Sports

Week 2 Analysis

The first week of the NFL season can be written off an an abberation is many cases.

Week 2? Well that’s where either streaks begin, or the truth reveals itself.

So where does that leave two-week duds like LaDainian Tomlinson, Steven Jackson, Maurice Jones-Drew and Drew Brees?

OK, so there is room in between for some guys. But not all of them.

NO WORRIES

We knew L.T. wasn’t going to be able to duplicate last season’s phenomenal production. Sure, we’re disappointed by his lack of output. But we think it lies more in the fact Philip Rivers isn’t yet capable of dealing with tough defenses. Rivers will do fine against mediocre teams, and there’s plenty of them left on the Chargers’ schedule. Don’t worry about L.T., but Rivers is a matchup starter.

We’re baffled not only by Jackson’s lack of success, but the Rams’ offense in general. The good news is, only the Ravens in Week 6 stand as a major fantasy roadblock. All other matchups on the Rams’ schedule offer moderate resistance at best. Jackson, Marc Bulger and Torry Holt will right themselves. But don’t buy into Isaac Bruce based on his Week 2 explosion. Once Drew Bennett is healthy, Bruce will get fewer looks.

We’re not concered about Laurence Maroney either. The Pats are throwing the ball a lot now, but soon, teams are going to wise up and start devoting manpower to stopping Randy Moss and the Patriots’ WRs. That will leave gaping holes for Maroney. His fantasy points are coming.

LITTLE WORRIED

Brees, Reggie Bush and the Saints also have use scratching our heads. We don’t consider the Colts an elite defense. We don’t think the Buccaneers have a world-beating defensive unit. So what’s the problem? Part of it is the lack of production from the wide receivers. There’s a reason Marques Colston wasn’t drafted until the seventh round. He had a decent week this week, but Devery Hendeerson has been invisible, and first-round pick Robert Meachum hasn’t been any better. Until someone steps up, the passing game will struggle, which is bad news for Brees. But Bush should rebound, regardless. Don’t sell these guys yet, but get the price gun out and be ready for a markdown if the struggles continue.

SCARED SPITLESS

We weren’t that high on Jones-Drew to start the season. What we mean is, we didn’t think he was worth a second-round draft choice, and we thought he’s better served as a top backup or spot-starter than an every-week fantasy player. What we didn’t envision is struggles quite this severe.

It’s not like Fred Taylor has a ton of extra carries. MJD had one more carry than Fragile Fred in Week 1, five less this week. It’s the lack of produiction as a whole out of the Jaguars running game that has us concerned. It’s not like they had a passing game before. Now, with David Garrard under center instead of Byron Leftwich, well … it’s not much different. We at the FT recommend trading MJD ASAP. That said, don’t sell him for peanuts, especially in keeper leagues. The guy could still bust out any given week, and MJD is a Fragile Fred fractured fingernail away from a full-time starting gig. But if you can get good value for him in a deal (think a top-tier WR), then make the deal.

ON THE FLIP SIDE

Jamal Lewis looked like the fantasy goldmine of years back. Use this to your advantage. Lewis’ best days are gone (unless he miraculously gets traded to a team with surrounding talent). He plays on a Browns squad that has little or no surrounding talent (it takes more than one week to convince us you’re for real, Braylon Edwards, and we’re still waiting for that Sunday afternoon coronation of Kellen Winslow). Against even the most average defenses, the Browns, and Lewis, will sturggle. It just so happens, the Bengals don’t have an average defense. They hope to one day, but not today. The next four weeks bring the Raiders, Ravens, Patriots and Dolphins before the bye. The Steelers and Ravens (again) await in the second half. Look for an owner who is inspired by Lewis’ monumental outing vs. the Paper Tigers. Deal him now, before his value sinks into oblivion.

THE RIDDLERS

We don’t know what’s going on with the Panthers, but whatever it is, thus far, it’s good news for Jake Delhomme owners. POSITIVE: On a day when the Panthers mailed one in, Jake still managed to produce a solid fantasy outing. NEGATIVE: He’s still as capable as Jon Kitna of a four-pick day against the local JV team. We’re going to assume you didn’t trap yourself by relying on Delhomme as your starting QB. If that is the case, use him as a spot starter. If you top QB has a bad defensive matchup, go ahead and use Delhomme. But don’t make your decsion based on the Panthers’ matchup. There’s no telling which version of the Cats will show up from week to week. (SIDE NOTE: How does a team come from six points down, shut out the Rams the entire second half – with Marc Bulger, Steven Jackson and Torry Holt – on the road, on turf, then turn around and blow a 14-point lead, at home, to the Texans – with Matt Schaub, Andre Johnson and Ahman Green? It took Mark Fields’ battle with Hodgkin’s disease to motivate the defense for a Super Bowl run in 2003. Sam Mills’, God rest his soul, battle with cancer to motivate the team to a 2005 NFC Championship Game. The FT doesn’t even want to guess what it’s going to take to motivate the Panthers for another playoff season.)

NUGGETS

We’re convinced Wes Welker can be a solid WR3, and can be considered for WR2 in deep leagues. He’s going to get you 10-12 points most weeks. … Calvin Johnson can be considered in the same category, only with more upside. … The Cowboys defense isn’t nearly as good as advertised in the offseason. If your league scores points-allowed, you might want to look for an upgrade. … The FT is jumping on the LaMont Jordan bandwagon. We’re not worried about the return of Dominic Rhodes from suspension after Week 4. The way Jordan is performing, Rhodes will be stealing carries from Justin Vargas and the like, not from Jordan. … Don’t sleep on Cadillac Williams … Don’t go crazy over Edgerrin James … As long as Jeff Garcia and Cadillac stay healthy, Joey Galloway is a solid WR2. … Why is Dallas still giving Julius Jones carries? Don’t they realize Marion Barber is much better? Feel free to start him if you can use him as a flex or an RB2 in deep leagues.

dloftis@nypost.com