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!