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Bye Weeks: N/A
Grab a Helmet
Reggie
Bush v. MIN: Is it possible for a player to be overly hyped
and yet drastically underrated at the same time? Few failed to recognize
the perfect marriage of player and system when Bush signed with
Detroit, but you wouldn’t know it by taking a gander at his ADP.
It’s a modest 2.08 in 12-team PPR leagues, meaning the drafting
public pegs him as only the 14th most valuable running back. No
offense, people, but…baloney. Bush averaged about 1,000 rushing
yards a season for the Dolphins and will now get to do something
he didn’t do often enough in South Florida: catch lots of passes.
If you could combine Bush’s rushing totals from 2012 with, say,
the receiving digits of Randall Cobb (80 receptions, 954 yards)
– especially in a PPR league – wouldn’t you have a pretty special
player at your disposal? Bush is capable of just such a mash-up
and anything even close makes him way more valuable than 14th overall.
David Wilson: Homerun hitter.
David
Wilson @ DAL: Wilson has now spent two consecutive Augusts in
the role of buzz-worthy back, a role Mr. Bush would be plenty familiar
with. The former Hokie famously fumbled away that first shot at
fantasy relevance (quite literally) in last year’s season opener
and then spent the majority of 2012 looking for an exit to Tom Coughlin’s
doghouse. His path to redemption this year starts against the very
same opponent, Dallas, and is suddenly much clearer now that his
touchdown-poaching backfield mate, Andre
Brown, has recently suffered a broken leg. Wilson may not be
built for 25 carries a game, but he’s probably looking at 15-20
in the short-term, more than he required to notch meaningful stats
late last season. He’s one of the precious few backs in the league
who can score on any play so plug him in and hope for a more auspicious
beginning to 2013.
Giovani
Bernard @ CHI: Cincinnati’s new rock toter finds himself in
much the same position Wilson did coming out of camp last season,
a promising rook looking at part-time work in the early going and,
if all goes well, more meaningful labor as the season wears on.
I suspect it will go very well, actually, and think it’s unlikely
Bernard will get similarly sidetracked because a) his coach isn’t
the draconian Tom Coughlin, and b) the guy in front of him, BenJarvus
Green-Ellis, isn’t nearly as talented as he is. Bernard brings
Wilson-esque explosiveness to the position and should contribute
from the get-go as a check-down option in the passing game. This
versatility, in fact, makes the former Tarheel a more reliable option
in Week 1 against a Bears D that historically excels against plodding
runners.
Grab a Gatorade
Montee
Ball v. BAL: Ball is considered by almost everyone who matters
to be a more valuable prospect than the aforementioned Bernard,
but I’m not sure I completely buy it. Yes, he’s built to withstand
a heavier load (which he proved at Wisconsin). Yes, he plays in
a more explosive offense. Yes, John Fox-coached clubs have historically
featured strong running attacks. Let’s be serious, though: Fox
is all about winning (aren’t all coaches?) and the Broncos are
going only so far as Peyton Manning takes them. Moreover, Fox
has always been loath to lean on a single ball-carrier. Even if
Ball ends up the primary option, is he really looking at a whole
bunch more carries than Bernard, who could usurp BJGE’s title
as Cincy’s lead back early in the season (read: by the end of
this weekend)? I need to see how the carries for Denver’s RBBC
will be allotted before I get really excited about the former
Badger.
Eddie
Lacy @ SF: It shouldn’t be too hard for me to get excited
about Eddie Lacy, the Pack’s shiny new meal ticket, especially
now that the guy I thought would poach plenty of his carries and
most of his targets, DuJuan
Harris, is out for the year. Serves me right for trumpeting
the latter at the expense of the former, right? It sure ain’t
easy trying to be objective about one’s favorite squad, I tell
you. Those who forecast Lacy as the most valuable rookie RB won’t
be wrong when the smoke clears in early January, I suspect, but
I’m going to tempt fate again and preach caution in Week 1. The
Niners have had the Pack for lunch the last two outings and when
Green Bay gets behind, they don’t run the football much. Make
that “at all.” It’s hard to blame them when the best QB on the
planet is lining up under center.
Bilal
Powell or Chris
Ivory v. TB: “Saddest handcuff ever” is what a league
mate of mine called Bilal Powell after successfully bidding for
his services in our recent auction draft. I’m still not sure if
he meant sad as in “Bilal Powell might be the worst handcuff in
fantasy draft history” or sad as in “I can’t believe I kept Chris
Ivory and now I have to compound that mistake by handcuffing him.”
Regardless, it turned out to be the proper move because Ivory
– who spent an off-season nanosecond as a sleeper candidate –
has now been fully relegated to backup duty heading into Week
1. Here’s hoping you’re not in a similar position and are forced
to employ either player on Sunday. The Jets will almost certainly
be sporting the most inept offense in the NFL and will be squaring
off against a Tampa D that possessed the league’s stingiest defense
against the run last season. Yikes!
Wide Receivers 
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