Fine or Pine: Week 2

Alright Brainiacs, we've got a new series for you here at the Brain: "Fine or Pine."  This is our take on a 'start 'em, sit 'em' feature where we give you some ideas of who is good to go for your starting lineup ("fine") or should be sent to the bench ("pine").  And, as always, we'll focus on the strategies and rationale behind each pick and not merely the players and matchups.

And writing the article for us this week is Adam Filadelfo... give him a big hand, folks!  Or, follow him on Twitter: @Frostt24.  :)

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It's week two in fantasy football and some of your players exceeded expectations in week one while others fell flat on their faces. So now what do you do? Should you play your stud running back after last weeks debacle? What about that sleeper receiver who went off? It's not always easy deciding who to play and who to leave on your bench. Lucky for you, the Fantasy Sports Brain has you covered. We're going to take a look at what players you should start "fine" and which players you should sit "pine".

Quarterback

Fine: Terrelle Pryor - He gets a Jaguars defense that couldn't stop Alex Smith from tossing two touchdown passes. To make Pryor more of a must start, he passed for 217 yards and added another 112 on the ground. He should have another good fantasy week again.  (Note from Dave:  This may be a controversial pick, but I'm with Adam.  If you are in a position where you are even thinking of Pryor as an option, he's probably your best option. This guy (especially in this matchup) could throw for just 175 yards and still be a Top 10 QB in week two.  His rushing ability gets you a lot of points in a hurry...  60 yards and a score is 12 points all by itself, and that could easily happen here.)

Pine: Ben Roethlisberger - Big Ben gets the Bengals on Monday night and he doesn't have an offensive line to help him out very much. He finished week one with 191 yards, one touchdown and one pick. While the Bengals defense gave up twenty four points to the Bears, they should have a better outing against a struggling Steelers offense still trying to establish themselves.

Wide Receiver

Fine: DeSean Jackson - The fast-paced Eagles get the Chargers this week and DeSean is in for another big game. The Chargers defense blew a twenty one point lead in the second half versus the Texans and won't be able to keep up with the Eagles offense. Jackson caught every pass thrown his way in the first half against the Redskins and should be able to shred the San Diego secondary much the same way.

Pine: Anquan Boldin - I realize this is a bold statement considering he's coming off a 200 plus yard game in week one but consider the matchup. The Seahawks defense. Boldin gets the Legion of Boom on Sunday night which has a knack for shutting down big time receivers. He won't put up monster numbers every week.

Running Back

Fine: Trent Richardson - Even after a disappointing week one, owners can still count on T-Rich. For reasons unknown, Richardson just didn't get many touches last week. Norv Turner came out and said to expect twenty or more touches for him this week versus Baltimore and I expect a T-Rich type game. His fifteen touches for forty seven yards last week was more of an anomaly than the norm.

Pine: BenJarvus Green-Ellis- The Law Firm recorded just twenty five yards on fourteen carries in week one. He shouldn't fair any better against the Steelers on Monday night. It's only a matter of time before Giovanni Bernard becomes the starting tailback in Cincinnati. Ellis' lack of touches is a cause for concern.

Tight End

Fine: Jordan Cameron - Coming off a two touchdown game in week one, he gets the Ravens defense who was absolutely torched by the position last week. Cameron seems to be Weeden's  go to guy with Josh Gordon still out another week and I look for Cameron to  stay a big part of the Browns passing game.

Pine: Fred Davis - Coming off of a disappointing week one (no surprise there), Davis should only see your starting lineup if you do not have a better option. He was out- targeted by a rookie tight end last week and won't do much better against Green Bay this week.

Defense

Fine: Cincinnati - The Bengals play a Steelers offense that could get nothing going last week. The Steelers O-line is a mess and they have no running game. Big Ben will have to pass a lot and that should lead to sacks and picks.

Pine: Denver - I don't see either defense showing up in this game. This will most likely be a shootout with the winning team scoring in the high thirties. Both the Broncos and Giants lit up the scoreboard in week one and that trend will continue this week.