After a great week visiting family in New Jersey, I got home last night and started on the numbers. This is the first bye week of 2009, so we get to see a few backups move into the starting rotation.
Let's look at the abnormal players - there are many.
I see Week 4 as a temporary power shift at QB. Tom Brady vs Baltimore is not a good bet, nor is Aaron Rodgers vs. a Viking defense that's been prepped for months by Favre for this very game. Favre will probably do better than the 13 points I have him down for, because he tends to put up huge numbers in big games, and from an emotional standpoint, this is a big one for Brett.
Joe Flacco, Ben Roethlisberger and Trent Edwards are the pleasant surprises of the week.
Expect a relatively healthy Marion Barber to put up huge points against Denver, particularly since Felix Jones won't be around to take touches away this week. Due to injuries to starters, expect decent performances from Cadillac Williams, Ladell Betts and Rashard Mendenhall in Week 4.
On the downside for RBs, this is not going to be MJD's week, despite his 3-TD performance last week. It's one thing to put up numbers against Houston, and another against Tennessee. Clinton Portis and Kevin Smith should be downgraded for injury.
This is also the week Marshawn Lynch returns from suspension, but I would let him get back up to game speed before starting him, if you can.
A surprise fantasy starter at WR is Darrius Heyward-Bey in Oakland, who has a chance to break out against arguably the league's worst defense in the Houston Texans, whose woes are compounded by missing CB Jacques Reeves. With Domenik Hixon out for the Giants, look for "the other" Steve Smith to have a big game against KC while the Chiefs focus on Mario Manningham.
No horrible disappointments for regular starting WRs with the possible exception of SEA WR Nate Burleson, whose numbers should go down with Seneca Wallace coming in to replace an injured Matt Hasselbeck.
Lots of people ignore TEs, Ks and DEFs in fantasy... but I think that's a mistake. These are positions where there are only a handful of reliable scorers, and as a fantasy owner, it's your job to make sure you get those points consistently. Over and over, people draft these positions last, figuring they make no difference. Let's see who makes a difference this week:
At Tight End, look for the Bears to continue to utilize Greg Olsen. In the first three games, his receptions have gone from 1 to 3 to 5 (with a TD). Against the (still) hapless Lions, this should only get better. CLE TE Robert Royal is my favorite spot starter this week for owners like me who have to bench Tony Gonzalez, but don't want to drop him. With a QB change and no RBs to speak of, Royal may be the only viable option against Cincinnati.
Kickers are really hard to predict, but we think NYG Lawrence Tynes will get a lot of chances against KC, and that's what you want in a kicker.
The spot-start Defense of the week is the Cincinnati Bengals, who face a Cleveland team that lacks weapons, direction, leadership, a running game, a passing game and a quarterback. I would say the same thing in favor of starting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but I don't see the Redskins turning the ball over nearly as often as the Browns.
Best of luck this week!
| Starting QBs | ||||
| Name | Team | Pos | Week 2 Pts | Remaining 2009 Points |
| Drew Brees | NO | QB | 23 | 247 |
| Joe Flacco | BAL | QB | 20 | 145 |
| Matt Schaub | HOU | QB | 20 | 215 |
| Peyton Manning | IND | QB | 20 | 229 |
| Jay Cutler | CHI | QB | 17 | 196 |
| Shaun Hill | SF | QB | 16 | 177 |
| Trent Edwards | BUF | QB | 15 | 155 |
| Matt Cassel | KC | QB | 15 | 189 |
| Ben Roethlisberger | PIT | QB | 15 | 149 |
| Carson Palmer | CIN | QB | 14 | 160 |
| Bench QBs | ||||
| Name | Team | Pos | Week 2 Pts | Remaining 2009 Points |
| Aaron Rodgers | GB | QB | 14 | 213 |
| Kurt Warner | ARI | QB | 0 | 206 |
| Tom Brady | NE | QB | 13 | 189 |
| Philip Rivers | SD | QB | 13 | 188 |
| David Garrard | JAC | QB | 14 | 185 |
| Tony Romo | DAL | QB | 7 | 181 |
| Donovan McNabb | PHI | QB | 0 | 175 |
| Kyle Boller | STL | QB | 12 | 169 |
| Brett Favre | MIN | QB | 13 | 151 |
| Mark Sanchez | NYJ | QB | 13 | 149 |
| Starting RBs | ||||
| Name | Team | Pos | Week 2 Pts | Remaining 2009 Points |
| Marion Barber | DAL | RB | 27 | 181 |
| Adrian Peterson | CHI | RB | 1 | 11 |
| Steve Slaton | HOU | RB | 16 | 148 |
| Joseph Addai | IND | RB | 14 | 123 |
| Darren McFadden | OAK | RB | 14 | 107 |
| Cedric Benson | CIN | RB | 13 | 132 |
| Larry Johnson | KC | RB | 13 | 112 |
| Pierre Thomas | NO | RB | 13 | 159 |
| Matt Forte | CHI | RB | 12 | 141 |
| Brandon Jacobs | NYG | RB | 12 | 187 |
| Thomas Jones | NYJ | RB | 12 | 173 |
| Ronnie Brown | MIA | RB | 11 | 107 |
| Darren Sproles | SD | RB | 11 | 124 |
| Cadillac Williams | TB | RB | 11 | 51 |
| Chris Johnson | TEN | RB | 11 | 174 |
| Ladell Betts | WAS | RB | 11 | 48 |
| Ryan Grant | GB | RB | 10 | 124 |
| Steven Jackson | STL | RB | 9 | 188 |
| Knowshon Moreno | DEN | RB | 9 | 104 |
| Rashard Mendenhall | PIT | RB | 9 | 37 |
| Bench RBs | ||||
| Name | Team | Pos | Week 2 Pts | Remaining 2009 Points |
| DeAngelo Williams | CAR | RB | 0 | 193 |
| Maurice JonesDrew | JAC | RB | 6 | 171 |
| Brian Westbrook | PHI | RB | 0 | 171 |
| Michael Turner | ATL | RB | 0 | 156 |
| Clinton Portis | WAS | RB | 4 | 142 |
| Frank Gore | SF | RB | 0 | 141 |
| Kevin Smith | DET | RB | 4 | 129 |
| Marshawn Lynch | BUF | RB | 9 | 122 |
| Derrick Ward | TB | RB | 5 | 122 |
| Mike Bell | NO | RB | 0 | 111 |
| Tim Hightower | ARI | RB | 0 | 106 |
| LaDainian Tomlinson | SD | RB | 7 | 102 |
| Ray Rice | BAL | RB | 6 | 102 |
| Willie Parker | PIT | RB | 0 | 99 |
| Willis McGahee | BAL | RB | 5 | 94 |
| Reggie Bush | NO | RB | 3 | 94 |
| Chester Taylor | MIN | RB | 8 | 93 |
| Leon Washington | NYJ | RB | 8 | 92 |
| LeSean McCoy | PHI | RB | 0 | 92 |
| LenDale White | TEN | RB | 8 | 90 |
| Starting WRs | ||||
| Name | Team | Pos | Week 2 Pts | Remaining 2009 Points |
| Reggie Wayne | IND | WR | 16 | 146 |
| Calvin Johnson | DET | WR | 15 | 168 |
| Andre Johnson | HOU | WR | 14 | 191 |
| Randy Moss | NE | WR | 14 | 160 |
| Derrick Mason | BAL | WR | 13 | 100 |
| Greg Jennings | GB | WR | 13 | 144 |
| Steve Smith | NYG | WR | 11 | 54 |
| Jerricho Cotchery | NYJ | WR | 11 | 114 |
| Chad Ochocinco | CIN | WR | 10 | 105 |
| Kevin Walter | HOU | WR | 10 | 145 |
| Ted Ginn | MIA | WR | 10 | 101 |
| Donnie Avery | STL | WR | 10 | 105 |
| Justin Gage | TEN | WR | 10 | 117 |
| Braylon Edwards | CLE | WR | 9 | 95 |
| Bernard Berrian | MIN | WR | 9 | 124 |
| Percy Harvin | MIN | WR | 9 | 135 |
| Lance Moore | NO | WR | 9 | 136 |
| Hines Ward | PIT | WR | 9 | 113 |
| Santana Moss | WAS | WR | 9 | 90 |
| Robert Meachem | NO | WR | 8 | 73 |
| Darrius Heyward-Bey | OAK | WR | 8 | 17 |
| Kelley Washington | BAL | WR | 7 | 72 |
| Devin Hester | CHI | WR | 7 | 89 |
| Eddie Royal | DEN | WR | 7 | 83 |
| Donald Driver | GB | WR | 7 | 103 |
| Mark Bradley | KC | WR | 7 | 62 |
| Marques Colston | NO | WR | 7 | 121 |
| Isaac Bruce | SF | WR | 7 | 85 |
| Michael Clayton | TB | WR | 7 | 44 |
| Terrell Owens | BUF | WR | 6 | 101 |
| Bench WRs | ||||
| Name | Team | Pos | Week 2 Pts | Remaining 2009 Points |
| Larry Fitzgerald | ARI | WR | 0 | 173 |
| Steve Smith | CAR | WR | 0 | 161 |
| Nate Burleson | SEA | WR | 4 | 145 |
| Wes Welker | NE | WR | 2 | 143 |
| Roddy White | ATL | WR | 0 | 137 |
| Antonio Bryant | TB | WR | 4 | 129 |
| Anquan Boldin | ARI | WR | 0 | 129 |
| Chaz Schilens | OAK | WR | 0 | 112 |
| Dwayne Bowe | KC | WR | 3 | 111 |
| DeSean Jackson | PHI | WR | 0 | 102 |
| T.J. Houshmandzadeh | SEA | WR | 3 | 96 |
| Mario Manningham | NYG | WR | 6 | 95 |
| Muhsin Muhammad | CAR | WR | 0 | 83 |
| Mark Clayton | BAL | WR | 5 | 82 |
| Josh Morgan | SF | WR | 6 | 81 |
| Julian Edelman | NE | WR | 6 | 80 |
| Santonio Holmes | PIT | WR | 6 | 76 |
| Patrick Crayton | DAL | WR | 4 | 76 |
| Steve Breaston | ARI | WR | 0 | 76 |
| Mike Walker | JAC | WR | 6 | 72 |
| Laveranues Coles | CIN | WR | 6 | 70 |
| Torry Holt | JAC | WR | 6 | 69 |
| Michael Jenkins | ATL | WR | 0 | 69 |
| Domenik Hixon | NYG | WR | 0 | 69 |
| Vincent Jackson | SD | WR | 4 | 68 |
| Chris Chambers | SD | WR | 2 | 67 |
| Roy E. Williams | DAL | WR | 4 | 65 |
| Josh Reed | BUF | WR | 5 | 63 |
| Bryant Johnson | DET | WR | 6 | 60 |
| Brandon Marshall | DEN | WR | 4 | 60 |
| Starting TEs | ||||
| Name | Team | Pos | Week 2 Pts | Remaining 2009 Points |
| Greg Olsen | CHI | TE | 13 | 81 |
| Dallas Clark | IND | TE | 9 | 113 |
| Jeremy Shockey | NO | TE | 8 | 75 |
| Robert Royal | CLE | TE | 6 | 36 |
| Jason Witten | DAL | TE | 6 | 90 |
| Heath Miller | PIT | TE | 6 | 59 |
| Antonio Gates | SD | TE | 6 | 88 |
| John Carlson | SEA | TE | 6 | 75 |
| Vernon Davis | SF | TE | 6 | 62 |
| Todd Heap | BAL | TE | 5 | 57 |
| Bench TEs | ||||
| Name | Team | Pos | Week 2 Pts | Remaining 2009 Points |
| Tony Gonzalez | ATL | TE | 0 | 115 |
| Owen Daniels | HOU | TE | 3 | 81 |
| Brent Celek | PHI | TE | 0 | 72 |
| Visanthe Shiancoe | MIN | TE | 5 | 71 |
| Dustin Keller | NYJ | TE | 4 | 67 |
| Kellen Winslow | TB | TE | 3 | 65 |
| Zach Miller | JAC | TE | 0 | 0 |
| Kevin Boss | NYG | TE | 5 | 62 |
| Chris Cooley | WAS | TE | 4 | 60 |
| Marcedes Lewis | JAC | TE | 5 | 55 |
| Starting Ks | ||||
| Name | Team | Pos | Week 2 Pts | Remaining 2009 Points |
| Lawrence Tynes | NYG | K | 19 | 122 |
| Stephen Gostkowski | NE | K | 12 | 133 |
| Rian Lindell | BUF | K | 11 | 99 |
| Matt Prater | DEN | K | 11 | 96 |
| Joe Nedney | SF | K | 10 | 96 |
| Jay Feely | NYJ | K | 9 | 106 |
| Mike Nugent | TB | K | 9 | 88 |
| Rob Bironas | TEN | K | 9 | 111 |
| Robbie Gould | CHI | K | 8 | 90 |
| Mason Crosby | GB | K | 8 | 104 |
| Bench Ks | ||||
| Name | Team | Pos | Week 2 Pts | Remaining 2009 Points |
| Steven Hauschka | BAL | K | 5 | 123 |
| Phil Dawson | CLE | K | 0 | 109 |
| David Akers | PHI | K | 0 | 106 |
| Kris Brown | HOU | K | 8 | 100 |
| Ryan Longwell | MIN | K | 7 | 99 |
| Jeff Reed | PIT | K | 5 | 91 |
| Jason Elam | ATL | K | 0 | 90 |
| Adam Vinatieri | IND | K | 7 | 87 |
| Josh Brown | STL | K | 7 | 87 |
| Dan Carpenter | MIA | K | 8 | 86 |
| Starting DEFs | ||||
| Name | Team | Pos | Week 2 Pts | Remaining 2009 Points |
| Cincinnati Bengals | CIN | DEF | 13 | 89 |
| Chicago Bears | CHI | DEF | 12 | 104 |
| Indianapolis Colts | IND | DEF | 12 | 118 |
| Green Bay Packers | GB | DEF | 10 | 133 |
| New York Jets | NYJ | DEF | 9 | 111 |
| New York Giants | NYG | DEF | 8 | 90 |
| San Francisco 49ers | SF | DEF | 8 | 49 |
| Tennessee Titans | TEN | DEF | 8 | 97 |
| Cleveland Browns | CLE | DEF | 7 | 70 |
| New England Patriots | NE | DEF | 7 | 72 |
| Bench DEFs | ||||
| Name | Team | Pos | Week 2 Pts | Remaining 2009 Points |
| Baltimore Ravens | BAL | DEF | 4 | 154 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | PIT | DEF | 4 | 142 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | PHI | DEF | 0 | 113 |
| Miami Dolphins | MIA | DEF | 6 | 92 |
| Minnesota Vikings | MIN | DEF | 3 | 91 |
| San Diego Chargers | SD | DEF | 7 | 84 |
| Seattle Seahawks | SEA | DEF | 3 | 84 |
| Dallas Cowboys | DAL | DEF | 5 | 77 |
| Carolina Panthers | CAR | DEF | 0 | 77 |
| Oakland Raiders | OAK | DEF | 5 | 75 |
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