Analyze This ~ Week 2

OK so the "Starting Studs" category probably died after week 1. Like I said, this weekly analysis thing is a work in progress, but I figured you should know who stays in your starting lineup like Chris Johnson, Frank Gore, Marques Colston, Philip Rivers, Andre Johnson, Drew Brees, and Vincent Jackson, all of whom had huge week 2 performances. However, I will admit to slyly benching Chris Johnson in week 1 in favor of Ray Rice, warily considering the matchup against the ever potent Steelers' defense in their home-opener. After week 2, Johnson will probably not see my bench again, pending injuries. Since my time to work on this blog is becoming more rare and I will be posting it much later than I wanted, I will get right into the analysis.

You're Killing Me!

Greg Jennings v CIN ~ 0 catches (5 targets)
Tom Brady @ NYJ ~ 23/47 completions, 216 yards, 1 int
Matt Forte v PIT ~ 13 runs, 29 yards; 5 catches (6 targets), 33 yards
Steve Slaton @ TEN ~ 17 runs, 34 yards; 3 catches (5 targets), 25 yards
Maurice Jones-Drew v ARI ~ 13 runs, 66 yards; 4 catches (7 targets), 17 yards
Brandon Marshall v CLE ~ 3 catches (6 targets), 34 yards; 1 run, 14 yards
Eddie Royal v CLE ~ 3 catches (9 targets), 20 yards
Donnie Avery @ WAS ~ 1 catch (6 targets), 4 yards, 1 FL
Brandon Jacobs @ DAL ~ 16 runs, 58 yards; 0 catches (1 target)
Roy Williams v NYG ~ 1 catch (4 targets), 18 yards

You Will See Much More of This...

Matt Schaub ~ 127.8 passer rating (25/39 completions, 357 yards, 4 TDs)
Ronnie Brown ~ 24 runs, 136 yards, 2 TDs (62 yards and 1 TD from wildcat)
Carson Palmer ~ 21 FF pts (15/23 completions, 185 yards, 3 TDs, 2 ints; 2 runs, 1 yards, 1 TD)
DeShaun Jackson ~ 4 catches (9 targets), 101 yards, 1 TD; 3 runs, 15 yards
Darren Sproles ~ 17 touches, 150 total yards, 1 TD
Lendale White ~ 6 total touches (6 runs, 25 yards, and cheerleading Chris Johnson from the sideline)
Julius Jones ~ 1.4 average yards per rush (8 runs, 11 yards)

...And Much Less of This

Eli Manning ~ 330 yards, 2 TDs (25/38 completions)
Cedric Benson ~ 4.9 average yards per rush (29 runs, 141 yards)
Correll Buckhalter ~ 16 FF pts, 8.4 average yards per rush (9 runs, 76 yards, 1 TD; 1 catch (3 targets), 30 yards)
Donald Driver ~ 15 FF pts (6 catches (9 targets), 99 yards, 1 TD)
Entire Patriots' Offense ~ 299 total yards (216 passing, 83 rushing), 0 TDs
Joseph Addai/Donald Brown ~ combined 10 rushes

Surprised the Heck Out of Me!

Adrian Peterson had a grand total of 116 yards (92 rushing, 24 receiving) against the Lions defense. Granted the Lions beefed up their defense a bit from last year, but Mike Bell torched them for 143 rushing yards, averaging 5.1 per carry in week 1.....Mike Bell! I thought for sure AD would absolutely humiliate the Lions and set single game records. I own AD in one of my leagues, and I was so excited about the potential of seeing his point total go into the 50s. Needless to say, he disappointed me. 116 total yards, 1 TD, and 6.1 yards per run is typically a very nice stat-line for a RB, but when it's Adrian Peterson against the Lions...not so much.

Chris Johnson is one of the best RBs in the NFL, a stud first-round pick, and a guy I had ranked 4th on my pre-draft cheat sheet. We all knew he would have big games, torch weaker defenses, and end the season as a potential top 5 RB. However, I must say I was still surprised by his phenominal performance against the ever slumping Texans defense. 284 total scrimmage yards and 3 TDs! WOW! The best part is his yards per run average of 12.3. Of course, many of the 87 receiving yards came off of a blown coverage when Johnson lined up as a wideout and had no defender on him.

Greg Jennings had 0 catches against the Bengals defense?!?! That's two surprises rolled into one. Furthermore, the Packers scored 3 TDs, Aaron Rodgers passed for 261 yards, and Jennings had no part. I highly doubt we will ever see that again this or next year.

Continuing with the Bengals/Packers game, the Bengals win at Lambeau impressively. Cedric Benson ran very well, Chad Ochocinco delivered the Lambeau leap he promised, Carson Palmer efficiently managed the game, and the Bengals defense shut down Greg Jennings. I mentioned in my week 1 analysis that the Packers defense is for real, and I was speaking from a fantasy perspective. Even though they allowed the Bengals to score 31 points they still got 2 ints, with one being returned by Charles Woodson for a TD, 2 sacks, and 1 forced fumble. That still makes for a good fantasy defense, even after allowing 31 points to be scored against them.

It is no surprise to me that the Jets defense is playing as well as they are. What surprised me is the Jets defense holding the Patriots offense under 300 total yards and allowing 0 TDs. Did I already mention that the Jets defense under Rex Ryan and Mike Pettine is the real deal? Well they are, and Tom Brady will confirm that.

Talk about a breakout party on national television. Steve Smith and Mario Manningham each had 10 catches with the former getting 134 yards and 1 TD and the latter getting 150 yards and 1 TD. I knew Smith would see a lot of receptions this year as the Giants' primary possession WR, but I didn't expect to see him explode for 134 yards and a TD in one week against a solid...well supposedly solid defense. Manningham is looking very impressive so far and will certainly have a bright career ahead of him, but don't expect a lot of these types of performances this year. In fact, Manningham is currently very nice trade bait. He could definitely have another one of these performances, but he certainly won't end the season as the top WR (as he currently is now), and I don't see him even landing in the top 15 WRs at season-end. However, it is very nice to see Manningham like he was in the maize and blue again.