Even if A.J. Green plays, Tyler Boyd makes
for a good play in a game with a 52 over/under.
Grab a Helmet
Tyler
Boyd @ ATL: A.J. Green says he’s playing this weekend
and while that may sound like lousy news for those counting on Boyd
(6 catches, 132 yards, and a score v. Carolina last week), I think
it’s actually terrific news. It’s fun to think a WR2 sliding into
the WR1 role will instantly see an uptick in production, but it’s
not that simple. WR1s attract more attention and that attention,
especially in the form of a shutdown corner, can effectively counteract
the expected benefit of more involvement in the offense. Boyd’s
doing just fine as the WR2 for Cincy and only slightly lags behind
Green from a production standpoint. He’s garnered just four fewer
targets in three games and has posted 1.78 fantasy points/target
to Green’s 1.83. Put another way, he’s playing like a Top 10 receiver
and you probably got him off the waiver wire a week ago.
Michael
Crabtree or John
Brown @ PIT: Word out of Ravens training camp in August
was that Joe Flacco looked like a new man, energized by the Ravens’
daring decision to draft an eventual/possible replacement so highly
(Lamar Jackson at the end of Round 1) but also by a retooled receiving
corps that offered a higher ceiling than the one he struggled to
make points with in 2017. Fast-forward a month or so and Flacco,
not at all in danger of losing snaps to Jackson, is sitting 13th
overall at QB and making consistently good connections with his
new pass-grabbers, Crabtree and Brown. The former is still a reliable
chain-mover while the latter can blow the roof off the sucker at
any given moment. Expect lots of fireworks Sunday night when a typically
rugged divisional battle features (my guess) a whole bunch of points.
Maybe even consider Willie Snead IV.
Will
Fuller @ IND: Make that two games and two successive
100-yard outings for the Texans’ other game-breaking wideout, Mr.
Fuller. A balky hamstring kept him out of action in Week 1, which
possibly caused him to fall off some fantasy radars, but he’s definitely
back on them now and, barring any other setbacks, could be well
on his way to joining DeAndre Hopkins in the WR Top 10 come year’s
end. The Texans are running the ball fairly well, but have been
playing from behind almost all season, so it’s reasonable to expect
the pigskins to keep flying around. This may be even more true as
Deshaun Watson gains his sea legs (already happening) and finds
the groove that made him a rookie sensation in 2017. Watson, Hopkins,
and Fuller are the best things the Texans having going on offense,
so don’t overthink it. He’s in your lineup always.
Grab Some Wood
Corey
Davis v. PHI: I love my boy Mariota (@#$%, DUCKS!),
but he’s playing with a wounded wing (the one that counts) and
would probably be sitting down still if the Titans had another
viable option to run the offense. It’s debatable whether they
had one, anyway, with a healthy Blaine Gabbert taking snaps, but
now Austin Davis appears to be Marcus’ safety net. If Tennessee
beats the defending Super Bowl champs with Austin Davis playing
meaningful minutes this Sunday, they may as well just cancel Coach
of the Year voting and send the trophy to Music City c/o Mike
Vrabel. Davis’ target share is healthy already, but the quality
of said targets is likely to improve the further away Mariota
gets from that Week 1 injury. Until we see this duo turn the corner,
it’s advisable to sit them down, especially with an angry/focused
Eagles team coming to town.
Marquise
Goodwin @ LAC: Remember when Goodwin was shooting up
draft boards just a couple short months ago? Through three weeks—and
two games of action for him—he has three receptions and one rushing
attempt totaling 28 yards. Had he not scored a TD at Arrowhead
last weekend, he’d be sitting on exactly 2.8 fantasy points for
the season. There’s one other receiver with that many points and
his name is Vyncint Smith. Yes, I had to look him up too. Goodwin’s
had some bad injury luck of his own, of course, but it’s his QB’s
bad injury luck that could ultimately cause the most long-term
damage to his value. I don’t think you can cut him yet as there’s
always a chance C.J. Beathard is the second coming of Kurt Warner.
You definitely can’t start him, however, until you see how it’s
all gonna shake down in SF.
Larry
Fitzgerald v. SEA: Ya’ think Fitz ever wakes up and
legitimately wonders why the heck he’s still bothering to
put himself through the NFL wringer at age 35? I’m almost
47 and can barely summon the energy to sit at a desk all day.
That might say more about me than Fitz, true, but I guess my point
is this: Getting old sucks and getting old playing wide receiver
for Arizona seems like it would suck exponentially more. The Cards
turn to Josh Rosen this Sunday after the predictable collapse
of the Sam Bradford era, but I don’t see that changing Fitz’s
fantasy fortunes a lick. Rosen doesn’t possess great arm
talent or athleticism and didn’t win a lot at UCLA. Right
or wrong, I’m always dubious of QBs who don’t win
a lot at the college level (looking at you too, Josh Allen). Sit
Fitz down against Seattle.
