Fantasy Look: Week 2 Review
Patrick Daly
Tuesday February 8, 2005
Notable performances
Georgia Force OS Troy Bergeron showed that his opening day performance was just a preview of more to come with a nine-catch night in Los Angeles that produced 91 yards receiving and three touchdowns. QB Jim Kubiak continued his strong return after a one-season hiatus by tossing six touchdowns and throwing for 319 yards.
Colorado Crush QB John Dutton rebounded from a poor Week 1 showing against Orlando by feasting on Grand Rapids with 319 passing yards and eight touchdowns. Crush OS Damian Harrell grabbed two of those eight touchdown passes to go with his 105 yards receiving while WR/LB Kevin McKenzie had three touchdown grabs out of four total catches just one week after hauling in 14 receptions for the Crush.
Philadelphia Soul WR/LB Sean Scott staked his claim for a second Ironman of the Week award after racking up 81 yards receiving and five touchdowns to go along with five tackles against the Chicago Rush. QB Tony Graziani had another strong game, tossing six touchdowns for the Soul, but the Rush came out on top thanks to Raymond Philyaw’s four touchdown passes and two rushing touchdowns. OS Henry Douglas and WR/LB Etu Molden accounted for two touchdowns apiece in Chicago’s win.
New Orleans VooDoo WR/LB Thabiti Davis continues to thrive and he seems to have good rapport with QB Andy Kelly. Davis grabbed eight passes for 58 yards and tallied three touchdowns, half of the six touchdowns that Kelly threw against the Kats in Week 2. Davis’ former teammate, WR/LB Cory Fleming, had three touchdowns of his own in Orlando’s win over Arizona.
Tampa Bay QB Shane Stafford continues to have one of the hottest hands with seven touchdown passes against the Austin Wranglers, and he added another touchdown on the ground. Despite missing OS Freddie Solomon, Stafford was able to rely on Clif Dell, who snatched six passes for 68 yards and four touchdowns in Solomon’s absence. On a positive note for Austin, QB John Fitzgerald tossed six touchdowns for the Wranglers after coming in for injured QB Bobby Pesavento, while rookie WR/DB Kevin Nickerson accounted for 104 yards and four of Fitzgerald’s six touchdowns.
In New York, WR/DB Mike Horacek showed that he and Dragons QB Aaron Garcia know how to pick up where they left off. With OS Kevin Swayne out, Horacek finished the day with five catches for 97 yards and three of Garcia’s five touchdown passes.
Grand Rapids QB Michael Bishop made AFL history with 100 yards rushing against the Crush, but that’s not necessarily what you want to see out of your starting quarterback. While he did run for two touchdowns and throw for four more, Bishop fits my definition of a talented athlete that is exciting to watch but won’t necessarily be a top fantasy producer. One player relying on Bishop’s talent is OS Chris Jackson, who improved on a scoreless first week by snagging two touchdowns and recording 93 yards receiving.
Needs improvement
As I mentioned last week, Orlando Predators head coach Jay Gruden won’t remain patient with the kicking game very long, and it appears that after a second bad outing by K Steve McLaughlin Gruden intends to make a change. McLaughlin hit only three of his seven extra point attempts and missed both field goal tries, although one was from over 50 yards out. Expect a move, and whoever comes in will be worth keeping an eye on.
Los Angeles QB John Kaleo didn’t do much this week to make Avengers fans forget about the departure of QB Tony Graziani. Kaleo threw for 215 yards but managed only two touchdown passes in the win over Georgia. After a strong first week, Avengers WR/LB Greg Hopkins was relatively quiet, posting only 42 receiving yards and no touchdowns.
Nashville Kats QB Leon Murray struggled against the New Orleans VooDoo, tossing only one touchdown against three interceptions in the loss after leading the Kats to a Week 1 win over Columbus in which he accounted for five scores. Lacking consistency, Murray has been as likely to throw five or six touchdowns as he is to throw two or three, which makes him a hard quarterback to rely on each week.
Last week’s hot hand, Dallas Desperados QB Clint Stoerner, struggled a bit against the Dragons. While he did throw for four touchdowns and run for another, his two interceptions made for a less than stellar second week performance.
Looking forward
If you haven’t drafted yet or you’re looking to fill holes already, there are a few players to keep an eye on. Some are players that have stepped in to fill spots left vacant by injured players and some have simply stepped their game up a notch or two.
VooDoo WR/DB Jacques Rumph has over 170 yards and four touchdowns in the first two games. Playing along side OS Aaron Bailey and WR/LB Thabiti Davis, Rumph will get a shot to find himself at the receiving end of more than a few scoring plays.
Veteran San Jose SaberCats receiver Calvin Schexnayder has stepped into the void left by an injured James Hundon and helped give the ‘Cats a lift against Las Vegas. He had 74 yards and one touchdown in the opener against Tampa Bay and then followed that up with 11 catches for 131 yards and three touchdowns in a win over the Gladiators.
Another SaberCat to keep an eye on is FB/LB Matt Kinsinger, who should be one of the main options around the goal line. Kinsinger only had one carry for 12 yards in Week 1, but scored twice against Las Vegas in addition to snaring one interception.
Orlando Predators OS Travis McGriff appears to be back in form with 117 yards and three touchdowns in the first two games.
After his quick start, Georgia OS Troy Bergeron may not be available for long, but fellow rookie receiver Derek Lee has put up good numbers in the first two games for the Force, recording 182 yards receiving and three touchdowns.
The Austin Wranglers defense has given up 15 touchdowns through the air in the first two weeks, so this may be a chance for Avengers QB John Kaleo to put up some big numbers. If that happens, WR/LB Greg Hopkins and WR/DB Kevin Ingram should reap the reward.
Quick outs
Los Angeles FB/LB Josh Jeffries joined four other fullbacks to score two touchdowns in Week 2. The other members of the twin touchdown group included Grand Rapids FB/LB Chris Avery, Nashville FB/LB Dan Alexander, Arizona FB/LB Bo Kelly and Orlando FB/LB Idris Price… Avengers WR/DB Kevin Ingram rebounded nicely in Week 2 with 94 receiving yards and two touchdowns… Despite some missed opportunities, Arizona OS Siaha Burley ran his season touchdown total to six after grabbing a pair of touchdowns to go with 141 yards receiving… New Orleans OS Aaron Bailey managed only six catches for 65 yards and no touchdowns, with most of the work going to fellow receivers Thabiti Davis and Jacques Rumph.
Patrick Daly has been an Arena Football League enthusiast since he first stumbled across the late-night ESPN broadcasts and has followed the Arizona Rattlers since their inaugural season in 1992. He graduated from Arizona State University with an engineering degree and is currently a member of a web development team for Direct Alliance in Tempe. Patrick currently resides in the Phoenix suburb of Chandler, Arizona with his beautiful wife, son and a very large football helmet collection.
