Fantasy football stats: The worst of Week 2
Most of the weekend’s worst performances were injury-related, but once they were on the field, bad was bad.
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There’s going to be a definite theme running through the Worst of Week 2 -- a lot of goose-eggs (or near goose-eggs) came because a stud player left early with injury. That doesn’t help fantasy players, though; once the game starts, and you’ve started a guy, a zero is a zero is a zero, and it all counts the same.
So none of Sunday’s hurt guys get a pass for their bad results. All are eligible to be Worsts:
Worst quarterbacks in Week 2:
Robert Griffin III, WAS (38 passing yards, 22 rushing yards, 3 fantasy points)
See? Injuries suck. Griffin only had three pass attempts Sunday before leaving the game in the first quarter with a dislocated ankle. He had already bested his Week 1 rushing yards before leaving the game, but a dislocated ankle could end Griffin’s season.
Next game: No one even knows. Sad face.
Matt Cassel, MIN (202 passing yards, 1 passing touchdown, 4 interceptions, 16 rushing yards, 5 fantasy points)
The Patriots absolutely brought it to Cassel Sunday, picking him off four times, sacking him six, and forcing him to fumble once, which the Vikings recovered. It was bad enough that the Twitterati started wondering if and when Teddy Bridgewater would see the field.
Next game: Bridgewater didn't see the field Sunday, but if Cassel can't improve against the Saints in New Orleans Sunday, the rookie quarterback might not be far off.
The quadro of sadness
Tom Brady, NE (149 passing yards, 1 touchdown, 9 fantasy points)
Austin Davis, STL (235 passing yards, 9 fantasy points)
Jake Locker, TEN (234 passing yards, 1 passing touchdown, 2 interceptions, 9 rushing yards, 9 fantasy points)
Matt Ryan, ATL (231 passing yards, 1 passing touchdown, 3 interceptions, 28 rushing yards, 9 fantasy points)
This is the second straight week of a “quadro of sadness” of nine-point-scoring quarterbacks, which I swear is just a coincidence. This time around, it’s a mélange of players who have little in common beyond their Week 2 performance. Ryan was amazing in Week 1, the top player in fantasy, but couldn’t get anything going Sunday. Brady is a two-time quadro member, though his appearance this time is largely because the defense did so much he was unnecessary. Davis shouldn’t be starting in the NFL, so he’s forgiven. And Locker is just baffling, facing a Dallas defense that would make your pet cat look decent.
Next games: Look, I don’t know about any of these guys. Ryan was good, then bad. Brady, who should be good, has been bad twice. Locker was supposed to stay good while he was healthy, and that didn’t work. Davis should stay bad. I know that much.
Fantasy football stats
Worst running backs in Week 2
Jamaal Charles, KC (4 rushing yards, 8 receiving yards, 0 fantasy points)
This is another injuries-are-unfair bit, since Charles left the game in the first quarter Sunday with a sprained ankle. Still after a veritable no-show in Week 1 and even more of one in Week 2, and with an uncertain future thanks to the ankle, Charles’ fantasy owners have to be sweating bullets.
Next game: Again, don't know. He's scheduled for a Monday MRI, when we'll learn more. Whenever he's back, you're using him. It's still Jamaal Charles.
Knowshon Moreno, MIA (4 rushing yards, 0 fantasy points)
Again, injuries suck. Moreno left the game early on after dislocating his elbow, an injury that sent Cincinnati Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert to the injured reserve with designation to return last week. Moreno's future is less certain, but initial reports have him missing four to eight weeks. It's a shame -- Moreno's stock was rising fast after his great Week 1.
Next game: I’ll let you know when I know.
Toby Gerhart, JAX (8 rushing yards, 9 receiving yards, 0 fantasy points)
Gerhart’s line looks like he was forced out with an injury, but he played. He was just terrible. He put together his 8 rushing yards on seven attempts, “good” for an average of 1.1 yards per carry. I said all offseason that Gerhart was set up to be football’s answer to Manny Alexander (the prospect who was supposed to be a star when he eventually replaced Cal Ripken Jr., only for him to be a bust), and it’s certainly shaping up that way through two weeks.
Next game: The Jacksonville Jaguars host Indianapolis in Week 3. While the Colts are typically a good opponent for any offensive player to face, how in the world could you feel good about starting Gerhart?
Worst wide receivers in Week 2
A.J. Green, CIN (0 fantasy points)
Green left Sunday’s game super early with a toe injury. Again, not a “bad performance,” but it looks that way in the fantasy log. The good news is that early reports say the injury isn’t terrible, and Green could be back on the field next week.
Next game: We'll see, but if he is back for Week 3, he gets to play against a Tennessee Titans team that has performed well against opposing wide receivers. Pending whether he's at full strength, Green might be dicey. I mean, it's still A.J. Green, so you're probably using him, but still.
Marques Colston, NO (0 fantasy points)
No yards. No receptions. No targets. Colston was healthy Sunday, and a participant in the game, but Drew Brees never looked his way, despite throwing the ball 40 times. I'm assuming we'll hear more in the days to come, but it was a tremendously disappointing performance for a wide receiver who went for 110 yards in Week 1.
Next game: It’s still Marques Colston, he’s still healthy. There’s no reason to think he’ll be this absent again in Sunday’s game against the Vikings. Still, you have to downgrade him a bit.
The quadro of sadness, Part II
Michael Floyd, ARI (19 receiving yards, 1 fantasy point)
Pierre Garcon, WAS (12 receiving yards, 1 fantasy point)
DeSean Jackson, WAS (19 receiving yards, 1 fantasy point)
Torrey Smith, BAL (10 receiving yards, 1 fantasy point)
Still not planning this, but how do you pick one "worst" guy from that group? Jackson has the excuse of a bruised shoulder ending his day super-early, but none of the others went anywhere -- they just didn't get any action. After the Arizona offense was Floyd-heavy at the expense of Larry Fitzgerald in Week 1, the Cardinals went the other way in Week 2. Torrey Smith has taken a backseat in Baltimore to Steve Smith. And Pierre Garcon ... heck, I don't know. Kirk Cousins and Niles Paul worked together well -- could there be something to the idea that guys who work together on the second team have a rapport when both get promoted?
Worst tight ends in Week 2
Rob Gronkowski, NE (32 receiving yards, 3 fantasy points)
I maintain that as long as Gronkowski is healthy, you're starting him in fantasy. His minimal performance Sunday, like Tom Brady's, can in part be blamed on the team's defense rolling through Minnesota, so the Patriots just weren't throwing the ball a lot. Gronkowski should be fine in the long run.
Next game: The Patriots play the Oakland Raiders in Week 3, with a West Coast team traveling across the country for a 1 p.m. ET game. Also, it's Rob Gronkowski. Use him.
Dennis Pitta, BAL (30 receiving yards, 3 fantasy points)
Joe Flacco looked for Steve Smith for most of his passes, then looked for No. 2 tight end Owen Daniels in the end zone. It made for a bad night for Pitta, who was expected to be a big part of the Baltimore Ravens' offense, but really hasn't been so far.
Charles Clay, MIA (31 receiving yards, 3 fantasy points)
I was willing to give Clay a pass for his rough Week 1, but this is now two straight weeks of poor production. On the plus side, his seven receptions led the Miami Dolphins Sunday, but seven receptions for only 31 yards just isn't getting it done.
Next game: The Dolphins host the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 3. The only way you're using Clay until he re-proves himself is if you have no choice.
Worst defense in Week 3
Atlanta Falcons (24 points allowed, -5 fantasy points)
The Falcons now have two consecutive weeks of negative fantasy points in ESPN standard scoring. The offense might have looked better in Week 1, but that defense is a definite stay-away.
