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Joseph Hutchins | Archive | Email |
Staff Writer


The Shot Caller's Report - Quarterbacks
Your Weekly Guide To Fantasy Lineups: Week 2
9/12/13
Positions: QBs | RBs | WRs

Nobody needs to be told starting Aaron Rodgers, Adrian Peterson, or Calvin Johnson is a good idea. Duh, right? You can’t have studs at every position, though, unless you’re in the shallowest of leagues. This is where the Shot Caller comes in. Need help deciding which bargain basement QB to use and which to ignore on Rodgers’ bye week? Let’s talk. Looking for solutions at running back because Peterson is a game-time decision? Look no further. Need to know which of your unproven targets to start and which to sit since you ignored Megatron and went RB-QB-Jimmy Graham in your first three rounds? I’m your huckleberry. Past results may not guarantee future success, but I believe ignoring them entirely can ruin your Sundays in a hurry. Read on for a little history and, hopefully, a little sage advice..

Note: Fantasy points based on FF Today’s default scoring system.

Bye Weeks: N/A

Grab a Helmet

Michael Vick

Vick: Ride'em while he's healhty.

Michael Vick v. SD: The revolution is here and it will absolutely be televised. Philadelphia eased off the gas (or ran out of gas) in the second half Monday night, but we got to see what it will be like defending them in that frenzied first 30 minutes: absolutely exhausting. Can you imagine what Chipper’s offense would be capable of over a full 60 minutes? We may get the chance to find out soon if that leaky Eagles-D has anything to say about it. Vick’s ADP was just 9.03 heading into the season, making him the 13th most valuable quarterback according to drafters. So long as he’s healthy and orchestrating this unconventionally lethal attack, though, you should consider him no worse than the 5th most valuable. I sure hope for their sake the Bolts spend this shortened week getting in shape rather than lamenting a heart-breaking loss to Houston.

Terrelle Pryor v. JAX: The Raiders’ new QB used one word to describe his second career start against the Colts last Sunday: “awful.” I’m guessing most of you would choose a different one. It wasn’t a quarterbacking masterpiece by any stretch, but I think we now know why Dennis Allen cast his lot with Pryor instead of Matt Flynn to start this season. You simply can’t teach that kind of athleticism/improvisational ability and it’s exceedingly difficult to prepare for and defend against. Put another way, Pryor gives Oakland something it would otherwise lack in almost every game this season: a chance. I doubt it’ll affect his team’s bottom line (they’re still going to lose way more than they win), but it might affect yours. After all, only one active quarterback has more career 100-yard rushing games to his credit. You just read about him.

Carson Palmer v. DET: Chip Kelly and Terrelle Pryor are helping bring schematic diversity and creativity to a league which sorely lacked it, but that’s not to say the old way of doing things (pocket passing and lots of it) has gone by the wayside. To the contrary, passing still thrives as a primary mode of pigskin transportation in the NFL, probably even more so than it used to. Since 2010, seven QBs (three this year) have topped the 400-yard mark on opening weekend. Here’s how many accomplished that feat in the entire decade prior: one. Palmer wasn’t part of that 400-yard club last Sunday but he did drop a tidy 327 yards and two scoring strikes on the Rams. So long as your league doesn’t penalize too heavily for soul-crushingly poor decisions (he’s good for at least one per game), don’t hesitate to start him when the matchup looks good.

Grab a Clipboard

Robert Griffin III @ GB: The Pack’s shot callers picked the brains of Kevin Sumlin’s Texas A&M staff this past summer hoping to learn more about thwarting the read-option scheme. The powwow seems to have paid off through one week as they held Colin Kaepernick to just 22 rushing yards on seven carries. Unfortunately, Kaep set fire to Green Bay’s secondary as an alternative, tallying 412 yards and three scores in the Niners’ victory. RGIII must be hoping Clay Matthews and Co. grant him the same comfy pocket this weekend, but I doubt they will. Even casual observers could tell he was reluctant to leg anything out on Monday night. Accordingly, “casino”-type pressure won’t carry the same risk it did in San Francisco. Unless Griffin’s more willing to test that surgically repaired knee, he’d better hope his live right arm is considerably less rusty than it was on Monday night.

Jake Locker @ HOU: I didn’t draft Locker in my two-QB league so he could rot on my bench all season, but I’m thankful Terrelle Pryor is proving to be a worthwhile substitute while I wait for more favorable matchups. Tennessee’s triggerman was purely a game manager in Week 1, throwing for just 125 yards and running for 3 more against Pittsburgh’s unyielding defense. He did tally the most important statistic of the day, however (a W), and did so by not turning it over. The next step is to ratchet up those passing yards, throw a couple TDs, and play similarly turnover-free ball against the class of the AFC South, Houston. The Texans’ secondary was partially abused by Philip Rivers on Monday night, but Locker has far less seasoning and was an erratic turnover machine in the teams’ final meeting last season (sub-50% completion rate and three picks). Wait until Week 3.

Brandon Weeden @ BAL: If you own Weeden and watched Peyton Manning’s vivisection of the defending Super Bowl champs last Thursday night, I’m guessing some variation of the following occurred to you: “Even if Weeden’s only half as talented as Peyton, he should be able to throw for three bills and two or three scores against these clowns.” There are two things you should know if that thought crossed your mind: 1) The next TD pass he throws against the Ravens/Clowns will be his first; and 2) He’s about 5% as talented as Peyton Manning, not 50%. Yes, the defending Super Bowl champs looked the part of a self-satisfied bunch on opening night, but you can expect that John Harbaugh challenged each and every one of them to own it and make amends. Weeden and his Browns pay the price on Sunday in your survivor pool lock o’ the week.

Running Backs