Week 2
9/14/07
Steppin' Up
Matt Schaub,
HOU: The Matt Schaub era officially began in Houston last Sunday
for the Texans. While his performance wasn't the kind that draws
the immediate attention of fantasy owners, it was a strong debut
for the 4th-year vet out of Virginia. In completing better than
70% of his passes, Schaub connected with star wide receiver Andre
Johnson 7 times for 142 yards. He also found him in the end zone,
finishing the game with 225 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception
while completing 16 of his 22 attempts.
Its doubtful Schaub will crack the starting line-up in fantasy
leagues based on one outing alone, but it’s enough for him
to warrant a roster spot as a backup at the QB position. An injury
to your starting quarterback can be a surefire way of losing a
few games if you lack a competent replacement. With that in mind,
make sure you have someone that won't dismantle your team by playing
him should an injury occur to your starter. It's early, but Schaub
looks like someone who could fill that need better than most should
it arise.
Steppin' Down
Steve McNair, BAL: From one fantasy back-up to another, or so
we thought. After reaching totals of 3050 yards and 16 touchdown
passes during his first year with the Ravens, it seemed logical
to expect a modest increase in those statistics for the year ahead.
McNair's debut in the season opener however was a disaster. Against
the Bengals on Monday night, McNair completed 20 of 34 passes
(58.8%) for 203 yards--just fewer than 6 yards per attempt. To
make things worse, he scored zero touchdowns, threw 1 interception
and lost 3 fumbles.
All of this may not be reason enough to cut McNair loose just
yet (bad performances happen from time to time), but there's another
issue here as well. Late in the game it was apparent McNair was
dealing with some type of injury as he was seen visibly limping
on the field. Ravens back-up quarterback Kyle Boller came in to
finish the game and it is now known McNair has a strained groin.
His status for week two against the Jets is still uncertain. Given
his injury prone background however, it’s not a good sign to see
McNair nicked up after just one outing. Good advice would be to
look for a more reliable back-up as the season progresses if you
are currently relying on McNair to fill that role.
Steppin' Up
Adrian Peterson,
MIN: It didn't take long for Peterson to showcase his talents
in the NFL. Following his selection with the 7th overall pick
in this April's draft, the questions surrounding Peterson weren't
about his abilities to produce on the field. They were more or
less focused on his return following a broken collarbone suffered
on October 14th against Iowa State that forced the talented back
to miss the rest of Oklahoma's regular season.
Peterson would return in time to play New Years Day in the Fiesta
Bowl, but when it was revealed he re-injured his collarbone during
that game it began to raise concerns about his health. Many thought
that though Peterson was a bona fide top ten pick in the draft,
the injury would require surgery that could keep him from participating
in training camp and limit his availability throughout the preseason.
As it turns out, no surgery was needed and Peterson was cleared
to take part in all offseason activities. He went on to rush for
146 yards on 30 carries (4.9 ypc) during the preseason and built
on that success last week against Atlanta in his NFL debut.
As expected Chester Taylor was the Vikings starting halfback,
but a bruised hip forced him to the sidelines after just 3 carries
and kept him from returning. In his absence Minnesota was forced
to go with Peterson as their primary ball carrier and he didn't
disappoint. The first round pick rushed 19 times for 103 yards
and scored on a 60-yard touchdown reception.
Taylor's injury gave Peterson a heavier workload than expected,
but given his performance the Vikings have good reason to incorporate
the Oklahoma alumnus into their game plan on a weekly basis. If
Taylor is out for week two against the Lions expect to see another
strong outing from Peterson. Upon Taylor's return it's likely
the two backs will split carries, but Peterson may prove the more
valuable of the two by seasons end.
Steppin' Down
Cedric Benson,
CHI: Against the Chargers on Sunday, Benson had a miserable
debut as the Bears starting halfback. He finished the afternoon
with just 42 yards on 19 carries (2.2 ypc) and added 11 more on
1 reception. That type of production isn't going to cut it in
the NFL and it isn't going to help your fantasy team either.
As the fourth overall pick in the 2005 draft it’s been a long
wait for Benson to take over as the Bears starter. He spent his
first two seasons backing up Thomas Jones. As a rookie it was
a 36-day holdout over a contract dispute that kept Benson from
having any chance of taking over the starting position early in
the year. A bad MCL sprain suffered mid-season limited him to
just 9 games and made certain he wouldn't take over the starting
position late in the year either.
Entering his sophomore campaign, Benson was actually named the
starter during the offseason after Jones skipped voluntary workouts
due to a contract dispute of his own with the Bears. A separated
shoulder suffered during training camp however would again push
Benson to second on the depth chart. In his two seasons backing
up Jones, Benson played in 24 games, carrying the ball 224 times
for 919 yards (4.1 ypc) and 6 touchdowns. By comparison Thomas
Jones would finish with 611 carries for 2544 yards (4.16 ypc)
and 15 touchdowns during that same span.
This offseason despite Jones' solid production within the Bears
offense, Chicago traded their lead rusher to the Jets along with
a 2nd round pick in exchange for a higher 2nd round pick from
New York. The move finally cleared the way for Benson to take
over as the starter in the backfield, which brings us to last
Sunday.
On the surface it appears Benson should have a fairly simple
time meeting the standards set by Jones. Chicago's strong defensive
play should keep them in most outings and allow them to rush Benson
nearly 20 times a game. If he simply averages 4.0 yards per carry
that would put Benson on pace for a 1200-yard season with expectations
he could punch it into the end zone nearly 10 times based on the
6 he scored last year with limited opportunities. Trouble is Benson
has never been a featured back in the NFL and many question whether
or not it’s a role that should have been handed to him.
Based on last weeks performance the Bears may regret trading Jones
by seasons end.
Steppin' Up
Chris Chambers, MIA: Chambers enters the new season coming off
the most disappointing year of his career. His 677 receiving yards
in 2006 were an all-time low, as was his average of 11.5 yards
per catch. His 4 touchdown receptions were his fewest since 2002.
With so much going wrong for Chambers last season, new Dolphins
head coach Cam Cameron made immediate plans to turn things around
for Miami's lead receiver. So what was Cameron's plan to take
better advantage of Chambers' skills within the offense? It's
actually a fairly simple change.
In years past Chambers had been lining up as the "Z" receiver
for the Dolphins while Marty Booker lined up as the "X" receiver.
This year, those two will swap positions in attempt to get more
production out of Chambers. As Chambers has noted, the move will
allow him more space to operate while getting open. After one
week, it appears the Dolphins got the results they were looking
for.
Chambers finished last Sunday's game with 6 receptions for 92
yards. Though he didn't reach pay dirt on opening day expect his
touchdown totals to climb well above the 4 he posted last season.
If you own Chambers, it's likely you'd be wise to hold onto him
throughout the season. If you don't own him, he's a good wide
receiver candidate to go after in a trade if you can get him at
a decent price.
Steppin' Down
Laveranues
Coles, NYJ: Despite Coles' productive play for fantasy owners
in week one, there is good reason to keep him on your bench this
Sunday. Our first reason: The Jets face a tough opponent on the
road as they travel to Baltimore to face the Ravens. As if that
weren't reason enough, there is also a strong possibility Chad
Pennington will be sidelined with an ankle injury.
The most recent reports have said sources closest to Pennington
have stated that the veteran quarterback doesn't believe he'll
be able to start due to soreness in his ankle. Should he be unable
to play, second year QB Kellen Clemens will be making his first
start in the NFL. Against the Ravens, that doesn't appear to be
a very promising match-up. A less mobile than usual Pennington
wouldn't make for a favorable situation either. Coles will continue
to hold value throughout the season, but if you have better options
in week two don't hesitate to play them.
Steppin' Up
Eric Johnson,
NO: In case you missed it Saints tight end Eric Johnson hauled
in 8 receptions last week for 57 yards against the Colts in the
NFL opener on Thursday. His output shouldn't come as a complete
shock however as it’s a performance he's proved very capable of
in the past during his time with the 49ers.
The issue with Johnson has always been regarding his health.
Should he play a full 16 games this season there is little doubt
the 7th-year veteran is capable of producing in the neighborhood
of 50 receptions for 500 yards, making him a nice back-up tight
end in fantasy leagues and a borderline starter though he's certain
to have his fair share of sub par outings.
Steppin' Down
Vernon Davis, SF: Two receptions for four yards is far less then
what anyone expected from the 49ers first round pick of a year
ago in their season opener. He has the talent to do much more,
but until he starts producing on Sunday's Davis' value is nothing
more than fantasy hype. He's sure to have some monster outings
at some point this season, but don't be too surprised when he
delivers with the type of outing he had last week. Stick with
him through the start of the season, but be sure to have a second
option should sub par outings like this continue through the first
half of the season.
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