Did you gamble on Adrian Peterson in week 1? If not, watching AP rack up the points on your bench was probably the only thing more painful than watching the replacement refs botch 217 calls on Sunday. That was the exact number, I counted. Having points just sitting on your bench might hurt, but there’s a silver lining called week 2 and no one is a better play than AP. Going up against The Colts who allowed Matt Forte and Michael Bush rush for a combined 122 yards and 3 TDs, Adrian Peterson is an absolute lock for a big week. Gerhart owners, it was a good thought, but this is APs show unless something tragic slows him down again.
Alfred Morris is also set for another big week. He carried the ball 28 times for 96 yards and 2 scores in a week most people thought would feature Evan Royster or Roy Helu. It’s impossible to guess what Shanahan will do from week to week, but Morris is the hot hand and against a shaky Rams defense week 2, he’ll have every opportunity to succeed.
Still need another starter? The coast should be clear for BenJarvus Green-Ellis this week. After going up against a tough Ravens team in week 1 and doing just fine, he’ll have much easier waters to wade through at home against Cleveland. LeSean McCoy ran for 110 yards on just 20 carries against them in week 1 and had numerous big plays called back due to holding calls.
There’s always a flip side however. After managing just 53 yards on 21 carries against The Lions, Steven Jackson is likely to disappoint again this week against a tough Redskins defense. Although Saints Running Backs are always a toss-up, The Saints managed 32 rushing yards total against The Redskins in week 1. Jackson will likely top that number, but another week under 60 yards without a TD seems probable.
The Cardinals game may have been one of the most exciting this week, but their running game had nothing to do with it. Extra time outs had more to do with the excitement of the game than The Cardinals running the ball. That’s how good the Seahawks rush defense was and that’s how bad DeMarco Murray will be next week. He averaged 6.6 yards per carry against The Giants, but fantasy owners shouldn’t be expecting numbers like that come Sunday. I’d put my fantasy expectations for him in the single digits this week.
Last but certainly not least, Maurice Jones-Drew is back and even needed to take the majority of the carries in week 1 after Jennings went down with an injury, but don’t expect his numbers to skyrocket against The Texans. He’ll likely end the day with similar numbers as week 1 unless he manages to find pay dirt. If he fails to find the end zone Sunday, call up whoever has him in your league and make them an offer. He plays The Colts in week 3 and if you’ve read above, you know what a talented RB should be able to do against them.
