NFC West Update 9-13-12

Published on Thursday, 13 September 2012 20:37

Written by Anthony Marella

Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals/Seahawks game was a bit crazy on Sunday. Penalties, injuries, a close game the whole way. The Cardinals pulled it out and one has to give Kevin Kolb credit for the 11-play, 80-yard scoring drive he led them on in the fourth. The Cards’ starter in that game, John Skelton, is out a few weeks with an ankle sprain he suffered in-game. Skelton didn’t look good anyway completing just 50% of his passes for 149 yards and an interception. Kolb has a tough matchup in New England this week so I really hope none of you have plans of starting him.

The rushing attack for the Cardinals looked bad Sunday. The Seahawks defense allowed them no room to run and the Cardinals offensive line didn’t help that cause. Andre Roberts wound up being their leading rusher with 15 yards on one carry. Beanie Wells rushed just seven times for 14 yards and Ryan Williams rushed eight times for nine yards. LaRod Stephens-Howling scored the only rushing touchdown from a yard out in the second quarter. The backfield is a mess and full of backups until someone emerges.

San Francisco 49’ers

The 49’ers looked great on Sunday. They marched onto Lambeau Field in Green Bay and left with a victory. San Fran’s defense is every bit as good as advertised and their special teams play is phenomenal, thanks in large part to kicker David Akers who crushed a NFL-record tying 63-yard field goal before the half.

Alex Smith was really impressive. He was consistent and looked poised and so much more comfortable than he ever has. Smith could have a career season so he’s worth a pickup if he’s still looking for a fantasy job on the waiver-wire.

Randy Moss had a solid game himself. His 14-yard touchdown grab in the second quarter sent Twitter into Moss-trend mode. Michael Crabtree also had a nice day catching seven passes for 76 yards. The 49’ers have no shortages at receiver, that’s for sure. Add tight end Vernon Davis to that list. Davis caught three balls for 43 yards and a touchdown. The stats are bit low but the middle of the field seems to open up more with the surplus of receivers the Niners have on the outside. Expect big games from Davis moving forward.

Frank Gore led the backfield in carries and had quite a day, rushing 16 times for 112 yards and a 23-yard touchdown run in the fourth that put the game away. So much for Gore being taken too high, right? It was a great start but let’s see how he does as the season moves along. It would be a great time to sell Gore high.

Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks let one get away on the road. Their defense played great but their offense didn’t produce much. Steven Hauschka looks like a kicker who will be seeing a lot of field goal attempts this season.

Marshawn Lynch, battling through back pain, carried 21 times for 85 yards and caught two passes. Lynch looked good and his backups played sparingly.

Russell Wilson was okay. He completed 18 of 34 pass attempts for just 153 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He also lost a fumble. There’s a lot of room for Wilson to improve. He has a good corps of receivers to help. Braylon Edwards led the team with 43 yards and Sidney Rice caught four balls for 36 yards and Wilson’s lone touchdown. Wilson shouldn’t be started in any leagues right now other than those that start two QBs. Rice is also the only Seahawks receiver worth owning.

St. Louis Rams

Now we are onto the Rams. Oh, those poor Rams. They nearly had those Lions beat on Sunday. But regardless, it was a step in the right direction.

Sam Bradford looked comfortable. That’s huge, because last year he looked anything but. Bradford is worth a spot as a second or third QB on your rosters. I think he’s going to have a nice year. Danny Amendola’s year will go hand-in-hand with Bradford’s. Amendola is Bradford’s favorite target and he can be worth a FLEX start from time to time depending on the matchup.

Brian Quick was a no-show on Sunday. The 33rd overall pick has to step up and get on the field. I’m sure all dynasty league owners would like to see that happen.

Steven Jackson wasn’t impressive but he was running against a stout Lions defense. He’ll have better success Sunday against Washington. His backup is Daryl Richardson for now as Isaiah Pead didn’t even touch the ball in his first game. I expect that to change sooner rather than later.

The Rams defense is worth keeping an eye on. They were opportunistic last Sunday, forcing Matthew Stafford to throw three interceptions. Let’s see how they handle RG3 Sunday before considering picking them up.

Good luck to everyone in Week 2!

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