Start Em’
Carson Palmer QB, ARI, is coming off of an impressive win against the New Orleans Saints, in which he threw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns. Palmer will surely build off of this performance as he will face one of the worst pass defenses in the Chicago Bears. Since the beginning of last season the Bears have allowed the second most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. The Bears have also surrendered the most touchdown passes (37) during this span. Look for Palmer to air it out in Andre Ellington’s absence.
Prediction: 23 pts; 280 yds, 3 TDs
Justin Forsett RB, BAL, got off to a slow start last week against an impressive Denver defense, as he rushed for only 43 yards on 14 carries. Things will be easier this week against a dismal Oakland Raiders defense that allowed the 3rd-most rushing touchdowns (17) last season. In week 1, Oakland surrendered 127 rushing yards with a pair of scores. Forsett should have success early and often in this matchup, including a trip to the end zone.
Prediction: 14 pts; 80 yds, 1 TD
Terrance Williams WR, DAL, leads the Cowboys in targets and receiving yards when Dez Bryant is out of the lineup. With Bryant being out for a month, Williams will be the go to guy in Dallas. This will mean that he will be covered by the opposition’s best, but this week shouldn’t be too much of a problem against a less than stellar Philadelphia secondary. Williams scored 8 touchdowns last season, so it is evident that he is a threat in the red zone.
Prediction: 12 pts; 60 yds, 1 TD
Sit Em’
Matthew Stafford QB, DET, and the Detroit Lions will play their first intra-division game against the Minnesota Vikings. Despite the Vikings defense being thrashed by the 49ers rushing attack their pass defense was rather sound, allowing just 165 passing yards to 49er quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Stafford has had his struggles against Minnesota in the past, averaging only 185 passing yards per game with 3 touchdowns in his past three contests against the Vikings.
Prediction: 14 pts; 220 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Dion Lewis RB, NE, is the 9th-most added player (+22.4%) in ESPN leagues after his surprisingly efficient week 1 performance, in which he had over 60 rushing yards and 50 receiving yards. It’s unrealistic for him to duplicate those stats this week as the Patriots will be facing a tough Buffalo Bills defense. In addition, LeGarrette Blount will also see majority of early touches as he is returning from suspension. Since the Patriots use so many different running backs from week to week, the last time that a Patriot running back recorded two consecutive 100 total yard outings was in 2010. Expect Lewis to be a minimal factor in this one.
Prediction: 4 pts; 40 yds
Brandon Marshall WR, NYJ, can expect to be shadowed all day by shutdown corner Vontae Davis, who held Sammy Watkins without a catch in week 1. Davis is just a small part of the dominant Indianapolis Colts secondary, which has allowed the 6th-fewest fantasy points to opposing wideouts, since last season. Marshall will still see many targets as he is the team’s best receiver, but with Davis blanketing him don’t expect much production.
Prediction: 6 pts; 60 yds
Top Players by Position
QB
Andrew Luck, IND: Don’t expect this guy to be off his game two weeks in a row, especially when he’s back home.
Prediction: 23 pts; 280 yds, 3 TDs
Ben Roethlisberger, PIT: Threw 38 passes in week 1, expect more of the same with star running back Le’Veon Bell out yet again. Classic case of volume passing leading to a big fantasy score.
Prediction: 21 pts; 340 yds, 2 TDs
Drew Brees, NO: Playing against a Tampa Bay defense that allowed 4 touchdown passes to rookie Marcus Mariota… imagine what a seasoned veteran will do.
Prediction: 20 pts; 320 yds, 2 TDs
RB
Marshawn Lynch, SEA: Totaled 104 yards last week and is facing a Green Bay defense that allowed 141 rushing yards to Matt Forte last week.
Prediction: 16 pts; 100 yds, 1 TD
Jeremy Hill, CIN: Faces San Diego who allowed the 5th-most fantasy points to opposing running backs in week 1.
Prediction: 15 pts; 90 yds, 1 TD
Adrian Peterson, MIN: Disappointed in week 1, but similar to Luck, he won’t repeat an off performance.
Prediction: 13 pts; 70 yds, 1 TD
WR
Antonio Brown, PIT: Extended his NFL record 33 consecutive regular season games with at least 5 catches for 50 yards.
Prediction: 16 pts; 100 yds, 1 TD
Julio Jones, ATL: Faces a Giants defense that he torched for 105 yards on 11 catches, in last season’s matchup.
Prediction: 15 pts; 90 yds, 1 TD
Odell Beckham Jr, NYG: Following the theme of bouncing back from a week 1 disappointment, OBJ fits the bill.
Prediction: 14 pts; 80 yds, 1 TD
Check out a comprehensive injury report here.
Thanks for reading and check back next week for more fantasy football insights.
Questions about your lineup?
Collegian Sports Reporter Alec Grimes can be reached at sports@collegian.com and on Twitter @GrimesAlec.
