Love/Hate Week 4

                The NFL, where a sure thing will never actually exist! Aaron Rodgers, who is supposedly the best fantasy QB in the last couple years had such a bad week that it actually cost me the game. He puts up an average week and I win with ease. So I’ll start off by apologizing for being so bad in my predictions last week. I guess the NFL is too unpredictable to even really be writing about it or playing fantasy football at all, but we love it anyway and you all love it enough to read my posts about how bad my team has been this season.

                So week three was such an odd week that I really don’t know where to go from there, but looking through ESPN’s takes on how each player did last week I can see a lot of regression to the mean about to happen. What do I mean by regression to the mean you ask? I’ll explain.

                Regression to the mean is something I live by. It’s the idea that an unlikely sequence of events happens, and is followed by the opposite or going back to the normal. I learned about this in ESPN the Mag and the example they used was that the Jets recovered a ton of fumbles one season (yes the Jets did something good) and the next season they recovered way less than the league average. I’m a firm believer that regression to the mean can occur in really anything.

                How does this relate to my Love/Hate this week? Well a lot of my players had terrible games in week three and I know they are better than what they produced, so I expect most of them to come back in week four and have a huge game to stay at their season average. That doesn’t mean I’ll go with all players that had bad games last games last week, because there’s a fine line between underperforming and just a bad game.

                So here we go:

Love:

QB: RGIII is going to have a good game. I think he’ll finally get his sh** together and have a good game. He has to. If the Redskins remain winless after playing the lowly Raiders then RGIII has a very good chance of getting benched. With a pick or two Mike Shanahan is going to panic and worry about his job security and there’s a good chance he benches RG0-3 for Kirk Cousins. I think with some desperation RGIII will have to have a good week. I can see him going off because he’s a dynamic athlete with a lot of intangibles and will succeed in crunch time.

QB: Tony Romo could be big this week. With two high powered offenses battling it out in San Diego, I see a shootout in San Diego this week.

RB: Giovani Bernard will play well against the Browns this week because…. well, it’s the Browns. Bernard will tear them apart with his speed in the open field and get into the end zone at least once or twice.

RB: Knowshon Moreno will have a great game against the Eagles. I know I’ve said this guy more than once, and I was wrong last season, but with the Broncos likely to be up early and the Eagles defense likely to be tired from their offense’s low time of possession, I can see Moreno getting the ball a lot.

WR: Cecil Shorts – this one’s completely a hunch. Shorts has been heating up thus far scoring more and more each week. I think he’ll keep heating up and slow down soon, but he’ll still stay around 20-22 points each week after that.

WR: Marques Colston – I’m going out on a limb once again here. I can see the Saints giving the Dolphins a reality check this week. “The Dolphins are legit!” is what I’ve heard a lot after last week, but I think when they play a real team in the Saints and their high powered offense I can see a blowout. Colston is one of Brees’ favorite receivers and with the Dolphins likely to pay a lot of attention to Jimmy Graham, who is coming off a monstrous week, Colston will thrive with one-on-one coverage all game.

WR: Kenbrell Thompkins is going to have some freedom this week because he’ll see more one-on-one coverage with Gronk being back. Thompkins isn’t really that good, but it’s Tom Freakin’ Brady.

TE: Yeah I’m doing one again. And it’s going to be a top tight end too. But, Rob Gronkowski is going to GO OFF this week! Why do I think so? I mean he will definitely draw at least double coverage pretty much every play so it’s not likely he even gets a catch this week, but it’s Tom Brady throwing to Gronk. Can anyone stop that? Especially with this being Gronk’s first week back, Brady is going to be excited to finally have his favorite target back.

So a lot of my predictions were based off hunches, a gut feeling, or a full out guess this week. But I've been damn awful so far so I’m gonna go with something new this week and take some guesses. We’ll see how it goes.

Hate:

QB: Michael Vick is going to look like his old self this week. The Eagles will get down by a lot really early which means Vick throwing a lot. His rush yards that kept his fantasy value alive last week will be non-existent (see RG0-3 so far) and he’ll be forced to be a pocket passer and throw a slew of interceptions.

RB: Lamar Miller won’t get the ball much in a blowout loss to the Saints on Sunday.

WR: AJ Green will get a ton of attention against the Browns and since they’re going to blow out the Browns, they’ll look elsewhere that will be extremely easy to get production.

 I’m sorry for my hate player’s evaluations being so short but I’m trying to get this piece out as early as I can since it’s late already.

This is also the first week of byes! What to do with Aaron Rodgers sitting your bench this week? Well, take a look at your bench. If you haven’t played half of them, drop them. You will never play that rookie that’s on your favorite team that you think will break out next week, or the week after…. Man up, drop him, and pick up a new guy. Having Rodgers on my team, I went to the free agents and grabbed Pryor. Will I ever need Pryor again after this week barring injury? Never. So I can pick him up for a week, and drop him right after he plays, then go grab another backup for my next bye week problem. By the end of the season when all the byes are over I can finally re-stock and grab Aaron Dobson off the free agents just for the novelty of having an over-rated rookie that never broke out that I like anyway on my team.

Love/ Hate- Week 3.

Oh NFL, you are so good to me. You're so good to every one of your loyal fans and in week 2, you were much more practical than week 1. I also must praise you for proving me right with my predictions of DeAndre Hopkins, who hoisted 114 yards and a touchdown, as well as my predictions of Jermichael Finley and Julius Thomas who each found their ways into the end zone. Who would of guessed I would be right by saying the defense that plays Jacksonville would have a good week? Shocking, I know. Oakland held the Jags to a weak 9 points and less than 250 yards offensively. The Jaguars have scored a total of 11 points through 2 weeks and at this point, I'd have to believe they'd lose to the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Although my love picks were hit and miss my eye for hatred was spot on. Colin Kaepernick shat the bed and Josh Freeman didn't impress in a loss to New Orleans. Ryan Mathews was... Ryan Mathews. It only took Giovani Bernard 2 weeks to show up Benjarvus Green-Ellis in Cincinnati, and The Law Firm wasn't a good fantasy play Monday night against Pittsburgh. Jerome Simpson proved he's still not a reliable option and was a no-show in week 2 as well. The Redskins got blown to smithereens by the Packers' high octane offense led by Aaron Rodgers and amassed a whopping -4 points. You could say I called it. So let's see what I can do this week in my week 3 rendition of the Love-Hate List!

Love:

QB- Cam Newton, CAR
The Giants have been in shootouts in each of the first two weeks. For whatever reason I expect that trend to continue, so based on what is a big gut call for me, start Newton this week. Carolina is looking to avoid an 0-3 start and they're desperate. So give Newton the nod.

QB- Eli Manning, NYG
The Giants have been in shootouts in each of the first two weeks. Hmm... this seems familiar to me for some reason. Disregard the fact that Eli is leading the league in interceptions through two games. The Giants are 0-2 against a shaky Panthers pass defense that gave up nearly 300 yards to Buffalo rookie EJ Manuel last week. Manning knows they can't slump to an 0-3 hole and he'll show up, count on it.

QB- Russell Wilson, SEA
The Seahawks are playing Jacksonville this week. Court dismissed, bring in the dancing lobsters.

Running backs this year are more frustrating than trying to understand women. Nevertheless, i must battle on and try my best to predict who will have good games this week at running back. Here goes:

RB- Alfred Morris, WAS
He's under-produced the first couple of weeks but this week against a 31st ranked Detroit run defense I see him going off. The Redskins won the NFC East last year and are facing an 0-3 start if they don't show up this week at home against the Lions. If not now, when?

RB- Darren Sproles, NO
The unsung hero of PPR leagues, Sproles is the only back I can think of that can rush for a mere 26 yards and still pull 11 points out of oblivion. In a game that could either be 14-10 or 42-35 I see Sproles going off. Start him.

RB- Chris Johnson, TEN
He has yet to find the endzone but hasn't shown any 2012 aspects of being a total dud yet. Rushing for an average of 83 yards a game he's on pace for a solid 1300 yard season. Assuming he scores some touchdowns along the way I like him a lot this year. The Chargers defense has already given up 333 yards to opposing running backs so Johnson has a legit shot at breaking out this week. Start him.

WR- Victor Cruz, NYG
You want some chips to go with that salsa?

WR- DeAndre Hopkins, HOU
Two weeks in a row might be greedy but hey, he proved me right last week with a stellar showing against Tennessee. Andre Johnson is banged up so give the kid a start, he's earned it coach. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this guy.

WR- Eric Decker, DEN
This is a true gut call. But his quarterback has a bionic neck and his team is playing the Raiders. If Welker and the Thomas brothers get their shares of love from Manning then Decker will be a red-zone target as always. Start any Bronco receiver this week and you'll be having a good time.

TE- Jordan Cameron, CLE
Well, with Richardson gone what else do they have? Minnesota has already given up 3 TD's to opposing tight ends so Cameron is a reliable option this week. He should be just about the only Brown you're willing to start this week.

TE- Rob Gronkowski, NE
IF, and only if, he plays. If he plays and you start him you'll be a happy camper. The Pats receiving core has looked awfully shaky the first two weeks and he'll be Brady's savior for sure.

D/ST- MIN
I mean all they have to worry about is Trent Ri.... wait, what? Nevermind. Cleveland has given up the most sacks in the league so far and without a legitimate running back option I can't see that improving.

D/ST- SEA
They play Jacksonville this week. It's fair to expect 30 points from them. The sad part is that isn't an exaggeration in the slightest.

The Hate List:

QB: Ben Roethlisberger, PIT
The Steelers have been anything but impressive this season. It's been ugly and I don't see it getting any better this weekend against a good Chicago Defense.

QB- Sam Bradford, STL
He's been one of the prettier ladies at the party so far this year, but against an opportunistic Dallas D that forced the Giants into 6 turnovers week one I just can't see it.

RB- Trent Richardson, IND
Welcome to Indianapolis! Here's the playbook, you got two days. Get ready to suit up, we play San Francisco this week buddy!
LOL, no. Have fun this week, Trent.

RB- Maurice Jones Drew, JAX
So you see, there's this thing called Seattle's Defense. And they make me not want to start anyone on the Jaguars offense this week. Not if I was in a 16 team league that made me start 4 running backs. Not if i had the choice to start MJD or Kevin Faulk. Faulk retired 3 years ago. Not if my life depended on it, would I start MJD this week.

WR- Cecil Shorts, JAX
Hello Mr. Shorts, meet the bench.

WR- DeSean Jackson, PHI
He was huge last week and he and Vick are proving to be quite the tandem in Chip Kelly's new offense. But against a good Chiefs D with Brandon Flowers covering him this week I can't see it happening again for Jackson. Sorry to disappoint.

WR- Eddie Royal, SD
He's been a touchdown guru the first 2 weeks. For whatever reason I just see that being limited against the Titans this week. Prove me wrong, Eddie.

TE- Brent Celek, PHI
Just two catches in two weeks says it all. Doesn't take a genius to figure this one out.

D/ST- CIN
I personally dropped them this week. Playing the Packers, no defense is safe. Start them if you're feeling ballsy, I mean I'm not going to... but you can feel free.

Good luck to all and happy week 3! We'll be seeing you next week my dear friends.

Love/Hate Week 3

That trade I said was happening – Stevan Ridley and Rashard Mendanhall for Jordy Nelson did not happen. The guy I was trading with picked up Bernard Pierce instead and decided to keep his stud wide receiver and not make the worst trade of his life, despite agreeing to it before.

I’m going to try to do a little more in this piece from now on by talking about a couple more players and going a bit more in depth about them.

Last week was pretty interesting! Stevan Ridley was a flop again, Michael Vick went OFF, Tom Brady was disappointing yet again, Eddie Royal kept up his production, and Demaryius Thomas looked like a completely different player. So here’s what I think will happen this week in fantasy.

Love:

Every quarterback in the NFL can have a great week if he plays a lot! The NFL is becoming more and more of a passing league every season and that means more points in fantasy for QB’s. Last week with Aaron Rodgers and Michael Vick having 40+ point games we know that QB’s will be the highest scorers by far this season.

QB: Eli Manning will have a big week. Don’t be scared away by his league leading interceptions. He is playing the Panthers this week! He’s going to have a ton of yards and I predict he throws at least three touchdowns this week. I said I’d go more in depth this week for each player but what else can I really say? The Panthers! Eli will be a stud this week.

QB: I can see Alex Smith having a solid week. He doesn't turn the ball over and with this game possibly being a shootout, Smith will have to throw the ball. With the Eagles allowing the 3^rd most points this season I can see Smith putting up a few touchdowns and a ton of yards.

QB: Phillip Rivers is going to have a solid week. The Chargers are throwing the ball a lot, and against a weak defense in Tennessee I see Rivers having a great game. Especially with Eddie Royal and Antonio Gates looking to stay hot I see the Chargers and Phillip Rivers going off this week. Rivers has had solid weeks so far, but I see him putting up 30+ points this week (BOLD PREDICTION OF THE WEEK).

Running backs! Wow do I hate running backs in fantasy football. Is it possible to find two good ones on a consistent basis? If I could just play all wide receivers I would be ecstatic. Running backs this season are so inconsistent so I hate them all. I’ll still do some love guys but really it’s a toss-up and I’ll probably be wrong on half of them.

RB: Darren Sproles is going to have a great week. He is one of the guys I love every week because he catches the ball. Last week he only had 26 rushing yards and still put up 11 points! Against Arizona last week, Reggie Bush had three catches for 44 yards before he left the game with knee injury. If Sproles plays the whole game on Sunday I see him having a huge game.

RB: Knowshon Moreno is going to play well this week even without Ryan Clady. In fact, I think Clady’s injury may help Moreno. I could see the Broncos running towards the left side more to give the new guy some confidence and I also think Moreno will be on the field more because he’s a good pass protector and the Broncos will need that.

RB: This one may be a bit of a stretch, but I like Jason Snelling. While averaging 32.8 receptions a season in his career he will catch some passes this week. He’ll be on the field way more than he has been for his whole career this week with Steven Jackson out, so I see Snelling catching a bunch of passes as check-downs and I predict he gets into the end-zone once as well.

WR: Desean Jackson is going to have another huge week! Why? Because he’s on my team and I love him! He’s the best fantasy wide-out right now and he’s going to continue that against the Chiefs. He’s going to have a good week no matter what he does. If he doesn’t get into the end zone this week I think he’ll have over 100 yards and about 12 receptions, or he could catch two touchdown passes and that will be about it. Either way I love this guy and I see him keeping this pace up for a loooong time.

WR: Dwayne Bowe is going to have a big week. This is partly because I think Alex Smith will be great this week as well. I mean, who else does Smith have to throw to? Bowe’s going to have to get a touchdown or two to keep the Chiefs in the game, and since he’s Smith’s top target I see him getting at least seven catches for over 80 yards to add onto that. Big week for Bowe.

WR: Pierre Garcon could put up big numbers this week. Even though the Redskins offense has looked terrible so far they are great when they’re down big. Against Detroit and they’re very good offense I could see the Redskins playing catch-up all game, which means RGIII throwing to his best receiver.

TE: Yes, I’m doing a tight end this week. Since I’m not too hot on Eddie Royal catching another two or three touchdown passes again this week (he’s hurting as well), I think Antonio Gates will give us a blast from the past this week. He’s going to be Rivers’ top target and he’ll have to find the end zone along with about eight catches and 75 yards to keep the Chargers in the game.

Hate:

I hate a lot of guys in fantasy this week. I had trouble writing this part last week, but this week I’m having trouble figuring out which running backs I hate more. Can I put them all in here?

QB: I don’t like Peyton Manning this week. I think he’ll get hit more than usual, they’ll run more, and they’ll get up big early, which leads to more running. Manning will have a solid game, but not in terms of fantasy. And, honestly, I think Manning will have a solid week if he was an average QB. Even though he’s the best fantasy player this season, I don’t think he’ll play like it this week.

RB: Trent Richardson will not know what is going on in Indianapolis this week. He won’t know the blocking schemes, the plays, or have any chemistry with Andrew Luck. Eventually he’ll be great for the Colts, but on such short notice I can’t see Richardson playing much, and even if he does I don’t see him doing much except looking confused a lot.

WR: I hate Antonio Brown this week against Chicago. They’re too good on defense and I really just can’t see anyone on the Steelers producing.

That’s all I’ve got this week. I’ll be back next week with another Love/Hate. 

Week 1+2 Evaluation

I’m going to start doing an evaluation of my season every other week.

Here’s how my team did in Week 2:

Damn good week right? It adds up to 138 points which was not enough to beat my matchup that scored 156, the second most in our league this week (also the other writer on this blog). My team has already changed since then. I’m 3^rd on the waiver wire so I snatched up Eddie Royal and dropped Sidney Rice (goes through tomorrow morning) and I made a huge trade. I am sending away Stevan Ridley and Rashard Mendanhall for Jordy Nelson. This should fill my flex spot very well but does kill my running back options. I’m now left with Joique Bell and Darren Sproles and no back-ups. My plan is to either trade away Royal and possibly another wide receiver I snatch up off waivers (I’ll name him as soon as I get him, but this goes up before I can claim him), or to grab backup running backs off waivers that are replacing injured starters for depth. I don’t think I’ll be able to upgrade at starting running backs, though.

Looking at potential guys I could get upgrades for, I don’t see a lot I can trade for. There are the untouchable guys, like Adrian Peterson and LeSean McCoy, and then there are guys that sound good, like Alfred Morris, but are under-performing. Joique Bell is actually out-playing Morris and Ridley at the moment. So, I don’t really see any trades to upgrade at starting running backs happening. I’ll have to live with my starters and just build up a little depth. I do still have Eddie Lacy who will be sitting on my bench until he’s fully healed, but I would like to have two running backs and two wide receivers.

I haven’t even begun to address what I plan on doing with Malcolm Floyd, which I really haven’t figured out yet. I saw him getting wheeled out on that stretcher and I have no idea what to think. A stretcher makes me weary because it seems like they may not play the rest of the season and may not come back the same, but I’ve had a bad experience with that in the past too. One of my first years playing fantasy I had Anquan Boldin in his fantasy prime and saw him have the game stopped for the better part of half an hour to allow him to be wheeled out on a stretcher. I didn’t wait five minutes to drop him. He ended up coming back, going to the Super Bowl that season, and beating me single-handedly by the guy that picked him up later in the season. So, I think the best option for Floyd is to wait. I’ll put him on the IR if he qualifies, and if he doesn’t I can always just let him sit. I don’t want to miss out on a top guy just because he has a concussion and will be out three or four weeks. I can always pick up another wide receiver that is randomly doing well from waivers if Floyd doesn’t come back as strong later.

On the subject of my actual fantasy team and how we’re playing, I am not happy. My team is actually producing very well. I’ve scored 248 points this season so far which is good for 6^th in my league, so not great, but not awful either. Should be good for about a 1-1 record right? Nope. I’m 0-2. I lost 139-110 in Week 1 and 156-138 in Week 2. Pretty disappointing and frustrating, I know. The upside? I could easily be 2-0 if I played the right guys. In fact, I could be 1-1 with my only loss by one point if we switched my matchups. The scores would have been 110-103 in Week 1, and 139-138 in Week 2. Still not great, but I would be much happier knowing I’m not last in the F’ing league (along with two other guys).

In fact, I lead the league in points against with 295. That’s 28 more than the guy in second for that stat (who is amazingly 2-0 somehow). We put me at 6^th in the league for points against, just like I am for points for, and its 248 points for, 252 points against. That gives me a 1-1 record which matters the world in a competitive league like mine where the winner last season only went 8-5.

So in conclusion, I look to improve next week. Not in points because I don’t expect Aaron Rodgers to put up 43 points again, but I should finally be rid of a hole at two spots like the first two weeks. I’ll be confident in all my spots except for Bell, who has looked good so far. And, if Royal can keep being the stud he’s looked like so far, I could shop him for a solid RB2 and be unstoppable. All there is to worry about is that it’s only Week 2 and we haven’t seen nearly close to the amount of injuries that there will be. Luckily, with my league only having four bench spots, there are always plenty of backups on the waivers to snatch up in case of injury.

That’s my thoughts on the season so far and how I’m doing. I hope to improve soon. I’ll have my Love/Hate Week 3 up tomorrow probably.

                

Love/ Hate- Week 2

So week one was full of shenanigans, surprises, it was a casserole of nonsense if you will. It was incredibly heinous and in some aspects it was painful to watch. Who predicted that Julius Thomas (Who?) would scored 21 points against the Ravens D and Megatron would have a mere 3 against Minnesota?
The answer to that riddle is nobody who is currently walking the earth. The fact of the matter is that none of this is a perfect science and anything can happen. That being said, here is my best shot at predicting the chaos that will be week 2 in the NFL.

Love. Love is a fickle thing. It changes constantly. In the NFL and especially fantasy football, relationships are torn, and people you hate you love the next week. So here is my positional breakdown of who I love in week 2.

QB- Terrelle Pryor, Oak.
What? How could i possibly do such a thing? Simple. Last week against a good Colts squad he kept the Raiders competitive. He threw for more yards (217) than opposing fantasy stud Andrew Luck (178). He also ran for 112 yards in his season debut and racked up 19 points in his season debut in standard leagues. He's playing Jacksonville this week who is notoriously awful so he's got a big chance at putting up big points, and he's available in 78.3% of ESPN leagues. If you're scratching your head about your QB situation, pick him up and give him the nod.

QB- EJ Manuel, Buf.
Again, WHAT? The Rookie looked seasoned in his debut against New England, with nothing overly impressive but a solid day at the office. 150 yards and no picks, coupled with 2 Touchdowns against a damn good Pats D made his 1st NFL start almost good enough to pull a huge upset for Buffalo. He's not going to blow you away and put up Aaron Rodgers or Peyton Manning numbers but he should have another solid day at home against Carolina. He's owned in only 12.7 percent of ESPN leagues so if you can, snatch him off the waiver wire.

QB- Carson Palmer, Ari.
The guy looked pretty solid against St. Louis throwing for 327 and a pair of touchdowns to his new favorite target, known as Larry Fitzgerald. It wasn't all rainbows and butterflies for Palmer though, as he was hindered by 4 sacks and a pair of turnovers. Against Detroit he could have issues with that dominant defensive line, but he's still a good pick to have a 20 point game.

Running backs in week one were a joke. CJ Spiller, Stevan Ridley, Marshawn Lynch, Alfred Morris. They were all top ten backs last year in standard fantasy leagues and yet none of them mustered up 10 points in week one. You can't predict football! That being said, here's who I love in week 2.

RB- Stevan Ridley, NE
There's a plethora of injuries in New England. Shane Vereen, Amendola, and Gronkowski are all not playing Thursday night versus the Jets. Despite lack of production week 1, Ridley will be a weapon, you can count on it.

RB- Matt Forte, Chi
The Minnesota defense got shredded by Reggie Bush and Joique Bell in week one. Forte is a solid back and he will get touches, so until Minnesota figures it out they will be picked against weekly.

RB- Eddie Lacy, GB
The Redskins Defense looked horrendous against the Eagles. They're matched up against another fast paced offense this week and I don't see things changing. If you have Lacy, start him.

WR- Leonard Hankerson, Was
This guy had a huge week 1 and was RGIII's main target against the Eagles. Another week of 5 catches, 80 yards and a TD or two isn't out of the question against Green Bay. I'm not completely sold on him as his targets could easily go to Pierre Garcon, but it's a chance I'd be willing to take.

WR- Steve Smith, Car.
He played well in week one, and as he ages he's still a proven fantasy start in the NFL. He and Cam Newton could have huge games against a Bills team with a lot of holes to fill in the secondary.

WR- DeAndre Hopkins, Hou.
He had an average rookie debut against San Diego, catching 5 of 7 targets for 66 yards while Andre Johnson and Owen Daniels lit it up. With those two as well as Arian Foster and Ben Tate, Houston is loaded offensively. If you want to roll the dice on him at a flex play I'd give you the green light, as he has huge play potential that he displayed in Clemson. I love this guy, I don't care what you say. Go DeAndre, Go!

TE- Julius Thomas, Den.
Peyton Manning is on pace to throw 112 touchdowns. That won't happen, but it's fun to think about. Start any one of his receivers and you'll be having a good time.

TE- Jermichael Finley, GB.
Last year's mediocre season looks to be behind him now as he caught 5 passes for 56 yards and a score. Assuming his toe injury isn't anything serious and he starts, play him and any other Green Bay receiver this week against Washington.

D/ST- Whatever team is playing the Jaguars.

HATE- I hate doing this, it makes me feel rude. But I also need to do this because it's part of what we do here.

QB- Colin Kaepernick, SF
He had a hell of a game last week against Green Bay, but the Seahawks were effective in shutting down Cam Newton last week. The 12th man will play a role in Seattle this week and their defense is always tough. Kaepernick will have a tough time putting up numbers and isn't a sure start this week.

QB- Josh Freeman, TB
He only put up 10 points last week in an ugly affair with the Jets, and against a much improved New Orleans Defense he doesn't look like a good play this week.

RB- Ryan Mathews, SD
If the Eagles have a repeat 1st half of what they did against Washington and go up by 26, The San Diego run game will be non existent. Oh and by the way, have you seen Mathews play? Ugly.

RB- Benjarvus Green-Ellis, Cin
The Pittsburgh defense held Chris Johnson to 70 yards and 0 TD's last week. They're always a solid run defense and with the law firm splitting carries with Giovani Bernard, his production will be limited barring a goal-line touchdown.

WR- Torrey Smith, Bal
He's incredibly hit and miss and so is his Quarterback. Cleveland shut down Mike Wallace last week and I can see a similar outcome with their defense on Baltimore's speed demon this weekend. Sit him down, or play him if you're feeling risky. Really, really risky.

WR- Jerome Simpson, Min
He went off on week one, with 7 catches for 140 yards. But he'll have to prove to me that he can do that against Charles Tillman and the Bears defense for me to be convinced this guy is legit. Step up, Jerome.

TE- 80% of the starting tight ends in the league are hit and miss. It's tough to hate any of them.

D/ST- Washington.
They're playing the Packers. Good luck starting them. That is all.

Now remember, I'm not an expert. I'm a writer with a passion for fantasy football. Good luck in week 2, my friends. Happy football!

Love/Hate Week 2

Here is my Week 2 Love/Hate! Last week I did pretty well in my predictions. I only got four out of my ten predictions completely wrong. Julius Thomas was probably my boldest prediction and ended up paying off with 28 points in PPR format. I got Lamaar Miller very, very wrong and Steven Jackson had just an average week. Another prediction I thought I got decently wrong was with Garcon, who scored 16 which isn’t awful. So here is Week 2:

QB: Unless I want to go with Andrew Luck for two weeks in a row, which is a player I love this week along with Matt Ryan, but the best matchup for any quarterback has got to be Drew Brees against the Bucs, even though I am trying to avoid putting first round picks in this piece.

RB: Steven Jackson against his old team, the Rams, seems like a huge week for Jackson to me. Yes, I did pick Jackson last week and he only put up 16 points, but this week I really see the Falcons getting into the red zone a lot and pounding it in easily with Jackson a couple times.

RB: Matt Forte is a good choice this week against the Vikings who had problems with another good receiving back in Reggie Bush last week. Forte should get a couple receptions while getting into the end zone once or twice as well.

WR: Reggie Wayne against the Dolphins is a good pick. He is experienced and seems to be Luck’s safety net week in and week out. Wayne will have a solid week every week, but against a weak Miami defense, I see Wayne having a solid week.

WR: I like Dwayne Bowe this week against the Cowboys despite his weak 7 point showing last week. This week the Cowboys should put up more of a fight, forcing the Chiefs to rely on the pass more, and Bowe should end up being the top target in a competitive game like this one should be.

TE: I won’t do a love tight end this week. I think last week was the only week I’ll do it because I loved Julius Thomas so much, but now I don’t really see myself predicting a tight end having a big game. Tight ends are often used as safety blankets with an inexperienced passer and a great over-the-middle weapon for guys like Peyton Manning. Tight ends have trouble being consistent so they can break out any week, and if you don’t have a guy like Gronkowski (when he comes back obviously), Jimmy Graham, or Julius Thomas (all have the best quarterbacks in the league throwing to them… coincidence?), it’s really not a given that they will most likely have a solid game each week.

D/ST: I’m also done with predicting how a defense will do each week. Any team playing a bad quarterback is a good pick I guess….

Hate:

QB: I don’t see Cam Newton having a good week against the Bills. The Bills can create turnovers very well this season. Just look at what they did to one of the most efficient defenses in the Patriots with Tom Brady last week. I expect them to do it again with Cam Newton who throws a lot of interceptions.

RB: David Wilson is not going to have a big week. With Tom Coughlin not trusting him after his two fumbles last week I don’t see Wilson getting as many carries as your regular feature back this week. Plus, I can see this game being a shootout with Peyton keeping pace with his week one performance (obviously not 7 TD’s, but 300+ yards and 3+ touchdowns sounds reasonable) Eli will have to keep the game close by throwing more and Wilson will be excluded from the game.

WR: I reviewed all of the starting wide receivers in my league’s starting lineups for this week and I couldn’t find any really bad matchups. Every wide-out seems like there is upside to playing him. I don’t see a problem with the obvious starters this week.

So there are my Love/Hate players for Week 2. I was pretty good last week so I expect to be decent this week as well. 

Love/Hate Week 1

Each week I plan on doing a love/hate list for a couple players so this is my Love/Hate Week 1. I will do one QB, two RB’s, two WR’s, one TE and one D/ST. I’ll try not to do the most obvious ones like Tom Brady against the Bills this week, but it may happen if there isn't much else. Also, Tom Brady at the Bills may actually be deceivingly tough this week. Being from a generally Bills fans area I have heard mostly hype about the team. I haven’t done much research myself, so I mostly just hear what Bills fans are saying, and I’ll tell you, every season it’s the same thing. “They’re going to be a playoff team this season!” is a quote I hear at least once in every conversation I have about the upcoming season with a Bills fan. Last year they all thought they would go 11-5 because that’s what ESPN The Mag said and the fans validated it.

Love:

QB: Andrew Luck against the Raiders. Let’s be honest. The Raiders are utterly awful every season in recent memory, so any game against them seems to allow opposing quarterbacks to thrive. I believe this should be a good warm-up for the Colts and Luck will lead the way.

RB: Steven Jackson against the Saints is a good match-up. Any running back that is in Matt Ryan’s offense and is as big a threat in the red zone is a good choice, and against a record setting terrible defense last season, even with their Peyton back, the Saints will struggle and Jackson will thrive in the red zone.

RB: Lamar Miller is somewhat of a sleeper being a rookie on a bad team, but he is really their whole offense this season. The Dolphins don’t really have any great receivers and any player that’s going to get a lot of touches against the Browns is a good guy to play.

WR: Pierre Garcon looks good this week against the Eagles. RGIII will look to throw more because of his knee this season and with Garcon matching up against one of the worst defenses of last season he should thrive.

WR: Vincent Jackson against the Jets is a good match-up. Any player against the Jets is really a good pick, and the Jets don’t even have their best player this season, so Jackson will tear up what I think will be the worst team this season.

TE: Tight Ends are always a tough choice because they are so inconsistent in fantasy football, but Julius Thomas against a new Ravens defense doesn't seem like a bad choice. Thomas will hopefully be playing his first full season this season (his third NFL season), he is 6’5” and Peyton Manning is throwing to him. There are three other great receivers on this team which I think will actually draw attention away from the middle where the monstrous, ex-basketball player should be waiting. Also, with Thomas’ high and jumping ability, he should be a big threat in the red zone.

D/ST: Defenses are also a tough pick every week, but I like the Patriots this week against the rookie QB in EJ Manuel. Manuel only played two preseason games and is coming off surgery and with a greatly improved Patriots defense coming for him this week with Bill Belichick calling the shots, the Patriots defense should get at least two or three turnovers.

Hate:

QB: Cam Newton is playing a tough Seahawks defense this week and I don’t see him doing much. He throws too many interceptions and with a solid defense like Seattle stopping him from doing what he wants, he could easily throw a couple picks.

RB: Maurice Jones-Drew said that he doesn't know if he can play football anymore recently. While playing the Chiefs who have tons of weapons on defense, especially in the run-stopping department, MJD seems like he could be shaky in what should be a tough game.

WR: Torrey Smith is always a hit and miss, and even though his role will be increased this season, I don’t think he can ever be a possession receiver like Anquan Boldin was.

Aside from Torrey Smith being a bad idea this week, I don’t really like the Ravens receivers at all this season. They don’t have a possession guy at all, and Flacco isn't really a dominant QB. He got a lot of help from Boldin for short yardage and I can’t really see anyone emerge and take over the short yardage passing game consistently each week.

                There are my Love/Hate players for Week 1. Comment if I missed anyone or you disagree.