Welcome to the 2015 Fantasy Alarm Game Recaps! Nobody watches more NFL football than yours truly mostly because it is impossible to do so. Each week I’ll open up my notepad to all of our Fantasy Alarm readers so that you guys can go beyond the boxscore to get the information you need to win your league. I'll give you my opinions on who I believe the hot waiver wire names will be, tell you all of the scoring plays that won't wind up in the boxscore on Monday and breakdown the game film like nobody else can from a fantasy perspective.
Here are the Week 2 Fantasy Football Game Recaps:
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17 – Houston at Carolina – 24
The Panthers had this game in hand several times but the Texans defensive playmakers, notably J.J. Watt and JaDaveon Clowney, helped thwart drives with several pass deflections at the line of scrimmage. This gave Ryan Mallett and the Texans offense several late chances to take the lead which they were not able to do.
Games like this show us just how incredible of a fantasy asset Cam Newton can be. He ran the ball 10 times for 76 yards with a leaping TD in this game which added to his 195 yards and two passing TD’s made for a big fantasy afternoon for Cam.
A week after recording just three targets and one reception, Panthers TE Greg Olsen was heavily involved today racking up 14 targets and six receptions for 70 yards in the game. Olsen is without question an every week TE starter in fantasy football.
The Panthers lost WR Jerricho Cotchery early on in this game with a right ankle injury. Cotchery finished with just 1-11 on the day and we should know more about his injury by Monday afternoon.
Alfred Blue officially lost his backup to Arian Foster job this week as former Eagles RB Chris Polk saw 10 more touches and seven more targets than Blue this afternoon.
18 – San Francisco at Pittsburgh – 43
The Steelers set the tone early on by going for two point conversions after consecutive touchdowns. I’d been talking all summer long about how I felt that teams may be more likely to go for two now with the extra point attempt moved back to a 33 yard attempt. It should be noted that Steelers kicker Josh Scobee missed the teams first PAT attempt after the two point conversions.
What can I say that hasn’t already been said about Antonio Brown? He is the best player in fantasy football right now and is one of very few who are completely matchup proof.
I hope that everybody that drafted Le’Veon Bell and didn’t handcuff him to DeAngelo Williams, lost their first two games this season. DeAngelo scored three TD’s today and touched the ball 24 times for 92 total yards today. Its very important that when you like a player you understand exactly what it is that you like about that player. In football, it isn’t his strength, speed or any individual athletic trait because literally everyone on an NFL football field is among the 1% most athletic people on earth.
Carlos Hyde left this game early one with a right leg injury but returned on the next series. I couldn’t tell if the injury is what led to his 3.1 yards per carry average today but he most certainly was a lot less effective than last Monday Night against the Vikings.
26 – Tampa Bay at New Orleans – 19
I simply cannot believe the outcome of this game and especially the lack of production from Drew Brees and the Saints offense. As much as I (and the rest of the world) want to write off Drew Brees and company after this, the way the NFL has been going I wouldn’t doubt if they storm back in dramatic fashion next week at Carolina.
The Bucs tried to give this game back to the Saints all second half. Both Jameis Winston and Doug Martin coughed up the football late and gave new life to a Saints team that couldn’t do anything with it.
Austin Seferian-Jenkins had the worst drop of the day in my opinion as he was left completely alone and dropped what should have been a 41 yard TD reception in the second quarter.
C.J. Spiller played sparingly this afternoon and was clearly behind both Mark Ingram and Khiry Robinson on the snap count. Still, expect Spiller to get more time moving forward and hopefully for him to provide a spark to this stagnant Saints offense.
Bucs lost starting center Even Dietrich-Smith due to an ankle injury late in this game.
The Buccaneers blocked the Saints extra point attempt after Willie Snead’s 16 yard TD reception. A conversion there would have put the Saints in position to actually win the game on their last drive instead of just going for a tie.
16 – Detroit at Minnesota – 26
It’s the outcome I prepared for but not in the way that I thought that it would happen. The fact is that Teddy Bridgewater cannot be relied on in any capacity in fantasy football now that Adrian Peterson is back this season.
Speaking of Peterson, I know that the stats are fantastic today but there was a 49 yard catch and run in which AD was completely out of gas on and wound up just running out of bounds instead of trying to cut back and score on the play. In other words, even at 70% of his former self, Peterson is still a very good fantasy running back.
Peterson actually had a TD taken away after a review showed him to be down at the one half yard line. That TD would have been his first in 22 months if it would have held up. He also coughed up the ball at the goal line later in the game but that turnover was nullified due to an offsides penalty.
I am sorry to everyone who I told to start Charles Johnson this week. I used him myself in DFS and he ruined some otherwise real good lineups.
The Lions offensive line was atrocious today. Although the Vikings only had one sack they inflicted some serious pain on Matthew Stafford today. The Vikes defense hit Stafford 8 times sending him reeling on more than one occasion.
No need to worry about Calvin Johnson’s involvement folks. Calvin had 17 targets today hauling in 10-83-1 in a nice rebound effort.
48 – Arizona at Chicago – 23
The scary thing here is that the Cardinals didn’t even play their best game or anything even close to it. The offensive line is really giving Carson Palmer plenty of time to make big plays in the passing game.
David Johnson is one of those players that simply makes plays every time he touches the ball. Bruce Arians doesn’t like to rush rookies into prominent roles but Johnson is not going to make it easy for him. He obviously needs to be owned in all formats going forward.
This was Larry Fitzgerald’s first career three touchdown game. He is the WR1 for the Cardinals right now and will be for as long as Carson Palmer is the starting QB.
The Bears lost QB Jay Cutler just before the end of the first half due to a hamstring injury. Personally, I am not buying the hamstring as the reason he left the game. I think it is more likely that Cutler suffered a concussion because he was hit hard twice in the head including on the interception return play that was his last of the game. As much as folks don’t like Cutler, if he is out and Jimmy Clausen is the Bears starting QB they are done.
40 – New England at Buffalo – 32
We received good news after this game when it was reported that Bills safety Aaron Williams has regained feeling in all of his extremities after being taken from the field on an immobilization cart. It was a very scary scene for sure but hopefully with a positive ending for Williams and his family.
The final score isn’t very telling as the Patriots absolutely controlled the middle of this game and led 37-13 after three quarters. The Bills made a furious comeback but it was against a passive Patriots defense for the most part.
It is astonishing to me that LeGarrette Blount only saw two late carries in this game and even more that he was barely on the field. Dion Lewis controlled the snaps for the Patriots backfield today but I’m not buying in long term. Go ahead and chase if you like, but there is a reason that Rex Ryan doesn’t know Lewis’ name and why he was out of the NFL for a year and a half.
Speaking of Dion Lewis, he fumbled the ball twice in this game yet was never removed. This is very unlike Bill Belichick to not put a RB in the doghouse or should I say…yet!
DFS players are loving Tyrod Taylor after this game but I must remind everybody that Taylor had just 10.66 points with 11:42 remaining in the game. As long as he’s cheap he is in play as a low level DFS QB but if this performance raises his price above the $7000 level I am out.
Its sucks that for the second straight week Karlos Williams got the rushing TD for the Bills but I have to say that LeSean McCoy seemed healthy today after a midweek injury scare. Stick it out with McCoy as the touches will be there and I am confident that his fantasy production will soon follow.
19 – San Diego at Cincinnati – 24
The Chargers defense had a returned fumble for a touchdown late in the second quarter but after a lengthy review it was determined that Andy Dalton’s arm was moving forward and thus it was an incomplete pass.
I am going to vomit every time I hear the name Danny Woodhead this week. For all of you who worship at the alter of Danny boy, please be aware that he had just four touches through 3.5 quarters today. Melvin Gordon looked real good and was without question the Chargers lead RB in this game. The only way Woodhead is a useful fantasy player is if the Chargers are playing from behind. So, when trying to decide on whether or not to start him, consider the game script first as you could avoid yourself a total disaster.
Jeremy Hill was benched in the third quarter of this game when he bobbled a pitch play and lost the ball for his second fumble on the day. Remember that Hill lost five fumbles last season and thus the Bengals coaching staff if not going to play with him any longer. Giovani Bernard came on to rush for 20-123 and also caught 3-16. After just two games, we have a full blown RB timeshare in Cincinnati moving forward.
Andy Dalton doesn’t have an interception or turnover in his first two games.
14 – Tennessee at Cleveland – 28
Let’s not get crazy over Johnny Manziel’s performance today. Sure he threw two touchdowns against the Titans but…it was the Titans. Also, Manziel completed just eight passes this afternoon on 15 attempts which isn’t impressive whatsoever.
Speaking of not overreacting, Browns WR Travis Benjamin has been a one man wrecking crew so far this season. Benjamin has scored four of the Browns five TD’s this year and had three in this game alone. Still, both of his receiving TD’s came on bombs (60 & 50 yards) today which are not sustainable events. Should you pick him up if he is available on your waiver wire? Sure. Just don’t spend very much to get him.
The Browns defense got after Marcus Mariota and the Titans offense today. They sacked Mariota seven times and hit him over a dozen times in this game.
Marcus Mariota sprained his ankle late in this game but still was able to shake off a very poor first half to put his team in a position to win. As I said all last week, there are going to be severe growing pains with Mariota so he is still someone to avoid at this point in fantasy football.
The Titans lost RG Chance Warmack to a sprained knee that the team believes is a sprained MCL. This is a big loss for an offensive line that is already thin and lacking on talent.
Titans WR Kendall Wright left the game early on with a left leg injury but was able to return after missing a couple of series.
24 – Atlanta at N.Y. Giants – 20
Another one of many miserable fantasy performances today was from Falcons WR Roddy White. My fellow SiriusXM Host (Going Deep with Roddy White Tuesday’s at 6 PM ET) played the entire game, was not injured and yet only got one target and no receptions in this contest.
Instead, Leonard Hankerson somehow got 11 targets of which he hauled in 6-77-1. Hankerson will be a favorite on the waiver wire this week but I am going to pass on him altogether. It is highly unlikely that Hankerson gets 11 targets in his next three games combined.
Tevin Coleman came out of the game shredding the Giants defense to the tune of 9-32 and scored the Falcons first TD of the game. But Coleman was carted off of the field due to a severe rib injury just a few plays later and will be reevaluated on Monday. DeVonta Freeman would be the full time RB for the Falcons if indeed Coleman had to miss any time.
Julio Jones had a late touchdown reversed after a review showed that his knee was down on the 1 yard line.
The Giants running game is a complete disaster. There are a number of issues most notably their lack of dedication to running the football. Furthermore, it seems as if they are more concerned with rotating their RB’s as opposed to actually establishing any sort of rhythm in the run game. I wouldn’t use any of these guys going forward.
Giants lost LG and first round draft pick Ereck Flowers due to an ankle injury. He will be reevaluated on Monday and will likely miss a couple of weeks at least.
10 – St. Louis at Washington – 24
Another game that I am stunned at the outcome of in week two. The Rams defense has started out poorly once again this year as they did in 2014. This is a very talented group that for whatever reason don’t begin seasons well.
Tre Mason was active today but only rushed the ball seven times for 26 yards. He did have two catches as well but only gained four yards on those grabs.
The Redskins have decided that their path to righteousness is through running the football and did so 37 times this afternoon. Matt Jones involvement came completely out of nowhere as he received 22 touches today. Jones ran for 19-123-2 on the ground and demonstrated outstanding patience and burst behind his offensive line. I expect Jones to continue to be involved in the Redskins gameplan moving forward and thus he is a must add on the waiver wire this week.
Ryan Grant will continue to start at WR for the Redskins in DeSean Jackson’s place. He is an intriguing prospect who did some nice things out there today. He’s on my watch list for the time being but I am not investing any FAAB on Grant right now.
20 – Miami at Jacksonville – 23
For all of the talent on the Dolphins roster, they certainly make a lot of dumb mistakes. Today it was DE Olivier Vernon who was flagged for an unnecessary roughness penalty against TE Clay Harbor that gave the Jaguars a first down and put them in easy field goal range for what turned out to be the game winner.
I have no idea how or when RB Lamar Miller injured his ankle in this game but he left early in the second half. This seems to be a continuous thing with Miller and I am not sure whether or not to blame him, the Dolphins coaching and Training staff or both. But the only thing that stops Lamar Miller time after time is a lack of opportunities.
The Dolphins also lost Branden Albert to a strained left hamstring early on in this contest.
Jaguars RB T.J. Yeldon had a five yard TD run on the Jags first drive but it was overruled after it was determined he had stepped out of bounds at the three yard line.
Allen Robinson was completely dominant early in this game as he out ran, jumped and fought his way to a 6-155-2 line on the day. Robinson looked every bit the part of a franchise type WR and showed great chemistry with Blake Bortles throughout the day.
33 – Baltimore at Oakland – 37
Again, this was a week of crazy outcomes many of which like this one makes no sense. But alas, the Raiders played a real good ball game especially on the offensive side of the ball.
This game had a game time temperature of 91 degrees. It was quite hot down on the field and it forced quite a bit of lineup substitutions throughout.
This was the first game in 17 seasons in which the Ravens didn’t have either Ed Reed, Ray Lewis and/or Terrell Suggs starting on defense. It really showed as this until got absolutely manhandled by a subpar Raiders offensive line.
Unfortunately for Justin Forsett owners, it is clear that the Ravens intend to use Lorenzo Taliaferro as their short yardage and goal line running back. This all but guarantees Forsett as nothing more than a RB2 this season.
Sure Michael Crabtree had a very good game today hauling in 9-111-1 with 16 targets going his way. But I am not remotely interested in his services this season.
Raiders backup RB Taiwan Jones was helped off of the field late in this game with what appeared to be a lower leg injury.
20 – Dallas at Philadelphia – 10
This season is getting backwards on Chip Kelly very fast. After a second consecutive offseason full of questionable roster decisions, Kelly’s Eagles are 0-2 and completely listless on both sides of the football.
The problem with the Eagles rushing attack is all about play design. If you watch these plays, you’ll notice that they are running DeMarco Murray east and west an awful lot meaning he never really has his hips and shoulders square. They need to cut out these poorly designed draws and counters and just give him the ball with a full head of steam. I can say with a high degree of certainty that this is not a DeMarco Murray problem.
Speaking of Murray, he had a rushing TD late in this game that was called back for offensive holding. Now doesn’t that add some insult to injury?
The Eagles lost LB Kiko Alonso to an injured left knee in the second quarter of this game. He underwent an MRI Sunday night but no details have been disclosed as of this time.
Tony Romo will miss 8-10 weeks after breaking his left collarbone. This is the second time Romo has broken this bone and thus will need surgery to ensure it stabilizes quickly and efficiently.
After the game we learned that Cowboys TE Jason Witten is currently playing through two sprained ankles at this time.
I would rather have Brandon Weeden on my fantasy team than either Johnny Manziel or Jimmy Clausen.
17 – Seattle at Green Bay – 27
The Seahawks offensive line isn’t able to seal a pocket for Russell Wilson or clear any room for Marshawn Lynch at the time being.
This is the problem with Jimmy Graham in Seattle. Graham was only targeted twice in this game with one reception for 11 yards against the Packers. Remember this is a function of the offense and has nothing to do with Graham himself.
Fred Jackson fumbled the ball away on the Seahawks final drive of the game as he was trying to pickup some extra yardage on a short pass reception.
The Packers lost RB Eddie Lacy early on in this game due to a sprained ankle. Initial X-rays were negative but they are going to MRI it on Monday to make sure there is no damage to ligaments inside his ankle.
James Starks is the must add of the week if Eddie Lacy is to miss any time whatsoever. Starks is a very similar runner to Lacy and has proven to be effective when Lacy has missed time in the past.
Davante Adams missed most of the first half after turning his ankle and actually being carted off of the field. Adams came back in late and managed 5-33 but clearly wasn’t even close to 100%.