Fantasy Rewind: Week 2
A crazy Week 2 is in the books. The Pack finishes with a comeback win, and so does my fantasy team! (Thanks, Andrew Luck!) But before we dive into the studs and duds from this past week, let's see how my predictions fared. Gulp...
HITS: I predicted Aaron Rodgers to score in the mid-20s on Sunday. He finished with 28.6 in ESPN standard leagues. I also said that Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson would have huge games as well. They scored 18.5 and 26.9 respectively. The passing game hit their stride in the second half on Sunday. Looking forward to more explosive weeks out of this combo.
MISSES: I recommended starting Eddie Lacy if he cleared the NFL's concussion protocol. He had a rough day against the Jets front four, and finished with only 6 fantasy points. I saw Steelers RB Le'Veon Bell repeating his Week 1 25.7 point performance on Thursday night against Baltimore - he only came out with 10.7 points. The Dallas defense surprisingly held Jake Locker (10.1) and Kendall Wright (3.1) in check, thwarting my big prediction for them this week. I recommended benching Zac Stacy with his decreased workload, but the unpredictable running back found the endzone against Tampa Bay, finishing with 11.1 points despite a fumble.
Who would have thought that the NFL was unpredictable? Hopefully I'll do better with my predictions on Thursday! Make sure to check back then to see who I'd start or sit for Week 3.
Stud of the Week: Aaron Rodgers was the highest-scoring offensive player in Week 2. Despite losing a fumble on the first snap of the game, Rodgers bounced back nicely for fantasy owners to throw for 346 yards and three touchdowns.
Duds of the Week: The injury bug struck many fantasy teams hard this week. Players like Robert Griffin III (dislocated ankle), Jamaal Charles (ankle), DeSean Jackson (shoulder), Knowshon Moreno (dislocated elbow) and A.J. Green (toe) all left their games early with various injuries, leaving only minimal points behind. If you own any of these players, make sure to monitor their activity during the week.
Surprise of the Week: After getting trounced by the Dolphins in Week 1, many people had written off the Patriots defense for Week 2 against a potentially explosive Vikings team who dropped 34 points on the Rams in Week 1. But without Adrian Peterson, the Vikings looked miserable against a re-energized New England defense. A blocked field goal return of a touchdown along with four interceptions and six sacks translated into 29.9 fantasy points for Bill Belichick's crew in Week 2.
Honorable Mention: Kirk Cousins stepped up in a big way when RG3 went down in their contest against the Jaguars. Cousins threw for 250 yards and two touchdowns in their 41-10 boat racing of Jacksonville, finding new targets Ryan Grant, Andre Roberts and Niles Paul for big yardage. If DeSean Jackson and tight end Jordan Reed are out for an extended period of time, Paul and Roberts may be sneaky sleeper targets in your league if you are lacking in those areas.
I hope your team fared as well as mine this week! I'm currently 2-0 in my league and looking strong! I'll be back on Thursday will a preview of Week 2. In the meantime, best of luck on the waiver wire!