Week 2 Sunday Morning Updates: Calvin Johnson, Santonio Holmes, etc.
Welcome to week 2! There's a lot pressure on those of you who are 0-1. I am one of them. Starting 0-2 is, like in the NFL, a steep hole to climb out of to get into the playoffs. So while I wish you the best of luck, I'll also provide information about this morning's game-time decisions, including Jets wide receiver Santonio Holmes
, Jaguars tight end Marcedes Lewis
, Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson and more. This post will be updated until the early kickoffs begin.
---
Lance Moore
is active for the Saints. He had been bothered by a groin injury and missed week one's game at Green Bay.
Calvin Johnson, as expected, is starting for the Lions today. He has a tremendous matchup against a Kansas City defense without All-Pro safety Eric Berry. I don't have to tell you to start him.
Santonio Holmes is active for today's game against the Jaguars despite battling knee and quadriceps pain.
Marcedes Lewis is OUT for today's game against the Jets. He tried to test his injured calf during Friday's practice, but it didn't go very well. He was listed as doubtful on the injury report.
Ravens wideout Lee Evans is active. You should keep him on your bench. He played through an ankle injury last week and didn't catch a pass. Anquan Boldin, Ed Dickson and Ray Rice appear to be the Ravens' top three options in the passing game.
Redskins tight end Chris Cooley is active today despite ongoing knee pain.
Bears wide receiver Roy Williams is OUT. He's been bothered by a groin injury.
Bills wide receiver Steve Johnson is active, as expected. He was listed as probable to play because of a groin injury.
Marion Barber is inactive with a groin injury. Kahlil Bell will back up Matt Forte against the Saints, but only Forte is worth fantasy consideration.
The Raiders' receiving corps are extremely thin this week. Not only are Jacoby Ford and Louis Murphy out, but so is Darrius Heyward-Bey. He is out with a knee injury. Chaz Schilens and Denarius Moore are expected to start against the Bills. In two words, no thanks.
An important note that doesn't deal with the early games: It sounds like Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant
won't play this afternoon against the San Francisco 49ers. Nothing has been confirmed but a couple of very reliable NFL sources -- Peter King and Jason La Canfora -- are both hearing that Bryant won't be active because of his quad injury.
Plenty of fantasy-relevant players have already been ruled out, including Jacoby Ford, Derrick Ward, Jerricho Cotchery and Sidney Rice.
Fantasy Analysis:
Moore should get a good number of targets in what could be a high-scoring game against the Bears. He's a WR3 in leagues with at least 12 teams.
Holmes won't be close to 100 percent, but he doesn't have to be against the that Jags pass defense. He's the Jets No. 1 option in the passing game, and while the Jets may have to call off the dogs in this game before the fourth quarter, Holmes should be able to get his points. He's a nice WR2.
The "other" Zach Miller will replace Lewis in the Jags' lineup. He's a big target, but he's not worth putting in your lineup.
Cooley's knee probably isn't going to get any better this season, but he keeps toughing it out. He's not an awful pick at tight end against a Cardinals defense that gave up big chunks of yardage to Greg Olsen and Jeremy Shockey last week. But Fred Davis is the tight end you want off that team.
Roy Williams should always be inactive. He's pretty much the same when he's on the field. With him out, Johnny Knox should see more looks. I think he's a decent WR3 against a Saints pass defense that was embarrassing last week.
Steve Johnson is solid start against the Raiders' pass defense, which allowed more than 300 yards passing to the Denver Broncos last week.
If Bryant is out, I would suspect that Kevin Ogletree would replace him in the starting lineup. The matchup against the Niners' pass defense is pretty good, but unless you are in a 14- or 16-team league, there are better options out there. It could also mean more targets for Miles Austin and Felix Jones.
Source:
ESPN