Week 2 Fantasy 911

Every week in the NFL there are notable injuries. It’s a tough sport and players put a lot of effort into each play so there are bound to be injuries and that is part of fantasy football.  Owners have to be ready to make adjustments and take advantage of opportunities as they present themselves.  Fantasy 911 will take a look at the emergencies that might need some help and give owners some perspectives on possible options.  Each week we’ll look at the different happenings around the league that could make an impact.  Quite often this will focus around the injuries, but could look at promotions and demotions for role players, as the case this week.

The first thing to get into is the David Wilson issue.  Here is a tough case of fumble-itis.  You’ve got a guy with talent, opportunity, and passion, but keeps making mistakes.  These mistakes are costing him playing time that results in lackluster fantasy points.  I for one will not play him this week if I have a better option. I don’t expect much from Wilson, but he should  be able to get back on the field and have a chance to prove himself again. With that said, his line may not be great.  I’d give him a  11/48/0 at best. They just signed Brandon Jacobs but he is just as much in the doghouse with the coach as Wilson.  They will most likely give him some pass protection work that might result in some catches, but don’t expect much from Jacobs.  Da’rel Scott is also going to see some work, but he is not going to produce stellar numbers for the run game either.   Right now the best option for carrying the ball is Wilson and that should get him on the field.  However, this week the Giants are facing Peyton Manning and the Broncos so it could be passing type of game.  If the score gets out of hand, like it did for the Ravens last week they will be forced to abandon the run. Rice only produced 36 yards on the ground and the Broncos held Ravens to 58 total rushing yards.  I don’t think Wilson is a good play this week and wouldn’t start any of the Giants running backs if I’ve got someone that can produce better that a mediocre line.

The next emergency at hand is in New England where newly acquired receiver Danny Amendola is already on the injury list and looking to miss a couple of weeks.  This is not good news for those that drafted him early, but with his performance last week there will be something to look forward too when he returns.  This means that Julian Edleman is now the receiver to own in the pats offense and his performance last week, even with Amendola in the game, warranted a pickup.  He was quickly snatched up this week and will be a must start for any owner.  He should be able to produced very similar numbers to last week, with the exception on the number of touchdowns. My forecast for him could produce a line like 11/119/1 as I easily see him catching double digit figures and getting into the end zone this week.  In that same offense it looks like Gronk will not be ready this week and will probably need another week or two at least.

The Ravens receiver Jacoby Jones will not need surgery, but will miss at least 4-6 weeks with a knee sprain. Marlon Brown should be able to pick up the slack and would be a good fantasy option in deeper leagues with 3 receivers.

Jamaal Charles is most likely going to play, but might be limited this week. It’s hard to say at this point, but his line should produce better number then what you’ve got on the bench so it would be hard not to start him unless he wasn’t playing.

Daryl Richardson didn’t practice but will play this week. He was getting a day off after his workhorse performance in week 1.

With Mark Sanchez still hurt and not practicing, expect rookie Geno Smith to start again for the Jets. The fact that he won his first game is certainly helping his case.  I don’t think he’s a good fantasy option at this point unless it’s a really deep league with 2 QBs.

Both Julio Jones and Roddy White missed practice with injuries, but both are expected to play in week 2 as neither injury looks serious enough to keep them off the field. I would start both as normal unless you have a deep receiving roster, and even then it would be hard to bench either of these top picks if they are playing