NFL Week Two Tidbits 9-15

By David Leisure

Carlos Hyde should not be in your starting lineup this week. The San Francisco 49ers will be traveling cross country from west to east on a short week having played this past Monday and will be going against a Carolina team that will be on extra rest having played on Thursday. This spells a BLOWOUT and little to no success for Hyde and the 49ers offense against a winless Panthers squad in their home opener.

Ben Roethlisberger vs the Bengals this week may seem automatic as a starter, but if you drafted either Marcus Mariota or Blake Bortles as your backup, you could start either of them ahead of Big Ben based on match up alone.

Pittsburgh vs Cincinnati can be either a shootout or a slugfest. It could also be target practice for disgruntled Bengals defensive linemen who want to vent their frustrations by hitting the QB.

Tennessee goes to Detroit whose defense who gave up 368 yards through the air in a Week one victory at Indianapolis, but did not force any turnovers. Mariotta was victimized by the Vikings defense for two pick-six interceptions. If Mariotta avoids such turnovers against a weaker opponent in Week two, this could be a week where he scores four or more touchdowns both through the air and with his feet.

Bortles leads Jacksonville into San Diego in a cross country trip going east to west which is a lot easier on the travelers to face a defense that gave up a 24-3 lead to the Kansas City Chiefs and still lacks any cohesion.  

The Jaguars losing Week one also plays a role because it gives them some urgency to win this week.  Bortles threw just one touchdown against the Packers, while completing only six passes to Allen Robinson on 15 targets. You can figure that these two will get better matchups and opportunities against a much softer defense in Week two

If you own a Bears offensive player, you have the benefit of having a Monday Night Football Ace in the Hole. The goal of all Fantasy Football is to have the best overall score. Having said this, there is always an advantage to Fantasy Football enjoyment in having a player or players going Monday night.  

Whether you are ahead or behind, having someone active in your lineup gives you hope that you can either hold off an opponent’s late charge or you can catch up and overtake them.

One win against a hapless Cleveland Browns team does not change the fact that the Philadelphia Eagles are near the bottom of the pecking order in the NFL.

Look for the Bears offense to power fantasy teams across the finish line in Week two, so if you own Jeremy Langford or Alshon Jeffery this week, smile at your good fortune and have a wonderful Monday night.

Week one panic strikes every year and I am sure you know about the failures Todd Gurley, Dez Bryant, Gary Barnidge, & Coby Fleener all experienced. These players were probably drafted by you to start for your teams consistently through the season.  

Do not let one week change your mindset and stick to your plan. You should not change your lineup strategy unless some major changes come about such as Keenan Allen being knocked out for the year or a player like Spencer Ware, who was drafted either late or not at all, getting a starting role and running with it.

In the cases of all the above disappointments from Week one, each of them benefit from wonderful match-ups this week and if you panic by either benching them or trading them away, you pretty much take all your strategy and the potential of benefitting from it and throw it away.

Calm yourself and enjoy the rebound coming your way.

I am quite sure that you all have some nuggets of information to share as to how you see Week two playing out. Do not be shy and share your insight by replying back here. Our community is built on the premise of learning from each other so that we all can improve ourselves.  

Have a great Week two everyone.