There are some NFL contests where the defenses are thrown out the window and the offenses total up yards and touchdowns hand over fist. That was the case this week in Cleveland, where the Browns and Cincinnati Bengals combined for 96 points and an incredible 1,085 yards of offense. These are the contests that fantasy football owners love, because one immense statistical performance can be the difference between a win and a loss. In our look back at some of the best and worst fantasy performances of Week 2, we'll highlight a number of players from the Bengals-Browns barnburner, as well as a pair of stud running backs who have had consecutive porous stat lines to start the 2007 season.
Best Performances
1. Carson Palmer, QB, Cincinnati (49 points): Palmer threw for 401 yards and six touchdowns in an excitement-filled 51-45 loss to Cleveland. He connected on 33 of 50 passes and hit Rudi Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh (2), Chad Johnson (2) and Glenn Holt for his six touchdown strikes. His longest scoring pass was a 23-yarder to Houshmandzadeh in the second quarter that put Cincinnati ahead 14-13. Palmer will have a more difficult task next week in Seattle, but this week he was the reason countless fantasy owners took home a win.
2. Derek Anderson, QB, Cleveland (41 points): The definition of the word sleeper this week, Anderson completed 20 of 33 passes for 328 yards and tossed a career-best five touchdown passes in the win over Cincinnati. His scoring passes went to Joe Jurevicius (2), Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards (2), and his longest score was a 37-yard pass to Edwards in the fourth quarter. Anderson will be a hot name on the waiver wire, but don't rush to add him. He'll face Oakland, Baltimore and New England in the next three weeks.
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3. Steve Smith, WR, Carolina (33 points): The top wideout on NFL.com's preseason rankings, Smith has started the season like a house on fire. He recorded seven receptions for 118 yards and one touchdown in Week 1, and followed that with eight receptions, 153 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-21 loss to Houston this week. He found the end zone on catches of 7, 12 and 74 yards and is on pace to record more than 2,000 yards at his current rate. That won't happen, but Smith is on pace to have an enormous season for fantasy owners.
4. Chad Johnson, WR, Cincinnati (32 points): You have to love Ocho Cinco. He produced 11 catches for 209 yards and two touchdowns in the shootout in Cleveland, and he also produced some loud chuckles with his post-touchdown antics. He promised to jump into the Dawg Pound after one of his touchdowns, and he did on his second score, a 14-yard pass from Carson Palmer. He was showered with beer and "birds" for his efforts, but Johnson will be showered with love from fantasy football owners who landed him in drafts.
5. Jake Delhomme, QB, Carolina (29 points): Delhomme has turned out to be one of the best draft values in fantasy football. He totaled 201 yards and three touchdowns in Week 1 and was even better this week with an impressive 307 yards and three touchdowns against Houston. All three of Delhomme's touchdowns went to Steve Smith, who is third on our list. Delhomme has now posted 508 passing yards and six touchdowns -- those numbers are comparable to even Peyton Mannning (600 passing yards, 4 touchdowns) after two weeks.
6. Tom Brady, QB, New England (27 points): How good is Brady's life these days? He has won three Super Bowls, he's dating a supermodel, and now he has one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL. Brady threw for 279 yards and three touchdowns -- two to Randy Moss -- in a 38-14 win over San Diego. His scores came on passes of 7, 23 and 24 yards, with his third going to Benjamin Watson. Brady should find continued success next week when his Patriots host a Buffalo defense that is shot full of holes due to injuries.
7. Brett Favre, QB, Green Bay (27 points): Favre had a tremendous matchup against a vulnerable Giants defense this week, and he made the most of it for fantasy owners. The Hall-of-Fame quarterback connected on 29 of 38 passes for 286 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-13 win over New York. Favre, who is now three touchdowns short of Dan Marino's NFL record, connected on scores of 2, 3 and 10 yards in the contest. He'll have a much more formidable opponent next week, as the Packers host the San Diego Chargers.
8. Jamal Lewis, RB, Cleveland (27 points): The third player in our top 10 (and we're not done) from the Cincinnati-Cleveland shootout, Lewis came out of nowhere to explode for 215 yards and one touchdown. His score came on a 66-yard run in the third quarter that reminded some of the back who rushed for 2,066 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2003. While he can be inconsistent, Lewis is still a viable option for fantasy owners next week, when the Browns travel to Oakland to face a Raiders squad with a mediocre run defense.
9. Braylon Edwards, WR, Cleveland (26 points): Lo and behold, another Brown! The fourth and final member of the Cleveland crew in our top 10, Edwards recorded eight catches for 146 yards and scored twice -- one on a 34-yard pass and the other on a 37-yarder, both from Derek Anderson. Edwards, in his third NFL season, seems to have received a boost in value with the trade of Charlie Frye and promotion of Anderson on the depth chart. Consider him a solid No. 3 fantasy wide receiver in Week 3.
10. Joey Galloway, WR, Tampa Bay (25 points): To say Galloway does well against New Orleans is like saying Jessica Alba is kinda cute. The veteran out of Ohio State torched the Saints for 135 yards and two touchdowns in a 31-14 win in Week 2. He has now scored at least one touchdown in each of his past seven starts against the Saints, and he also has made 10 visits to the end zone in that time. He'll again be a nice No. 3 fantasy wideout next week when the Buccaneers host a St. Louis team with an inconsistent defense.
Worst Performances
1. Lee Evans, WR, Buffalo (1 point): The Bills have faced two tough opponents to open the season -- Denver and Pittsburgh -- so it's not a real shock that Evans has been so dreadful in the box scores. He opened with a 5-yard bust against the Broncos, and this week he recorded a mere 17 yards in what was a blowout win for the Steelers. Evans could be headed toward a third consecutive sub-par performance in Week 3, as the Bills head to Gillette Stadium to face what looks to be an unstoppable New England team.
2. Vernon Davis, TE, San Francisco (2 points): Considered one of the better breakout candidates in fantasy football, Davis has broken the backs of owners who drafted him as their No. 1 tight end. The former first-round choice out of Maryland had just two catches for 23 yards in a 17-16 win over St. Louis, and he now has just four receptions for 27 yards after two weeks. Furthermore, Davis is destined to be on our sit 'em list next week when the Niners travel to Pittsburgh for a date with the Steel Curtain.
3. Tatum Bell, RB, Detroit (3 points): Bell posted nice numbers in his Lions debut, but he was far less than productive in Week 2. Bell had four receptions and just 39 all-purpose yards against Minnesota, which still boasts one of the better run defenses in the NFL, even without former coordinator Mike Tomlin. Bell's value will be headed downhill quickly too -- he faces a formidable Philadelphia defense in Week 3 and could lose the top spot on the depth chart to Kevin Jones in the very near future.
4. Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, Jacksonville (4 points): While I hate to use the word bust, it's really hard not to put that label on Jones-Drew after two weeks. The smallish back out of UCLA recorded a mere 41 all-purpose yards and no touchdowns in a 13-7 win over Atlanta, and he has a total of seven fantasy points after two weeks. Fantasy owners who spent a second-round choice on MJD have to feel robbed at this time, as the Jacksonville runner could be headed oward a dreaded sophomore slide in 2007.
5. LaDainian Tomlinson, RB, San Diego (5 points): Remember when we told you Tomlinson had no chance to duplicate last season's immense totals? Well, he's not even going to come close at his current rate. L.T. recorded four receptions, 58 all-purpose yards and was held without a touchdown in a 38-14 loss to New England. Tomlinson has averaged an awful 1.9 yards per carry after two weeks. His fortunes should change in Week 3 at Green Bay, but Tomlinson has not been what fantasy owners had hoped he'd be to this point.
6. Reggie Bush, RB, New Orleans (6 points): It's a shock to even the experts how bad the Saints have been on offense this season. Drew Brees (260 yards, 1 TD) finished with a decent stat line against Tampa Bay, but it didn't reflect how bad the offense performed. It'd been a sore time for Bush too, who recorded a mere six fantasy points in standard formats with 27 rushing yards, 42 receiving yards and no touchdowns in Week 2. He's still a valuable asset in all PPR formats, but Bush has become a real risk otherwise.
7. Ronnie Brown, RB, Miami (6 points):Fantasy football owners who drafted Brown have to be more than a bit panicked at this point. He rushed for 33 yards on 11 carries and caught two passes for 36 yards in a 37-20 loss to Dallas, and head coach Cam Cameron sat him for part of the second half due to ineffectiveness. Jesse Chatman didn't do much either, as he rushed for 27 yards, so Brown shouldn't lose the top spot on the depth chart. However, it seems clear that he can't be trusted as a viable fantasy starter.
8. Marshawn Lynch, RB, Buffalo (8 points): It has been difficult to run on the Steelers this season, so it's no shock to see Lynch on our list. He totaled 64 rushing yards, 21 receiving yards and no touchdowns in a 26-3 loss at Heinz Field. Buffalo had just 223 yards of offense, as the Steel Curtain put its clamps down on J.P. Losman and the Bills offense. Lynch has another tough matchup next week in New England, but the rookie out of California does have some easier opponents down the road.
9. Larry Johnson, RB, Kansas City (8 points): Two weeks, two consecutive bad performances from Johnson. One of the elite backs in fantasy football headed into the season, Johnson's level of statistical success has fallen hard due to an extended holdout, a mediocre quarterback and an offensive line that has lost two Hall of Famers in the past two years. It won't get much easier for Johnson either, as he now must face a hardened Minnesota run defense one week after his 55-yard, no-touchdown stinker against Chicago.
10. Steven Jackson, RB, St. Louis (9 points): The consensus No. 2 overall selection in fantasy football drafts, Jackson has been a serious disappointment after two weeks. In that time, the St. Louis runner has recorded a mere 10 fantasy points on 118 rushing yards, 39 receiving yards, no touchdowns and two fumbles. Fantasy owners should, of course, continue to start Jackson next week in Tampa Bay, as the Rams will need to lean on him much more in the overall offensive attack in order to avoid a dreadful 0-3 start.