There is absolutely no question that the game that will produce Fantasy Football Week 3’s most productive game is the matchup between the Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers. So load up on players from those teams this week, because it is going to be a hell of a ride.

That game between the Lions and 49ers will have everything you want in a football game. They’ll have prolific receivers, dynamic running backs, accurate QBs, and even an off-field element of former coaching mates in Rod Marinelli and Mike Martz squaring off. This game has everything but defense, which is why this matchup of lowly teams could be the most productive game in terms of fantasy points.

Aspect #1: No Defense – Both of these teams are horrible on the defensive end. Last week the 49ers gave up 30 points to a Seattle team without its 4 best wide receivers. And in the same week, the Detroit Lions gave up 48 points to the Green Bay Packers. So, as I alluded to before, no defense means plenty of offense. That means players that great players that have been on the fringe of playing well, such as RB Frank Gore and WR Roy Williams, will have plenty of opportunity to shine and take advantage of a lackluster defense. So if you can swing a trade for them and “buy low,” then you may have a chance at getting one of those two players on the upswing.

Aspect #2: Coach Hate – Mike Martz, the offensive coordinator for the 49ers, was the offensive coordinator for the Lions just last year. But the head coach of the Detroit Lions, Rod Marinelli, let Martz go because he didn’t like Martz’s style and wanted a more efficient offense. Well, clearly, when you fire someone because they don’t do things your way, there is usually no love lost between you and the fire-ee. So you can expect that Mike Martz, a point-scoring addict, will be inclined to put as many points on the board as possible. He’ll do everything in his power to show Marinelli up, even if that means running up the score. You can rest assure that Martz has spent some extra time in the film room looking at all of the weaknesses in the Lions defense, and he will be fully prepared to take advantage of them come Sunday.

Aspect #3: Accurate QBs – If you didn’t my memo before the season started, this boy J.T. O’Sullivan can sling the ball in Martz’s offense, and he proved that last week against the Seattle Seahawks. Can he deliver an encore? Of course he can. And he will. He is a very accurate thrower who is not afraid to take chances, and he seems to take well to coaching, and Martz has certainly done a great job of coaching him up. As for the Lions quarterback, Jon Kitna, obviously he is a very accurate passer as well. He throws interceptions a little too frequently, but against this 49ers defense, there aren’t any cornerbacks that are going to be real close to Roy Williams or Calvin Johnson when Kitna puts the ball in the air, so interceptions should be at a premium on his end. That said, you can’t go wrong with either quarterback in this game, so starting one of them, almost over anybody else you have would be the wise decision. I just scooped J.T. O’Sullivan off waivers in my fantasy football league, so there’s a good chance he may be available in your league as well.

Here we are in Week 2 of fantasy football and you are frantically looking for a defense that can provide you with some points this week? Well, I’ve got the answer for you!

If ever there were a position in fantasy football where it was 100% about matchups, it’s the Defense/Special Teams slot. This really is all about who a defense is facing and do they have the ability to stop it. So in giving you my projections for Week 2, I’ll explore some of the key match ups that each defense is going to face, and we’ll predict who has the advantage and why.

So no more wasting time, here are your fantasy football projections and predictions for Week 2!

Chicago Bears at Carolina Panthers – Without Steve Smith, I just don’t think Carolina can successfully move the ball. Sure they won last week, but they got 4 field goals from Kasay, 2 of which were from 40+, and they scored touchdowns on defense and what was probably somewhat of a lucky pass at the end of the game. As for the Bears defense, they looked like the Bears defense of old in Week 2. I hate to jump on the bandwagon so quickly with my fantasy football predictions, but I think the Bears defense is set to have one heck of a year. So what is their key matchup this week? It’s clearly stopping the Panthers two running backs, Deangelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. They combined to rush for 139 yards last week, and if the Bears defense is to dominate this game, that is where they have to win it. But after what I saw last week, I see no reason why they can’t destroy the Panthers offensive line with their big front 7, and if they do, you can rest assure that the rookie J. Stewart won’t have the same success in Week 2 that he had in his first game in the NFL.

New York Giants at St. Louis Rams – Because I have Steven Jackson on my fantasy football team in my Gold Dinner league, it truly pains me to say this, but the Giants will probably dominate the Rams in the same fashion that the Eagles did last week. Hey, with or without Osi Umenyiora, the Giants defense plays hard, and you just can’t take that away from them. As for the Rams offense, they don’t play too hard at all. They went 0-11 on 3rd downs last week, and their two studs, Jackson and Tory Holt only accumulated 83 total yards with Holt catching only 1 pass. The Giants defense is probably close to the level of the Eagles and I think they can dominate St. Louis on the interior of the line where the Rams are very soft this year. If they win that battle, that means Jackson will have another tough day running the ball, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Giants just destroyed them in Week 2 and put up huge fantasy football numbers for your team.

Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers – Okay, so last week I thought the Seahawks defense and special teams would dominate the Buffalo Bills, and needless to say, I was wrong. They gave up 2 special teams touchdowns, and you just won’t win games like that. But the Seahawks return to Seattle where they play much better, and they’re facing a 49ers team that while it has punch with Mike Martz at the helm, it doesn’t have the talent. One of the key matchups for Seattle in facing the 49ers is their defensive front against Frank Gore. I do like Gore to win this battle, even with the return of DT Rocky Bernard. So why am I still picking the Seahawks on this list? Well, I think they’ll be able to shut everything else down. This will be one of those games where they just have to let Gore do his thing and shut down everybody else, and they can easily do that with cornerbacks Kelly Jennings and Marcus Trufant holding down the secondary. So go ahead and use that Seahawks defense or pick them up if someone let them go after their abysmal performance in Week 1.

More Week 2 2008 Fantasy Football Predictions:
Fantasy Football Projections Week 2 – Quarterbacks
Fantasy Football Projections Week 2 – Running Backs
Fantasy Football Projections Week 2 – Wide Receivers
Fantasy Football Projections Week 2 – Tight Ends
Fantasy Football Projections Week 2 – Defense/Special Teams