Week two of fantasy football (or the NFL, whatever you want to call it) saw a few players at each position outpace the competition by leaps and bounds. If you listened to me and started Matt Schaub or Philip Rivers, then you must be happy. Schaub threw four touchdowns and Rivers threw for a career-best 436 yards. Frank Gore and Chris Johnson lit up stat-books combining for a total of 530 yards and five touchdowns. Not bad, eh? Also, I hope you listened to me and sat Randy Moss and Steve Slaton as Moss accrued two fantasy points and Slaton only rushed for 34 yards. Anyway, enough about me, we should talk about you. If you are in need at a few positions, I recommend trying to buy low on Tom Brady, Slaton and Matt Forte. Slaton and Forte started the season with two very tough matchups and both will bounce back; I assure you. As for Brady, he is coming off reconstructive knee surgery and was without Wes Welker against a stout Jets defense. His value will never be lower than it is now, and he will still finish the season a top-five fantasy QB. In the meantime, there is room for improvement on every roster, and I have some players you might want to consider adding.
Correll Buckhalter RB/DEN – He had 10 touches for 106 yards and a touchdown against an underrated Browns defense. With Kyle Orton at the helm, the Broncos will run consistently and Buckhalter – the starter – does well with his touches.
Mario Manningham WR/NYG – Now that Plaxico Burress is in jail, Manningham is emerging as the favorite target of Eli Manning. In the first half alone on Sunday night, Manningham caught five passes for 55 yards and one touchdown. I can handle that.
Brent Celek TE/PHI – Celek caught eight passes for 104 yards against the Saints, further proving how deep the tight end pool is this season. There is no reason to think his numbers will decrease in the high-flying Philadelphia offense. L.J. Smith is gone, so there is no “tight end timeshare” here.
Kevin Kolb QB/PHI – Speaking of the Eagles, if Donovan McNabb sits again this week, Kolb is actually a really good play. He threw for 391 yards and two touchdowns against an improved Saints defense, and this Sunday he has a fantastic matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Byron Leftwich QB/TB – This guy could actually do some consistent damage all season. In week one against the Cowboys, he threw for 286 yards, and against the Bills in week two he passed for 296 yards and three touchdowns. The Bucs defense, their strength in the past, has become a glaring weakness, particularly in the secondary. As the Bucs give up tons of points, they have to throw the ball all over the place to keep up. With a solid line and weapons like Antonio Bryant and Kellen Winslow, Leftwich could be in for a big, albeit long, season.
There are tons of receivers out there as teams are beginning to spread the ball around more. A few guys I like are Patrick Crayton, Earl Bennett, Johnny Knox, Nate Washington and Bobby Wade.