WEEK 2 PREVIEW

ARIZONA CARDINALS at ATLANTA FALCONS: Neither team looked exceptionally good in their first outings. The first games are usually no big deal in terms of evaluation if a team does poorly, so both teams should look better. Atlanta should step up in their home opener on Defense, and with Jenkins not practicing yet it looks like stopping the run will be priority one. Atlanta is going to need Harry Douglas to step it up and force Arizona to respect the pass if Turner is going to break the century mark. For Arizona, things aren't much better. Fitz has a sprained knee, was still wearing a brace this week, and still needs time to build timing with Anderson. Breaston seems to be the go to guy until this happens. Wells may be back this week, but the rust will take some time before he gets comfortable. Hightower wasn't really spectacular, and will face a much tougher Defense here. Atlanta should win this one by shutting down the run without bringing an extra man up, allowing the Defensive Backs to kick pack and focus on the only two options Anderson has.



FANTASY STARTS: ATLANTA: Roddy White ( 7 for 80 1 TD) Turner ( 15 for 70 2 catch for 15 1 TD) ARIZONA: Steve Breaston ( 6 for 55 1 TD) Fitzgerald ( 8 for 70 yds.)

SLEEPER: Tony Gonzalez...He always seems to have big games at home and I could see him posting the second most yardage receiving here with a score.



TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS at CAROLINA PANTHERS: Matt Moore practiced, but it could be for show to keep the Bucs from planning on a definite QB. Both Carolina backs looked sluggish against the Giants, but it was probably more of the Giants defense than any big cause for concern. The lack of a number two and less than great QB play led to Steve Smith being the focus. Aquib Talib returns for the Bucs and should be able to handle Smith, although Smith will break away for one of his big ones. The Bucs showed they have improved up front in stopping the run, but will have their hands full. The ability of Talib in coverage, and the lack of a solid #2 WR for Carolina will have the Bucs stacking the box. Whoever the QB is, they will need to complete some quick passes and move the chains to open up lanes for Deangelo Williams. The Bucs face pretty much the same issue, with Mike Williams so far being the only threat at WR. Cadillac Williams will shoulder the load, and Carolina knows it. It will be on Freeman to make sure Sammy Stroughter and Winslow get involved early and often and force Carolina to respect the pass. This game comes down to QB play. If Moore does play, this should be a close game, toss up. If Clausen plays, the Bucs should pull this one out. He should have trouble reading the Tampa 2 hybrid Morris is running and will turn the ball over.



FANTASY STARTS: CAROLINA: Deangelo Williams (18 for 80 yds 1 TD) Steve Smith ( 6 for 110 yds. 1 TD) TAMPA BAY: Winslow ( 4 for 60 1 TD) Cadillac Williams ( 17 for 80 yds. 1 TD)

SLEEPER: Kareem Huggins....Gregg Olsen vowed not to force 24 touches on Cadillac again and Huggins should be in relief. Given his explosive abilities, he could break one for a score.



BALTIMORE RAVENS at CINCINNATI BENGALS: CINCINNATI: If you thought Cedric Benson was held in check last week, don't expect much more this Sunday. The Ravens shut down Greene, and the success of Tomlinson was more due to the need to respect the perimeter cause of his pass catching skills. Benson is more of a pure back like Greene and shouldn't get too far in this one. Palmer was made to look much like last year until it was chuck it time towards the end. This is a game always kept close and fought hard by both teams and could be the game of the week. Baltimore just has too many weapons for the Bengals to handle. The addition of Houshmenzadeh and match up against his former team will pose problems for the Bengals, having to worry about three WR's who can do some damage on any snap. Add to that Ray Rice and the Bengals lack of a pass rush last week and you have what could turn ugly if not kept close. Week one is by no means a great way to define a team, so I would look for the Bengals to bring their A game defensively. T.O. will need to earn his keep in a week that will define him. This is what they brought him in for. The Bengals will throw a lot, knowing what the Ravens run D can do.



FANTASY STARTS: BALTIMORE: All skill position players. Housh will get a score, Mason should post his normal numbers, Boldin and Rice will get their standard double digit games. CINCINATTI: Cedric Benson is at best a Flex play here and the only scoring will be through the air for the Bengals. Terrell Owens (8 for 70 yds. 1 TD) Chad Ochocinco ( 6 for 75 1 TD)

SLEEPER: Jermaine Greisham....Given all the focus on TO and Ocho, he should be able to break open in the Red Zone for a score, and may be utilized often if the Ravens are able to keep Palmer in check.

CHICAGO BEARS at DALLAS COWBOYS: Martz had Matt Forte looking like the second coming of Marshall Faulk, but the Bears have work to do in getting the WR corp up to speed. If he can, this could evolve into a really good Offense. The main problem seems to be with the secondary, who will be challenged this week. The Bears run D looked great, but Dallas is going to throw and get all receivers involved. Look for Dez Bryant to get more touches after being very efficient with the ball last week. Roy Williams is about to become nothing more than a possession guy (He already technically is) and this is the game that Bryant takes over. Miles Austin will have what is becoming his typical 1 TD 100 yd. game, but Barber and Jones will be shut down. Chicago will again use Forte as their main weapon, but before we start crowning him as mini-Faulk, let's see what he can do against a better Defense and when a team knows what to expect. Without any real threats out wide, Dallas will key on him and force Cutler to produce going to his Wide-Outs. This may be where Olsen is forced to be used and proves he needs to be involved. Dallas has a great secondary, and these two teams seem to play into each others weaknesses. Not good news for Chicago given the talent they have at WR. Dallas should pull this one out by 10 or more IF they don't implode with penalties and give the game away again.

FANTASY STARTS: CHICAGO: Forte ( 13 for 65 yds. 1 TD 6 for 40 catch yds.) Hester ( 4 for 60 1 TD) DALLAS: Austin (7 for 100 yds. 1 TD) D. Bryant (6 for 70 yds. 1 TD)
SLEEPER: G. Olsen ( 4 for 55 yds. 1 TD) He would be a wild card the Boys don't plan for and could force them to change their whole scheme if Martz is smart enough to use him.

KC CHIEFS at CLEVELAND BROWNS: Delhomme may be out this week, though unless it's serious he should play after an unimpressive start against the Bucs. Colt Mccoy could be thrust into the line-up which translates to a loss. Hillis raised eyebrows with his performance last week, and may create a bit of a time share if he plays well again. The Browns will get a KC team who is riding high after beating the assumed division winner San Diego. KC will pound Cleveland on the ground, given the holes that were there for Cadillac Williams last week, and then throw it up once the defense is caught leaning to stop the run. Cleveland's only threats come on the ground and shouldn't pose a problem. They looked pretty good against Matthews last week, but I expect the secondary to get burned on one deep when they're not expecting it.

FANTASY STARTS: CLEVELAND: Harrison (14 for 60 yds. 1 TD) Massoquoi ( 5 for 60 yds. 1 TD) KC CHIEFS: Charles ( 16 for 90 1 TD) Jones ( 14 for 70 1 TD) Bowe ( 5 for 60 1 TD)
SLEEPER: TE Watson....Delhomme was looking for him and could find open field over the middle as KC plans to put pressure on Delhomme with a lot of Blitzes.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES at DETROIT LIONS: The return of Mike Vick becomes official after he torches a Detroit Defense bound to be on the field for most the game. However, I think Vick actually tries to sit back and prove he is as much pocket passes as run threat. We saw him last week look for the pass first, sometimes forcing a throw when he could have easily run. If he can be effective throwing, then it makes the case for him as starter that much stronger and creates a shorter leash long term for Kolb should he struggle when he returns. Kolb will be the starter, but the Eagles locker room could shift down the road and rally behind Vick. Detroit will roll with Shaun Hill. He will be under pressure and be forced into some errant throws. Jhavid Best will be the focal point for Detroit, whom despite having a bad game at Chicago, did score twice.

FANTASY STARTS: EAGLES: Vick ( 220 yds passing 1 TD, 50 yds rush) D. Jackson ( 5 for 65 1 TD) McCoy ( 13 for 60 1 TD) LIONS: Best ( 17 for 80 yds. 1 TD) C. Johnson ( 5 for 70 1 TD)
SLEEPER: Scheffler....Hill will need a security blanket he can count on and will look to Scheffler often, especially if they get to the Red-Zone.

BUFFALO BILLS at GREEN BAY PACKERS: As if the Bills had enough to work on, ILB Poslunszny is out, giving the Packers more than enough options on how to beat the Bills. B. Jackson will carry the ball for GB with Ryan Grant sidelined, and should have a great showing. He has been waiting to be the feature back since losing the job in an open battle with Grant two years ago, and will showcase his skills on Sunday. The Bills CJ Spiller was proven to be a rookie last week, one who has great potential but will not be able to use it as long as the Bills have no line and no Offense past him. The Bills are easily outmatched here.

FANTASY STARTS: PACKERS: All of them! This could be a game where Driver, Jennings, Finley, and Jackson all taste the end-zone. BILLS: Spiller ( 17 for 70 1 TD)
SLEEPER: Trent Edwards....looking at the sheer number of times he will have to throw, this could turn into a decent double digit fantasy day for him. A decent play if you had Stafford, Moore, or Kolb as your starter.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS at TENNESSEE TITANS: You heard it here first, C.J. gets shut down in this one and becomes mere mortal. The Steelers have done a good job at containing him in the past and he will be the main focus. Dixon will need to challenge the Titan secondary in a game that may feature two QB's using their feet to help their team win. Mendenhall will be keyed on by Jeff Fisher, forcing Dixon to beat him. Vince Young showed he is still growing in the right direction, but he will need K. Britt to step up and help take some pressure off of Nate Washington. This one will be won on Defense and ball control. Slight edge to the Steelers.

FANTASY STARTS: STEELERS: Ward ( 8 for 90 yds. 1 TD) TITANS: You have to start CJ, but look for Nate Washington to be the main producer. ( 6 for 70 1 TD)
SLEEPER: BOTH Tight Ends....Young tends to zero in on Scaife against tough Defenses and Miller should be Dixon's favorite target here, dink and dunking with him down the field. Both could have a deciding outcome to the game.

MIAMI DOLPHINS at MINNESOTA VIKINGS: The Vikes will have a lot of frustration to release after losing and looking like a shell of themselves Offensively. Without Rice to stretch the field, Favre was forced to work with bad routes under pressure. This changes here as he has more time to allow routes to develop from Harvin, Camarillo and Berrian. Miami was anything but stellar in the pre-season and given they played the Bills week one really didn't prove much more than they can beat a bad team. Marshall and the RB's will need their best games to hang in this one. Henne has questions about his ability, and the Vikes will keep him pressured all game long. Vikings win this one fairly easily.

FANTASY STARTS: VIKINGS: Harvin (6 for 70 yds 1 TD) Peterson (16 for 100 yds. 1 TD)
DOLPHINS: Marshall (8 for 90 yds. 1 TD) Brown ( 14 for 65 yds. 1 TD)
SLEEPER: Hartline....with the focus on the Miami back-field and Marshall, Hartline should face single coverage and burn the Vikings for a score with decent yardage.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS at DENVER BRONCOS: Seattle surprised everyone but myself in this game, however, I wouldn't have thought the 49ers would have put up so little of a fight. I don't expect the same performance this week, but this will be a close game either team could pull out. Hasselbeck will put up good numbers since Seattle is forced to throw in this one. Mike Williams will not surprise anyone now and the Broncos will look to keep him in check with the Seattle back-field. This is where Branch and Carlson have big games. For Denver, a loss to Jacksonville will have Mcdaniels in a frenzy, vowing to execute the run more. The addition of Maroney will help him get there, allowing Moreno and Buckhalter to continue getting up to speed. Look for Denver to pound the ball frequently so Orton doesn't have to throw as much. Don't expect Lloyd to have another breakout game like he did last week. While Orton will spread the ball around, I see Gaffney and Royal as the main beneficiaries.

FANTASY STARTS: BRONCOS: Gaffney ( 7 for 80 yds. 1 TD) Royal ( 6 for 65 yds 1 TD)
SEATTLE: Branch ( 7 for 80 yds. 1 TD) Carlson ( 6 for 70 yds. 1 TD)
SLEEPER: Maroney....I can see about ten touches presuming his thigh is okay and a sneaky score. Players like him usually have something to prove after being moved to a new team. If healthy, Mcdaniels may give him more work.

ST. LOUIS RAMS at OAKLAND RAIDERS: If Oakland can't bounce back here then there will be big problems for the coaching staff. A loss here almost forces Al Davis to making a change somewhere on the coaching staff. However, everyone keeps their jobs this week and the Raiders shine against a young, unproven team. McFadden should have a lighter work load this week with Bush on pace to return, and the passing game settles into themselves. St. Louis will work Jackson till the wheels come off here since Clayton will not see many balls come his way when lined up against Asomugha. Look for Murphy to have a great game as he develops trust with Campbell and Mcfadden to score.

FANTASY STARTS: RAIDERS: Murphy ( 7 for 80 yds. 1 TD) Miller ( 6 for 55 yds. 1 TD) McFadden ( 17 for 80 yds. 1 TD) RAMS: Jackson ( 17 for 90 yds. 1 TD 5 catch for 40 yds.)
SLEEPER: Campbell...should be efficient in this one and toss at least two for a score.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS at NY JETS: The Jets season is essentially on the line after proving they couldn't keep up with Baltimore. All the talk came back to punch them in the face and mouths seem to be zipped up this week. Shonn Greene will need to bounce back in a big way and Sanchez will have to prove he deserves the job. A poor showing here will begin the whispers for his job. The Patriots are back and Welker's health proved to be a big part in their return. Brady looks to be back to normal, and the Defense better than expected. With Maroney gone, Taylor becomes a bit better of a fantasy play long term, though not against the Jets even without Jenkins. Even with Revis, the Jets young corners were targeted with success last week and Welker will pose problems for them.

FANTASY STARTS: PATRIOTS: Welker (8 for 90 yds. 1 TD) Moss ( 5 for 70 yds. 1 TD)
JETS: B. Edwards ( 5 for 70 yds. 1 TD) L.T. ( 14 for 50 yds. 5 catch for 40 1 TD) Greene (15 for 70 yds.)
SLEEPER: Both NE TE's and Dustin Keller. Each of them are atheletic guys who can catch. The Jets will trust in Revis to follow Moss around and add extra coverage on Welker's side leaving Keller to find holes. Both NE TE's will find the same, question is which one gets the score?

JACKSONVILLE JAGS at SAN DIEGO CHARGERS: Like the Vikings, the Chargers will have a very angry chip on their shoulder and will come out blasting. Rivers could throw for over 300 here and go back to the vertical game after attempting a balanced attack last week. Matthew proved to be a solid back, but failed to break a big one. Hard to read last week's game given the conditions, but when Rivers is pissed he wants to throw. Look for him to actually pass last weeks solid performance and for Matthews to be the beneficiary due to a Jags team on their heels. Malcom Floyd will see more targets. The Jags will need to get Simms-Walker involved and MJD will most likely find himself with similar numbers as last week. Osgood could have a great game against his ex-team.

FANTASY STARTS: JACKSONVILLE: MJD ( 19 for 90 yds. 1 TD) Simms-Walker (7 for 90 yds. 1 TD) Osgood (5 for 60 yds. 1 TD) CHARGERS: Matthews (17 for 100yds. 1 TD) Floyd ( 5 for 80 yds. 1 TD) Gates (5 for 70 1 TD)
SLEEPER: Naanee...proving he is Rivers most reliable wide-out thus far, he could post the Floyd numbers if shut out again.

HOUSTON TEXANS at WASHINGTON REDSKINS: Riding high after defeating the Cowboys, Washington will look to try and contain Andre Johnson. Problem is who will contain Arian Foster. Foster will be out to prove week 1 was no fluke against a Defense that shut the Cowboy run game down. Washington proved to be a team that can play Shanny ball, but looked far from threatening. Washington will need to be effective on the ground to have a chance against a Defense that looks to have finally reached it's potential. Another WR will need to break out if Mcnabb is going to be successful here.

FANTASY STARTS: TEXANS: Johnson ( 8 for 120 yds. 1 TD) Foster (18 for 100 yds. 1 TD) Schaub ( 280 yds. 2 TD) REDSKINS: Portis (16 for 80 1 TD) Cooley (6 for 70 yds. 1 TD)
SLEEPER: S. Slayton....Foster will need rest and Slayton could sneak in for some decent yardage in the pass game including a score.

NY GIANTS at INDIANAPOLIS COLTS: The Colts will make adjustments after losing to divisional foe Houston. Sanders injury will pose big questions on Defense since he is such an intergral part. The Giants showed basic efficiency on the ground, and Manning picked up on last year, spreading the ball around well. Nicks will be the focus for the Colts as well as the Giants run game which I think can be held in check without bringing up any extra help. This will leave it on little brothers shoulders to find Smith and Manningham. The elder bro will need Collie to maybe solidify his status as the new option at Wide Out after Wayne. Since neither team was effective running the ball last week, this could become an air show for both.

FANTASY STARTS: GIANTS: Nicks ( 6 for 70 yds. 1 TD) Smith ( 8 for 75 yds. 1 TD)
COLTS: Wayne (8 for 90 yds. 1 TD) Collie ( 7 for 60 yds. 1 TD) BOTH MANNINGS......
SLEEPER: Jacobs....the Giants will need a bruiser against the Colts line and Jacobs will wear them down, allowing things to open up down the field.