Not only is Kurt Warner on a roll, he's got one of the softest schedules ahead of him.

With two weeks of the season now passed, a look at the standings reveals that there are a total of ten teams with a record of 0-2. One would think that with 14 more games to play, there is no reason to panic just yet. There is plenty of time, and there are plenty of games left to turn the fortunes of a team around. However, history tells us that teams that start 0-2 generally do not fare well in the NFL. How can that be? How can a team be out of it already with only 12.5% of the schedule played? Perhaps it would help to think of it in different terms. For instance, the baseball equivalent of 0-2 in football would be a 20-game losing streak. In hockey or basketball, losing the first 12.5% of your games would be a 10-game losing streak. I’m fairly certain that you won’t find any teams in baseball that had 20-game losing streaks early in the season and went on to the post-season; likewise for 10-game losing streaks in hockey and hoops.

There are exceptions in football though. Last year’s Super Bowl Champs to be precise. The Giants lost their first two games last season, and there were calls to dump Eli Manning as the starting QB. Fans wanted Tom Coughlin fired. Would the Giants have won if either of those things took place? Who knows? But I would guess not.

Looking back at the last five seasons (and excluding the ’07 Giants), there were a total of 42 teams that began the season 0-2. Of those, there were only five teams that ended up with winning records, and another five that finished at 8-8 for the season. The other 32 teams finished 7-9 or worse. Other than the Giants, there were only two teams that went on to play in the post-season. The 2006 Kansas City Chiefs finished 9-7 and lost the wild card game. The 2003 Philadelphia Eagles actually finished the season 12-4, only to lose in the NFC Championship game. And that is it. Over a five-year span, three out of 43 teams that started 0-2 made the post-season, and only ’07 Giants went as far as the Super Bowl.

So when a team like the Minnesota Vikings, which has playoff aspirations this season, makes what looks like a desperation move to bring in Gus Frerotte for Tarvaris Jackson, they are doing so with the knowledge that they are already in a dire situation. The numbers get even worse when it gets down to 0-3.

Stock Up

Darren Sproles – RB, San Diego Chargers – When LaDanian Tomlinson was forced to sit with a sprained toe after just ten carries against the Broncos, Darren Sproles stepped in and did a yeoman’s job of carrying the ball. He rushed seven times for 53 yards, better than 7.5 yards per carry, and also returned a kick 103 yards for a touchdown. In addition, he caught two passes out of the backfield for a total of 72 yards, including a 66-yard TD strike with 4:22 remaining in the game to put the Chargers ahead in a game ultimately decided by a botched officiating call. If you own LT, Sproles is the guy you want handcuffed to him as injury insurance, and if you don’t own LT and Sproles is on the waiver wire, you should still grab Sproles on spec, as he will be the guy the Chargers turn to whenever LT can’t produce for whatever reason.

Anthony Gonzales – WR, Indianapolis Colts – One would think that as the third receiver on the depth chart behind Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison, that Anthony Gonzales would be a forgotten man. However, Gonzales has 14 receptions, second only to Wayne, and his 185 receiving yards leads the team and is good enough for eighth in the NFL among all wideouts. Peyton Manning is targeting Gonzales more often than Harrison, and Gonzales is taking part in a higher percentage of the offensive plays than Harrison. You can almost make the argument that Harrison is the number three receiver. Keep in mind that some of Gonzales’ increased targeting could be because of Dallas Clark being out, so when Clark returns there may be a bit of a drop off. Manning has obviously developed a good rhythm with Gonzales and trusts him on key plays, as evidenced by Gonzales’ seven catches on third down plays that netted enough yards for a first down. Given Clark’s somewhat fragile health and Harrison’s diminished use in the offense, Gonzales is likely to end up being the second most productive receiver on the team behind Wayne by the time the season ends, and one of the top fantasy receivers in the game.

Kurt Warner – QB, Arizona Cardinals – Head coach Ken Whisenhunt handed Warner the starting job over Matt Leinart, and has been rewarded with a 2-0 record to start the season, a first for Arizona since 1991. It should be noted that those two wins came against teams that won a total of six games between them last season though. Regardless, Warner has been nearly flawless so far; in fact, he had a perfect passer rating of 158.3 in last week’s game. He’s developed a nice rhythm with his receivers, Larry Fitzgerald and Anguan Boldin, targeting both regularly and connecting with them for four touchdowns already, three with Boldin. After Washington this week, Arizona faces the Jets, and then things might get a bit tougher for Warner, as he will face some of the better defenses, with Buffalo and Dallas coming to town. But after their Week 7 bye, half of their remaining ten games come against some of the softest teams in the league, making Warner a good QB to grab and stash for use in those matchups.

Stock Down

Jerome Simpson – WR Cincinnati Bengals – The Bengals used a second round draft pick to take Simpson, whom several scouts compared favorably to Marques Colston because of his rare mix of size (6’2”, 199 lbs.) and athleticism. But two weeks into the season, both losses in which the offense sputtered, and Simpson has been little more than a decoration on the bench. Chad Ocho Cinco and T.J. Houshmandzadeh are the primary receivers in the offense, but both have been somewhat banged up, and neither has done much so far. Chris Henry is the number three, and he is in the same boat as Simpson. Meanwhile, the offense has struggled to put up just 17 points total in the two games played. All of which begs the question, why draft a receiver so high, especially one with Simpson’s potential, and not utilize him? Simpson has the talent to step in and make an instant impact on this offense. At least, that must have been the thinking when they drafted him. If you own Simpson in your league, don’t give up hope just yet. All of the Bengals receivers have long injury histories, and at some point Coach Marvin Lewis will have to jump start the offense, so Simpson’s chance to shine could still come down the road a bit. For now though, he is little more than reserve fodder in keeper leagues.

Larry Johnson – RB, Kansas City Chiefs – Johnson has performed like anything but a first round fantasy draft pick in the first two weeks of the season. He could only muster a paltry 22 yards rushing on 12 carries against the Raiders last week; essentially the same Raiders squad that ranked 31^st in rushing yards allowed last season. While there is plenty of time to turn things around, the prospects of the Chiefs look fairly grim, with an unsettled quarterback situation. There has also been some discord from Johnson himself, as he spouted complaints about the way he is being utilized in the offense. Coach Herman Edwards nicely downplayed Johnson’s comments, but there is obviously some trouble brewing beneath the surface. Edwards “acknowledged” that Johnson needs 20-25 touches per game to be effective. But Edwards also recognizes that when your team is several touchdowns behind and you need to save clock time for an inexperienced QB (like, ahem, Tyler Thigpen), running the ball isn’t always the best strategy. Therein lies the problem for the Chiefs, which is why it is going to be a long, cold winter in Kansas City and a frustrating, unproductive season for Johnson and his fantasy owners unless things change, and quick.

Indianapolis Colts Defense – Two weeks into the season and the Colts defense is ranked 28^th in the league against the run, mainly because teams are exploiting the weak inside linemen and small linebackers they feature. The Colts have allowed an average of 181.5 yards per game on the ground, and now they’ve lost the heart of their defense, safety Bob Sanders. While Sanders is out for the next 4-6 weeks, they’re going to have Melvin Bullitt as their safety. While Bullitt is a talented player, most scouts agree that his lack of experience will expose him as another aspect of the Colts defense to be exploited. They will have their hands full this week with the running attack of the Jacksonville Jaguars, so if you’re counting on the Indy D/ST in your league, hit the waiver wire and find yourself a better matchup