Passing
Game Thoughts: After pretty much giving Kirk Cousins a
eulogy last week, he came out and…well didn’t really
have to do much. In a game dominated by the Redskins’ rushing
attack, Cousins threw the ball just 27 times, completing 23 of
those passes for a mere 203 yards and 1 TD. Both Jordan Reed and
Pierre Garcon caught 6 balls, Reed totaling 82 yards while Garcon
somehow managed just 23 yards – Cousins truly was a game
manager.
This week he heads to the Meadowlands to take on a Giants defense
that has allowed opposing QBs (Romo & Ryan) to complete 72.5%
of their passes through two games. Cousins has proven capable
of completing a high percentage of his passes in games controlled
by the run. It remains to be seen how he’d fare going shot
for shot with an opposing QB. The Giants were predictably torched
by Julio Jones last week and when they had to really knuckle up
and prevent a game winning drive, they couldn’t. Cousins
does not have a weapon in the mold of Julio Jones. He used to
have a Desean Jackson, who loves nothing more than to troll the
Giants, but he’s out another couple weeks with that hamstring
injury. Expect another heavy dose of Jordan Reed (assuming he
doesn’t mysteriously appear on the injury report) with Garcon
on the side in a game the Redskins will hope to once again control
on the ground.
Running Game Thoughts: Welcome to the NFL Mr. Jones. While the
Giants were getting beaten through the air by the Jones everyone
knows, the Redskins had a Jones of their own slashing and dashing
through a Rams front-4 that apparently isn’t nearly as good
as I thought. Rookie Matt Jones had his NFL coming out party last
week, racking up 123 yards on 19 carries and scoring twice. The
most important piece of information to extract out of this performance
is that Jones received one more carry than Alfred Morris and played
just three fewer snaps. While Morris averaged slightly over 3
yards per carry, Jones was twice as effective, averaging nearly
6.5 yards per carry. With Alfred Morris in the final year of his
contract and likely to command a raise, Jones is the heir apparent
for a team unlikely to give Morris a deal he wants.
I have to believe Jones has earned himself an increase in playing
time on a regular basis and has another juicy matchup against
the Giants despite how ineffective the Falcons’ RB duo was
last week. Tevin Coleman and Devonta Freeman combined for 57 yards
on 21 carries. That’s not good. However, the Giants only
allowing 68 yards per game to opposing rushers through two games
is a mirage. They can be run on and you can bet on the Redskins
doing just that. It remains to be seen how they will divide the
carries, but I believe both will be effective in this one.
Passing
Game Thoughts: Eli Manning looked better last week, throwing
his first 2 TDs of the season. After a system wide failure in
Week 1, he made it a point to get the ball to Odell Beckham Jr.
and Beckham rewarded his efforts with 7 catches for 146 yards
and a score. Beyond Beckham, there’s no one in this passing
game worth starting. Larry Donnell was the recipient of Manning’s
other TD, but only caught a total of 4 balls for 28 yards. Rueben
Randle is useless.
This week the Giants host a Redskins team that has somehow allowed
a meager 328 yards through the air in the first two games. After
talking down this Redskins secondary, they went and held Nick
Foles to just 150 yards, 40 of which came on Foles’ lone
TD pass to Kenny Britt. I do not expect this trend to continue,
but perhaps we should be respecting this Redskins defense more
than we thought. Manning was erratic at times last week and has
a history of being inconsistent. A performance not unlike what
we saw last week could be in the cards for Manning.
Running Game Thoughts: It appears that Rashad Jennings is just
about done. 9 carries for 12 yards does not inspire much confidence.
Andre Williams looked the best he’s ever looked, turning
just 6 carries into 43 yards. However, the story of this backfield
continues to be Shane Vereen, who is proving week by week he deserves
to be on the field. He wasn’t great on the ground, taking
his 6 carries for just 19 yards, but his contributions in the
passing game are invaluable. He led the team in receptions with
8 and was second in receiving yards with 76. Although his playing
time is dictated by game flow, he needs to be on the field more
as he gives the Giants’ offense more versatility and forces
defenses to account for him.
Unfortunately, I fear this game against the Redskins may be an
ugly, grind it out type of affair. The Redskins have allowed just
70.5 yards rushing per game through two weeks, but that is hardly
a large enough sample size to make anything out of, especially
considering the circumstances. They’ve faced a Dolphins’
team that refused to hand the ball to Lamar Miller and a Rams
team with a deplorable offensive line operating without Todd Gurley.
I expect Jennings to continue to be phased out of the offense
in favor of Andre Williams, but Williams is a plodder that lacks
burst. He will be better than Jennings though. Hopefully, Coughlin
wises up and we see more of Vereen.
Passing
Game Thoughts: Julio Jones is a man and no one can stop
him. 13 catches for 135 yards. Back to back huge games to start
the season. The guy throwing him the ball also had a big game
last week. Don’t let the stats fool you. Although Matt Ryan
was only credited with 1 TD, he easily could’ve had two
more with Leonard Hankerson and Jones both appearing to get in
before replay ruled them down at the one-yard line. Ryan also
threw for 363 yards and orchestrated two 4th quarter TD drives
to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat (although in typical
Giants fashion, this was very much them snatching defeat from
the jaws of victory…again).
Ryan & Co. head to Jerry World to face a Cowboys defense
that has far exceeded expectations through the first two weeks
of the season. They held Sam Bradford and the supposedly explosive
Eagles offense to 224 yards and 1 TD (which came in garbage time)
while forcing three turnovers. It’s hard to tell whether
this was more Cowboys dominance or Eagles ineptitude. It was certainly
a bit of both. I’m still not buying this Cowboys defense
as legit. They contained Odell Beckham Jr. and they shut down
Jordan Matthews but I refuse to believe they can stop Julio Jones.
Running Game Thoughts: Sam Bradford was the Eagles’ leading
rusher last week against the Cowboys’ run defense. Demarco
Murray totaled a whopping 2 yards on 13 carries. In total, the
Eagles rushed for 7 yards on 17 carries. I know the Eagles are
uncoordinated and confused right now, but even the most inept
teams can manage a mere 2 yards per carry. Some credit must be
given to Dallas. I’m going to point the finger in the direction
of Sean Lee. I don’t think even the Cowboys realized how
much they missed him last season. The Falcons come into this game
likely without Tevin Coleman and with an ineffective Devonta Freeman.
Assuming Coleman sits, Freeman and his 2 yards per carry will
shoulder the load. Volume alone will render him relevant, but
he hasn’t proven capable of moving the ball effectively
on the ground. I’d put my money on the Falcons solving this
problem by taking a pass heavy approach.
Passing
Game Thoughts: It appears that wins for the 2015 Cowboys
are quite expensive. Want to beat the Giants in your home opener?
Sure. That’ll cost one Dez Bryant. Want to beat the Eagles
on the road? No problem. That’ll cost one Tony Romo. Will
the next three wins cost Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick, and Zack
Martin? I digress. The Cowboys’ passing game no longer exists.
This team was built around a dominant offensive line, Romo, and
Bryant. Two weeks into the season, all that’s left is the
line. Brandon Weeden played well in relief of Romo last week,
but he was spotted a two score lead and just needed to burn the
clock. For his career, Weeden essentially has a 1:1 TD to INT
ratio. Not good. In his lone start with the Cowboys, a 2014 home
matchup with the Cardinals, Weeden looked completely outmatched,
throwing for just 183 yards and turning it over twice. And that
was when he had DeMarco Murray to hand the ball to and Bryant
to throw it to.
The Falcons’ pass defense has been better than expected,
but is very beatable. This is especially true when they refuse
to move Desmond Trufant around the field. I thought he would shadow
Odell Beckham Jr. last week. I was wrong. The Giants lined Beckham
up away from Trufant and Beckham proceeded to torch the Falcons
for 146 yards on 7 catches. The Cowboys would be wise to do the
same with Terrance Williams, not that he’s anywhere near
Beckham’s level, but he’s the best option they’ve
got right now. Let Trufant lock down someone irrelevant like Devin
Street. Expect a very conservative passing attack with a lot of
Witten and a lot of Lance Dunbar as Jason Garrett tries to hide
the fact that Brandon Weeden is Brandon Weeden.
Running Game Thoughts: The run heavy Cowboys will be even more
so this week without their No.1 quarterback. Joseph Randle handled
18 carries for 51 yards last week. Darren McFadden had 10 for
31. I would expect Randle to crack the 20-carry threshold as the
Cowboys hope to win this game with ball control and defense. The
Falcons’ run defense shut down DeMarco Murray in Week 1
and were decent against Andre Williams and Rashad Jennings in
Week 2 (most of the blame going to Jennings). They will struggle
against the Cowboys’ offensive line like anyone else does,
but the Falcons will have more freedom to use their secondary
in run support as they dare Brandon Weeden to beat them over the
top (news flash: he can’t). The Falcons should sell out
to stop the run as the Cowboys are now completely devoid of all
skill position talent. This one won’t be fun to watch.
Passing
Game Thoughts: It was a nice bounce back performance by
Blake Bortles last week after a dreadful opener as he completed
18-of-33 throws for 273 yards and 2 TDs. Most notably, Bortles
neither turned the ball over nor took a sack. The Dolphins had
no answer from second year WR Allen Robinson who also rebounded
from a dismal Week 1 effort to the tune of 6 receptions for 155
yards and 2 TDs, including 46-yard bomb. This week Bortles takes
his young offense to Foxboro for a date with a Patriots defense
that just gave up 32 points to Tyrod Taylor and the Bills.
The Patriots allowed Taylor to complete a whopping 76 percent
of his passes and rush 5 times for 43 yards. Bortles can move
a little himself and could give the Patriots similar trouble.
My biggest concern here is that this is a road start and the Jaguars
could find themselves down big relatively early. This would lead
to Bortles tossing it up 40-50 times, which would inevitably lead
to multiple turnovers. The Jaguars would be wise to try and emulate
what the Bills did on offense, particularly in the second half
and hope their defense can do a better job at containing Brady
and Gronk. The unfortunate truth is I don’t think they can.
Bortles and Robinson will likely put up volume numbers, but this
box score could get ugly.
Running Game Thoughts: T.J. Yeldon has looked very good in his
young career even though he doesn’t have the numbers to
show for it. Yeldon touched the ball 28 times last week for a
total of 83 yards. Again, not great, but that has more to do with
the Jaguars poor offensive line than Yeldon’s talent. He
is a solid play in fantasy because of his high weekly floor due
to the sheer volume of touches and the complete lack of backfield
competition. The only conceivable threat was Denard Robinson and
he’s expected to miss the next few weeks with a knee injury.
This week he faces a Patriots’ run defense that has given
up 294 yards on the ground over the first two games with the majority
of yardage gained by 32-year-old DeAngelo Williams and a less
than 100 percent LeSean McCoy. The Jaguars are not going to stop
Brady. Their best bet at making this a competitive game is controlling
the clock by controlling the ball and they need to do that with
Yeldon. The Jaguars line hasn’t given him much room to work
thus far and Belichick, notorious for taking away a team’s
best weapon, could double Allen Robinson while stacking the box
and dare Bortles to beat him a different way. Ultimately, I think
Yeldon will have a good, not great day in New England.
Passing
Game Thoughts: It appears as though Tom Brady is still
very, very angry. Perhaps, even too angry. He was so angry last
week that he let the Bills back in the game. After taking a three
score lead into the 4th quarter, rather than run out the clock,
Brady continued to throw, which allowed the Bills to mount a comeback,
ultimately losing by just one score. Brady threw it up an obscene
59 times, completing 38 of those passes for 466 yards and 3 TDs.
Julian Edelman saw an absurd 19 targets and is a WR1 in PPR formats.
Gronk continued to do Gronk things, piling up 113 yards on 7 catches
and one ridiculously easy score that left the Bills’ DBs
bemoaning each other before he could even “Gronk spike.”
I don’t think there’s anything the Jaguars can do
to prevent Gronk from scoring this week, even against a Jaguars’
pass defense that has been better than expected. The Jaguars have
allowed an average of 251 yards through the air over the first
two games and just 3 TDs. However, they haven’t faced Angry
Tom Brady. He looks to be a man on a mission and until he shows
otherwise, I’m going to assume he is still angry and plans
to throw all over the Jaguars. This is going to be a bloodbath.
Running Game Thoughts: What running game? As I mentioned above,
the Patriots threw the ball 59 times last week. In a game where
they led for the vast majority of the contest, they handed the
ball off to their RBs just ten times (Edelman and Amendola each
got a carry as well). The return of LeGarrette Blount gave the
Patriots…well…absolutely nothing, because he barely
saw the field and touched the ball just two times for 4 yards.
So much for Mr. “You don’t sign me to sit me.”
Belichick will do what he wants. Dion Lewis was once again the
leader of this backfield. His 7 carries for 40 yards are of little
importance (although the fact that he got the goal line carry
over Blount is relevant). The main takeaway is his 6 catches for
98 yards. It’s only been two games, but Lewis has been everything
we hoped Shane Vereen would be and more. A complete afterthought
during drafts, Lewis could very well be this year’s version
of 2014 C.J. Anderson or 2013 Knowshon Moreno. He’s even
fumbled and lived to tell the tale.
At this point, Blount should be nowhere near starting lineups.
I wouldn’t drop him just yet, but we are getting there quickly.
Lewis, however, can be trusted at minimum as a Flex play who is
rapidly approaching RB2 status. However, it wouldn’t surprise
me in the least if the Patriots went Blount heavy this week because
Belichick. This week, he gets a very stingy Jaguars run defense
that has allowed only 147 yards rushing through two games. The
good news is it appears Belichick’s plan this year is to
attack whatever the opponent’s defense is worse at in a
completely unbalanced ratio. Jaguars – good run defense
+ mediocre pass defense = lots of throwing. And that’s actually
a good thing for someone as adept out of the backfield as Lewis.
He just better not fumble again.
Passing
Game Thoughts: In my Week 1 analysis of the Redskins, I
described them as “a mess.” It appears I’ve
confused the Redskins with the Eagles. Viewed similarly to the
Vince Young proclaimed 2011 “Dream Team,” the 2015
Eagles were supposed to be this supersonic offense that no one
had an answer for. Instead, we have Sam Bradford looking very
out of place, making erratic throws and being careless with the
ball. According to Josh Huff, the Cowboys were calling out Eagles’
plays on the sidelines before they even snapped the ball. The
problems with this team go far beyond poor play execution. Bradford
turned the ball over three times and didn’t throw his lone
TD to Jordan Matthews until the Cowboys stopped trying. Speaking
of Matthews, no one outside of him is even remotely useful in
this passing game as of now. Sure, the Eagles could flip a switch
and become the offense we saw a glimpse of in the second half
vs. the Falcons, but for now, Zach Ertz, Nelson Agholor, the aforementioned
Huff – they all belong on your bench or, in Huff’s
case, waivers. As for Bradford, hindsight is 20-20, but this is
the risk you take when you artificially spike a guy’s value
based on 30 minutes of preseason play. It should come as no surprise
that any clues teams had as to how to stop Chip Kelly’s
lightning quick offense would be kept hidden until the real games
began.
As a reward for their efforts last week, the Eagles get a date
with a Jets defense that just forced Andrew Luck to turn the ball
over four times. Bradford is no Luck. The Jets defense is menacing
and if the Cowboys’ lackluster secondary can stop the Eagles,
what will Cromartie and Revis be able to do? Until we see this
Eagles offense truly click, we cannot truly trust it.
Running Game Thoughts: There’s bad. There’s worse.
And then there’s DeMarco Murray. The 2014 rushing champion
finds himself the holder of a new record. It’s not a prestigious
one. Murray is off to the worst two-game start in NFL history.
He has amassed an astounding 11 yards on 21 carries. The 2015
version of the Eagles’ offensive line is nowhere near as
talented as the Cowboys’ line. That is blatantly obvious.
However, there are plenty of teams with poor offensive lines.
Murray can’t even get to the line of scrimmage without taking
a hit. He is a downhill runner who likes to generate momentum
before taking the football. Perhaps the move to an offense operating
exclusively out of the shotgun doesn’t suit him. Against
the Cowboys last week, Murray turned 13 carries into a laughable
2 yards, which was somehow more than Ryan Mathews (1 carry for
0 yards) and Darren Sproles (1 carry for -4 yards). He salvaged
his fantasy day by catching 5 passes for 53 yards, making this
the second week in a row that Murray has bailed out fantasy owners
in the receiving game.
The Jets present an even tougher test. Frank Gore ran for 57
yards on 15 carries, which is a decidedly average performance.
With the way the Eagles have looked, Murray would be lucky to
match those numbers. I’m going to go out on a limb here
and say he can at least surpass last week’s performance.
That is of course, if he plays. To add injury to insult (yeah
I’ve used that one before, I know), he left Wednesday’s
practice early with what is being described a minor hamstring
tweak and was held out of practice Thursday. Chip Kelly takes
a Belichikian approach to injuries, so don’t expect to hear
much about Murray’s hamstring until Saturday or Sunday.
For now, I will assume he plays, but obviously if he doesn’t,
Ryan Mathews will be the guy. The bottom line for Murray is he’s
running out of time. All the naysayers attributing his success
to the Cowboys’ dominant offensive line are snickering to
themselves. We are inching ever closer to “put up or shut
up” for Murray and the Eagles before it all comes crumbling
down.
Passing
Game Thoughts: The version of Ryan Fitzpatrick the Jets
have gotten through the first two games is virtually identical
to the one we saw with the Texans last season. He’s completed
just over 63 percent of his passes for a little over 200 yards
per game with a 2:1 TD-INT ratio. For a guy never really considered
much more than a high-end backup, he’s now made several
starts in eight consecutive seasons and performed respectably.
The Jets have a ton of talent and Fitzpatrick just needs to be
average for this team to compete and contend. It certainly helps
having Brandon Marshall and a perennially underrated Eric Decker
to throw to. Marshall looked like his old self last week, hauling
in 7 passes for 101 yards and a very impressive TD where he willed
himself along with two DBs into the end zone. Fitzpatrick looks
for Marshall early and often, sometimes to a fault. I had visions
of Jay Cutler launching the ball in Marshall’s direction
with reckless abandon while watching the game. Fitzpatrick can
be a little trigger happy at times, heaving it into double and
triple coverage more than he should and was lucky to escape last
week’s game with only one turnover.
The question on everyone’s mind this week is will he have
to run a solo show after Decker came down with a knee injury.
He did not practice Wednesday or Thursday and looks very unlikely
to suit up on Sunday. We will not have a final word until game
day and even if he’s active, make sure you read between
the lines on the injury reports. T.Y. Hilton was active last week
as well, but he was clearly nowhere near 100% and rightfully left
out of the majority of fantasy lineups.
If Decker does play, he and Marshall will see an Eagles defense
that has allowed opposing QBs to complete 70.6 percent of their
passes through two games. The Eagles let the Cowboys dominated
the time of possession last week by controlling the ground game.
Ultimately, the Jets are still a run first offense, but they have
showed some versatility, throwing in situations where you’d
typically expect them to run. That bodes well for this passing
offense going forward, assuming, of course, that Fitzpatrick can
continue to limit the mistakes and find his big receivers.
Running Game Thoughts: Apparently, the Jets didn’t expect
Chris Ivory to make it through the entire game on Monday. It makes
you wonder why they put him out there in the first place. He was
reported to be extremely sore following the game, but that’s
something NFL players are used to. Unfortunately for Ivory owners,
Wednesday’s injury report cited him missing practice with
not just the groin issue, but a new quad injury as well. He didn’t
practice Thursday, either. Over the first two games, Ivory has
averaged 4.4 yards per carry and has 2 TDs (both coming week 1
against the Browns). A healthier Ivory should see more than the
14 carries he got last week in a game that had way too much Bilal
Powell.
The Eagles’ run defense has been superb, limiting opposing
rushers to just 3.1 yards per carry. Nevertheless, teams seem
to love to run it against the Eagles as they’ve had to defend
the run 68 times in the first two weeks, good for the 4th most
carries against in the league. It would not be surprising to see
the Jets come close to or even exceed the 34 carries the Eagles
have seen on average per week thus far. Hopefully, Ivory can stay
healthy and be the beneficiary however HC Todd Bowles expressed
concern regarding Ivory’s status. At this point, I’d
say Ivory is planted firmly on the wrong side of a questionable
tag. Get a contingency ready.
Passing
Game Thoughts: Through two games, it’s abundantly
clear that Tyrod Taylor was the right choice by Rex Ryan to be
the Bills’ starting QB. He is the type of player this team
needs offensively. However, to say he’s been a godsend would
be an overstatement. Taylor’s rushing prowess gives him
a high weekly floor, making him one of the best options to replace
an injured Tony Romo or Drew Brees (regardless of whether Brees
plays). T-Mobile took off 5 times for 43 yards and a rushing TD
last week, bringing his rushing totals on the year to 14 carries
for 84 yards. He gives you almost an extra TD per week via his
rushing yardage. That type of production helps offset his apparent
carelessness with the football. Taylor threw the ball to the wrong
team three times last week. He also fumbled twice, luckily losing
neither of them. Most disconcerting about his performance were
the 8 sacks he took. He looks indecisive at times and holds onto
the ball too long. A guy with his mobility needs to use that ability
to recognize pressure and move out of the pocket sooner. Taylor’s
passing numbers were a bit inflated last week by bonus second
half possessions created by the Patriots’ refusal to run
the ball and let the game end.
This week, he gets a Dolphins defense that just gave up 273 yards
and 2 TDs to Blake Bortles in a loss to the Jaguars. They will
be better this week at home and should be heavily motivated to
not be embarrassed again. Forcing zero turnovers and zero sacks
against Bortles is unacceptable. The Dolphins should come out
inspired in their home opener, but Taylor’s high floor should
keep him productive. Plus, the Dolphins are beatable on the ground.
Running Game Thoughts: It looks like LeSean McCoy’s nagging
hamstring injury is going be a weekly thing all season. He’s
going to play though. McCoy’s first two weeks haven’t
been as bad as you may think; 130 rushing yards on 32 carries
is slightly over 4 yards per carry. That’s good production.
Karlos Williams is around, too, and if you’re a McCoy owner,
I hope you picked him up last week. He will continue to be a threat
to vulture TDs from Shady. Only one team has seen their opponents
run the ball more against them than the Dolphins, whose opponents
have averaged 35 carries against them over the first two weeks
for 4.1 ypc. They were thoroughly beaten by Alfred Morris in Week
1, but held their own vs T.J. Yeldon in Week 2. The Bills love
to run the ball and this week will be no different. Pencil Shady
in for his usual workload and hope he can find the end zone.
Passing
Game Thoughts: Ryan Tannehill bounced back quickly from
his lackluster opening effort against the Redskins by piling up
359 yards on 44 passes for 2 TDs at the Jaguars. It was a losing
effort for the Dolphins, but a winning effort in the hearts of
his fantasy owners. In a game where the Dolphins yet again ignored
Lamar Miller and completely abandoned the run (44:16 pass-run
ratio), Tannehill racked up numbers against a respectable Jaguars
pass defense. Just under half of his completed passes went to
Rishard Matthews (6-115) and Jarvis Landry (8-110). It didn’t
help that Jordan Cameron departed halfway through this game with
a hamstring injury. Cameron didn’t practice Wednesday, but
got in a limited session Thursday and was reported to be moving
around better. I would say he is on the right side of a questionable
tag.
As for Landry, he will continue to gobble up targets. He is clearly
Tannehill’s favorite receiver. The Rishard Matthews thing
is a bit less clear. He is probably worth owning, but cannot be
counted on as more than a WR4 until we see him repeat. A home
date with the Bills looked much more imposing before the defense
that abused Andrew Luck was torn apart at the seams by Tom Brady.
Tannehill is not Tom Brady, but because of Brady, he knows this
Bills pass defense can be beaten. I’m still a bit uncertain
what the Dolphins’ actual plan is offensively. I’d
like to think they’d learn from the Patriots and lean on
the pass a little more, but two weeks is just not enough of a
sample size to really get a beat on this offense. For now, it’s
wait and see on Tannehill, but if you have him, you’re probably
starting him.
Running Game Thoughts: On the list of things that are unacceptable,
Lamar Miller receiving just 23 carries through two games is high.
Similarly unacceptable is the 2.9 yards per carry Miller is averaging.
Those drafting him anticipating a leap to RB1 status have to be
very nervous. The Colts couldn’t run on the Bills and the
Patriots didn’t even try. That gives us very little information
in predicting how much burn Lamar Miller will get this week. Further
muddying up the waters is this mysterious ankle injury. Miller
left last week’s game early and was seen limping on the
sidelines after the game. He insists his ankle is fine and he
was at practice Thursday, but reports are that he did not look
good. He missed the previous day’s practice and players
are notoriously optimistic about their own injuries. As with any
injury, monitor his status throughout the weekend, as we likely
won’t get a definitive answer until game day. Even if Miller
plays, you may want to go look elsewhere if you have a viable
alternative. If Miller can’t go, Damien Williams is the
next man up. He scored last week and is the clear handcuff to
Miller, but is nothing more than a FLEX consideration if Miller
sits.
Passing
Game Thoughts: Understandably, Andrew Luck was the number
one quarterback on most fantasy draft boards coming into the season.
Through two games, however, he’s delivered little for the
owners who selected him, leading the NFL with five interceptions.
Luck has underperformed, but he’s not alone, with none of
the Colts’ players living up to pre-draft status except
for Donte Moncrief, who is among the top-10 in fantasy points
among wideouts. Still, history says Luck and Co. will right the
ship, and should continue to be in fantasy lineups this week against
Tennessee.
The Titans, who are third in the NFL in pass defense, have surrendered
the sixth-fewest fantasy points in the league to opposing quarterbacks
and the ninth-fewest points to wideouts, but have given up the
ninth-most to tight ends. It should be noted that they haven’t
faced robust competition, going up against Jameis Winston and
a Mike Evans-less Bucs team in Week 1 and Johnny Manziel and the
Browns last week.
Running Game Thoughts: Like his
comrades in the Colts’ passing game, Frank Gore has been
a huge disappointment for fantasy owners. He’s totaled just
88 rushing yards and six fantasy points (having lost two points
due to a fumble) in his two games this year. Gore should still
be considered for a flex play this week against Tennessee, who
is 16th in the league in run defense this season and has allowed
the 12th-fewest fantasy points to running backs, but did give
up 72 yards and a score last week to Isaiah Crowell.
Passing
Game Thoughts: Marcus Mariota has been superb through two
games, ranking in the top-10 in fantasy points among quarterbacks
with six touchdowns and nary an interception, though it was concerning
that he was sacked seven times last week. The fantasy prospects
for his receiving corps are a bit more muddled, because Kendall
Wright had a huge Week 1 only to fall off last week against the
Browns, a game in which Anthony Fasano led the team with 84 yards
and a score. But Fasano got the reps because starting tight end
Delanie Walker missed the game due to injury, though Walker could
be good to go this week.
If that’s the case, he should be considered a low-end TE1,
and Wright should also be in lineups against a Colts squad that
was shredded by Jets wideouts last week. Indy ranks 13th in the
NFL in pass defense, is tied for eighth-fewest fantasy points
allowed to quarterbacks, and has given up the sixth-fewest points
to tight ends, but has also permitted the eighth-most points to
wide receivers, including a combined 15 receptions for 198 yards
and two scores to Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker last week.
Running Game Thoughts: Bishop Sankey
was almost non-existent last season, but has vaulted into a top-10
scorer among running backs so far in 2015. It is worrisome that
he has gotten just 12 carries in each of his first two games,
and Dexter McCluster will surely get more looks due to his 98
yards last week, but Sankey still has to be considered for flex
spot against the Colts, who are tied for 21st in the league in
rush defense and are 17th in fantasy points allowed to opposing
running backs.
Passing
Game Thoughts: Fantasy owners who selected Drew Brees as
their QB1 can officially be worried. The 36-year-old quarterback
has just a pair of touchdowns in two games this season, and is
now suffering a shoulder injury that could keep him out this week.
The Saints’ receivers are a question mark as well, with
none standing out so far. Four different players have between
98 and 111 receiving yards for the team, but just one –
Willie Snead – has caught a touchdown.
Even if Brees does play this week, it’s hard to recommend
any Saint involved in the team’s passing game due to their
match-up with the Panthers. Carolina is eighth in the league in
pass defense, tied for eighth-fewest fantasy points surrendered
to quarterbacks, has allowed the 10th-fewest fantasy points to
wideouts, but are 17th in fantasy points given up to tight ends.
Running Game Thoughts: Mark Ingram
is New Orleans’ leading rusher, but has only 77 yards through
two games and is averaging just 3.1 YPC. Khiry Robinson has 12
fewer carries than Ingram but is averaging over two yards more
per carry, and then there’s C.J. Spiller, who ran the ball
only three times in his debut last week but is sure to get more
looks.
With so many different backs getting touches, fantasy owners may
want to stay away from Saints ball carriers until (or unless)
things clear up a bit, and that’s especially true this week
as they take on the Panthers, who own the NFL’s seventh-best
run defense and have allowed the sixth-fewest fantasy points in
the league to opposing running backs.
Passing
Game Thoughts: After getting little action in Week 1, the
Panthers vowed that tight end Greg Olsen would be a bigger part
of things, and that held true last week, as he was targeted 14
times by Cam Newton, though he caught only six of those passes
for 70 yards. The team doesn’t have a pass-catcher with
at least 100 receiving yards just yet, and Newton is completing
just under 53 percent of his throws, so there aren’t exactly
huge fantasy numbers to be had with the Carolina passing game.
But Newton and Olsen remain viable fantasy options against New
Orleans.
The Saints are tied for 18th in the league in pass defense and
are in the middle of the pack in terms of fantasy points allowed
to wide receivers and tight ends, but they have allowed the sixth-most
points to quarterbacks due to the rushing touchdown they allowed
last week to Jameis Winston and the fact that they have yet to
record an interception.
Running Game Thoughts: Jonathan
Stewart has disappointed in his first two games as the team’s
feature back, rushing for 3.4 YPC while failing to score a touchdown.
On the other hand, Newton delivered 76 yards and a score last
week, and is just seven yards behind Stewart for the team lead
in rushing yards. That said, fantasy owners should still think
of Stewart as a starter this week due to his match-up with New
Orleans, who is 24th in the NFL in run defense and has given up
the 10th-most fantasy points to opposing running backs.
Passing
Game Thoughts: Jameis Winston didn’t put up huge
numbers in his second game, with 207 yards and one touchdown in
Tampa’s win over New Orleans last week, but he didn’t
throw an interception and rushed for 23 yards and a score. As
for Winston’s receivers, he threw a touchdown to Vincent
Jackson, but failed to complete any of his three throws to Mike
Evans and lost tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins to a shoulder
injury.
Evans is sure to get going at some point, and should still be
in fantasy lineups as a WR2, but it’s tough to see him breaking
out this week against the Texans. Houston is 11th in the NFL in
pass defense, but tied for 26th in passing touchdowns surrendered.
Though they’ve given up the sixth-fewest fantasy points
to wide receivers, only one team has permitted more points to
quarterbacks, and just four teams have given up more to tight
ends.
Running Game Thoughts: Doug Martin
has been okay through the season’s first two games, running
for 130 yards but failing to score. He isn’t huge in the
passing game either, with Charles Sims taking over the role as
lead pass-catching back, so Martin’s usefulness to fantasy
owners this week against Houston is questionable.
And while it’s true the Texans are 26th in the league in
run defense, it was quarterback Cam Newton who had a big game
against them last week, and they haven’t allowed a running
back to find the end zone, so they rank slightly better than average
in terms of fantasy points allowed to opposing backs.
Passing
Game Thoughts: Ryan Mallett took over as Houston’s
starter last week and promptly threw 58 passes in the team’s
loss to Carolina, completing just 27 of them for 244 yards with
one touchdown and an interception. Cecil Shorts led the team with
12 targets, but caught only six of those throws for a middling
34 yards. Nate Washington led the Texans with 63 yards and DeAndre
Hopkins added 53 yards, but his status this week is up in the
air as he is dealing with concussion symptoms.
If Hopkins does go, he’s should be a fantasy starter, but
if not, Washington should be considered for a lower-end WR2 role
against Tampa. The Buccaneers have the league’s sixth-ranked
pass defense, but is tied for 26th in passing scores allowed.
Still, they’re slightly better than average in terms of
fantasy points surrendered to both quarterbacks and tight ends,
but have allowed the ninth-most points to wide receivers.
Running Game Thoughts: Arian Foster
is unlikely to play this week, which is bad news for his fantasy
owners, but worse news for the Texans. An ineffective Alfred Blue
ceded carries to Chris Polk last week, but Polk managed only 38
yards on 14 carries. Polk should be considered a flex option in
deeper leagues, but only because of his match-up with Tampa, who
is 19th in the NFL in run defense and tied for 28th in rushing
scores given up. As such, the Bucs have allowed the second-most
fantasy points in the league to opposing running backs.
Passing
Game Thoughts: With two 350-plus yard games under his belt
already in 2015, Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is
well on his way to contending for the league lead in passing yardage
for the second straight season. Roethlisberger’s four touchdowns
and one interception ratio is also nice and there is reason to
believe that his numbers will only get better once Martavis Bryant
comes off of suspension. For now, the Steelers may opt to have
more balance on offense now that running back Le’Veon Bell
is back from his own suspension. While Bell is a better overall
back than DeAngelo Williams, it’s worth considering that
he is also a better receiver which could actually help Roethlisberger
be more efficient. Top wideout Antonio Brown remains among the
elite at his position as he currently leads all NFL wide receivers
in fantasy points scored through his first two contests. Brown
might be the safest player in all of fantasy football at the moment.
Meanwhile Markus Wheaton has not been nearly as effective as some
expected he would be through the first few weeks of the season.
The third-year wide receiver has only made five receptions on
11 targets with no touchdowns. Meanwhile veteran Darrius Heyward-Bey
seems to be making a case for more playing time as he has made
eight receptions for 135 yards and a touchdown on 12 targets.
Tight end Heath Miller has also gotten off to fast start with
10 receptions through two games, including a touchdown.
The St. Louis defense is an interesting one as the team continues
to get after the opposing quarterback, but they haven’t
yet been tested by a top-level passing game like Pittsburgh. The
Rams held both Russell Wilson and Kirk Cousins in check over the
past two weeks and have currently allowed the eighth-fewest fantasy
points to the position. With Roethlisberger as hot as he is, however,
something has to give. If Pittsburgh can protect their star quarterback,
the St. Louis secondary could be in for a long day. One point
to note is that the Rams have already conceded 12 receptions for
133 yards and a touchdown to opposing tight ends this season,
so Miller might not be a bad option if you’re looking for
a sleeper at the position in Week 3.
Running Game Thoughts: There were a lot of concerns that Pittsburgh
would be a one-dimensional offense while Le’Veon Bell served
his suspension, but that hasn’t been the case. Although
the passing game was leaned on heavily as expected, veteran tailback
DeAngelo Williams unquestionably proved that he still has what
it takes to carry the ball effectively, at least for a short period
of time. Williams rushed for a total of 204 yards and three touchdowns
in Weeks 1 and 2, adding 20 yards on five receptions as a receiver.
Although Williams has been very good, don’t look for him
to play a major role in the Pittsburgh offense going forward,
at least while Bell is healthy. Bell finished as the top-scoring
running back in fantasy football a season ago and he is the type
of game-changing dynamic playmaker that could bring Pittsburgh
from being a great offense all the way up to being the best offense
in the league this season. There have been rumors that Williams
will remain involved in the offense for at least a couple of weeks
as Bell gets acclimated with the offense again, but fantasy owners
would be wise to sit him this week, at least until we see it develop
that way on the field. Bell is too good to bench and it’s
not as if he was injured – he’s at 100-percent and
should be primed to contend as the top running back in fantasy
football this season.
Bell should be in line for a nice matchup in his first game back
as he and the Steelers head into town to face the Rams. St. Louis
has conceded the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing running
backs through the first two games of this season, including a
monster day this past week to rookie Redskins running back Matt
Jones. Jones carved up the defense to the tune of 123 yards and
two touchdowns, adding three receptions for 23 yards. The Rams
were actually quite good against the run in 2014, having held
opposing running backs to the seventh-fewest fantasy points on
the year, but it’s worth noting that the Rams have given
up an average of 131 rushing yards over their past five games
from 2014 and 2015. Bell might not be fully in tune with the offense,
but he is certainly a candidate to lead all running backs in fantasy
production this week.
Passing
Game Thoughts: After a surprisingly effective near-300-yard
Week 1 performance against the Seahawks and their “legion
of boom,” Nick Foles had some fantasy owners excited about
the possibility of him putting up some good numbers against a
much less-stacked secondary in Washington. That optimism didn’t
come to fruition on the field, however, as Foles was held to just
150 yards through the air and the Rams lost the game. The Rams
struggled offensively throughout the afternoon, but just looking
at the box scores doesn’t really tell the whole story as
the Redskins dominated the time of possession by running the football,
which didn’t allow Foles and the Rams offense to get things
going with their own offense. On the positive side, Foles is yet
to throw an interception this season, so his floor may be higher
than we initially thought. Still, there is no real consistent
passing threat in this offense and wide receiver Brian Quick –
whom many expected to lead the team in receiving this season –
has been a scratch in each of the team’s first two contests.
As of now, the team’s top receiver has been tight end Jared
Cook, who has made 10 receptions for 132 yards. Cook has made
five catches in each of the team’s first two games, meanwhile
no Rams wide receiver has even made five receptions total yet.
While Foles did struggle a bit in Week 2, his Week 3 matchup
against the Steelers does appear to be one that he might be able
to exploit and Foles himself is showing up on quite a few sleeper
lists for this weekend’s contests, particularly for those
looking for a cheap option in their daily leagues. The Steelers
have conceded the most fantasy points in the league to opposing
quarterbacks so far this season, having already given up 623 yards,
six touchdowns and no interceptions to the position this season.
It’s no fluke that Pittsburgh has been bad against opposing
QB’s, either. In 2014, the unit gave up a whopping 30 touchdowns
while forcing just 11 interceptions. Going back to the start of
the 2014 season, Pittsburgh has conceded multiple passing touchdowns
to opposing quarterbacks in 14 of their past 18 games.
Running Game Thoughts: With the Rams falling behind and having
the clock controlled against them in Week 2, the return of second-year
tailback Tre Mason fell flat on its face. Mason, who sat out in
Week 1 with an injury, was expected to step in and take over the
lead running back duties for the Rams upon his return. While he
did dominate the running back touches, he got only nine total
touches in Week 2. Cunningham, on the other hand, got five touches
after a 20-touch day in Week 1. While this situation alone would
be tough to predict, things could be getting even more complicated
in Week 3 as rookie first round NFL Draft pick Todd Gurley is
expected to get his first playing time of the year against Pittsburgh.
Gurley is the most talented player in the backfield by a wide
margin, but he has not played meaningful football in quite some
time after suffering a season-ending knee injury this past year
while playing at Georgia. Gurley should eventually take over as
the lead dog in this backfield, but that may not happen right
away.
The trio of Rams running backs are in for what could be a difficult
day against a better-than-believed Pittsburgh run defense. The
Steelers have conceded the sixth-fewest fantasy points to opposing
running backs so far this season, including holding Carlos Hyde
to just 43 yards on 13 carries in Week 2 after the back had just
rushed for 168 yards against the Vikings in Week 1. Pittsburgh’s
defense isn’t unbeatable by any means, but they’re
certainly worse against the pass than they are the run and with
the St. Louis running back situation being as cloudy as any in
the league, it’d be wise for fantasy owners to try to stay
away from this game if they can.
Passing
Game Thoughts: Perhaps there is hope left for the San Francisco
passing game after all. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick has gone
through a lot of scrutiny over the past two seasons, but he reminded
everyone of what he is capable of this past week when he torched
Pittsburgh for 335 yards and a pair of touchdowns through the
air while adding 51 yards on the ground. It was Kaepernick’s
first 300-yard passing day since Week 6 of the 2014 season. Kaepernick’s
92 rushing yards through two games puts him third at the position
behind just Russell Wilson and Cam Newton and there’s no
reason to believe that he won’t continue to put up excellent
rushing numbers despite some peaks and valleys in the passing
game. Along with Kaepernick’s nice day in Week 2 came productive
fantasy days from both of the team’s top two wide receivers,
Torrey Smith and Anquan Boldin, who each caught their first touchdowns
of the season. Perhaps most noteworthy, however, was the five-catch,
62-yard day from tight end Vernon Davis. Sadly, it was Davis’
most receiving yardage in a game since Week 15 of the 2013 season.
While five catches is nothing to be particularly excited about
in itself, the 13 targets that he has seen through the first two
games of the season are certainly an improvement from what he
was getting in 2014.
Kaepernick’s Week 2 matchup against the Steelers was one
of the best possible, but his Week 3 matchup against the Cardinals
isn’t nearly as ideal. The Cardinals secondary appears to
be playing better this season than they did in 2014, as they have
given up a total of just two touchdowns while forcing three interceptions
against the Saints and Bears. While they did give up 355 yards
through the air to Brees, that’s not an out-of-the-ordinary
day for a guy who regularly leads the league in passing yardage.
Kaepernick does look to be improved, but he is still not near
the level of being an elite quarterback and he could be in for
a tough day against this defense, particularly if he decides to
force the ball into tight windows. Still, Kaepernick’s ability
to run the ball does give him a higher floor than most quarterbacks,
so he could be considered as a low-end QB1 this week.
Running Game Thoughts: After starting
the season off about as hot as possible with a huge, 168-yard,
two touchdown day against the Vikings, Hyde fell back to reality
in Week 2 against the Steelers. Pittsburgh has been an underrated
run defense early this season, but 43 yards on 13 carries was
certainly disappointing for those who were hoping for another
big day from Hyde. Of course, it didn’t help that he left
the game early with a leg injury. Now back in practice, Hyde is
expected to play and should be in line for the lion’s share
of he carries in this contest.
Despite frustrating his owners this past Sunday, Hyde represents
some good potential value in Week 3. The Cardinals gave up 90
rushing yards and a touchdown to the Bears’ Matt Forte in
Week 2. They also struggled to slow down the 49ers’ rushing
attack a season ago when Frank Gore abused them for 144 yards
on the ground. Although Hyde is not Gore, many would argue that
he is more physically talented at this point in his career and
we’ve already seen him perform at an elite level this season.
The 49ers’ offense relies heavily on the run, so as long
as he is healthy, Hyde should be at least an RB2.
Passing
Game Thoughts: After another season-ending ACL injury,
many believed that Carson Palmer’s time as an NFL quarterback
could be coming to an end. The 35-year-old veteran has done everything
in his power to silence those critics through the first two weeks
of the season as he and the Cardinals have lit up the scoreboard.
Palmer has already thrown seven touchdown passes – tied
for the NFL lead with Tom Brady – while throwing just one
interception. Perhaps most exciting has been the resurgence of
another veteran in this aerial attack, Larry Fitzgerald, who sits
fifth in the league with 199 receiving yards and has already scored
three times. Those three touchdowns are already more than the
two he scored through the entire 2014 season. Second-year receiver
John Brown is off to a bit of a slow start with only nine receptions
for 91 yards and one touchdown so far, but his 12 targets show
us that he is clearly second on the pecking order in the Arizona
passing game. The one player who has been most disappointing,
however, has been Michael Floyd. Although he was third among the
Cardinals’ receivers on most preseason rankings lists, Floyd
is arguably the most physically skilled of the group, which makes
it surprising that he has only seen two targets through the first
two weeks of the season. He has been hindered by a finger injury,
but was not listed on the injury report for Week 2, so his lack
of usage has to be a bit unsettling for fantasy owners.
The Cardinals’ passing game could be in for another nice
day in Week 3 as they host a San Francisco defense that gave up
a huge, 369-yard, three touchdown performance to Ben Roethlisberger
and the Steelers this past week. While Pittsburgh might have the
league’s best offense right now, Arizona is not far behind
– at least in their passing game – so don’t
be surprised to see Palmer throwing the ball early and often in
this contest. The 49ers’ defense is already depleted from
a personnel standpoint but they will be stretched very thin as
they try to defend all these high-level pass catchers in the Arizona
offense.
Running Game Thoughts: With Andre Ellington already out with
an injury, the Cardinals have been forced to turn to other options
early this season. Veteran Chris Johnson has taken the majority
of the carries, but has been less than explosive with them, rushing
for just 3.6 yards per carry on 30 carries through his first two
games. Johnson has also been a non-factor in the passing game
as he has not yet registered a reception this season. With “CJ2K”
struggling to get going, there seems to be an opportunity for
rookie David Johnson to step in and carve out a role. Johnson
has touched the ball a total of just seven times on offense, but
has amassed 100 total yards on those touches, including two impressive
touchdowns. While Chris Johnson is expected to remain the top
back for now, the rookie’s touches may remain limited, but
if he can continue to impress, the Cardinals may soon be forced
to give him more opportunities.
The 49ers defense started the year off strong by holding Adrian
Peterson to a measly 55 yards on 14 carries and no touchdowns,
leading some to believe that perhaps the grumblings of the unit’s
downfall was a bit of an overreaction. Those grumblings became
a bit louder in Week 2, however, when the 49ers gave up three
touchdowns to Steelers’ backup running back, veteran DeAngelo
Williams. While Williams has looked good so far, it’s hard
to argue that he’s some sort of superstar running back at
this point in his career. Watching those highlights has to have
Chris Johnson salivating, as he has not yet been able to break
off one of his signature big runs.
Passing
Game Thoughts: After being one of the NFL’s most
proficient passing games for the past few seasons, it’s
a bit surprising to see the Bears’ aerial attack looking
as weak as it does. A hamstring injury will almost certainly keep
quarterback Jay Cutler sidelined this week, meaning that the team
will now turn to Jimmy Clausen as they hope to turn their season
around after a disastrous 0-2 start. But with wide receiver Alshon
Jeffery still hampered by a hamstring injury that kept him out
in Weeks 1 and 2, Clausen’s chances of producing quality
fantasy numbers this week have to be among the worst in the league.
To make matters worse, Clausen and the Bears will be on the road
– in Seattle – against what is still believed to be
the best secondary in the league. Oh, and they’re about
to get better as Pro Bowl safety Kam Chancellor officially ended
his holdout and is expected to be back on the field. Needless
to say, the fantasy outlook for the Bears passing game is dismal.
To make matters worse, wide receiver targets Eddie Royal and Marquess
Wilson are playing through injuries. The one player in this passing
game who likely remains a must-start is tight end Martellus Bennett.
Yes, he will likely see a lot of attention from Chancellor, but
Bennett is physically talented enough to win that matchup at least
some of the time even against a fully-prepared Chancellor. With
Chancellor having missed the first two weeks of the regular season
and the entire preseason, however, there is hope that he may make
some mistakes and potentially leave Bennett open in the end zone
for a scoring opportunity.
Running Game Thoughts: If he wasn’t already the most important
non-quarterback in any NFL offense, running back Matt Forte almost
certainly became that this past week when Cutler went down. Forte
has accounted for a higher percentage of the total yardage of
his offense than any NFL running back over the past few seasons,
but he still benefited from what was a high-powered Chicago passing
game. With Clausen now behind center and with Jeffery still likely
sidelined, the reality is that the Bears will be forced to rely
on a more traditional offense – and probably a less-explosive
one. Forte has been great through the first two weeks of the season,
having compiled a total of 202 rushing yards and a touchdown to
go with 69 receiving yards.
In Week 3, look for Forte to be closer to the 29 touch mark that
he saw in Week 1 against the Packers than the 19 touches he saw
in Week 2 against the Cardinals. The Bears simply can’t
rely on Clausen if they hope to win this game, so Forte is going
to have to shoulder a big portion of the workload, both as a runner
and as a receiver. Unfortunately Forte is also nursing a sore
knee and while he is expected to play, he may be a bit less explosive
than he normally is. Still, he’s a must-start for most fantasy
owners even in this tough matchup, particularly in PPR leagues
as he could make some garbage-time receptions near the end of
the game even if the Bears are getting blown out.
Passing
Game Thoughts: We haven’t seen Seattle quarterback
Russell Wilson at his best yet, but even when he’s not performing
at his peak, Wilson has proven that he is still a very capable
fantasy quarterback who has one of the highest floors in the league
simply because of his ability to run the ball. Wilson leads the
league in rushing yardage at the quarterback position through
two games, just as he did a year ago. However, his two interceptions
are a bit uncharacteristic as he has been forced to be a bit more
aggressive with his passes with the Seahawks losing each of their
first two games this season. Wide receiver Doug Baldwin has been
Wilson’s favorite target early as the veteran has made 14
catches for 127 yards and touchdown, but this has led to a bit
of disappointment for owners of tight end Jimmy Graham who have
seen their superstar targeted just 10 times through the team’s
first two contests. Reports indicate that Graham has been upset
with his usage in the offense and with Seattle having invested
significantly in him this past offseason, it would not be surprising
to see them make a concerted effort to satisfy Graham with more
targets in the coming weeks.
Wilson and the Seahawks’ passing attack are in line for
what should be a nice day as they go up against a Chicago Bears
defense that has already conceded seven passing touchdowns this
season while intercepting just one pass. Granted, the Bears have
been up against two of the league’s best passing games in
Arizona and Green Bay, but this unit is certainly among the most
beatable in the league. Going back to 2014, the Bears conceded
the second-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks, including
allowing at least one passing touchdown against them in all but
one game. On the season, the Bears allowed a humiliating 34 passing
touchdowns against them on the year, which translates to an average
of more than two per game. Needless to say, this is the kind of
opportunity that owners of Wilson and Graham have been hoping
for. Both players are elite options at their position this week
and should be started with confidence.
Running Game Thoughts: It’s been a bit of a slow start
for perennial fantasy stud running back Marshawn Lynch who has
rushed for just 114 yards on 33 carries through his first two
games this season. Of course, Lynch has been known as the “closer”
for the Seahawks, who utilize his bulldozing running style to
punish the opposition near the end of games, but he hasn’t
had the opportunity to be a part of that yet this season. This
might be the opportunity he’s been waiting for, however.
With Chicago’s offense completely in shambles, look for
the Seahawks to win the field position battle in this contest,
which should lead to plenty of scoring opportunities for Lynch,
especially late in the game.
Chicago’s run defense might be the best part of their defense
right now, which is a bit pathetic considering they’ve already
given up over 200 yards and two touchdowns on the ground through
their first two games. The Bears were also weak against the run
in 2014 when they gave up nearly 2,300 total yards and 14 touchdowns
to opposing running backs on the year. This all points toward
a real potential for a big game for Lynch, who could make up for
his slow start to the season with a big performance here in Week
3. 25 touches is not out of the question and if he gets to that
number, expect “Beast Mode” to finish as a top five
running back this week.
Passing
Game Thoughts: Philip Rivers has started the season in
strong fashion completing 81.2 percent of his passes for 645 yards
with 4 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. Rivers is equally adept
in the short passing game as he is hauling bombs as he did last
week completing a 40-yard touchdown pass to veteran Malcolm Floyd.
Newcomer Stevie Johnson was on the receiving end of a Rivers’
TD pass for the second consecutive week, and his run after the
catch ability makes him a good target underneath. Kennan Allen
was only targeted 4 times after gaining 166 receiving yards on
his 15 receptions the week before but he should be Rivers’
top target most weeks, at least until Antonio Gates comes back
in Week 5. This is an offense loaded with big targets that can
move well after the catch making for difficult matchups on a weekly
basis. With Romo and Brees battling injury, Rivers could be the
old veteran quarterback that crashes the party at the big boys
table to finish as a top 5 quarterback.
The Vikings currently sit as the 15th ranked pass defense in the
league but have only yielded 2 touchdowns during their first two
games of 2015. The 49ers did not test them through the air as
they ran all over the Vikings on opening weekend but last week
they faced a potent Lions’ passing attack and yielded 286
yards and 2 touchdowns. They did however manage to hit Matt Stafford
repeatedly leaving him battered and bruised. Under Mike Zimmer
the defense made great strides last season and the team was expected
to be a strong defense in 2015. So far they have shown to be average
at best.
Running Game Thoughts: Rookie Melvin Gordon was more involved
in the offense in Week 2 gaining 88 yards on 16 carries and looked
far more explosive than he did in the preseason and during Week
1. He did give way to veteran Danny Woodhead in the second half
as the Chargers moved to a hurry up offense, but the performance
was encouraging. Gordon was more decisive in picking his holes
and accelerating through them which led to some big first half
gains. It was good to see him moving away from the indecisive
backfield dancing that led to many negative runs during the preseason.
This will continue to be a timeshare backfield as Woodhead excels
as a pass blocker and pass catcher and is trusted by the coaching
staff, but in this week’s matchup both backs could approach
a RB2 floor.
The Vikings gave up 230 rushing yards in San Francisco but held
the Lions to only 38 yards in a game where the Lions only ran
the ball 16 times. The Vikings run defense is likely somewhere
in the middle of these past two performances.
Passing
Game Thoughts: Teddy Bridgewater is completing 74 percent
of his passes during the first two weeks of the season. However,
Bridgewater is mostly throwing short and it’s telling that
his longest pass of the season was a short throw to running back
Adrian Peterson which was taken 49 yards after the catch. Bridgewater
threw a touchdown to tight end Kyle Rudolph and also ran one in
from the goaline on a fake handoff and roll out towards the pylon.
Offensive Coordinator Norv Turner is keeping a tight leash on
his young quarterback and has kept the offense conservative which
is somewhat surprising after Bridgewater showed that he was able
to attack downfield at times as a rookie. Breakout candidate Charles
Johnson has been a big disappointment thus far, but could be unleashed
once Turner gets a little more comfortable opening the offense
up.
This could be the week to open things up as the Chargers pass
defense has looked very vulnerable thus far. San Diego is allowing
223 passing yards per game and has yielded 5 touchdowns through
the air. They have also failed to generate much of a pass rush
with only one sack on the season, but do have the talented Melvin
Ingram waiting to make a statement.
Running Game Thoughts: Adrian Peterson was unleashed on the Lions
with 29 carries for 134 yards after a quiet Week 1. Peterson is
now 30 years old so it’s unlikely he will hold up to such
a heavy workload over the course of the season, but expect to
see him being used more like he was in Week 2 than Week 1. Peterson
showed speed and strength in slicing through the Lions’
defense bouncing off defenders for additional yards. He did fumble
twice (only losing one) but should improve his ball security and
frankly even if he doesn’t it’s unlikely he’d
be in danger of losing carries.
Speaking of fumbles, the Chargers forced starting Bengal running
back Jeremy Hill to the sidelines after his two fumbles but then
were run all over by passing back Giovani Bernard for 123 yards.
Expect a heavy workload for Peterson this week with good results
likely.
Passing
Game Thoughts: Andy Dalton is playing very well through
two weeks with his full complement of pass catchers on the field
and healthy. He should be particularly happy about the return
of former first round tight end Tyler Eifert. Eifert who has caught
13 passes for 153 yards and 3 touchdowns during the first two
weeks. The athletic tight end should be the second option on offense
all season. Dalton is completing 6 percent of his passes and has
a 5:0 TD/INT ratio, and is playing as well as any quarterback
in the league outside of Tom Brady. He’s doing all of this
without even getting star wide receiver A.J. Green heavily involved.
Green caught his first touchdown of the season last week against
Oakland but only has 108 yards through the first two games. The
Bengals have a lot of options in the passing game now but Green
is still their best weapon by a considerable margin and should
see heavy targets in upcoming weeks as the competition grows tougher.
Baltimore’s pass defense totally shut down Peyton Manning
and the Broncos in Week 1 and then got lit up by Derek Carr and
the Raiders in Week 2. Welcome to the new unpredictable NFL. The
loss of Terrell Suggs in Week 1 was a major blow to the Baltimore’s
pass rush, but over the course of the season the team will likely
adjust, as the coaching staff has done in the past when players
have gone down. The Bengals have a strong offensive line, are
loaded with weapons on offense and Andy Dalton has played mistake
free football thus far so this will be a real test for a team
that desperately needs a win.
Running Game Thoughts: Jeremy Hill looked like one of the best
running backs in the league during the final nine games of his
rookie season, and he jumped out of the gate right away in Week
1 scoring twice in Oakland. However in Week 2, Hill fumbled twice
and found himself on the bench allowing Giovani Bernard to act
as the bell cow back on his way to 123 yards on the ground against
Oakland. The talk from the Bengals staff is that Hill should see
still a heavy workload with Bernard being used as a change of
pace and third-down back, but Bernard has proven he can handle
a major workload so Hill better find a way to hang onto the football.
Having two quality runners like Hill and Bernard makes this offense
even more dangerous.
The Ravens run defense is still one of the league’s best
despite the loss of Haloti Ngata during the offseason. Through
two weeks they are allowing only 83 rushing yards per game with
a single rushing score. They will need another strong performance
from this unit, with the hopes of making the Bengals’ offense
one dimensional and perhaps bringing “Bad Andy” back
from wherever he’s been hiding so far this season.
Passing
Game Thoughts: Joe Flacco and the passing game bounced
back from a poor effort against the Broncos. Flacco threw for
285 with 2 touchdowns and an interception against the Raiders
with both scores going to tight end Crockett Gillmore. With the
defection of wide receiver Torrey Smith and his supposed replacement
rookie Breshad Perriman on the shelf with a leg injury, the Ravens
are perilously thin at the pass catcher position. Veteran Steve
Smith, who at 36 years of age announced that he will retire at
season’s end, is the only proven weapon at Flacco’s
disposal. That was readily apparent last week when Smith was targeted
15 times, catching 10 balls for 150 yards. Second-year tight end
Gillmore qualifies as the second most dependable target in the
passing game which is very telling. Gilmore is a big target with
nice athleticism and should see heavy volume until another wide
receiver steps up or until rookie tight end Maxx Williams proves
ready for prime time. Running back Justin Forsett has caught 8
balls on the season as well, but has only managed 25 yards on
those catches. Finding a creative way to get him out more in space
should be in offensive coordinator Marc Trestmen’s plans
with the lack of weapons for Flacco.
The Bengals went into Oakland and handled their business with
ease in Week 1 and followed that up with a solid performance against
a solid Dan Diego passing attack in Week 2. On the season the
Bengals are allowing 203 passing yards per game and have given
up 4 passing touchdowns while grabbing 2 interceptions. This aggressive
unit has already recorded 6 sacks on the season and will need
to get pressure on Joe Flacco in Baltimore to keep their record
unblemished.
Running Game Thoughts: The Ravens running game hasn’t gotten
on track thus far and with Lorenzo Taliaferro back it appears
to be a full blown running back by committee may be on the horizon.
Justin Forsett leads the way but rookie Buck Allen has been mixed
in as well as Taliaferro, who seems to be the preferred redzone
runner. This may not be ideal for fantasy owners, but given their
diverse skill sets and Forsett’s age, the utilization of
all three backs makes a lot of sense. Forsett came from journeyman
status last season to be a star runner, but the soon to be 30-year-old
was likely stretched as a workhorse last season. Ideally, the
Ravens should start using him more in the passing game in order
to utilize his speed and shiftiness in space.
The Bengals have held their two opponents to an average of 97
rushing yards per game and have not allowed a rushing touchdown
thus far. Baltimore has struggled to run the ball so far and with
this week’s unfavorable matchup that is unlikely to change.
Passing
Game Thoughts: Derek Carr is coming off of his best game
as a professional. Carr threw for 351 yards with 3 touchdowns
and 1 interception in an upset win over the Baltimore Ravens.
Carr targeted his outside wide receivers, rookie Amari Cooper
and veteran Michael Crabtree, heavily finding each for a touchdown.
The score to Cooper was a 68-yard bomb showing off Cooper’s
underrated speed. Carr was efficient, after struggling in Week
1 before leaving with a hand injury, and found slot wide receiver
Seth Roberts for the game winning score with less than 30 seconds
left. Carr had many fans amongst the draft pundits’ crowd
and perhaps he’s on the verge of rewarding their faith in
him. Oakland fans have been waiting a long time for a franchise
type quarterback and perhaps they are finally having their wishes
granted.
The Browns harassed Marcus Mariota over the course of the entire
game last week sacking him 7 times and bringing him back down
to earth after his outstanding debit the week prior. So perhaps
Carr’s magic carpet ride will come crashing down in Cleveland
as well. Cleveland has a strong front seven and a solid secondary
and should make life miserable for opposing quarterbacks throughout
the season. The Browns are currently the 5th ranked pass defense
in the league holding their opponents to under 200 passing yards
per game.
Running Game Thoughts: Latavius Murray has had a solid start to
his first season as a feature back. Murray is averaging 4.2 yards
per carry and has 109 yards and a touchdown on the ground to go
with his 10 receptions for 58 yards. Murray is 6’3”
and 230 pounds but surprisingly doesn’t run with a lot of
power as he fails to get low and thus loses some leverage. He
does have good speed and athleticism for his size, and if he remains
healthy he should become a solid all around feature back. Roy
Helu was signed during the offseason to potentially be used as
a backup and third down back, but injuries that kept him off the
practice field put him in the coaching staff’s doghouse
and Taiwan Jones who was at one time converted to corner back
before being returned to running back has been getting the carries
behind Murray.
The Browns were one of the worst run defenses in the league last
season and continued that trend so far in 2015 currently sitting
as the 32nd ranked run defense in the league. They did a better
job against Tennessee than the they did the opening week against
the Jets, but are allowing an average of 160 yards per game on
the ground. This should be the way that Oakland looks to attack
this defense.
Passing
Game Thoughts: Josh McCown missed last week’s game
with a concussion while second year pro Johnny Manziel led the
team to its first win on the season. Manziel only threw 15 passes
completing 8 of them, including 50 and 60-yard touchdown passes
to the tiny deep threat Travis Benjamin. Whether going back to
the journeyman McCown is the right call for Cleveland’s
long term health or not, it’s the choice that Mike Pettine
thinks gives the Browns the best chance to win. Self preservation
is a strong instinct, and Pettine doesn’t have a ton of
job security. Benjamin now has three long touchdowns on the season
but he could be hit or miss most weeks for fantasy owners, especially
when you consider that all three touchdowns came from Manziel
and not McCown. Whichever quarterback is under center, one thing
that’s not really debatable is that he’ll be working
with one of the worst collection of skill position players in
the league.
The Raiders secondary has been lit up in consecutive weeks and
the team has allowed 4 touchdown passes to tight ends so far.
The good news for Oakland is that Cleveland really doesn’t
have anyone to fear catching passes from the tight end position.
The team has allowed 326 passing yards per game, so this could
be a good opportunity for McCown to take hold of the quarterback
job for the immediate future.
Running Game Thoughts: Isaiah Crowell
bounced back from a poor showing in Week 1, and found little more
running room against Tennessee. Crowell ran for 72 yards with
a touchdown last week. Rookie Duke Johnson will continue to be
worked in and should handle most of the third down opportunities.
Crowell out-produced the rookie last week and is better suited
to fill the role that the Browns should be seeking from their
running game. This is clearly a team that should be a ball control
offense while relying on their defense to win games.
The Raiders shouldn’t provide much resistance to a ball
control plan, as the team has allowed 236 yards and 3 touchdowns
on the ground during the season’s first two weeks.
Passing
Game Thoughts: Peyton Manning’s arm strength is clearly
diminished, but he still has the smarts and the weapons to get
things done – just ask the Kansas City Chiefs. At 39 years
old and never mobile to begin with he’s also clearly not
a fit for new Head Coach Gary Kubiak’s offense which requires
Peyton to line up under center and often roll out and throw on
the run. When Peyton is forced into this offense he looks finished
as his weak arm does not allow him to throw accurately without
setting his feet. However, when the Broncos fell behind and Kubiak
let Manning return to his familiar shot gun formations, Manning’s
arm strength wasn’t as big of an issue and he was able to
move the offense by taking advantage of his talented outside wide
receivers. Emmanuel Sanders caught 2 touchdown passes and Demaryius
Thomas caught everything thrown to him even when he was well covered.
The pair should remain top end wide receivers throughout the season
so long as Gary Kubiak wises up and allows Manning to run the
offense that’s made him a Hall of Famer and not the offense
that made Matt Schaub an average quarterback.
The Lions gave up 388 passing yards in Week 1 but held a conservative
Vikings passing attack under 200 yards in Week 2. The Lions cornerbacks
will be hard pressed to cover the Broncos’ wide receivers
so their only hope is to put pressure on Manning by beating the
sieve of a line in front of him. Putting Manning in the shotgun
helps him use his quick release to not only cover up his arm limitations
but also the deficiencies of the blockers in front of him.
Running Game Thoughts: The weak
offensive line has not done the Broncos’ running game any
favors and both running backs have suffered as a result. C.J.
Anderson has been particularly disappointing after finishing last
season looking like one of the best running backs in the league.
He has 56 yards rushing through two weeks and is in danger of
losing his starting spot. Ronnie Hillman hasn’t fared much
better but his quickness has helped him deal with the poor blocking
in front of him a little better. Without a strong running game,
Kubiak’s fondness for play action doesn’t work well.
The Lions run defense took a hit this offseason with the departures
of Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley but after a solid Week 1, the
defense allowed Adrian Peterson to have his way in Week 2. As
a result the Lions are allowing 147 yards per game on the ground
and have yielded 2 rushing touchdowns per game. This should be
the week that the Denver running game gets under way, if it has
any hope of happening.
Passing
Game Thoughts: Matthew Stafford was beaten up badly during
the first two games leaving some doubt as to his availability
this week. His is practicing in full so it’s likely that
he will take the field, but the Broncos fierce pass rush is not
what he needs. Calvin Johnson wasn’t targeted much in Week
1 so the team rightfully rectified that by targeting him 17 times
in Week 2 and he responded with 10 catches for 83 yards and a
touchdown. The low yards-per-catch is a little disturbing but
after sitting out all of the preseason games, he’s likely
shaking off some rust and the explosiveness should come back.
Second year tight end Eric Ebron, has been a pleasant surprise
after a disappointing rookie season and is showing why the team
used the No.12 overall pick on him in last year’s draft.
He has a touchdown in each game so far. With Golden Tate also
in the mix, the weapons are there for a high powered passing attack
if the team can keep Stafford upright.
The Broncos are the top ranked passing defense holding Joe Flacco
and Alex Smith in check while putting tremendous pressure on both.
They have six sacks on the season and the Wade Phillips defense
is the perfect fit for Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware. Stafford
will have to be aware of Aquib Talib’s who already has two
interceptions with last week’s being returned for a touchdown.
Running Game Thoughts: Ameer Abdullah
scored a 24-yard touchdown on his first NFL carry but has struggled
since. Last week the Lions abandoned the run early and Abdullah
rushed for only 9 yards on 7 carries. The rookie has been getting
more snaps than the veteran Joique Bell who missed all of the
preseason recovering from multiple surgeries. This should remain
a timeshare backfield with clearly defined roles since both backs
have very specific skill sets. Theo Riddick also mixes in as a
pass catching option out of the backfield. Abdullah is the only
back with star potential but his production may be hindered by
the RBBC that offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi prefers.
Denver has also been a strong defense against the run allowing
only 108 yards per game with 2 rushing touchdowns despite facing
two good rushing attacks in Baltimore and Kansas City. This is
by far the best defense Peyton Manning has ever had on his side,
and with him looking very near the end, it just may be the defense
that gets him his second ring.
Passing
Game Thoughts: After two games, the streak continues. Alex
Smith hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass to a wide receiver,
and last week his only touchdown pass went to Broncos’ defender
Aquib Talib. Smith is a smart and efficient quarterback but struggled
last week after throwing for three scores against the Texans in
Week 1. Jeremy Maclin was signed to a big contract this offseason
giving Smith the best wide receiver he’s had in years. In
typical Smith fashion, the Week 1 touchdown receptions went to
tight end Travis Kelce (x2) and running back Jamaal Charles. The
lack of touchdowns to wide receivers had a lot to do with the
talent level in place last season but also with the play calling
and Smith’s penchant for checking down. I do believe a wide
receiver is going to be on the receiving end of a touchdown pass
very soon, [spoiler alert] maybe even this week.
The Packers’ pass defense allowed only 226.4 ypg in 2014
which was good enough for a top 10 finish, and the team has picked
up where it left off. On the season the team is allowing 209 passing
yards per game with 3 touchdowns. Clay Matthews, still being used
in the middle linebacker spot, is no longer an impact pass rusher
which has made the Packers’ defense a little less intimidating,
but they still have some impact pass rushers in place including
veteran Julius Peppers who resurrected his career last season
in Green Bay and already has 2.5 sacks on the season.
Running Game Thoughts: Jamaal Charles had two costly fumbles last
week, including one that was returned for the game winning score
with :26 seconds left in the game, but he’s obviously in
no danger of losing carries as a result. Charles is by far the
best player in this offense and will be the focal point each week.
He’s an adept pass catcher out of the backfield which is
an important role in this offense and is used as the bell cow
back, as he’s capable in all aspects of the position. The
Chiefs have a solid front line to open things up for the running
game, but Charles is the type of back that can make things happen
on his own anyway. Knile Davis is one of the better backup runners
in the league and has produced well when Charles has missed time,
and will show up on the stat sheet from time to time even when
Charles is healthy, like last week when he ran for an 8-yard score.
The Packers were a below average run defense in 2014, allowing
119.9 yards per game and 11 rushing touchdowns. They were even
worse on opening day where the Bears gained 189 yards against
them, but bounced back a bit holding the Seahawks strong running
game to 119 total yards. Lambeau Filed is a tough place to play
for opposing quarterbacks, so expect the Chiefs to attempt to
run the ball early and often.
Passing
Game Thoughts: Last year’s MVP, Aaron Rodgers, is
back on pace leading the Packers to a 2-0 start while throwing
5 touchdowns early in the season. Veteran James Jones, who was
re-signed shortly after Jordy Nelson was lost for the season,
has been on the other end of three of those scoring tosses. Rookie
Ty Montgomery may have earned some more playing time as he looked
to be a playmaker, catching 4 passes, while subbing in for Davante
Adams who left the game last week with an ankle injury. The Packers
will continue to spread the wealth all season, but fantasy owners
need not worry because there are plenty of riches to go around
in this offense. Randall Cobb caught the non-Jones touchdown in
Week 1 and it was tight-end Richard Rodgers taking on that duty
in Week 2. Aaron Rodgers is arguably one of the most talented
players at the position in NFL history and will continue to make
stars out of his pass catchers this season as well.
The Kansas City pass defense has yielded big numbers so far, but
in Week 1 much of that came in garbage time and last week, the
Broncos picked things up late in an effort to get back into the
game. Demaryius Thomas dominated despite good coverage by the
KC corners. The Chiefs have an excellent pass rush that dominated
a weak Denver o-line, and will need more of the same if the team
will have any hope of leaving Lambeau Field with a winning record.
Running Game Thoughts: Eddie Lacy left last week’s game
with an ankle sprain and veteran James Starks got the job done
gaining 95 yards on his 20 carries. Lacy is expected to be able
to take the field on Monday night but the situation bears monitoring.
For those that own Lacy, Starks is a must have in order to make
the late switch if Lacy suffers a setback. Starks isn’t
as strong of a runner as Lacy, but is similar in style as he’s
also a no-nonsense straight ahead runner that can bounce off of
defenders. Should Lacy miss the game, the team may lean on the
passing game more than usual but don’t expect a massive
departure from the balanced offense the team likes to run.
The stout Chiefs run defense will however present a challenge
to either back. Kansas City has not allowed a rushing touchdown
on the season and has allowed only 79.5 yards per game.
Passing
Game Thoughts:
Passing
Game Thoughts:
Passing
Game Thoughts:
Passing
Game Thoughts:
Passing
Game Thoughts:
Passing
Game Thoughts:
Passing
Game Thoughts:
Passing
Game Thoughts:
Passing
Game Thoughts:
Passing
Game Thoughts:
Passing
Game Thoughts:
Passing
Game Thoughts:
Passing
Game Thoughts:
Passing
Game Thoughts:
Passing
Game Thoughts:
Passing
Game Thoughts:
Passing
Game Thoughts:
Passing
Game Thoughts:
Passing
Game Thoughts:
Passing
Game Thoughts:
Passing
Game Thoughts:
Passing
Game Thoughts:
Passing
Game Thoughts:
Passing
Game Thoughts:
Passing
Game Thoughts:
Passing
Game Thoughts:
Passing
Game Thoughts:
Passing
Game Thoughts:
Passing
Game Thoughts:
Passing
Game Thoughts:
Passing
Game Thoughts:
Passing
Game Thoughts:
