Every week here on the Steeler Maniacs site I’m going to hit you with a little fantasy football genius, which is to say, I’m a genius if I’m right and just another idiot if I’m wrong. But don’t worry, if you follow my advice and it works you can claim it on your own. If not, you can just say you got it from some idiot on the internet!
Bernard Berrian – WR Chicago Bears
The Bears had an abysmal outing in week one from a fantasy perspective. Adrian Peterson had virtually no scoreless yards and Rex Grossman looked rotten. Don’t worry if he has Berrian on his list. The Bears face Kansas City this week and Herm Edwards’ baseball clubs are notorious for starting the season slowly, as witnessed by last week’s game against the Houston Texans, where Andre Johnson racked up just over 140 yards and a TD. Look for Berrian to do the same against a weak Chiefs secondary, and if he’s worried about Grossman coughing up the ball, relax. The Chiefs have virtually no pass rush and that will give him all the time he needs to get comfortable. If you have Bernard, you should feel comfortable starting with him.
Daunte Culpepper – QB Oakland Raiders
It’s early in the year to have QB problems, but if he does, Daunte could be the short-term answer. After losing the breakout performance to Josh McCown, Culpepper could get a chance to start after the Raiders learned this week that McCown broke a finger on his throwing hand. This has a cheat game for the Broncos written all over it. Denver had a relatively easy time with Buffalo last week and will start this week a little more relaxed than they did in the season opener. If Lamont Jordan can live up to his Week 1 performance, he should give Daunte a quick out early in the game. If Culpepper can get comfortable, look for him to hit Ronald Curry with the deep ball. Denver’s secondary might be the best in the league, but if Culpepper can get in and out of the pocket, it might be time for his receivers to open up. This is a high-stakes pick, and you’ll have to monitor it as a gametime decision, but if you have him on your roster, he could be a hidden gem.
Deuce McAllister – RB New Orleans Saints
Deuce is really just a risk since Reggie Bush is in New Orleans, but this week should be the McAllister show. It’s a Tampa Bay nightmare. He has rushed for 100 yards or a score in 6 of 8 games with the Bucs in his career. Last year he scored in both games against them. He will lose carries to Bush, probably more and more as the year goes on, but after the last few weeks pounding into the hands of Indy, I look to Sean Payton to hit Deuce up the middle and try to eat the clock while Drew Brees gets from Back in the habit of dinkin’ and dunkin’ around the field. Bush might outplay him in this game, but I expect McAllister to get most of the touches and most of the yardage.
And finally, if you’re in an IDP league and you’re looking for a defensive back, it could rob you of something.
James Butler – DB New York Giants
Butler is in his third year in New York and looked great in last week’s game against Dallas. This child is unknown in fantasy circles. If you look at the Giants, you’ll see that the D-backs are going to get a lot of tackles this year. With Osi Umenyiora banged up and the rest of the front row looking like a shadow of his former self, the opposition quarterbacks will have time to get the ball up the field. Butler had 6 tackles in week 1. He only averaged 26 per season at the start of this year, but if he were a player (and I am), I’d bet Butler will see 70-80 tackles this year. If you have room on the list, pick it up.