Week 6 Recap!

Week 6 Recap!

Hey guys, back from the dead!  I'm going to be doing these every two weeks now and they'll be a lot shorter.  The reasoning behind this is that they require quite a bit of time and work to sit and write about it, and mostly I don't think they're creating much conversation.

Anyway, week 6 is going to be my almost half-way through the season stat week!  If there's anything you're curious about that isn't here let me know, I'll see if I can figure it out.

SCORING STATS:

• The average weekly score in our league (this is total points put up by a team, not just football in general) is: 1,603.5.
• The lowest total score of any week so far was week 3, with a pathetic total of 1,481.  After that Week 6 came in second to last with 1,581.  
• The highest total score of any week so far was week week 4, blowing up with 1,691.  The second highest score was week 2 with 1,648.
• All things told through 6 weeks our league has put up a total of 72 different rosters.  The average weekly score of any 1 roster is 133.63.
• Each team's weekly average is:
1. Chris Pender - 162.33 (4-2)
2. Alex Gomez - 152 (6-0)
3. Yuriy Yedinak - 146.5 (6-0)
4. Orest Yaslinskiy - 145.83 (3-3)
5. Gary Meyer - 139.33 (2-4)
6. Valeriy Shishkin - 136.67 (3-3)
7. Nic Meyer - 133.67 (4-2)
8. Andrew Gomez - 128.17 (2-4)
9. Daniel Smith - 121.5 (1-5)
10. Chris Cone - 115.33 (2-4) 
11. Jake Yorke - 114.17 (1-4-1)
12. Matt Burke - 108.33 (1-4-1)
• What I find interesting is that everyone's points against are lower than the average weekly score EXCEPT:
• Chris Pender who is facing 154 points on average each week. 
• Gary Meyer who is facing 140 points on average each week.
• Jake Yorke who is facing 136 points on average each week.
• Daniel Smith who is facing 156(!!) points on average each week.
• Each Division's average weekly score is:
• East: 126.71 
• West: 149.88
• North: 124.38
• The average loss for each team is by this many points:
• Chris Pender: 9 
• Gary Meyer: 15.8
• Nic Meyer: 21
• Orest Yaslinskiy: 22
• Valeriy Shishkin: 23
• Matt Burke: 31.75
• Chris Cone: 34
• Andrew Gomez: 39
• Jake Yorke: 46.25
• Daniel Smith: 47.8
• Furthermore, the largest two blow-outs have both come at the behest of Jake Yorke.  He has lost by 70, and 72.  

Just thought that it would be interesting for you guys to see some of your team's stats.  Get a better idea of where your at both statistically and karmically.  Also, maybe it's time for a switch up on some teams.  After waivers clear tonight we will be halfway through the regular season.  That means there is still time to turn it around or fall off majestically.  Make the choice.

GAME(S) OF THE WEEK:

These two games came down to the wire and could have gone either way for the teams involved.  Talk about sweating it out.

Greenbowl Packers (Valeriy Shishkin) versus Yuriy Yedinak (The Chorne Zhopas)

Let me go ahead and get this out of the way.  For those of you that watched the Monday Night Football game you probably remember this, but for those of you that didn't:  Val plays Juszcyzk over Corey Clement and has to feel awful over it.  First, Breida stays active and messes up his plan, second things are actually looking up for Val.  Juice (I'm not typing that name out every time) is getting catches and actually showing up a bit in the game plan.  Then the fateful pass occurs.  Juice catches the ball and makes the first man miss, he's heading down the sidelines, he gains enough yards to tie the game for Val and he may get more!  Only, someone comes in and hits him fast and hard.  Out pops the ball.  The ball goes into the hands of the Green Bay defense and Val loses 2 points.  And so the score would stay.  Val loses by 2 points, or one lost fumble, 135-137.

Val: How many times over the years have you played Yuriy?  I know, even if you disagree, that this matchup is important to you.  It's your own small version of Ukraine vs. Russia, and guess what?  In this case Ukraine has won.  Val, you should have played Clement.  My question for you is, did you play juice because of how much you love the 9ers?  If so, I'll give you Breida for Ertz eh?  I won't spend too much time here, you know what you did wrong, and honestly I'm very happy you did it wrong.  It gives me a game lead in the division and I still have that early win over you.

Yuriy: Since Fitzmagic ended and AD is looking more human your team looks beatable.  Good, but beatable.  Now there isn't a whole heck of a lot for me to say, except I would ask what you would do if Bell does come back and they end up doing an even split between Conner and Bell?  That sounds unfortunate for your situation, but still better than those that don't have an RB2 to choose from.  Congrats on beating Val by the way, but he will get a second chance to prove that he can beat you, do not let him do that.

Nic Meyer (12 Bar Bruisers) versus Chris Cone (Fresno FaceCleaters)

Not a particularly high scoring affair, this game came down to defense.  And I don't mean that in some weird "oh I didn't score a lot because I needed to play defense" sort-of-way.  What I mean is this, Green Bay D/ST was the last position either of us had going.  I came into that game down by 2 points and was feeling fairly confident as the 49ers were missing The Handsome One and Breida had been banged up recently.  The 49ers came out and shocked the hell out of the Packers by proving that Goodwin can run fast no matter who the QB is.  Anyway, let's fast forward to the 4th quarter.  There was around 4 minutes left, the Packers kick off and the 49ers get the ball.  The 49ers get a 3-and-out, but during that 3-and-out they happen to get 7 yards.  These 7 yards would put them up over 400 on the day at 401, enough to make me go behind by 1.  I was losing, and the 49ers were giving the ball back to the Packers sub 4 minutes left.  Then the Packers had a very quick 3-and-out.  There was another chance.  Watching this I got nervous, I was worried. The 49ers had a 3-and-out of their own, and on 3rd down Beathard got sacked!  Enough to lose the yardage and 1 point for the sack! I was up by 3!  Then Rodgers goes down and scores a TD to tie the game.  The 49ers get the ball back.  They get yardage, I lose my 2 points. I am tied.  I'm going to get a tie.  Could be worse, could be a loss I guess. But then!  What did Beathard do?!  HE THREW A PICK!  I went up by 2!  And then the Packers sealed the game with a FG.  It was so nerve-wracking.  But I did win, 110-108.

Chris: I legitimately think having 3 QBs that are all very good hurts your team.  You're forced to play roulette every week, and sometimes it will lose you the week.  One of those times was this week.  You chose Goff.  If you had Wentz, or Wilson (not Watson), you would have won.  I suggest paring it down somehow, whatever way you choose.  Your team also got stronger with the Freeman injury, now Coleman should be a starter all year. I think that's good for you.  Focus on getting a TE and hope you choose the right TE and your team can compete.

Nic: There are some things I know that makes me believe I have insider information.  Therefore I may not divulge it here.

POWER RANKINGS!

1. Alex Gomez (912 PF) Previously 1.
2. Yuriy Yedinak (879 PF) Previously 2.
3. Chris Pender (974 PF) Previously 3.
4. Nic Meyer (802 PF) Previously 4.
5. Orest Yaslinskiy (875 PF) Previously 8.
6. Valeriy Shishkin (820 PF) Previously 6.
7. Gary Meyer (836 PF) Previously 5.
8. Andrew Gomez (769 PF) Previously 11.
9. Christopher Cone (692 PF) Previously 7.
10. Jake Yorke (685 PF) Previously 10.
11. Matt Burke (650 PF) Previously 12.
12. Daniel Smith (729 PF) Previously 9. 

GOOD LUCK NEXT WEEK!

Week 4 Recap!

Week 4 Recap

You know it's funny, I was sitting in Maui Hawaii at the resort bar sipping on a Pina Colada enjoying life, when out of the corner of my eye I saw Cooper Kupp catch his second touchdown.  In a typical moment like this I would be upset, and while right after that I was certain I would lose, I enjoyed the rest of my night.  Part of it was definitely Brandin Cooks scoring, and part of it was seeing Dalvin Cook look okay despite scoring basically nothing.  The other part of it was definitely being able to drink fruity drinks in tropical weather while getting beat. So really, if at anytime that you are tilting and upset at how the week is going for you just go to a tropical island and get yourself a nice little setup.  And don't let a player come in and leave immediately, more on that later.

Top 5 Players

QB:

1. Patrick Mahomes KC, 140 Points.
• Showtime Showtime, Showtime, Showtime.  The worst thing about Patrick Mahomes is that he plays for the Chiefs and lets Andy Reid make fun of his voice.  The second worst thing about Mahomes is that if you watch the games the announcers will not stop saying that his nickname is Showtime, and that Showtime does this and Showtime does that.  We get it, he's good.  The numbers reflect that as well.
2. Matt Ryan ATL, 124 Points.
• Maybe I was wrong about Matt?  Doubt it, but there's a probability.  He's number two four weeks in, but number 29 in my heart.  The defense for Atlanta looks really bad and that works out quite well for QBs.  Also I guess having a second option other than Ridley is good, and Jones seems like an elite second option.  I wonder how much will change if Freeman looks really good coming back.
3. Ryan Fitzpatrick TB, Jared Goff LAR, 120 points.
• Well, the Fitzmagic is over it appears.  He had a good quote regarding his season though, stating that he would either be MVP or benched and was going to be happy with it either way.  Well maybe it wasn't the best version of this season for him, but you bet your ass he had fun.
• Goff showed that it doesn't really matter what you do against LAR they are going to score.  Will it be Kupp?  Will it be Woods?  Will it be Cooks?  Will it be Gurley?  The answer to all of those is yes.  That offense is looking impeccable right now and while Goff has not done a ton to prove that he's "great" he has done enough to show that he can use the ridiculous level of weapons he has on his team.
4. Drew Brees NO, Kirk Cousins MIN, Philip Rivers LAC, 111 points.
• Defense is bad, but what happens to Brees when Kamara just gets to run in and score every single TD? Brees only scores 8 and loses you your fantasy week.  Ingram is coming back and while he may be less effective after a PED ban, he might also score some TDs and that makes it look somewhat bad.
• Kirk Cousins had an awful week against BUF, but then went and looked amazing against the LAR.  Who knows?  The dude has skills and weapons but needs to show that he won't randomly drop AWFUL games against bad teams.  
• Rivers is abusing that TD magnet he has named Melvin Gordon.  Do you want to give a running back a running touchdown, or do you want to throw a short pass that accomplishes exactly the same but gets Rivers stats as well as Gordon?  Well, we have seen exactly what happens and Rivers likes stats like he likes changing diapers.  A lot.

RB:

1. Alvin Kamara NO, 132 points.
• Any CJ Spiller comps I had ever made were wrong, and I'll admit that already.  Kamara has looked well, and has made a point to prove that rushing does still matter!  He's on pace for over 1000 yards rushing and 1000 yards receiving and seems very exciting to watch and more exciting to plug into your RB slot.  Ingram could eat into some of the rushing and maybe receiving but how much does he have to do to actually take the ball out of Kamara's hands?
2. Todd Gurley II LAR, 103 points.
• Pretty good yard totals this week, only has one week above 100 yards rushing but he is getting TDs every single week.  He's also a part of that LAR offense that teams genuinely seem unable to stop.  They want to take away Gurley?  Okay, the WRs will kill you.  I think that makes Gurley pretty safe.
3. Melvin Gordon LAC, 102 points.
• Sometimes fantasy imitates reality, and in this case it does.  Gordon is the second rated Los Angeles running back, just like the Chargers are the second-rate Los Angeles team.  Much like I talked about with Rivers above, Gordon is a beneficiary of being an end zone magnet and having a QB that wants to toss short side-armed throws to a RB, because throwing it to a WR can sometimes be kind of hard.   Melvin has managed to score every week except the first, and he is apparently a premiere receiver in the league.
4. Saquon Barkley NYG, 87 points.
• So pretty big drop from Gordon to Barkley, 15 points is a fine game.  Barkley is probably at the moment my least favorite RB in the league because of what he has done to that Giants offense.  Let's run and give crappy passes to the rookie to prove that he was worth the 2 overall pick!  Regardless of how I feel though, Barkley has scored over 20 points in each game and has a TD in 3 out of 4.  The problem with Barkley is that his rushing totals look really bad, and the Giants are going to have to change something up if they actually want to win games.
5. Ezekiel Elliott DAL, 81 points.
• After failing to score more than 20 in any of the prior 3 games Elliott has begun to eat again dropping 33 against the Lions.  Elliott has been a good pick thus far and if he can start some momentum after this game then maybe Elliott can blow up and have a hell of a season.

WR:

1. Michael Thomas NO, Adam Thielen MIN, 98 points.
• Michael Thomas is looking a bit down after his hot start, and I don't think that it is a coincidence that Kamara scores 3 TDs and has such a monster game at the same time.  This is the hard part of fantasy knowing how to feel when your stud is in a great offense and then someone else shows up and scores all the points.  
• Thielen is kinda looking like the real second coming of Wes Welker, and that's not just because he is white.  It's also because he manages to get a ton of receptions and finds the open spot in the field consistently.  He needs to be careful about how much he yells at refs for making him get looked at for a concussion.  That's certainly not going to help him get any flags thrown for pass interference.  Also, this guy was an undrafted WR. 
2. Mike Evans TB, 85 points.
• It's probably not any huge surprise that he had his worse game against the Bears, and it's probably also not a huge surprise that he has his worst game when Fitzpatrick got benched.  He still had a good game though!  He will probably drop out of the top 5 because of his bye week coming up, but really we gotta see how he looks with Winston taking back over.
3. DeAndre Hopkins HOU, 84 points.
• No surprises, Hopkins still catches almost everything thrown his way.  He still is doing incredibly well considering that Fuller has shown up across from him too.  I imagine nothing will change as we go forward, as long as Watson and he stays healthy it will be fine.
4. Cooper Kupp LAR, 83 points.
• Oh Kupp, putting together standard weeks the first 3 game.  Then comes game 4, the game where I play my dad and LAR plays on Thursday, and Kupp decides "let's go score 37 points."  Who is this guy?  I like him as a receiver a lot, but that game came out of nowhere.  Being a part of the LAR offense pays dividends.

TE:

1. Jared Cook OAK, 74 points.
• Well I had the idea that it was the year of the Cook, and this seems to be the only true part of it.  I'm going to not-so-humble brag right now and just let you guys know I was the last person to draft a starting TE and boy has it worked out.  Cook has been ridiculous and actually looks like the WR2 on the Raiders.  
2. Travis Kelce KC, 69 points.
• Nice.  Kelce is benefitting from Mahomes but Mahomes is also benefitting from Kelce.  He looked like he was going to have an awful week until the final two quarters of the Monday Night game and then suddenly he had a great game!  Kelce can make points in a big way and very quickly, as much as I dislike Kelce he is a force in the TE slot.
3. Zach Ertz PHI, 62 points.
• With Jeffery back there was rumbling that Ertz might see a bit of a decline, and that showed to be untrue.  Ertz is still getting thrown to by Wentz and he will make good use of that.  He's been as solid as he can be.
4. George Kittle SF, 56 points.
• I just absolutely enjoyed how much Kittle slowed down at the end of that huge TD he had.  He looked like he was going to fall down on his own if the end zone didn't magically appear at the end.  Beathard appears completely willing to use Kittle and he might be one of the few pieces of that offense that is safe even though Jimmy G is out.
5. Eric Ebron IND, 49 points.
• The secondary TE for the Colts is a top 5 TE on the season so far.  Ebron might be good, but man does the TE position just look so poor.  So so poor.

Head-to-Head Matchups

Yuriy Yedinak (The Chorne Zhopas) versus Andrew Gomez (1 'Tree Hills)

I won't tell you what Yuriy's name means, but rest assured he is insulting you.  In a game where Yuriy's team looked mortal and dropped the second worst score of the week, Andrew couldn't get it done and dropped the lowest score of the week.  Just wow!  What luck that Yuriy has.  Yuriy wins 112 - 104.

Yuriy: Yeah you managed to go 4-0 without Ingram playing.  This week however shows you that your players are not unstoppable.  Conner didn't look that good, Bell is reportedly coming back to the Steelers and wil not be traded, Miller didn't put up his usual 10 points, and Evans lost that Fitzmagic.  I'm sure at 4-0 you aren't sweating, but here comes that gradual decline that happens when you stagnate a bit.  Be aware man, be aware.

Andrew: Aside from the Steelers D going negative, the worst part about your team was the complete and total middling performance from every single player.  It's not that any of them had bad games (Outside of Cole and Crabtree) it's just that you didn't see any large performances from Hill or Hilton. If Hilton is out, where is the explosiveness going to come from?  Rely fully on Hill?  Seems risky, might need some boom or bust injected into that lineup.

Alex Gomez (Rivers Football Cream) versus Jacob Yorke (DonCobbs Underdogs)

Alex starts 4-0, another start to a fantasy season that will surely end in a sad sad loss in the playoffs.  Jake can't catch a break and goes against Alex with byes holding his team down in a week where he really did not perform poorly.  Jake plays two of the top three players in this matchup and still loses 144 - 132.

Alex: Boyd is your highest scoring WR, what a strange way to build a team.  Having Gurley and Kelce seems to be nice, and for some reason Rivers keeps on scoring points at a fast pace.  You do have a definite hole at RB2 in your squad but aside from that it seems to be working out.  I imagine there is some worry about Geronimo's concussion and your teams reliance on number 2 WRs, but with surefire Gurley hanging out on your team you probably have a pretty high floor each week on your score.

Jake: If you had CMC in there and played a defense that didn't get you negative points, you probably would have won.  It must be frustrating to have your RBs outside of Gordon underperform regularly.  It must also be very frustrating to have Cooper finally show up and then you lose the game by 12 points.  1-3 looks bad, but it ain't over yet.  

Daniel Smith (Run n Hyde) versus Orest Yaslinskiy (Mustard Tigers)

Ory's team finally shows up in a big way and brings down Daniel handily.  The difference between the two teams can be summed up in two slots, the QB slot was a 34 point swing towards Ory, the WR2 slot was another 31 point swing for Ory and while that is the difference in this game.  There wasn't much Daniel could do as this just appeared to be Ory's week and he wins 177 - 115.

Daniel: That Cam Newton bye week hurt pretty bad didn't it?  You have two incredibly useful pieces in Antonio Brown and Rob Gronkowski but it has to be clear to this point that they won't do it for you on their own.  There's quite a few holes on your squad, and yeah the QB won't typically put up a goose egg, but if Fitz is out or hurting still that's a big deal when Ted Ginn is your other starter.  Might be worth trying to move some pieces to get more value overall in your lineup.  Either that or play the waiver wire hard.  You still have $200, that's your whole entire budget.  You should probably use it because you can't take it with you.

Ory: Well that has to feel good, getting your first win and doing it while scoring the second highest weekly score.  Jordan Howard was your biggest question mark and I think that's hilarious because the Bears had a perfect game in which to ice the game with Howard.  I hope you're enjoying Enunwa, so far that trade looks good for you.  If you believe that Davis is actually capable of doing that every week than suddenly your team looks strong.  

Chris Cone (Fresno Facecleaters) versus Matt Burke (The Autobots)

Signs of life!  From both teams!  This was a matchup I liked to watch, and both teams looked good and competent.  It comes down to a few huge blowup games and Jared Goff made the blowup the largest.  Chris wins this game 169 - 131.

Chris: How about that QB and WR strength?  Your RBs scored alright too, but look incredibly shaky once Freeman comes back.  Clearly your WRs won't blow up at the same time every single week, but take a look and realize that the potential is absolutely there.  You have $200 left on your waiver budget for the year too which means, maybe you should make a bid and get the guy you want.  You're in charge of course, but it might be a good idea.

Matt: Check it out, when your WRs actually play and Kareem Hunt shows up like a first round pick your team can score some points.  I will say sorry because while Dalvin Cook didn't do better, having Drake and Howard in your lineup sunk your ship a bit.  One of the other RBs would have made it respectable and if Jordan Reed wasn't on bye you really might have won.  I like your team going forward especially if Ridley is the truth.  Keep on it, you're making your yearly run after starting winless.

Valeriy Shishkin (Greenbowl Packers) versus Chris Pender (Dog Don't Mind)

By far the highest scoring matchup of the week, it still ended in a blowout loss for Val.  But man, how do you go against Kamara dropping 40 points and James White dropping 30?  That's a dominant RB game, and it makes all the difference.  -9 from the Vikings D had to hurt but at least Val never really had a chance, losing 181 - 144.

Val: Watkins gets hurt and might be out for a while, and Fitzpatrick gets benched potentially hurting Jackson's value.  Not a great week for your WR 3/4.  You're welcome for Jordy Nelson though.  Your RBs look like absolute garbage honestly, it could just be Freeman out and Thompson on bye but holy cow having to rely on Henry and Riddick might legitimately be the reason you lost this game.  Ertz is a great guy to have in your TE slot and your WRs are showing a lot of competence.  

Chris: No slot on your team under 10 points.  That's asinine.  One player that scores 40, one player that scores 30, and then no bad games by anyone else. Your team looks ridiculous in a good way, but we finally saw Mahomes look like a human, and if someone can figure it out that means everyone can figure it out.  My biggest worry for your team right now is Ingram coming back for the Saints and stealing some of the huge upside for Kamara, because if Kamara and Mahomes don't keep blowing up you could see your scores drop.  Probably not by a ton, but drop enough to lose some games.

Gary Meyer (Rip Lips) versus Nic Meyer (12 Bar Bruisers) 

Well, if this matchup were to happen it would be when I'm trying to enjoy my time and relax.  Surprisingly enough I managed to do that still because as I said before Kupp made me realize I was going to lose early in the week.  My team still decided to make a strong effort regardless of me trading away my opportunity to win for a guy that scored 2 points.  Totally cool.

Gary/Dad:  I'm not too mad that you won this, you deserved to win because honestly your team is very good. That Thursday night game was absolutely asinine and a farce against humanity but that's alright, you did well.  Zeke is looking strong and Rodgers is still respectable (although almost certainly not what you wanted when you drafted him).  That TE slot is probably going to haunt you all season long now that Dissly is on IR, and if Kamara doesn't slow down than Thomas might not be as strong as he had been, but your team clearly has ways to overcome this.

Me: All I really want to say here is that I would have tied with you dad if Fournette had just not played.  I would have played Yeldon and I would have won.  Jared Cook is also my favorite current Raider right now.

POWER RANKINGS

1. Alex Gomez (590 PF). Previously 2.
2. Yuriy Yedinak (589 PF). Previously 1.
3. Chris Pender (656 PF). Previously 6.
4. Nic Meyer (554 PF). Previously 3.
5. Gary Meyer (581 PF). Previously 5.
6. Valeriy Shishkin (525 PF). Previously 4.
7. Chris Cone (501 PF). Previously 7.
8. Orest Yaslinskiy (595 PF). Previously 10.
9. Daniel Smith (509 PF). Previously 11.
10. Jake Yorke (484 PF). Previously 8.
11. Andrew Gomez (471 PF). Previously 9.
12. Matt Burke (387 PF). Previously 12.

Good Luck Next Week!

Week 2 Recap!

When I finished watching football this week, I remember there was about 6 games without a score.  I harkened back to last year and my abysmal 0-4 start, how even though some of my team was doing well, there was no one consistently scoring TDs. I waited and waited and waited and then finally when it clicked, it was too late.   We are still but young in this season, and time definitely hasn't ran out for everyone, but don't forget that a hole can easily form that you can't get out of.

Before I get any further, I want to give huge props to Cone!  Looked good dude.

Top 5 by position:

QB

1. Alex Smith: 
• This guy holds out as number one for the season so far with a solid week 2.  Against a pretty damn good Philly defense he puts up 1 TD and no interceptions and 250 yards.  This is what I'd expect as an actual good game for Alex Smith, dude not taking chances, and as such not blowing doors off.  This dude will probably be in the top 5 for a bit.
2. Trevor Siemian:
• This dude, this guy is upsetting me.  The Broncos are garbage tier franchise but somehow Siemian is looking like a damn savant against the Cowboys.  He looks better than he has any right to, and CJ Anderson is keeping the defenses honest.  I'm surprised he's putting up such large numbers with such a good defense, I would guess that he'll regress but only because the rest of his team starts keeping the other team down.
3. Matt Stafford:
• Well that didn't really look great did it?  122 yards and 2 TDs?  What is that?    He had a stat line that looks like a good WR game.  I don't know if Giants D is that good, but Stafford still managed 16 points out of this game.  I think Stafford will regularly have games like this until they can get a running game going or get a new LT.
4. Carson Wentz:
• This dude does look pretty good, and scored 28 points against what is supposedly a good defense in the Chiefs.  I remember last year he got off to a good start and kind of petered out, but until that happens the dude can keep you more than just afloat, ahead of most other teams.  
5. Derek Carr:
• The truth.  That passing game looks good, although as always good luck guessing which of Julio/Roddy White will go off.  I mean Cooper or Crabtree.  The Jets are bad, but the Raiders are clicking (😎) and that could keep up.  Also, what I find most interesting is that 3 of the top 5 QBs are in the AFC West.  The one missing is the great Phil Rivers.  

Could there be a changing of the guard happening or is it just early in the season?  Notable names missing:  Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Phil Rivers.

RB

1. Kareem Hunt:
• Maybe I was wrong about him, he put up a hell of a game week 2 as well with 2 more TDs.  But before I fully admit to that, he's due a regression, unless you think he can score 40 TDs this year, in which case Jared can take home the trophy now.  He did have over 100 all purpose yards, which is pretty respectable.  I can't truly hate on him though, he is #1 through the first two weeks.
2. Ty Montgomery
• If I told you that 10 rushes and 6 catches would be good for RB2, would you believe me?  TyMo looks good, and it's unsurprising to me, he's had this potential.  What does surprise me is that the Packers coach is actually using him, maybe McCarthy has finally figured shit out.  The RB2 through two weeks, and now Jordy might be out and Cobb might be out, he could continue to get absolute huge usage.
3. Todd Gurley:
• I was a year too early with TyMo and Todd.  Dammit.  Anyhow, the Rams look like an actual team and this helps out Todd Gurley.  He still doesn't have a good YPC but if they are going to just force feed him the points will be there.  That hurdle I put up top looked good, but I didn't watch the game, because both teams sound damn boring.
4. Chris Thompson:
• This dude.... the catching back in Washington is apparently working.  Somehow the guy has sneaked up to RB4 after the first two weeks and he's been sitting in Matts bench.  Thanks for that Matt.  I don't really see this sticking but Rob Kelly is out too.   Idk.
5. Melvin Gordon:
• The only back taken in the first round to be here after two weeks.  9 rushing attempts for 13 yards and this dude still scores 20.  The Dolphins defense doesn't scare me, but Gordon is putting up.  Yura chose correctly in the first round, and so far so good.

One day soon I imagine Bell and Shady and Ajayi and Demarco might make it here, but so far that first round looks sad.

WR

1. Michael Crabtree:
• Grabtree grabs, get used to it.  Seriously though, he caught 3 TDs in a huge blowout and he looked good.  I don't think that's something you can expect but he can be solid and every once and a while blow up.  Number 1 right now is cool though.
2. Antonio Brown:
• Even in the bad matchup that is Minnesota, he can still score points.  I won't pretend that 11 this week makes me ecstatic, but also it isn't bad and if this is what he does against top tier defenses then he should stick around here all season.
3. JJ Nelson:
• Us this the guy of the future on the Cardinals?  They've played the Colts and the Lions, two defenses that definitely are not scary.  But uh, just think about this one guys, two weeks in JJ Nelson is the number 3 receiver.  
4. Tyreek Hill/Jermaine Kearse:
• This game by Hill doesn't surprise me, he's probably a boom or bust player the whole way through.  Kearse though, a WR on the Jets that almost got cut by the Seahawks, is tied for WR4.  He has a solid game week 1 and then did even better in week 2.  Mind you I know first hand that the Oakland defense is not good.
5. Keenan Allen:
• What's there to say about Keenan?  He isn't injured yet so he's doing well.  I expect that to continue until he ruptures his Gallbladder. Also I wonder if his beard will get pulled at some point...

Beckham and Evans have only each played once thus far, but we will see.

TE

1. Jason Witten:
• Yuriy thus far is kinda making a killing in these top 5.   Witten is the ancient question of how does a man so slow beat so many fast people in coverage?  I dunno, but Dak is using the hell out of him, and if Zeke struggles anymore this could keep up.
2. Travis Kelce:
• He dominated, and there's a chance that he could just keep going as the KC WR position might not exist all the time.  Dude looked good, and if the run game keeps going he can keep scoring.  Kelce is a top 5 whiny asshole though.  He's an idiot.
3. Zach Ertz:
• Consistency so far throughout 2 weeks.  Carson Wentz has looked pretty good.  Zach still did good even with Alshon going off, that bodes well for the offense, what doesn't is that their RB situation is just absolute garbage.  Teams might start figuring it out.
4. Delanie Walker:
• He scored a rushing TD, and that's weird.  That game was boring as all hell through the first half, but apparently something started happening after that and Delanie ran for a TD.  TE rushing TDs are probably something we can rely on.
5. Rob Gronkowski:
• That TD drop made me angry, but the 69th receiving TD certainly did not.  He is good, this we know.  With all the WRs around him dying as long as his groin ain't too hurt he can do damage.

RIP Greg Olsen :(.

D/ST

1. Ravens D:
• Easy matchups so far, but 4 ints in both the first two games.  They look real good.
2. Lions D:
• Carson Palmer and Eli both looked like garbage, maybe it is the D, but I'm not betting on it.
3. Rams D:
• Only scored 1 against Washington, riding high off that Colts game.
4. Jags D:
• They looked good until Mariota awoke and the Titans did something good.  Is their offense even okay enough to make these guys viable?
5. Steelers D:
• Cleveland and then Minnesota without Bradford.  They don't look bad, but they've gotten an easy start.

Seahawks? Broncos? Panthers?

GAME WRITE UPS:

The most real game of fantasy football, you pick up a card and it tells you what play you run and then you roll two dice and that tells you how many yards you've gained.  More skill required than fantasy football for sure.  

Daniel Smith versus Chris Cone

Maybe we were wrong, maybe Cone has a fantastic team.  

D-Smith:  there were things you could have done better, but I'm not going to sugar coat it, you got stomped by the second highest score in your game. Forte looked better than he has in a while, and Peterson doesn't seem like he's going to break out.  Carlos Hyde looks good, and Landry literally caught 13 passes, so that's the good.  The bad is that your top two WRs don't look fantastic and those situations they are in don't scream a huge chance to change.  Be worried about the Dalton, be scared.  

Cone:  oh boy man, you blew the doors off.  Crabtree and Brady were elite plays.  The rest of your team leaves something to be desired.  Leo Four and Gore scored TDs but without that their days would have been awful.  Lafell is not someone I would personally feel comfortable starting, and Thielen could be worse if Bradford sits out for a while.  You should definitely fill your last two bench spots, or maybe try and trade for more consistent starter depth.

Cone wins 144-108.

Jake Yorke versus Yuriy Yedinak

Yuriy scores the highest points for the week and his whole damn bench goes off too.... 

Jake:  I think your RB depth is pretty good, but also worrisome.  You can't play all those guys and you can't really bench Shady, what do you do?  Brandin Cooks isn't looking amazing, but he also keeps staying healthy while everyone else around him is dying.  Dez did good on like 20 targets, but Jimmy Graham and Seattle do not look good.  You had a pretty good week though, all things considered, just Yuriy had a better week.

Yuriy:  I don't know what to tell you, your starters did great and your bench did great.  Your weakest spot is QB, and it's not the absolute worst.  I do like that your team is named after objectively your worst player, so that's something.  Now I do have a prediction:  you refuse to trad all season, someone gets hurt, you make the playoffs and lose.  I've seen this before somewhere...

Yuriy wins 146 - 124.

Jared Grube versus Oscar Meyer

Dad, that whole week did not work for you.  

Dad:  Thomas Rawls and Jordan Howard situations are terrifying.  0s from both, and other starters on those teams that looked better. Brees did fine and Trevor Siemian is hot fire, so your QB position is set.  Your WRs did not look good, and Beckham is back but the Giants look like serious garbage.  Good news, Funchess played TE once or twice in college, so maybe he takes over for Olsen. Hunter Henry actually looked good and seemed like he was playing.  Pryor isn't looking great, Watkins is looking inconsistent, but he was covered by Josh Norman, Ginn may just not be great.  Gilislee is a good look, but there are some serious holes there.  I wouldn't expect weeks this bad often though.

Jared:  how bout that Zeke?  Maybe he should have started his suspension.  Kareem Hunt is still killing it, so your RBs probably don't need to be worried about.  Julio looked like he was in for a big game, but immediately stopped making catches, fun fact Sanu has more targets than Julio.  Amari Cooper had one of those weeks where Crabtree scored every TD, as a Cooper owner in the past, get ready for that.  Coby and Delanie looked good.  I wonder if you can figure out which if Wentz and Mariota to play each week, you may have gotten a coin that can cost you games.

Jared wins 112-70

Alex Gomez versus Orest Yaslinskiy

This game was pretty close, at least closer than it looked.

Ory:  you might want to start playing Kearse.  If you had played him over J Stew, Tate, Cobb, or McCaffrey you would have won.  Some of your players definitely underperformed and you have some solid production on your bench.  This wasn't a terrible showing and you would have beat Grube if you played this week, but that's fantasy. A cruel mistress. I don't know if you'll feel comfortable starting Wilson this year, and Rob Kelley getting destroyed might hurt.  

Alex:  a win without DJ is still a win.  Ebron looked good and Stafford had points despite awful awful stats.  Crowell is a scary guy to own isn't he?  He could bust something out, but if he doesn't then you get what you have here, 3 points.  Chris Carson looks good at least, but Seattle doesn't have a good o-line.  Your RBs now leave something to be desired, but you tell me if you're panicking (spoilers: you will say you aren't). Burkhead and Henry provide some upside too, but are they trust worthy?  Will you okay them over the Crow and then watch him score 20 on your bench only for the other to receive no carries?  

Alex wins 122-113

Andrew Gomez versus Valeriy Shishkin

Andrew and Matt would have tied this week.

Andrew:  Palmer gave you points but man does he look bad.  Jordy leaving the game with 0 points is brutal for you, and really not much went well for you.  CJ was a nice showing against Dallas, and 29 points should hopefully win you weeks, but unfortunately Cook looked pedestrian Eifert is eh, Fitz was actually not force fed.  You made mostly the right start sit choices, Engram looks to be headed in the right direction.  

Val:  well thankfully we didn't play this week.  Murray is not looking good at all, and Henry is looking pretty good behind him.  Your WRs blew up, Sanders and Jeffery looked pretty damn good.  Pierre Garçon and Crowder both are okay, but on offenses that don't appear to have much fantasy value behind them.  Ertz can be consistent it seems, and Ajayi busted 100 yards.  I'm curious on whether or not your team can continue to put it together at the same time.

Val beats Andrew 126-100

Matt Burke versus Nic Meyer

Matt:  I have to be honest I was worried about a potential Brandon Marshall comeback win, but after watching the game last night I'm more surprised he even got you 2 points.  Somehow, someway he looks bad.  TyMo is a goddamn beast and I'm jealous you have him this year, treat him well.  Bell is not looking great, I wonder if missing preseason really hurt him that bad or if he will pick it up at some point.  D Jax missed a couple big plays, and Olsen broke his foot.  Just uh, thank goodness you didn't play Thompson and Sanu haha.

Me: GRONK GRONK GRONK GRONK GRONK GRONK GRONK.  Kerwynn was a dumb play, but a win is a win.

I beat Matt 122-100

POWER RANKINGS

1. Jared Grube (2-0 284 PF) (previously 1).
2. Yuriy Yedinak (2-0 264 PF) (previously 4)
3. Alex Gomez (2-0 243 PF) (previously 2)
4. Nic Meyer (2-0 242 PF) (previously 3)

5.  Chris Cone (1-1 258 PF) (previously 7)

6.  Jake Yorke (1-1 235 PF) (previously 6)

7.  Andrew Gomez (1-1 215 PF) (previously 5)

8.  Valeriy Shishkin (1-1 201 PF) (previously 11)

9. Daniel Smith (0-2 214 PF) (previously 8)

10. Orest Yaslinskiy (0-2 212 PF) (previously 9)

11. Matt Burke (0-2 174 PF) (previously 12)

12. Oscar Meyer (0-2 167 PF) (previously 10).

Thanks for reading guys.