Brett Favre
Favre was unquestionably rusty in Week 1, completing just 15-of-27 pass attempts for 171 yards and 1 TD against a Saints defense that surprisingly didn’t blitz him like they had in the NFC Championship Game. It’ll be interesting to see how the Dolphins – another team that features a 3-4 defensive alignment – approaches things in Week 2. Miami fielded the 3rd worst defense in the NFL last year in terms of fantasy points allowed to opposing QBs, although that’s in part because they surrendered a league-high 5 QB rushing TDs. But they managed to hold only 4 opposing QBs under 225 passing yards and allowed 10 passing TDs in their final 5 games of last year. They held Trent Edwards to 139 yards and 1 TD a week ago, but you and 10 of your friends could probably do the same, so I’m not putting much stock in that. Dolphins rookie DE Jared Odrick won’t play because of a leg injury, and as long as the Vikings can contain ILB Karlos Dansby, Favre should have plenty of time to pick apart a very vulnerable secondary. Favre recorded 288 passing yards per game and an absurd 21-2 TD-INT ratio in regular season home games last year, so I like his chances in this one.
Adrian Peterson
Peterson ran hard and gained 4.6 yards per carry before the offense bogged down in last week’s 2nd half, and you can bet he’ll get more than just 19 attempts this week against the Fish. Miami trotted out a mediocre run defense that yielded 11 RB rushing scores and just under 100 rushing yards per game last year. They added a star at LB in Dansby, but their other starting ILB, Channing Crowder, has a mysterious groin injury that could end his season, and they’ll miss Odrick up front, where they feature 3 new starting lineman who all lack experience. The Vikings offensive line should have a clear advantage in the battle of the trenches. In a matchup of Peterson vs. anything described as “mediocre,” you have to give a huge advantage to Peterson. With closer to 30 carries in Week 2, AP should wind up with a stat line more like what you’d expect from your #1 or #2 overall fantasy pick.
Percy Harvin
Perhaps because he, too, missed a significant portion of training camp, Harvin looked out of whack in the opener. Playing more on the outside, as opposed to strictly in the slot, Harvin struggled to form a connection with Favre, and the two misfired on several plays that could have gone for big yardage. Unoffically, Harvin was targeted on 5 different occasions and only caught 1 of them. With another week of practice under their belts, I fully expect to see Harvin emerge as Favre’s go-to WR in Week 2. Only 5 teams allowed more than the 18 WR TDs surrendered by the Dolphins secondary in 2009, and they did nothing to upgrade the unit during the offseason (outside of acquiring nickel CB Benny Sapp from the Vikings). Look for a nice bounceback from Harvin this week, who remains an excellent fantasy WR2 option.
Bernard Berrian
Berrian didn’t exactly step up in the absence of Sidney Rice in Week 1, but I’m willing to give him the same benefit of the doubt as Favre and Harvin. It was probably unfair to ask Berrian to completely replace everything Rice did for this team in 2009 anyways, as the two players have completely different skillsets. Berrian’s at his best when stretching the defense deep downfield, and assuming the Dolphins don’t throw an aggressive blitz package at Favre this week, he should have time to do just that in Week 2. Don’t overlook the fact that the Saints also employ two of the best cover CB in the business – something the ‘Fins certainly can’t boast in Vontae Davis and Jason Allen. Berrian has unquestionably plummeted back to Earth from a fantasy perspective, but owners who stick by him as a flex option this week could be rewarded with a long TD in a bounceback effort.
Greg Camarillo
Camarillo barely saw the field in Week 1 and has admitted he’s still getting acclimated to his new offense. He’ll have a little extra motivation this week against his former teammates, but everything depends on how fast he can pick up the offense. In limited duty last week, Camarillo looked like he’ll eventually be an asset to this passing game, but it’s still too soon to considering using him in your fantasy lineup.
Visanthe Shiancoe
Outside of Peterson running wild in the 1st half last week, Shiancoe was the only other bright spot during the loss to the Saints. With 4 catches for 76 yards and the lone Vikings TD, Shiancoe was the only thing going for the sputtering passing offense… until he was shut down by Saints safety Roman Harper in the 2nd half. You can fully expect the Dolphins to key on stopping Shiancoe, but as long as Harvin and Berrian are contributing, I’m not confident a defense that allowed 3 different 100-yard games to opposing TEs a year ago can actually accomplish the task. Miami’s starting FS is a raw 2009 5th round draft pick, and SS Yeremiah Bell is better as a run-stopper than he is in coverage. Shiancoe is easily Favre’s most dependable target right now, and he looks like a top-5 fantasy TE for the remainder of the season.
Ryan Longwell
The Dolphins “led” the league in both field goals made against them last year and allowed the 2nd most points to opposing kickers. Longwell should be in your lineup, no questions asked.
Vikings Defense
The addition of Brandon Marshall didn’t make a significant impact for the Dolphins last week, who dinked and dunked their way to just 182 passing yards against the Bills. Miami’s strength is in the running game with Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams, but the Vikings are among the stingiest run defenses in the NFL – particularly at home. Marshall has a clear advantage in size over the Vikings CBs, but a little pressure on Chad Henne should negate most of that advantage. Henne isn’t asked to air it out on a regular basis, so it seems unlikely that Miami will be able to put up a lot of points in this one. The Dolphins do feature one of the best offensive lines in the game, but they allowed roughly 2 sacks per game and served up 19 interceptions in 2009, so there’s potential for plenty of defensive fantasy points here.
