Week 2 Fantasy Stumbles, Fumbles and Rumbles

Tennessee Titans Vs. Houston Texans - For Matt Schaub owners worried that their franchise fantasy QB was going to be a dud after his week one flop against the Jets, you need not fear. Against the stingy Titans defense, Schaub managed 347 passing yards and 4 TDs. He even bested Drew Brees yesterday. Cause for Concern: For the second straight game running backs Steve Slaton and Lendale White were almost invisible. For Slaton owners this is more disturbing because he was likely a late round-one pick. I would not panic just yet. He played against two tough run defenses. Let's see how he does against his next two opponents, the Jaguars and the Raiders. Lendale White is the bigger concern, as he was supposed to be the team's redzone threat and he's barely been used, even in yesterday's offensive blowout. Next week the Titan's play the Jets, so for next week I'd call for benching him now. Trade him if you can get value.

New England Patriots vs. New York Jets - I called this upset in my weekly top fantasy start/sit column. Tom Brady looked rusty in last week's Bills game, and he looked very human this week. You would have to go back to a December 2007 game against these very NY Jets to find a game where Brady failed to register at least one touchdown pass. For the second straight week the Jets defense looked very worth of being an every week team defensive play in fantasy leagues. Cause for Concern- For the second straight week, the Jets best wide receiver, and preseason star, David Clowney, did not register even one catch. I think this is a mistake on the part of coach Rex Ryan, but for fantasy purposes you can cut him. Likewise, rookie running back Shonn Greene should be cut loose in everything but keeper leagues, and the deepest of regular leagues. The Jets coaches admittedly have no game plan for his use.

San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks - The 49ers are 2-0 against teams they were expected to lose to. Running back Frank Gore already has half the total TDs he had in all of 2008. Coach Singletary's commitment to Gore and the run game is for real. On the flipside, I predicted Seahawks RB Julius Jones would have a massive day last week and then falter for the rest of the season. Jones hit the wall hard yesterday, while my sleeper pick, RB Justin Forsett became the team's leading rusher with 92 total yards. If you're in a deeper league I'd grab the kid. Trade Jones while he might still have any luster from last week. Seahawks QB, Matt Hasselbeck left the game after injuring his back trying to pull a Donovan McNabb. At least McNabb scored. Hasselbeck fractured his rib and is questionable for week three. Cause for Concern- The 49ers are simply not utilizing their number one WR, Josh Morgan. Do not panic yet. They'll get him involved, but I'd keep him benched until they do.

Oakland Raiders vs. Kansas City Chiefs - This was an ugly game from both a real and fantasy perspective. However there were notable things to learn. Chiefs QB, Matt Cassel made his first start, and he looked decent. Given time to gel with the team, he could be a worthy #2 fantasy QB. His Raider counterpart, JaMarcus Russell is simply garbage. He should not be on your fantasy team, nor should he be fronting a team in the NFL. He went 7 for 24 passing Sunday, throwing balls low, high, and with embarrassingly poor accuracy. How the Raiders got a win is mind-boggling. The Raiders running game looked decent, but while Darren McFadden got the TD, Michael Bush had a better yards-per-carry average. On the Chiefs side of the ball, Larry Johnson looked better than usual but he was playing against a poor run defense and still only managed 78 yards. Trade him if you can. Fantasy Notables- The Chiefs picked up Vikings cast-off, wide receiver Bobby Wade, who became the team's number one target Sunday. It's only one game, but I heard his name all game Sunday. He is bench worthy in deeper leagues. Back up running back Gartrell Savage didn't play in week one, but against the Raiders he had 69 all purpose yards, including 6 receptions. Keep an eye on him in PPR leagues as a flex or bye week option. One IDP note: I called for benching LB Kirk Morrison this week after his poor showing last week. He proved me wrong by laying up 13 tackles Sunday.

Washington Redskins vs. St. Louis Rams- Perhaps the Rams should mimic their hockey team and call themselves the Blues. For the second straight week their team manufactured no offense. That makes any Ram not named Steven Jackson a fantasy black hole on your roster. Top WR, Donnie Avery, played second fiddle to Laurent Robinson for the second week in a row. There were really no fantasy notables for either team this week, except perhaps another strong performance from the Redskins defense. Cause for Concern- The entire Rams and Redskins fantasy offense outside of Clinton Portis and Steven Jackson, and even they have not looked great.