Week 2 Throwing Darts: Will the Raiders be emotionally spent?
Last week was a solid week for my fantasy profile, not that anyone asked or should care. If this were a one-week fantasy season, my portfolio booked a solid win. And as usual, the product was entertaining. The NFL always delivers.
Alas, the picks in this space went 2-3, and although the column has been in the black for 9-of-11 years, anytime you start off slow, you worry “Oh no, it’s not one of those years, is it?”
I’ll occasionally pick a Thursday game towards my five picks a week, but the Football Team didn’t make the number. It was a fun game. I was surprised Daniel Jones played a fine game and didn’t turn the ball over, though I have to wonder if I’ve significantly overrated the Football Team’s defense.
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It doesn’t look like Taylor Heinicke is going to hurt Terry McLaurin one bit. The NFC East, as a whole, continues to put the fun in dysfunctional.
I think back to that old Johnny Sain line. The world doesn’t want to hear about labor pains, it just wants to see the baby. Here’s the rest of the Week 2 baby. (You’re welcome to disagree on anything, but I’ll respect you much more if you tell me before the game is played. Almanac Readers don’t impress me.)
Steelers -6.5 versus Raiders
Both teams coming off surprising and emotional wins, though the Raiders played Monday, had to work overtime, and now travel east for a 10 a.m. body clock game. Emotional handicapping mandates you take Pittsburgh in this spot. It’s also a juicy place to start a two-team teaser.
Titans +6 at Seahawks
Tennessee did just about everything wrong in Week 1, especially when it came to blocking Chandler Jones. But I still believe in the infrastructure of this team, the talent, the coaching. Seattle was tidy in dispatching Indianapolis, though that might tell us more about the Colts' shortcomings than anything else. Bottom line, Mike Vrabel should be able to rally a reasonable effort and performance here, and we’re starting with a solid bank of points.
Ravens +3.5 versus Chiefs
Picking against Kansas City is always terrifying, although the Chiefs have come with a line tax for a while. They’ve only made the number twice in their last 12 games. Not every team in the league has a legitimate home-field advantage, but Baltimore does. The point spread is a nice backboard. Would this line really be 9.5 if the game were in KC? I can only take the points.
Packers -11.5 versus Lions
I always love to back a good team after its been embarrassed. No, the Packers didn’t look like a good team against New Orleans, not one bit. But this is also the shell of a team that went to the last two NFC Championship Games. I can’t kick it to the curb yet. Detroit was blown out last week for three quarters before making things cosmetically close at the end. It’s still plausible the Lions are 4-13 waiting to happen.
