With his demons seemingly recaged (for the time being) Brown has
been able to focus on football these past few months. Reports from
camp have him looking better than ever (his talent was never the
question), and more time in this offense will enable him to expand
his role in the scheme. With Chris Godwin a late-add to the injury
report, there is a good chance Brown plays a more prominent role
Thursday night. Brown should be able to get behind the defense for
a few big hits, and a scenario where he leads the team in receiving
this week is not impossible.
If you watched the Jets this preseason (not my choice living in
Northern Jersey) you could see the obvious chemistry that Davis
and rookie quarterback Zach Wilson have built. With rookie 2nd rounder
Elijah Moore missing a chunk of time with a leg injury, and Jamison
Crowder also banged up (and on the Covid list), Davis has looked
fast and fluid. Although he largely was a disappointment in Tennessee
as the 5th overall pick in 2017, he was a big free agent addition
for the Jets and brings a size/speed/leadership element this unit
has lacked since Robby Anderson left. Davis should easily lead this
team in receiving early in the year, so take advantage.
With the sorry state of both of these defenses, the Philly/Atlanta
match-up should feature some major fireworks this week. With Julio
Jones shipped off to the Titans, Ridley is truly the alpha dog in
the passing game. With only rookie Kyle Pitts to compete with for
targets, Ridley has a legit shot to lead the NFL in several major
receiving categories. Already a top-5 player at his position, Ridley
should feast against a Philly secondary that gave up the 6th most
points to receivers last year.
Call this the Ramsay effect, as a Rams #5 jersey figures to be draped
over Robinson Sunday night. Add in the fact that Andy Dalton will
likely be running for his life, it’s going to be difficult
for Robinson to shake free and make big plays down the field. Big
Rob will have his moments, and is still too good to consider sitting,
but the payoffs might not come until Justin Fields is able to find
his way into the huddle. Temper expectations during a brutal match-up.
There is a ton of buzz surrounding this Denver team, and I’m
struggling to figure out why. Sure Teddy Bridgewater is an upgrade,
but his limited skillset doesn’t suddenly make this offense
deadly. Somehow they are favored by 2.5 on the road against a scrappy
Giants team that nearly snuck into the playoffs last year. The G-men
secondary was one of the best in the NFL in 2020, and that was before
the additions in free agency and the draft. They yielded the 8th
fewest fantasy points to receivers, and because Bridgewater’s
arm talent is limited, they should be able to play tight coverage.
There will be big games to be had this season for this Denver duo,
but Week 1 isn’t the place I’m counting on that happening.
Curtis Samuel vs. LAC
Sidelined for nearly the entire preseason, Samuel returned to practice
this week and looked to be trending in the right direction for Sunday.
(Reports have him leaving practice early on Wednesday so look out!).
So while it's a decent bet Samuel will suit up, I can’t imagine
he’s a big part of the game plan. I could see the WTF getting
him some touches around the line of scrimmage to get him some work,
but he doesn’t have the conditioning to do much more than
a few scattered touches. I’d be inclined to bench Samuel this
week in all formats until he gets his legs under him.
