Every Saturday morning, Andy Richardson offers brief overviews of the upcoming Sunday games, including significant developments involving injuries. He'll also offer opinions on lineup questions over the course of the day.
Week 1 was an up and down week for me. My Super League team was a joke, and a lot of my running backs (Trent Richardson, Stevan Ridley) disappointed. But I had a couple of other teams that were outstanding (Cruz, Witten), and I'd added Julius Thomas everywhere before his breakout game, so that's OK.
Now it's time to get serious. Which Week 1 performances were mirages, and which do we need to respect going forward? Let's take a look at the games.
Rams at Falcons: Daryl Richardson apparently has a minor foot injury -- remember when knees used to be the scary injuries? Now it's feet -- but is fine. I am banking a lot on the Rams going in and winning this game, so we'll see how that goes. I like Chris Givens here, too. Both Falcons wideouts are banged-up, but sounds like Julio is fine. I would not use Roddy White; I will let him have his first good game of the season on my bench, and then start him after that. We've learned the Falcons mislead on injuries, so I need to see White fully healthy before using him.
Browns at Ravens: Couple of people in my suicide pool picked the Ravens, so go Browns. (I took the Patriots and live to fight another week.) I think Trent Richardson will be busy, but the matchup of course isn't great. No Josh Gordon or Jacoby Jones, you knew that. I'd be avoiding Torrey Smith and am starting Marlon Brown in a couple of spots. Smith draws Joe Haden, Brown doesn't. Am using Ray Rice but not expecting huge production.
Panthers at Bills: The Bills secondary is short-handed. Can Cam Newton take advantage? From what we saw out of New England against the Jets, maybe we overrated Buffalo's defense a bit by them doing a nice job against the Patriots last week. I'm OK using Steve Smith and Newton. Nice matchup for DeAngelo Williams, but I've been burned by him a few too many times to promise anything. C.J. Spiller gets a tough matchup, but I like his chances here more than FJax. Stevie Johnson can be used; Carolina's secondary is poor.
Vikings at Bears: After watching Lions-Vikings last week, I was left with the impression that the Vikings defense might be pretty bad. Consequently I am all over the Bears offense this week. For Minnesota, I think it could be a poor game for just about everyone. Don't really care to use anybody outside of Adrian Peterson, and even he shouldn't have a great game.
Washington at Packers: Rough start for Washington. Suddenly Alfred Morris and Robert Griffin III are going to be huge disappointments and everyone is rushing to grab Leonard Hankerson off the waiver wire. Up is down, black is white. I think Washington was taken off guard by Philly's offense, but that doesn't mean they're hopeless. Mind you I'd be happily starting Packers, but I think it is too soon to get down on the Washington offense. Looks like a fun, high-scoring game. Jermichael Finley has a bit of a toe issue I guess, but he'll be out there.
Titans at Texans: Lot of people took Houston in my suicide pool. I'm not so sure. I tried to buy low on Arian Foster this week, without success. I think he's still the No. 1 and would continue to start him. Tough matchup for Chris Johnson, but I don't think most people have superior options.
Dolphins at Colts: I'm in the camp that says Vick Ballard being out for the year doesn't change Ahmad Bradshaw's situation much. Ballard is nothing special so they'll just stick Donald Brown into that committee and move on. They can't give Bradshaw 20-plus carries per game and expect him to hold up. This idea that Brown isn't any good -- was Ballard? This isn't a running team, but if you need a running back (and who doesn't?) you could do worse than adding Brown and waiting for Bradshaw to limp off the field. Sounds like no Dwayne Allen, making T.Y. Hilton more appealing; more 3-WR sets. The Miami offense should be pretty good.
Cowboys at Kansas City: We think Kansas City's defense is for real, so expectations for Dallas' offense should be managed. I am still using all their key players, but KC is going to be pretty good this season. Dallas had some issues on defense and although I wouldn't go crazy on Alex Smith, I'd be fine using Bowe and maybe even Anthony Fasano.
Chargers at Eagles: San Diego is traveling East on a short work week and they're probably a bit down after blowing a win against Houston. I expect more of the same from Philly's offense. For San Diego, I kind of like Ryan Mathews, who is running well. Maybe after a week of everyone lauding the Eagles and picking on the Chargers, San Diego will surprise us. Probably not, but you never know. LeSean McCoy this week indicated he wants fewer carries. C'mon, LeSean! That's how you lose a featured job in this league.
Lions at Cardinals: Larry Fitzgerald has a hamstring issue. Should be fine, but you know, it's a little worrying. I took him out of my DraftStreet lineup because of it. Calvin Johnson will have to deal with Patrick Peterson, who's a pretty good cornerback. Again, not enough to bench him or anything, but maybe you avoid him in the Super League or whatever. Regardless, I expect more offense -- especially passing -- than defense in this game.
Saints at Bucs: Use both passing games. Nothing else of note to say on this one. Doug Martin should be fine, and I'd use Sproles because of the receiving. Saints defense a decent spot start. I'm using VJax because he went over 200 yards against this defense last year, not because I really like relying on Josh Freeman playing well.
Broncos at Giants: Manning Bowl! Uh, I think everyone but the Broncos running backs are fair game here. I would start David Wilson if I had him, he'll have to bounce back (and the Giants have nobody else). Got a friend going to this one (probably a few), and I will definitely be watching. Lot of offense in this one. Uh huh, yeah.
Jaguars at Raiders: I love how after one week the Jaguars are now eager to shelve Blaine Gabbert for good in favor of Chad Henne. Let's see how this game goes, first. Henne should be OK seeing as the Raiders have nothing on defense, but I still wouldn't invest too heavily. Maurice Jones-Drew, you kind of need to have a good game against this defense. Cecil Shorts, too. If you're going to use any Oakland players, this is probably the game for that, too. Terrelle Pryor, well, I'm still a little nervous, but I'd use him over mediocre -- not great -- alternatives. Don't get cute and bench Kaepernick for him. In my opinion.
49ers at Seahawks: Interesting Sunday night game between two NFC favorites. I feel like this isn't a showcase game we get very often, so it will be fun to watch (I'm sure NBC wishes it had landed the Manning game). As for who to use and bench, I would be using the running backs (especially Lynch) and avoiding all receivers beyond Boldin and Davis, who I think need to be in lineups. Should be a lot of defense here, but I'd start Kaepernick anyway.
Steelers at Bengals: I THINK the Bengals will win this game easily and totally shut down the Steelers offense. But I don't know it, so I'm a little wary. Pittsburgh's defense still has some capable players. Their offense, of course, is a disaster, and I'm trying to ship off any that I drafted. Am actually benching Antonio Brown for Julius Thomas in a PPR league. Today, anyway, I could still change my mind. I drafted Dez Bryant over A.J. Green in a couple of leagues. It's only been one week, but I'm not so sure I made the right move right now.
As always, feel free to post questions, and I'll weigh in with answers over the course of the day. Uh, if you post questions 10 minutes before kickoff, there's a good chance I won't see it in time. Good luck, and as always, enjoy the games.
