Recappin’ Dat Ass is a weekly article that gives you a recap of some of the major stories in the NFL. In a vein attempt to provide you with the information you need to make informed decisions in subsequent weeks, I will look at specific players and situations that are especially pressing for fantasy owners.

Thursday night’s game between New England and the New York Jets was a crap shoot for fantasy owners. Julian Edelman had 13 catches for 78 yards and was very useful in PPR leagues. Aaron Dobson caught 3 passes for 56 yards and Tom Brady’s only touchdown pass. Bilal Powell was the only Jet that reached the endzone. Needless to say, it looks like Thursday games are going to continue to be as boring as they were last year.

Tavon Austin and Sam Bradford both had good weeks despite losing to the Flacons. Austin left the field with 6 catches, 47 yards, and 2 TDs. While his stats don’t jump off of the page, it should be significant to you that he was targeted 12 times on Sunday. Bradford threw for 352 yards and 3 touchdowns. He was also able to tack on 25 yards on the ground. He finished the week as the 4th highest scoring fantasy QB.

Philip Rivers has managed to string together two solid games. As much as I thought that San Diego’s offense would be one to avoid, Rivers and company have become fantasy relevant. In Week 2, this quarterback threw for just over 400 yards and 3 touchdowns. At this point, I would look to sell high on Rivers as he lost another receiver (Malcom Floyd)  on Sunday. Eddie Royal seems to be the main beneficiary of a thinned out receiving corps, although there is no way he continues to produce these type of numbers (5 touchdowns in 2 weeks? Come on, now.) week to week.

Desean Jackson, on the other hand, is a receiver who could continue to produce at a high level. In Week 2, he caught 9 passes for 193 yards and a touchdown. He’s the most explosive receiver on the Eagles’ roster and is a great fit for Chip Kelley’s new offense. I think he has every chance to finish the year as a top 15 fantasy wideout.

Jordy Nelson looked great in Week 2. He caught 3 passes for 66 yards and 2 touchdowns. That stat line shouldn’t knock your socks off, but it’s important to understand that there is nothing holding Nelson back. We’re only one season removed from his insane 15 touchdown season and this season will show us whether or not that was a crazy anomaly.

After making owners (understandably) nervous in Week 1, Dez Bryant  made sure to show his owners why he was worth a high draft pick. He hauled in 9 passes for 141 yards and a score. There were a few question marks going into this week as Tony Romo and Dez suffered minor injuries during Week 1. However, the effect of those injuries seemed to be minimal and as long as they fully recover, injuries shouldn’t be a factor through the remainder of the season.

Eddie Lacy suffered a concussion on Sunday and James Starks promptly took over the running  back duties for Green Bay. Starks had a surprisingly good week as he turned 20 carries into 132 yards and a touchdown. It appears as though Lacy may miss a few weeks and Starks could prove to be a decent pickup. However, I think Starks’ Week 2 totals were more a product of Washington’s putrid defensive play as it was Starks’ talent as a running back. I would hedge my bets with this running back.

Now that Vick Ballard  is out for the remainder of the season, Ahmad Bradhsaw got the majority of carries in the Colts’ backfield. He was not shocking by anyone’s standards, but he was useful for fantasy owners this week. He ran the ball 15 times for 65 yards and reached paydirt once. The Indianapolis backfield is Bradshaw’s to lose (to Donald Brown. Yeah, that’s not happening.).

Holy Marshawn Lynch. Going into halftime, Seattle and San Francisco looked as though they were locked into a low-scoring defensive struggle. The second half turned into a San Francisco shellacking as the Seahawks scored 3 touchdowns (all were Lynch’s) and added a field goal for good measure. This game surely left owners disappointed with Colin Kaepernick as he threw for 127 yards, ran for 87, and was not able to get into the endzone.

Significant Injuries (Source: NFL.com)

Andre Johnson possibly suffered a concussion at the end of their matchup against the Titans. As of this writing, we do not have official word on Johnson’s week 3 status.

Ray Rice suffered a hip injury on Sunday, which we know now is a “hip flexor strain”.  I’m sure we’ll get some clarity on his situation as this week progresses, but for now, I would grab Bernard Pierce in your leagues. As Ray Ray recovers, Pierce will see an uptick in his workload and we know that he can do good things when given the chance.

Reggie Bush got hit in the knee with a helmet and missed a significant portion of Sunday’s game against the Cardinals. At this point, we know the Reggie will go through a lot of tests. As those test results come through, we’ll get a more clear picture of what we can expect of Bush moving forward.

We’re still unsure about Eddie Lacy’s situation after his concussion, but depending on severity, this could become a big problem for Lacy. For the time being, we’ll just have to keep our ears to the ground and wait for more news.

Bradon Weeden has a thumb injury and will likely miss Cleveland’s Week 3 matchup against Minnesota. I’d be a little hesitant to start anyone on that offense outside of Trent Richardson.

Steven Jackson suffered a thigh injury (?) on Sunday, but the Falcons haven’t given us any indication of Jackson’s health. Early murmurings indicate that Jackson might miss some time.

Maurice Jones-Drew was having some discomfort in his ankle and was held out for much of the 2nd half. Early reports are saying that Jones-Drew might not practice much this week, but should be good to go on Sunday.

Vernon Davis suffered a hamstring injury and will be someone that we will get more information on later in the week.

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