From studs to duds, sleepers and more, Michael Fabiano breaks down the biggest fantasy stories of the week.
1. Chris Johnson makes like Marshall Faulk in Tennessee. Christmas came in September for fantasy owners who were worried about Johnson after his mediocre Week 1 stat line. The versatile back out of East Carolina caught nine passes for 87 yards, rushed for 197 yards on 16 carries (12.3 YPC) and scored three touchdowns in a 34-31 loss to the Texans. Johnson's scores came in explosive fashion, as he found the end zone on a 57-yard run, a 69-yard pass-and-catch from Kerry Collins and a 91-yard run. With numbers like that, it's obvious why Johnson was a first-round pick in most drafts. Of course, you shouldn't expect a similar stat line in Week 3 -- Johnson faces the Jets in New York.
The game also saw a monster performance from Andre Johnson, who seems to own the Titans. The talented wideout posted 10 catches for 149 yards and two touchdowns and now has 21 catches for 356 yards and three scores in his last two games against the AFC South rival. Of course, not everyone was as successful as the Johnsons. Steve Slaton had his second straight bad stat line, and he's losing short-yardage and goal-line work to Chris Brown. If you drafted Slaton, though, it's hard to bench him unless you have some real backfield depth. It was also a bad game for Justin Gage (two catches, 27 yards), who proved that he simply can't be trusted as a weekly fantasy starter in any format.
2. Quarterbacks ruled the fantasy roost in most formats. The Texans-Titans contest also saw the best quarterback performance of the week, as Matt Schaub made up for a bad Week 1 with 357 yards and four touchdowns. If he can avoid injuries, Schaub can be a legitimate No. 1 fantasy option. Overall, seven of the top 10 fantasy points producers on NFL.com were signal-callers. Drew Brees proved yet again that he's the best quarterback in fantasy land with 311 yards and three touchdown passes. After two weeks, he's on pace to shatter Dan Marino's single-season record for passing yards andTom Brady's single-season record for touchdown passes. Brees travels to Buffalo in Week 3 and should produce another huge stat line. Carson Palmer also found success, recording 185 yards with four touchdowns (three passing, one rushing) in a win over Green Bay. Despite its solid performance in a Week 1 win over the Bears, the Packers defense showed that it still can be vulnerable against talented offensive attacks.
It was also a good week for Philip Rivers (436 yards, 2 TDs), Byron Leftwich (296 yards, 3 TDs), Eli Manning (330 yards, 2 TDs) and Matt Ryan (220 yards, 3 TDs). Speaking of Ryan, a preseason breakout candidate on NFL.com, he's now thrown for 449 yards and five touchdowns in his first two starts. Those five scores are almost a third of what he produced in all of his rookie season (16). Ryan certainly has that "it" factor, both for the Falcons and fantasy owners, and he's establishing himself as a quarterback who should be active week in and week out across the board. It will be a lot of fun to watch him against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in Week 3.
3. Kevin Kolb scored more fantasy points than Tom Brady. Speaking of Mr. Bündchen, he scored just six fantasy points on NFL.com against a Jets defense that is the real deal. The Men in Green held Brady to 216 yards with no touchdowns and one interception in a 16-9 win. Brady still doesn't seem to have confidence in his reconstructed knee, as he looked to avoid contact at times against an aggressive Jets defense that also held down Randy Moss (due in large part to the play of CB Darrelle Revis). Believe it or not, but Brady finished with 15 fewer fantasy points than Kevin Kolb. No that's not a misprint. Kolb didn't have a great game in football terms, throwing three interceptions and compiling many of his 391 yards while attempting to overcome a deficit against the Saints. But in fantasy circles, Kolb was a much better start than Brady.
The Eagles are expected to give Donovan McNabb (rib) another week to heal before their bye, so it looks like Kolb will get another start. While the matchup against the Chiefs is attractive, remember that Michael Vick is eligible to return in the contest and will no doubt be involved in 10-15 offensive plays. Unless you're in a larger league, it's hard to trust Kolb as a fantasy starter. Another development to come out of Philadelphia involves Brian Westbrook, who sprained his right ankle against the Saints. The ailment isn't considered serious, but it is the same ankle that was operated on over the summer. That's a red flag for fantasy owners who took Westbrook and didn't land rookie LeSean McCoy as insurance. Based on his age (30) and his recent proneness to injuries, it might be best to put Westbrook on the trade block and field offers now.
4. Matt Forte puts up another stinker for fantasy owners. To say that Forte is off the a bad start this season would be an understatement. After two weeks, he's rushed for a combined 84 yards (2.2 YPC) and is still looking for his first visit to the end zone. But rather than panic, fantasy owners should look on the bright side. The talented runner has some very tasty matchups ahead on the schedule, including games against the Seahawks, Lions, Bengals, Browns, Cardinals and 49ers in six of the next eight weeks. So if you own Forte, keep him. If you don't own him, look to trade for him now. He's a perfect buy-low candidate in fantasy circles. Of course, you might want to deal him once his value rises back to an elite level. Forte faces Baltimore (Week 15) and Minnesota (Week 16) in the final two weeks of the fantasy football postseason.
If we learned anything from the Steelers-Bears contest, it's that the Steel Curtain is like the Bermuda Triangle for running backs. When they go in, they don't come out. Forte experienced that this past weekend, and Chris Johnson was swallowed up by the Black and Yellow in the opener. That doesn't bode well for Cedric Benson, who's coming off a huge game at Lambeau Field but should be benched in Week 3. The Steelers have also proven that their running game can't be trusted. Willie Parker is off to an horrendous start and Rashard Mendenhall is looking like a bust. Parker should now be seen as no more than a matchup-based No. 2 fantasy back or flex starter in larger leagues.
5. Frank Gore abused the Seahawks for 207 rushing yards. Playing the matchups can be a bit difficult in the first few weeks of the regular season, as it's hard to determine how defenses will perform with new coaches and personnel. Case in point, look at the Seahawks. Their defense looked like world beaters against the Rams in Week 1 but was run over by Gore and the Niners in Week 2. The talented running back rushed for 207 yards and two touchdowns, the first on a 79-yard run and the second on an 80-yard dash. Gore did tweak an ankle in the contest, but it's not expected to keep him out of action in Week 3. Of course, fantasy leaguers can't expect him to duplicate this spectacular stat line -- Gore travels to Minnesota to face the Vikings and their Williams Wall. On a negative note for the Niners, Josh Morgan was held without a catch in the 23-10 win. He's had a very slow start to the season, due in large part to the team's lack of a vertical pass attack. If you're in a smaller league, Morgan can be released.
The Seahawks took a major blow in the game as Matt Hasselbeck left after taking a hard shot to his ribs. His status for Week 3 is very much up in the air, so it could be Seneca Wallace under center when Seattle hosts the Bears at Qwest Field. Hasselbeck's ailment is a reminder that the 33-year-old quarterback has become brittle and can't be relied on as a regular fantasy starter. That might also be the case with T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who's done next to nothing in his first two games. Could he join Deion Branch and Nate Burleson as big-name wideouts to join the Seahawks and flounder? Whatever the case, it's hard to trust him as more than a No. 3 wideout in most standard formats.
Notes:Giants QB Eli Manning is coming off a monster performance against the Cowboys, and now he'll face a Buccaneers defense that's allowed 564 yards and five touchdown passes in the first two weeks. ... Bills RB Fred Jackson has been the steal of fantasy drafts after two weeks. He's compiled 11 receptions, 328 scrimmage yards and one touchdown in the absence of Marshawn Lynch, who isn't eligible to return until Week 4. If you own Jackson and have backfield depth, you might want to deal him now. Lynch should re-assume his starting role sooner rather than later and could create a committee situation that limits Jackson's value the rest of the season. ... Chargers RB Darren Sproles didn't do much on the ground against the Chargers (10 carries, 26 yards), but he was exceptional in the passing game with seven catches, 124 yards and one touchdown. Even if LaDainian Tomlinson returns in Week 3, there's no way he'll be a featured back with Sproles in the mix. ... Browns RB Jamal Lewis had a good matchup against the Broncos in Week 2 -- he finished with 38 yards on 14 carries. The 30-year-old runner is past his prime and shows little of the explosiveness that made him a fantasy star while in Baltimore. I'd look for James Davis to overtake Lewis on the depth chart once he's back to 100 percent. ... If you own Broncos WR Eddie Royal, you have to wonder if Jay Cutler made him better than he really was last season. After two weeks, Royal has just five catches for 38 yards with no touchdowns. It might be time to bench him in smaller formats. ... Saints RB Pierre Thomas was active against the Eagles, but he saw little work in the contest. Mike Bell has another nice stat line, but he suffered a knee injury late and could be limited in practice this week. With Thomas, Bell and Reggie Bush all in the mix, the Saints could incorporate a backfield committee that will drive fantasy owners mad. As it stands, Thomas hasn't been worth his average draft position (34.94). ... Despite a great matchup against the Rams, none of the Redskins' top fantasy players (outside of Chris Cooley) had a big game. Clinton Portis rushed for just 79 yards, while Santana Moss posted just three catches for 35 yards with a lost fumble. Portis and Moss will be active in most leagues based on a Week 3 contest against the Lions, but both have become hard for owners to trust. Maybe Portis' heavy career workload is finally catching up with him.
Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on NFL.com. Have a burning question for Michael on anything fantasy football related? Leave it in our comments section or send it to **AskFabiano@nfl.com**, and the best questions will be answered throughout the season!
