This really DOES feel like a new season. Not only new, in the sense that it's fresh, but more importantly different. I can't remember the last time the Dolphins opened a season in such emphatic fashion. It was so great, in fact, that I didn't even care that I didn't follow my own advice and left Mark Ingram on my bench in favor of Ben Tate. My fantasy team is a mess. But the Dolphins look legit. I don't think I've ever said that. I'm not going to lie it feels good. I was a perfect 5 out of 5 on my strikes. The Ingram call was especially juicy. Sanders got a majority of the targets in Denver. Harvin is going to be a total yardage monster this year, and Kaepernick did pretty much what I expected. It would have been worse (or better) had the Cowboys even put up a mild struggle. That game was over at half time. Best of all, my new favorite Miami Dolphin did exactly what I thought he would do and then some. Knowshon Moreno destroyed the Patriots defense and now leads the NFL in rushing. Let that one sink a bit.... I struggled a bit on the Gutters with a 3 out of 5. Newton didn't play so hopefully you sat him, RGIII was predictably putrid and the Colts RBs continue to be a dumpster fire. I think Bradshaw had a garbage touchdown but they were ineffective at best as the Colts fell behind big early. JUST LIKE I SAID! I was dead wrong on Patterson, going to be a long season in St. Louis (so glad we didn't hire Fischer). And I was very happy to see how wrong I was on Mike Wallace who played a great game against Revis. I've never seen him go after footballs like that before. He looks bigger this year too. I am very high on the Dolphins offense. Again, these are all words I don't think I've ever said before. It feels incredible. ON TO THE STRIKES!
Strikes:
Carson Palmer: If you are like me and thought you were getting a steal with Tom Brady in the 6th or 7th round, and were fortunate enough to snag Palmer as your back up then don't panic. A few things; 1) Carson Palmer is still good. 2) The Cardinals have a decent offensive line and many weapons. 3) The Giants may have the worst defense in the NFL.
Justin Hunter: This guy has been on my radar for a while. I think Kendall Wright also has a good game, and Shonn Greene may actually get into the end zone this week. In keeping with the saying things I've never said before theme; I'm bullish on the Titans offense this week. Dallas is awful. They might be the only defense worse than the Giants. Can you believe they play each other twice this year. The over under for punts in that match up has to be set at 3. I digress, start Justin Hunter.
Brandin Cooks: The rookie looked legit against a bad Falcon defense last week. We know the Saints can score and I look for Joe Hayden to be locked onto Colston all day. I see a good deal of passes going in Cooks' direction. Poor Browns fans... (click the image below for maximum effect, importing GIFs is hard!)
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Giovani Bernard: You are starting him regardless, but I love the match up. The Bengals clearly want to get him the touches and he is PPR gold at this point. I feel like this is a great chance for him to showcase a lot of that explosiveness.
Courtesy Dolphin Start of the Week, Charles Clay: I expect the passing game to get a little more this week. after last season's debacle in Buffalo at the end of the season I feel like they are chomping at the bit to show that this offense is different. Buffalo can still get great pressure so I expect the the short to intermediate stuff over the middle to be featured. The Bears got a monster game from their TE last week. I think the Dolphins follow suit. I almost went with Tannehill or the Defense, as I think they are solid plays as well. Knowshon will get plenty of touches again too. It's so nice to have multiple Dolphins to talk about from a fantasy perspective.
Gutters:
Ryan Matthews: The Chargers got a tough draw out of the gate. The Seahawks defense is pretty tough to run or pass against. I don't see the fragile Running Back doing big things this week. If you have a better option in the RB2 neighborhood you should strongly consider it.
Detroit RBs: There isn't a better tackling defense in the NFL than the Carolina Panthers right now. The Lions are going from playing the worst defense in the NFL at home to playing (arguably) the best defense in the league on the road. I expect a tough transition for them and a slow day at the office for both Bell and Bush.
Matt Ryan: I expect him to come back to reality this week on the road against a tough Cincinnati Defense with a good secondary. You can't bench him because of last week's explosion but be wary...
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Victor Cruz: Patrick Peterson. Also, the Giants are terrible. I don't think I have much more to talk about here.
Courtesy Dolphin Sit of the Week, Lamar Miller: Kind of a cop out, I know. But he was very good last week and found the endzone. A lot of people still see he him as the starter, which I guess, technically he was last week. I just don't see that type of production coming from a change of pace back, which he is right now. I think he may be the best change of pace in the NFL, but I don't see a lot of production from him this week. I think Moreno starts doing a majority of the heavy lifting and I see the passing game getting dusted off a bit more this week as well.
There you have it folks, fantasy advice you can always count on being here. You can expect at least one of these predictions to be semi-accurate. Last year I followed up a solid week one performance with one of my worst advice columns of the season in week 2. I'm hoping this time around, I can keep the momentum going.
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Well, dude, sometimes you eat the bear, sometimes the bear eats you...