This past weekend featured some barn burners, some upsets and some unbelievable performances. We saw the “rebuilding” Browns drop a half-a-hundred on the high-flying Bengals, winning 51-45. Carson Palmer threw for 401 yards and six touchdowns in the loss, as Derek Anderson performed out of his mind, racking up 328 yards and five scores. Also, RB Jamal Lewis broke out with 216 yards on the ground. The Brady-to-Moss connection went to primetime as Randy caught two more TDs and had his second straight 100-yard contest. Those pesky Titans almost knocked off the mighty Colts, losing 22-20 thanks to another stalled late-fourth quarter Tennessee drive.
LaMont Jordan continues to do his best to prove he’s back in true form, piling up 159 yards rushing against a formidable Broncos defense, Chad Johnson eclipsed the 200-yard barrier and Steve Smith caught three more TDs. If you take a look at the standings now, you’ll see teams like the Lions, Packers, Niners and Texans undefeated, while the Saints, Rams and Giants have yet to break into the victory column. We’ll take a look around the league’s action in this edition of Chutes ‘n’ Ladders and discuss a few of the top free agents and injury news from Week 2.
Free Agents
Quarterbacks
Derek Anderson, CLE 20-for-33, 328 yards, five TD, INT
Jake Delhomme, CAR 27-for-41, 307 yards, three TD, INT, 13 yards rushing
Trent Green, MIA 23-for-40, 287 yards, two TD, four INT, nine yards rushing
Kyle Boller, BAL 23-for-35, 185 yards, two TD
David Garrard, JAC 13-for-25, 272 yards, TD, 20 yards rushing
Kellen Clemens, NYJ 19-for-37, 260 yards, TD, two INT
Jeff Garcia, TB 10-for-16, 243 yards, two TD
Matt Schaub, HOU 20-for-28, 227 yards, two TD
Damon Huard, KC 19-for-28, 175 yards, TD, INT
Tarvaris Jackson, MIN 17-for-33, 166 yards, four INT, 16 yards rushing, TD
Rex Grossman, CHI 20-for-34, 160 yards, TD, two INT
J.P. Losman, BUF 15-for-25, 154 yards, 38 yards rushing
Josh McCown, OAK 8-for-16, 73 yards, TD, three INT, 28 yards rushing
After Anderson shredded the Bengals defense for five TD passes, he’s going to get another favorable matchup next week. He’ll line up behind center against the Raiders, who are allowing 281 passing yards per game – fourth worst in the NFL. He’ll be one of the more popular pickups in fantasy and is worth using in week 3, but has a long stretch of difficult pass defenses for a while after. You have to figure that rookie Brady Quinn will be taking over around mid-season too. Consider him a one-week stopgap at most. … Garcia is averaging a league-leading 10.3 yards per attempt through two contests for the conservative Bucs, including a couple long TD strikes to Joey Galloway in Week 2. He won’t see a weak secondary like New Orleans’ for over a month though – therefore, he’s just a No. 2 QB at most for the foreseeable future. … After saying the past few days that McCown was going to be sidelined with a finger injury for about three weeks, rookie coach Lane Kiffen changed his mind and started McCown over Daunte Culpepper for Sunday’s OT thriller in Denver. McCown committed four turnovers and was limited to just 73 yards passing, but still almost won the game. Sebastian Janikowski connected on a 52-yard field goal in overtime that gave the Raiders a 23-20 victory…. but apparently coach Mike Shannahan called a timeout the second before the snap. So, the left-footed kicker lined up again, booted the long FG attempt and then came away empty handed as it smacked the top of the left bar. Denver then drove downfield and won on a field goal in the closing seconds for the second straight week. It appears Oakland doesn’t have much confidence in Culpepper now and McCown is expected to start again next week.
Running Backs
DeShawn Wynn, GB 10 rushes, 50 yards, two TD, two rec, 18 yards
Mewelde Moore, MIN six rushes, 50 yards, four rec, 36 yards
Sammy Morris, NE 10 rushes, 51 yards, TD
Cecil Sapp, DEN two rushes, six yards, TD, two rec, 18 yards
Mike Karney, NO three rushes, 13 yards, TD
Lorenzo Neal, SD rec, one yard, TD
Najeh Davenport, PIT six rushes, 46 yards, two rec, 11 yards
Jesse Chatman, MIA three rushes, 27 yards, four rec, 15 yards
Ron Dayne, HOU 18 rushes, 44 yards
Selvin Young, DEN three rushes, 43 yards
Brian Calhoun, DET five rushes, 22 yards, three rec, 19 yards
Michael Pittman, TB five rushes, 18 yards
Michael Bennett, KC seven rushes, 14 yards, three rec, 20 yards
With the Patriots dominating for the second straight week, back-up RB Sammy Morris got a chance for some carries again. He almost duplicated his Week 1 numbers, rambling for 51 yards and TD. Consider the former Dolphin a quality handcuff option for Laurence Maroney-owners, but don’t expect these numbers to continue. Maroney will get the brunt of the load most weeks. … The Packers are still trying to figure out what they’re doing in their backfield, but Wynn definitely made a case for his own cause with a 50-yard, two-TD performance off the bench. Starter Brandon Jackson was held in check for 17 rushes for 35 yards and Vernand Morency remains week-to-week with an injury. If Wynn didn’t break a 38-yard TD against the Giants scrubs late in the fourth, he would have been held to a nine-carry, 12-yard performance, so don’t consider adding him to your roster now. He’s still No. 3 in the depth chart. … Chester Taylor was inactive for the Vikings this week, so Moore got more playing time as the third-down back, posing 86 total yards behind starter Adrian Peterson. These are typical numbers for Moore when he plays, but – like Wynn – he is still No. 3 on the depth chart. … The Texans used a two-headed RB vs Carolina this week, as Dayne came off the pine for 18 carries and 44 yards. Starter Ahman Green looked strong again with 71 yards and a TD, but Dayne got most of the touches in the second half. It’s almost like the Texans are using the Great Dayne to keep Green from getting more a beating. Dayne now has 77 yards in two contests, but is averaging just 2.5 yards per clip. He’s got limited value in deeper leagues because of his workload.
Wide Receivers
Joe Jurevicius, CLE four rec, 44 yards, two TD
Marty Booker, MIA four rec, 79 yards, TD
Roydell Williams, TEN four rec, 72 yards, TD
Isaac Bruce, STL eight rec, 145 yards
Brandon Marshall, DEN five rec, 82 yards
Glenn Holt, CIN five rec, 52 yards, TD
Brandon Stokley, DEN three rec, 43 yards, TD
Wes Welker, NE eight rec, 91 yards
Nate Burleson, SEA two rec, 39 yards, TD
Shaun McDonald, DET seven rec, 71 yards
Dennis Northcutt, JAC five rec, 75 yards
Bobby Engram, SEA five rec, 71 yards
James Jones, GB four rec, 75 yards
Mike Furrey, DET five rec, 60 yards
There are two Lions on this list once again, as Detroit had four receivers post 60+ yards for the second straight week. Despite being the No. 3 and 4 options, Furrey and McDonald had strong games again, combining for a dozen catches and 131 yards. It sure seems like the high-powered Lions offense is going to be able to spread the wealth around to everybody. … With Rod Smith out until midseason, Denver is getting some decent play from Brandon Marshall. He came through with five catches and 82 yards against Oakland Sunday and is somebody you should consider if you need receiver-help. … James Jones started in behalf of the injured Greg Jennings, and posted a career-best five catch, 75-yard performance. Monitor Jennings’ health for Week 3 vs San Diego. The Bengals offense was unreal this weekend. Starters Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmanzadeh each caught a pair of TDs and slot option Glenn Holt posted a respectable five catches, 52 yards and a seven-year score. Palmer connected with Chris Henry for nine TDs in just 13 games last year as the slot option, and he’s sidelined until at least Week 10, so Holt could have some value over the next couple months in larger leagues. Expect him to find the end zone frequently. … Welker sure looks like New England’s new No. 2 option, ahead of Donte’ Stallworth. He’s got 11 more receptions and 114 more yards through the first two games. He’s still available in many leagues, so look to him to be a quality WR3/flex play.
Tight Ends
Owen Daniels, HOU five rec, 58 yards
Ben Utecht, IND five rec, 31 yards
Donald Lee, GB four rec, 35 yards, TD
Bubba Franks, GB four rec, 20 yards, TD
Kris Wilson, KC four rec, 34 yards
Jeff King, CAR four rec, 39 yards
Thanks to a monster second half, Brett Favre broke the NFL record for most career victories versus the G-Men yesterday. He hooked up for scores with both his tight ends, Donald Lee and Bubba Franks. ... Daniels looks poised for a big season with Matt Schaub running things in Houston. He’s already got six catches for 72 yards – he had just three receptions for 34 yards in Houston’s last five games in ’06.
Major Injuries Around the League
After hauling in four TD receptions in the first two games, Andre Johnson left Sunday’s affair with Carolina with a sprained PCL. He was visibly limping after the Texans improved to 2-0 and is being called day-to-day at this time. He’ll undergo more tests on Monday and his situation will be clearer then.
Plaxico Burress re-injured his ankle in Sunday’s loss to Green Bay, but doesn’t anticipate missing any games with the injury. He started out like gangbusters in week 2 and now has an amazing 10 receptions, 176 yards and four TD through two games. He’ll be back in uniform vs Washington next week, but teammate WR Steve Smith won’t be. The rookie suffered a fractured shoulder blade and is being considered out indefinitely.
Jon Kitna left this weekend’s tilt against Minnesota for a long period of time because of an apparent concussion, but was able to return to the game later and lead Detroit to their second straight victory. He finished 22-for-33 for 245 yards, a TD and an INT. J.T. O’Sullivan relieved him for a bit in the second quarter and struggled, throwing two interceptions. Kitna is expected to be behind center again for week 3’s contest against the Eagles.
Troy Williamson left Sunday’s contest with a hamstring injury early in the second half against Detroit and did not return. He felt some spasms during the opening kickoff in the third quarter and was lifted for precautionary reasons.
I expected Tarvaris Jackson to do something on Sunday against the Lions, but boy was I wrong??!!! He finished just 17-for-33 for 166 yards and four interceptions. He left with a groin injury after the first play of OT and Brooks Bollinger replaced him. He’ll be re-evaluated again on Monday.
Maurice Jones-Drew underwent X-rays after Sunday’s win over Atlanta. He had just 41 total yards in the contest. The extent of his injury has not been reported as of yet, but it isn’t believed to be too serious.
Steve McNair is still unsure if he’ll be able to start week 3 against Arizona because of a groin injury. Kyle Boller filled in admirably in the victory against the Jets last week, finishing 23-for-35 with a pair of TD strikes. Meanwhile, Kellen Clemens also turned in a strong performance and almost led a furious Jets comeback in the fourth quarter. He threw for 176 of his 260 yards in the fourth quarter, but Baltimore’s defense came up big in the end as Ray Lewis picked off Clemens’ pass with about a minute left to seal the Ravens win. Chad Pennington (ankle) was active for the game and might return for week’s three game against Miami.
With Terry Glenn sidelined already, the Cowboys got a zero-catch performance out of new starting WR Patrick Crayton on Sunday. He did return a punt 49 yards, but received five stitches in his pinky finger at the end of the second quarter. He’s expected to be back in the starting unit for week 3, but isn’t a wise starting option against the stingy Bears defense.
Week Three Schedule
Sunday, September 23 1:00pm ET
Miami @ New York Jets
San Diego @ Green Bay
San Francisco @ Pittsburgh
Buffalo @ New England
Minnesota @ Kansas City
Detroit @ Philadelphia
St. Louis @ Tampa Bay
Arizona @ Baltimore
Indianapolis @ Houston
4:00pm ET
Jacksonville @ Denver
Cleveland @ Oakland
Cincinnati @ Seattle
Carolina @ Atlanta
New York Giants @ Washington
8:15pm ET
Dallas @ Chicago
Monday, September 24 8:30pm ET
Tennessee @ New Orleans