Seriously, could you imagine being part of the Buccaneers’ secondary?

This is their job. They do this for a living. To allow Eli Manning to do what he did in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game would be like you or me setting a work-related project on fire just minutes before it was due.

And like, not just an ordinary project. It would be the equivalent of the freaking Catalina Wine Mixer going down in flames.

From Tampa Bay’s perspective in Week 2, that’s what happened. The Catalina Wine Mixer botched worse than Billy Cundiff’s missed AFC Championship field goal that sent the Patriots to the Super Bowl last year.

Really, Tampa Bay? You gave up 243 yards passing in the fourth quarter alone?

That’s gotta be the stat of the week, right? Well, it doesn’t tell the entire story of Week 2.

Week 2 Numbers

Danny Amendola had 15 catches on 16 targets in Week 2, and has received just shy of 42% of the Rams’ targets in 2012.

I wrote about Amendola yesterday, and think that he’s a low-end WR2 moving forward in standard leagues. If you’re in a PPR league, he should be starting unless you’ve got some killer receivers. The Rams are going to him early and often, and for that, he’s worthwhile.

Dwayne Bowe was the only receiver with multiple touchdowns.

Bowe got some nice numbers once the Bills grabbed an early lead, contributing to his performance. But regardless, this is something that I mentioned in my book about receivers in the 2012 game. In fact, from 2004-2007, 43 receivers had 85 or more receptions in a season. From 2008-2011, this number dropped to 29. Why? Because quarterbacks are spreading the ball around more, eliminating true number one receivers.

Brandon LaFell received 42% of his teams’ targets.

He was one of my sleepers this year, and things are looking good for the Panthers’ receiver. If he, for whatever reason, is a free agent in your league, snatch him up. He should be a WR3 in most league formats.

So did Brian Hartline.

Is it time to go nuts over a Dolphins’ receiver? Probably not. He’s worth a flier in deeper PPR leagues, but for now, don’t participate in the non-Reggie Bush Miami offense.

Teammates Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz finished first and second in receiving yards.

Clearly due to Eli’s massive fourth quarter, these two wideouts made their fantasy owners smile this weekend. Cruz led the entire NFL in Week 2 targets with 17, while Nicks was 4th with 15. They’ll continue to be must starts moving forward.

Dennis Pitta led all tight ends with 15 targets. He now leads the NFL in targets at the position.

The problem with this number is that he only caught 8 of them. Pitta has continued to be Flacco’s favorite target, though, and has a legitimate shot to be a top-10 fantasy tight end this year in that Raven offense.

Eli Manning had more passing yards in the fourth quarter than Matt Ryan, Peyton Manning, Joe Flacco, Matthew Stafford and Robert Griffin III had in all four quarters.

When you get 243 passing yards in one quarter, you’re bound to have some crazy numbers. Eli shocked the world against Tampa Bay, once again proving that he can win games late. Think about this: If he would’ve done the same thing in all four quarters, then he would’ve finished with 972 yards. And if he finished with 972 yards per game over a 16-game season, he would complete the season with 15,552 passing yards. I’d draft him early next year if that happened.

Aside from Darren Sproles, the highest receiving yard total from a running back came from Detroit’s Joique Bell.

And Bell had just 59 receiving yards. It wasn’t a great weekend receiving for running backs, with the highest reception total being 6 by Arian Foster.

Lamar Miller, Pierre Thomas, Jackie Battle, Daryl Richardson and Curtis Brinkley all had more carries than Chris Johnson.

Oh man. If you have Chris Johnson, take a look at my thoughts on him in my article from yesterday. What a dreadful start for that Tennessee offense.

Ben Roethlisberger and Andy Dalton completed 77.4% of their passes.

I watched both games, and Dalton had a pretty mediocre first half, turning things around in the second. Roethlisberger looked good throughout the game, but keep in mind that the Jets were Revis-less. I wouldn’t necessarily look at either of them as every week starters just yet.

Carson Palmer was second in the NFL in passing yards.

He passed for 373 yards in a game where the Raiders fell behind early. This is why you drafted Carson Palmer: He gets you the nastiest, garbagest yards in the NFL. But from a fantasy perspective, that’s fine.

Josh Freeman had the most pass attempts greater than 15 yards.

He threw the ball downfield on 39% of his passes. I’d attribute this to the weak Giants secondary, and the fact that the game became quite a shootout.

Some Year to Date Statistics

Darren Sproles has zero carries during the 2012 NFL season.

The fact that he’s considered a running back is kind of funny. It doesn’t look like things are changing in New Orleans, either. Sproles continues to be a must start in PPR formats.

Christian Ponder currently leads the NFL in completion percentage.

Crazy, isn’t it?

Post Week 2, Sam Bradford, Ben Roethlisberger, Carson Palmer, Alex Smith and Matt Cassel are better fantasy quarterbacks than Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford.

Crazier, isn’t it? Well, not if you followed and read The Late Round Quarterback. Expect the elite guys to turn things around, but like I’ve said all along, the point variance from one quarterback to the other won’t be nearly as big as it was last year.

Owen Daniels is second at tight end in the NFL in team target percentage.

And he’s 14th in standard scoring at the tight end position. What does this tell me? Buy low. The Texans have had two matchups where throwing the ball wasn’t a necessity, and if a quarter of Schaub’s passes are going Daniels, that could scream value.

Eight tight ends have scored multiple touchdowns through the first two weeks. Twelve wide receivers have done the same.

Moreover, the only two players with 3 receiving touchdowns are tight ends. Go look at the Dwayne Bowe point above to explain why.

CJ Spiller has 272 more rushing yards than Chris Johnson.

Again, I’m really, really sorry, Chris Johnson owners.

Frank Gore has a 6.1 yards per carry average.

I still don’t think his body can keep this up. If you have an opportunity to sell Gore high – do it.

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