In Week 1, teams set the tone for their seasons. Week 2 will show which teams can adjust to and overcome adversity, as several players got injured in Week 1, and some teams will have tougher match-ups this week than they did last week. For me, Week 1 went pretty well. Although I only won in one of my four fantasy leagues, I went 12-3-1 in picks. It will be hard to beat that this week after getting the Thursday Night game wrong again. But will I defy the odds and outdo my strong Week 1 performance anyways? Below are my picks for the week. Feel free to comment with your thoughts.
Lock of the Week
Typically, the Patriots struggle in warm weather. Last year, they even lost in Miami as the Pats defense blew it at the last minute and gave up a miraculous TD. But this Dolphins team just lost 59-10 at home against QB Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. How do you expect them to beat the Pats? There’s a huge hole at QB, and the defense won’t have much going for them this week aside from CB Xavien Howard. Plus, this Pats offense is one of the most talented in history. Expect a blowout here, as QB Tom Brady and offense show off how great they really are, and the Dolphins continue to struggle mightily.
Upset of the Week
This same match-up occurred in Week 2 last year, and it ended in a tie. But I don’t think we’re getting 2 ties in 2 weeks again. Even though Green Bay beat the Bears, QB Aaron Rodgers looked washed-up, and the backfield was not productive against a strong Bears defense. If there is a better defense in this league than Chicago’s, its the Vikings D. Expect them to easily stop RB Aaron Jones and hold Rodgers to just 1 TD. The Bears were able to do the same, but they lost to Green Bay last week because of serious offensive problems. RB Dalvin Cook and the Vikings offense dominated against Atlanta last week. Expect the same against the inexperienced Green Bay defense.
The Other Games
| TNF (Posted to Twitter before game; Actual Score: 20-14 TB)
|
Expect a high scoring game as the Bucs defense continues to struggle. RB Christian McCaffrey will dominate, leading the Carolina offense to a big game against Tampa. The Bucs will put up a good fight, as Winston utilizes his diverse group of receivers against an unproven Panthers secondary. But with McCaffrey’s help, Carolina will come out on top. |
| Sunday, 1:00 PM EST
|
Look, I understand QB Eli Manning is far from what he used to be. But against a rebuilding Bills defense, Manning and the Giants should have success. Manning will rely on RB Saquon Barkley and TE Evan Engram to anchor the offense in a Giants victory, as WR Sterling Shepard is concussed. The Bills will make it close, as their backfield thrives against a weak Giants D and QB Josh Allen sees improvement as a passer. But the Giants offense has more of a rhythm going, and that will lead them to victory. |
| Sunday, 1:00 PM EST
|
After their struggles in New England, everyone is saying the Steelers are washed up and on the decline. At first, I agreed. But the Seahawks aren’t quite the same as they used to be either. They nearly lost to Cincinnati last week. QB Russell Wilson will struggle against an underrated Steelers pass rush, and the young Seahawks D is no match for QB Ben Roethlisberger and his receivers. |
| Sunday, 1:00 PM EST
|
The Ravens will win this one as they host Arizona, but they won’t see the same success they had last week. The Ravens defense should have another great game and hold the Cards back from scoring multiple TDs. But DE Chandler Jones and the Cardinals D will limit QB Lamar Jackson as they keep him under pressure. Jackson will still play like a QB this week and lead his team to victory, but he won’t stay on the elite level he was at last week. |
| Sunday, 1:00 PM EST
|
The Niners thrived against a weak Bucs D last week. The Bengals defense may be a little washed up, but they should be able to stop a Niners backfield that will be without Tevin Coleman. QB Jimmy Garoppolo will have another decent game, but it won’t be enough. So long as RB Joe Mixon plays, QB Andy Dalton will continue to look good and this time lead his team in an OT thriller. |
| Sunday, 1:00 PM EST
|
These two defenses aren’t quite elite anymore, but they’ll look like it in this one. Against a better defense, QB Gardner Minshew II will struggle. The Jags defense will hold back a young Texans offensive core as well. However, QB Deshaun Watson will get past the strong Jags D and lead Houston to victory. |
| Sunday, 1:00 PM EST
|
The Titans got off to a huge start in Cleveland, and they’ll run with the momentum against a weak Colts defense. A healthy QB Marcus Mariota and TE Delanie Walker will be huge for Tennessee. If they go down, the Titans have QB Ryan Tannehill and TE Anthony Firkser waiting. QB Jacoby Brissett should look alright too, but don’t expect as much against a talented Titans D. |
| Sunday, 1:00 PM EST
|
At first, I was thinking this would be a blowout. But the Chargers already lost TE Hunter Henry to an injury, and this offense is injury prone in general, so their performance in this game may be underwhelming. The Chargers D should help LA lock up the victory, but the QB Matthew Stafford and his receivers are better this year, so it’ll be close. |
| Sunday, 1:00 PM EST
|
This will be closer than people expect. Case Keenum may be a system QB, but the Redskins system fits him, and he’ll lead Washington to make this close against their division rivals. However, QB Dak Prescott, RB Ezekiel Elliott, and company are just going to be too much for this depleted Redskins defense to handle. |
| Sunday, 4:05 PM EST
|
WR Tyreek Hill may be hurt, but I still expect QB Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs to win by at least a TD in Oakland. Look for a big game out of RB Josh Jacobs, who will work around a struggling Chiefs front seven. However, Jacobs’ efforts won’t be enough to outscore a dominant Chiefs offense. |
| Sunday, 4:25 PM EST
|
This Bears defense is about to have a huge game. QB Joe Flacco has led Denver’s offense to a decent year so far. But the aging QB and his receivers will be significantly outperformed by the league’s best defense, leading to a shutout. In the meantime, QB Mitch Trubisky will have a slightly better game against a Denver secondary that only mildly resembles 2015’s No Fly Zone. |
| Sunday, 4:25 PM EST
|
The Saints will be hungry for revenge in this one. But I expect the elite Rams defense to hold them back. QB Jared Goff and the Rams will get out to an early lead. Now that RB Todd Gurley and WR Cooper Kupp are playing, this Rams offense will be hard for an overrated Saints defense to limit. Expect another Rams victory here, by a bigger margin this time around. |
| Sunday, 8:20 PM EST
|
QB Matt Ryan and a powerful Falcons offense will rebound in this one. Philly’s defense is good, but it isn’t on the same level as Minnesota’s. Ryan and his receivers felt overwhelmed in Minnesota. Back home, against a slightly weaker defense, I expect them to rebound, led by Ryan and his elite WR trio. QB Carson Wentz will have a strong game as well, but Atlanta’s defense has improved, and they’ll prevent Wentz from orchestrating a comeback as he did against Washington. |
| Monday, 8:15 PM EST
|
People expect an exciting game between two rising teams to end the week. But especially with QB Sam Darnold out, this game could be a bit underwhelming. I’m expecting a sloppy game, as QB Trevor Siemian struggles against an improved Browns defense, and Cleveland just barely edges out a victory despite offensive chemistry issues. |
That’s all for my picks this week. Feel free to comment with your thoughts, and check back next week to see how I did and see my Week 3 Picks. In the meantime, I’ll be answering fantasy questions once again on Instagram, so feel free to ask away!
Boston Sports Mania 
Where are the scores?
Sent from my iPad
The scores were in images, maybe the device you’re using is preventing you from seeing them for some reason.
Here are the scores I said:
38-3 NE
28-10 MIN
31-28 CAR
21-17 NYG
28-16 PIT
16-10 BAL
20-14 CIN (OT)
21-7 HOU
34-7 TEN
20-17 LAC
24-20 DAL
28-20 KC
24-0 CHI
30-16 LAR
21-17 ATL
16-13 CLE