The Dynasty Aftermath: Week Two
“Holy recaps, Batman!”
Welcome to DLF’s Dynasty Aftermath. This Tuesday staple is our longest running signature piece as we have a little fun after a tough week at the Dynasty League Football office. You’ll find this article will review the week’s happenings in a variety of ways and help set you up for the coming weeks as we spin around the league in the way we know best.
This week, I’m channeling the memories of my childhood once again and going with a classic Batman theme. I loved watching this show every Sunday morning and biting my nails at the cliffhanger that would follow every episode. There have been many different re-boots of the Batman franchise, but it’s still very hard to beat the great Adam West and Burt Ward. After all, if you can get a shark off your leg with some shark repellant spray while dangling off a helicopter ladder, who needs a super power? The original Batman and Robin overcame the obvious discomfort and subsequent chafing from those super suits to save Gotham each and every week.
With that being said, expect some classic Batman references this week.
Week One Fantasy MVP
Batman (First Place)
It’s official. Larry Fitzgerald is, in fact, not dead. The future Hall of Famer looked great this week as he caught eight passes for 112 yards and scored not one, not two, but three touchdowns. That’s even more amazing when you consider he caught two touchdowns passes all last season. Carson Palmer makes everything better in the desert. You’d be wise to put that in your utility belt.
Robin (Second Place)
Antonio Brown truly is “Boy Wonder.” A week after catching nine passes and a garbage time touchdown, Brown was nearly unstoppable this week with nine more catches for 195 yards and another score. He’s on pace for 144 receptions this season. ONE. FORTY. FOUR.
Week One Fantasy LVP
The Joker (First Place)
DeMarco Murray had some value salvaged this week with some catches, but his early season rushing has truly been a joke. After his 13-carry, two yard performance this week, he now has 21 carries for eleven yards on the season. To put that into perspective, Nick Foles has 12. It’s certainly not all his fault (in fact, the Philly scheme and line would make Barry Sanders look like Barry Williams at the moment), but this is very troubling. I did some quick Bat-math and came up with the following number of consecutive carries it would take Murray and his 0.5 yards per carry average to achieve:
- Run the length of the Original Batmobile: 12.5 carries
- Run the length of Burt Ward and Adam West laying down: 7.3 carries
- Run the length of Gotham City (New York) = 2,475,792 carries
- Get to the front of the line at the next Batman movie: 33 carries (estimated based on theater)
- Most importantly, score a touchdown from the opposite goal line: 200 carries
The Riddlers (Second Place Tie)
“Riddle me this, Batman! At your current age, how many catches would it take you to match the production in terms of yardage gained by the pair of Roddy White and Mike Evans this week?” Uhh. Zero?
It seems like that should be a much harder riddle, but it’s actually not. White and Evans were both active this week, but you wouldn’t know it by the box scores as neither finished with a single catch this week. While this won’t be the norm for Evans as he gets eased back in the lineup, it’s a concern for White as Julio Jones continues to get peppered with targets like Matt Ryan is throwing bat-a-rangs at him.
Lineup Fun
“Zap! Pow! Bam!”
(The unbeatable lineup of the week)
QB Ben Roethlisberger PIT = 369 passing yards, three touchdowns, one 2PT conversion
RB Adrian Peterson MIN = 134 rushing yards, two catches, 58 receiving yards
RB Jamaal Charles KC = 125 rushing yards, four catches, two receiving yards, one touchdown
RB Latavius Murray OAK = 65 rushing yards, three catches, 22 receiving yards, one touchdown
WR Larry Fitzgerald ARI = Eight catches, 112 receiving yards, three touchdowns
WR Antonio Brown PIT = Nine catches, 195 receiving yards, one touchdown, 1 2PT conversion
WR Julian Edelman NE = 12 rushing yards, 11 catches, 97 receiving yards, two touchdowns
TE Rob Gronkowski NE = Seven catches, 113 receiving yards, one touchdown
“It’s not important who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.”
(The dominant underdog lineup of the week)
QB Derek Carr OAK = 351 passing yards, three touchdowns, 23 rushing yards, one INT
RB DeAngelo Williams PIT = 77 rushing yards, four catches, 15 receiving yards, three touchdowns
RB Matt Jones WAS = 123 rushing yards, three catches, 23 receiving yards, two touchdowns
RB Dion Lewis NE = 40 rushing yards, six catches, 98 receiving yards, one touchdown
WR Travis Benjamin CLE = Three catches, 115 receiving yards, two touchdowns, one special teams score
WR Allen Robinson JAX = Six catches, 155 receiving yards, two touchdowns
WR Michael Crabtree OAK = Nine catches, 111 receiving yards, one touchdown
TE Crockett Gilmore BAL = Five catches, 88 receiving yards, two touchdowns
“The Suicide Squad”
(The unexpectedly horrible lineup of the week)
QB Tony Romo DAL = 195 passing yards, 12 rushing yards, one broken collarbone
RB Jeremy Hill CIN = 39 rushing yards and two lost fumbles
RB Eddie Lacy GB = Nine rushing yards and an ankle injury
RB CJ Anderson DEN = 27 rushing yards, one catch, two receiving yards
WR Mike Evans TB = No catches
WR Roddy White ATL = No catches
WR Keenan Allen SD = Two catches, 16 receiving yards, one lost fumble
TE Jimmy Graham SEA = One catch, 11 receiving yards and a ton of panic
Seriously, though. Take a look at the underdog lineup and the horrible lineup this week and tell me you wouldn’t have felt pretty good with Romo, Allen, Graham and company this week going against THAT crew. Crazy.
Gut Checks
I’d be worried if I’m relying on Sam Bradford, DeMarco Murray, Ryan Mathews or any Philly player other than Jordan Matthews.
I’d be worried if I was expecting Brandin Cooks to be a WR1 early this season. It’s very early, but something just isn’t clicking in New Orleans.
I’d be worried if I didn’t think Julian Edelman could lead a team to a championship.
I’d be worried if I have Dallas skill players. The Cowboys could handle losing Dez Bryant for a bit. Bryant AND Tony Romo? That’s asking a little too much.
I’d be worried if I thought the trade to the Jets was a death sentence for Brandon Marshall. For the record, I was wrong on this one. I’m sure the Jets will get sick of him soon enough, but in the meantime, he’s just sick.
I’d be worried if I’m relying on Jonathan Stewart. He’s not as explosive as he once was and the best goal-line option for the Panthers is Cam Newton – bad combination.
I’d be worried if I have Mike Wallace. Maybe it wasn’t Miami.
I’d be worried if I have any Arizona running back other than David Johnson.
I’d be worried if I owned Alfred Morris. It sure looked like a changing of the guard or a RBBC at the very least in Washington.
I’d be worried if I was relying on CJ Anderson. Ronnie Hillman just looks better and the Denver line looks terrible for either.
I’d be worried if I owned Lamar Miller. What is going on here? Things won’t get better this week against Buffalo, either.
I’d be worried if I’m putting too much stock into one game of CJ Spiller in New Orleans.
I’d be worried if had someone other than Chuck Pagano in the “First Coach to be Fired in 2015” pool.
I’d be worried if I’m all of a sudden ready to sell on Carlos Hyde, Austin Seferian-Jenkins and Marcus Mariota. It’s a long season, gang.
I’d be worried if I think Andrew Luck is suddenly going to be bad.
I’d be worried if I did own Frank Gore, however.
I’d be worried if I thought Ben Affleck was going to be the best Batman of all time.
I’d be worried if I owned Cody Latimer. This one doesn’t look good at all.
I’d be worried if I was relying on Rashad Jennings. That backfield is hot mess.
I’d be worried if I had any Rams running back other than Todd Gurley.
I’d be worried if I owned Jimmy Graham. For the record, I was wrong on this one so far, too. I didn’t believe Graham would be adversely affected THIS much. Some, yes. One catch for 11 yards? Holy underutilization, Batman!
I’d be worried if I owned Andre Johnson. He really does look old.
I’d be worried if I’m still holding out hope for Cordarrelle Patterson.
I’d be worried if I have Josh Hill. Yikes.
I’d be worried if I thought Stevie Johnson couldn’t keep this up.
I’d be worried if I invested too heavily in Maxx Williams. Crockett Gilmore looks legit.
I’d be worried if I had any New England running back other than Dion Lewis.
I’d be worried if I took my advice and were even comfortable about having Dion Lewis.
I’d be worried if I didn’t take my original advice on Dion Lewis. Wait. I’m confused now. What have the Patriots done to me!?!
A Look Ahead to Hot Names on the Week Three Waiver Wire
Remember, we focus on the lesser names here who we haven’t mentioned much this season. We’ve talked a ton about players like David Johnson, Richard Rodgers, Tyler Lockett, Brandon Coleman, Crockett Gilmore, Rashad Greene, Karlos Williams and other “hot” names you’ll find on other sites out there.
1.) Brandon Weeden, QB DAL
Now, I wouldn’t go crazy here, but he still has some weapons and I’m always of the mindset that every quarterback should be owned in most leagues.
2.) Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR PIT
You know how we talk about Aaron Rodgers making sub-par players like James Jones suddenly fantasy relevant? Well, picture Darrius Heyward-Bey as James Jones and Ben Roethlisberger as Aaron Rodgers, but will a lot more vowels. I can’t even believe I’m suggesting him, but the whole Dion Lewis thing has driven me batty. See what I did there.
3.) Rishard Matthews, WR MIA
A healthy 13 targets in two games puts him on the radar. It’s like a submarine seeing a shark (not the Batman shark, but a real one) on a radar, but he’s on the radar, nonetheless.
Previous Suggestions: Dion Lewis, James Jones, Travis Benjamin, Darren Fells
Projection Fun
- Tom Brady is on pace for over 6,000 passing yards.
- DeAngelo Williams is on pace for 1,632 rushing yards.
- Sam Bradford is on pace for 32 interceptions.
- Carson Palmer is on pace for 56 touchdown passes
- Julian Edelman and Julio Jones are each on pace for 176 receptions.
We’ll see you next week for the Dynasty Aftermath. Same Bat-Time, Same Bat-Channel!
You can follow Ken on twitter @DLF_KenK.
Ken is on Twitter at DLF_KenK
