Sorry everyone, I still can’t find it in me to come up with the normal wit and poor-team degradation, so you’re stuck with the same picks and analysis I put in at fantasystats:
Too many people, far more eloquent than me, have made and will make statements regarding this past week’s tragedy, so I’ll leave it at this – God Bless the Victims, their Families, their Friends, the Rescue Workers, our Armed Forces, our President and Congress, and May God Bless America.
The NFL schedule has taken a bit of a twist, especially on the fantasy end as the line-up you thought you’d be using for Week 2 will probably undergo quite a few changes (sorry if your opponent has a Vikings stud on his team). Too avoid confusion, I will refer to this week as Week 2, next week as Week 3, etc.
The first thing that popped out at me looking at the Week 2 schedule was “wow, there are A LOT of home underdogs this week.” I count eight. Let’s see if that’s the way it actually pans out:
Bills 17 at Colts 34 (Colts by 10)
Wide receivers are the big question mark in this game. Will Moulds reappear after vanishing last week? (Yes.) How about Harrison? (Yes.) Who will start opposite of Harrison? (I think it’s Pathon’s job to lose.)
START: Manning, James, Harrison, Pathon, Vanderjagt, Moulds.
Raiders 20 at Dolphins 21 (Miami by 1 ½)
The injury to Bowens hurts Miami’s defense, but their new and improved offense did a great job against the very tough Titan defense. If this were in Oakland, I’d pick the Raiders.
START: Lamar Smith, Chambers (a hunch), Garner, Janikowski.
Titans 20 at Jaguars 16 (Jaguars by 2)
Believe it or not, O’Donnell as the QB may actually help the Titans in this game. He’s certainly one of the better back-ups in the league. Even with the week off, the Titans are reeling from the home loss to Miami and won’t start the season 0-2.
START: George, Taylor, Hollis, Nedney.
Baltimore 27 at Bengals 10 (Baltimore by 7)
I’m being nice with that touchdown for the Bungles, but I’m not sure who will score it. It could either be Dillon, Warrick, or Scott. It will probably be a long one though. Baltimore will continue to air it out with not much going in the running game.
START: Grbac, Sharpe, Stover, Raven Defense.
Panthers 24 at Falcons 28 (Falcons by 3 ½)
There should be a lot of scoring in this game, so don’t feel too bad starting almost anyone on either team. This one could go either way, but I’ll give it to the home team.
START: Weinke, Muhammad, Jamal Anderson, Mathis.
Lions 13 at Browns 10 (Lions by 1 ½)
I thought about giving this one to the Browns because the Lions’ secondary is so banged up. Then I remembered that Seattle’s was in Week 1, and the Browns could only manage 6 points.
START: Lions Defense.
Vikings 31 at Bears 17 (Vikings by 3)
The Vikings looked absolutely horrid against the Panthers. I don’t expect to see that two games in a row. Cris Carter had an extra week to get over that deep thigh bruise, so the passing game should be clicking on all cylinders.
START: Marcus Robinson (another hunch), Culpepper, Moss, Carter, Chamberlain.
Giants 27 at Chiefs 24 (Chiefs by 1)
Alexander’s nagging achilles has him down to doubtful for the week as I write this. That’ll make things tough on Green, Gonzo, and Minnis, but I still expect a couple of passing scores from them
START: Barber, Toomer, Green, Gonzo, Richardson.
Chargers 31 at Cowboys 14 (Chargers by 3 ½)
Everyone’s sleeper team gets another convincing win. No reason to feel bad if you have to use a Charger in your starting line-up.
START: Tomlinson, Freddie Jones, Flutie, Conway.
Jets 20 at Patriots 13 (Jets by 1 ½)
The Patsies couldn’t beat the Bungles. I don’t have a lot of faith in the Jets, but emotion and Curtis Martin should carry them in this one.
START: Curtis Martin, John Hall.
Rams 30 at 49ers 20 (Rams by 6 ½)
This one could be iffy if the sore thumb sidelines Warner. I’m assuming he’ll be good to go and the Greatest Show on Turf will put on a nice display.
START: Warner, Faulk, Bruce, Holt, Wilkens, Owens, Garcia.
Eagles 17 at Seahawks 10 (Eagles by 3)
The Seahawks defensive backfield is still all banged up. Meanwhile the young Seattle wide receivers will be facing two very talented defensive backs.
START: Staley, McNabb, Eagles Defense.
Broncos 27 at Cardinals 10 (Broncos by 8 ½)
The week off probably hurt Arizona more than anyone else as this will be their first game of the season. The loss of McCaffrey is a blow to the Broncos, but they should be able to overcome it against the Cards.
START: Greise, Rod Smith, Terrell Davis, Broncos Defense.
Redskins 13 at Packers 31 (Packers by 8 ½)
The Packers end up with two home games to start the season. The Redskins seem to be picking up where they left off in their dismal finish to last season. Look for quite a few Redskin turnovers.
START: Favre, Schroeder, Ahman Green, Packer Defense.
Last Week: 13-2 straight up, 9-6 against the spread.
Overall: 13-2, 9-6.
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