What a day!
Jamaal Charles, Michael Vick, DeSean Jackson, Tony Romo, Felix Jones and Miles Austin were injured. Romo returned to lead the Cowboys to a road win at San Francisco, while Charles reportedly tore his left ACL. I saw the play and felt the need to rewind and examine it in slow motion. That was a bad idea, a terrible idea.
In the spirit of negativity associated with the litany of injuries, upsets and disappearing acts of Week 2, I’m doing a roll call of Flops. I’ll start with a shoulder shrug in Atlanta.
I suppose I should eliminate him from this log because of his touchdown reception, but I need more from Roddy White than a three-reception, 23-yard performance. White caught three of his four passes for which he was intended, included a bullet from Matt Ryan in the back of the end zone.
Rookie Julio Jones was targeted more frequently than White (eight times), but yielded just two receptions for 29 yards. The Falcons will eventually find a soft spot on the schedule to get him rolling.
Miami receiver Davone Bess is typically a solid PPR option, but he struggled against the Texans. Bess dropped a par of balls and went silent following an early 41-yard reception. Bess finished the loss with two receptions for 42 yards.
Daniel Thomas was a hot commodity early in the fantasy draft season, but injuries and questions about his toughness between the tackles made him an afterthought once the season actually arrived. Thomas was the lead back in Sunday’s loss to Houston, thereby relegating Reggie Bush to a minor supporting role. Bush carried the ball six times for 18 yards and generated a single reception for three yards. And … we’re back.
San Diego received some production out of Mike Tolbert in the passing game (eight receptions for 73 yards), but he was horribly ineffective on the ground. The bulldozing Tolbert finished Sunday’s loss with 10 rushing yards on nine carries and lost a fumble. Tolbert had his opportunities in the red zone, but failed to deliver.
If you watched the San Diego-New England matchup, you heard Antonio Gates’ name repeatedly. Unfortunately, his name was only brought up to remind viewers of the fact that Gates was “still without a catch.” The usually dominant tight end finished the game with one target (he drew a penalty on another play) and zero receptions. That’s right. In a highly-anticipated, high-scoring affair, Gates was shut out altogether. What is this world coming, too? And, is it just me, or do you do a double-take when Tolbert (No. 35) catches the ball out of the backfield?
Chad Ochocinco found himself embroiled in an asinine Twitter controversy for complimenting his offense this week. Ochocinco settled into the San Diego zone for a beautiful 30-yard reception, but finished the day with only two receptions for 45 yards on two targets.
Cincinnati fought gamely in Denver, but ultimately fell spot. Cedric Benson was limited to 59 yards on 16 carries. He added three receptions for 17 yards. After watching the Raiders run wild against the Denver front in Week 1, Benson owners were excited to see him work some ground magic. They were let down as Andy Dalton did the job via the air.
Dalton topped 300 passing yards in defeat, but would-be hero Jermaine Gresham could only watch as the wide receivers shone against the injury-ravaged Denver defense. Gresham caught two of five targets for eight yards.
Maurice Jones-Drew of the Jaguars topped 100 total yards in the beat-down administered by the Jets in Week 2. MJD amassed 88 yards on 18 carries. He added three receptions for 19 yards. The yardage total gave owners a solid but unspectacular return on their first-round investment.
Owners were fearful that the Jets would take carries away from Shonn Greene once again, and LaDainian Tomlinson became a popular spot Flex play against the Jaguars. He was particularly active in the passing game in Week 1. He was a ghost in Week 2, generating a miserable total of 15 yards on seven touches (six carries for eight yards and one reception for seven yards).
It was an entertaining game in Washington, but a true shootout between Rex Grossman and Kevin Kolb never materialized. Secondary receivers Andre Roberts (three receptions for 30 yards) and Early Doucet (two receptions for 20 yards) hardly moved the needle.
Would-be “Ninja” option Anthony Armstrong also failed to deliver. Armstrong was targeted four times against the Cardinals and logged two receptions for 14 yards.
“It’s a trap!” The Ravens thumped their chests loudly after vanquishing the 800-pound gorilla of Pittsburgh in Week 1. In Week 2, the Ravens were beaten handily by Tennessee on the road.
Joe Flacco regressed horribly from his Week 1 heroics. Flacco completed 15-of-32 pass attempts for 197 yards with three sacks, one touchdown (Ray Rice) and two interceptions.
Naturally, the Baltimore receivers failed to produce numbers as well. It was a nice reminder of how quickly things can reverse themselves in the NFL.
• Anquan Boldin finished with three receptions on seven targets for 46 yards.
• Lee Evans fought through his foot injury to catch two of five targets for 45 yards.
• Week 1 hero Ed Dickson caught two of six targets for 25 yards.
The Titans tagged the Ravens for 26 points on Sunday. Mike Munchak tried to coax the genie from the bottle by giving Chris Johnson a heavy workload, but it didn’t matter. Haloti Ngata and the run defense went to work. Johnson finished the game with 53 yards on 24 carries. The addition of three receptions for 12 yards hardly eases your mind.
The Ravens ran all over the Steelers in Week 1. Marshawn Lynch had no chance in Week 2. Lynch was limited to 11 yards on six carries and logged one reception for a single yard. He’s firmly attached to a "bench slot" going forward. “Break glass only in emergency.”
Who would have thought that leaving Oakland would have been a terrible thing for Zach Miller’s production? Miller was invisible against the Steelers in Week 2, producing a single reception for 12 yards on two targets. Cut.
The Steelers beat the Seahawks by a count of 24-0, but there weren’t many standout performances to get you excited. Mike Wallace produced at a high level statistically, but Hines Ward (four receptions for 33 yards) and Heath Miller (one reception for 16 yards) left you flat. Hopefully, the Pittsburgh offense will be more inspired to play on Sunday night in Week 3 against the Colts that everyone will be to watch it.
Green Bay receiver Donald Driver struggled against the Panthers. He dropped a couple of passes and finished the day with one reception for 10 yards on eight targets.
It’s going to be a long year for the Carolina running game. I anticipated that Rob Chudzinski would turn to his dual-back set and try to bring Cam Newton along at his own pace. Instead, Newton’s icing down his arm after another 400-yard performance and Carolina fans and fantasy owners are still wondering when DeAngelo Williams is going to fall forward. Williams carried the ball five times for 13 yards while adding four receptions and 23 receiving yards. Sigh.
“Hot route!” Greg Olsen posted a strong Week 1 effort with four receptions for 78 yards. Olsen was a non-factor in Week 2, producing a single reception for 34 yards on four targets against the Packers. He and Jeremy Shockey essentially split the target count and did not get to fully participate in “The Cam Newton Show.”
The Buccaneers earned a dramatic comeback win in Week 2 over the Vikings. However, the usual targets in the passing game were nearly invisible.
• Top target Mike Williams registered a single reception for -4 yards. That’s right. Williams was blanketed by Antoine Winfield and failed to create space all day.
• Tight end Kellen Winslow scratched the score sheet, but his output of four receptions for 44 yards (eight targets) hardly raises your heart rate.
After being shut out in Week 1, the Vikings did manage to work tight end Visanthe Shiancoe into the mix. Shiancoe was targeted seven times by Donovan McNabb and finished the game with three receptions for 28 yards.
Benjamin Watson was limited to two receptions for 16 yards by the Colts. He was targeted four times by Colt McCoy.
The Colts fell to 0-2 under Kerry Collins in a 27-19 home loss to the Browns. Dallas Clark caught a touchdown pass from Collins, but the former fantasy heroes at wide receiver fell flat. Reggie Wayne was held in check by Joe Haden and produced just four receptions for 66 yards (eight targets). Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon each caught three passes, registering 24 and 28 receiving yards, respectively. I keep hearing the Beyond song “Irreplaceable” in my head.
If you just saw that Matt Cassel had completed 15-of-22 pass attempts against the Lions on Sunday, you might have been led to the conclusion that he’d posted a solid game. The big reveal of his stat line would leave you with your head in your hands. Cassel amassed just 133 passing yards, absorbed two sacks and threw three interceptions.
He’ll next face the San Diego pass defense that brutalized Donovan McNabb in Week 1. Sorry, it’s just a better barometer than the Week 2 matchup against Tom Brady.
Kansas City receiver Steve Breaston has been beset by injuries through the early part of the season. Breaston hit the field against the Lions and was a non-factor in the struggling passing game. He was targeted twice, and finished the game with one reception for seven yards. In two weeks, Breaston has tallied three receptions for 33 yards.
New Orleans turned to bruiser Mark Ingram to run clock against the Bears. He came up short in several big spots and finished the game with 51 yards on 14 carries with a lost fumble. In two games against NFC North foes, Ingram has averaged 3.4 yards per carry on 27 touches.
Roy Williams wasn’t there to spin quotes or work over the middle for Jay Cutler against the Saints. As such, fans and fantasy owners anticipated an active day for Johnny Knox in the New Orleans secondary. Knox was targeted six times by Cutler, who operated under duress for the entire day, and finished the game with two receptions for 45 yards.
Lance Moore returned to action for the Saints and did sneak into the mix in the red zone. However, he was virtually invisible in the box score, finishing the day with a single reception for six yards on four targets.
Robert Meachem did score a touchdown in the Saints’ win over Chicago, but it’s hard to get excited about his four-reception, 10-yard output. He was targeted only four times, so Drew Brees’ run of efficiency continued unabated.
As one of the last men standing in the Oakland receiving corps, former “Ninja” Chaz Schilens popped onto the radar against the Bills. Schilens received an opportunity in the red zone and finished the game with one reception for nine yards.
Alas, Vernon Davis was a non-factor in the 49ers’ Sunday thriller against the Cowboys. Davis was called upon to assist in pass protection, thereby limiting him to two pass targets. He caught both pass attempts for which he was intended for a meager total of 18 yards.
You didn’t expect much from Braylon Edwards given Alex Smith’s tepid performance in Week 1 against the Seahawks. However, you did anticipate that he’d at least have opportunities the injury-ravaged Dallas secondary. Instead, he was targeted only twice and finished the game with one reception for 21 yards.
