Shootout Alert: Tate's quickness and sharp-cutting
ability will be put to good use on the turf in Indy.
Grab a Helmet
Steve
Smith (v. BUF): Smith’s second retirement tour kicks
off in Baltimore Sunday afternoon and it’s safe to say the 37-year
old has worked himself into a full lather, mostly because people
won’t stop reminding him he’s 37 years old and returning from a
serious injury (ruptured Achilles tendon). Here’s what Smith had
to say after his first practice in mid-August: “I’ll show you jack@sses
that at 37 years old, I can still play.” Allll-righty then! In case
opposing DBs also feel like questioning Smith’s readiness for one
more year, he added the following: “If you're not in the same jersey
as me, I plan to rip you to shreds. The bully is back. Vacation
is over for the DBs.” Ha! I have no earthly idea if he’ll pick up
where he left off in 2015, but I’m not doubting him. I’m genuinely
afraid he’d hurt me.
Golden
Tate @ IND: When I look at the Week 1 slate of games,
two potential shootouts jump off the page at me. One will be played
in the Big Easy and will involve a historically atrocious Saints
defense. The other will be played in Indianapolis, aka Naptown,
and will feature two of the gunslinging-est QBs in the biz. The
Colts’ secondary better not be snoozing on my favorite Top 10 sleeper
this season, the Lions’ new WR1, Mr. Tate. When Megatron hung up
the cleats in late March, it was feared the roar may never be restored
in Detroit. That fear is likely unfounded. Tate is basically a running
back when you put the ball in his hands (fourth best YAC at his
position) and instantly becomes the Lions’ premier playmaker. I
love him against an Indy D that ranked in the bottom quartile against
the pass last season.
Tajae
Sharpe v. MIN: Maybe it shouldn’t surprise us that a
fifth-round pick from a minor FBS program (UMass) would end up being
the jewel of an underwhelming class of rookie WRs. That’s precisely
what Sharpe appears to be after a month or so of training camp and
four preseason games, however. Ask pretty much anybody. Titans coaches
rave about him. Titans GMs are getting rid of the competition (Justin
Hunter and Dorial
Green-Beckham). Most importantly, Titans QBs fully trust him.
Marcus
Mariota said the reliable rook “makes it easy,” mostly because
he’s a precise route-runner with an uncommonly good set of mitts.
That describes basically no other receiver on the Tennessee roster,
as good a reason as any why the former Minuteman has vaulted to
WR1 status in advance of his first professional start. He’s on the
(very) short list of rookie wideouts we can trust in Week 1.
Grab Some Wood
Kelvin
Benjamin @ DEN (Thursday): Benjamin didn’t exactly
get Wally Pipp’d while he was sitting out the entire 2015 season
(torn ACL). It’s just that the Panthers seemed to survive pretty
well without him. And by “pretty well,” I mean they sprinted to
a 15-1 regular season record and represented the NFC in Super
Bowl 50. Kelvin who? Ron Rivera must be excited to have his star
WR back in the fold, but he’s got an unusual way of showing it.
He keeps talking about limiting Benjamin to about 35 snaps and
spreading the wealth among some other receivers who stepped up
in his stead last year (Devin
Funchess, Ted Ginn Jr., and Philly
Brown). That’s about 20 fewer snaps than the former Seminole
garnered in his splendid rookie campaign. One-third fewer snaps
in a run-first offense means we should probably pump the brakes
on Benjamin’s fantasy expectations for now.
Victor
Cruz @ DAL: Hey, remember this other great UMass receiver?
Four years seems to fly in the real world but feels like eons
in NFL years. Cruz was salsa dancing all over NFL defenses back
in 2011 and 2012 (168 receptions, 2,628 yards, and 19 scores),
looking like a guy we could rely on for years to come. Then, almost
as quickly as he arrived, he disappeared. His numbers tailed off
in late 2013 when he suffered a concussion and a knee injury.
Then, he missed most of 2014 and all of 2015 after a brutal patellar
tendon tear. Despite long odds, Cruz is back and, apparently,
penciled into three-WR sets for the G-Men in Week 1. I always
liked his spunk and am totally rooting for him, but…yeah, gonna
take the wait and see approach here. OBJ and (possibly) Sterling
Shepherd are much less risky. Sit Cruz.
Torrey
Smith v. LA (Monday): Smith has always been a risky
wide receiver option, primarily because he has only one speed
(fast). That’s a good one to have for the position, certainly,
but it means he either hits a home run and makes your fantasy
day on one snap or spends all afternoon running wind sprints with
very little to show for the effort. He’s been a top 10 yards-per-catch
guy pretty much every year since he entered the league in 2011,
but has only cracked the top 20 in terms of fantasy production
a single time (2014). That worries me. This worries me more: He
caught ZERO passes in the preseason and was only targeted once.
So much for building chemistry with Blaine
Gabbert in a new system, huh? Smith could make me look bad
quickly (think DeSean
Jackson, but bigger). I just don’t think he will Monday night.
Good luck, folks! Colby will holler at you next week!
