There was certainly some eye dropping performances to open the 2011 season. Tom Brady making Monday Night Football history, Cam Newton having a magnificent debut, The Ravens crushing their hated rivals and the Buffalo Bills scoring 41 points in a blowout win were just a few of the many surprising events to occur. As week 2 approaches let us examine some of the trends that will last throughout the season and impact your fantasy football team.
1. How bout them Cowboys?
The media backlash Tony Romo has received for his poor play down the stretch in week one will have no effect on fantasy owners. Romo still threw for an impressive 342 yards against the New York Jets who arguably have the best cornerback duo in the entire NFL. The word elite can be used to describe Tony Romo except his fourth quarter meltdowns suggest otherwise. (Sound familiar Lebron James?) For fantasy purposes he is a top ten quarterback on any given week with the potential to end the year as a top five quarterback. This bodes well for everyone on the Dallas offense including Miles Austin, Dez Bryant, Jason Witten, and Felix Jones. They have all proven to be must starts for your fantasy squad on a week to week basis. So enjoy the fantasy ride even if it means more boneheaded mistakes for Romo and the Cowboys late in games.
2. Pound and Ground will look more like Air Jet
Shonn Greene will have games where he looks like the running back beast you selected high in your draft. Unfortunately the norm will consist of games like last Sunday night where he carried the ball 10 times for no more than 26 yards. The team is now ready to give the green light for Mark Sanchez to air it out on a consistent basis. With a plethora of new receivers to throw to, the Jets will rely less on the running game than originally expected. More performances from Sanchez like he had in week 1 comprising of 335 yards with two touchdowns and an interception will surprisingly be more common than Shonn Greene exploding for 100 yards. As the weather gets colder the Jets will rely more on the running game. However ultimately the Jets know they will only go as far as Sanchez takes them. This is why Sanchez will be given every opportunity to throw regularly in the season to prove he is the man for the job come post season.
3. Rex Grossman will actually be worth owning
In August, this statement was a complete joke. In September it has slight merit. By December you will be wishing you had Rex Grossman. I am officially on the Rex Bandwagon if there even is one. I hate using preseason statistics to prove a point but they are impressive against quality defenses. Against Pittsburg he threw for 207 yards and a touchdown and vs. Baltimore he went for 112 passing yards with a score. Playing all four quarters in an actual game that counted, he torched the Giants for 305 yards and two touchdowns. The Redskins play the Cardinals this week which just allowed Cam Newton to throw for an opening day rookie record of 422 yards. Grossman as of now is probably nothing more than a solid backup quarterback. Although he is worth starting with the right matchup making him a solid contributor to your bench you will want to have on your roster.
4. Philip Rivers is good… MVP good
It is surprising to see the Chargers, who are known to be slow out of the gates, win in week 1. Even if the Vikings totaled a pathetic 39 yards of passing offense. This week 2 matchup between last season’s MVP Tom Brady and Philip Rivers who has the potential to dethrone the title will be the game of the week. Throwing for 335 in his first game, Rivers continues to impress. As a fan you have come to expect these numbers from him on a consistent basis. What is even more amazing is that his top two receivers were not even that productive providing room for improvement. Antonio Gates was solid with 8 receptions for 74 yards but Vincent Jackson contributed a mere 2 receptions for 31 yards. Mike Tolbert was the real star of the game hauling in three touchdowns and nine receptions for those in PPR leagues making him a definite flex play for future matches. Even Ryan Mathews impressed with 45 rushing and 73 receiving yards. Look for Rivers to win MVP honors or at the very least be in the conversation. Expect high productivity all season long from his teammates as well because a true MVP raises the overall level of their supporting cast. The Chargers will be back in the playoffs and be able to “Stay Classy San Diego” as Ron Burgundy would say.
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