Week 2 Recap

My biggest concern heading into this season was that positive tests would wreak havoc on some teams, rendering the actual games and thereby fantasy matchups tainted. Week 1 went off without a hitch, but with all the travel required for Week 2, I was bracing for impact. Instead, there were no positive tests... but the rest of the league got injured anyway. Billy's season is essentially over, and Ajay is in danger of joining him soon. But weirdly, I like it? Obviously it sucks for those guys, and if Zeke went down I'd likely be singing a different song, but ACL tears and high ankle sprains are so much more refreshing than the alternative. Injuries suck, but they're part of the game, which makes this the most normal 2020 has felt in quite some time. If you think this is the painkillers talking you might be right, but I'm all in on the NFL in 2020.

With two weeks of games under our belt, some of the flukes from Week 1 are distant memories, but some now appear to be the new normal. This week's Power Rankings will take a look at what's real, what's not, and what's still up for discussion for each team in the league.

Week 3 Power Rankings

1. Levine (Last Week: 2nd)

Real: This team has no real weaknesses (a Levine staple) and is in prime position to make trades if it wants to (not a chance given that this is Levine).

Not Real: Levine currently has three top 7 WRs in Ridley, Thielen, and Robby Anderson. I'm going to bet that none of them finish at top 14.

TBD: A lot of the points on this squad so far have come because their defenses are absolute garbage (Dallas, Atlanta, Minnesota, Carolina). While that is a productive situation, it's not necessarily a sustainable one.

2. Weissbard (Last Week: 6th)

Real: Kyler to Hopkins will bring terror to anyone playing Weissbard this year.

Not Real: Despite his best efforts, there is no way Weissbard gets the return he's looking for from a Rodgers trade.

TBD: The upside to this RB situation has swung wildly from week to week so far. I wouldn't be surprised to see James Robinson cut and Gio Bernard score three TDs next week.

3. Bennett (Last Week: 12th)

Real: Cam the runner is back to his old self, with a 6-10 point baseline before he even throws a pass.

Not Real: Starting multiple Eagles is not a path to success. That team is a mess, and even with an easy schedule I wouldn't be comfortable relying on their offense.

TBD: Cam the passer doesn't look right to me. He's short-arming his throws, and while that hasn't led to issues so far, I'm skeptical that he can keep it up for a whole season.

4. Marco (Last Week: 8th)

Real: Russ is the early season MVP, and even if his production falls off, that's one of the picks of the draft.

Not Real: Leonard Fournette is not a weekly starter. No one loves their unnecessary yardage more than Fat Lenny, but when the going gets tough, the 2.7 YPC will come back.

TBD: A receiving corps of Scary Terry, Diggs, Hollywood, Crowder, and Devante Parker is pretty legit, but figuring out who will pop each week will lead to a lot of headaches.

5. Kumpf (Last Week: 9th) 

Real: Zeke is the safest bet for an RB1 season in the league.

Not Real: Jonnu Smith is not the best TE in fantasy football (but for $1, I'll take it).

TBD: Drews Brees looks very washed. I'm holding out hope until Michael Thomas gets back, but I fear that this is real.

6. Zacherman (Last Week: 11th) 

Real: Jonathan Taylor is a RB1, and once the Colts realize he can catch the ball, he's a top 5 option in the league.

Not Real: Myles Gaskin cannot possible be startable in fantasy.

TBD: The Bills backfield has yet to produce a startable option, but if it ends up being Singletary, then Z is a legit playoff threat. If not, he's going to need a trade to field multiple startable RBs.

7. AGD (Last Week: 5th) 

Real: Josh Jacobs is a upper middle class man's Zeke in terms of workload and production, making him one of the values of the draft.

Not Real: I can't see Cleveland fielding multiple top 10 RBs, and Hunt will likely see the larger dropoff of the two.

TBD: Shanahan tends to ride the hot hand, so Jerick McKinnon can potentially go from a waste of auction dollars to a legit starting RB.

8. Barnard (Last Week: 13th) 

Real: This is a shockingly well rounded team that is well positioned to trade depth for a stud, making the inevitable crash and burn all the more enjoyable.

Not Real: Last week was a ceiling performance for nearly every non-Mahomes player on the roster, so I wouldn't be surprised to see another sub-75 point win against Bennett.

TBD: I'm not sold on the Cam/Edelman connection. If they keep playing like last week, then Barnard is a title contender, but I would lean closer to Edelman topping out as a flex option.

9. Gutman (Last Week: 4th) 

Real: Until one of them gets hurt or traded, neither Ingram nor Dobbins will be a comfortable player to start.

Not Real: The Titans passing attack has been shockingly good so far, at the expense of Henry, which absolutely will not last.

TBD: Noah Fant looks really good so far, but his situation has gotten both better (Sutton ACL) and worse (Bortles!), so I have no idea what to expect moving forward.

10. Esco (Last Week: 7th) 

Real: This team is a solid RB2 away from being a playoff team.

Not Real: Once defenses realize Kamara is the only weapon to worry about in NOLA, he will face a steep fall from RB2 on the year.

TBD: Esco has a worse version of Marco's WR problem, where he will definitely cost himself matchups by starting John Brown over Will Fuller (I think this is just a problem with owning Will Fuller in general).

11. Ajay (Last Week: 1st) 

Real: I nailed the fact that this team was one injury away from having issues.

Not Real: Kenyan Drake is better than he's playing so far, which gives some room for improvement on an otherwise cursed squad.

TBD: Spending 70% of your FAAB money on Mike Davis and Keelan Cole will either keep your team alive, or lead to a lot of shots in 11 months.

12. Nick (Last Week: 3rd) 

Real:  The Chiefs are not going to make a rookie RB the focus of their offense, so CEH is a low end RB1, not the 2021 first overall pick he looked like in Week 1.

Not Real: None of the injuries on this team are season ending, so I expect a bounce back one Nick can field his full squad.

TBD: Can the watered down lineup you're rolling out win enough games to keep you in the playoff race?

13. Alan (Last Week: 14th) 

Real: Even without a full-time role, Aaron Jones can lead the league in touchdowns again.

Not Real: Josh Allen will not lead the league in passing, and we'll see if he's really a top tier QB after he plays a real NFL team (non Jets/Dolphins division).

TBD: Michael Thomas will get healthy, but there's not a clear WR2 right now. One of Cooper Kupp, Brandin Cooks, or Darius Slayton will need to pop for Alan to have a chance at the playoffs.

14. Billy (Last Week: 10th)

Real: Joe Burrow looks like a good pick?

Not Real: Marvin Jones is due for a big game?

TBD: Can you field a full roster this week? I don't know, I'm just trying not to be too negative here.

Matchup of the Week: Barnard vs. Bennett

I'm as surprised as any of you, but both of these teams are pretty solid, and the winner will likely establish themselves as a favorite for the playoffs. Bennett's got his core pretty set, with the only tough choice at Flex, whereas Barnard's depth makes pretty much every non-Mahomes (and Waller) lineup spot up for debate. Matchup-wise, things are pretty even, and things will likely be decided by who wins the Chubb/Odell, Gallup/Lamb, Cam/Edelman teammate combos. The dream is that Barnard is down by 20 heading into MNF with Mahomes taking on Baltimore, and while that's a tough matchup, I'm not one to bet against Mahomes.
Pick: Barnard
MotW Record: 2-0

Gambling Corner

Bears (+3.5) at Falcons

Eagles (-5) vs. Bengals

Steelers (-4) vs. Texans

Rams (+1.5) at Bills

Football  Team (+7) at Browns

NFL Bets

Last Week: 2-3
2020 Record: 8-5 (+1.69 units)
Historical Win Percentage: 54.40% (+18.83 units)