Sunday Bloody Sunday

I don’t recall another Sunday like this past Sunday in terms of the number of key players who did not make an impact due to injury. As far as Adrian Peterson and Ray Rice, you had to live under a very heavy rock not to know that they would not be playing. But, on top of that, there were the late Inactives, such as Carson Palmer, Doug Martin and Jordan Cameron. Reports of Alshon Jeffery AND Brandon Marshall being very questionable to play had to scare their owners, especially when ESPN reported a source saying that he was 75% sure that neither would play. Those who benched Marshall because of that report has to be more than a bit upset. You had to be going into your matchup(s) feeling pretty good if you survived that early onslaught of player benching and rumors of more.

And then the games started and news started pouring in about stars dropping like flies; A.J. Green, Dez Bryant, RG III, Knowshon Moreno, Allen Hurns, DeSean Jackson, Mark Ingram, Marcedes Lewis, and Jamal Charles were all hit early and hard, with only Bryant coming back into his game and looking like he will play this weekend. The late afternoon games started and the slaughter continued and Eric Decker, Ryan Mathews, Charles Tillman and finally, Vernon Davis, all hit the pine with injuries. It was a tough week not to have implemented In-game changes for many and for those who own multiple players from this list, it could be a struggle to field a decent team in the next few weeks as Bye weeks are just around the corner as well.

As always, don’t be the owner that didn’t back up their top picks, such as Charles with Knile Davis or Martin with Bobby Rainey. If you are, I hope you have a good waiver priority this week as they will be in high demand.

Waiver Wire Fodder

QB: Kirk Cousins (WASH) – for many owners, RGIII was a backup QB since he didn’t look good in pre-season and was an injury concern so not having Cousins is understandable. However, Cousins would fit nicely on anyone’s bench, as as a starting QB, since he has proven his talent and does have a number of weapons in DC, even with DeSean Jackson and TE Jordan Reed hurting.

RB: Donald Brown (SD) – Brown had a nice season in Indianapolis last year and should have been handcuffed to Ryan Mathews this year….but he is available in 50% of leagues so look to pick him up for RB depth since Mathews is out for a month.

RB: Knile Davis (KC) – The Knile was flowing freely on 25% of waiver wires at last check and is a must-add this week. He flashed his skills late last year and was ready to play last week in Denver when summoned. Charles has a tricky high ankle sprain, which is definitely a worse injury for running backs than many other positions. The Chiefs will not rush Charles back if Davis stays healthy and productive so he will be the lead back for at least a couple of games.

WR: Mohamed Sanu (CIN) – Even though the Bengals finally employed the youth duo of Giovani Bernard and Jeremy Hill this past week, as was expected going into the season, they will air it out at times and Sanu is one of the few healthy receivers left on the team. He broke out for 3/84/1 receiving and tossed a 50-yard pass in week 2. While I wouldn’t expect the passing yards to continue, he should provide decent receiving numbers going forward.

WR: Andrew Hawkins (CLE) – A former running mate of Sanu’s, Hawkins has shown good repertoire with QB Brian Hoyer at the start of his Browns’ career and has breathed a bit of offensive spark into their offense. With TE Jordan Cameron out, the Browns have no go-to red zone option but love Hawkins speed and elusiveness and will work to get him the ball.

TE: Delanie Walker (TENN) – Walker had a huge game last week against Dallas in week 2. Now, Dallas was lit up by TE Vernon Davis of San Fran in week 1, so temper your expectations on a weekly basis but the Titans don’t have the kind of running game to keep defenses honest so Jake Locker seems to be looking his way as an outlet often.

Dashed and Rehashed

Week 1 is in the books and many hopes and dreams have already been dashed but many old realizations have been re-realized. Hey, if Eli Manning is Elite, re-realized is a valid word and can be used in a sentence. Speaking of the Giants, they are this year’s proof that pre-season records mean zero. Based on Monday night’s performance, they have little chance of equaling the number of pre-season wins in the regular season. In the fantasy football world, it was proved right away that you always want to back up your top running backs as Doug Martin, Zac Stacy and Ben Tate look like potential early-round busts. Of course, there are plenty of games left for them to shake off injuries and poor performance and earn their lofty draft positions. More about Week 1:

The Good:

• Ryan Succop kicked 4 field goals for Tennessee to help beat the KC Chiefs, the team that dumped him a week ago.
• Antonio Brown provided the best football highlight since the Butt Fumble.
• Knownshon Moreno stuck it to everyone that thought he got fat and happy after his big year in Denver. He makes Miami a viable contender for the AFC East crown.
• Rookie highlights: Terrance West (shocked that Ben Tate got hurt?), Kelvin Benjamin, Brandin Cooks, Marqise Lee and Allen Hurns all showed that the transition from college to the Pros is shrinking more and more each year.
• Second half wagers are the way to go with wagering as Chicago, Philly, Cleveland, and Indy all rallied to close/cover big deficits and cover their second half numbers, though the amount wagered on Cleveland was a drop in the bucket compared to the other three teams.
• Eli Manning – the obvious constant that did not change, as expected (the same could be said for Tony Romo, but he’ll get a pass since he was coming off of back surgery).

The Bad:

• The Seattle Seahawks, or whatever entity manages their parking lots, charged $140 to park during the opening game versus the Packers. Of course, the remote local parking garages took advantage of that and significantly increased their prices to $60-$80, which seems like a bargain when you factor in the health benefits of the extra walking distance.
• Jamaal Charles – though it is hard to blame Jamaal when the Chiefs barely utilized him in the first half, when the game was still in doubt. This team has all the makings of a bust this year.
• The NFL is crazy pass-happy, (62 passes from Joe Flacco in regulation in a tight game) which means loads more penalties and more dead time. I guess it helps justify watching the games in bars so you can constantly shift focus from one game to the next in hopes of catching one not discussing a penalty, looking at a review or showing a commercial. My liver is gonna take a beating this season.
• Larry Fitzgerald barely getting involved in the Cardinals offense. It saddens me that he didn’t get more than a few seasons with a top QB.
• Jay Cutler – if Marc Tressman could lower the strength of Cutler’s arm, he certainly would since it has given Jay the impression that he can, and should, make every throw. Very Favresqe.

Happiness for league kitties is Week 1 transactions. This is when too many people dump players that they expected to do well but had a slow week 1 and pick up flash-in-the-pan players, such as Allen Hurns, only to see them disappear for the remainder of the season. Remember Kevin Ogletree? However, there are some worthy waiver wire candidates to grab if you in need of roster help.

The Waiver Wire:

QB: Jake Locker (TENN) – If you have Tony Romo, I wouldn’t cut him, but I would bench him until he shows that he is healthy. Locker is a solid play this week at home against a really bad Dallas defense.

RB: Terrance West (CLE) – If someone didn’t back up fragile Ben Tate with West or read our 2014 Fantasy Football Sleepers article, grab him immediately. If he is gone and you play in a deeper league, make sure to grab his running mate, Isaiah Crowell.

RB: Justin Forsett (BAL) – Bernard Pierce failed for the second year in a row to take advantage of the opportunity to lock down the RB1 spot for the Ravens. Forsett was flashy with his 70 yards on 11 carries.

WR: Steve Smith Sr (BAL) – With the Ravens looking to get their $20 million out of Flacco, there are plenty of throws to go around. Somehow, Torrey Smith has fallen out of favor in Baltimore and that makes Smith a must-add. He had 15 Targets in week 1, which amounted to 7 catches for 118 yards, including an 80-yard TD.

WR: Andrew Hawkins (CLE) – It was wise to avoid Browns’ receivers in your draft, but with TE Jordan Cameron re-injuring his shoulder, Hawkins should be looking at double digit Targets weekly.

TE: Larry Donnell (NYG) – With so many quality tight ends around the league, Donnell went undrafted in almost every fantasy football league. However, thanks to the Giants ineptitude in grasping the West Coast offense and inability to block, Donnell will be a much bigger factor in the Giants anemic offense this season. His 6’6” frame makes him much easier to find for Eli in his panic than the other receivers.