NFL: Week 2 Was Bananas/Preview Week 3

One week we had very little scoring and then this week it’s off the charts.

Week 2 Recap

• Packers Are Good – I knew the D would be even better with DE Micah Parsons, but not quite this good. Even with Parsons only playing part-time, the D has been outstanding. They have allowed 238 yards/game against DET and WAS – 2 top Os in 2024. This week, QB Jayden Daniels was pedestrian, and the Pack rolled again, 27-18 – the score does not indicate the dominance by GB.
• Cowboys Pushed to the Limit – You would think that if QB Dak Prescott threw for 361 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, plus they ran for 135 yards (2 rushing TDs), that DAL would coast. Oh no, the DAL D is awful, and QB Russell Wilson for the Giants dialed back time to go off for 450 Yards, 3 TDs and 1 costly INT. Wilson hit WR Malik Nabers on TDs of 29 and 48 yards, plus another deep one to Wandale Robinson (8 catches for 142 and a TD) on 4th and 4 for 32 yards. Still, the Cowboys answered with a 64 yard FG to tie at the end of regulation. In OT, both teams couldn’t muster enough O, and Wilson threw that INT that gave K Brandon Aubrey a relative chip shot of 46 yards to win the game as OT expired. DAL won, 40-37 and survivor contestants with the Cowboys (me) got a gift.
• Lions Destroyed Bears – A lot of the talk going into this game was Bears’ HC Ben Johnson had a gameplan to stop DET’s QB Jared Goff. Well, Goff exploded for 334 yards, 5 TDs and 0 INTs. The Bears had no answer for anything they did, and the end result was the Lions were the old Lions winning, 52-21. Did they run it up? Maybe, but apparently, DET can score without Ben Johnson.
• Colts Move to 2-0 – I’ll be the first to admit, that I was skeptical on IND this year. Their D wasn’t great on Sunday, but 473 total yards for the O including 316 yards for Daniel Jones against what was supposed to be the best D in the league. That’s notable. Now, they should have lost the game, but a Personal Foul on the IND FG attempt – the defender jumped and barely touched the lineman. The extra 15 yards gave IND a 45 yarder instead of the missed 60 yarder to win the game with no time left, 29-28.
• Philly Gutted Out the Win – It was not pretty in KC, but as PHI only gained 216 yards in the game. However, a key TO on a KC scoring drive flipped the game (Kelce dropped a TD pass that was picked). Then, PHI may have benefitted from some false starts that were not called on the Tush Pushes, but still KC now drops to 0-2 for the first time in the Mahomes era. PHI won, 20-17.
• Falcons Exposed MIN – MIN got hot late against the Bears, but the Falcons were not having it on SNF. ATL decided to run the ball down the Vikings’ throats – 218 yards rushing on 39 carries dominating time of possession, 36:32 to 23:28. RB Bijan Robinson was electric for ATL. On the other side, QB JJ McCarthy (who shockingly was NFC Offensive Player of the Week in Week 1) was awful. Only 11 completions on 21 attempts, 2 INTs and was sacked 6 times. He is a rookie and now injured. ATL moves to 1-1 with the 22-6 win.
• Bucs Find Late Win – It was a defensive battle most of the night. After both teams scored on their first 2 drives, it was a stalemate until the 4th Quarter. Then, HOU took the lead after a great punt return, but they failed on their 2 point conversion. However, TB’s QB Baker Mayfield would not be outdone converting a critical 4th and 10 at midfield with his legs to keep hope alive. TB scored with only 6 seconds left on the clock to punch their 6th straight 2-0 start, while HOU drops to 0-2 after the 20-19 loss.

Predictions: Not a great week, but S/U 1-3, ATS 1-3, Totals 3-1 (good on totals this week).

Fantasy Football – Waiver Wire Pickups – QB Carousel

There are some really notable injuries at QB with Joe Burrow, CIN (out up to 3 months with turf toe surgery pending), JJ McCarthy, MIN (high ankle sprain), Jayden Daniels, WAS (knee sprain), and Justin Fields, NYJ (Concussion Protocol). We need to get some help on Waivers (Mac Jones was on last week’s list).

• QB Jake Browning, CIN (Owned) – The logical pickup is the guy taking over for Burrow. He was solid 2 years ago in relief. I’m not super excited about him, but he has all those weapons that Burrow had in Chase, Higgins and Brown out of the backfield.
• QB Daniel Jones, IND (44% Owned) – It is hard to ignore what he is doing, and his weapons are not bad either – Downs, Warren and Taylor out of the backfield. The Titans are not a pushover, but their schedule is not terrible.
• QB Carson Wentz, MIN (2% Owned) – The once great QB will play for 2-4 weeks with McCarthy out. He has weapons in Jefferson and Hockenson, plus KOC’s O. Not the worst thing.
• QB Sam Darnold, SEA (22% Owned) – He was a Do Not Draft in August, but given the carnage at QB, then you could do worse than Darnold versus the Saints.
• RB Rhamondre Stevenson, NE (86% Owned) – Like last week, 86% is pretty highly owned, but Stevenson is not giving up carries to the rookie Henderson yet. He is a starter until further notice.
• RB Bhayshul Tuten (75% Owned) – The Jags traded Tank Bigsby, and Tuten made an immediate impact with 10 touches, 74 yards and a TD.
• WR Wandale Robinson, NYG (42% Owned) – Look he had a career game, but he has been the #2 target on a team that will be trailing a lot. He made big catches for Russell Wilson. Now, when Dart comes in, it is not clear if that will continue. However, he should be on rosters.
• TE Harold Fannin, CLE (44% Owned) – I did not include him last week when he broke out, but with back to back weeks of solid production, he should be owned over other non-producers (Loveland in CHI) or pair him with a Kelce or Njoku who he is outproducing.

Key Matchups in Week 3

• Rams at Eagles (-3.5, 44.5 Total) – Sunday, 9/21 at 12 Noon Central on FOX – A rematch of the NFC Divisional game here, both teams are 2-0 in some ugly wins. The Rams D has been playing well, which may be the difference maker in this game. I’m still not sold the Eagles can play a high scoring game right now, but I think LA will slow down the Philly run game. So, the spread is too big here. I can understand backing the Eagles on the win, but -3.5, even at home, is too big for me. I like this Total as Under 45.
• Broncos at Chargers (-2.5, 45.5 Total) – Sunday, 9/21 at 3:05 PM Central on CBS – A battle for 1st place in the AFC West early. The Broncos go on the road again here, and they have not met expectations yet. The Chargers are coming off a dominant win at the Raiders. At some point, the D for DEN has to play better, and I think it is here. I’m not a believer in the Chargers, despite all the adoration from the MNF crew. This game can change my mind. Herbert under pressure is not the same and they still aren’t running the ball. So, I’ll take DEN to win, Cover +2.5, Total Over 45.5 (DEN may not be the same D on the road).
• Arizona at 49ers (-1.5, 43.5 Total) – Sunday, 9/21 at 3:25 PM Central on FOX – Is AZ for real? They have played 2 bottom feeders and had to squeak out wins over NO and CAR. SF is still banged up, but they get to come home after 2 road victories. I like SF in this game. It is a step up in class for AZ, and even though they have had success over SF with Kyler Murray, I just think AZ will take some time to adjust to a better team. SF wins, Cover -1.5, Total Over 43.5.
• Lions at Ravens (-5.5, 51.5 Total) – Monday, 9/22 at 7:15 PM Central on ESPN/ABC – Neither team is playing any D yet. So, it may be a fun game to watch. The Ravens have the better formula to win – they can keep the ball from DET on the ground. Plus, I’m not a fan of Jared Goff on the road outdoors. So, I understand the line at -5.5 (opened -6) for BAL. It is still a big number, but I think BAL makes a statement on MNF and wins going away, so BAL wins, BAL -5.5, Total Under 51.5 (DET will struggle to score in this one).

On to Week 3.

Wegs