Rangers establish themselves as the team to beat

113-86 thumping of Tirades has John Lambert's team atop the Silent Division; WTNE also 2-0 after upset victory over Spread Beaters

Nico Collins wanted the ball from QB C. J. Stroud and got it -- to the tune of 19 points.

The Rangers and Tirades entered last weekend's showdown both 1-0 and the clash was billed as a playoff/Super Bowl preview. Well, that might be the case under different circumstances (a healthy Christian McCaffrey, for example) but last weekend, with CMC out and QB Josh Allen having an off week (9 measly points), the Rangers ruled and share the Silent Division lead at 2-0.

Not to be outdone, Jordan Garcia's WTNE stunned the favored Packers to share the Silent lead, also at 2-0. Those are the only remaining unbeaten teams after two weeks of JSFL action.

The biggest upset of the week, though, had to be Who Dey's stunning win over the heavily favored Spread Beaters. "Ouch," said Matt Pringle. "Next time, be more gentle."

Here's a rundown of Week 2 clashes.

RANGERS 113, TIRADES 86: John got even more than expected out of QB Jalen Hurts (20 predicted, scored 23) and WR Nico Collins (10 predicted, scored 19) as the Rangers coasted to the win. The Tirades, who now have lost CMC for a minimum of two more weeks, did get another solid effort from 49ers backup Jordan Mason (16) and a great day from WR Calvin Ridley (20) but nothing spectacular from others. Breece Hall added 17 for the Rangers, who also got 13 each from the Steelers defense and kicker Justin Tucker. The Tirades also got 12 from RB David Montgomery and 11 from now-injured WR Deebo Samuel. One the Bench: Nothing there would have helped the Tirades; The Rangers would have had an even bigger win with DeVonte Adams in at WR (he had 17) for Amari Cooper (1 point) and if I have to keep saying this, John, I am going to go crazy: Play the f---ing Steelers defense already. For the second week in a row they posted in double-digits, this time with 18.

Alvin Kamara scored a season-high 41 points to lead WTNE to a victory over the Packers.

WTNE 109, PACKERS 82: This was the Alvin Kamara show. The RB was a one-man wrecking crew for Garcia, setting a season-high scoring effort for 2024 with 41 points. Kicker Matt Prater added 14 and both RB Saquon Barkley and WR Rashee Rice both added 13, as did the Commanders QB Jayden Daniels. RB De'Von Achane scored 21 out of the Flex position to lead the Pack. On the Bench: Nothing really was going to make a difference for the Packers, QB Trevor Lawrence had 13 on the pine while starter Anthony Richardson disappointed with 9. WTNE would have also benefitted with a QB swap, as Joe Burrow bounced back with a 17-point game.

It's not often that a kicker gets a photo promo in JSFL Today recaps, but Ka'imi Fairbairn deserves it. His 20 points helped Who Dey upset the Spread Beaters in Week 2 and he leads all JSFL kickers with an 18.5 scoring average.

WHO DEY 110, SPREAD BEATERS 100: RB James Cook paved the way with a 26-point outburst in the Thursday night game and kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn added 20 more (he is averaging 18.5 points a game, leading all JSFL kickers) as Matt McCumber evened his record at 1-1. The bad news for Matt, though, was in the injury department. WR Justin Jefferson scored 19 in the win but left in the 4th quarter with what appeared to be a serious leg injury; QB Tua Tagovailoa suffered a concussion Thursday night that could be career-threatening (it is, by my count, his sixth). Matt will have to rely on Aaron Rodgers at QB and Chris Olave at WR. QB Kyler Murray, meanwhile, led the Beaters with a 26-point day and RB JK Dobbins added 19. On the Bench: WRs killed Matt Pringle in this one. Keeper Tyreek Hill and first-round pick Cooper Kupp (now out with an ankle injury) combined for six points. On the bench, DK Metcalf and Chris Godwin scored 35. Ouch! The only improvement on the Who Dey bench was Rodgers over Tua (a 3-point difference).

The Cowboys defense got their hats handed to them by the Saints on Sunday and were no help to the Invaiders, who managed to win anyway. Dem Plowboys scored a -4.

INVAIDERS 82, GERBILS 81: Vern Ahrendes might make his wife happy by playing four Cowboys among his nine starters, but when the defense scores -4 and your QB posts a mediocre 12, you need someone like RB Rhamondre Stevenson to come through with 15 points, and getting another 17 from WR Cee Dee Lamb (yeah, he's a f---ing Cowboy, I know) doesn't hurt either. The Invaiders squeaked this one out mainly because Chuck Nelson's star QB Patrick Mahomes had an off effort against the Bengals (a measly 12 points) and for the second week in a row, Chuck started an injured WR. Last week it was Tee Higgins, this week it was A.J. Brown, both of whom had clearly been listed as OUT both weeks. Maybe Chuck knows something we don't know, since his bench options were not going to help (read about that in a minute). Or he's in Hawaii. Or he's shooting for the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft instead of No. 3 where he was in August. Vern is already threatening to change the Gerbils to the Byes. On the Bench: There was no help on the Gerbils bench, at WR or anywhere else. Tee Higgins and Jordan Addison were also out with injuries, so maybe we can give Chuck a pass for not spending $4 to pick up a guy like Rashid Shaheed, who would have scored at least two points and gotten him a win (Shahid scored 16, but, too bad, the Tirades picked him up today so won't be a Gerbil replacement after all. But Stefon Diggs, Diontae Johnson and Keon Coleman are there.... hint, hint). For the Invaiders, hit-or-miss WR Malik Naybers was a hit this week, scoring 18, while starter Brandon Aiyuk had 4.

Some thought a third-round pick was a reach for Marvin Harrison Jr., especially after he scored zero points in the season opener. His 25-point effort for the Recliners in Week 2 led his team to the win and shut up his detractors.

RECLINERS 87, BAND AIDS 83: Third-round pick Marvin Harrison Jr. was a bomb in week one but blew up in week 2, scoring 25 points as the Recliners improved to 1-1. RBs Zach Charbonnet (12) and Bijan Robinson (11) and QB C.J. Stroud (14) also scored in double-figures for the Recliners. the Band Aids got a combined 29 from running backs James Conner and Isaiah Pacheco, but Pacheco went down with a leg injury in the final moments on Sunday night and looks to be headed to the IR. On the Bench: Band Aids WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) would have been the difference if he'd started instead of Terry "No Scorin" McLaurin (2). The only improvement for the Recliners would have been at WR, but benching Garrett Wilson (5) for either Quentin Johnston (17) or DaVonta Smith (13) seems like it would always be a bad idea.