Week 2 Picks:

Last Week’s Grades:

Game Picks: C+

My record from last week was underwhelming, after I barely squeaked by with a winning record of 9-7. If you stuck with me on the Rams’ Sunday Night upset, you’d be happy… but probably not with any of my Falcons, Colts, and  . The only big positive for me is with the Brown’s Monday Night victory, I’m 5-0 in Primetime games. It probably won’t last with what I’m guessing with my bold ideas in store for the Raiders.

Fantasy Football: B-

I won in my main league this time around thanks to a combination of good play from Cam Newton and Ezekiel Elliot, but the season’s still a long one. Most of my projections for players came to fruition, although it would have been helpful to switch Tyler Boyd off your roster for Kenyan Drake last week. Oh, well…

Notable Game Picks:

Bengals @ Browns – I picked Cincinatti to fall short in an ugly battle, since losing to a team with Tyrod Taylor as a starter is never a good sign… But surprisingly, this game was refreshing. When was the last time you can say that a game between two Ohio teams was actually fun to watch? Burrow was electric when he wasn’t being obliterated by the Cleveland’s D-line and hopefully has a bright future. The real stars of the show were the Brown’s tandem in the backfield between Chubb and Hunt, as they fought they way for four touchdowns together!

Falcons @ Cowboys – It’s scary how good CeeDee Lamb was in his debut on a Dallas offense full of talent. Yet, seventeen points vs the Rams. Mike McCarthy is not going to help that team. On another note, a lot of the talk this week was about the Seahawks dominating in Atlanta, but actually if you take away a punter’s fumble and a few 4th down conversions that the Seahawks made, the game could’ve essentially gone either way. The falcons probably can pull this one off by a field goal or two.

Lions @ Packers – Considering how or recent the Lions have been are one of the most dangerous teams at Lambeau, this game scares me despite all the chatter about how Rodgers is back. Remember, the Packers led against Detroit at no point with time still on the clock in either divisional showdown last year! Davante Adams is poised to have a huge game again, but I think a huge surprise will be the run-game and how Peterson and Jones swallow up yardage. Aside from Alexander, the Packer’s defense was inconsistent at best in Minnesota, thus be grateful for Kenny Golladay’s absence. The Packers will win only win this by probably a few points, as injuries help them out from Detroits banged-up coverage.

Giants @ Bears – Even on a short week, I think that the Giants can find a way to win this one by a touchdown. It’s a gutsy call after Chicago finally won a season opener for the first time in forever, but Trubisky comebacks don’t grow on trees. Barkley was contained by the Steelers a week ago, but I’m sure there’s a way he can make up for it with double the production on Sunday. Expect a good shoot-out in this one.

Panthers @ Buccaneers – Another upset, I’m willing to bank on. The Panthers came up just short of the Raiders a week ago, and anticipate some pressure. Bridgewater didn’t lose a single game last year filling in for Brees with the Saints, so I anticipate he’ll want to course correct. Meanwhile, Brady didn’t play bad either despite his a few unfortunate plays. More important than any result, though, is the fact that Brady could tie another record in his career… for most pick-6s in consecutive games! I don’t think he’ll put himself in the history books with a fourth game in a row, but I do expect that Carolina will take advantage of the QB’s 3 game losing streak and find a way to get to 1-1.

Baltimore @ Houston – Never, ever, ever, ever, ever doubt No. 8 for Baltimore. He’s 15-4 in his career and in my book a much better player than Mahomes. He cruised around the field with some rocket tosses and some shifty scampers that make him truly a lot better than the overpraised Mahomes. I feel bad for Watson and how badly he’ll get squashed from Ravens’ pass-rushers who were all over Mayfield last week. Not only will Baltimore cover, but they will beat the spread thanks to a big game from Mark Andrews.

Saints@ Raiders – Should anyone ever feel comfortable picking the team that’s going up against New Orleans and Kamara? No. But, it’s doubtful they’ll go 16-0, so you got to choose some underdogs at some point. Josh Jacob’s reassuring performance and the stick-with-it mentality led by Vegas’ new squad helped the Raiders start off 1-0. Michael Thomas’ injury will be a factor, but Jared Cook and the depth chart are pretty good for the NFC team, so don’t think for a minute that Brees will throw for less than 300 yards. Carr should be good for a couple quarters

Other Game Predictions:

Rams @ Eagles, Bills @ Dolphins, Jaguars @ Titans, Vikings @ Colts, 49ers @ Jets, Washington@ Cardinals, Chiefs @ Chargers, Patriots @ Seahawks

Since I’m publishing this column on Saturdays, I’ll start giving my Thursday Night game picks in advance: Dolphins @ Jaguars

Fantasy Advice:

Reminder, I play in a regular PPR league with typical scoring rules and rosters.

Start: Adrian Peterson, Noah Fant, Matt Ryan, Aaron Jones, Nyheim Hines

Bench: Gardner Minshew, Carson Wentz, Jamison Crowder, David Johnson

Risk-It: Brandon Ayuik, Todd Gurley, Keelan Cole, M. Valdes-Scantling,

Pick-Up: Macolm Brown, Chiefs D, Tre’Quan Smith, Parris Campbell

That’s wraps this week up! More coming for Week 3 again!