Courtesy of: Bleacher Report
We have a winner! I expected this to open last week’s recap column, but alas, a tie was all Ross Dunham and I could muster in week 1. But today, someone has officially taken the lead in this season long series and it is…The Wordslinger. With a convincing 23 point victory, team TSC overtook team IHJJR and became the first to post a victory in this young battle of sports blogs. Below is a brief recap of the picks and their scoring for the week (based, as always, on ESPN standard league scoring).
Quarterbacks (TSC- Michael Vick IHJJR- Terrelle Pryor)
This week’s matchup was won (and lost) here at the quarterback position. Vick improved upon his re-emergence in week 1 by posting a 33 point fantasy day, throwing for over 400 yards and totaling 3 TDs. Pryor, on the other hand, was unable to get much going against what seemed like a drastically overmatched Jacksonville team. The Raiders struggled mightily to score in this game and Pryor was unable to top 200 yards of total offense, which added up to a 10 point fantasy day. Honestly, I thought this positional matchup would be much closer…it seems the Oakland QB fooled us all in week 1.
Running Backs (TSC- DeMarco Murray IHJJR- Ryan Mathews)
Wow, what a barn burner at the running back spot. Neither player topped 80 total yards in this game. Neither player got into the endzone in this game. On the plus side if you are a Ryan Mathews owner, is the fact that he averaged over 4.5 yards per carry against the Eagles. On the minus side, he did what Ryan Mathews does best; fumble. Another lost fumble for Mathews is the only thing that allowed Murray to edge him in points this week…6 to 5. Ugh.
Wide Receivers (TSC- Cecil Shorts IHJJR- TY Hilton)
If you’ve been following me this year, you know I’m high on Hilton. I thought we’d see him come out firing in week 1 and it turns out I was one week early on that prediction. In week 2, against what looks like a solid Miami Dolphins team, Hilton was involved early and often and racked up over 120 yards on 6 catches, a nice 20+ yard average per catch. If not for the garbage time yardage of Cecil Shorts, this positional matchups wouldn’t have been nearly as close as it was. Hilton still won the week though, totaling 12 fantasy points to Shorts’ 9.
Tight Ends (TSC- Greg Olsen IHJJR- Jordan Cameron)
Dunham went back to the Jordan Cameron well again this week and it continues to pay off. While he didn’t reach the endzone in this one, Cameron still amassed nearly 100 yards on 5 receptions. He has been the number one target for Brandon Weeden through 2 weeks, but we’ll see what happens now that Josh Gordon is returning from suspension this week. Cameron’s production was not enough, however, to match Olsen’s. The Panther’s TE was the 4th highest scorer at his position this week, catching 7 passes for 84 yards, including a TD. The score put him on top in this matchup with 14 fantasy points, while Cameron only totaled 9.
Defenses (TSC- Cowboys IHJJR- Raiders)
Dunham grabbed the Raiders for good reason. It seems this year, the popular DEF each week will be the one facing the Jaguars. As predicted, they put up a solid fantasy week, scoring 10 points. Had they collected a few turnovers, that score would have been much better. The Cowboys were a potentially risky play on my part as a lot of experts out there think the Chiefs are a formidable offense. But I’m just not convinced that Alex Smith can turn this team into a truly elite offense, at least not this early in the season. My call was solid, as the Cowboys totaled a respectable 7 fantasy points. They also were unable to generate any turnovers, but did get to the QB to the tune of 4 sacks.
Look for our week 3 preview later this week as I try to extend my winning streak and Ross attempts to even the score.
Season Standings
Team TSC: 1-0-1
Team IHJJR: 0-1-1
