Top Targets Week 2 2012

HOMER ALERT, HOMER ALERT. THIS IS NOT A TEST! This week is a giant Rams love fest. Not 1, not 2, not 3, but 4 Rams and an ex Ram. just giving you full transparency.

Head Smackers

Danny Amendola, WR, St. Louis Rams – I had Amendola on the not so obvious list last week and he obviously was annoyed by my lack of respect. Seriously though, the Rams have actually looked something north of pathetic in both games this season and Sam Bradford has spent more time on his feet than his back. Amendola will continue to produce in the top tier of the WR2 ranks

Andre Brown, RB, New York Giants – The Giants have historically ran the ball very well even if none of their running backs can stay healthy. This works out very well for Andre Brown as the number one back up. He will definitely be the starter this week considering Bradshaw has already been ruled out but he will probably get some reps all season as well since Bradshaw is always nursing some ailment.

Martellus Bennett, TE, New York Giants – Bennett had a great week one but there was a good chance he was just trying to stick it to his old team. Week two however….was even better! The more productive Manning has always kept his tight ends active on the stat sheet and it appears that Bennett is going to be one of his favorite targets this season

Sam Bradford, QB, St. Louis Rams – Second Ram of four this week so stay tuned. Bradford is 7th overall for QBs and has looked solid in both games this season. Bradford is a great bye week stop gap or even a possible starter if you really need help (for example if you drafted Matt Schaub)

Not So Obvious

Brandon Gibson, WR, St. Louis Rams – What can I say, the Rams have been putting up some numbers. Gibson was on my list of possible hail marys but didn’t make the cut for my article and then he went and scored again making me a mute genius! Amendola will be the primary read, but Gibson is a much bigger target in the red zone. If the Rams continue to score, Gibson will continue to score.

Mike Williams, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Williams had an off year last year and with the addition of Vincent Jackson people seem to have forgotten about him. For the record, he is still a threat and has huge upside, definitely worth a flyer if you have some space.

Brandon Lafell, WR, Carolina Panthers – Steve Smith looks like he has finally slowed down a little and left some room for a new set of hands on Cam Newton’s balls (I mean the balls he throws to wide receivers in football games obviouly….you guys are rude minded).

Hail Mary

Scott Chandler, TE, Buffalo Bills – Whether the Bills are getting crushed by the Jets or crushing the Chiefs, Chandler produces. Week 1, 38 yards and a TD, week 2 53 yards and a TD. Since he is a TE he is not going to get much pub unless his nickname is Gronk or last name is Graham or unless he scores 3 TDs in a game like Dante Rosario (who would be a great pick up if he didn’t play on the same team as Antonio Gates and wasn’t limited in practice this week) but he is a favorite target of Ryan Fitzpatrick and should continue to produce.

Donnie Avery, WR, Indianapolis Colts – 8 targets in week one with a touch down and 10 targets in week 2 for 111 yards. Donnie Avery was a good receiver and had no trouble getting open until he got hurt in St Louis and fell off the face of the planet. With no fanfare he has emeerged as Andrew Luck’s favorite target in Indy and still has no trouble getting open.

Daryl Richardson, RB, St. Louis Rams – Week 2 and Steven Jackson is already injured, usually he waits for week 4 before he drives his owners nuts! The difference is that this season his back up is not warmed up dog dirt. In the second half against the Redskins after Jackson’s injury/benching, Richardson looked extremely good for a rookie and showed something that Jackson for all his positives has not showed in a couple seasons…burst and acceleration. If you own Jackson, you better own Richardson

Top Targets for 2012 Week 1

Week One is in the books and you need some help.  Here are a few guys who will help you fill the whole in your team, but only love will help you fill the whole in your heart…just saying

Head Smackers

Kevin Ogletree, WR, Dallas Cowboys – Ogletree came out of nowhere last week and surprised everyone especially me with an enormous game.  I am sure he is not going to go for 100+ yds and 2 touchdowns every week, but with the Uber-talented Dez Bryant and the resurgent Miles Austin taking defenses away from him Ogletree is in a great position to put up numbers all season.

Pierre Garcon, WR, Washington Redskins – We have been saying since the preseason that if any Washington wide out will have any production this year, it will be Garcon.  The question was, will RG3 be able to deliver the ball to anyone consistently (that looks cleared up)

CJ Spiller, RB, Buffalo Bills – Fred Jackson is the best running back in Buffalo, but he will not be on the field for over a month.  That leaves CJ Spiller as the man once again. Buffalo is not nearly as bad as they appeared this weekend and as bad as they looked, Spiller looked great.  He should be owned in all leagues.

Alfred Morris, RB, Washington Redskins – The Shanahan RB carousel has stopped at Alfred Morris…..for now.  Grab him if he is available but expect to be angry all year.

Joe Flacco, QB, Baltimore Ravens – Flacco has been on my top targets list every week for 2 years!  The guy is good , has been good.  Make no mistake, Flacco is no Drew Brees but if you need a great mid tier quarterback, who will get you the 17 points a game you need from a fantasy quarterback to win a championship, he is your guy.

Robert Griffin III, QB, Washington Redskins – Yes, yes, yes the third redskin this week. Yes, anyone can pick guys from a team that put up 40 points and tell you to pick them up but hear me out.  RGIII looked good through the air, good on the ground and he has the Shanahan system to take some pressure off him.  To top it off, he faces a juicy schedule over the next few weeks,St. Louis,Cincinnati,TampaBay….very nice.  Plus I got burned last year not picking Cam Newton early.

Not So Obvious

Kevin Smith, RB, Detroit Lions – 91 all purpose yards and 2 touchdowns? The only reason Kevin Smith is not a head smacker is because he put it up against the Rams and the Lions will be facing some real defenses as the season goes on.

Randy Moss, WR, San Francisco 49ers – Randy Moss is not really Randy Moss but he is still Randy Moss.  Big Target, great hands, not really the vertical threat he once was but he will score this season.

Danny Amendola, WR,St.Louis Rams – The Rams offense looked terrible last weekend but in their defense, the Lions have a REALLY good defense.  Amendola is a quality receiver and one of the very few offensive threats the Rams have. If you need bye week help, he is it.

Knowshon Moreno, RB, Denver Broncos –Moreno has been an unmitigated disaster as a fantasy RB since he entered the league.  This year, he is finally not the starter…PHEW! But he is the back up of Willis McGahee who is 200 years old and bound to get hurt.

Hail Mary

Ronnie Brown, RB, San Diego Chargers – I have Ryan Mathews on 2 teams so I want so badly for him to get healthy…but he is Ryan Mathews and Ryan Mathews has never been healthy. If he misses any substantial time, Brown might have some value.

Alshon Jeffery, WR, Chicago Bears – Jeffery is a tall burner out of South Carolina who is going to be reaping the benefit of Brandon Marshall’s double teams.  Don’t be surprised if he surprises everyone but you.

Jump Early and Your Risk Will be Rewarded

In Response to Pretzel’s “Players to Avoid” article, I thought it only right to follow it up with a “players you should target” article. Since historically wide receivers and running backs have the most room for error, I assumed this is where you need the most help. These are not necessarily sleepers, but they are all players who hold more value than their rank would lead you to believe and if you jump a little early on them you will be richly rewarded.

Brandon Lloyd, New England Patriots
I have never been a big Brandon Lloyd, although I am sure he is a very nice person, but I have always been a huge Tom Brady supporter even thought I am pretty sure he probably a self important….i guess I don’t know that for sure, anyway I am digressing. Reports have Tom Terrific and Big Brandon already showing some chemistry during OTAs. This should not be a complete shock considering they have both played in Josh McDaniels system. If Welker continues to cause defenses fits, Lloyd could be a surprise beast this season.

Darrius Heyward-Bey, Oakland Raiders

Heyward-Bey finally found a quarterback he would play for in Carson Palmer and proved that Al Davis wasn’t completely senile in his decision to draft him when he clearly shouldn’t have. Heyward-Bey had 29 receptions, 456 yards and 3 TDs in the last five games of the season. If he can continue to get open and Palmer’s arm stays attached to his shoulder, Heyward-Bey could put up a 1200 yard season.

Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons
Julio Jones, very quietly put up a pretty great rookie season with 54 grabs, 959 yards and 8 touchdowns. If Roddy White continues to command attention from opposing DBs and there is no reason he shouldn’t, Julio Jones could be a breakout star (which would make Matt Ryan a stud too). Jones really found a groove at the end of the year with over 500 yards and 6 touchdowns in his last 6 games. Jones won’t last long but he might last longer than he should, definite WR1 numbers potential.

Steven Ridley, New England Patriots
The Pats have not been a fantasy running back machine like some teams, but it is mostly because they never give anyone the ball for more than a minute at a time. However, the rock toters in New England have always put up numbers when given the chance. This season Steven Ridley will be that guy. With the law firm gone to Cincinnati and the Joseph Addai experiment already over, it appears that coach Bill has made a decision and it should pay dividends for fantasy owners considering Ridley is ranked in the 20s among RBs on most draft boards.

James Starks, Green Bay Packers
Many assumed that the Packers would draft a running back early making James Starks a lame duck or at the very least another committee member. That didn’t happen and Starks now stands poised as the guy most likely to capitalize on the constant nickel and dime packages Green Bay will face in their opponents futile attempt to slow down Aaron Rodgers. If he stays healthy, Starks will have a chance to put up big fantasy numbers

Toby Gerhart/Roy Helu, Minnesota Vikings/Washington Redskins

I listed these guys together because they are in exactly the same situation. They are back ups, in good running systems, behind very productive featured backs who are coming off ugly knee injuries that happened late in the season. Translation: they will be available late, they will most likely start and produce early and could end up the starter if their injured teammates have a set back or stumble on their return. Me likey.

Look Before You Leap on These Guys

As you head into your fantasy draft, there are going to be a lot of “experts” giving you a lot of advice on who to target (us included).  The problem is that most of these experts rely heavily on last year’s stats to determine this year’s projections.  Here are some players coming off big performances last season that you might want to wait on.

Marshawn Lynch – Marshawn Lynch had a good season last year, so that has people thinking he is finally going to live up to his potential. Not so fast. I am sure you can recall when Lynch first got to Buffalo he was a beast and ran like a man possessed. The problem is when he starts having off the field issues, he loses his focus and then he is the same player that the Bills gave up on. Marshawn will come back down to earth this year and counting on him as one of your core guys would be a mistake.

Trent Richardson – Don’t get me wrong Richardson is a talented guy and may have a great career in the NFL just not this year. Without to much trouble we can all think of a running back that coming out of college was anticipated to be the next great back and it just didn’t pop. Is this his fate? Maybe, maybe not. This year however he is playing on a bad team with a rookie quarterback and no real weapons in the receiving game to prevent the defence from putting 8 in the box every play. Richardson is going to have no room to move this season unless the Browns can produce through the air. Some predictions have him going in the first round and that is way too early.

Maurice Jones-Drew – MJD and the Jaguars are in the middle of a standoff and it looks as though neither party is willing to blink first. Jaguars have a new coaching staff with a new system and Jones-Drew isn’t there to learn it. I do not doubt MJD’s abilities but we all saw how no off-season and a long holdout worked for Chris Johnson last year.

AJ Green – This ridiculously talented second year player had a fantastic rookie season and if not for Cam Newton he may have taken Rookie of the Year honors. Green may have a good year but not a great year. He not only has to overcome his own sophomore slump but Andy Dalton is also going into sophomore season and will add to the likelihood of a decline in Green’s play. It is hard enough to follow up a great rookie campaign with everything around you being ideal, just ask Mike Williams. Green has to overcome two sophomore slumps.