Week Two Recap: Super Bowl Rematch

Ahh, the annual Slushie Sundays Super Bowl Rematch. Seems to never disappoint with each passing year. This season, it was full of plenty fireworks after a rather dull Week 2 around the NFL. Two titans of the league with two separate paths of achieving fantasy stardom. Dave, the young startup who slayed Goliath last season to reach the pinnacle of fantasy sports achievements while the Goliath (Brian), has been a mainstay for years in the Super Bowl. In an act of revenge, Brian was able to reclaim some glory lost last season and is now sitting pretty in hopes of his third title. The one team seemingly standing in his way right now? Josh. Putting up another strong performance against, these two will coincidentally square off next weekend for what seems to be a potential Super Bowl preview. 

As for the other teams 2-0, they may come as a surprise. After a poor performance in last year's draft, Nick has rebounded with a strong squad led by his band of receivers. In addition, there's Ben, the biggest surprise of the young season. With his polarizing selection of DeAngelo Williams starting off the season, he has silenced his doubters with impressive wins in consecutive weeks to start undefeated as well. Ben, usually a mainstay in the playoffs, missed out last season after an injury plagued year and is desperate to get back. 

Next weekend is a "shit or get off the pot" type of weekend for teams starting 0-2. Amongst the three, Dom and Dave were powerhouses last season but the slow start could simply be an aberration. As for Chris Casey, in his third season in the league, he had a fantastic improvement in his Sophomore season but without Brady penciled in as usual, he's looking at starting 0-3 with Dom next on the docket. Regardless of the records thus far, the season is finally back in full swing and although two teams currently represent the top tier, there are plenty of contenders laying in the weeds. Injuries, as always, will test the willpower of any owner and their ability to manage a roster becomes crucial.

GAME OF THE WEEK:

(1-1) EBDB BnB - 137.7

(2-0) Dirty Birds - 117.3

After a tough opening week loss to Aaron, Brian had nothing but optimism for his team. He was perfectly correct with his confidence. The combination of Lamar Miller, Latavius Murray and DeMarco Murray has laid the foundation for one of the most potent offenses in the league. Philip Rivers was the stud for Week 2 but it was a surprise Sunday morning pickup that made all the difference for Brian. Subbing in Jacob Tamme before the day began provided an extra 16 points. Last week, he was done-in by a late TE substitution at the hands of Aaron but he would not be denied this week. As Gronk is set to come back soon, there is not many flaws exposed on the Dirty Birds roster. Marvin Jones didn't appear to be a strong #2 receiver after draft night but he has certainly shouldered the load thus far. Next week, the biggest matchup of the season is upon him. Squaring off against TY Beanies in what looks to be the odds-on favorite for a Super Bowl matchup down the road. Brian in his weekly quote, wanted to put the league on notice:

"It's very unfortunate that one of us had to start the season off 0-2 after both of us made the championship last year. If people weren't afraid of my team before this week they should be now."

Not an ideal team to face in hopes of your first win but Dave was up for the task. Unfortunately, his running backs weren't. Strong performances from Greg Olsen, DeAndre Hopkins and Kelvin Benjamin simply weren't enough to offset the struggles of Todd Gurley and DeVonta Freeman. Don't let his quote fool you, the team is still a playoff team on paper and have yet to run into any serious injuries. Blake Bortles squandered a favorable matchup and Todd Gurley faced a pair of stout run defenses thus far. Gurley and Freeman were the bedrock of Dave's team's foundation last season and will remain this way for years to come. Next week, he takes on Aaron in search of his first win. An 0-2 start won't kill you, but the chances of playoffs start to seriously dwindle once you reach 0-3. Dave was brief in his answer when asked to give a statement regarding his team's unusual 0-2 start:

"We're fucking doomed. Harambe's spinning in his grave watching this travesty."

NOW, FOR YOUR WEEKLY RECAP:

Largest Margin of Victory: 

- Team RUTHLESS over Team New Year - 23.3 Points

Upset of the Week:

- Kissing Suzy Kolber over U Guys Got Halo 2?

Most Points Scored ($5 for Week 2): 

- Dirty Birds - 137.7 Points

Least Points Scored: 

- Why You Pee On My Car? - 70.3 Points

Barely sneaking out a Week 2 win after a weak performance

(1-1) Why You Pee On My Car? - 70.3

(2-0) Brule's Rules - 86.6

Welp, Andrew Luck did not play well. Somewhat expected against the vicious Broncos Defense but a lone touchdown was making the matchup much closer than Nick would have liked. An extremely ugly victory, but hey, not all wins are created equally. Doug Martin left the game early and Andrew Luck had Von Miller attached to him like a regrettable tattoo. As for the rest of the team, the receivers look promising. Larry Fitzgerald continues to defy the odds and put up WR1 numbers. A steal in the 8th round, Nick is hoping to ride out his success as long as possible, especially with Doug Baldwin banged up. Tyler Eifert is bound to return and with another strong performance from Frank Gore, Brule's Rules look like a sound playoff roster thus far. Nick decided to decline comment besides wishing the best to his opponent Aaron for the rest of the season. He's on to Kissing Suzy Kolber.

Dreadlocks look great on a GOAT

The combination of Roethlisberger and Brown has proved to be a lethal combination on numerous occasions in the past. However, the combo is only effective when Antonio Brown is producing. This weekend was not the case. Brown had a rare dud performance in a rainy afternoon in Pittsburgh. Big Ben threw three touchdowns but nothing to Brown, and only 4 catches for Antonio seems like a miracle (for Nick). No one could have imagined Mike Wallace leading his team in receiving thus far but one can hope that will certainly change after this week. Aaron hopes to bounce back but he'll certainly have his hands full. Dave is currently 0-2 and will be out for blood in the name of Harambe. He will do literally whatever it takes to avoid another loss. The bad performance from AB was unfortunate, but Aaron has faith in his stud receiver.

"Disappointed in the performance this week. Mike Wallace has been productive from the bench and has earned himself a starting spot on the squad. Hopefully got AB's bad game out of the way in Week 2. On to the next one." 

Aaron: "FUCKKKKKKKK"

(1-1) Team New Year - 72.2

(1-1) Team RUTHLESS - 95.5

He looks like he's back. Like his hero John Wick, Joe returned with a big victory of Chreeyusz. Not needing too many points to capture his first victory, he was able to get his coveted win without Le'Veon to keep him above water before he returns from suspension. His team underperformed but it was a win he needed to make sure he didn't fall too far behind the 8-ball without Bell. He is the driving force behind this team and you can be bet Joe has a timer counting down to the official end of the suspension. In the meantime, his team has shown the ability to provide scoring from unlikely sources. Mike Evans and Delanie Walker's great games made up for another weak performance from Randall Cobb and a surprisingly scoreless game from Eli. Joe realizes that he could very well be 0-2. When I spoke to him, he made it clear that once Bell is back, all bets are off:

"Got lucky this week. Only outscored 3 other people and I just happened to be facing one of them. Last week without Bell coming up. Then I'll be back to where I want to be."

Chris trying to beat Joe without Le'Veon

Russell Wilson was the driving life blood of Team New Year last year and thus far, he's essentially sucked the life out of his team. Maybe it's all the sex from Ciara (congrats Russell) holding him back but he has looked terrible in the first two weeks. Allen Robinson has been a dud in the early-going and maybe Chris is beginning to regret the decision of letting go of Mike Evans. Jameis Winston couldn't provide a spark either against Arizona and Jonathan Stewart went down with an injury as well. Chris boasts unbelievable wide receiver depth and it may be time to make a trade for a running back or maybe even grab some extra picks. After two lackluster performances, he's still 1-1 and things could be much worse. Chreeyusz hopes to bounce back this week against his rival Will. A win for either team would put them in a great position for their quest to the playoffs. Chreeyusz has certainly re-evaluated the QB position:

"My starter right now is Jameis Winston until Russell Wilson can show that he is elite again." 

(2-0) Start The Carr - 125.3

(0-2) Schenectady Schmeckles - 110

The most exciting game of the weekend came down to a matchup between Ryan Mathews and Zach Miller (yawn). Thankfully for Cookies, Ryan Mathews was able to put the game out of reach right after halftime. With another win clinched, he's off to a fantastic start and he now should be considered a serious playoff threat. Ben has worked hard in the offseason and put in the man hours to build a strong roster. Jamaal Charles' comeback is imminent yet so is Le'Veon Bell. DeAngelo Williams' value only hinges on an injury to Bell but Charles' injury may be worse than anticipated. Derek Carr was great once again and Ben must be pleased waiting a few rounds to snag him instead of reaching for another franchise QB. Cooks will be watching the injury reports like a hawk over the next few weeks. As for now, he's impressed with his team's resiliency but realizes the RB production is the key to his success going forward.

"I've played some pretty good teams in my first two weeks, so it feels good to come out with wins against competition that didn't go away quietly. If I can continue to get production out of my stop-gap RBs for the next two weeks, I'll be happy. Just need to continue consistent production from top to bottom like we've had so far."

The fighting Schmeckles trying to avoid an 0-2 were done in by Arian Foster's inability to stay healthy (shocker). (Hot take alert) Perhaps he hurt his grown kneeling down too much before kickoff? Kirk Cousins turned in another strong performance but it was simply not enough to hold off the upstart "Start the Carr" squad. Although Tom is still banned from the Schmeckles facilities, LaGarrette Blount may prove to be a strong replacement for the void of Foster. Paired with Eddie Lacy and Mark Ingram, it would outweigh the thin receiving core he currently boasts. Sterling Shepard may crack the starting lineup soon enough and the surge of Travis Benjamin in light of Keenan Allen's injury may allow Chris to paste together a formidable playoff roster when it's all said and done. 

(0-2) You Guys Got Halo 2? - 112.4

(1-1) Kissing Suzy Kolber - 124.8

After knocking Dom out in the first round last year to end his dream season, Vinnie was busy putting down in an early hole for the 2016 season. A strong performance from his pair of Jets (Forte and Decker) provided an early spark and a surprising 20-point game from Martellus Bennett was enough to hold off Dom. Aaron Rodgers had an off night and Vinnie was still able to put up nearly 125 points. Unfortunately, a major injury to Danny Woodhead could strike a serious blow to his running back depth but Charles Sims may have renewed value as well. Vinnie was relieved to get back to .500 but with the impending injury to another San Diego Charger, he knows he'll have his work cut out for him. Next week, he looks to start a winning streak against Nick. Aaron Rodgers has yet to show his true form and a visit from Detroit might do just that.

"Dom runs a class organization. Always good to get the win against his squad. Got hit with the injury again, but we'll rebound. This team is a million miles from where we need to be. Gotta improve each week and trust the process."

Dom was hoping to exact some revenge this weekend after Vinnie spoiled his 2015 run. After a fantastic performance from his franchise QB Cam Newton, his stud running back Adrian Peterson was hobbled in the Sunday night game. Hopefully nothing serious for AP (tore his meniscus) or it could deliver a serious blow to his playoff chances. The running back position is extremely thin as it is and Rashad Jennings will not be able to shoulder the load. However, it appears Dom has found a diamond in the rough with Will Fuller. Back to back 100 yard performances and it appears he has found a solidified flex option moving forward. I wonder if he's ever played running back? Dom, as usual, was short on words after his team's performance. You can sense the disappointment in his two-word quote. Next week, he'll look to avoid an 0-3 start against Chris Casey and the Schmeckles.

"Welp, shit."

(2-0) TY Beanies - 117

(1-1) Hogan Knows Best - 97.1

Stockpiling draft picks has been an interesting practice in this league. So far, it has yet to pay great dividends but we are witnessing a success story before our eyes. Josh's team is rolling at this point with so many options at every position. The only thing seemingly holding him back is making the correct lineup choices each week. So far, he's two for two and already in the driver's seat for the odds on favorite to win it all. Granted, it's extremely early but barring unforseen injuries at an usual rate, Josh's team may be able to coast right to the Finals based on depth alone. Brees-Cooks combo is not going anywhere and David Johnson has so far established himself as a true elite running back after an offseason of hype. Ezekiel Elliot is the key however. So much promise coming into this season and if he can perform at a RB1 level, this team is going to cause serious problems. Melvin Gordon's strong start helps too. Damn, too many weapons indeed. Next weekend is the true test. Josh vs. Brian, the original Super Bowl matchup. I don't want to already spoil Joe's upcoming power rankings but I think these have to be the top two. Josh realizes the task at hand. A win would put him in the prime position to finally recapture his second title.

"Another week, another great win. Now it's time to get serious and get some revenge at the Dirty Birds. God Bless."

Josh flexing on the rest of the league like...

The significant upset Will pulled against Dave last week was the spark his team needed to start the season. However, an even tougher task faced him this week. A valiant effort against Josh but it simply wasn't enough to get him to his first 2-0 start in years. Carson Palmer turned in a great performance and his consistent play will be the veteran experience necessary for Will's quest to the playoffs. Next week, he takes on his semi-rival Chreeyusz in an effort to get back to over .500. Last season, Will had to worst luck besides maybe Aaron, and it is about time he gets something going in his favor.

"Concerned about the lack of production from some vital pieces to my team. Sammy Watkins current status has me less optimistic than the Bills' playoff hopes are this year."