DeVante Parker's 2016 debut was a successful
one. 13 targets, 8 receptions and 106 yards.
Grab a Helmet
Travis
Benjamin @ IND: Philip Rivers must be wondering what
he did to deserve all this early season adversity. First, he loses
Keenan Allen to a season-snuffing ACL tear in the opener against
Kansas City. Then, he loses his security blanket, Danny Woodhead,
to the very same injury in Week 2 against Jacksonville. Just like
that, the Bolts have lost, inarguably, their two most valuable offensive
weapons. I mean, outside of Rivers himself. Benjamin was given first
crack to replace Allen and he performed admirably in that role,
collecting six receptions on six targets for 116 yards and a couple
scores against the Jags. OK, that’s more than admirably and now
he draws a Colts secondary that has been hopelessly overmatched
the first two weeks. Even if Vontae Davis is back at corner for
Indy, I like Benjamin’s chances of posting solid numbers in a game
that could get wild.
DeVante
Parker v. CLE: Parker seems destined to be one of those
guys who habitually has the red cross symbol next to his name on
your team’s roster page. If that causes you too much anxiety, I
totally understand. So long as he routinely sloughs off whatever’s
bothering him, though, and performs like he did last Sunday, I’ll
be able to live with some “will he or won’t he” uncertainty. He
played sparingly in the preseason, was held out of the opener for
precautionary reasons, and then jumped into Week 2 action and proceeded
to haul in eight balls on 13 targets for 108 yards. Instant offense.
The dude sure DOES add another dimension, doesn’t he? It wasn’t
enough to prevent an 0-and-2 start, but the Fish should get off
the schneid this Sunday against a really bad Cleveland team and
I’m plugging Parker into my lineups with high expectations.
Allen
Robinson v. BAL: I predicted a regression to the mean
for Mr. Robinson way back in early August but, even for me, his
lackluster performance through two weeks has been quite unexpected.
Despite being the 15th most targeted wide receiver, Jacksonville’s
premier pass-shagger has tallied just the 54th most points at the
position and hasn’t scored, putting him in dreaded “second page”
territory, not what owners who spent second or even first round
picks on him expected. Ruh-lax, people. The Jags aren’t going to
be built in a day, despite what optimistic pundits predicted, and
Robinson’s likely to post plenty of premium efforts the rest of
the way. The targets are there already and the 100-yard days and
touchdowns should soon follow. He’s a must start receiver, even
against a Baltimore defense that has been statistically superior
(No.1 against the pass) but not really tested against Buffalo and
Cleveland.
Grab Some Wood
Torrey
Smith @ SEA: Smith was a recommended sit back in Week
1 when I last hollered at ya’. He caught two passes for exactly
six yards (you’re very welcome). I’m going back to the well despite
a much better outing in Week 2 against Carolina (3 receptions,
55 yards, and a score) because…duh-duh-DUH: It’s Richard Sherman
time. Seattle’s offense may be a dumpster fire right now, but
the Legion of Boom is still up to the task of choking out opposing
offenses (just 19 points surrendered) and I don’t fancy the prospect
of Blaine Gabbert trying to dial long distance with Smith when
Sherman is there to disconnect the call. There will be better
days ahead for the home run-hitting Niner, but NFL schedule-makers
dealt Chip and the boys a rough early-season stretch. Keep Smith
reserved until he has a better chance of hitting one out of the
park.
Terrelle
Pryor @ MIA: Pryor’s position switch from quarterback
to wideout has been more successful than most probably expected,
yours truly included. However, he’s now being thrust into the
role of WR1 for the Browns, at least until Josh Gordon returns
from suspension or Corey Coleman mends his broken paw, whichever
comes first. Can he handle the extra attention he’s likely to
receive from opposing defenders? I think maybe he could, but we
aren’t likely to find out because the guy throwing him passes
isn’t a legitimate NFL quarterback. And by “isn’t a legitimate
NFL quarterback,” I mean “isn’t likely to ever be a legitimate
NFL quarterback.” I’m sure Cody Kessler’s a nice guy and all (despite
being a Trojan), but the game was too fast for him in the preseason
and it isn’t gonna be any slower on Sunday. Don’t assume “last
man standing” means “viable fantasy receiver” here.
Kamar
Aiken @ JAX: Remember when Aiken was generating all
that sleeper buzz back in August drafts, thanks to a surprisingly
good 2015 season (75 receptions, 944 yards, and five scores)?
2015 seems like an awful long time ago now. Unless your league
awards points for special teams tackles, Aiken’s provided
essentially nothing in the way of production so far (three targets,
two catches, 14 pointless yards). More disturbingly, he’s
played fewer than 50% of Baltimore’s offensive snaps and
appears to be typecast as a special teams contributor and dedicated
run-blocker when he’s on the field. Ouch. The Ravens added
some folks this year, sure (Mike Wallace, Chris Moore), and also
got some back (Steve Smith, Sr., Dennis Pitta), but it seems a
more useful role could be carved out for the guy who led them
in receiving just last season. Forget about starting Aiken. You
should just drop him.
Good luck, folks! Colby will holler at you the next couple weeks!
