Nobody needs to be told starting Aaron Rodgers, Jamaal Charles,
or Calvin Johnson is a good idea. Duh, right? You can’t
have studs at every position 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 Luck’s bye week? Let’s talk. Looking for solutions
at running back because AD 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 Brown and went RB-QB-Gronk in your first
three rounds? You get the idea. Past results may not guarantee
future success, but ignoring them entirely can ruin your Sundays
in a hurry (maybe even your Mondays and Thursdays). Read on for
a little history and, hopefully, a little sage advice.
Note: Fantasy points
based on FF Today’s standard scoring system.
Bye Weeks: N/A
Kubiak let Peyton Manning operate from
the shotgun midway through Week 2. Success followed.
Grab a Helmet
Eli
Manning v. WAS (Thursday) or Peyton
Manning @ DET: Eli is 0-2 and Peyton is 2-0 but those
records could easily be reversed were it not for a handful of critical
plays late in all four games. Unless you’re a Giants or Broncos
fan, however, what matters most is that the brothers are virtually
indistinguishable from a fantasy perspective, and not in a good
way. They’re ranked a very un-Manning-like 25th and 26th overall
at the position, in reverse birth order, heading into Week 3. Should
we be concerned? This part of we isn’t, knowing the cream tends
to rise to the top as the sample size grows. The brothers were dreadful
in Week 1 (10.5 and 8.7 points, respectively), but rebounded nicely
in Week 2 (24.9 and 24.8) and should benefit from plus matchups
on Thursday and Sunday. Don’t overreact, folks. The Mannings are
still a quality brand.
Blake
Bortles @ NE: Bortles is far from a quality brand at
this point in his career and may never be so long as he continues
to play for the Jaguars, a perennial AFC doormat. He does, however,
have one more victory to his credit this season than Eli Manning,
Russell Wilson, Matthew Stafford, Andrew Luck, Joe Flacco, Sam Bradford,
and Drew Brees. If you didn’t think that possible, you’ve likely
been eliminated from your survivor pool (me too if it makes you
feel any better). Bortles is obviously a spot play at best, but
this Sunday might be precisely the right spot for him. The Pats
have the look of a team on a mission and that mission is quite simple:
score a bazillion points and make opponents play catch-up. Expect
lots of passing attempts, some meaningless TDs, and unexpectedly
snazzy garbage time digits for the young Jacksonville signal-caller.
Carson
Palmer v. SF: Tom Brady is far and away the number one
signal-caller through two weeks of play. That’s not terribly
surprising. The fact Carson Palmer is number two, however, might
be, especially when you consider he’s thrown 35 fewer passes
than the future Hall of Famer. 35? In two weeks? There are two conclusions
we can draw from that fact. First, Brady is on pace to annihilate
the single-season record for passes attempted (727 by Matt Stafford
in 2012). Second, Palmer has been insanely efficient so far. If
you were wondering why the Cardinals nose-dived in 2014 after his
injury, wonder no longer. He completes a large majority of his passes,
hits a lot of home runs (a career-best 8.8 yards/attempt), and has
seemingly stopped making killer mistakes in this, the twilight of
his NFL career. Mistake-free home-run hitter vs. San Francisco secondary
(league-worst 10.2 yards/attempt)? Yes, please.
Grab a Clipboard
Jimmy
Clausen @ SEA: Jay Cutler threw nine passes last weekend
that basically encapsulate his entire NFL career. The first eight
were all completions, amounting to 120 yards and a TD as the Bears
matched Arizona score for score. The ninth was a poorly thrown
pick-six that left the Cardinals in command and Cutler lying wounded
on the Soldier Field turf, victim of a strained hammy as he attempted
to nab the pilferer. Faster than you can say “Smokin’ Jay,” Chicago’s
franchise guy went from hero to zero to out of commission. Typical.
John Fox is being coy, but all signs point to Clausen taking the
helm this coming Sunday while Cutler convalesces. I can’t think
of a worse setup for a marginally talented, sparsely used backup
than heading to Seattle to face a really angry, really winless
Seahawks squad. There are 31 better options in Week 3. Pick one.
Andy
Dalton @ BAL: Dalton’s a much better option if we can
trust the early returns. He’s averaging over 240 yards per contest,
has already tallied five TD strikes, and hasn’t turned the ball
over once, something he specialized in last year. So, he’s back
to being the fantasy darling he was in 2013, right? (Awkward silence.)
I’ll be pumping the brakes until I see the Red Rifle perform well
against the Ravens, a desperate divisional foe he’s historically
struggled against and especially when playing in the Charm City.
Dalton’s involving more targets than in years past and that’s
a good thing. He’s benefitting from a strong rushing attack and
that’s also a good thing. He isn’t throwing a ton of passes, however,
and hasn’t done a thing with his legs. Those might be bad things
if the multi-TD games dry up, as history suggests they might.
Be very careful.
Sam
Bradford @ NYJ: It’s time to address the 800-pound
gorilla in the room, right? Here goes: I have no earthly idea
what’s plaguing Chip Kelly’s Eagles through two weeks,
though I suspect it has plenty to do with a rebuilt offensive
line that hasn’t performed to expectations. You can’t
run the ball if your backs are being gang-tackled in the backfield.
You can’t throw the ball if you’re not a threat to
run the ball. It all adds up to a mess in Philly and Chipper better
get things figured out quick or he’s gonna get run out of
town on a rail. I hope I’m wrong about Bradford and I WILL
be ignoring my own advice this week because I basically have to.
You maybe don’t, so find another option for now and be ready
to jump on the Birds’ bandwagon when things get sorted out.
They will.
