Chris Johnson (front) runs away from the metaphor for my fantasy team that got trampled thanks to Chris Johnson.

Two weeks into the season and several trends are already emerging for me in one of my leagues: Leaving points on the bench, weak wide receivers, and running into great individual performances. In Week 1, I ran into the buzz saw that was Drew Brees as his six touchdowns left one of my teams, Outlaws of the Marsh, in the dust. In Week 2, the role of Outlaw-tamer was played by the Titans’ Chris Johnson, who racked up 284 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns. Add in the fact that I left 11 points by newly acquired Mike Bell on the bench and those meager four points I got from my wideouts — Derrick Mason and Nate Burleson — and it’s another stinker for the Outlaws.

Of course, the Outlaws’ mediocre 80-point performance was still leaps and bounds better than the 57 put up by my other squad, the Thamesmen. And guess which one of my teams is in position to pull out a win. My opponent still has Peyton Manning and a defensive player left, but I have a 27-point margin and a DB on my side. If you told me Tom Brady would give me less than four points this week, I would’ve packed it in. But somehow, despite the Cowboys and Giants combining for 64 points on Sunday night, my opponent’s tandem of Roy Williams and Brandon Jacobs combined for just over three points, leaving me in pretty decent shape, barring Manning going bonkers tonight. I guess my goal is to be this week’s equivalent of the Oakland Raiders, who beat the Chiefs despite mustering only 166 yards of offense.

Week 2 Highs and Lows

• One of the reasons for my teams’ low output this week was the meager eight carries for 36 yards by Ray Rice. I figured Rice might lose a few more touches to Willis McGahee (15-79, 2 TDs) this week since their opponent, the Chargers, looked vulnerable against the power running of Michael Bush in Week 1, but I was kind of expecting the number of carries to be flipped, especially after Rice’s impressive Week 1 showing. While Rice did pick up five catches for 46 yards, he’s starting to look like one of those guys who will end the year with a nice overall stats line but be an inconsistent fantasy contributor on a week-to-week basis.

When we talk about “standout wide receiver Steven Smith“, we might soon be talking about this guy instead of his Panthers counterpart.

• I wrote last week that you should keep an eye on the Giants’ wideout tandem of Steve Smith and Mario Manningham if you need help at that position, and they justified my faith this week. They combined for 20 catches (10 apiece) for 284 yards and each found the end zone once. Don’t expect quite those numbers every week, but they certainly look like they are playmakers, and Eli Manning has shown confidence in both.
• I wish I could say “I told you so” about Mike Bell’s emergence in New Orleans, but considering I left him on the bench myself this week … In any case, Bell showed that his Week 1 explosion was no fluke, rushing for 87 yards and a TD against the Eagles. Even more encouraging is the fact that he again got most of the carries. Reggie Bush hardly sniffed the ball in the ground game until Bell suffered a “slight knee sprain” late in the game. This shows that 1) the Saints have confidence in Bell, and 2) the Saints have no confidence in Bush as a ball carrier. Even if Bell is limited next week, if Pierre Thomas is ready to go, don’t expect Bush to get significantly more carries.
• A prime example of why fantasy football, or real football for that matter, is such a crapshoot from week to week: The Titans defense, which held the Super Bowl champion Steelers to 13 points in Week 1, gave up 34 on Sunday to the Texans, who could muster only seven in the first week. Matt Schaub, who could be a top-10 fantasy QB if he would just stay healthy, torched Tennessee for 357 yards and four TDs.
• While the Texans’ passing game looked to be in fine shape Sunday, their running game is a cause for concern. Through two games, Steve Slaton, who was supposed to be a solid fantasy back this year, has managed only 51 yards on the ground, averaged a paltry 2.0 yards per carry, and hasn’t found the end zone. For now, I’d say stay patient with him for now see if he shakes the rust.
• It’s early, and both of San Francisco’s games have been against teams in their own division — which might be the weakest in the NFL — but for the first time in years, I can say that my beloved 49ers are sitting atop their division. From a fantasy perspective, we see more signs that the 49ers’ offense is all about Frank Gore (207 rushing yards, 2 TDs on Sunday; 46 touches in two games), and their defense is much improved.
• I’ve been a big fan of Vincent Jackson since he came into the league, in part because the guy is a 6-foot-5, 230-pound wide receiver. After two weeks, he looks like he’s on pace for a breakout season. He’s caught a TD in each game, and he put up an impressive 149 yards on just six catches Sunday.