Fantasy Outlook -- Week 2 Likes & Dislikes

If Vick starts on Sunday, he just
might be worth the fantasy start.

Week 1 has come and gone and Week 2 is around the corner. I decided that ranking the top 10 at each position is rather pointless, since you'll basically already know who to start out of the top 10. So I'm switching it up. I'll just give my random thoughts. 5 players I like, 5 players I dislike at each position -- no particular order. Just relative to what you would expect from them, I'll give my thoughts. I'll make my game predictions later in the week. But for you fantasy gurus, here goes nothing.

5 Quarterbacks I like in Week 2:


Donovan McNabb vs HOU -- McNabb is a dual threat QB with a big arm. His team pulled off an upset against Dallas in the opener and they look to continue on that path. Oh, did I mention this Houston defense allowed Peyton to fire 433 yards and 3 touchdowns through the air? Look for McNabb to get his first real solid fantasy performance of the season on Sunday.

Drew Brees vs SF -- Brees wasn't stellar from a fantasy standpoint in Week 1. You can look for him to get back to what he's used to this week against San Francisco. The Seahawks lit up that defense, and they need a confidence boost pretty badly. Do you really think they'll get it against the Saints?

Michael Vick vs DET -- What? I like Michael Vick this week? Disclaimer: this only applies if he starts. That goes without saying. But Kevin Kolb failed concussion tests today and Vick is taking first-team snaps in practice. He lit it up when he was in the game this week. I'm starting to get the feeling that the old Vick is slowly coming back. He just might take over as QB with a few more good performances. And he's facing the Detroit Lions, who even Jay Cutler succeeded against with 22 points. Vick might seriously be worth the start if Kolb is out.

Joe Flacco vs CIN -- Flacco wasn't so hot against the Jets, but I'm looking for him to turn it around against a Cincinnati defense that Brady picked apart last week. Baltimore proved to have solid options at wide receiver, and Boldin had a great game. Flacco will get things back on track, even if ESPN doesn't think so, this week against the Bengals.

Matt Schaub vs WAS -- See Flacco description. Schaub had a tough first week from a fantasy standpoint as well. Arian Foster went wild and took away all the points. Not happening again. Foster won't repeat that performance and, by default, Schaub will have a better one. Andre Johnson is still a freak and the Texans are a team to watch out for. Schaub will air it out nicely.

Watch out -- Palmer's 20-point first week
might be an aberration to throw out.

5 Quarterbacks I dislike in Week 2:


Eli Manning vs IND -- The Colts are 0-1 and will almost assuredly get to .500 this week. Eli won't beat out his brother on Sunday night. The Colts pass defense held Matt Schaub in check, even if that evened off with the running game. Still, Eli won't be able to do what Schaub couldn't do. Stay away.

Jay Cutler vs DAL -- 22 points will most likely be Cutler's best outing of the season. I'd almost put money on it right now. No one likes Jay Cutler and he will have his hands full with a Dallas defense that didn't allow a passing score last week. Don't expect a repeat performance, folks.

Brett Favre vs MIA -- I know, I know, the Dolphins faced the Bills last week. Nothing to write home about. But besides one big play, they completely shut down every phase of Buffalo's offense. And I hate Brett Favre. And the Vikings.

Tom Brady vs NYJ -- I hate saying anything bad about Patriots players or predicting them for anything less than record-breaking numbers. We're still going to beat the Jets, but don't treat Tom Brady like the 2007 Brady. The fact is that the Jets defense is very solid. Brady probably won't pass for more than 2 scores and will likely stay under 300 yards.

Carson Palmer vs BAL -- I have to admit it. Monday night's comedy was not solely due to the pathetic ineptitude of the New York Jets. The Ravens defense is pretty damn good. Like sort of almost the best in the NFL type of good. And Palmer will struggle against them. 20 points against New England, mostly due to a blowout in the second half without any intensity. Not the same type of success this week.

Steven Jackson once again came up short of the
end zone in Week 1. Will that be the case again?

5 Running Backs I like in Week 2:


Steven Jackson vs OAK -- Jackson was real high on my charts entering the season. He was a relative disappointment in Week 1, but I don't see it happening again against an Oakland defense that Chris Johnson destroyed last week. Jackson's one of the best pure runners in the game, and it will be on display this weekend.

Rashard Mendenhall vs TEN -- The Titans allowed Darren McFadden to reel in 21 points on the fantasy scoreboard last weekend. Mendenhall ran like a monster against the Falcons. The steel curtain doesn't have a ton of firepower through the air, so how to you think they're going to attack the Titans?

Brandon Jackson vs BUF -- It's the cliche selection to take Jackson after Ryan Grant goes down for the season. Newsflash: Buffalo sucks. The Packers should be way ahead in this game, and since Brandon Jackson is basically the only back in their depth chart worthy of NFL regular season snaps, his work load should be decent. It will translate into a pretty solid fantasy week -- and maybe even a solid fantasy season.

Darren McFadden vs STL -- Tim Hightower had decent success against this Rams defense, and McFadden had great fantasy success last weekend. He comes in as the 4th highest scoring running back from Week 1. While I don't expect he duplicates his 21-point performance, I expect he notches double digits and continues to reward those who have held out hope with him.

LeSean McCoy vs DET -- McCoy may take a hit if Michael Vick does indeed start at QB, because Vick will be scrambling and taking yards from him. Still, McCoy had a solid fantasy day and he is the number one back on an offense that utilizes its backfield pretty effectively. And did I mention he's facing the Lions? I think I did mention that before actually.

Michael Turner and the Falcons offense
were pretty sluggish in Week 1.

5 Running Backs I dislike for Week 2:


Pierre Thomas vs SF -- San Francisco did get destroyed in Week 1, and I picked the Saints to toy with them in the passing game this week. But I don't think it will happen in the running game. The run defense may have been the only bright spot last week for the Niners, and Patrick Willis is still a monster. Thomas vultured a touchdown last week, but his fortunes may not be so good this time around. ESPN projects him highly, I don't.

Shonn Greene vs NE -- We have a very underestimated run defense. We stifled Cedric Benson and forced a fumble this week. Shonn Greene coughed it up himself once on Monday night. And basically my bashing of Greene just needs to continue, because I still fervently believe he was the most overhyped player this year. Period.

Arian Foster vs WAS -- DO NOT play Foster expecting a repeat performance. I just wanted to warn you of that. Foster had a fantastic first week. You can't count on that continuing on Sunday. The 'Skins shut down the Dallas running game, and I already explained that the Texans aerial attack will get on track this week. Foster isn't posed for another enormous showing. Plain and simple.

Michael Turner vs ARI -- It's tough to dislike Turner because he's such a strong runner. But I have serious questions about this Falcons offense right now. And the Arizona defense did their job shutting down Steven Jackson -- a better runner than Turner, in my opinion -- last week. I'm not looking for big things out of #33. You may not have the depth to bench him, but I'm just telling you I'm not a fan this week.

Adrian Peterson vs MIA -- This is when you all start laughing at me. I've been adamant about my opinion that Peterson is the most overrated back in the league. And I also like this Miami team quite a bit. I also previously said that the Dolphins will beat out the Jets for 2nd place in the East. Plus, I hate Brett Favre. And I hate the Vikings.

Moss was one of McNabb's favorite
targets last week. Will that continue?

5 Wide Receivers I like in Week 2:


Santana Moss vs HOU -- Like I said, McNabb should bounce back strong this week. And Moss is his favorite target. I'm giving him the start if you're up in the air about him.

Brandon Marshall vs MIN -- Swiss Cheese... I mean, the Vikings secondary... shouldn't pose too much of a problem for Marshall in Week 2. He'll get into the end zone for the first time and gratify the owners who took a chance on him.

Calvin Johnson vs PHI -- This is a game that I expect the Lions will be trailing. So they'll be airing it out. Even if its Hill and not Stafford, Calvin Johnson will get numbers. He should have had a big touchdown last week. He'll get that back this week.

Anquan Boldin vs CIN -- I expressed my interest in Joe Flacco this week coming off a subpar quarterback (fantasy) performance over the New York Jets. Boldin's his top target, and he played like it last week -- even against a strong secondary like they have over there in the Meadowlands. Boldin is definitely worth the play this week, and I think he'll reward you for making that decision.

Mike Williams vs CAR -- Surprise pick here out of the Bucs wideout group. Josh Freeman is no passer to celebrate over, but he connected with Williams for an acrobatic catch in Week 1. Williams has a lot of upside and, against a Panthers defense that allowed 203 yards and 3 touchdowns to receivers last week, he just might be worth a flex play. I dig it.

Will Ward be missing Big Ben when
they take the field on Sunday?

5 Receivers I dislike in Week 2:


Hines Ward vs TEN -- Ward is still without Ben Roethlisberger, which might show up more significantly this week against the Titans. Dennis Dixon is a scrambler, Ward might not see the targets he needs to in order to be a top caliber fantasy player this week. Just beware.

Hakeem Nicks vs IND -- Same argument as I made for Eli. The Colts defense held Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson in check last week. Add in the fact that I'm not entirely sold on Nicks, and I'm plain and simply staying away from him if I have other options this week.

Chad Ochocinco vs BAL -- Ocho might be a player you can't afford to sit. Still, if you have another player on your bench that is a formidable option, go with him. Baltimore's got a hell of a defense, and that might be enough to slow down Ocho. The Patriots defense lacked intensity in the second half, and that's where Ochocinco did most of his work fantasy wise. I'm not expecting another big performance.

Randy Moss vs NYJ -- Again, I hate picking against the success of Pats players. But Revis is phenomenal. Nobody can even argue that, whether or not you hate the Jets. He's fully capable of shutting down Moss, and the Pats have other options. If Revis switches over to Welker, then I expect Moss will burn Cromartie for a deep touchdown. But for precisely that reason, I don't see Revis switching off of Moss at any point.

Larry Fitzgerald vs ATL -- Truth be told, I'm not entirely sure why I'm against Fitzgerald this week. I have one of those feelings. Derek Anderson isn't exactly stellar, and the Atlanta defense was actually pretty solid against Pittsburgh last week in the passing game. He might get decent numbers, but don't start him with the expectation that he wins your matchup for you this week.


Have more fantasy questions? Send us an email or leave us a comment. We'll be happy to answer them, or even just to get your thoughts about the breakdown. I'll be picking my NCAA and NFL winners later in the week. I'm 16-14 in NCAA and 11-5 in NFL. Hopefully the winning trends will move forward.