Everyday we will post a Market Check, which is a summary of our research on a different position for the week.
This is not the end of our advice for the week. At the end of the week, we’ll make our picks at each position. Some of the picks will not be discussed in the Market Check.
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BULL MARKET
Players we believe will out-perform their salary for the week. These guys will give you the most bang for your buck when you are building lineups.
The Texans’ backs are against the wall and will not fall to 0-3 at home. The Texans superb DL will destroy Tampa Bay’s young o-line which is one of the worst in the league. The Texans Offense finally draws a good matchup and will score some points and establish a lead. For the first time this season, Crennel will be able to play call with a lead. This will allow him to unleash the dogs on Winston. The Texans pressure will overwhelm the rookie and force him to make a lot of mistakes. I’m feeling at least one Texans DEF TD this week. Let’s ride with them in cash games.
Sometimes home field advantage is a bit overblown…..not the case with the 12th man in Seattle. The Seahawks will feed off the extra-juiced home opening 12th man crowd…..facing a lackluster offense and a backup QB doesn’t hurt either. The struggling Bears will have Jimmy Clausen at QB, therefore they will be extra run heavy to limit him making mistakes. Chicago may find some success on the ground to keep this one close, but a couple late game turnovers by Clausen will seal this victory shut for the Seahawks. Look for an inspired defensive performance on Sunday, and a good possibility of a Lockett return TD against a Bears special teams that allowed a 108 yard kickoff return last week.
After laying an egg in week 1 in a tough spot on the road, the Zimmer led Vikings defense returned to form at home in week 2. The Vikings are home again, which means the Chargers will have little time to prepare as they make their way across country again. The emergence of Adrian Peterson was a breath of fresh air to the Vikings. A workhorse back is a defensive coordinators best friend, who allows his unit to rest on the sidelines while the chains keep moving. The Chargers will have a hard time stopping AP, and Zimmer will be able to continue to dial up special blitzes that will confuse a Chargers O-line that has already allowed 5 sacks and is rated one of the worst groups at protecting the QB by Pro Football Focus. The Vikings will continue to play smart football and limit turnovers to give this defense good field position and limit their time on the field. The Chargers will continue to turn it over on Sunday. I like the Vikings as a cheaper trade off if you need to save a couple hundred bucks.
I really wanted to crown the Jets defense after a dominant week 1 performance against the Browns, but I decided to wait until they proved themselves against a real NFL offense. I’d say they passed the test on Monday night against the Colts. They have the best combination of pass rush and coverage DBs in the league. And while I do have faith that Chip and the Eagles will turn things around, it will not be in week 3. The Jets dominant defensive line faces a struggling Eagles O line and the Jets elite coverage corners will eat up the Eagles wide receivers who can’t beat man-to-man coverage. Mastermind Chip Kelly and Bradford could be in for another long and turnover filled afternoon.
BEAR MARKET
Players we don’t believe will perform up to their salaries. We think you can find better value elsewhere.
This is not about the Chargers as a defensive unit…..they have fared pretty well against 2 good offenses to start the season. This is about the matchup and the Chargers offense who has turned it over a lot in 2 weeks. The back to back away trips will also limit the defensive game plan, so the Vikings will face very basic schemes and blitzes. The Chargers defense faces a less explosive offense on Sunday, but the Vikings offense will make very few mistakes. The AP dynamic makes an already smart Teddy Bridgewater even less likely to force any throws. Without a the threat of many turnovers, I don’t like the upside of this defense who has to travel across country in back to back weeks. Also, the Chargers offense has already thrown 3 ints, fumbled 4 times and given up 6 sacks. It’s tough for any defense to play well when turnovers are likely.
An angry Andrew Luck and the Colts will take out their frustrations in Tennessee this week. Neither defense will be able to stop the opposition. The Titans D came back down to earth after a hot start in week 1, allowing Johnny Manziel to drop a few bombs over the top. This matchup is precisely the recipe Luck needed to get his fantasy season back on track. The Titans DB’s are proving to be very average which will finally allow Luck to get it going through the air. This game will be high scoring and you can bet Short Beard Luck will be extra careful to not turn it over. Fade the Titans this week because they will take the brunt of 2 weeks of pent up frustration from one of the best offensive groups in the NFL.
Game script will play a huge factor in this one. But if the Falcons get ahead early and the Cowboys can’t rely on the ground game to control the pace, Weeden will find a way to put the Dallas D in very tough spots. The Cowboys D has been impressive so far, especially with overcoming the Scandrick injury and in the absence of their top pass rushers. However, they have had the luxury of playing from ahead most of the year. Matt Ryan and Julio Jones will put them on the ropes this week which will turn up the heat on Weeden. He will take sacks and turn it over and hurt his defense all day. Dallas D will struggle to overcome the offensive inefficiencies, fade Big D.
