Post Week Two: Stretching the Field Follow@cimini Getting big plays results in the theatrical crowd woos and celebrations. In fantasy sports bonus it’s a high indicator that perpetual success can be found on a weekly basis. Here are some quarterbacks and wide receivers that had big days yards per completion or for their receiving averages.

Quarterbacks

Aaron Rodgers and Company If Green Bay can get themselves in playoff contention, Rodgers may be on his way to MVP. Two weeks in a row now he has put up incredible numbers that have reflected in his teammates results. James Jones(16 ypc), Jordy Nelson(22ypc), Randall Cobb (14ypc), and Jermichael Finley all had great fantasy days. That happens when Aaron Rodgers only throws eight incompletions on forty two attempts with an eleven yard per completion average. Ryan Tannehill Tannehill had the best throw of Sunday in my mind with his third down absolute beaut to Brian Hartline. Tannehill had an amazing day even though he was sacked quite a bit. Sacks can derail some quarterbacks, and for others it’s smart to not make a mistake that is not there by forcing the ball. Tannehill recouped every time he went down, and finished the day with nearly ten yards a completion. Mike Vick If Vick can stay healthy he may have his best season to date. Sunday he made things look too easy, and that was with several dropped balls by DeSean Jackson. His near twelve yards a completion average are gaudy numbers that should propel owners seeking an upgrade at quarterback to try and trade for Vick.

Wide Receivers

Dez Bryant Bryant looked like he may easily have himself a 200 yard receiving game Sunday. Then a third and goal play that Bryant did not get a look by Romo, and went incomplete seemed to phase the rest of Bryant’s day. Before that play was enough to give Bryant another monster game in which he averaged over fifteen yards a catch. Pierre Garcon Garcon is starting to enter the category of best garbage time fantasy wide receiver producer in football. With the Redskins down 31-0 and every Redskins fantasy owner peeved, the team was able to move the football against a Packers defense that relented with a huge lead. Garcon finished the day with nearly 18 yards a catch with over 170 yards receiving. Chris Givens Givens continues to excel in the department of yards per catch as he did last year. Sunday he averaged over 21 yards a catch. Sam Bradford is still getting use to his new talent around him. When it all comes together, Givens may be a top twenty fantasy wideout. Tedd Ginn Jr Ginn has not lost a step and has got himself off to a solid start as a Carolina Panther. Sunday he had three catches for sixty yards, including a nice forty yard touchdown catch. We will all just have to see if Ginn remains a constant in the offense or fads down the depth chart as the season goes on. Brandon Marshall Marshall may find himself on this list each and every week. The connection that Marshall and Cutler have is second to none, and dates back to their days in Denver. Sunday Marshall averaged nearly 17 yards a catch, including catching a Dilfer Dime for a touchdown. Megatron After a big 72 yard touchdown the Cardinals sort of held Johnson and the Lions offense in check from halftime and beyond. The offense scored just two touchdowns as their other score came off of a pick six. All it takes is one big play and Johnson got it, and finished the day with over twenty yards a catch thanks to his big touchdown. Jimmy Graham For the second consecutive week teams have had great success at attacking the Buccaneers with their tight end. Graham made up for his low output of week one with an off the meter type of performance. It could have been even better if a second quarter touchdown was not called back. Others: Greg Jennings: over 16 YPC, DeSean Jackson 21 YPC, Antonio Gates 15 YPC, DeAndre Hopkins 17 YPC, Victor Cruz 15 YPC, Hakeem Nicks 20 YPC,

Post Week Two Waiver Wire Pickups

Follow@cimini It was a rather quiet week for breakout performances from unknown players. That’ll happen in the first few weeks of the season. Injuries are soon to come in the upcoming weeks and that’s where you’ll see breakout performances come from. Find out who you should be looking at for waiver wire pickups this week. Quarterbacks Ryan Tannehill Two straight road wins by the Dolphins to start the season. It has largely been due to Tannehill’s amazing pocket presence and accuracy. Sunday he threw some incredible accurate throws that were huge for Miami’s close win over the Colts. He has elevated himself into the range of an on the cusp starter and sure fire fantasy backup quarterback. EJ Manuel After the preseason and first two games of the season Bills fans have to be extremely pleased with the drafting of Manuel. A pick that was downgraded by scouts, analysts, and the media. They have their true quarterback of the future finally in Buffalo. He just makes plays and will only get better. Dynasty leagues should consider trading for him or pursuing him via trade. In deeper leagues snare Manuel in case of injury or a need to start over a poor performing quarterback. Kirk Cousins This is an anticipatory move. RG3 is no where near ready to step onto the field. Sooner rather than later Mike Shanahan has to make the move to Cousins to protect the Redskins season from going down the drain. It’s clear that RG3 needs more time to acclimate his body, timing, and overall health. Cousins has shown he can step in and deliver, and would fit right back into an offense that is fantasy friendly. Running Backs Bernard Pierce John Harbaugh shook off the injury to Ray Rice postgame by stating Rice will be fine. We will all see about that. Extreme caution has to be paid here, and that means that you need to pickup Pierce if you own Rice. If you have a higher waiver wire priority try and steal Pierce over a Ray Rice owner. Dexter McCluster Kansas City has kept their offense very basic. It’s been extremely similar to how San Francisco based theirs around Alex Smith. When they’re forced to make a play offensively they have went more and more to the direction of McCluster. His value is great in PPR leagues and will rise as Kansas City is forced to attempt to score more points. Charles Clay Clay had a breakout game against the Colts. Miami is doing an excellent job of finding complimentary players to produce without a tight end to step up. Clay and Brian Hartline are getting extra looks and attention in the offense because of it. Giovanni Bernard Bernard provides that spark factor that forces a coach's hand to get him onto the field. His pass blocking skills still are not where they need to be, so Bernard's fantasy impact will have to come in a decreased amount of plays on the field. As the season wears on if Bernard can show an increased knowledge on picking up blitzes he may become a fantasy viable threat. For now he can be used in PPR leagues but standard leagues should be leery on using him. Danny Woodhead A crowded backfield in San Diego was pieced together on purpose. Woodhead is who he is, and though he didn’t have major damage yardage wise Sunday, he filled up PPR leagues with nine catches. That can’t be overlooked, and neither can the constant shuffling of backs San Diego has been doing. Andre Ellington Arizona has found there third down back and it comes in the sixth round pick in Ellington. With Arizona struggling to produce more than a field goal, Ellington was able to take a wide open pass into the end zone. Palmer has always been fantasy friendly to his running backs, and that won’t come with Mendenhall. In Bruce Arians passing attack a back like Ellington is a quality waiver wire pickup. James Starks Down went Green, and now so has Eddie Lacy. Green Bay has constantly had running back injury woes over the last three to four years, and this time they protected themselves. Keeping James Starks on the roster was a smart move, when most thought they may cut him after the drafting of Lacy and Jonathan Franklin. Starks performance has to be calibrated appropriately, as he gained a lot of yardage when the Packers had a huge lead. The key takeaway though is he will be a complimentary focus back to Aaron Rodgers guerilla passing attack. Wide Receivers DeAndre Hopkins I’m not a big fan of rookie wide receivers as they have a hard time retaining value week to week. But Hopkins was drafted to detract attention from aging wide receiver Andre Johnson. The weeks Hopkins rises to the occasion will be the large question. Towards the end of the year he may have higher value. Foreseeing that is a great reason to stash Hopkins as your fifth or sixth fantasy wideout on your bench. Eddie Royal One can’t help but still classify Royal as a weekly wonder. It’s two weeks in a row now, and Royal has totaled five touchdowns. San Diego’s mix of pass plays has been stellar to start the season. Royal’s five touchdowns has equaled what he had from 09-12. His role seems to fit perfectly with what the Chargers new passing attack brings to the table. Ted Ginn Jr There is no possible way that Cam Newton will continue to be relegated to how he has performed the first two weeks of the season. Ginn Jr. wanted a new chance at wide receiver after being pushed back for years on other teams. He has his chance in Carolina and has done a solid job in the first two weeks of the season. As soon as Cam opens the passing game back up, Ginn may have a breakout game. Mohammed Sanu Cincinnati desperately needs either Sanu or Jones to emerge and solidify themselves as a threat opposite AJ Green. Sanu was drafted for the role a year ago, and should be able to handle the role. He is available in the majority of leagues and would be worth taking a flier on for a developmental roster spot on your team.

Week Two Wonders

Follow@cimini Think before pulling that waiver wire trigger or assuming you're going to get solid stats from a player on your roster. Here are names of some players you need to hold caution on before considering a waiver wire move or prominent position in your fantasy football lineups.

Quarterbacks

Sam Bradford Once the Falcons had a three touchdown lead it looked as if the Falcons defense relaxed to the lead and played lacksadaisical. Bradford took advantage and mounted a solid comeback effort that was too little to late. The talent the Rams have is going to cause issues for opposing defenses. Bradford needs to be more consistent from the onset of games to be a higher fantasy backup value. RG3 RG3 still looks like he is in preseason mode while the rest of the league is at full speed. If calculations were factored into RG3's Sunday performance, he likely led all fantasy players with the amount of garbage fantasy points he accumulated. Philip Rivers The Chargers have been pass happy the first two games of the year. In week one it failed in the fourth quarter when Rivers threw a pick six. Week two the Chargers slowed things down and carved up the Eagles defense. The Eagles were unable to get pressure on Rivers which is what he struggles against. Credit the Chargers for running a quicker rhythm offense to alleviate some of the pressure off of Rivers. I'm still not sold he can maintain it as the Eagles will be ranked towards the bottom of total defense all season long.

Running Backs

Knowshown Moreno Moreno has stepped up surprisingly after being written off with the drafting of Hillman a few years ago, and then Montee Ball this offseason. Moreno kept working and it looks like the work ethic of Denver's former back in Willis McGahee has paid dividends. The yards per carry he averaged against the Giants is definitely a sign of a one week wonder. Charles Clay Clay had his best game as a pro Sunday with a one yard touchdown run and heavy damage out of the backfield with over one hundred yards receiving. He looks to be overtaking Daniel Thomas as the Dolphins second option at running back. That role may be bounced back and forth as Miami truly wants Thomas to have the job, but he doesn't seem to be fit to handle it. James Starks We will all have to see the extent of Eddie Lacy's injury. The rookie has been brittle while at Alabama and during the offseason with the Packers. Even if he makes a quick recovery Starks has cemented a higher share of carries by being the first Packer running back to eclipse 100 yards in over forty games. Still the Packers are a strong pass first team and have a very bland running attack. Starks's yards came with a very large lead and the Redskins defense giving a lackluster effort. Ben Tate Tate has outproduced his fellow partner Arian Foster to start the year. With the Texans protecting their star back in Foster it may be until midseason for the Texans to give Foster the load that we are accustomed to seeing from Foster. Tate's average may stay high as the Texans try to wear defenses down with their dominating backfield. He just won't have very many games of over ninety yards rushing.

Wide Receivers

DeSean Jackson Jackson has not had this type of fantasy impact in quite awhile. His stats have been padded greatly by two horrific performances by the Redskins and Chargers secondary. Jackson's big plays came all on go routes in which he roasted the Chargers defensive backs with his speed advantage. The way the Eagles offense is tiring out teams Jackson will likely have a career year. Just not games of near 200 yards receiving again. Eddie Royal Credit new offensive coordinator, Ken Whisenhunt, for utilizing the Chargers receivers much better than the Chargers have in years past. Eddie Royal was practically non-existent a year ago, and now is being utilized in a proper role offensively. The quick routes have been there for Royal, but it'll be shut down in the upcoming weeks now that it has been so successful. DeAndre Hopkins It's good to see the rookie shine in a major way week two. But rookie wide receivers tend to fade more than they shine throughout a sixteen game schedule. Hopkins should never crack your lineup unless injuries have taken a major toll to your team.

Week Two Wide Receiver Rankings

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1. AJ Green
2. Calvin Johnson
3. DeMaryius Thomas
4. Larry Fitzgerald
5. Randall Cobb
6. Julio Jones
7. Victor Cruz
8. Brandon Marshall
9. Pierre Garcon
10. Dez Bryant
11. Wes Welker
12. Andre Johnson
13. Marques Colston
14. Reggie Wayne
15. Vincent Jackson
16. Hakeem Nicks
17. Jordy Nelson
18. DeSean Jackson
19. Torrey Smith
20. Anquan Boldin
21. Julian Edelman
22. Mike Wallace
23. Antonio Brown
24. Dwayne Bowe
25. Cecil Shorts
26. Eric Decker
27. Steve Smith
28. Lance Moore
29. Tavon Austin
30. Miles Austin
31. Mike Williams
32. Roddy White
33. Chris Givens
34. Rueben Randle
35. Steve Johnson
36. Michael Floyd
37. Golden Tate
38. Jerome Simpson
39. Brian Hartline
40. Greg Jennings
41. Andre Roberts
42. TY Hilton
43. Rod Streater
44. Harry Douglas
45. Marlon Brown
46. Kenny Britt
47. Chris Givens
48. Malcolm Floyd
49. Brandon LaFell
50. Santana Moss
51. Alshon Jeffrey
52. DeNarius Moore
53. Darrius Heyward-Bey
54. Kyle Williams
55. Doug Baldwin
56. Sidney Rice
57. Kenny Stills
58. Riley Cooper
59. Terrance Williams
60. Mohammed Sanu

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Week Two Fantasy Running Back Rankings

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1. Adrian Peterson- Don’t make much of Peterson’s non-success after his first carry. Not many backs had all around games in week one.
2. LeSean McCoy- The conditioning looks to have paid dividends for McCoy
3. Jamaal Charles- Kansas City will surprise some this week with their expanded offense. Charles has always been a fantasy stud in prior years, and will see his stock rise week to week this season.
4. Ray Rice- The Ravens will stomp the Browns this weekend. Rice should get at least two touchdowns.
5. Matt Forte- His shiftiness isn’t like it use to be, but Forte is a dual threat running back in the Bears offense
6. Arian Foster- His role may be reduced some this year, but he is still a top eight fantasy back week to week
7. Reggie Bush- His numbers will come down drastically this week at a tough place to play. But an overall game of 100 all purpose yards will be suffice for fantasy owners.
8. Eddie Lacy-Lacy’s impact was not huge week one, but he responded better than most backs do after a fumble. In the second half he had some quality runs against a strong 49ers defense.
9. Alfred Morris- Morris was one of many backs that had a case of fumbles week one. Don’t give him the label of sophomore slump just yet.
10. Steven Jackson- Jackson gets to go against his former team and will be ready to go
11. Doug Martin
12. CJ Spiller
13. Trent Richardson
14. DeAngelo Williams
15. Darren McFadden
16. Marshawn Lynch
17. DeMarco Murray
18. Frank Gore
19. Stevan Ridley
20. MJD
21. Chris Johnson
22. Darren Sproles
23. David Wilson
24. Rashard Mendenhall
25. Knowshown Moreno
26. Lamar Miller

28. Ryan Matthews
29. Ben Tate
30. Pierre Thomas
31. Daryl Richardson
32. BenJarvus Green-Ellis
33. Bernard Pierce
34. Ahmad Bradshaw
35. Joique Bell
36. Ronnie Hillman
37. Mark Ingram
38. Isaac Redman
39. Bilal Powell
40. Fred Jackson
41. Montee Ball
42. Kendall Hunter
43. Brandon Jacobs
44. Bryce Brown
45. Daniel Thomas
46. Jacquizz Rodgers
47. Mike Tolbert
48. Mike Bush
49. Ronnie Brown
50. Felix Jones