Week 2: What I Learned From Sunday

The second Sunday of the year has wrapped up. And, as with every week, there were plenty of surprises and disappointments. Here's what I took away from the Sunday #2.

1. I think one unexpected player will score 40+ points each week. Last week we had Arian Foster go for 41, this week it was Jahvid Best for 40. 3 TDs and 232 total yards normally makes for a good game. And if you look here in my Game By Game Breakdown, I said that I would sit Jahvid Best. Which I did in the leagues where I had him. Ummm, mulligan? I don't think he's still going to rely on TDs for points. He looked good against a good Eagles defense. I was wrong for that one. Actually, let's see how I did for the rest of those predictions.
   
   
2. Just how great were my Great Expecations? Let's see. I nailed Rivers, Ryan, and Vick. 3/3. As for the running backs, 2/3 had good but not great games. Barber and Jones let me down though. Wes Welker, Donald Driver, and Dez Bryant all scored TDs (the last one was a punt return though. I'll take it) but Hines Ward was the victim of a terrible passing performance by the Steelers, which was partly due to Dennis Dixon getting hurt. Still, I'll take 3/4. As for tight ends, Carlson had a decent game but nothing that really separated him from the pack. Cooley, on the other hand, had 64 yards and at TD. I'll call that 1/2. So, to recap, I was 9/12 on my Great Expecations. I'm pleased with that.
   
   
3. My Do Not Want list was a also pretty successful. Carson Palmer did not set the world on fire against Baltimore. That much I got right. Jay Cutler against Dallas? Okay, 277 yds and 3 TDs aren't that good. Fine, they are. 1/2. Forte didn't look that good on the ground but it was his receiving that set him apart. Got that one wrong. Forsett and Jones weren't spectacular in their games either. 8 for 44 and 22 for 83 respectively. I'd like to think I got those two right. And Benson only had 78 yards on 23 carries. I'll say 3/4 on RBs. Nicks only had 2 catches for 38 yards but one of them did go for a TD. But both of those catches were in garbage time. I'd say I got him right. And Moss only had 2 for 38 and a TD. Yes, that TD catch was pretty but I think I got that one right too. Naanee had 1 catch for 14 yards. Nailed it! And Wallace? He had 2 for 25 and actually led the team in receiving. Got that one too. Wow, I was 4/4 with receivers! And, of course, the tight end. Olsen made me look stupid with his 39 yard TD catch. But, I would like to point out that it wound up being his only catch. Just saying. I'll award myself half a point for that. So I finished 8.5/11. For an overall total of 17.5/23. 76% right. That's pretty solid, I'd say.
   
   
4. Damn those injuries. There were some big names getting hurt this week and they likely hurt your fantasy teams if you were unlucky enough to have them starting. I, for one, had both Michael Turner and Ryan Mathews starting in one of my leagues and I was very pleased to see them both getting off to good starts. And then...they're gone. Especially when you're playing against the likes of AP and Tim Hightower. Unfortunate, yes. But they weren't the only two names to go down. Jason Witten became the latest casualty of the concussion. He'll need to pass various tests before he is allowed to play again. Andre Johnson scared owners when he departed for around a whole quarter against the Redskins. But he went on to catch 12 for 158 and a TD. Much better than last week's 3 for 33. And Steeler's quarterback Dennis Dixon left in the 2nd quarter after throwing for 18 yards and a fumble. While most aren't starting Dixon but it will affect the fantasy stocks of Hines Ward and Mike Wallace.
   
   
5. Why are the top RBs consistently nobodies? Last week, it was Arian Foster, this week it was Jahvid Best. And Jason Snelling and Mike Tolbert were in the top 5 in running back points! Many of you remember Snelling from last year as "The Guy Who Was Not Michael Turner." And Mike Tolbert...I think he's a fullback. Wikipedia says so, at least. And he had 95 total yards and 2 TDs. Who will be the unexpected performer next week? I'm guessing John Kuhn in GB.
   
   
6. Joe Flacco cannot solve the Bengals. In three career starts versus Cincinnati, Flacco has 1 TD and 8 INTs. And I must say, I was disgusted to hear countless Ravens fans bitching and moaning after this week to the tunes of, "Flacco can't throw at all. Why is he our quarterback?" and "He's the second coming of Boller!" To those of you out there who fell into this crowd, give it a rest. What are you, Eagles fans? Also, the Ravens have yet to allow a TD this year, the only team to do so.
   
   
7. The battle of the Manning brothers wasn't much of a battle. Again. Peyton outperformed the younger Eli by going 20/26 for 255 yards and 3 TDs to Eli's 13/24 for 161 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, and 2 fumbles lost. Peyton looks like he'll be in the MVP running again. Eli...you be the judge.
   
   
8. The best looking team of the week was, in my opinion, the Bears. Jay Cutler looked like the quarterback the Bears wanted when they traded for him. And, most importantly, he did not commit a turnover. If he can keep up that performance, watch out. The Bears could be dangerous. But, if you're a Jay Cutler owner, now may be the time to sell high.
   
   
9. I think I may just bench any running back playing the Steelers. In the past two weeks, the Steelers defense has held Michael Turner and Chris Johnson, two of the best running backs in the game, to 19 carries for 42 yards and 16 carries for 32 yards and a fumble, respectively. Next week, they have Tampa Bay and Cadillac Williams. I know who I'm benching...

Okay, that's a wrap. The Saints visit the 49ers on Monday night. Gore owners are hoping for a big game out of him but Brees owners are hoping he can pick apart the 49ers secondary. I actually called San Francisco to win this one in the preseason. I thought long and hard about changing it but, in the end, I didn't. I actually had the same quandary with the Jets and Patriots game today. In the preseason, I called the Jets but changed it to the Pats this week. I'm not gonna do that again and just go with my instincts from the preseason. Alright, I'm out. Hope you all won your matchups (and if I caused you to lose them, then find peace in the fact that I also caused myself to lose mine).