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Quarterbacks
Start Em
Andrew Luck, IND vs. PHI – Luck started off the season opener a bit slow, but closed out the first half with a rushing touchdown and didn’t look back in the second half. He ended the evening with 370 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, and two interceptions. He also ran for 19 yards and a touchdown. This week he’s facing the Eagles defense, which gave up 266 passing yards and two touchdowns to Chad Henne in their season opener. Both defenses appear to be vulnerable, so this can very well be a shootout. Luck could be in for another 300+ yard game,
Other Starts
Nick Foles, PHI at IND
Carson Palmer, ARI at NYG
Andy Dalton, CIN vs. ATL
Colin Kaepernick, SF vs. CHI
Sleeper Alert: Jake Locker, TEN vs. DAL
Sit Em
Philip Rivers, SD vs. SEA- After what I saw Seattle’s defense do to Peyton Manning in the Super Bowl and Aaron Rodgers in Week 1, it’s hard for me to start a quarterback against this defense. Rivers had a rough start to the beginning of this season when he faced a tough Cardinals defense, and Week 2 doesn’t get any easier. In Week 1, Rivers threw for 238 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. The Seahawks held Aaron Rodgers to 189 passing yards in the season opener. I like Rivers this season, but I’m staying away from him in the matchup against the Seahawks.
Other Sits
Tony Romo, DAL at TEN
Cam Newton, CAR vs. DET
E.J. Manuel, BUF vs. MIA
Joe Flacco, BAL vs. PIT
Bust Alert: Robert Griffin III, WAS vs. JAC
Running Backs
Start Em
Arian Foster, HOU at OAK- I remember when starting Foster was a must. However, in recent years his inability to stay healthy has trickled him down the rankings. The good news is that he’s healthy. In the first game of the season against the Redskins, Foster rushed for 103 yards and caught two passes for 17 yards. This week, he plays the Raiders who got run over by the Jets running backs last week. Chris Ivory rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown, while Chris Johnson rushed for 68 yards against the Raiders defense. I’m expecting Foster to pick up right where he left off last week and have another good game. The only difference between this week and last week is a potential touchdown.
Other Starts
Giovani Bernard, CIN vs. ATL
Alfred Morris, WAS vs. JAC
Frank Gore, SF vs. CHI
Knowshon Moreno, MIA at BUF
Sleeper alert: Mark Ingram, NO at CLE
Sit Em
Maurice Jones-Drew, OAK vs. HOU – In his first regular season game as a Raider, Jones-Drew carried the ball nine times for 11 yards. He averaged 1.2 yards per carry. Granted, the Jets have a stout run defense, but the Texans aren’t too bad against the run themselves. In the last two seasons, the Texans have only allowed 16 rushing touchdowns. That’s pretty impressive if you ask me. Jones-Drew does not appear to be the same runner he once was, and yes he can still play, but he just can’t be trusted every week in your starting lineup. This is one of those weeks that you as a fantasy owner should start a better option at running back.
Other Sits
Steven Jackson, ATL at CIN
Bernard Pierce, BAL vs. PIT
Chris Ivory, NYJ at GB
Reggie Bush, DET at CAR
Bust Alert: Rashad Jennings, NYG vs. ARI
Wide Receivers
Start Em
Michael Floyd, ARI at NYG – Heading into the season, Floyd was one of my breakout candidates for this year. He started of the season with a quality game. He caught five passes for 119 yards. He was clearly the team’s No. 1 receiver. This week Floyd and the Cardinals head east to take on the Giants. In Week 1, the Giants got torched by the Detroit Lions receivers. The Giants defense allowed 346 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns. Look for Floyd to take full advantage of this questionable secondary and once again have a productive outing.
Other Starts
Randall Cobb, GB vs. NYJ
Brandin Cooks, NO at CLE
T.Y. Hilton, IND vs. PHI
Cordarrelle Patterson, MIN vs. NE
Sleeper Alert: Justin Hunter, TEN vs. DAL
Sit Em
Victor Cruz, NYG vs. ARI– The New York Giants offense looks really bad. It appears that Eli Manning is not on par with the new system or he’s lost his mojo, but he is no longer effective on the field. As a fantasy owner, if I can’t trust the quarterback, it makes difficult to trust the receiver. Cruz finished Week 1 with two catches for 24 yards and was targeted six times. This week he will likely be covered by Patrick Peterson who shutdown Keenan Allen in Week 1. I’m usually one to stay away from a player when a good defense meets a struggling offense, and that the case with Cruz.
Other Sits
Eric Decker, NYJ at GB
Keenan Allen, SD vs. SEA
Allen Hurns, JAC at WAS
Steve Smith, BAL vs. PIT
Bust Alert: Mike Wallace, MIA at BUF
Tight Ends
Start Em
Delanie Walker, TEN vs. DAL
Zach Ertz, PHI at IND
Vernon Davis, SF vs. CHI
Sit Em
Ladarius Green, SD vs. SEA
Jared Cook, STL at TB
Eric Ebron, DET at CAR
Defense
Start Em
Arizona Cardinals at New York Giants
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. St. Louis Rams
Sit Em
Minnesota Vikings vs. New England Patriots
Carolina Panthers vs. Detroit Lions