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
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 
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