I completely get it.
In drafting A.J. Green this year in fantasy football — which didn’t cost a ton after a 2019 mostly lost to injury — you hoped he could get back to being the wide receiver who had 964 yards or more in seven straight seasons, until his past two years were cut short.
But the Cincinnati Bengals vet hasn’t produced in his first two games — he’s grabbed just eight passes for 80 yards. Not great at all.
But there are signs that Green could be on his way to getting back to at least some of his past consistency.
Let’s start with what we saw Thursday night in the loss to the Cleveland Browns — at times, it was good coverage from Denzel Ward. At others, it was getting on the same page with rookie QB Joe Burrow.
That led to a frustrating night: just three catches on a whopping 13 targets. Sadly, targets don’t get points in fantasy.
AJ Green was really targeted 13 times last night but 6 (SIX!) Bengals had more receptions than him. Wild.
— Joe Marino (@TheJoeMarino) September 18, 2020
AJ Green just became the 35th player since targets became a stat (1992) to catch 3 or fewer passes while seeing at least 13 targets. pic.twitter.com/B7xMSL8jd8
— Ryan McDowell (@RyanMc23) September 18, 2020
But here’s the thing: getting targeted 13 times means Burrow likes looking his way. And at some point, as Green gets acclimated to NFL play again (remember, no preseason this year!) and Burrow learns his position, those targets will turn into catches.
This also caught my eye:
Everyone is talking about how A.J. Green caught just 3 of 13 targets last night. OK. Fine.
But through 2 games, on 22 targets, he has an AVG. depth of target over 15.0.
Basically, Burrow is going to him deep and often. Give it time.
(And don't worry, I still love Boyd, too!)
— Fantasy Mike (@FantasyMikeBBF) September 18, 2020
Most air yards in a game this season:
A.J. Green (vs. CLE) – 227
Julio Jones – 190
Calvin Ridley – 187
DeSean Jackson – 186
Davante Adams – 168
Will Fuller – 160 pic.twitter.com/XpPoEVLVVD— PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy) September 18, 2020
That tells me that WHEN they connect, it’s going to mean the yards will pile up. And after we saw Burrow throw a ton toward the end of the game, we know there’s going to be more volume.
So maybe you leave Green on the bench for the next week or so. But don’t drop him yet. There are signs some good stuff could be in store.
[jwplayer ytYBtAt4-q2aasYxh]