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Things I Learned in Fantasy Football: Week 2

Takeaways from Week 2 as told by the tweets of the Fantasy Stronghold.

Last week, the Cardinals offense didn't look all that great against a Lions defense that had low expectations. And that was with David Johnson. The Colts porous defense was supposed to be the balm that soothed Arizona's offensive burns. Yet things looked even worse. Carson Palmer looks like a shell of his former self, the pass-catchers are an inconsistent (at best) bunch and the backfield is a tangled web of confustion. Other than that, things are great in the desert. The most alarming part is how little the Cardinals were able to take advantage of a soft early-season schedule. They'll get another halfway decent shot next week against a depleted Cowboys secondary. But after that, the degree of difficulty goes up several notches. At this point, it's time to re-evaluate any and all Redbirds on your fantasy roster.

La vida viene a tí rápido. This time last week we were talking about Buck Allen as a replacement for Danny Woodhead and a temporary supplement to the Ravens backfield. Now we're counting snaps and wondering if Baltimore really ever loved Terrance West or just wanted to hit him with occasional "u up?" texts. It also begs the question of what happens with Woodhead returns to action in a few weeks. Will Allen go back to a reserve role? Will West be the odd man out? Will Baltimore turn this into a three-headed monster? That last part made me throw up in my mouth a little bit.

Hue Jackson is really going to do this to us, isn't he? During training camp we heard the talk about Johnson becoming a legitimate slot receiver. During the preseason, Johnson lined up like your run-of-the-mill pass-catching running back. In Week 1, he was used exclusively as a receiver. And now this. For anyone with Johnson on their roster, it doesn't seem like a big deal as long as he's getting targets and touches. But if you're rolling with Isaiah Crowell and hoping that The Crow can fly on a weekly basis, it's going to be a little troubling. Why can't you let us be great, Hue Jackson? Just why?

We all knew this was coming eventually. We just weren't sure when. It might be a tad early to say that the Tennessee Takeover is complete but after watching Henry trucking Jaguars defenders all afternoon, one has to wonder whether DeMarco Murray is going to start losing more carries. Because you know what we all need? Another running back committee.

Last week, the Raiders were intent on getting Amari Cooper involved near the goal line. They were ... mildly successful. Insert atleastyoutried dot jpeg This week, things reverted to the mean and Michael Crabtree returned to being Derek Carr's preferred red zone target -- to the tune of three touchdowns. In the long term, I'd prefer to wait another week or so before freaking out over Cooper's red zone prospects but ... sigh.

Wait...what?"

  • A lot of credit goes to Denver's No Fly Zone ... but Dez Bryant with just 59 yards on 16 targets is less than optimal. For the season, it's been 102 yards on 25 targets ... with a matchup against Patrick Peterson coming next week. facepalm
  • Russell Wilson has thrown for fewer than 260 yards in six of his last eight games.
  • Through the first two weeks, the Ravens defense has collected eight sacks and forced 10 turnovers.

And one for the road...

Marcas Grant is a fantasy editor for NFL.com. There was barbecue for dinner tonight in the newsroom and he ate all of the meats. Now he's going to head home where he'll probably have meat sweats. But undaunted, Marcas will probably double down on his first mistake by piling on a bowl of ice cream. Tell him your bad food ideas on Twitter @MarcasG. If you read all of that, congrats. He also dishes out fantasy advice -- and life shenanigans -- on Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat (marcasg9)