What to Watch For In Week 2

First of all, let’s quickly answer the questions we asked heading into Week 1.
1. Which receiver will get the most targets on the Dolphins? Here’s how the target report looked: Bess 7, Ginn 5, Fasano 3, Hartline 2, Camarillo 2, Haynos 1. Bess is the best bet for production here in PPR leagues.
2. Will Ray Rice be a true feature back? Yes. Rice got the Ravens’ first six carries of the game and finished with 19 carries for 108 yards. Willis McGahee looked like the goal-line back, but Rice was clearly the man.
3. Will Martellus Bennett or Jermichael Finley get enough snaps to be roster-able? Nope. Bennett had two passes come his way and caught one. Finley caught his only target for a six-yard gain.
4. Are Carson Palmer and Chad Ochocinco back to their old ways? Not completely, but there were encouraging signs. Palmer was 21-33 for 247 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. He played better than those numbers showed. Chad caught five passes for 89 yards and was targeted seven times.
5. Will LaDainian Tomlinson regain his dominant form? Absolutely not. His owners couldn’t have dreamed up a much worse debut.
OK, let’s get to five questions heading into Week 2:
1. Will Beanie Wells begin his ascension to the feature back role? Both Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic and ESPN’s Mike Sando said this week they expect Wells to have a bigger role this week and going forward. Wells had seven total touches in Week 1 while Tim Hightower had 20.
2. Can the Texans’ offense prove last week was a fluke? People are calling them a finesse team, also known as soft. Can they get their offensive line issues squared away so Matt Schaub has some time? It’s a big early-season game for the Texans' confidence tomorrow in Tennessee.
3. How will Kevin Kolb affect DeSean Jackson, Brent Celek and Brian Westbrook? Conventional thinking says Kolb will fall flat on his face and be replaced by Jeff Garcia before long. The Eagles are confident Kolb will play well. Jackson’s owners need to have a close eye on this in case McNabb is out longer than just this week.
4. Can Darren Sproles carry the load for a whole game? This is Sproles’ big chance to prove he’s not too small to get 20 touches in an NFL game. It’s a tough break for him that it comes against the Ravens, but that’s the way it goes. If he plays well, Tomlinson won’t be rushed back from his ankle injury.
5. How will the Colts react to Anthony Gonzalez’s absence and their inept running game? There’s a big chance for Pierre Garcon or Austin Collie to step up here. Will they become start-able in fantasy? The Colts can’t run the ball, so we should get a good idea what’s going on here in front of everyone on Monday Night.





Comments
Represent the French gents -- stop sleeping on the cedilla. It is Garçon. And yes, his role will increase, but D Clark will be the true beneficiary of Gonzo's absence.
Posted by: Pepe Le Pew | September 19, 2009 11:33 PM
There is a big difference between a feature back (like MJD getting every carry but one) and the guy in a clear committee that got the most carries (Rice). You guys are coming across as so desperate to be right about your Rice call that you're interpreting the stats with a bias.
Schaub was playing hurt last week. The Texans offense will come back strong this week or next.
Before I sound too negative, Evan's Matchups articles have been superb.
Posted by: Ocean Man | September 20, 2009 01:54 AM
Poof!! There goes Ray Rice and his "clear feature back" role. Jesus. I hate the Ravens. I hate McGahee too.
Posted by: JS | September 20, 2009 08:47 PM
Hi, Not sure that this is true:), but thanks for a post.
SonyaSunny
Posted by: SonyaSunny | September 21, 2009 07:11 AM