Fantasy Football Notable Performances, Week 2: Cam Newton Leads The Way

As we go through each week, there will be numerous notable fantasy football performances to track as you try and adjust your lineup week-to-week. While big games this week by Tom Brady, LeSean McCoy, Wes Welker and Andre Johnson are impressive, you know all about them. There is no league out there where any of those guys is on the waiver wire. The notable performances that really matter in your bid for a fantasy championship are those by the likes of Houston Texans fullback James Casey.

Casey entered Sunday's game with the New Orleans Saints with 17 receptions for 191 yards and zero touchdowns through his 2+ year career. Sunday he blew the gates open as he caught five passes for 126 yards and a touchdown in the Texans 40-33 loss at New Orleans.

This strong performance is not meant to suggest you should waste quality waiver priority this week on Casey. Part of the battle for getting the next big thing is knowing when to use your waiver priority and when NOT to use your priority. Casey is a converted tight end who will probably have a solid game every so often. Even though half his yards Sunday came on one catch, he still had a big day that is worth notice.

For more on the Texans, check out Battle Red Blog. For more on fantasy football, check out Fake Teams.

Although the St. Louis Rams were unable to find enough success against the New York Giants to secure a victory, they did have some modest victories in the fantasy world. Wide receiver Danario Alexander was one such example as he put together an impressive 122 yards and one touchdown reception. Half the yards came on a 68-yard catch, but it's still a great day nonetheless.

The downside to Alexander's great day is that the odds are high that nobody benefited in fantasy football. More than likely he is on the waiver wire, and if not he was sitting on a bench collecting dust. Alexander could develop into a solid big play wide receiver, but before he can be of any value in fantasy football he needs to develop some consistency.

Alexander is only a second year wide receiver so it could take some time. For keeper/dynasty leagues he could have some interesting upside. For 2011 single season leagues, at best he's worth a flier on the end of your bench, but more than likely you've got better more consistent options.

For more on the Rams, check out TTurf Show Times. For more on fantasy football, check out Fake Teams.

When the St. Louis Rams lost Danny Amendola for an indefinite time frame with his dislocated elbow, there was some concern as to who Sam Bradford would find on a regular basis. Amendola developed into a bit of a security blanket for Bradford in his solid rookie season.

Enter Mike Sims-Walker, stage right. Although the St. Louis Rams took one on the chin Monday night against the New York Giants, Sam Bradford connected early and fairly often with Sims-Walker. While Danario Alexander did lead the team in receiving yards MSW was the more frequent target as Bradford looked his way 11 times. MSW finished with six receptions for 92 yards and for the foreseeable future looks to be the go-to guy in St. Louis.

That may not say a lot about St. Louis, bit if Mike Sims-Walker is getting the receptions, he could finally meet the expectations that have been on fantasy owners minds for the last four seasons. He struggled with only one reception for five yards in week one so we'll have to wait and see how much consistency he develops. For now he is a decent injury and bye week guy with some flex role potential. Someone owns him in your league and if it's you, he's worth at least sitting on to see if he can develop some consistency.

For more on the Rams check out TTurf Show Times. For more on fantasy football, check out Fake Teams.

The Dallas Cowboys rode a strong performance from Tony Romo on Sunday as they came back from a ten point fourth quarter deficit to win 27-24 in overtime. Given Romo's fourth quarter meltdown in week one, Cowboys fans and fantasy football fans have to be excited by the strong showing from Romo. The Cowboys QB finished with 345 passing yards, two touchdowns and no turnovers.

What makes Romo's performance all the more memorable was the fact that he did after suffering a fractured rib on an Ahmad Brooks hit in the second quarter. Romo did not rejoin the team on the field to start the third quarter and was replaced for a time by Jon Kitna. However, Romo decided the injury was worth gutting out and he came back on to help guide his team to victory.

It is believed Romo has two cracked ribs and he will undergo a CT scan on Monday. The Cowboys are on Monday Night Football this coming week, which means Romo gets an extra day to get ready. Given his performance on Sunday against the 49ers, one would imagine he will be ready to play next Monday. However, we'll have to wait for final confirmation from the Cowboys following the scans. Romo will likely at least be limited in practice this week.

The Redskins are off to a solid start, which could make for a tough fantasy start for Romo. Kevin Kolb put together 251 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in his Sunday matchup with the Redskins. If you would normally start a healthy Romo, a banged up Romo is likely still worth the start.

For more on the Cowboys, check out Blogging The Boys. For more on fantasy football, check out Fake Teams.

The Washington Redskins escaped Fed Ex Field Sunday with a 22-21 victory over the Arizona Cardinals thanks in part to strong rushing performances across their roster. Starting running back Tim Hightower rushed for 96 yards on 20 carries and would appear to be retaining his starting running back job.

The sensational performance of the day belongs to rookie running back Roy Helu. Coming in behind Hightower, Helu was able to rush for 74 yards on only ten carries. He also added in three receptions for 38 yards. The most significant aspect of his performance was the fact that he was on the field running the ball during the Redskins game-winning field goal drive.

While Tim Hightower is the number one guy in Washington, the team is not afraid to use Roy Helu in numerous roles. While that makes him a bit of a fantasy question mark, he could be working his way into a possible bye week fill-in role, or maybe even a rare flex option outside of bye weeks.

If you do have Helu, there is also still a very solid chance he could take over the majority of the carries before season's end. Tim Hightower has been solid in a running back by committee approach, but he has yet to prove he can handle the whole load by himself. The Redskins are mixing in Helu but still giving Hightower the sizable chunk of the carries. For now it is a situation that simply bears monitoring. If you can grab Helu I recommend it. If you already have Helu, he's not a guy to insert in the lineup right now, but that could change in the near future.

For more on the Redskins, check out Hogs Haven. For more on fantasy football, check out Fake Teams.

The Denver Broncos got in the win column Sunday afternoon with a hard fought 24-22 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. The Broncos grabbed the win in spite of missing several key players on offense, including running back Knowshon Moreno. In spite of the absence of Moreno, the Broncos got the proverbial "good enough" performance from Willis McGahee who finished the game with 101 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries.

The Broncos running back situation is not a pretty picture as neither Moreno nor McGahee has been wildly impressive. McGahee gets credit for providing a steady dose of the run even if he did finish under the "average" 4.0 yards per carry. Considering Moreno rushed for a grand total of 22 yards last week, McGahee's performance would qualify as a serious breakthrough. Of course, it was against the Bengals, but even still, 101 yards is 101 yards.

For now, McGahee is likely owned by somebody in your league. If you have either Moreno or McGahee but not both, you might be in a bit of trouble for the foreseeable future. Neither is wildly impressive for now and the Broncos are going to struggle plenty this year. If you own both, I'd suspect we could see a running back by committee next week if Moreno is healthy.

For more on the Broncos check out Mile High Report. For more on fantasy baseball, check out Fake Teams.

Prior to Sunday's Dolphins-Texans matchup, Dolphins coach Tony Sparano stated that his plan was for Reggie Bush to handle 70% of the carries in Thomas' first game back. It's not all that surprising how quickly 5.9 yards per carry will change a coach's mind. Although Reggie Bush got the start, rookie Daniel Thomas quickly took charge of the Dolphins rushing load. Although the Dolphins played from behind most of the game, Thomas still finished with 107 yards on only 18 carries.

One performance should be enough to convince Tony Sparano that Thomas is the guy to stick with moving forward. Add in the fact that Reggie Bush has never really been able to handle being the clear cut number one running back at the NFL level and the decision should be obvious.

Unfortunately, NFL coaches often choose "gut instincts" over logic, much to their detriment. It would not surprise me in the least to see Reggie Bush suddenly get twice as many carries as Thomas in week three. Maybe Coach Sparano surprises us and goes with the smart play, but until I see that from an NFL coach, pardon me if I don't hold my breath for consistency.

If you assume the best, Thomas could quickly develop into a solid flex running back option. I'd argue that as long as Thomas is healthy, he is a much better play than Reggie Bush moving forward.

For more on the Dolphins, check out The Phinsider. For more on fantasy football, check out Fake Teams.

Lost amidst the Buffalo Bills comeback in a shootout victory over the Oakland Raiders was an impressive performance by rookie wide receiver Denarius Moore. The Raiders fifth round draft pick looked impressive throughout training camp and showed just how in his second career game. A week after getting shutout in his debut, Moore grabbed five receptions for 146 yards and a touchdown.

The numbers were impressive but his ability to go up after the ball on a pair of the catches was spectacular for a first year player. Moore was willing to get physical with defensive backs in battling for jump balls and when Jason Campbell is your quarterback, you'll likely be fighting frequently with defensive backs.

The question now is whether you add Denarius Moore since he is more than likely sitting on waivers in your league. Aside from Randy Moss and a few others on a very short list, rookie wide receivers have a lot of downs mixed in with the ups. Until proven otherwise, Denarius Moore could very well come back next week with three catches for 45 yards. While that would be a solid performance, fans have to be foaming at the mouth following Sunday's performance.

Part of Moore's future depends on how Jacoby Ford recovers from his injury. If Ford misses any more time, Moore remains an interesting flex option. If Ford is healthy, it's hard to tell how the team will game-plan around the two guys that appear to be their best wide receivers. Whatever happens with Ford, Moore is worth a flier and is at least better than whatever you have at the end of your roster.

And if you're in a keeper/dynasty league where Moore is not on a roster? While that is unlikely to be the case, if he is around, do what you can to get him. After a strong training camp and a monster performance on Sunday, he's looking like a keeper.

For more on the Raiders, check out Silver & Black Pride. For more on fantasy football, check out Fake Teams.

We're now two weeks into the NFL season and Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton is quickly establishing himself as one of the most prolific passers of the young season. Although he makes his share of mistakes, the rookie QB is quickly proving doubters wrong thanks to some record-setting numbers.

There is plenty for the young QB to work on as the three interceptions will attest, but for now he's showing he definitely belongs in the NFL as a quarterback. A week after lighting up the Arizona Cardinals defense, Newton put up monster numbers yet again with 432 passing yards. It was offset by three costly interceptions, but if you don't think Cam Newton is off to a solid start as a rookie, I'm not sure what else to tell you. Rookies will make mistakes, but Cam Newton has set records for most yards in a debut and most yards in his first two games.

From a fantasy perspective, it's quickly becoming apparent Cam Newton might be worth starting moving forward. I'd say there's no way he can continue at this pace, but I also never would have expected him to be averaging 427 passing yards through his first two games.

More importantly for fantasy football purposes, Newton has begun to establish his rushing credentials. After only 18 yards on eight carries in week one, Newton rushed ten times for 53 yards and a touchdown. In a fairly traditional league, Newton would have netted you approximately 26 points on Sunday.

If you don't have a Brees, Brady, Rodgers type of QB and you have Cam Newton on your bench, it might be time to consider him as at least a situational starter. Maybe you don't start him against Chicago in two weeks, but versus Jacksonville in week three, why not?

For more on the Jaguars, check out Big Cat Country. For more on fantasy football, check out Fake Teams.

While everyone left Sunday's Panthers-Cardinals game slack-jawed over Cam Newton's dynamic rookie debut performance, his gifted veteran wide receiver Steve Smith had a huge game of his own. The veteran receiver struggled mightily in 2010 with his worst performance in a healthy season since his rookie year. However, he stepped into the rejuvenation machine prior to Sunday's 2011 opener and put together a vintage Steve Smith performance.

Thanks in part to an atrocious Cardinals secondary and in part to his still remaining slick moves, Smith finished the game with eight receptions for 178 yards and two touchdowns. With Monday Night Football still to be played, Smith is easily the leading receiver for week one. I happened to have him on my bench, but thankfully I'm winning the week without him.

The real question is what do Steve Smith owners do in week two and beyond? The Panthers host the Green Bay Packers next Sunday and I'm guessing the Packers defense will not be quite so accommodating to Cam Newton and company. I suppose it's possible Newton could build on his strong debut and stun the Packers. I mention Newton specifically because much of Steve Smith's 2011 value could ride on what Newton can do moving forward.

In reality, one could make the argument that the most logical next step for Smith owners would be to trade him. The only way his value gets any higher is if he puts together two or three weeks of monster performances. At this point nobody is going to buy high on Smith since it's only one week. If you hold onto him and get another solid performance either this Sunday or next Sunday, maybe you can deal Smith.

You could hold onto him all season in hopes of more big performances, but in reality he is likely to mix in a lot more blah performances than 100+ receiving yards or multiple touchdown days. Everything surrounding Cam Newton and the Panthers passing attack is a question mark so you have to go with a bit of a gut reaction for now. Pending some consistency in this first month of the season, Smith is a gamble to start each week.

The Washington Redskins put together a strong performance on Sunday as they defeated the New York Giants 28-14 in their season opener. The Redskins had numerous question marks entering the game but they were able to develop some cohesiveness on both sides of the ball to march to victory.

Two of the stars of the victory were quarterback Rex Grossman, backup tight end Fred Davis and running back Tim Hightower. Grossman was 21/34 for 305 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. Fred Davis caught five passes for 105 yards as he outshined starter Chris Cooley. TIm Hightower was the workhorse for the Redskins as he rushed 25 times for 72 yards and a touchdown and caught three passes for 25 yards.

Rex Grossman had a strong performance against an injury-ravaged Giants defense. It was a solid performance and one he might repeat on occasion in 2011. Of course, as long time fantasy players know, Sexy Rexy will intersperse such strong performances with numerous ugly performances featuring multiple picks and generally poor decisions. Grossman will need to put together at least three or four strong performances over the next few weeks if he is going to become a viable fantasy QB option.

Fred Davis put together a strong performance as he could develop into the primary pass catching tight end in this offense. Chris Cooley remains a steady blocker and co-starter, but Grossman was in tune with Davis all game long. Things can change in the coming weeks, but odds are that Davis will finally emerge as the primary pass-catching tight end. He had a strong performance at the end of 2009 while Cooley was injured and he might finally be emerging from Cooley's shadow.

Tim Hightower was not spectacular with his 25 carries, but with Roy Helu only getting one carry, it's safe to say Hightower is the workhorse for this offense. He will have few monster games, but as long as he keeps getting carries he remains a viable flex option. Throw in his ability to catch balls in the passing game and he'll be a decent fantasy option.

The Houston Texans had a fairly easy day Sunday as they rolled through the Indianapolis Colts like a hot knife through butter. The loss of Peyton Manning has left the Colts leader-less and it seemed to impact just about every aspect of their game as they were destroyed 34-7 by the Texans. The victory allowed the Texans to fill up the stat sheet and one of their leaders was running back Ben Tate.

Arian Foster has been sidelined by a hamstring injury and after much speculation, Foster was ruled out for Sunday's game. Derrick Ward got the start in his place but the Texans seemed intent on splitting up carries between Ward and third string running back Ben Tate. While Ward is the veteran, Tate is the youngster that many consider to have much more upside.

Ward had some solid runs but wasn't bulldozing folks until he left the game in the second quarter with an ankle injury. Ward did not return but the Texans were up 24-0 at that point and rolling to victory. In his place, Ben Tate broke through with several big runs and ended up finishing the game 116 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries.

Ben Tate's fantasy value moving forward is almost entirely dependent on the health of Arian Foster. As long as Foster is out, Tate will battle Ward for carries but most people believe Tate will surpass Ward on the depth chart fairly quickly. However, once Foster is healthy again, Tate and/or Ward likely become no better than handcuffs moving forward. If you have Foster and Tate is available on the waiver wire you'll want to make a play. However, if you've got sufficient RB depth to get past two or three more weeks without Foster, you don't need to go overboard and try and make a deal for Tate.

Eight months after ending his collegiate career on the very same field, Carolina Panthers rookie QB Cam Newton put together a record-setting debut performance against the Arizona Cardinals on the very same field. Although the Panthers lost, Cam Newton completed 24 of 37 passes for 422 yards with two touchdowns, an interception, 18 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. That's what you call filling up the stat sheet.

His performance featured a broad mix of good and bad. Even his two touchdown passes told us a lot. His first TD to Steve Smith was 77 yards but Smith was easily behind the secondary and had to wait on an underthrown Newton pass. The second TD pass to Smith was a fantastic throw that Smith caught in stride in the end zone. Good defenses likely don't let Smith get that open on the first play or get a pick, while no defense could defend the second touchdown.

The question for fantasy football owners is what to make of this eye-opening performance. We won't see these kinds of numbers from him every week but for fantasy football it is a matter of getting some manner of consistency mixed in with the great performances. In 2011, the odds are very high that he will put together some stinker performances that rival the greatness of his debut. The question is how many of each we'll see and really it's just about impossible to tell. History would indicate he'll struggle immensely at times, but the fun thing about football is that it is not always predictable.

There are going to be people that will use up their waiver wire priority this week to get Cam Newton. They're enamored by his huge passing totals and are ready to give up the farm for him. For single season leagues, do not be one of those people. Even if you need a quarterback, there are likely going to be more consistent options on the waiver wire. If you don't mind the ups and downs, be my guest. But if you want to play it safe, Newton is not the guy for you.

If you find yourself in any sort of keeper/dynasty league, odds are high that Newton was drafted already. If not, I'd recommend using up waiver priority if you've got space to sit on him for a year. Newton has to show more than what he did against a very suspect Arizona Cardinals defense, but in long-term leagues, he's worth the investment.

One of the big fantasy football storylines heading into Thursday night's 2011 NFL season opener between the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints was what would happen at the Packers running back position. Ryan Grant entered last season as starter but was to an ankle injury and the Packers had to battle through the regular season with a limited rushing attack. Once the postseason hit, James Starks broke out with strong performances that had him in the mix for playing time this season.

The plan has been to split carries between the two backs and we saw that on Thursday with Grant getting nine carries and Starks getting 12 carries. Grant got the consistent early carries but Starks emerged as the more explosive of the two, highlighted by his bruising 17-yard touchdown run.

The question now is how long they'll stick with what was a very solid dual rushing attack. As long as they're getting these kinds of yards per carry from both running backs, we'll likely continue to see both guys getting significant carries. At this point you can't make a start/sit decision with either, although if were going to roll the dice, Stars would likely be the better option. In reality you should probably give the situation a few weeks to marinate on your bench.