AFC West Fantasy Football Projections: Week Two

Posted by Kurt on Sep 17, 2009 in Fantasy Football

 

 

It was a very exciting week one for the AFC West, with every game going down to the last two minutes. Oakland and Kansas City were big surprises in defeat, while Denver and San Diego pulled out last-second touchdown drives to win. San Diego is still the clear favorite to win this division, but week one produced many questions about the Chargers and the other teams in the West:

Is LT really done being a fantasy stud?

Has Legedu Naanee replaced Chris Chambers as San Diego’s #2 wide receiver?

Can Darren Sproles be an every-down back in the NFL?

Will one back emerge in Denver, or will they continue to make each other fantasy-irrelevant?

Will Brandon Marshall increase his production as he learns the offense in Denver?

Which Oakland back, McFadden or Bush, is the one to own?

Will Louis Murphy be the best rookie WR this year?

Could Brodie Croyle push Matt Cassel for the starting job even when Cassel is healthy?

 

Week Two Fantasy Football Projections:

Baltimore @ San Diego – After surviving a close call against Oakland on Monday Night, the Chargers will have a much more challenging matchup this week. The 24 points Baltimore surrendered to the lowly Chiefs is a misleading stat, as KC managed under 200 yards of total offense. Combine that with the Ravens’ suddenly potent offense and San Diego will be given all they can handle.

LT was once again on the sideline during a pivotal drive, which is becoming an all too familiar sight. Darren Sproles filled in nicely once again, scoring the game-winner on a brilliant draw play. I am still skeptical about Sproles’ ability to take the reins from Tomlinson, but it is becoming very difficult to overlook the 5’6 spark-plug.

Philip Rivers – 200 passing yards, 1 TD 1 INT

LaDainian Tomlinson – 70 total yards, 0 TD

Darren Sproles – 80 total yards, 0 TD

Vincent Jackson – 4 receptions 80 yards, 1 TD

Antonio Gates – 6 receptions 75 yards, 0 TD

Final Score – Baltimore 24, San Diego 13

Cleveland @ Denver – On one hand, the Browns defense was horrible, giving up 310 total yards and 34 points to Minnesota in week one. On the other hand, Denver doesn’t have Adrian Peterson. Almost one-third of the Broncos total offense came on that freak-play tipped ball on their last offensive snap, and they were only able to muster 12 points against the traditionally bad Bengal defense.

Despite the huge day Peterson had against them, I still think Cleveland’s defense is significantly better than Cincinnati’s. Bad news for the Broncos who rushed for just 75 yards against the Bengals, including a lackluster 2.4 YPC from first-round pick Knowshon Moreno. The majority of Kyle Orton’s fantasy points came on the aforementioned “immaculate deflection”, as he was just 16/27 for 156 yards and 0 TDs to that point.

Kyle Orton- 200 yards passing, 1 TD 2 INTs

Correll Buckhalter – 60 total yards 1 TD (receiving)

Knowshon Moreno – 50 total yards 0 TD

Eddie Royal – 5 receptions 55 yards 0 TD

Brandon Marshall – 4 receptions 60 yards 0 TD

Final Score – Cleveland 23, Denver 7

Darren McFadden is in for a big day in Week Two.

 

Oakland @ Kansas City – Both of these teams put in surprising performances against superior teams last week, but neither one was able to close the deal. Oakland’s defense looked good for three quarters, but JaMarcus Russell continues inching closer and closer to “bust” status. The Chiefs took advantage of big plays on defense and special teams but just weren’t able to get enough offensive production against the vaunted Ravens D.

We still don’t know for sure who will play QB for the Chiefs with Matt Cassel still recovering for a preseason knee injury. Brodie Croyle was fairly efficient considering the Chiefs complete lack of a running game against Baltimore. He completed 67% of his passes for 2 TDs and no picks. Maybe the most impressive stat for Croyle was that he actually finished the game.

For Oakland it was an inspired performance that turned into another heart-breaking loss to the team that has dominated them over the last 6 seasons. Russell struggled with accuracy once again, completing only 40% of his passes and throwing two picks. However, the Raiders showed that they can run the ball and stop the run which is usually the first step in the rebuilding process. Kansas City will have to come up with more big plays on defense and special teams to win this, or any other, game this year.

JaMarcus Russell – 175 yards passing, 0 TD 1 INT

Darren McFadden – 125 total yards, 2 TD

Michael Bush – 40 total yards, 0 TD

Louis Murphy – 3 receptions 65 yards, 0 TD

Zach Miller – 5 receptions 60 yards, 0 TD

Croyle/Cassel – 200 yards passing, 1 TD 1 INT

Larry Johnson – 50 total yards, 0 TD

Dwayne Bowe – 5 receptions 60 yards, 1 TD

Final Score – Oakland 17, Kansas City 13