Each week, I am going to pose fantasy football questions on Sunday and see how they are answered on Tuesday/Wednesday. This week's answers begin with the Bills and Steelers and will end with the Jason Avant-led receiving corps of the Phialdelphia Eagles.
Buffalo Bills at Pittsburgh Steelers:
For a second consecutive week, Lee Evans produced like a WR who is going to be cut - couple receptions for 17t yards. While QB JP Losman is completing 63% of his passes (for 5.4 yards per attempt), but none are going deep to Evans. I can't help but think Evans and Losman breakout big time very, very soon.
Statistically, there is nothing in Ben Roethlisberg's numbers to think anything has changed from last season when he threw 469 passes. Last season's 7.5 yards per attempt is better than this season's 7.1.
Atlanta Falcons at Jacksonville Jaguars:
Atlanta head coach Bobby Petrino called Jerious Norwood's number more frequently this week, but the results were not there. Nine carries and thirty yards was worse than Warrick's Dunn's 50 yards on 13 carries. Does this prevent Norwood from taking on a larger load i.e. a viable option at Flex or does Dunn's improvement with a lighter load signal a similar split in Week Three? Confounding the performance was Jacksonville's desire to improve after thier failure against the Titans in Week One, but does Petrino account for that in his decisions on carries next week.
Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans:
The Colts stopped the Titans from running-up big rushing totals by any single back. LenDale White led with 64 yards followed by Vince Young's 53 yards and first week stud, Chris Brown's, 34. However, that total, 151, does not buttress the Colts' defense as a run-stopping one.
Green Bay Packers at New York Giants:
The big question is whether of not Eli Manning starts. Medical diagnosis say he should be out a month. The Giants say he is a game-time decision. Also of note is how well Derrick Ward follows-up last week's 89 yard performance and whether those who felt lucky to get him off waivers feel the same way after the game.
Eli did start but he his performance was unnoteworthy - 16/29/211/1/1. If one sat him, there was no second-guessing on that decision. Who you elected to start instead of him is another story. My bakc-up coming into the season was the Bills' J.P. Losman. I further decided to not start him and that, too, was good decision. However, I chose Bears' QB from the pool and that wasn't as good a decision.
Derrick Ward carried the load for the Giants' rushing game and no other RB got a carry, and he caught four of the six passess completed to the RBs. This is beginning to look like a development that could lead to a RBBC when Jacobs returns - something Jacobs' owners do not want.
Houston Texans at Carolina Panthers:
Texans' WR Andre Johnson has reached the elite level of WRs - if two games is enough to determine he has permanently improved his performance. Unfortunately, he sprained his knee and is unlikely to play in Week Three. Until proven otherwise, Johnson has to remain in the second tier of WRS until this knee issue is resolved.
San Francisco 49ers at St Louis Rams:
If Pace's absence negatively effected the passing game, one can't find the proof in the passing numbers. QB Marc Bulger threw for 341 yards in a 17-16 loss. Maybe Stephen Jackson's numbers are the place too look for the negative effects of Pace's absence - a 2.9 YPA on 21 carries.
The 49ers spread the rushing carries more this week, but the WRs are still not getting much action because Alex Smith completed just 11 passes. Only seven went to WRs, but a 2-0 record leaves little reason to change. WR Darrell Jackson may need to be downgraded to "free agent pool fodder" if this continues.