The Jets and Bills are in the spotlight for Thursday Night Football to kick of Week 2 of the NFL. Both teams are coming off of losses, and each need a victory in the worst of ways. Buffalo needs a win to keep coach Rex Ryan off the hot seat after an embarrassing loss to Baltimore last week. As badly as the Bills need a win, the Jets are already in must-win territory. After tonight, the Jets play Kansas City, Seattle, Pittsburgh and Arizona.

As I’ve written about all week, I do not like what I saw out of the Bills on offense. The Jets are a completely different animal than the Ravens defensively, and get Sheldon Richardson back from a one-game suspension. All signs point to another dismal night offensively from Buffalo. Lesean McCoy will struggle to find room to run against this ferocious front-seven. Tyrod Taylor needs to pull all the tricks out of his bag and look like Houdini in the pocket, as he will face all kinds of pressure from the aggressive blitzes that Jets coach Todd Bowles likes to use. Sammy Watkins has a one-way ticket to Revis Island to add to his injury troubles.

For the Jets to win tonight, Brandon Marshall will have to step his game up. Marshall disappointed last week, and not for lack of involvement as he was targeted often in the passing game. New York getting the Fitzpatrick-Marshall combination going will open things up for Eric Decker and Matt Forte. Buffalo is banged up defensively but looked decent against a one-trick pony in Baltimore.

I’m shocked that the line for this game currently favors Buffalo by a point. I get this is a division game, but the Jets are the better team. Take the Jets in this game no matter if this is a -1, +1, or even line. As far as the game goes, this could be a sloppy game as most Thursday night games tend to be. The desperation of the Jets should like a spark beneath this team to get a win before the nightmare stretch begins.

Check back to Shooting the Moon as I preview Week 2 of the NFL, give my picks, and look at the top college games for “No Huddle.” Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.

Just in time for Week 2 its today’s edition of “Reality of Fantasy.” I’m looking at the best and worst matchups in fantasy for this week. There is one game I’m circling as the go-to game to exploit for fantasy while there a few that you should stay far away from (that includes tonight).

Matchups to Exploit

New York Giants vs. New Orleans Saints

Last season this game was fantasy gold for both teams, producing one of the highest scoring games of 2015. I don’t expect this to reach that same level but this is still the juiciest matchup of Week 2. Drew Brees, Eli Manning and their array of receivers are in line to have monster days on Sunday. The Saints defensive woes are well documented, while the Giants are still trying to get things together on this new-look defense. Yes, New York only gave up 20 points to Dallas last week, but I look at a poor gameplan from the Cowboys as the prime reason for that. New Orleans is a different animal entirely. Load up on this game and enjoy as your fantasy score shoots through the roof.

 

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. San Diego Chargers

Another great fantasy matchup here, as both teams like to throw the ball a ton. San Diego looked great against a tough Kansas City defense until Keenan Allen tore his ACL and the air was sucked out of the entire team. The Chargers are better equipped to withstand Allen’s absence. Expect Travis Benjamin and Danny Woodhead to carry the load in the passing game. Both will be on track to have good fantasy games this week, especially in PPR. Jacksonville has a very potent offense and I believe they will have ample opportunity to attack downfield against San Diego’s defense. That is great news for Blake Bortles and company, who are poised to have big numbers this week. Play your studs here, no reason to jump ship with this matchup.

 

Oakland Raiders vs. Atlanta Falcons

The Raiders are looking great against Atlanta this week in their home opener. Riding the momentum from a huge comeback against New Orleans, I expect this offense to feast on a weak Falcons defense. Derek Carr, Amari Cooper, and Michael Crabtree are all in line for a great week. On the flip side, Atlanta has a chance to continue some of the success in the passing game that they saw last week. I love Mohamed Sanu in this game as an under-the-radar flex play with WR2 upside. Last week, Oakland looked incapable of covering the second and third receivers against New Orleans (Willie Snead went for over 170 yards last week). I would stay away from Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman, as there is clearly a committee forming in the Atlanta backfield, plus a tough matchup in the running game.

 

Worst Matchups

Buffalo Bills vs. New York Jets

If you own any Bills in this game, send them to the bench now. Buffalo looked lost on offense last week against Baltimore. Week 2 brings an even tougher matchup with the Jets defense. Sammy Watkins is banged up and will find himself on Revis Island tonight (don’t expect Watkins to have the same success AJ Green had against Revis). Lesean McCoy faces one of the best run defenses in the NFL and will likely post similar numbers compared to last week.

 

Indianapolis Colts vs. Denver Broncos

Andrew Luck may have been the top fantasy quarterback last week, but don’t expect nearly the same production against the Denver defense. The Broncos are the best all-around defense in the NFL and will make things extremely difficult for the Colts. If you have other options, certainly send your Colts to the bench this week there will be better days ahead from them.

 

Seattle Seahawks vs. Los Angeles Rams

Russell Wilson plans on playing hurt, which already dampens my expectations for them, but last weeks performance doesn’t inspire much confidence either. Seattle looked totally out of sync last week. On the flip side, so did Los Angeles. However, when it comes to division rivalries you throw records and stats out the window. These teams play tight, ugly games against each other and I expect that recent history to hold true. I already don’t like the Rams from a fantasy perspective, but this week they’re taking the Seahawks with them. Avoid this game if you can.

 

Stay tuned to Shooting the Moon for today’s edition of No Huddle. I’ll do a quick preview of tonight’s game between the Bills and Jets as well as give my gambling pick for the game. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.