Before we dive head-first into Week 3, I must sadly report that I've been asked to deliver the following eulogy to every reader of this site:
*The fantasy value of every player on the Browns offense died from the shock of a sudden and unexpected trade of Trent Richardson on September 17, 2013, at roughly 7:30 p.m. ET. Cleveland's offense, surrounded by an angry fan base, is survived by a rebuilding front office and hamstrung coaching staff. *
*In lieu of flowers, the organization is asking their fan base to send a franchise quarterback, a WR to replace Greg Little, another cover corner to play opposite Joe Haden, a pair of offensive guards, a three-down linebacker and a quality FS/SS. *
Now that you've taken your own moment of silence, I think I need to remind some of you about the purpose of this column. It isn't necessarily a prediction of which player will top their respective position in production for a given week -- it's trying to find the players who should have the most motivation out of anyone to perform. Yes, all NFL players have their own ways of motivating themselves to play. But every now and then, you'll see guys give 110 percent in a game. If you've watched football for long enough, you can't really define it, but you just know it when you see it. And that's what I'm trying to do here -- predict who will come out and give their all, and analyze why. If I say I think someone will top their stats category, then you can feel free to rail on me if he falls flat on his face. It won't be the first or last time my fantasy radar was off.
One other thing -- Congratulations, America! We absolutely hammered Jason Smith's team last week to level our record at 1-1, so badly that we're now the highest scoring team in the league. I'm feeling extremely patriotic! Now, I need your help again. Which RB2 should we go with from our stable? Our next opponent is Dave Dameshek. Remember this classic scene from Bloodsport? That's right, Dameshek -- America says "You are next!"
