Give me some Mike Evans this week! Slowed
by illness in Week 1 and overshadowed by teammate Chris Godwin
last week, it hasn’t been much of a start for the stud receiver.
Things change this week, as the Giants come to town sporting the
worst defense in the NFL north of South Beach. The Giants are
playing a rookie at corner, a burnable vet on the other side,
and an undersized linebacker/safety hybrid who hasn’t been
able to cover anyone since his days at Michigan. With virtually
no pass rush to worry about, Winston should have time to dial
up plenty of deep shots to Evans. There likely won’t be
a better matchup this season for the Tampa passing game (wait
do they play Miami?) so get in while you can.
Hey what do you know, the fantasy tight end
position is a dumpster fire yet again! Undrafted in many leagues,
Olsen has quietly put together a productive start to the year.
Seeing 9 targets in each game, Olsen offers the position more
chances than most, and with Cam Newton likely out, or very compromised,
look for Olsen and his reliable route running to be a big part
of the conservative game plan. Always a threat to blow a tire,
Olsen has still been a top-10 option without yet finding the end
zone. Also working in his favor is the match-up. Arizona has given
up monster numbers (17 receptions, 273 yards, 3 touchdowns) to
tight ends this season, as they simply seem to be forgetting to
cover opposing tight ends. Olsen isn't likely to find much ink
in this part of the column for the rest of the year, so why not
strike now!
I’ll admit this is a deep,
risky call here this week, but what’s the Shot Caller’s
Report without calling a few shots right?! It’s no secret
that the Eagles receiving corps has been decimated by injury this
week, with Jackson and Jeffrey likely to be out this week against
the Lions. In comes Arcegia-Whitesite, the team’s 2nd round
selection in the draft this spring. Big, strong, and fast, JJ
was a touchdown machine at Stanford last season, and steps into
a big role on the offense this week. He instantly becomes a red-zone
threat due to his size, and his deceptive speed also makes him
a threat to go deep as well. With most of the defensive attention
on Ertz and Agholor, Arcegia-Whiteside should see plenty of single
coverage and that could mean plenty of chances to make plays.
If you lost one of the Eagles receivers, or have underperforming
backups, plug in the hyphenated rookie as an upside WR3 play.
Busting out of the gates with a
massive 5-125-1 line in Week 1, McLaurin proved it was no fluke,
as he dropped a 5-62-1 line in Week 2, and has established himself
as Washington’s No.1 option in the passing game. With a
giant target on his back the Bears' defense is sure to pay close
attention to the rookie this week. The Bears completely shut down
the Packer receivers in Week 1 and were nickel and dimed in Week
2 against Denver. McLaurin’s game is predicated on deep
plays, and I can’t see Case Keenum having much time to throw
deep very often against this pass rush. If he can manage to produce
against this defense I’m a true believer, but I wouldn’t
trust him as a starter this week.
I was sure Miller was going to be
a difference maker for this team and in fantasy this year but
for whatever reason he’s been nearly invisible. It doesn’t
help that Trubisky has been a disaster, but this Chicago offense
doesn’t seem to have any identity or role stability. Miller
has only seen 2 total targets this season and unless a significant
statistic game happens very soon, he’s going to be waiver
fodder. As long as the backs siphon all of the short yardage targets
their way, Miller is going to struggle to return any value.
I know this fantasy position is a mess, and
it’s hard to sit anyone remotely capable of production,
but Ebron is so flakey, he’s nearly impossible to trust.
Completely touchdown dependent, Ebron only has 7 targets this
season, which is only two more than fellow tight end Jack Doyle.
The Indy offense is predictably struggling without Andrew Luck,
and with limited trips to the red zone being a continuing problem,
Ebron’s floor is too low to risk. If you have other options
go for it if you can.
