I won 5 of 5 Fantasy games week 1. Which, is pretty surprising since I have such RB tandems as Doug Martin and Reggie Bush (16 team league) and Jamaal Charles and Zac Stacy (10 team family and friends league). Also I was starting Jordan Reed and Jordan Cameron in these leagues as well. All of these players had terrible fantasy outputs in week one, and some of them were injured. Am I worried going forward? A little. But playing the match-up has done me well in the past if  I haven't been able to make a trade work. PAY ATTENTION to the opponents your fantasy players are up against. Matt Bryant (yes, a kicker) helped me win 3 of my 5 games last weekend. I knew that game against NFC South rivals, New Orleans was going to be a shoot-out. Meaning, lots of extra-point attempts. I knew that the Eagles were facing a speculative offense at home against Jacksonville. And though it didn't look good for them in the first half, their defense came through with 14 fantasy points for me... and that's nothing to scoff at. Playing your match-ups is the number one key to fantasy success.
     In my 16 team league I drafted running-backs in the first four rounds. For my wide-receivers, I took Terrance Williams from Dallas and Mike Wallace in Miami. You may think that those sound like some pretty awful wide-outs.. but I disagree. Dallas is going to have to throw the ball a ton this year in order to make up for a defense that is just plain bad. Bryant and Witten will seek most of this reward. But, Williams is a talented big body that will see single coverage most of the season.
      And Wallace, well, I like the Miami offense this year. I had no idea that Moreno would dominate the way he did but i'll be damned if he didn't look just as good as last year under a Peyton Manning led offense. This is going to open the doors for all Miami players. So, While I am skeptical about my teams longevity, I do feel confident in some of the choices I made based on the systems my players are in.

     I apologize to anyone that benched Cordarrelle Patterson because of me. I honestly thought the Rams D was better than that. Or is Patterson just THAT good? Maybe both. But I am starting Patterson and dropping the Rams, in any case for week two.  
     Am I the only one that thought in his limited capacity, James Starks looked better than Eddy Lacy? Don't get me wrong, they are two totally different styles of running-backs. But Starks made it through the gaps quicker and had a better yards after contact than the lead back, Lacy. I am pretty sure Lacy will play this weekend given he was lucky enough to play on Thursday night and will be eligible under the NFL's 10 day concussion rule. But, if he were to miss any time Starks becomes automatically own-able in all leagues and I think he maybe a viable flex option in deeper leagues. Beware this week though. The Jets defense doesn't suck.
     Bobby Rainey, AGAIN? Doug Martin looked just terrible in this game. Granted they fell behind early (though the game was never out of reach) and Carolina's D is very stout, yet again. But Rainey gave them a much needed spark that Martin just couldn't produce. I am very worried as I own Martin in one league this year, and might just bench him for Rashad Jennings till he proves to me he can mimic that epic rookie season.
     Hakeem Nicks scored is first touchdown since the 2012 season, and I am willing to bet I am not the only one that is glad he went to the Colts this year. He maybe getting older, and Luck certainly has no shortage of options to throw to. But, I think Nicks revitalizes his career in Indianapolis and Victor Cruz is going to fade into obscurity as Nicks had last year due to and awful offense led by... the OTHER Manning. I'm not sure where the blame really falls in New York. But if they don't get it right soon, heads will roll.
     Speaking of the Colts, how about veteran Ahmad Bradshaw? He looked very good against a much improved Denver defense last Sunday night. There may be no better pass catcher out of the backfield than Bradshaw, currently playing. All due respect to Matt Forte and Jamaal Charles, but this guy has been getting it done for the better half of a decade now and injuries be damned! He keeps showing his critics that he can come back and be a key contributor to ANY team. He IS only 28 and unowned in the majority of ESPN leagues (*HINT). Trent Richardson will never be as good as he was in college and the Colts just signed Dion Lewis to nail down that point. I think Bradshaw should be owned in all leagues and will be a viable flex option given the match-up.
     My Detroit Lions looked VERY good in that first Monday night game in week one. Our Offense was never really under speculation, but the D looked better than I have seen in years. Maybe the New York football Giants really are as bad as I think they might be AGAIN this year.  Matthew Stafford put a lot of fears on their deathbeds with his feet this week. Those who said he wasn't worth a top five fantasy QB pick this year should be eating their words, soon. Bell and Bush's "thunder and lightening" combo looks to be among the best in the NFL.
     What does this all mean for fantasy players? Well, They are all starters. The giants secondary looked bad but so does nearly every teams when facing Calvin Johnson and Co. Golden Tate, even in the shallowest leagues is a viable WR2 or flex option every week. New York's front line looked much better but still couldn't stop Bell's head first style of running. Bell and bush are great Bye week fill-ins and every week flex options. Stafford has learned a LOT from Lombordi and has finally become the decision maker us Detroit fans have been dreaming of since, well, forever. Look for this offense and its play-makers all season to win you your important fantasy match-ups.
     Was I right about Kelvin Benjamin or what? This kid is special. Which leaves Panther fans thinking, Steve Who? I for one can't wait to see what he can do with a GOOD quarterback under center. He is playing a Lions defense this week with a shaken secondary... And it kind of scares me to see what he can do.

OTHER FANTASY TALK.....
Julius Thomas will not score 48 touchdowns this year.
Lamar Miller will soon be drop-able.
Jets rbs are good options in all leagues.
Zach Ertz should finish as a top five fantasy tight-end.
Texans D/ST is for real, again.
Redskins offense will probably struggle, all year.
Marshawn Lynch is good.
So is Andrew Luck.
Anybody on the Denver Broncos is probably start-able every week.
Adrian Peterson will probably miss 6 games.
Justin Forsett should be the starter in Baltimore before the season is finished.

STARTS FOR WEEK 2

TE- Jermaine Gresham, Zach Ertz. Delanie Wlaker. Dwayne Allen.
RB- Terrance West. Chris Ivory/Chris Johnson. Mark Ingram,
WR- Jeremy Maclin. Kelvin Benjamin. Micheal Floyd. Roddy White.
QB- Jake Locker. Carson Palmer. Andy Dalton.
D/ST- Texans. Jaguars. Titans
K- Brandon McManus. Blair Walsh. Calib Sturgis

SITS FOR WEEK 2
TE- Vernon Davis. Zach Miller. Coby Fleener. Kyle Rudolph.
RB- Stephen Jackson. Toby Gerhart. Andre Ellington.
WR- Malcolm Floyd. Kendall Wright. Anquan Boldin.
D/ST- Vickings. Panthers. Jets. Bengals.
K- Robbie Gould. Greg Zuerlein. Billy Cundiff