  The Panthers are smack in the middle of the league in passing yards allowed, and the Bears aren't the greatest at getting passing yards.. I'm guesing the Panthers win this one and no Bears receivers are wortha  astart this week.  But Forte should have a nice day both rushing and recieving.  Every RB the Panthers has faced has had a good to great day, Wells, Starks andMJD.
Must Starts- Forte, Greg Olsen, Gould, Mare
Possible starts-Cam Newton, Steve Smith Jay Cutler, JSTEW, Bears DEF/ST, CAR D/ST
Must sits-Hester, Knox, DWILL, Shockey, Lafell
Game prediction- Bears 27, Panthers 17

Buffalo @ Cincy
I'm going to predict a little bit of a let down game here for Buffalo.  Coming off the huge win over the Patriots, I'm not entirely sure that this young Bills team will be all that focused on what should be an easy win vs the Bengals.  Should still have a decent enough day for Fitzpatrick and Fred Jackson, along with Steve Johnson, but the score won't be getting as high this week as it has the previous three.
Good Dalton/Green, bad Dalton/Green.  Its beginning to be a running theme for the Begals this year.  And if it holds true, this week would be the good week..but I don't think it will.  Rookies are rookies, and when your entire offense is held together by two of them, things just aren't going to go right very often.  I'm benching nearly every Bengal this week, and every week, until they show at least some signs of consistancy at QB.
Must starts- Fred Jackson
possible starts-Fitzpatrick, Steve Johnson, Benson, Greshem, Lindell, 
Must sits- Dalton, Green, D. Nelson, S Chandler, Caldwell, Simpson, Nugent
Game Prediction- Bills 20, Bengals 7

Tennessee @ Cleveland
This will be the last week that I pick CJ2K to finally break out.  If he doesn't, He'll be on my bench until after it finally does happen, if ever.  Much like the Broncos were before last week, the Browns are near the bottom of the league in run defense.  The loss of Britt is either going to kill him, or make him an MVP agian.  It all depends on whether he wants it bad enough.  The way he ran last week suggested that perhaps he's just not into the game this year.  He got paid, and that's the end of it, kind of thing.  Well Chris, its time to put up or shut up and prove that your still worth that cash.  Also look for Nate Washington to have a decent day as well.
Hardesty really manned up last week and showed the Browns brass that they didn't make a mistake taking him the second round last week.  While Hillis will be back and resume his lead back role..it can't be dismissed that all this offseason the Browns staff was telling anyone who would listen that they wanted to reduce Hillis's workload in an attempt to keep him fresh for the end of the year.  Hardesty has shown them enough reason to go forward with that plan.  I'd still rather have Hillis, but Hardesty will eat into enough of his touches to downgrade Hillis just a little bit.
Must starts- Hillis, CJ2K, Washington, TENN D/ST, Bironas
possible starts- Hassleblah, Watson, Dawson
Must sits-McCoy, Hardesty, Cook, Cleveland D/ST
Game Prediction- Titans 20, Browns 13

Minnesota @ K.C.
Peterson, Peterson, and more Peterson.  I even like Harvin in this one..even if it's a limited number of touches for him, i see a TD in his future this weekend.  
Basically have nothing to say about the Cheifs..its just difficult to come up with something new to say every week about a team that's just this bad.  Hopefully something can happen this weekend so that we can have somethign to talk about concerning the Cheifs offense, other than how bad it is.
Must starts- Peterson, Harvin, Vikings D/ST,  Longwell
possible starts- Bowe, Shaincoe
Must sits- Cassel, T. Jones, McCluster, Breaston, Baldwin, Cheifs D/ST, Succop
Game Prediciton- Vikings 27, Chiefs 7

Washington @ StL.
The Rams rush defense is just bad.  Bad, Bad, Bad!!  Almost 40 yards a game worse than the second worst team.  Shanny is licking his chops to get to this game.  But, for us fantasy owners, that might not mean a whole lot.  With Hightower slowly losing time on the field to Helu, I honestly wouldn't be surprised to see a split that creates neither of them having a good day, yet the 'Skins as a whole, having  a great day running the ball.  I'd still start Hightower if I had him, but I sure wouldn't be as thrilled as you normally would be with a RB facing a dead last run defense. And I'm also not saying that I'll start Helu, but I'm not putting him on the must sit list either
I do see Bradford having his best game of the young season this weekend.  No idea why really, call it a hunch, but I think Brendan Gibson and MSW can break lose here and have a decent day for Sammy Boy.  The RB situation is still up in the air as of Wednesday, but if SJAX plays, he starts.  No matter what though, I'm not playing Caddilac.

Must Starts- Fred Davis, SJAX, J. Brown, B. Gibson
Possible starts-Hightower, S. Moss, 'Skins D/ST, Gano, MSW, Bradford
Must sits- Grossman, Cooley, Cadilac Williams, Kendricks, Rams D/ST, D Alexander
Game Prediction- Redskins 20, Rams 17

S.F. @ Philly
Vernon Davis finally broke free for 100+ yards last week, and I would expect more of the same here, as PHilly doesn't have a strong LB'ing corp, and Alex Smith would be well advised to stay away from Awesomewaa, Samuel and DRC.  As of now, it looks like Gore is a full go for this game, and Philly's run defnse is nearly as lacking as the Rams' is, so I would expect a full dose of Vitamin Gore in this one, maybe even an overdose if the score can remain close.
Sounds like Mike Vick is a go as well.  But the same can't be said for leading reciever Maclin.  Chances are Maclin misses this one, with Steve Smith drawing most of his targets would be my guess.  Shady McCoy is going to have his first "bad" game of the year, as the Niner's run defense is very solid at less than 63 yards allowed per game.  plus I'm sure Andy Reid and Vick are jsut dying to get this passing offense opened up and rolling.

Must starts- Mike Vick, DJAX, Steve Smith, Vernon Davis, Frank Gore
possible starts-Celek, Eagles D/ST, Henerey, Akers
must sits- McCoy, Alex Smith, Josh Morgan, Crabtree, 49'ers D/ST
Game prediction- Eeagles 24, Niners 14


New Orleans @ Jacksonville
Does it really matter who Drew Brees is throwing to anymore?  It doens't seem to matter whether he has Colston, Moore, Meachem, Henderson, Graham, Sproles, it just doens't make a difference.  Brees is cash money.  Now after Brees, we have some serious fnatasy issues going on.  Who to start?  Henderson, Meachem, Moore??  Well unless you own them all, you start whichever one you do have and hope for the best.  The potential for 150 yards and multiple scores for any of them is too great to ignore, and you never want it to be your guy that gets that kind of production on your bench.  As for the RB's?  I sitll wouldn't touch Ingram or Thomas in my starting lineup, but I would take the chance with Sproles unless I have some really good alternatives.
Jacksonville..it begins and ends with MJD, even more so now than it ever has been in recent memory.  Sure Gabbart hooked up with Mike Thomas for a TD, but Gabbart also looked pretty rough to me and couldn't even throw the ball away before taking a sack in the endzone for a safety.  That's a rookie mistake, expect more than a few more of them.

Must starts- Brees, Meachem, Henderson, Moore, Graham, MJD
Possible starts- Sproles, M. Thomas Saints D/St
Must sits- Gabbart, M. Lewis, ingram, P. Thomas, JAX D/ST

Pittsburgh @ Houston
The Steelers are beginning to be a very frustrating team.  Week 1 was forgivable vs the Ravens, week 2 had a blowout going on so there's somewhat of an excuse for the lackluster day due to calling off the dogs, but last week vs the Colts was just ine-xcusable!  Big Ben needs to have a better day throwing the ball, especailly if Mendenhall and that O-line can't get it going.  And facing the Texans, they aren't going to be able to rely nearly as much on their defense as they did vs the Colts.  Expect Big Ben to be attacking early and often to Wallace and Brown/Sanders.
Sounds like Foster will be a go this week, but it also sounds like they'll be easing him back in, I wouldn't expect more than 15 touches for Foster this week.  making both he and Tate pretty much worthless to fantasy owners.  Of course, you Tate owners out there can always hope for yet another setback in Foster's "anti-awesomeness" levels.  The big duel will be Andre Johnson vs the Steelers secondary..a battle I expect Andre to win more often than not.  The only question will be how long Schuab will be allowed to hang in the pocket.

Must starts- Big Ben, Wallace, Suisham, Andre Johnson, Rackers
Possible starts- Mendenhall, Foster, Tate, Schuab, K. Walters, A. Brown
Must sits-Ward, H. Miller, PITT D/ST, Texans D/ST, J. Jones, Owen Daniels
Game prediction-Steelers 38, Texans 31

***Afternoon Games***

New England @ Oakland
Tom Brady is currently leading a passing attack that is AVERAGING 100 yards more per game than the second place team.  There's nothing in the Oakland secondary that is going to stop this attack, there might not be anyhting that will even slow it down.  Is there a chance for a monsoon in the Bay area this weekend?  'Cuz that's about what Oakland will need.  Yikes.  I also see one more baby step in an increased role for Stevan Ridley.  Welker will continue to dominate from the slot, and Branch will see his numbers get back on track as well.  Ocho still Stinkos though.
As great as the New England passing offense is, its pass defense is almost as bad.  If Ford is healthy, this has all the makings of a serious track meat.  Oakland will attempt to run the ball with RDMC and they'll probably find success there, but eventually the Raiders will need to abandon that approach if they hope to stay in this one, and Just as Oakland has no answer for Brady, Welker, Branch, Gronk..New England will similarily not have an answer for Ford and Denarious Moore.  It ouwldn't shock me to see some gimmick plays from teh Raiders involving Marcel reese and or Taiwan Jones either.  Before you brush this off as a homer pick..Buffalo beat New England on its final drive..they also had to have a miracle final drive to beat Oakland, and that's the only game they've lost.  These Raiders just may be for real people.

Must starts- Tom Brady, Wes Welker, Deon Branch, Gronkowski, Jacoby Ford (if he plays), Denarious Moore, RDMC
possible starts-Ridley, Gostkowski, Sebass, DHB (if Ford doesn't play), Jason Campbell, Danny Woodhead
must sits- Patriots D/ST, Raiders D/ST, Ocho Cinco, BJGE, DHB (agian, if Ford plays), Kevin Boss, Michael Bush
Game prediction- Raiders 38, Patriots 35 (out of my 7 losses thus far picking games, I'm 0-2 on the Pats, so why not go out on a limb here??)

New York Giants @ Arizona
Eli had a great day vs the Eagles last week.  Finally showing owners that he wasn't a wasted pick and proving a lot of doubters wrong.  And now he faces the Cardinals, who have been torched by Cam Newton for over 400, Rex Grossman got 'em for nearly 300, and even TJAX found Sidney Rice for well over 100.  I would expect a big day for Nicks here.  With plenty left over for Bradshaw and Jacobs to be start worthy in any league.  Whether its Manning ham or Cruz or both on the field..I don't see the GMen needing to pass enough for them to be efective
Beenie Wells swears up and down he'll be playing this week.  Not sure whether or not to beleive him, but if the starter says he's playing, and your writing a blog on Wednesday, ya kinda gotta go with it right?  regardless..iI see little if anything for any Cardinal's player, including Fitzgerald.
Must starts- Eli, Nicks, Bradhsaw
possible starts- Jacobs, Manningham/Cruz, Wells, L Tynes, J. Feeley
Must sits- Larry Fitzgerald, Kevin Kolb, Andre Roberts, C. Taylor
Game prediction- Giants 28, Cardinals 6

Atlanta @ Seattle
As bad as Seattle is, they haven't really been all that shabby defensively.  Not great by any means, but mediocre.  I would exepct Matt Ryan to have a decent day here, hopefully getting at elast on of his two WR's into the end zone and probably Gonzo again as well.  Turner might get 80 yards..if they ride him hard.
Not suggesting anyone from the 'Hawks vs a very tough Falcons defense.  The talent just isn't there

Must starts- Matt Ryan, Roddy White, Gonzo, ATL D/ST
possible starts- Julio Jones, Turner, Bryant
must sits- TJAX, Sidney Rice, Lynch, Mike Willaims, Seattle D/ST, Hauschka 
Game prediction- Falcons 27, Seahawks 0

Green Bay @ Denver
Two weeks ago, Denver was near the bottom of the league in rushing yards allowed, then they faced Chris Johnson, and now they're in the middle of the pack?  How does that happen?  Not really sure, but with Ryan Grant likely out, Starks has a real shot at redemption from that poor showing inthe Bears game last week.  I really like Starks this week.  But of course, the main focus of this offense is Aaron Rodgers, Finley, and Jennings.  No further word on whether or not Chump Bailey is going to play in this one.  But it wouldn't really effect my thoughts on it either way.  It's doubtufl that Chump has enough left in the tank to hang with Jennings.
Moreno is likely to return for the Broncos, but all that does is make both he and McGahee pretty much worhtless.  I'd bet on Moreno having the better game here as they'll need to be passing alot to keep up with the Packers.  It will be interesting to see who gets more targets between Eric Decker and Brandon Lloyd..we may be witnessing a changing of the guard here in Denver, keep an eye on this one.

Must starts- Aaron Rodgers, Greg Jennings, Finley, Starks
possible starts-Moreno, Decker, Lloyd, Orton, Crosby, Prater, GB DEF/ST
must sits- McGahee, Cobb, Driver, Denver D/ST
game prediciton-Green Bay 34 Denver 17

Miami at S.D.
Daniel Thomas will get worked heavy here, Reggie Bush will continue to be the forgotten man, and the Dolphins will waste Marshal's talent once again.  Simple as that.
The 'PHins defense is ranked 30th overall in yards allowed, 30th vs the Pass and 16th vs the run.  Can you guess what I'm expecting from Rivers and VJAX in this one?  Yeah Rivers has had a somewhat slow start, but he is just too good to keep down for very long.  expect to see Mathews continue to grab the brass ring and run with it..took ya long enough Ryan!

Must starts- Rivers, VJAX, Ryan Mathews, SD D/ST, Novak
possible starts- Daniel Thomas, Brandon Marshall, Carpenter
must sits-Henne, R. Bush, Fasano, Hartline, Maimi D/ST
game prediction-  Chargers 27, Dolphins 13

***Sunday Night****

N.Y. Jets @ Baltimore
If the Raiders can put the brakes on pretty much everyone on this team not named Tomlinson..I'm pretty sure the Ravens should be able to as well.  Santonio Holmes may have been the squeaky wheel this week, but going up agans the Ravens isn't going to help him get the ball more often this week.  Shonn Greene has virtually no shot at breakign free form teh Ravens front seven, especailly the way he just runs straight ahead, regardless of whats in front of him.  It's called "vision" Mr Greene, I suggest you try it sometime.Plax could find himself a busy man as the best way to beat the Ravens defenders is to play above them, and Plax is the only guy with the ability to do it.
Torrey Smith, the hot pickup this week.  Sorry but that train stops here, even if Lee Evans is held out for one more week. Torrey Smith isn't going to be beating the Jets like he did the hapless Rams.  Boldin will get shut down as well, leaving Dickson as the man to target as far as recieveres go in Baltimore this week.  Ray Rice will be able to find running room, in both the passing and running game.  The Ravens will lean heavily on this guy, as the defense is going to tell this story all night long on both sides of the ball.

Must starts- Ray Rice, NYJ D/ST, BALT D/ST, Folk, Cundiff
possible starts- Dickson, LT2,  Plaxico Burress, D. Keller
must sits- Flacco, Boldin, Torrey Smith, Lee Evans, S. Holmes, D. Mason.
game prediciton- Ravens 20, Jets 16

*****Monday Night Football******

Indianapolis @ T.B.
I'm guessing the execs at ESPN/Disney are more than a little upset that Peyton Manning isn't going to be here, and that josh Freeman has failed ot improve upon his performance from last year.  This isn't exactly the most thrilling Monday night matchup that we could hope for.

As for Indy, It sure sounds like Curtis Painter will be drawing the start at QB.  That's really only good news for Pierre Garcon.  It was pretty obvious that htose two had been workign together during second string practices as they had some really good timing going.  Depending on how this weeks practice and gameplan goes, maybe he cna get there with Wayne and Clark, but it's doubtful.  And regardless, Painter is still an inexpieranced QB and will make his share of mistakes.  But, if your going from what Collins was..it can't get much worse right?
The Bucs really need to pull their heads out offensively.  Blount has been a somewhat steady performer, but Freeman and Mike Williams have really disappointed.  I'm not really sure that the TB O-line will be able to keep Freeney and Mathis off of Freeman long enough for Willaims to really get going this week either, and they'll be forced to rely primarily on Blount and Winslow. 

Must starts- Blount, Winslow, TB D/ST, Vinaterri
Possible starts- Garcon, Clark, Addai, Freeman, Mike Williams, Colts D/ST, Barth
Must sits- Painter, Wayne, Collie, E. Graham, A. Benn
Game Prediction-in a yawn-fest..Buccaneers 20, Colts 13

Well week three was pretty much a let down all the way around.  Form checking ont he scores of my 3 CBS leagues, the 10 on ESPN, my own money league and various other sources..If you scored 90 points last week, you were more than likely a winner.  There wwere some pretty rough scores out there last week.

My record for last week in Picking NFL games took a little dip, but still 12-4, bringing the yearly total (starting at week2 since i was late on week 1) to a nice 25-7 (%78), not too shabby but looking for %80 or higher.

Let's review how bad I really was last week though--

Start of the week 
Denarious Moore, WR Oakland-  I see one long TD over Revis, and 100 yards, making this one of the very few exceptions of WR's to get off Revis Island alive.  And when your league owners laugh at you for starting him, come Monday morning you've got a big "I told you so" to throw in their faces.

Well it didn't happen the way I said it would, but a basically unknown WR, playing in Oakland no less, up agianst the mighty JEts. In most circles that's an automatic sit.  So getting 11 out of him would qualify as a win in my book.  Especially when you consider you probably would've started Santonio Holmes over him, and got all of 1 point in that very same game.

Sit of the week
Adrian Peterson.  The Lions, and most notably, Ndamakong Suh, will shut down all facets of the Vikings offense, including stuffing Peterson, less than 90 yards and no scores

Ok first off, I'll take the loss on this one, he scored 14 pts and that's a good thing for anyone that started him.  But I just want to add that if you take away the short TD..you've got the exact week that I predicted.  But that's why Peterson is an elite back..that one or two carries is what puts him above the majority of the RB's

After two weeks of starts and sits of the week, always goign with people automatically sat or automatically started, never taking the easy road, my record is sitting at 3-1.

ON with the reaction from week 3 games--hits in bold, misses crossed out

***Early Games***

NE @ Buff
Must starts-Brady, Branch, Welker, Fitzpatrick, Stevie Johnson, Gronkowski, Fred Jackson, Gostkowski, Lindell
Possible-BJGE, Spiller, Chandler, Woodhead, Nelson
Sits - NE. D/ST, BUFF D/ST
Game prediction- New England 45, Buffalo 37

So Perhaps Buffalo is for real??  Or Perhaps NEw England's defense is no better than that of the Raiders or Cheifs?  Maybe even both?  It'll be interesting to see what happens once Buffalo goes up agianst a defense that isn't having the score run up on them every week.  I can't honestly see Welker's nearly 200 yards a game holding up, but he's obivously a legit WR1 for the rest of the year.  Not usre what happened to Deon Branch, but it wasn't Ocho Cinco that stole his catches, so don't overreact too much to his 0.  In fact, Ocho probably put himself in the doghouse more than anything, if you haven't dropped this schmuck yet, what exactly are you waiting for?  Ride Gronkowski while you can, Aaron Hernandez's return should be interesting.  Ridley is begining to show sings of taking the job, I jumped the gun in the bragging rights league on botht he draft and dropping him after week 1..but I had to due to WR injuries..NOw I'm kicking myslef a bit for not picking him back up.  Go get him before the rest of oyur league catches on.
Fitzpatrick and his Harvard education equal a great NFL QB.  I was somewhat high on him in the offseason, thinking it was possible that he was the next big thing at QB, but I had Ryan and Freeman and Bradford all ahead of him..boy was I wrong!  If you took the chance on him as your QB#2 kudos to you.  Freddie Jackson continues ot be a stud RB, Spiller continues to be a tease, and now theres even an emerging 2nd WR in Buffalo in David Nelson.  I sitll say this team misses the playoffs (hey the Broncos started 6-0 last year and ended up firing their coach), but the offense is going to remain a good play in fantasy all year long.

SF @ Cincy 
Must starts- Frank Gore, Akers, Nugent
Possible starts-Vernon Davis, AJ Green, Benson, Greshem, SF D/ST,
Sits- Alex Smith, Andy Dalton, Simpson, Crabtree, Edwards, Morgan
Game Prediciton- SF 20, Cincy 13

This was easily the hardest game to watch this weekend.  Just ugly.  Not only was just bad, but most of it was without Frank Gore..yawn.  Vernon Davis finally scored a few points, now if he can only find the end zone.  I wouldn't get too excited about a 100 yard day vs the Bungals.  Andy Dalton and Aj Green showed why I'm not a buyer on those them.  typical rookie performances, hit or miss, usually miss, and usually the hits come on your bench.  Caldwell makes for an interesting desperation pickup for those of you that lost Kenny Britt and missed out on Washington or other "hotter" WR's

Miami @ Cleveland
Must Starts- Hillis, Marshall, Daniel Thomas
possible starts- Watson, Massaquoi, Bush
Sits-McCoy, Henne, Hardesty, Moore, Hartline, Robiske
Game prediction- Miami 24, Cleveland 17

Since my blog was written on Wednesday, I totally missed out on Hillis not playing.  Guess I'll still take the hit on it though, why not??
Hardesty showed some nice burst, and was able to put together a decent enough day to make me wonder what Hillis's workload wil be like going forward.  The Browns coaches all said they wanted ot reduce his workload and try and keep him a little more healthier this year, and hardesty has given them a good reason to follow through with that plan.  Considering Hillis will sitll be the main guy, he's still the back to won here, but expectation must be brought down a notch after what Hardesty did this week.
Reggie Bush, 12 touches for 36 yards, and two fumbles.  Daniel Thomas 26 touches for 122 yards..Nice knowing ya Reggie!!   This game is exhibit A as to why I was down on Marshall form the begining of the year.  The 'Phins just don't throw enough to get Marshall the targets he needs to justify his draft position.  Nice WR3, not a good WR2, which is where he was drafted in most leagues.

Denver @ Tennessee
Must Starts- Kenny Britt, CJ2K, perhaps even Hasselblah, Bironas, and the TENN D/ST
possible starts-MCGahee, Lloyd, Prater, Nate Washington
Sits- Decker, Orton, Denver D/ST, Moreno, Cook
Game prediction- Titans 31, Broncos 7

It's not quite panic time for CJ2K owners, but its getting damn close.  He ran completely without purpose in this game.  Wasn't hititng the holes, wasn't making his normal cuts, and seemed indifferent as to whether he should try and run hard or not.  And against the Broncos terrible run defense, we were really expecting a lot more than 7pts.   Perhaps this is a classic case of a player getting paid and mailing it in.  Hope not.  The loss of Britt for the year doesn't help him out much, but it does make Nate Washington a must add if he's available.
As for the Broncos..McGahee remains the only reliable threat on the Broncos team, and maybe, just maybe, Eric Decker will the one WR worth a damn in the John Fox system and Brandon Lloyd will crawl back under that same rock he came out from underneath of last year.

Detriot @ Minnesota
Must starts- Stafford, Calvin Johnson, Best, Lions D/ST, Hanson 
possible starts-Burleson, Sheffler, Longwell
sits-AP, Harvin, McNabb, Sheffler, Berrian, Shiancoe, Vikings D/ST, Pettigrew
game prediction- Lions 34, Vikings 9

I've already covered Peterson, so lets move on to McNabb and the passing game.  Still not enough here to warrant a fantasy starter.  And McNabb's lone TD went to Shaincoe, who only had that one catch, making it basically meaningless in fantasy terms.  harvin finally was on the field more often than he was on the sidelines, but it still only equated to 80 total yards.  the Vikings are a team to avoid in all areas other than Peterson.
Stafford is for real, there's just no denying it.  Now his owners have to decide to either sell high on him, or sell their QB#1 and ride Stafford.  Personally I'd like to keep them both, as I'd rather have the points from either guy on my bench then in my opponent's starting lineup.  But if you feel you must do it, Id trade Stafford.  his value is exceptionally high right now, and you just never know when he's going to be out for the season again.

Houston @ New Orleans
Must Starts- Tate, Andre Johnson, Brees, Meachem, Henderson, Rackers, Kasay, Graham
possible starts-Sproles, Ingram, Daniels, Schuab
Sits- Jacoby Jones, N.O. D/ST, HOUS D/ST, Pierre Thomas
game prediction- Saints 27, Texans 23

Ben Tate had a decent enough day, but wasn't exactly "must start" status, especially not in a game where 73 points were scored. I wouldn't read too much into Schuab's huge day, nor that of James Casey, a career special teamer, he won't see 100 yards agian in his career.  We're told Foster is a go for next week, not sure what to do with Tate on that one, but you've gotta hold on to him if you own him, just in case.
Henderson was the odd man out on the Saints passing attack, but that's about as predictable where lightning is going to strike next.    Ingram may have scored, but he's still splitting far too much with Peirre Thomas and Sproles.  Sproles remains the fantasy back to have, especailly in PPR's.  Always start your Saints receivers, jsut be aware that on any given game, your guy could be the one that gets shut out, regardless of which one it is.

N.Y.Gaints @ Philly
Must starts- Vick, DJAX, Maclin, McCoy, Bradshaw, Jacobs.
Possible starts- Eagles D/ST, Henery
Sits- Eli, Nicks, Avant, Steve Smith, Celek, Stokley, Tynes
game prediction- Eagles 31, Giants 21

Vicotr Cruz, one fo the preseason darling the past two seasons, finally gets a chance to shine.  And not only does he shine, but does it primarilly against Awesomewaa.  Realistically, he only had 3 catches..its just that they went for a lot of yards and two scores, so lets not be jumping out of our shoes to pick this guy up just yet. if you've got the room, then do it, but don't make a rash decision to drop a more proven player based on just these three catches.
So Mike Vick has a boo-boo on his non throwing hand..wa wa..Hey Mike, your an NFL QB, suck it up and get yer act together on the field.  Thus far every Eagle has been a major disappointment outside of McCoy, and now Maclin has a hamstring injury to boot.  You can't drop these guys, and your not going to get decent value in a trade, so you may as well hang tight and hope for the best.
Casey Mathews has been benched on the Eagles defense, hopefully his replacement can make a difference in the run defense, because this "dream team" is nothing of the sort, especailly defensively.

JAX @ Carolina
Must Starts- Cam Newton, Steve Smith, DWILL, MJD, Panthers D/ST, Mare
possible starts-Greg Olsen, The Shocker, JSTEW.
Sits- JAX D/ST, Gabbart, Mike THomas, M. Lewis, B. Lafell, Scobee 
Game prediction- Panthers 27, JAG's 7

Gabbert's first quarter in the NFl couldn't have gone much worse getting sacked for a safety.  But he settled down and looked OK in the second half, even connecting with Mike Thomas for a score.  This MIGHT salavation a little value in Mike Thomas, but he's stll not much more than roster fill.  MJD was leaned on heavily and he didn't dissapoint, even if he didn't find the endzone.
So the packers and Cardinals couldn't stop Cam newton, but a monsoon sure can.  Surely all the Newton owners were a bit disappointed in going from 400 yards a game to less then 200, but if you were paying attention, you would've known that the weather was jsut terrible and you should've gone with your main QB in this one to begin with.  At elast Greg Olson is finally starting to make good on his potential.  It helps to actually be a part of the gameplan in a role other than blocking like he did in Chicago.  Speaking of players getting paid and mailing it in..we could be watching that happen with DWILL as well.  for now, JSTEW is the RB worth starting in Carolina, not DWILL

****Afternoon Games****

Baltimore @ St.Louis
Must starts- Ray Rice, Raven's D/ST
possible starts-Flacco, Boldin, Cundiff, SJAX, J. Brown
sits- Bradford, MSW, Denario Alexander, Kendricks, STl D/ST, Caddilac Williams
game prediction- Ravens 27, Rams 10

Can the Ravens defense get any better than this one?  only 7 points allowed, 5 sacks, two turnovers and a defensive TD to top it off.  Wow.  As for the offense, Ray Rice had a good day, but not what we wanted out of him.  The blowout created way too many carries for Ricky Willaims for Rice to really provide some serious production.   Look for that to continue in any similar games, if the matchup is simply that good, chances are Rice will be watching Ricky close it out.  Now lets talk Torrey Smith.  Amazing wasn't he?  But let's get real here.  #1 he's a rookie WR..other than Randy Moss, that's always a crap shoot, #2 he did this without Lee Evans playing, once Evans comes back, what happens to Torrey Smith?  It's possible that eventually Smith takes this job and runs with it.  The more likely scenario though is that Smith will simply be used sparingly and Evans, the more reliable veteran will be the guy on the field most of the time.  So should you pick him up?  sure, but like I said about Victor Cruz earlier, don't make a silly move chasing these 30-some points from last week.  This is a classic all or nothing situation here, and chances are it'll be nothing more often than not.

Not a whole lot to say about the Rams.  they were just simply dominated.  All the preseason hype surrounding Sam Bradford and Josh McDees is really starting to look awfully silly now.  The lone bright spot was a spectacular throw on the run from Bradford to Brendon Gibson in the back of the end zone, just barely over the defender and right in Gibson's hands..truly an awesome throw, so there is hope..the NFC West portion of the Rams schedule can't come fast enough.  Hopefully we've seen the last of Caddilac Willaims in StL and SJAX is healthy enough for a full load next week.

K.C. @ S.D.
Must starts- Rivers, VJAX, Tolbert, Gates, SD D/ST
possible starts-Mathews, Novak, Floyd
sits- Cassel, Bowe, T. jones, McCluster, KC D/ST, Succop
Game prediction- Chargers 35, Cheifs 0

This is what most fantasy "experts" refer to as a "hiccup game" for Phillip rivers.  In all fairness, teh Chargers should've simply dominated every aspect fo the game on Sunday, but for whatever reason they just didn't.  Rivers seemed liek he forgot what team he played for at a times, and all the offensive players suffered because of it.  luckily for the CHargers, the Cheifs are so bad that it didn't matter on the final score, but it sure bit more than a few fantasy owners in the rear.  the one thing to take out of this game is that Ryan Mathews is finally starting to look like what most of us thought he would two years ago.  The backfield situation has now changed and Mathews is the back to start in fantasy, with Tolbert playing second fiddle..even in PPR's.

So really the only thing to discuss on the Cheifs side of things is who took over at RB.  The answer?  I do beleive I was correct last week when I said, "none of the above".  Thomas Jones got most the carries, McCluster had his share of touches, McClain had a few, and even Jessie Battle got a couple touches. So who do you want to own?  If you hold a gun to my head and force me to pick a Cheifs RB, I'm taking McCluster, but I'm not starting him.  And besides, according to CBS, he's a WR..and as WR's go, he's average at best, and on perhaps the worst team in the NFL top to bottom.

Green Bay @ Chicago
Must starts- Rodgers, Jennings, Nelson, Forte, Crosby, Gould
possible starts-Starks, Knox, Cutler, GB D/ST
sits-Hester, Cobb, Driver, Grant, Roy Williams, CHIC D/ST
Game prediction- G.B. 31, Chicago 20

Not really sure why I neglected to put Finley anywhere in my rankings, but obivously, with every other main Green Bay packer on the start list, he would've been listed as a must start.  That comeback player of the year award is virtually all sewn up.  The big thing coming out of this game is the Grant vs Starks question.  My take on that debate is this; Starks is goign to remain the guy that gets most of the carries, and Grant will remain in the same role sthat he had in weeks one and two.  What happened this weekend was simply a result of Grant being a more experianced, physical runner vs a defense were that style was needed.

Cutler sacked another three times.  this guy will be lucky to make it out of this season alive.  I'm not sure what the Bears staff was expecting though, only calling nine running plays.  And the game wasn't out of reach until the fourht quarter.  I was watchign the game and the announcers kept saying "anyone that says the Bears should've run the ball more often, didn't watch this game"  Well I watched it, and I think the Bears could've done a lot more running the ball.  At least Forte made up for it in reception in yards that way.  Dan Sanzenbacher is a popular name for some reason.  I'm not really sure why, 5 catches for 20 yards and one lucky score doens't make him a hot commodity in my book.  I'd still rather have Knox or Hester

Arizona @ Seattle
Must Starts-Kolb, Fitzgerald, Beenie Wells
possible starts-Jeff King, Marshawn Lynch, Jay Feeley
Sits- TJAX, Sidney Rice, Early Doucett, Big Mike Williams, Hauschka
Game prediction- Cardinals 31, 'Hawks 10

I scheduled some nap time for this game..and I dind't really miss much.  Beenie Wells was a late scratch so I missed out there, but everything else panned out about right, except for the score.  Games liek this are the reason that Keivn Kolb is only a QB2 even with Fitzgerald around.  Yeah h'es better than some thought, but not nearly what others were hoping for.
Tavaris Jackson and Rice hooked up for a little show..but lets not forget this is the same defense that basically forgot to cover Steve Smith in week one, so I wouldn't get all worked up in trying to trade for Rice, or pick him up.

Atlanta @ Tampa Bay
Must starts- Turner, Blount, Gonzo, Matt Bryant
possible starts-Matt Ryan, Roddy White, Mike Willaims, Kellen Winslow, Conor Barth, Falcons D/ST, TB D/ST
sits- Julio Jones, Josh Freeman, A. Benn
game prediction- Atlanta 20, TB 17

This game featured to hot QB coming into this season.  Guys that were looke dat as potentially the "next big thing"  Well, Matty Ice finally had osme yards, but lacked the scores, and Josh Freeman pretty much lacked everything othe rhtna a rushing TD.
the good news is that with yards, eventually scores will come, so there's no reason to panic on Matt Ryan.   And he finally got obth his big WR's into the mix as both White and Jones cleared 100 yards..now he just needs to get them into the endzone.  Gonzo remains the benefactor of all the attention being diverted out wide.  Anyone who guessed the biggest jump in value due to Julio Jones's prescence being Gonzalez..you get a gold star!  Turner was exceptionally unimpressive
The entire TB offense had a rough go of it here, but this was a defense that I expect to get to the Super Bowl, so I wasn't all that shocked.  It's not time to kick Mike Willaims and Josh Freeman to the curb, but you may want to start thinking about it.  Ernest Graham could be a decent flier in PPR's leagues.

NY Jets @ Oakland
Must starts- Greene, Holmes, RDMC, Denarious Moore, JETS D/ST, Folk, SeBass
possible starts-Plaxico, Keller, Sanchez, LT
sits- Campbell, M. Bush, Schillens, Raiders D/ST
game prediction- Jets 34, Raiders 20. 

This game was the most pleasent surprise for me.  I'm kicking myself for having fiath in Denarious Moore and RDMC, but not the Raiders team as a whole.  Think aobut this for a second, RDMC and Michael Bush, plus some 4.2 speed in Tawain jones and a little sprinkle of a 4.4 fullback Marcel Reese sprinkled in, making up the backfield, Jacoby Ford and Denarious Moore out wide with the consistant yet uninspiring Kevin Boss in the middle..this offense has some potential, if only Jason Campbell can continue to improve.  Its almost scary the kind of speed they have, its on par with the Eagles in terms of raw physical talent at the skill positions.  And this time, with Ford and Moore, the track star WR's can actually catch a ball.  Keeper and dynasty league owners should be targetting a few of these guys for next year and beyond.

Sanchez had another 300 yard day, but it was due to need.  This isnt' what Rex Ryan is going for on a regular basis here.  And a large chunk of it was due to a screen pass to LT that busted for 74 yards..not something you want to bank on happening every week.  THe elephant in the room is how the Jets passed for 300 yards and Santonio Holmes scored 0 points evne though he plaed the entire game?!?!?  Raiders CB Chris Johnson is harldy known for shutting down receivers, in fact its usually the exact opposite.  It may be time to see what you can get in trade value on Holmes.  Wiht Plax stealing redzone targets, Keller continuing to improve and the addition of Derrick Mason, I'm not really sure Holmes has the role we thought he would going into this season.  If you do try and trade him, sell the "he was coming off an injury angle" as hard as you can.   

***Sunday Night game****

Pittsburgh @ Indy
Must starts- Mendnehall, Big Ben, Wallace, Vinny, PITT D/ST
possible starts-H. Miller, E. Sanders, Suisham
Sits- Addai, Wayne, Clark, Collins, Collie, Garcon, INDY D/ST
Game prediciton- Steelers 31, Colts 13

Well Pittsburgh continues to be unimpressive.  The sure They walked all over Seattle and were only stopped by Mike Tomlin calling off the dogs, but this was the second un-impressive performance in three weeks, this time agianst a team that really doesn't know up from down.  sure, Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis are still in town, but the chances given to the Steelers offense because of a total lack of an offense from the Colts, should have resulted in some nice fnatasy numbers from Big Ben and Mendenhall, but they didn't.  THe Colts have also long been a team that was considered easy to run on, but due to the offense kicking your butt, you couldn't run becuase you had to play keep up or catch up.  That wasn't the case Sunday night.  Not sure what's going on in Pittsburgh..they hav ea proven big time QB in BIg Ben, they have serious threats outside with Wallace, Sanders, Brown and Ward, and they have a studly workhorse in Mendenhall..it's gotta be the o-line..its the only thing left.  Hinder expectations for the next few weeks, find a different QB if you've got Big Ben as your #1, but don't be silly and start dealing Wallace or Mendenhall, they'll get it figured out.

SOunds liek we may be seeing Curtis Painter after all in Indy..about time.  Not really sure what they were thinking sticking Collins in there to begin with.  Sure he's a veteran and might make the right calls on blitzes and audibles..but if your looking at a lost season what was the point of that?  No one outside of the Colts front office thought they'd be any good without Peyton Manning, painter should've been the choice from the get go.  The win/loss record won't be much worse than with Colins, and you'll get some much needed evaluation time of your backup QB's.  the big winner??  Peirre Garcon, who was Painter's main target during the second string practices, its only logical that they would have a good rapport.  Wayne, Clark and Addai remain the Colts to have, and Garcon and Collie switch roles for the short term if your looking for some emergency fill in types.

*******MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL*********

Washington @ Dallas
Must Starts-Romo, Dez Bryant, Witten, S. Moss, F. Davis,
possible starts-Grossman, Dallas D/ST, Gano
sits- Hightower, Helu, Cooley, Gaffney, Ogletree, Holly, WASH D/ST, Cowboys kickers, Felix Jones
Game predictions- Cowboys 31, Redskins 20

Hightower still dominated the touches, but it was Helu's role in critical situations that impressed me.  When the game was on the line Shanny was just as comfortable going with the rookie as he was with Hightower.  Helu played most of the downs in the fourth quarter and had a higher yards per touch average than Hightower did.  This may end up being a situation where neither player is worth starting, but my money is on Helu taking the job outright over the next couple of weeks.  If he's still avialable in your league, grab him now.  This was perhaps the first game in a LONG LONG itme that I can recall Dallas containing Santana Moss.  he still had his catches and a handful of yards, but for once, he didn't rip the heart out of Cowboy fans everywhere.  He's still the best Redskin's WR to own.  Fred Davis had a really disapppointing day, but it's more due to the Cowboys defense than it is anyhting that Fred Davis did or didn't do.

So a cracked rib puntured lung Romo can still overcome four botched snaps, and countless snafus by the WR's running the wrong routes.  Not only did he overcome them, but he finally got pissed about it instead of shrugging his shoulders, smiling, and heading to the sidelines.  We may see an emerging leader and big time NFL QB finally growing up before our eyes.  Now that being said, he still sucked fantasy wise.  Dez Bryant was apparently still limited with his little owie on his poor wittle weg.  Suck it up, chump!  your team needs you to be Miles Austin, go out and do it.  Hopefully Luarent Robinson is the main #2 WR next week, he seemed to be the only WR other than Bryant on the same page with Romo.  Anoyne that read last weeks boxscore and then jumped to pick up Jesse Holly?  All who raised their hands, quickly run back to the waiver wire, grab someone else, anyone else, and then give yourself ten lashes with a wet noodle for being an idiot.  Same goes for Kevin Ogletree..at some point he may develop into a decent WR, but not until he realizes he needs to pay attention when the gameplan is being installed. Two good things fantasy wise on the Cowboys side though, Felix Jones finally showed some burst and some desire to actually run, and the defense that finished 31st last eyar is really a lot better, Sean Lee may very well be the best young MLB in the league.  And if you need a bye week fillin at kicker, it might not be a bad idea to grab Dan Bailey.  Nothing cements your job like six FG's.  If the 'Boys can fix the center snap issues, and if Bryant can overcome this hellacious boo-boo he has, next week should be a boom for Romo/Bryant/Witten

Well first off, lets just go with whether I was any good at picking winners and losers.

So far I'm 12-3, I missed the Ravens, Raiders and Chargers games.  A Giants win can get me to 13-3.  I'd say most gambling men, or women, would consider that a decent percentage.

• My Start of the week was Legarrette Blount, 19 standard scoring points, there's a hit in my box score.
• The sit of the week was MJD, this one might not have been a line drive hit, as MJD scored 9 pts, but a texas league blooper may be in order for me, 9 pts isn't exactly what your looking for from your RB1, and guys that you probably left on the bench in order to start him like Freddie Jackson, did a lot better.  Never sitting your studs only means never winning a title.  Especailly when that stud is getting up there in mileage and quantity of knee surgies, and has crap for a QB.
• waiver pickup of the week?  well I screwed the pooch on this one, although Cobb did have more catches than Jordy Nelson, they just didn't turn into anything.  Cobb still has major long term value if your in a keeper, dynasty, or return yardage league, or can afford to stash him on a standard roster.
• Overall I'd say I was somewhere in the neighborhood of 90% on my ratings for starting or sitting players.  With notable misses on Cam Newton, Steve Smith, JSTEW, The Packers Defense, Jordy Nelson, Antonio Gates, Eric Decker, AJ Green, Plaxico, McNabb, Vinateiri, The entire Ravens offense minus Ray Rice, the Ravens' Defense, and Vernon Davis.  But with approximately a dozen players ranked per game, and 16 games played thus far..that leaves roughly 180+ players that I was right about.

I think I'll change my ratings to a more simple start sit format, the pts from ratings can get a little confusing..maybe add a little plus start, or a absolute sit??  I dunno.  I'll get it ironed out over the next few weeks.

Some quick thoughts from the Sunday games:

•  Denarious Moore, WR OAK, is a special talent.  will be interesting to see both he and Jacoby Ford (healthy) on the field at the same time.  Somewhere Al Davis just creamed his Depends dreaming of all that speed on the field at the same time.
• The loss of Jamaal Charles hurt more fantasy teams than just those who owned Charles.  Thos poor few souls out there that beleived Cassel and Dewayne Bowe could repeat or even exceed what they did last year, are now in even worse shape then they were after week 1.  Beg and plead your fellow owners for any scraps whatsoever in trade value now.  I doubt there' smuch left out there for Bowe or Cassel, but it'll be even less the further we get in the season.  May as well drop Cassel..Fitzpatrick is still un-owned in %33 of leagues..just sayin!
• Only explanation I can think of for the Ravens Titans game is that the Ravens were still riding the high from last week's Steelers victory.  That doesn't equate to good news for Chris Johnson.  But what might, is that Hasselblah has added a passing game to this offense.  perhaps were finally seeing what we all wanted ot see ever since Chris Johnson borke out a few years back.  The Titans taking advantage of 8 and 9 men boxes and throwing the ball a little.  Once defenses start adjusting to that, maybe CJ30M well find a little more running room??  I hope!  And Kenny Britt is officially a must start regardless of opponent.
• Expected more from the Colts, especailly Colt McCoy.  IF they couldn't get some passing game goign agianst the hapless Colts, they might never get it done.  Vinny owners had to be liking what they saw though.  Look for a return to the top of the kicker standings for Vinny if this offense keeps being this bad.  Yeah bad offenses don't score alot, but they get a lot of FG's tries, and any try to Vinny is still almost a given three points.
• So McNabb had a decent game, big deal.. he still couldn't find the end zone, nor lead his team to victory.  And his decent game, wasn't enough to generate a starter worthy WR in fnatasy land.  The Ponder countdown begins.
• Really thought the Bears defense could keep the Saints at least somewhat in check.  But it proves what I said about the Atlanta offense in week one.  Screw the cover two shell.  Attack it, and you'll win.  Acquiesce to it and you lose.
• The Jet's showed why they were the first defense taken in most leagues..easy to beat a team with only two offensive weapons, especailly when Revis takes one out all by himself.
• Steelers didn't disappoint their fans, but they did disappoint a few fantasy owners expecting huge things vs the 'Hawks.  Big Ben, Mendenhall and Wallace all had nice days, but they all felt a little lacking.  I was expecting more.
• Starship Helu has landed in Washington.  Sure Hightower still had over 100 total yards, but so did the rookie.  And Helu did it on 7 less touches.  Shanny had to have liked what he saw there.  Look for a commitee to develop with a "hot hand" situation for the upcoming weeks.  Eventually Helu will simply take the job, but it'll take some time.  Charles owners would be well advised to grab this guy and hope that its sooner rather than later.
• And we've come to Cam Newton.  I've gotta admit.  I came out ultra strong against this guy being an NFL QB well before the draft.  I proclaimed him to be the biggest bust since Ryan Leaf the day he went #1.  And I begged anyone that would listen to not waste a pick or roster spot on him in fantasy.  Well here and now, I'm eating my crow.  Almost 900 yards in two weeks, half of which came against the super bowl champs??  I'm sure its too late in most leagues, he's owned in %90 of CBS ones, %89 of ESPN, but if your in one of the lucky leagues that still has him available, go get him, quickly.  I still think he's going to have some seriously bad games..but he's going to have some more really good ones too.
• James Starks took another step towards pushing Ryan Grant to the bench this week.  Grant played in more steps, but was severely outplayed in ever facet of the game by Starks.  If you can find a taker for Grant, this week will be one of the last ones where he might still have a little value, but not likely.
• The absence of Chump Bailey provided a nice opportunity for AJ Green, and he took full advantage.  I wouldn't hope for a repeat any time soon.
• All year I've mentioned I liked Eric Decker, but as long as Brandon Lloyd was around, he simply didn't have value being in a John Fox system.  Well with no Brandon Lloyd around, Eric Decker did not dissapoint.  I missed this one in my waiver pickup of the week, since when I wrote it, Lloyd looked probably to play.  Had I known Lloyd would miss the game, Decker would've been options 1, 2 and 3 fo rme on the waiver wire. And I would've rated him much higher than a 1.  If you've got the space on your roster, pick him up, or hold on to him.  But don't play him unless Lloyd is out agian.
• Similar to the situation in Washington, the 'Phins had a rookie RB of their own make a splash this weekend.  Reggie Bush owners cannot be happy with what they saw out of Daniel Thomas.  What we thought would be true during the preseason, and started to doubt towards week 1, is acutally starting to become truth agian.  Thomas is the back to own in Maimi going forward.  Bush is simply a flex play.  Any hopes of buying low on him, flew out the window on Sunday.
• The Chargers defense didn't have an answer for Tom Brady like I thought they might.  But had Rivers not continually shot himself in the foot, they still woudl've had a shot at winning that game.  Vincent Jackson is just a beast.  My preseason WR rankings??  Calvin Johnson #1, Vincent Jackson #2..Andre and Roddy were on my "do not draft" list, not becuase they aren't great, but becuase I knew I could wait and get one of the "actual" best 2 WR's in the league later.
• Say what you will about Tony Romo the NFL QB..but Tony Romo the fantasy QB is pure gold.  And finally starting to show some toughness as well.  Leading a team back to a win with cracked or broken ribs?  That's the sign of a guy becoming a true leader on the field.  perhaps this is the game he can look back on and say, "that's where I turned the corner from pretty good, to greatness"  Too bad about Austin Miles' injury, but it'll open the door for Dez Bryant owners to reap the rewards for the next three to four weeks.  Felix however..we may have to scale back our expectations here.  Top ten RB seems liek a bit of a stretch at this point.
• Vernon Davis doesn't suck, but the offense that he's in sure does.  I wouldn't say Harbaugh has abandonded the TE, but he's sure gone away from them.  V.D. is only averaging four targets a game.  Unacceptable for what is undeniably your best weapon inthe passing game.  This would be an I otld ya so moment I guess.  I've been down on V.D. all offseason.  the game si watched last eyar said they were targetting Josh Morgan and other WR's, plus Delanie Walker, far too often for V.D. to be worth that high of a pick this season.  Unfortunately for V.D. owners, that has become fact thus far.
• Last night, Vick showed a little more of what he did last year, but he's still not the same guy, and now he'll be fighting a concussion test to get back on the field for week 3.  And not even Andy Reid knows if Vince young or Mike Kafka will start if he misses the game.  this is one ot keep a very close eye on, as there area a lot of Eagles players on fantasy teams.
• Matt Ryan and the Falcons might not have hit on any deep balls, but at least they acutally tried them last night.  A good sign for Roddy White and Julio Jones owners moving forward.

 

Well I finally found my freakin blog access..boy do I feel stupid!!

Anyways, on with the show!
I'm not a big fan of the Start 'em Sit 'em format..far too often players get overlooked on those and leave fantasy owners wondering why their guy wasn't mentioned at all.  But i do like to mention one guy that not many will consider starting and one guy that everyone will say start 'em no matter what, that I owuld say is a bad play that week.   Ranking in a list is always fun, but those rarely if ever actually pan out.  I go game by game, rate the major fantasy players in each one 0-4 stars according to a standard 10-12 team league and let you go from there.  0-1.5 sit 'em, 1.75-2.5 play 'em but look for better options first, 2.75-3.25 surefire starter, 3.5-4 expect big numbers.

Start of the Week
LeGarrette Blount.  The Vikes D might contian him to a point, but they won't stop him, this isn't the old Willaims wall anymore.

Sit of the week
MJD-ok, so picking a player vs the Jets isn't really that much of a stretch, but in most circles fantasy players get stuck in that "never bench your studs" mentality.  This week, you bench this stud.

Waiver pickup of the week
So I found my blog entry a bit too late for this to be relevant to many people, but since I'm takign the time to do the whole thing, i might as well stick this on there too.  Randall Cobb.  When lightning is on the field, you give it the ball and let it go.  Rodgers will too.  Nelson who??


KC at DET   
So first off, week one told us that Detriot's front four is no longer a good matchups for your RB's.  But Jamaal Charles isn't the same style runner as Blount.  If Todd Haley doesn't design the vast majority of his running game away from Suh in the middle, he should really reconsider his chosen careeer.  Charles should be a decent play this week as the area of the defense he's best at attacking is sitll a bit of a weakness on the Lions--the LB's.  But that's about where the fun stops for KC players.  Cassel will be under pressure all day long form Suh and the rest of the DL, and there won't be very much time to get the WR's involved.  If Cassel couldn't move the ball vs teh Bills..he's probably not going to get it done vs the Lions.  In deeper leagues or return yardage ones, McCluster MIGHT be worth a start if your hard pressed
Charles-3.5
Cassel- 0
Bowe- 1
all other Cheifs- 0 
Also in week one we saw that the Lions are really pretty good offensively, and that the Cheifs without Eric Berry around, really aren't very good at all defensively.  You can start all Lions with confidence.  I wouldn't go so far as to say bench a stud player becuase a Lion that's normally on your bench has this matchup, but in any close calls, I'd probably be giving the Detriot player the edge.
Stafford- 4
Calvin Johnson-4+
Best- 3.5
Burleson- 3
Pettigrew-3
Lions D-4
Hanson- 2.5 (should get too many XP's and not enough FG's)
My gameday prediction- Lions 31, Chiefs 13

OAK at BUFF
The Bills fresh off thier beat down of the Chiefs, will be hosting the Raiders.  Both teams were strong vs the rush last game, and both team had success running the ball last week.  That makes for some interesting predicitons on this one.  I can see the BIlls doing a slightly better job than the Broncos did at contianing RDMC, but I still see him having a pretty good day.  Possibly even better than last week since he never hit paydirt.  He iwll find the endzone this week, but with slightly fewer yards.  And with DHB actually having a decent game last week..well at least as far as not dropping passes goes, perhaps he'll finally begin to be a threat on the outside and that can only help the running game.  Jacoby Ford looks to be a gametime decision, I'd be making alternate plans if he was my only option at WR.  Kevin Boss may make his Raider debut in this game, and they sorely missed a TE presence during the Bronco game.  Sebass finally hit that NFL record (tying) FG that I've been waiting on ever since they drafted him in the first round.  Both his own conifdence and the Raiders belief in him hitting them more often won't ever be higher.  If your league gives bonuses for long FG's, this is your guy without a doubt.
RDMC- 3.75
Campbell- 2
DHB- 1.5
Boss-2.25
SeBass- 4
Raider D- 1.5
Buffalo's backfield situation is just plain silly.  Not sure why they chose to flirt with the idea of Spiller taking Jackson's job during training camp, but it obvious who the better NFL RB is on this team.  But the sad thing is, in thier stubborness to prove that they didn't make a mistake drafting Spiller so high, he steals enough carries, in critical situations, to really screw up Jackson's value.  Oaklnad really showed some decent progress in the secondary last week.  I really was thinking that Lloyd would be able to light them up without Awesomewaa around, but they held up fairly well.  But, that was the Denver passing attack led by a John Fox system and a Kyle Orton that has apparently decided to mail it in since no one in Denver, outside of the team and coaches, beleives in him anymore.  this week will be a different animal as Buffalo has no issues throwing it around.  Fitzpatrick won't have 4 TD's, but he'll crush his 208 yards from last week. Stevie Johnson should be able to own either Raider corner that he lines up agianst.  Those few that think they got a steal by picking up Scott Chandler at TE, will be welcomed back to earth now that teams realize he's on the field.  This guy has been in the league since 2007, there's a reason you've never heard of him till last week. 
Ryan Fitzpatrick- 2.75
Fred Jackson- 2.5
Spiller- 1.75
Steve Johnson- 4
Chandler- 0.5
Lindell- 3
Bills D- 1.5
My Gameday prediction-  Raiders 27, Bills 20

DALLAS at S.F.
So Romo blew the game last week for us Cowboys fans..that doens't mean he didn't have a great fantasy day agianst what most consider to be an excellent pass defense.  Look for Dez Bryant to be walking around wiht an IV stuck in him all week long to insure that he's plenty hydrated for this game!  The Jet's had one corner that could usually get the best of Austin and Bryant, S.F. has none.  The 'Niners will have to commit both safeties to helping on the outside the entire game, which should open up plenty of room for Witten underneath and some extra running room for Felix Jones if they get him outside or through that D-line.  Similar to what i said about the Lions, if you've got one of the main five Cowboys on your team, start them with confidence this week.  But there's no reason to even own a Cowboys kicker, far too much going on in that situation to ever be trusted in fantasy.
Romo- 4
Bryant- 4
Austin- 3.5
Felix Jones- 3
Witten- 4
Dallas D- 3
Alex SMith is just bad.  I mean really, we all know it, even SF fans are quick to admit the joke that he is.  Look for Demarcus Ware to come out of Week 2 with a comfortable lead in the sacks category.  Alex SMith takes far too long to make decisions, isn't great at reading a blitz and most defintely can't outrun Ware.  The Boy's secondary is lacking, but the front pressure will cover most of that up this week.  There might be a couple decent shots to Vernon Davis, and maybe even Josh Morgan or Braylon Edwards, but they will be too few and far between to make a big impact for your team.  Frank Gore will get his, a decent day, nothing spectacular, but starter worthy.
Akers is my pick to be the highest scoring 'Niner in Fantasy land this weekend.
Alex Smith- 1
Frank Gore- 2.75
Vernon Davis- 2.75
Josh Morgan/B. Edwards- 1.5
Crabtree- 0
Akers- 4
'Niner's D- 0
My gameday prediction- Cowboys 38, 'Niners 17

Baltimore at Tennessee
Sure Boldin had a decent day last week, but let's be realistic..he had 4 catchs and a TD.  Was the TD a great catch?  Yes.  But Boldin didn't beat the coverage, it was there and nine times out of ten, that catch won't be made.  Boldin has lost a step, and no longer gets seperation which is what made his run after the catch ability so great.  With the probability of the physical playing Finnegan being lined up on Boldin all day long, I'm not expecting much here.  But, on the other side of the field, I do expect a decent day for Lee Evans.  He may have been held without a catch in week one, but they did show a willingness to push the ball downfield to him.  Expect a few long completions to Evans as the defense focuses on Boldin and Ray Rice.  Overall that should make for a decent, above average day for Flacco.  I don't think enough can be said about Ray Rice, look for him to dominate once agian.  But be wary of Ricky Williams getting a score here, he saw the field far too often for my liking last week, and I can't imagine that'll change. I wouldn't expect too many FG's for Cundiff this week, the Ravens should be able to punch it in more often than not when they get close.
Flacco- 3.25
Ray Rice- 4
Boldin- 2
Evans- 2.75
Dickson- 1.5
Ricky- 1.0
Cundiff- 1.5
Ravens D- 3.75
I'm not really sure what the Ttians coaching staff was thinking last week.  Perhaps they thought they really got something in Matt Hasselblah??  I can't come up with any reason why Chris Johnson would have only 9 carries, regardless of "game flow".  Before last week boht Munchak and the OC came out and assured everyone that there would be no limit on CJ2K's touches, this week they're coming out and saying that they'll make a concerted effor tot get him the ball more often in this game.  While I am buying that they'll try that, I'm not buying that it'll be all that much of a success.  The Ravens stuffed Mendenhall, and they'll probably contain Chris Johnson as well.  And Kenny Britt will not be beating Willaims, Smith and Reed like he did last week to the JAX secondary.  Chris Johnson is the only Titan I would consider starting in this one.  In fact, I wouldn't be shocked to see someone other than Hasselblah finishing this game as he'll probably end up on the trainer's table.  And I would imagine it'll be Rusty Smith, not Locker.  I can't imagine they'd toss Locker into his first NFL game and have it be the Ravens.
Hasselblah- 0
Chris Johnson- 2.75
Kenny Britt- 2.0
Bironas- 2
all other Titans including the D- 0
My gameday prediction- Ravens 31, Titans 10

Cleveland at Indy
Do I seriously have to do this game??  UGHH!!  This is one where people in Indianapolis area are gong to LOVE the NFL sunday ticket.  Even die hard Coltsfans will want to turn the channel becuase this is just going to be ugly.  So lets just make this quick shall we?  Kerry Collins cannot operate the Colts offense.  The Colts can't change their offense in the span of two weeks.  Before week one I pointed out that Peyton makes all the adjustements that makes this team an offensive juggernaut and that no QB in the entire league would be able ot take this team over and have it even be a fraction of what it was, well that prediction bore true, truer than I ever thought it would.  He made the line protection audibles, he called the play according to the defense at the line, and he made quick decisions during the play that seemed to always keep his team out of third and longs.  Kerry Collins can't do any of that..other than calling an audible..he is a veteran and can recognize a blitz.  But he's not making the line adjustments..offensive lineman that have always been told what to do, now have to figure it out on their own.  Will it be a bit better than last week?  I can't see how it can be worse, let's just leave it at that.  Wayne and Clark remain the only Colts players worthy of consideration this week.
Collins- 0.5
Wayne- 2
Clark- 2
Addai- 1.25
All other Colts+the D and the Kicker- 0
Colt McCoy will be able to avoid what little pressure the two Colts ends will generate, but its doubtful that the Browns will be passing much.  Peyton Hillis should have a field day running through this sad troop.  I'd even look for Hardesty to get some decent PT.  And it wouldn't shock me to see Josh Cribbs take one to the house, just to put a little icing on the cake.
Hillis- 4
McCoy- 2.5
Massaquoi-2.5
Watson- 2.5
Browns D- 3
Dawson- 2.75
My gameday prediciton-Browns 31, Colts 10

Tampa Bay at Minnesota
The Buc's were somewhat stymied by an improving Detriot Lions team last week, this week they take on a team that is going the opposite direction.  The Vikes just aren't the same defensive team without the Williams Wall.  Sure the Chargers didn't have a 100 yard rusher, but that's not their style to begin with, and they did have roughly 3.5 yards per carry so its not like they were shut down.  I look for Blount to get 20 carries in this one and 100 yards, probably a score.  And just to keep them honest, 200+ from Freeman, most of which will go to Mike WIlliams and Kellen Winslow.
Blount- 3.25
Mike WIlliams- 3
Kellen Winslow- 3
Freeman- 3
Barth 2.5
TB D- 3.5
Well, as far as I'm concerned, Donovan McNabb has made it official.  He's a product of the system in Philly, and just plain sucks.  The days in Washington were no fluke, he is that guy.  He may be getting up their in age, but as far as QB's are concerned, he's not old enough to put the blame there, plus he's till got some game running the ball, so it's not physical deterioration..he's just really that bad without Andy Reid.  AP is the only Vikings player that will ever be a given this year.  Harvin is ok to play in certain matchups, but not this one.  But if your scoring system gives some weird bonuses to WR's getting rushing yards, he's probably a decent flex.  At this point Bernard Berrian and Greg Camarillo/Jenkins shouldn't even be close to sniffing your roster.
AP- 2.5
MCNabb- 0.5
Harvin 1.0
Shiancoe- 1.5
Longwell- 2
Vikes D- 2
My Gameday prediction- T.B. 27, Vikes 13

Chicago at New Orleans
This game should be fun.  A strong Defense vs a potent offense.  And a defense that lives and dies by the turnover vs a QB that seems to always throw a few in crucial situations.  I"m not expecting a whole lot from Forte here.  Take out that one screen pass, and he had a pretty lackluster day vs the Falcons last week.  And the Falcons and Saint's play fairly similar style of defenses, with similar talent levels across the board.  But, he will find the end zone, someway, somehow.  I just don't see a lot of yards there. Plus Marion the Barbarian will be active for this game so we'll get to see just how serious the Bears are at giving Forte an expanded role.  All of the Bears WR's are crap, but one of them is going to score, the problem is picking it.  hester?  Willaims?  knox?  who knows.  My money is on Knox to have the most catches of the position, but chances are the TD will be a pass to none of the above.   And becuae of this, its hard ot expect much more than 2 TD passes from Cutler, possibly only one.  I expect the Bears D to give up alot of yards, a nice handful of points, but generate some sacks and a turnover or two to make up for it.
Cutler- 2.25
Forte-2.5
Knox 2.0
Hester- 1.5
Williams- 1.5
Gould- 3
Bears D- 3
Brees will get alot of yards, there's just no way around that, and even the biggest Bears homer in the world would have to see that.  And the loss of Colston and the absence of Moore will have little effect since he's always spreading the ball around anyways.  But with those losses, I would expect an expanded role for Sproles and Jimmy Graham.  Don't think I would suggest starting either Thomas or Ingram though.  The Bears run D is solid and both of them take too much away from each other's values to be trusted in your starting lineup.  The big quesiton this week was who is the Saints receiver to have, Meachem or Henderson.  The answer?  Both, that is until Moore comes back then Henderson is nothing more than an all or nothing WR once agian.  the Bears defense will stiffen up enough to give Kasay ample FG opportunities in this one.
Brees- 3.5
Sproles-2
Ingram-1.5
Thomas- 1.5
Graham- 3
Meahcem/Henderson- 2.25
Kasay- 3
Saints D- 2.5
My gameday prediction- Saints 23, Da Bears 20

Jacksonville at N.Y. Jets
So the Jets did a pretty decent job of keeping Felix Jones in check, and they'll do an even better job at keeping MJD in check.  Why?  becuase they won't have to worry much at all about the passing game.  Wiht Revis sticking Mike Thomas in his back pocket all game, the only other threat on the team is Mercedes Lewis, and even though he's one of my favorite TE's to own, he's not good enough to beat any of the Jet's coverage schemes, especially not with Luke McCown throwing the ball.  I honestly wouldn't recomend starting any Jaguars, including MJD this week.
MCCown-0
MJD- 1.5
Thomas-0
M. Lewis- 1
Scobee- 1.5
JAX D- 1.5
The Jets really showed some toughness in that come back win.  Something that I'm sure all Pat's fans are more than aware after the playoffs last year.  But, I'm not buying this Mark Sanchez 300 yard passer stuff.  Jacksonville may have eliminated Chris Johnson by playing keep away most of the game last week..that won't happen this week and betwen the two of them, LT and Shonn Greene will have a great day.  But unfortunately, that's between the two of them.  Good for Jets fans, not good for fantasy owners.  Plax will continue getting the red zone looks as Sanchez looked more than comfortable going his way when the game was on the line, limiting Dustin Keller's and Santonio Holmes's prduction.  Basically this entire team is a big committee, and none will be fantasy studs all year long, but most will be good enough to warrant a start most weeks.
SAnchez- 2.5
LT- 2
Greene- 2
Plax- 2
Holmes- 2.25
Keller- 2.25
Folk- 3
Jets D- 3.5
My gameday prediction- N.Y.Jets 27, JAX 10

Seattle at Pittsburgh
Well, the Seattle portion of this one will be pretty easy.  Even in a good matchup the Seahwaks only have one player worthy of starting in fantasy and that's Lynch.  But playing the Steelers after what Baltimore did to them last week??  ouch.  Bench all Seahawks..hopefully you don't even own any to start with.  
They all get 0's just to save me the time of writing it out.
As for the Steelers, I really expect them to come out pissed off.  If every Steeler doens't have a great game, I'll be shocked.  The Seahawks defense doesn't stand a chance agianst Mendenhall, Wallace, or Big Ben.  Start every Steeler that you can, including Emanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown.  And the Steelers defense is basically a lock of the week in any format
Big Ben- 4
Mendenhall- 3.75
Wallace- 4
Sanders/Brown/Ward- 2.5
Miller- 2
Suisham- 2.5
Steelers D- 4
My gameday prediciton- Steelers 42, Seattle 3

Arizona at Washington
 So week one had good returns on Kevin Kolb right?  In the immortal words of Lee Corso, "Not so fast my friend!".  Okay so Kolb looked allright.  But lets be real here, the long TD's to King and Doucet were total fluke plays on some of the most horrendous coverage I've ever seen in 20+ years of watching the NFL.  I don't expect a Mike Shannahan coached team to have nearly the same problems in coverage that the Panthers did.  Plus the redskins know all about Kkolb and what he can and can't do.  Now, logic says htat the defense will be focused on Fitzgerald and that should create some things for Doucet right?  Well he was only targetted 3 times last game, I wouldn't expect much more than that this time either.  those of you who picked up Doucet will be in for a rude awakening. Never ever trust a box score..heck even the usually un-trustworhty highlight reel showed how fluky that play was.  In the NFL, running out in the open like that is a once or twice a season thing to happen to a WR.  Beenie Wells is probably the best bet for points, other than Feeley this week with DeAngelo hall and Landry bracketting Fitzgerald more often than not.
Kolb 1.75
Fitzgerald 2
Wells 2.5
Doucet- 1
Feeley 3
ARZ D 1
So if Cam Newton can shred this defense for 400+, what should we expect form Rex Grossman who put up 300 on the Giants?  I wouldn't expect more than 250.  I see the Skins getting up early and Shanny handing the game over to Hightower.  The one thing that might screw this scenerio up would be Hightower fumbling the ball away.  I'm sure that Timmy has some personal issues he'd like to take out on the Cardinals and will be running with a little extra effort this week, which in and of itself is a good thing for us fantasy owners.  But, when a RB has career long fumbling issues, its not really a great idea to constantly be fighting to more yards..thats when footballs get ripped out of hands and end up going the other way.  Plus, it's not like the Arizona coaches aren't well aware of the issues Hightower has, I can promise you the defensive practices in Arizona have been focusing on ripping the ball more often than normal this week.  It's not really a good idea to predict fumbles, but its a very real possibility that Hightower has a couple.  And if that happens, we may get to see if Helu is for real or not.  Similar to the Cowboys kickers, I wouldn't bother with a Redskins kicker either
Grossman- 2
Hightower 2.75
S. Moss 2.5
F. Davis 2.75
WASH D 2.5
My gameday prediction- Washington 24, Arizona 13

Green Bay at Carolina
So now we see the other side of that defensive debacle last week.  If Kevin Kolb can get WR's and TE's that aren't named Fitzgerald with no one within 20 yards of them..is there any limit to what Aaron Rodgers can do?  This will be an ugly game for Panthers fans.  If Rodgers doens't have 400 yards and 4 TD's it'll be becuase the Mike McCarthy called off the dogs in the second half.  Look for Starks to conitnue to distance himself from Ryan Grant as the torch is clearly being handed off here.  The only downside I see in fantasy land is that Crosby will be lucky to kick one FG as the Panthers defense gets shredded
Rodgers- 4+
Jennings- 4+
Finley- 3.5
Starks- 2.5
Grant- 1.5
Driver- 2
Nelson- 1.5
Cobb- 2.0
Crosby- 2.5
GB Def- 4
Cam Newton, my isn't he all the rage after week one??  Well here's a reality check for ya'..the Cardinals dealt their best defensive player in the off season, and didn't do much of anything to fill that hole.  Well that hole is exactly where Steve Smith lines up.  Now is Steve Smith a great NFL reciever?  Absolutely.  Is he good enough to carry a rookie QB agianst a team loaded with defensive all pros?  Not even close.  Between the blitz schemes that come from all angles in Green Bay and the rock solid coverage skills of Al Harris and Charles Woodsen, not to mention Atari Bigby, Nick Collins and AJ Hawk are pretty decent coverage guys as well, this defense should own Cam Newton and every single one of the Panthers offensive players.  Including DWILL.
Cam Newton- 1
DWILL- 1.5
JSTEW-1
S. Smith- 1
Olsen/Shockey- 1.5
Mare- 1
CAR D-  what's less than 0??
My gameday prediction-  Green Bay 45, Carolina 7

**Afternoon games***

Cincinnatti at Denver
So it looks like Andy Dalton is a go for this game.  Between that factoid and Chump Bailey being on defense, that doesn't sound good for AJ Green's chances.  Now granted, AJ Green was just as much teh benefactor of crappy defense on that one play, as the likes of Steve Smith and Early Doucet were, but his chances of success go way up with Gradkowski as opppossed to the limp wristed Andy Dalton.  But Cincy is committed to this kid and he's going to play so I wouldn't bother with AJ Green this week.  Cedric Benson is probably the lone birght spot fantasy wise this week, and even he had to have a garbage time TD to make his week 1 worth a damn.  Denver has a few plamkers in the front seven with Dummervil, Williams, Miller and Bunkley, and Benson no longer has the burst to get through them, nor the moves to elude them.  This will be along game for Cincy fans.  If by some miracle Gradkowski plays instead of Dalton, give him a 1.75 and bump everyone else up by half a star.
Dalton- 0.5
Benson-1.75
Green- 0.5
Greshem- 2
Nugent- 1.5
Bungals D- 1.75
Well the boo birds and Teebow fans were out in force monday night, and thanks to YellowFuzzy, I had a great seat and it was music to my ears!!  But John Fox is no retard, he's not going to be listening to the fans, and he has no ties whatsoever to Tim Teebow the way Josh McDee's did.  Teebow will not be seeing the field until the Broncos are officially out of the playoff race.  That being said, that doens't mean that Orton is a good choice as a fantasy QB, this week or any other week.  If you were one of the many banking on Peyton Manning this year and had to scramble to find a couple QB's to play matchups with, this is probably the week you'd want Orton I guess.  Cincy isn't very good defensively agisnt the pass and Lloyd should find plenty of space.   The down side is that Denver really should be able to control this game the way John Fox likes to control a game, by running the ball.  Shots will be taken downfield occasionally and that should be enough to warrant a start by Lloyd, but keep the expectation limited.  Moreno is already in the trainer's room with yet another hamstring injury, making McGahhe the only Rb worth a start in Denver this week.  Moreno is likely to play, but I'm sure it will be limited.
Orton 2.25
Lloyd 2
McGahee 2.5
Moreno 1
Decker 1
Royal .5
Prater 3
Denver D- 3
My gameday prediction- Denver 20, Cincy 10

Houston at Miami
So it appears the Derrick Ward will miss th game, and Foster will be back.  But just being back doesn't mean he'll get all the touches. You can't bench him if he plays, but you can't expect a whole lot either.  And along those same lines, you can't expect much from Tate if Foster plays either.  But if Foster ends up missing the game, Tate is a must start.  this team is simply too good at running the ball to not play whoever is getting the majority of carries here.  Hopefully a solid decision is made well before Sunday morning as to Fosters status in this one.  As always, Andre Johnson is a must start, and given tha the patriots racke dup 500+ yards on these Dolphins, chances are pretty good that Johnson has a good game.  But don't expect massive, out of this world numbers.  The Patriots throw it everywhere, the Dolphins never knew what was coming or where it was coming from..this week the Dolphins know damned good and well the passing game runs through Andre Johnson and pretty much only Andre Johsnon, allowing them to concentrate on stopping just one guy instead of four or five like last week.  DOn't expect a repeat of that dominating defense from last week either.  This team isn't throwing stuff agianst the wall to see if it sticks like Indy was.
Schuab- 2.75
Foster- 2.5
Tate- 1.5 (if Foster doens't play, give Tate a 3)
Andre- 3
Daniels- 1
Rackers 3
Texans D 2
Henne probably won't toss another 400 yard game in his carreer.  Unless Sporano had some sudden change of heart in his offensive philosphy over the summer.  I'm thinking that's simply what they thought would work vs the Patriots given the presence of Wilfork and Haynesworth on the inside vs Reggie Bush as the only Rb they had.   Look for more of a return to last year's numbers for Henne this week.  marshall will probably sitll get his 7-10 catches and Bush will touch the ball roughly 15-20 times, but niether will have great yardage totals.  one of them will get a score though.  Daniel Thomas looks to be a go for his NFL debut as well
Henne- 1.75
R. Bush- 2
D. Thomas-.75
Marshall- 2.25
Hartline- 1
Fasano-1.5
Carpenter- 2
'Phins D- 1.5
My gameday prediction -Texans 23, 'Phins 20

S.D. SuperChargers at New England
Rivers was held to mostly check downs and intermediate stuff vs the Vikings last week, but if the Patriots dont' figure out what went wrong in their secondary last week, look for a huge game from Vincent Jackson and company this weeknd.  I like Rivers for 350+ and at least 3 TD's this week, and none of them to Tolbert.  Gates, Jackson, and even Malcom Floyd are plus starts this week.  Ryan mathews just simply doens't get the touches, and when he does, they aren't the right ones to make a difference for your team, and that's not about to change this week either.  HTe loss of Kaeding will mean little to this team as they rarely are trying 50+ FG's and most guys off the street can hit a 30 yarder, Novak will be fine so long as they don't expect him to be SeBass
Rivers- 4+
Tolbert- 2.75
Mathews- 1.5
Jackson- 4+
Gates- 3.5
Floyd- 2.75
Novak- 2
SD D- 1.75
Brady topped 500 yard last week.  There won't be a repeat of that.  The Chargers defense is good neought o put up a much better fight than the Phins did, but Brady will still have a good game and is always a must start.  the issues for this team form a Fantasy perspective start after Brady though.  Branch appears to still be the main wideout here, and Welker sitll seems to be teh go to chain mover in the slot.  The TE's are the red zone threats, but there's two of them so either one is is a risky start.  there's not always going to be 50 passes to go around here.  Ocho Cinco can be safely dropped IMHO.  Even if he ever does get the offense down pat, Brady is still going to be more comfortable throwing to Branch, Welker, and the TE's then he ever will with Ocho.  But the one area that concerns me is the way the running game might be handled.  Woodhead got the lions share of touches in the blowout, BJGE really only hd that one TD to his credit the rest of the night wasn't really worht mentioning.  And we've got two second round draft picks waiting in the wings.  Now both of these guys were injured to some degree in the preseason and were likely held out as a precaution even though they were active.  I fI may steal a segment from Mike and Mike on ESPN radio, here's my prediction sure to go wrong,..this week we see the emergence of Ridley as the RB to own in New England, and the beginning of the downfall of the Law Firm.  Woodhead might still lead the RB's in touches, but I have a feeling Ridley will get on the field and will perform well enough the BJGE stays on the bench most of the game.
Brady 3.5
Branch 2.75
Welker 3
Hernandez/Gronkowski- 2.75
Woodhead 2.25
BJGE 1.5
Ridley 1.5
Ocho- 0
Gostkowski 3
NE D- 2
My gameday prediction- SD 38, NE 35

****SUnday Night****


Philly at Atlanta
Mike Vick is regressing form what we saw last year.  he's still having problems reading blitzes and making the correct adjustments.  And he's begining to fall back into the habit of breaking the pocket and running instead of keeping his eyes down the field.  And because of this, his accuracy is sufferring.  This offense is still explosive, but only if Vick can find a way to handle the blitzes.  And until he does, expect teams to keep them coming.  McCoy had an excellent week and I expect that to continue, anyone worried that Ronnie Brown was signed to be a goal line back were realling kidding themselves.  He's simply there to give McCoy a breather and add some veteran experiance to the group.  Sounds as though they want to get Maclin the ball more, that can only be a good thing for the entire team, DJAX included.  expect Celek to continue to be overlooked all year long.
Vick- 2.75
McCoy 3
DJAX- 2.5
Maclin- 2.5
Celek- 0
Henery- 3
Eagles D- 2.25
Mike Smith sold everyone on this fancy new offense he was planning on bringing to the table this year.  Boy were we suckers??  They say its because Chicago played a cover two shell and forced everything to be checked down.  I say BS, if you've got Roddy White, Matt Ryan and two other burners on your team, you find a way to beat a cover two and you use it.   If you don't, well as we saw last week, you lose.  I expect them to correct that mistake this week, and as long as the O-line can hold up to the exotic blitzes of the Eagles, Matty Ice should find White and Jones and maybe even Douglas for some big gainers.  Yes the Eagles have Awesomewaa and Samuels and Rodgers Cromartie, but they can all be beaten..just stay away from Awesomewaa.  From what I saw, the eagles aren't shadowing WR's with any conrers and rather are simply lining up and playing CB "x" vs WR "x", meaning that no one WR can be counted out due to the awesmewaa factor.  There will be a lot of shifts and moving the WR's aroudn to generate favorable matchups away from his side of the feild.  Turner always solid will find some running lanes by attacking rookie MLB Mathews.  Gonzo may also be in line for quite few looks when those WR's do happen to get well covered.
Ryan- 2.75
Turner- 2.75
White- 2.5
J. Jones- 1.75
Gonzo- 2
Bryant- 3
Falcons D- 2.25
My gameday prediction-Eagles 27, Falcons 30

***MNF****

St. Louis at N.Y. Giants
Sam Bradford appears to be a full go for this one. But I wouldn't suggest starting him vs the GMen.  their pressure defense is rarely a good thing for fantasy Qb's.  Steven Jackson is more or less out for this game.  That's not official yet, but it sure sounds that way.  Cadillac Williams will be the bell cow for the Rams this weekend.  He makes for a good pickup if you dont' have to drop anyone too important to get it done.  SJAX will be back for week 3 so keep that in mind when deciding on whether to grab him or not.  I expect the main benefactor of Amendola's injury to be Lance Kendricks.  I hear a few analysts saying that Bradford may not have any confidence in him after the two drops last week.  But what does a good QB do when receivers drop a pass or two?  They go right back to them and get them back in the game.  Bradford is a good QB and I expect that to be the case here.
Bradford- 2
Caddy- 2
MSW- 1.5
B Gibson- 1.5
Kendricks- 2.25
Salas- 1.5
J Brown- 2
StL. D- 1.75
Eli Manning looked pretty pathetic last week if you ask me.  He'll be playing with a little something extra to prove Monday night.  Nicks is nursing an injury, but is expected to play.  They even went out and signed the best slot reciever ever in Brandon Stokley.  Of course, he's no longer the best current one, but he did revolutionize the position and is easily the best option they'll have for that spot.  Ahmed Bradshaw was used, and abbused, as the shrot yardage back last week.  I wouldn't expect much more than one more chance at that gig with a proven big batterring ram like Brandon Jacobs sitting on the sidelines.  Manningham was a big disappointment last week, look for that to change as well.
Manning- 2.5
Bradshaw- 2.75
Jacobs- 1.75
Nicks- 3
Manningham- 2
Stokley- 1
Tynes- 2.5
Giants D- 3
My gameday prediction-Giants 34, Rams 13

Ok, so it's late night, I don't have to work tomorrow, I'll be driving six hours back to Lincoln Nebraska on Friday evening to see my newborn niece and I'll be missing my Sunday ticket for the fourth time this year, and I'll be a little football deprived, so.. I"m gonna make an attempt at sounding like one of those Guru's that SJ loves to hate!!

Start of the week
Jeremy Maclin --Most of the time I don't agree that #2 WR's benefit all that much from the #1 being out, sure they get added attention from the QB, but they also get added attention from the D.  It takes a truly special kind of 32 wideout to handle this added attention and rise to teh expectations of his QB and coach.  And I think maclin can do that.  Plus it helps that he's playing a pretty iffy secondary in ATL

Sit of the week
Terrel Owens , and any and all Buffalo Bills offensive players, including Freddie Jackson --Okay, here's the deal, TO didn't drink the bottle that said "Drink Me" to have his rebirth.  the offensive play caling simply changed, plus the Qb he has now isn't afriad to go ahead and throw the ball downfield.  This will all come crashing down on Buffalo when Darrel Revis hits town.  He will effectively take TO out of the equation and force Buffalo to return to the same, tired old gameplan they had 4 weeks ago.  And it didn't work then either.  For further reasons not to start Freddie, jsut look at last weeks box score, under the rushing category for the Carolina Panthers..75 yards COMBINED for JSTEW and DWILL.

Jets vs Bills
We've already covered not to start any Bills players, so on to the Jets..Thomas Jones as always is a plus starter..Cotchery would be a decent WR3/Flex play if you have slim pickings for that slot.  Edwards is nothing more than an emergency fill in at this point.  DOn't bother with Shonne Green.  Jets D/ST is an excellent play this week

Eagles vs Falcons
McNabb is a plus start this week vs a shaky ATL secondary.  Maclin is a strong WR2, Avant a strong WR3/Flex.  McCoy  wouldn't be suggested as anyhting more than a fill in as a RB2 or a good flex option.  Since I'm writing this Wednesday and the Turner/Norwood situation is sitll a bit murky, I'll have to take the safe road here and say check the gametime inactives on this one.  obviously if Turner is active he's a must start the rest I'd stay away from regardless of Turner's status, the Eagles front seven is simply too physicall for the likes of Norwood and Snelling .  Gonzo is usually a must start at TE, depending on your options.  But in general, the Eagles have had their sahre of problems covering TE that can get downfield.  Roddy White is the only WR in ATL worthy of consideration and I owuldn't grade him any higher than a low end WR2 in this matchup, possibly even a WR3/flex only.  Redman probably won't catch lightening in a bottle in consecutive weeks.  Eagles D/ST is a fine play this week.  Akers is always a must start..don't bother with newly acquired Matt Bryant

Rams vs Bears
There is absolutely no reason to play any Ram other than SJAX this week (or any other for that matter).  I nearly feel the same about the Bears, but since they are playing the Rams, they do have some decent options.  Hester is a WR3 (don't kid yourselves Hester owners..its a compliment)  Forte is a decent Rb2/strong flex option.  And Olsen is a plus option at TE..seemingly the only receiver that benefits from the few Cutler throws that don't end up in opponent's hands these days.  The Bears D/ST is a decent enough option, not because they're that good, but because StL is that bad.  Gould a decent enough option at K, Josh Brown is an option only if he's your current kicker and you don't care enough to go out and grab someon else. 

Lions vs Bengals
Or in other words, the battle of the big pussies (cats)!  Sorry, I couldn't resist!  Calvin and Stafford have reduced Calvin from an every week must start, to a matchup play.  I can't for the life of me imagine why the coaching staff didn't insist that these two guys be joined at the hip throughout the entire offseason program, but regardless.  If you have decent alternatives Calvin is bench material.  If you have to ask yourself if you have decent alternatives or not, then you start Calvin.  Kevin Smith is a flex play only, and Pettigrew woulnd't be too terrible if your looking for an emergency TE.  I have officially jumped OFF the Ochocinco bandwagon.  If the guy couldn't produce vs the Browns with Cedric the running back out for the game, why on earth would he perform any better this week?  That beign said Palmer is a decent play vs the week Lions secondary, but look for him to spread the wealth..Caldwell, Coles..none will be worthy of a start, but they might make Palmer worth one.  Begnals D have a starter type matchup, but don't expect much other than a low score, not much int he way of turnovers or sacks.

Titans vs Colts
Manning, Wayne, Clark, and Collie are all must starts.  You'd better have some very strong options if your considering benching Addai as well, and Garcon should be a strong WR3/flex play. Vince Young wouid be a decent enough option vs that depleted INDY secondary, especially if Freeney misses his second consecutive game.  Of course Chris Johnson is a must start, and Kenny Britt should make for the best receiving option on the Titans, call him a strong WR3/flex play.  Id' stay away from both teams D's, and both kickers (Bironas and Stover) are strong plays

Broncos vs Chiefs
No way I'll condone starting Kyle Orton, regardless of the matchup.  this guy didn't eat the forbidden fruit from the tree of QB knowledge to start this season, he simply had a safe gameplan that was well executed by his coaching staff.  Defenses adjusted, and now we see the mediocre at best QB that he really is.  Moreno is a Rb2, I look for both he and hte coaching staff to build on his strong showing last week, and further push Buckhalter out the door.  Marshall is as always a high end WR2, especially in PPR's.  As for Chiefs, I would only recommend J Charles as a RB2 and CHambers as a WR3/Flex play.  niether teams' D is good enough to warrant a start here, and only Prater as a kicking option.

Patriots vs Dolphins
well it should go without saying that Brady, Moss, and Welker are all must starts ach and every week.  Don't let the pathetic showing vs New Orleans sway you here.  The Dolphins aren't the Saints, and the Pat's should be looking for some redemption.  Maroney is a bonafied RB2 or a absolute lock as a flex play this week.  You could do alot worse than using Watson as your TE also.  I would steer clear of the rest of the Pat's RB's though.  Faulk is the only one that is worthy of mentioning, and that only in the most extreme of cases.  Ricky Williams is an obvious must start, but as for the rest of the Dolphins, no thanks.  NE defense is worthy of a start, even though they bit me on the arse last week.  Gostkowski as always worthy of a start as well.

Raiders vs Steelers
Only use RUNDMC or Bush as last resort type options.  Most normal weeks they'll get you enough to justify the start (barely), but this isn't a normal week, the Steelers will shut down every facet of the Oakland offense, starting with the running attack.  No recievers in Oakland are worth a start, including Zach Miller.  i wouldn't even play SeBass this week.  Big Ben will be making his comeback, but I really look for the Steelers to win this game with the run game, Big Ben's numbers will come not form creating offense, but by simply throwing enough to keep that eighth man out of the Raider box.  If you have other decent options at QB, use them.  Mendenhalls is possibly worthy of a RB1 ranking this week.  Ward, Holmes and Walace are WR's 2,3 and flex plays respectively, but keep your expectations low.  Steelers D is a msut start, and Jeff Reed is a strong option at K

Saints vs Redskins
I understand that Washington has the #1 pass defense in the NFL, but I also understand exactly what I saw last Monday night.  And its not as though Brees lit up the 25th ranked Pass defense that night, the Pat's came in ranked #6 vs the pass.  Start any and all Saints this week.  The only possible sit would be Mike Bell.  Do not start Rock Cartwright unless you have NO ONE ELSE.  This guy was third string behind Betts for a reason, he's not worth the play.  Campbell is never worth the play, in fact the only Redskin even worthy of consideration is Santana Moss, and I'd only consider him a flex play at best.  The Saint's DEF is a plus play this week, as well as Carney.


Buccaneers vs Panthers
DWILL and JStew are Rb's 1 and 2 respectively in my book this week.  Steve Smith may even be a WR3 flex play this week.  Hopefully for their sakes, Delhomme misses the game.  Antonio Bryant is a strong WR3/flex play, and Winslow is a strong TE play as well.  Overall this game should be the stinker of the week, there's just nothing exciting about either of these teams unless Wiliams bust a long run.
neither teams defense is a strong play, although Carolina will probably have a decent points allowed number.

Texans vs Jaguars
Andre Johnson as always a WR1, jsut don't expect too much and then IF you get that huge week we know he's capable of you'll be pleasently surprised. Schuab is still always worthy of a start, but he has lost his every week starter status.  He doens't start over the top tiered guys and is a matchup play vs the middle tiers.   I wouldn't start Slaton as anything other than a flex option, he just doens't have Kubiaks trust.  No one else including Walter is worth a start from the Texans squad.  Of course MJD is a must start, after that you've got MSW as a low end WR2, high end WR3/flex play, and that's it.  DO NOT start Scobee, if he doesn't kick his first FG or PAT much better than he has been, its quite possible Del Rio will start going for it on fourth down inside FG range for the rest fo the game..this guy has had issues.  same goes for Kris Brown.  Avoid both team's D's as well

Chargers vs Browns
This one should be quick..no Browns are wrothy of starting. Period.  And now that Jamal Lewis has officially been put out to pasture, that just might change to No Browns player is worthy of starting for the rest of the year.  Rivers, VJAX, Gates and LT are all near must starts this week.  only sit LT if you have very strong alternatives.  Kaeding may just be the week's best kicker to have.  SD D/ST is a primo start.

Cowboys vs Gaints
In Romo I trust!  This may be the words of a fool, but I believe!  Romo will have a good day and Austin right along with him, both are strong starts this week.  Barber/Felix Jones..sad to say but both are only flex options at this point and I wouldn't bother with Choice.  Witten is a strong play at TE as well.  I wouldn't touch Eli if you paid me to, and that goes for his entire receiving corp as well.  Sit Smith, Nicks, hixon, Manningham and Boss.  In fact, jsut go ahead and sit every Gaint.  Bradshaw is bunged up, and Jacobs isn't even recognizable as the guy he used to be.  Don't even bother with Tynes unless you have to.  DO NOT start the Gaints D, even though it may seem tempting to do, even on Romo's bad days this year, he hasn't been too turnover prone, and won't be this week either.  DO start the Cowboys DEF though, they're looking stronger and Eli is looing weaker, what more could you ask for?  I wouldn't start Folk though, he has been inconsistant all year and may lose his job before this game is over.

49er's vs Seahawks
In my humble opinion, only one offensive player in this game is truly worthy of a must start, that being Vernon Davis.  Crabtree is a desperate flex play, Alex Smith is an equally desperate QB play and no one else on the Niners is worthy of a mention.  Hasselblah holds down the entire Seattle team, TJH and Burleson are low end WR2's and the runnig game is in doubt with Julius reportedly getting his starting gig back, this makes both he and Forsett worthless.  Hopefully he re-injures himself so that we fantasy owners can have another alternative in the never-ending search for RB's.  Niner's D is a good start in my opinion.

Vikings vs Cardinals
So the question becomes, which Cardinal team will show up?  the one that has a near bottom of the league ranking in Defense, or the one that occasionally shows up to wreck the hopes and dreams of fantasy owners everywhere?  My guess is the first one.  Favre=must start at QB.  Peterson..do I really have to say it?, Rice..see Peterson.  Harvin, I'd call him a strong WR2 the way Favre has hooked up with him the last few weeks.  Shaincoe is also a plus TE this week.  Berrian is the only "starting" Viking that I wouldn't recomend this week.  So long as Warner plays, Fitz is still a WR1, Boldin a WR2, Hightower a weak RB2/decent flex, Wells a weak flex.  Breaston is a last resort flex type option.  Should Warner miss another game, I would seriously consider benching the entire ARZ team, inlcuding Fitz.  And no I don't smoke crack.  Longwell is a very strong Kicker play, and the Vikes D should score nicely if Warner plays, exceptionally if he doesn't.

And Finally...

Packers vs Ravens
Rodgers is a msut start, Ray Lewis or not.  Driver and Jennings are both strong WR2's, pick a GB TE, and take your chances, there are worse options out there, but then agian there are much better ones also.  Grant is a low end RB2/decent flex option.  It'd be real nice if the GB coaching staff would remember that they actually have a decent RB once they get inside the five yard line.  there's no reason that Rodgers should have to throw 20 5 yard TD's this year and run for another five.  Ray Rice is also a very strong RB2, if not a RB1 this week, Mason a solid WR3/flex play.  I wouldn't touch Flacco, Clayton or Heap in this one.  Both teams D's are decent plays, but I'd rather have the Pack than the Ravens here.