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Colby Cavaliere | Archive | Email |
Staff Writer


The Shot Caller's Report - Quarterbacks
Your Guide To Fantasy Lineups: Week 2
9/15/16
QBs | RBs | WRs

Bye Weeks: N/A

Eli Manning

Manning's Matchup: Derek Carr got his turn last week, up next against the Saints-D? Eli Manning.


Grab a Helmet

Cam Newton v. SF:
Despite nearly coming home without a head after the opening night beating he took at Denver, Newton gets the lowly Niners at home on ten days rest. Newton went for 31 standard fantasy points in last year’s home opener against a much more stout Texans defense. The Niners have no boundary answers for Newton’s colossal receivers, and although they have the safeties to at least pester Olsen, the threat of the run game can open things up in the pass game. Look for Newton to be a bit quicker to tuck the ball and run this week after getting smacked around in the pocket last week, so a big rushing total is a possibility. If I’m going to be a true shot caller, let’s settle on a deep touchdown to Ginn off a play action pass in the 3rd quarter to be among Newton’s highlights.

Eli Manning v. NO: So with Big Bro now out of the big leagues, Eli becomes the Manning that gets all the fantasy focus. Manning ho-hummed his way to a 200-yard three-touchdown afternoon last week against the Cowboys. He didn’t hit on many big plays, and only had 28 attempts due to the time of possession advantage by Dallas, but he’s got weapons galore, including Victor Cruz who flashed signs of life. The Saints defense isn’t going to stop anyone this year, especially after losing possibly their best defensive player in Delvin Breaux who broke his leg last week. Look for the Giants to throw early to build up a lead and lean on the running game late, Making Manning a good bet for a repeat three-TD performance.

Carson Palmer v. TB: Palmer and the Cardinals offense looked out of sync in their opening loss to the Evil Empire last week. The Pats may have been depleted on offense, but their defense remains as strong as ever. Palmer and the Cards couldn’t hit their patented deep ball, and it definitely hurt the offensive flow. Tampa Bay gave up a boatload of yards to Matt Ryan and the Falcons passing game last week, so look for the Cardinals to get back on the track that made them one of the NFLs top offenses in 2015. 300-plus yards and multiple scores should be a given in a game Arizona has to win.

Grab a Headset

Philip Rivers v. JAX: In the eight games Philip Rivers played with Keenan Allen last season, he was an elite weekly QB1 option. After Allen went down with his kidney injury, Rivers was barely rosterable. Sure, there were more factors in Rivers’s collapse, but Allen going down with a torn ACL last week certainly won’t help the Chargers’ signal caller. Allen moves the chains with elite route running skills, and now Rivers must rely on mainly deep threats in Travis Benjamin and Tyrell Williams. Look for Rivers to take an efficiency hit, especially against an aggressive Jaguars defense that did a fair job containing Aaron Rodgers last week. This offense needs some time to adjust, making Rivers a shaky option in Week 2.

Tyrod Taylor v. NYJ (Thu): The trendy pick as the poor man’s Newton, Taylor and the entire Bills offense laid a major egg last week in Baltimore. Taylor could only scrape together 122 total yards (111 passing, 11 rushing) against a mediocre Ravens team. Things don’t get any easier as the Bills host a Jets team that racked up 7 sacks against the Bengals, and it looks as though Buffalo’s best weapon, Sammy Watkins, will be playing at well less than 100%. The lack of big play weapons is going to hamper Taylor’s upside, especially if Watkins remains hobbled. Look for a host of designed runs for Taylor to combat the Jets’ rush, but there are much better upside options.

Ryan Fitzpatrick @ BUF (Thu): Let’s stay in cozy Buffalo for the week’s third and final headset grabber. There was no late-game Fitz-magic last week in the tight loss to the Bengals as a pick on the final drive killed any chance for a Jets rally. Fitz did salvage his day with two scores, but looked out of sync with his top targets, and got little going downfield. Fitzpatrick will have his share of big fantasy games this season, but Rex and the Bills defense have his number. In two games last season Fitz failed to top 200 yards passing and threw 5 interceptions (against 4 touchdowns). A short week, combined with an angry Bills defense is not a combination I have faith in. Leave the Ivy League wonder at home this week.

Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Wide Receivers