Chris Johnson, RB, Tennessee

Memories of “CJ2K’s” magical season are long, long gone. 8 carries for 17 yards in week one against the Pats. 11 carries for 4 whole yards against San Diego in week two. Neither team is overpowering defensively, so there’s a HUGE issue with the Titans’ offense – whether it’s Locker or Hasselbeck taking the snaps. As such, I don’t see “CJ2C” (2C being 200 yards) having ANY particular matchup that looks ‘favorable’ in the future. Sure, he’s still got speed, but he’s not running like he used to. He’s moving too much laterally and trying to dance around than go north-south, and with the speed of the defenders today, that’s a recipe for…21 yards rushing in two games. At that rate, he’ll get 168 yards. For the entire season.

Matt Schaub, QB, Houston

Despite being 2-0, Schaub has had very muted fantasy stats. The defense is playing great, but the offense has been sluggish through the first two weeks. Facing the daunting task of slicing and dicing the Vaunted Dolphins and Jaguars secondaries, Schaub’s statistics are very similar to Carson Palmer’s – 461 yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs through two games. So why is Schaub a faller when Palmer’s a riser? Well, first, I doubt Palmer was taken as high as Schaub in any particular draft and a lot more was expected from the passing game than a TD every other contest…especially with Andre Johnson’s presence.

Matt Forte, RB, Chicago

DAAAA Bearssss are off to a rough start especially with their week two egg they laid at Green Bay. The Packers game exposed their OL as pedestrian at best and Forte has only gained 111 yards rushing after two contests. With the high ankle sprain he suffered in week two will force him to miss a month to 6 weeks, I don’t think his prospects will improve much when he return on a weak ankle.

Sept 5, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw (44) breaks the tackle of Dallas Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee (50) during during the first half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray/THE STAR-LEDGER via US PRESSWIRE

Giants RBs

Ahmad Bradshaw had 94 yards rushing through a game and a half, when he went out with an unspecified neck injury. Rookie RB David Wilson should have done more by now but a fumble on his first NFL carry stripped him of his backup status for now as well. With Air Manning having 500+ yards passing, Tom Coughlin looks to lean on his talented QB and WRs this year while the RB situation remains in a fantasy funk.

Kansas City RBs

Jamaal Charles and Peyton Hillis share carries and the very rough start of the Chiefs’ season has meant QB Matt Cassell has been throwing more than they like. Charles likely went first in your league’s draft, then Hillis a bit later, but right now neither of them looks like a fantasy player worthy of a start.

Darren McFadden, RB, Oakland

McFadden’s NFL career has been plagued by injury and up-and-down performances. He’s been a real boom or bust type, and consistency is what you really look for both on the real NFL field and in fantasy leagues. McFadden’s overaged over 5 yards a carry the past 2 years when healthy, but this year he only has 54 rushing yards in his first two games – against the Chargers and Dolphins’ defenses.

Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota Vikings – A.P. is sliding, but he’s going to be ready in week one of the regular season. He may not get 36 carries, but he should see 15-20, then upward from there. He’s going behind the likes of DeMarco Murray, Fred Jackson, and Jamaal Charles. That’s just crazy. If you can live with a slow first week or two, his upside should well make him worthy of going in the second round in ANY draft.

Steve Smith, WR, Arizona Cardinals – The “other” Steve Smith (again) is coming off knee problems for the past two seasons but has had a very good camp. The last season he was fully healthy, he had 107 receptions. At worst, he’ll be in the rotation with Brian Quick, who will go much higher.

Danny Amendola, WR St. Louis Rams – He should be the starting slot receiver and be a nice 3rd option (2nd in PPR leagues). He had 83 catches in 2011 and also returns kicks and punts.

Sam Bradford, QB, St Louis Rams – He’s going towards the bottom third of starting QBs in most drafts, but he had numerous injuries last season. Don’t forget he had a great rookie campaign with rookie records that Cam Newton beat last year.

Kenny Britt, WR, Tennessee Titans – Britt is suspended for 1 game and has trouble staying on the field but when he is, he’s a legitimate top-10 WR. Maybe even top-5. He can dominate a game and he and Locker are already familiar with each other.

Felix Jones, RB, Dallas Cowboys – Jones gets a bad rap for being oft-injured. He gets dinged up like many RBs do and has only missed 6 games in the past 3 seasons. With DeMarco Murray being overdrafted on a lot of boards, it means this belief about Jones persists. He could be a great steal in PPR leagues and worth a spot on the bench in others.

Daniel Thomas, RB, Miami Dolphins – Thomas could be a last-second RB guy to grab if the “pickins” get kinda slim, but he’s a very powerful runner and possible TD Vulture. They may be running a lot more than passing, since their backs are the strength of their offense and their receivers are nonexistent. Worth a spot on the bench…in a pinch.

Montario Hardesty, RB, Cleveland Browns – True, Hardesty will be behind uber-rookie Trent Richardson, but if you get Richardson you might be smart to nab Hardesty in a handcuff. Otherwise, he could be worth a bench spot in 16- or 20-team leagues with Richardson’s knee still ailing him.