#7 Brooklyn Goldsmiths (1-0) vs #12 TWSS (0-1)
The Bengals pass defense shut down Kyle Orton last week, except for... well, you know. Can the do the same against Aaron Rodgers at Lambeau? Almost certainly not- I expect plenty of A-bombs from the real A-Rod. In the same game, Ochocinco promises to do the Lambeau Leap if he gets in the end-zone... here's hoping he will. The third player the Goldsmiths have going, Cedric Benson, will likely have another unspectacular game thanks to the Bengals' patented 1st down: take a sack, 2nd down: HB draw for two yards, 3rd down: complete pass three yards short of the marker, 4th down: punt offense. Other Goldsmiths will have to break out in week two; Matt Forte goes against the Steelers and Ronnie Brown against the Colts. At least one of the two should come back to where they should be playing after terrible week one performances. I like Visanthe Shiancoe's odds of scoring as he goes against the Lions.
TWSS almost came away with a win in week one and is the Yahoo favorite this time around. David Garrard again gets the start- he struggled last week in his already-limited role in the Jags' offense. Yahoo is predicting big things for Darren Sproles thanks to his late TD last week... PROTIP to Yahoo's experts: touchdowns are largely random, stop weighting your predictions based so heavily on what happened last week.
Yahoo pick: TWSS -5.5
The Bolden Pick: Goldsmiths go to 2-0 on the strength of their NFC North all-stars.
#1 Beer to the Dean (1-0) vs #11 Ja (0-1)
Beer to the Dean lives and dies (mostly lives, I guess) by its three-headed monster running back attack- it will be a big challenge for half of the two-headed monster. The best match-up on paper is AP against the Lions... of course, if it's a blowout, I would imagine the bulk of the carries would shift to Chester Taylor. Look for a bigger game from Chris Johnson this time around. Defenses are unpredictable, but expecting a nice bonus from Green Bay (hosting Cincinnati) isn't asking too much.
Ja will depend once again on the duo from the Chargers, Rivers and LT who face Baltimore. Rivers played well last week, and LT did well enough, but the latter may still be injured come Sunday. Ja's best options as replacements aren't promising...Steve Breaston, I guess? This game is proof positive of the value of depth...nobody's lineups are all that different, but the benches are where the separation takes place.
Yahoo pick: Beer to the Dean -17
The Bolden Pick: Beer to the Dean will roll, and probably beat Yahoo's margin.
#13 Taking the Reins (0-1) vs #3 Eat Gilberts Grapes (1-0)
TTR didn't put up many points in week one, and the forecast for week two isn't promising. Their #2 running back, Marshawn Lynch, remains suspended, and now Donovan McNabb is looking iffy for playing on Sunday. If he can't go, Trent Edwards will go; against Tampa, this isn't all that terrible. Edgerrin James never seems to do anything when he gets starts, and unfortunately for TTR, he is the best option at RB2 right now. Even last week when the Seahawks destroyed the Rams, James never got much accomplished. Brian Westbrook is the only hope for TTR this week- he got things done in the rushing and receiving game last week and looks to actually be healthy.
EGG faces the question of whether to start Pierre Thomas (out in week one) or Vincent Jackson in the flex; not a bad position to be in. Despite passing the torch to Ray Rice in the starting job, Willis McGahee was an integral part of Baltimore's red zone offense and should get chances at the end zone this week at San Diego. Tony Homo is against the Giants' D and is the one starter I'd be a bit concerned over, but EGG has Matthew Stafford warming the bench at QB- no thanks. EGG shouldn't have any problems this week scoring 90+ points.
Yahoo pick: Eat Gilberts Grapes -20
The Bolden Pick: Lamentably, Eat Gilberts Grapes goes 2-0.
#10 City of Champions (1-0) vs #8 Soak-n-Suds
I got a lot of flak from Jo last week in response to his #10 ranking- here's his chance to show that last week wasn't a fluke, or more specifically, for Drew Brees and Jeremy Shockey to come back down to earth against a much better defense in Philadelphia. One player who should come back with a bigger week is DeAngelo Williams, but I don't like CoC's other plays at RB so much in Ahmad Bradshaw or Derrick Ward. Playing anyone's D against STL is never a bad option- Jo gets to this week with the Redskins.
SNS gets some help with the injury to Anthony Gonzalez, as Reggie Wayne is now far-and-away Peyton Manning's best (only?) viable option at WR. SNS's other star WR, Andre Johnson, played poorly in week one and has to face another tough defense when the Texans take on the Titans- he should still improve on last week's performance. Leon Washington and Darren McFadden, as always, are wildcards and nearly impossible to predict.
Yahoo pick: EVEN
The Bolden Pick: Won't be so close, Soak-n-Suds goes to 2-0.
#4 Megatron (0-1) vs #9 SINS Bolden (0-1)
Two teams with high expectations and tough luck in week one go at it in this one. Megatron was glad to see Tom Brady seemingly back in full form; this week he plays a tougher defense with the Jets, but should still be one of the top QBs in the league. Michael Turner is another player on the seeminlgy endless list of running backs who disappointed last week and need to come back this time; he and Roddy White go against Carolina. Megatron is giving Percy Harvin a start- quite an indictment on the Lions.
SINS Bolden was hurt by the injury to Anthony Gonzalez (insert some Avon Lake joke here). His replacement, Mario Manningham, had the first adequate game of his career last week and is a bit of a stretch to get a start against Dallas. Ray Rice got more chances than the other RBs on Baltimore last week, but with McGahee cannibalizing his points in the red zone, he has to be considered questionable at some point this season as well. Nobody had high expectations for Larry Johnson this season, but he underperformed even those- he should do better by default against Oakland.
Yahoo pick: Megatron -5
The Bolden Pick: Megatron- too many question marks around the SINS lineup this week.
#5 Suit Killers (0-1) vs #14 Bad Newz Kennels (0-1)
When you play Kurt Warner, you have to expect a couple dragons will end up caught by the other team. The Cardinals still need to pass all the time to win, so the Suit Killers hope he and Larry Fitzgerald will pick apart the Jags- I'm guessing they will. Jonathan Stewart got a decent number of looks in week one, and may not repeat, but is still a good play at RB. Steve Slaton looked bad in week one (sound familiar?) and faces another tough defense with the Titans, but one game does not a trend make. The Suit Killers get to play the Vikings' D against the Lions- God help us all.
BNK looked like they might get a win after a big game from Big Ben in week one. The Bears' pass defense is terrible, but the Steelers' running game should be on track enough that they won't depend on their QB this time around. Still, not a bad match-up (same goes for Hines Ward.) Clinton Portis plays St. Louis and Yahoo is predicting over 18 points- not so fast there, Yahoo. Le'Ron McClain is a dangerous start- he might get goal line carries, or he might just block.
Yahoo pick: Bad Newz Kennels -3 (yes, you read that correctly)
The Bolden Pick: I'm hardly ready to accept the chance that BNK will beat my preseason #2, at least not yet... going with the safe pick in the Suit Killers.
===Game of the Week===
#2 Vandelay Industries (1-0) vs #6 Roarin' Rob (1-0)
Vandelay's running backs, Marion Barber, Kevin Smith, and Ryan Grant, each face better than average defenses (NYG, MIN, CIN, respectively), but each has enough of a role in their offense that they shouldn't be shut down. Matt Hasselbeck played decent last week, but it was against the Rams; almost any team is a step up in difficulty from there. The Jets' D was great last week against Houston- they also have a tougher challenge in store against the Patriots.
Roarin' Rob outscored everyone last week, it's more of an uphill road this week. Jay Cutler played terribly against the Packers, and faces a much tougher defense in the Steelers this week. Bernard Berrian barely played last week and should get the chance to put up some points against the Lions. Rob is going with the Philly D against the high-scoring Saints... expect at least a big drop-off from their performance last week. Rob gets help from the Bills, who will give Fred Jackson plenty of carries in the continued absence of Marshawn Lynch.
Yahoo pick: Roarin' Rob -4.5
The Bolden Pick: Rational thought says go with Rob, but my instinct says fade him and go with Vandelay.
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