DeMarco Murray: We have to start with what is going on with Philadelphia Eagles running back DeMarco Murray which defies almost any form of reason. Now through two games of the season, Murray has a grand total of 11 rushing yards after he picked up only 2 on 13 carries in a disastrous outing Sunday. The Eagles' offensive line is a complete joke and the offense as well which is not allowing Murray any bit of breathing room to run. The 2014 Offensive Player of the Year had the best line in football in front of him last season and a year later he is running behind arguably the worst and it shows. Murray is a complete disaster right now and is the slam dunk biggest bust of the season through two weeks. We said all winter long and through the summer to avoid Murray at all costs but mostly that had to do with his injury history and the guarantee of his numbers declining going to Philly and their multiple-back attack. There is nothing good to be said about the unit as a whole outside of Jordan Matthews as Sam Bradford was pathetic as well Sunday. All Murray owners are in a real bind now as you almost have to start him in thinking it can't get any worse but also the reality is that he is hurting you. Just a complete joke of a situation.
Steve Smith: It appears as though Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith simply doesn't age. Despite approaching 40 and proclaiming this to be his last NFL season, Smith is still in top form as he caught 10 balls for 150 yards in Week 2. As intense a player as I have ever seen, Smith's top route running and toughness make him a weekly handful for any DB. His WR 3 value coming into the season might be selling him short.
Sam Bradford: Speaking of Bradford, he was brutal Sunday as he completed only 23-of-37 passes for 224 yards and 1 TD with 2 INT. He also included a lost fumble as well. After a rough first half last week, Bradford played very well in the second half versus the Atlanta Falcons but he was simply horrendous throughout the Dallas contest. There are now growing concerns about Bradford's ability to pilot the Eagles' offense and the unit s as whole is one big mess. For now all Eagles players not names Jordan Matthews might have to be sat down for a stretch.
Derek Carr: One guy who is really starting to take off under center is Oakland Raiders second-year QB Derek Carr. Blessed with a strong arm and a lightning release, Carr completed 30-of-46 passes for 351 yards and 3 touchdowns against a tough Baltimore Ravens defense. Few realize just how solid Carr was as a rookie last season and now that he has some weapons to throw to in Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree, it appears as though he is challenging to move into the QB discussion. While Carr is not there yet, he is doing his best to approach that class.
Lorenzo Taliaferro: Look away Justin Forsett owners. It appears as though the hulking Lorenzo Taliaferro will be the red zone running back for the Baltimore Ravens as that is how he was used in Sunday's loss to the Oakland Raiders. He stole a fourth-quarter TD from Forsett and was used primarily from in close. Meanwhile Forsett did his work between the 20's and on third down. This is very bad news for Forsett owners, especially in standard setups. While Forsett can still be a decent RB 2 in PPR formats due to his receiving ability, his status in standard formats is looking bleak.
Crockett Gilmore: If you weren't too familiar with Baltimore Ravens tight end Crockett Gilmore prior to Week 2, now you will as he caught 5 passes for 88 yards and two scores Sunday. With the Ravens having an extreme dearth of receiving weapons, Gilmore has put himself behind only Steve Smith in the attention meter from Joe Flacco. An unfolding story worth checking out.
Ben Roethlisberger: It was another referendum on how dominant the Pittsburgh Steelers passing game has become over the last two years as Ben Roethlisberger threw for 369 yards and 3 touchdowns in a cakewalk win over the San Francisco 49ers. With Le'Veon Bell coming back next week to add yet another weapon to Big Ben's arsenal, expect plentiful passing scores weekly. Overall Roethlisberger could be a top 3-5 fantasy football passer this season.
Antonio Brown: As if there was ever any doubt about Antonio Brown being the best wide receiver in fantasy football, he proved that yet again Sunday by catching 9 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown. Brown already has 18 catches through two weeks as he aims for another 100-plus reception season. He should get there easily.
Matt Jones: Look out in the Washington backfield. A week after veteran Alfred Morris had a big game in a losing effort for the Redskins, rookie back Matt Jones went wild Sunday in rushing for 146 yards and two touchdowns, while also chipping in three catches for 23 more yards in a wild win over the St. Louis Rams. Morris did get 18 carries himself but he wound up with only 59 yards and of course he has zero ability in the passing game. The Redskins clearly understand their best chance to win will be when they run the football all day as they did in this one. Jones has been talked up all summer both by the coaches and on this site as he can do it all. Absolutely add Jones in all formats as he could easily lead the Redskins in rushing this season given his big-play ability.
Jeremy Hill: Lesson learned for Cincinnati Bengals running back Jeremy Hill on Sunday as he was benched after fumbling twice. The power back only ran for 39 yards on 10 carries and the two fumbles which put Hill squarely on the bench. Giovani Bernard benefitted from Hills off day but expect the former LSU star to be back as the dominant carries guy next week. Hill does not have a history of fumbling and so consider this a one game anomaly.
Giovani Bernard: Speaking of Bernard, the speedster had a huge day in Hill's place by rushing for 123 yards on 20 carries while also catching 3 passes for another 16 yards. With Hill being benched for fumbling, Bernard reminded us all why he was such a sought after first/second round pick a year ago before he was eventually overtaken by Hill in the Cincy backfield. Bernard is very capable of being a RB 1, especially in PPR formats as he showed today. Still we don't see a change yet happening. Bernard remains a low-end RB 2 in PPR formats only.
Carson Palmer: What a start to the season for Arizona Cardinals QB Carson Palmer who is now up to 7 passing touchdowns through two games after he tossed four in Sunday's win over the Chicago Bears. Coming back from his second torn ACL in his knee, Palmer has looked as good as ever this season, taking full advantage of the impressive receiving talent he has. Overall Palmer completed 17-of-24 passes for 185 yards and the four scores. He is clearly in the QB 1 realm as long as he stays this hot.
Larry Fitzgerland: It was a vintage day for Larry Fitzgerald who was on the receiving end of three Palmer touchdown throws. Overall Fitzgerald caught 8 balls for 112 yards and the three scores as he reminded all of us that he is not yet done as a prime fantasy football receiver. At the very least, it looks like Palmer looks Fitzgerald's way first over John Brown and Michael Floyd around the red zone. It could be the start of a mini-comeback campaign for Fitzgerald this season.
Adrian Peterson: We told you all not to sweat the slow start for Adrian Peterson last week as he profiled him in the TREND/MIRAGE feature. The argument we had was that Peterson would be just fine as soon as he works off the rust. Well it took only the one week as Peterson rushed for 134 yards on 29 carries Sunday, while also grabbing two passes for another 58 yards. Nothing more to discuss here as Peterson will be a top five back the rest of the season.
Odell Beckham Jr.: The Giants made sure to get Odell Beckham Jr. more involved in Sunday's game and it was mission accomplished there as he caught 7 passes for 146 yards and a touchdown. Beckham flashed his amazing athletic ability by taking one deep and than showing acceleration taking it to the house on the run after the catch. Beckham Jr. remains a top five fantasy football widoeut.
Travis Benjamin: Perhaps the biggest statistical surprise this early in the season is the fact hat Cleveland Browns wideout Travis Benjamin has four receiving touchdowns after he caught two more scores Sunday in the team's win over the Tennessee Titans. Benjamin overall caught 3 passes for 115 yards and the two scores and he is starting to take on decent enough value in standard formats only.
Julio Jones: I said over the summer that if he stayed healthy, Julio Jones would lead the league in receptions. Well he made major inroads there on Sunday as he caught 13 passes for 135 yards and a near-touchdown when he was down at the one on a deep throw. Jones is virtually unstoppable right now and the Falcons are using short throws to take advantage of him running after the catch. That allows Jones to pile up the receptions and 100-plus seems certain there.
Calvin Johnson: Megatron was in fine form on Sunday as he caught 10 passes for 83 yards and a touchdown in the team's loss to the Minnesota Vikings. After a quiet opener, Johnson was back to his dominant self in Week 2. Johnson was a bit of a riddle this summer in terms of draft value as he came off a down 2014 and has been quite injury prone since 2012. As long as he stays healthy, Johnson should be just fine by the looks of it.
Tom Brady: Another week and another ridiculously great passing performance for New England Patriots QB Tom Brady. Brady completed 37-of-59 throws for 466 yards and 3 touchdowns on Sunday as he now has 7 scores through two weeks which ties Carson Palmer for the NFL lead. Right now Brady is playing as well as a QB could play and it is amazing what he is doing when you consider we though he would be suspended the first two weeks of the season. What is really key here is that Brady is throwing a ton of passes which puts him right there as one of the most effective fantasy football QB's in the game. As great as Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson are, they won't throw it anywhere near as often as Brady which lessens their margin for error each week.
Marcus Mariota: It was going to be an interesting day for Tennessee Titans rookie QB Marcus Mariota Sunday as many would tune in to see if he could duplicate his crazy good debut in Week 1 when he threw four touchdown passes in the first half. While Mariota did not throw for another four scores, he did throw two more as he completd 21-of-37 passes for 257 yards. He also ran for 19 yards on 3 carries. Better yet, Mariota has yet to throw a pick through two games which could be the biggest positive of all. Right now Mariota should be added in all formats and those who take part in two-QB setups could start him next week.