VUFSA Week 2 in Review

An interesting week in the VUFSA, as the closest match-up was the 10.50 difference in the JR-Champ contest. There was a decided lack of Thundering. In addition, for perhaps the first time in league history (someone will have to fact check me on this as I don't have access to the league archives), each of the 10 squads crested the 100-point barrier. Ed is 0-2, Tomke may have set a league scoring record (again this will require fact checking) while getting a big, fat 0 from Plaxico Burress (that's what you get for playing a gun-toting Spartan), and Eli has discovered that Peyton Manning was the reason for all of his fantasy woes.

Jamie Looks Hot 131.00-Champeons 120.50
The Lowdown: Matt Ryan's strong fourth quarter, Jacksonville's complete and total lack of a defense, and Ahmad Bradshaw's out-Thundering of Cadillac Williams knock Champ from the ranks of the unbeaten.
JLH: Each of JR's three Jets had a touchdown, and Dustin Keller (Dustin Keller?!?) had six grabs for 101 yards. Kenny Britt had 9 catches for 135 yards and a score, and Matt Ryan had 4 TDs, which was great once he finally stopped throwing interceptions. A solid day as only Bradshaw and Reggie Wayne didn't find the end zone. MVP: Ryan had the most points, but I'll go with Britt. Any time you can get double-digit points from a Tennessee wideout (Drew Bennett was the exception), it's a good day. When that comes against the Ravens, well, that's even better. LVP: Reggie Wayne only scored 5, and this could be a sign of things to come if Kerry Collins doesn't get better quickly.
C: Drew Brees did his job (much to Champ's chagrin I'm sure against his beloved Bears), as did his running backs. McCoy was awesome (24) and Matt Forte (Bears!) was seemingly the only receiver Jay Cutler could find before being swallowed up by the Saints' defensive line. The problem was a combined 5 points from Champ's two flex spots. That's where this match-up was lost. MVP: McCoy had two scores and was the only offense Philly had after Vick went down. LVP: Cadillac Williams started in place of Steven Jackson and only managed 4.5 points. Against the Giants no less, who let Tim Hightower run all over them last week. If Champ had had more faith in LeGarrette Blount and started him instead of Williams, he would have won by 4.

REX THE SEX CANNON 123.50-Bobby Engram 103.25
The Lowdown: Sexy Rexy wasn't stellar, but he was good enough. Fred Jackson went off against the Oakland defense, and Ed is probably ready to punt Chris Johnson out of a window.
RTSC: In spite of the lack of suck from the "Sex Cannon," I think this will soon be Cam Newton's show. People (read: me) were skeptical of Newton after he pummeled Arizona, but he looked solid against Green Bay (when he wasn't throwing to Charles Woodson, that is). As for players who were actually on Eli's starting roster, Fred Jackson (25) had himself a day with 117 yards and two scores. He is now Coe College's second most-famous alumnus behind Marv Leavy. Larry Fitzgerald (15.5) clearly prefers Kevin Kolb to Derek Anderson. MVP: It has to be Jackson. Fitz put up great numbers, but that's to be expected. Anyone who tells you they knew Jackson would put up 25 points is either a liar or an alumnus of Coe. LVP: Reggie Bush only scoring 1.5 against the Texans is sad, although in fairness to him, there really isn't anyone on Eli's bench would have been a significant improvement.
BE: Jack Del Rio's decision to get rid of David Garrard has hurt MJD's value as teams are putting 11 guys in the box and daring Luke McCown to hit wide open receivers...and through two games he has still managed to miss them. Gabbert won't be any better, but MJD will have better days. I think Chris Johnson missed a lot more than people thought during his holdout, and if he doesn't get better soon, I think the owner of the Titans should ask for some of his money back. Yes, I know it was the Ravens, but when Javon Ringer looks better than you do, you have some issues. Not only can Philip Rivers not keep from turning the ball over, but he also didn't bother looking Antonio Gates' way more than once. MVP: Beanie Wells looked good as the main guy in Arizona, with 93 yards and a score. Also, credit to Rob Bironas for being the highest-scoring kicker of the week. (I didn't check that. I could just be making it up). LVP: Gates and Vernon Davis combined for 1 point. Only getting 1 point from one TE would be trouble, but to get that from two guys combined cannot happen if you're going to win.

Pantry Cereals 123.00-Fruit on the Bottom 101.50
The Lowdown: Tom Brady outscored Michael Vick by 20 points, and that was essentially the difference in this contest. Give credit to Welty's guys for even making it as close as it was, considering neither of his guys in the running back slot ended up playing. Charles Woodson had two interceptions and is still the only defensive player to win the Heisman, which makes him pretty awesome in my book.
PC: There's no truth to the rumor that Tom Brady (33.75) has requested that the league office just start inscribing his name on the MVP trophy, although barring an injury they might as well. Rice and Mendenhall each found the end zone, and everyone else did just about what Yahoo predicted they would do. It was a kind of ordinary day, but you can have those when Brady is being super-awesome. MVP: I have hesitated to put a quarterback here because they are supposed to put up big numbers, but when a guy throws for 423 yards and three scores, he ends up in this space, so Brady it is. Woodson is the runner-up her for being Cam Newton's second-favorite receiver. LVP: Davone Bess (3) is the number two receiver in Miami, and people expected more from him after Henne's big game in Week 1. Austin Collie has been disappointing, but that's more Kerry Collins's fault than his own.
FOTB: Like Faith Hill says, Welty waited all day for Sunday night. He got 60.25 points from the three guys he had going in the nightcap. If Vick doesn't get hurt, this might have turned out differently. If Vick doesn't fumble twice or throw a pick, this might have turned out differently. Maclin and Tony Gonzalez were super good, which kept this from being a total blowout. MVP: Maclin had 13 catches for 171 yards and two scores. That's a damn good day. Gonzalez also had two touchdowns, so these guys accounted for all four non-QB touchdowns Welty had. LVP: I thought about putting Welty here for starting both Jackson and Knowshon Moreno, neither of whom played, but then I looked at his roster and realized he was better off playing them and hoping they would play rather than going some of the guys on his bench. So this honor falls to Mike Williams. Josh Freeman was leading your team to a great comeback win against the Vikings, and you only catch one pass for -4 yards? What's your deal, man?

Phil Powell Rules 148.50-Let My Monkeys Go 105.00
The Lowdown: It isn't every day that Adrian Peterson will outscore Aaron Rodgers, and when that happens because both had good days and not because Rodgers was awful, that means good things for my team. Peyton Hillis ran over the Colts defense (which is something a lot of running backs are going to do this year). Vincent Jackson and A.J. Green did their best to keep Viano within striking distance, but his three running backs combined for 10.5 points, which is 8 points fewer than Michael Turner scored by himself.
PPR: Seven guys scored at least 9.5 points, which usually means good things. Peterson, Turner, and Hillis combined for 328 rushing yards and five touchdowns. Calvin Johnson had two scores (thanks for throwing on 4th-and-goal from the 1, Jim Schwartz), and Kerry Collins was kind enough to throw to Dallas Clark when he was open in the end zone. MVP: Peterson gashed the Bucs with 120 yards and two scores. LVP: Mike Thomas only managed three catches for 29 yards. This may become the norm as Jack Del Rio shuffles quarterbacks in and out.
LMMG: Viano chose the wrong San Diego running back this week, as Mike Tolbert managed only 6 points, while Ryan Mathews had 18.50 on the bench. Jamaal Charles's ACL exploding didn't help either. He also had Willis McGahee (16.50) on the bench. On the bright side, Vincent Jackson and A.J. Green are really, really good. MVP: Jackson must be the object of Philip Rivers's man-crush, as he had 10 catches for 172 yards and two touchdowns. Green (10 receptions for 124 yards and a score) was not far behind. LVP: The Lions' mascot who blew up Charles's knee. Not only did he manage just 2 points, but one of the top four running backs is now out for the year. Viano has Thomas Jones, so that softens the blow a bit, but this is a big problem for Viano's monkeys.

Who is Ron Mexico 161.50-Waiting for Goddell 101.00
The Lowdown: Tomke scored a ton of points (thanks in part to his love of the Lions), and that included a goose egg from Plax. If you had told Baron that DeSean Jackson and Roddy White would combine for 11 points, I think Baron would have felt (at least sort of) good about his chances. That was not the case at all. Darren McFadden and Jahvid Best each had two touchdowns, and Miles Austin caught three. Arian Foster was mostly ineffective and then got hurt again.
WIRM: Sweet Jesus. I don't know what else to say, other than I'm a little bitter to have scored almost 150 points and not have the high score of the week. Stafford (31.75), Austin (29.50), McFadden (22.50), and Best (23) were all really, really awesome. Those four combined for 106.75 points (someone check my math), which was good enough to beat Viano, Welty, Ed, and Baron by themselves. Throw in Aaron Hernandez and BenJarvus Green-Ellis (26 points combined), and those six would have beaten everyone except me. That's one helluva day. MVP: Miles Austin had nine catches for 143 yards and three touchdowns. Of all the stellar numbers Tomke's stars put up this week, those numbers stand out above the rest. LVP: Plaxico Burress and his 0. Tomke had 161.50 points, and he had one player score a 0. Let me repeat that, 161.50 points with a 0.
WFG: The saga of Arian Foster continues. He wasn't very good when he was in the game, and then he left with another injury. Big Ben and Mike Wallace were good, but Baron was hurt by the fact that the Seahawks are so awful that passing was unnecessary after halftime. Baron also had two wide receivers in his flex spots, and he would have been better served to have used an additional running back or Rob Gronkowski, although in fairness, it hardly would have mattered this week. Baron's team just ran into a buzz saw. MVP: Mike Wallace had 8 grabs for 126 yards and a score (16 points), and Stevie Johnson had 8 catches for 96 yards and a touchdown (14.50). These two were really the highlight of Baron's day. LVP: A lot was expected of Julio Jones this year, and the rookie didn't have as big a contribution (two catches, 29 yards) this week as people expected. I also would like to put Baron here for benching both Darren Sproles and Brandon Jacobs.