I received two questions this week: One from Chris Hood from Atlanta, who asked whether to play Plaxico Burress and Santonio Holmes over Reggie Brown. The answer is yes. Although the Giants are facing a downgrade at QB and RB, which likely will adversely affect Burress, Brown hasn't proven himself to be a top-flight NFL wide receiver. That's not to say the Eagles won't slaughter the Redskins on Monday night--I think they will--but the passing will be spread out and the runs will be frequent.
Another hardcore player, Mike Ofner from near West Virginia, asked whether to play Chad Pennington or Matt Hasselbeck. With Pennington hobbled and traveling to Baltimore to face the rock-solid Ravens D, he'll be lucky to throw 1 TD. Hasselbeck is the safer pick. As a rule, lean toward players going up against teams who played the previous Monday night. The Bengals, Ravens, Cardinals, and 49ers have one less day to practice/rest. It's particularly tougher when they have to go on the road (that's why the Ravens, at home, are still a strong play against the Jets). Keep this in mind as the weeks go on.
For this coming week, I believe last year's two top NFC teams will avenge tough Week 1 losses. As a result, mid-level fantasy players on each team will rise to the top.
Here are your Week 2 hardcore picks:
QB -- Rex Grossman. That's right, Rex Grossman. The same Rex Grossman who has stunk it up for something like 9 of his past 10 games. My friend Wade thinks I'm crazy, for this and many other reasons. But remember, I'm not here to offer obvious picks. I'm here to find the surprises. So why Rex Grossman? The stars are aligned. As I mention below, the Chiefs are facing a crisis they haven't faced in years, or maybe ever: the prospect of being the worst team in the NFL. And the sad thing is, they're not good enough to be much better. Meanwhile, Grossman's days as a starter may be numbered in Chicago. Even Chargers linebackers coach Ron Rivera got into the act a few days ago, calling Grossman a "mental midget." This is the same Grossman who early last season displayed Pro Bowl form in several games, hitting short-range and long-range targets and making it look easy. This is as hardcore of a pick as you'll see. Look for Grossman to have a huge gut-check game.RB -- Reggie Bush--speaking of gut-check games--was a huge disappointment in a very troubling loss last week versus the Colts. Don't expect a repeat performance against the Buccaneers. After terrible games, great players know how to rebound. Bush was projected to be the 16th best RB on CBSSportsline.com, so he certainly qualifies on this blog. It is doubtful that he will be anything less than stellar, thanks to the Saints' motivation to avenge their blow-out Week 1 loss, as well as their long rest between games.
WR -- Bernard Berrian is coming off a decent first game against a very tough Chargers D. Berrian also is in the last year of his contract, and is motivated to earn a huge long-term contract for the coming years. Add to that the chaos that is the Kansas City Chiefs, and the motivation of the Bears to return to Super Bowl form, and you've got the makings of a huge day.
TE -- Eric Johnson has been injury-prone throughout his career. But when he starts, he makes an impact. As stated above, the Saints will avenge last week's loss, and Johnson will pick up where he left off in Game 1. It's not unlikely that Brees will throw for more than 350 yards, with Johnson receiving a hardcore chunk of the action.
Defense -- The Saints, as stated earlier, are going to reverse their fortunes against the Bucs. There are many better plays this week, including the Bears and Ravens; but these are top-tier defenses which you should be playing every game regardless of the match-up. The Saints D is regarded as a middle-of-the-pack option, making them a risky play most weeks--but a hardcore pick for Week 2. The Bucs' starting RB is questionable, and frankly the whole Bucs offense is questionable from a quality perspective. Sports lore is filled with games where great teams beaten down in one game turn the tables in their next game. I'm not into picking scores on this blog, but don't be surprised if the Saints' victory is on par with the Colts' blow-out victory over them last week.
