Start'em or Sit'em - Week 2

Start’em

Jon Kitna, Lions. Kitna is such an up and down player for Fantasy owners. He absolutely drove me crazy when he was on my team. You want to start him because he should put up great numbers, but he is capable of throwing up a negative number. The Packers defense is very good, but this is a good match up for Kitna, because of the embarrassing loss last week and because the Lions are playing on turf. Kitna’s receivers will be flying all over Ford Field.

Eli Manning, Giants. Although he won a Super Bowl, Eli is by no means a no-brainer Fantasy start unless he is playing the Rams. The Ram defense is porous at best. Look for Manning to have over 250 yards in the air and 3 touchdowns this week.

Edgerrin James, Cardinals. Last week, Tim Hightower had the goal line carries for the Cardinals, but do not count out the Edge. He is going against his hometown team the Miami Dolphins. Dolphins played hard at home last Sunday, but the trip to Arizona will take some fight out of them. Plus, teams must take away Kurt Warner and the wide receivers first. That means the running game should be strong for the Cardinals.

Julius Jones, Seahawks. Look for Jones to have a big game in his first start this week against the Niners. Seattle is at home where the frenzied crowd should give them a boost. Holmgren had to be embarrassed after last week’s loss. Seattle might have had the pads on some this week to practice hitting and tackling. Maybe, work on the special teams a little after giving up 14 points to the Bills’ trickery and Roscoe Parrish’s quick feet. The Seahawks have no receivers and Maurice Morris is hurt! Jones is the only skill player healthy. By default, he should score one TD.

Donald Driver, Packers. Driver did not get many opportunities last week, but he did have a long touchdown reception called back because of a penalty. If that play would have counted, he would have been near the top in WR scoring last week. Mix that up with the inept Lions defense and you have a recipe for a big game for Driver.

Sit’em

Derek Anderson, Browns. In Week 2 of 2007, Anderson announced his presence with authority in a huge Fantasy game against Cincinnati. On Sunday night in front of a wild atmosphere on Lake Erie, the exact opposite should happen. The Steelers linebackers and defensive line will dominate this game. Cleveland fans will go home angry, cry on their message boards, and nurse their hangovers all day at the docks and factories on Monday.

Joseph Addai, Colts. Addai was not himself on Sunday night. He was not making many people miss or gaining yards after first contact. The Vikings run defense is better than the Bears’ run defense. He gets some yards in the short passing game, but the prediction here is no touchdowns this week for Addai. Colts drop to 0-2. Manning and Brady did need some pre-season game action.

Lee Evans, Bills. Evans is so inconsistent. It might be unfair for me to pick him this week, because he played well last week. That means it is a lead pipe lock that he will be invisible this week against Jacksonville. Plus, the Jags defense might have to shutout the Bills to win this week.

Chris Chambers, San Diego. San Diego should move the football up and down the field on the Broncos. They should score plus 20 points and amass plenty of yards, but Chambers will be neutralized by the Broncos secondary. Look for Tomlinson (do not let the injured toe worry you), Gates, and Rivers to do most of the damage this Sunday.

My Picks

@ Bengals -1 Titans - Titans
Colts -2 @ Vikings - Vikings
@ Panthers -3 Bears - Panthers
@ Buccaneers -7 Falcons - Buccaneers
@ Redskins PK Saints - Saints
@ Jags -5 Bills - Jags
Packers -3 @ Lions - Packers
Giants -8.5 @ Rams - Giants
@ Seahawks -7 Niners - Seahawks
@ Cardinals -6.5 Dolphins - Cardinals
@ Jets -1 Patriots - Jets
@ Chiefs -3.5 Raiders - Raiders
Chargers -1.5 @ Denver - Denver
Steelers -6 @ Browns - Steelers
@ Cowboys -7 Eagles - Cowboys

Eliminator Contest. The games in the NFL this week are agonizingly close to call—only one point spread was larger than 7 points. The Giants are heavily favored versus St. Louis. I know the Rams are terrible, but in the dome, I am just scared they can beat the Giants. They can score points. That worries me. I ended up taking Seattle to beat San Francisco at home. Holmgren and Qwest Field should be the difference. My wife took Arizona at home to beat Miami. Wow, I just reread that paragraph. Frightening. Okay, I just watched a movie and this pick was bugging me the whole two hours. Checked out the Seahawks' stories in today's Seattle Post Intelligencer and changed my pick to the Giants.

P.S. Remember when Meg Ryan was a star and was kind of crazy cute. She was just on David Letterman and she looked like the 1980's Jack Nicholson version of the Joker. Her mouth was frozen in place. You have to feel pretty badly if you are Ricky Gervais, and you are the 2nd guest on Letterman after Meg Ryan.