Category: General Fantasy Football Analysis

Bumps, Bruises and Bowouts

Quite a day with players leaving the field. There were a few that missed time and returned to their game, but far too many missed the rest of the day if not their season.

WR Parris Campbell – Knee
QB Drew Lock – Shoulder
RB Cam Akers – Ribs
RB Saquon Barkley – Knee
QB Jimmy Garopollo – Ankle
RB Raheem Mostert – Knee
WR Breshad Perriman – Ankle
WR Sterling Shepard – Toe
WR Chris Hogan – Ribs
RB Christian McCaffrey – Ankle
TE Dawson Knox – Concussion
WR Courtland Sutton – Knee
WR Davante Adams – Hamstring
QB Tyrod Taylor – Chest
WR Sammy Watkins – Head
RB Tevin Coleman – Knee

Chasing Ambulances

So many ambulances, so few waiver wire picks…

RB Saquon Barkley – He is feared to have torn his ACL which is devastating for the Giants (and your fantasy team). Dion Lewis is the primary backup. He ran for a touchdown against the Bears but was held to only 20 yards on ten carries. Lewis added four receptions for 36 yards and the Giants will need to throw more with an obviously degraded rushing offense. Most leagues did not see Lewis drafted, so he’ll be a hot property on the waiver wire. The Giants catch no breaks though with the 49ers, Rams and Cowboys up next but his work as a receiver will help him generate fantasy points.

RB Christian McCaffrey – The Panther’s star running back missed most of the fourth quarter. He’ll be tested on Monday to determine the severity of his ankle injury. Mike Davis is his primary backup and while he only ran once in the game, he accounted for eight catches for 74 yards. The Panthers face the Chargers and Cardinals next, so the passing will be more important than rushing anyway. Davis should belong to the McCaffrey owner and is worth snapping up if McCaffrey ends up missing any time.

WR Parris Campbell – Ran an end-around and was hit at the knee. He was carted off – never a good sign. The rookie Michael Pittman filled in with four catches for 37 yards in the win over the Vikings and will move up to cover for Campbell. Zach Pascal caught a touchdown on his three catches for 19 yards. Pittman is the better option though he is a rookie. The Colts face the Jets and Bears next, so keep expectations low.

QB Drew Lock – This only matters in leagues starting two quarterbacks. Lock will have his injured shoulder tested on Monday. Jeff Driskel took his place and threw for 256 yards and two scores on the Steelers. The Broncos face the Buccaneers, Jets and Patriots next so there are no soft secondaries on the horizon anyway.

QB Jimmy Garopollo – Reported to have a high ankle sprain which typically takes a few weeks and can take a month or two depending on the severity. Nick Mullens finished out the game and he started  eight games in 2018 with a few 300-yard efforts. The defense was much worse then and the 49ers were forced to throw well over 30 times in each game. That won’t likely be the case with a better defense but Mullens has experience in this offense. The 49ers  play the Giants, Eagles and Dolphins next, and none of those seem likely to spark a shootout.

RB Raheem Mostert/Tevin Coleman – Both backs left with sprained knees and neither is initially expected to be severe. Mostert is thought to have a mild MCL sprain while Coleman’s injury came later in the game and information wasn’t released. Jerick McKinnon came in and ran just three times but gained 77 yards and scored a 16-yard touchdown. McKinnon should be on the roster for the Mostert owner anyway and now is a must-have. With the Giants, Eagles and Dolphins on the schedule next and Jimmy Garopollo hurt, the rushing offense should be called on even more in the coming weeks.

WR Davante Adams – He was banged up early when his leg was rolled up on and later left with a reported hamstring strain. The reality is that the Packers did not need him to  beat the Lions, so the unknown severity may not be that bad. Marquez Valdes-Scantling would be in line for more work if Adams misses time and he caught three passes for 64 yards on Sunday. The Packers face the Saints and Falcons next, so the passing offense will need to show up. Valdes-Scantling is worth rostering regardless of Adam’s status but could merit a fantasy start if Adams misses time.

Free Agents, Flops and Other Notables

WR Calvin Ridley – It has only been two weeks, but Ridley is currently the No. 1 fantasy wideout with a total of 16 catches for 239 yards and four touchdowns. No other wideout has more than two. Julio Jones has zero.

WR CeeDee Lamb – The Cowboys rookie just turned in his first century-mark game with six catches for 106 yards  in the win over the Falcons. That adds to the five receptions for 59 yards in the opener. Michael Gallup broke 1,000-yards last season but only totaled five catches for 108 yards after two games. Lamb has already become the No. 2 wideout for the Cowboys.

TE Dalton Schultz – The Cowboys’ Blake Jarwin blew his knee last week and his replacement Dalton Schultz wasted no time in making his mark. The third-year tight end led the team with ten targets that became nine catches for 88 yards and one touchdown.

Detroit backfield – Kerryon Johnson (8-32, TD) scored the lone rushing touchdown in Week 2 but D’Andre Swift scored it in Week 1 while Adrian Peterson was the main rusher (14-93) in that game. Only this week, Peterson only ran seven times for 41 yards. The bottom line here is that there is no bottom line. This backfield is shifting significantly from week to week. Playing at the Cardinals and then against the Saints is not likely to help clarify anything.

RB Jonathan Taylor – Fantasy drafters took a chance on this half of a committee backfield. But Marlon Mack is already on injured reserve and Taylor just rushed 26 times for 101 yards and one score against the Vikings.

TE Mike Gesicki – The third-year Dolphin tight end led the team with eight catches for 130 yards and one touchdown. Ryan Fitzpatrick had a big passing day with 328 yards, but Gesicki’s 11 targets were two more than any other receiver.

RB Frank Gore – With Le’Veon Bell on IR, the Jets turned to Gore as the primary back but he only managed 63 yards on 21 rushes (3.0 YPC) and did not record a catch. La’Mical Perine only ran three times but gained 17 yards. The Jets offense looks woeful already and they also gave a carry to Kalen Ballage and Josh Adams.

TE Tyler Higbee – He freakishly ended 2019 with four straight 100-yard games but only totaled three touchdowns for a career-best season. On Sunday, Higbee turned five catches into 54 yards and three scores. It’s all gravy from here on out.

Rams backfield – Yet another committee situation with constant change. Cam Akers left with a rib injury after three carries which should have boosted Malcolm Brown’s stats. After all, Brown ran for 79 yards and two scores as the primary rusher in Week 1. But Darrell Henderson went from three runs for six yards in the opener to leading the backfield with 12 rushes for 81 yards and two receptions for 40 more.  There is fantasy value that comes out of this backfield each week. It just isn’t the same back with the best stats each time.

RB James Conner – Nothing more motivating than seeing your backup (Benny Snell) run for 113 yards in Week 1. Conner healed quickly, fell off the injury report and then ran for 106 yards and a score on 16 carries in the win over the Broncos. The Texans are up next and they just gave up 230 rushing yards on 37 rushes to the visiting Ravens.

RB Leonard Fournette – The Buccaneers started Ronald Jones and he scored the first touchdown of the game. But he ended with only seven runs for 23 yards because they also gave Fournette 12 carries which he turned into 103 yards and two touchdowns. That was up from his five yards on five rushes in the opener when Jones ran 17 times for 66 yards. This is still a committee backfield, but Fournette only needed two games to be given the primary job. He also added four receptions for 13 yards while Jones was only good for two catches for four yards. Yes, LeSean McCoy is there as well and caught five passes, but he lost a yard on his only carry. This could all change yet again, but, for now, Fournette appears to be the best bet Buccaneer back.

RB James Robinson – So maybe he was a surprise depth chart climber for the Jaguars one week before the season started. He is currently the No. 13 best fantasy running back on the young season and ran for 102 yards and a touchdown at the Titans on only 16 carries. He added three catches for 18 yards as well.

TE Jonnu Smith – Many tight ends perform better at the start of the season, but Smith is making a critical difference for the Titans. With AJ Brown out, he led the team with four catches for 84 yards and two touchdowns and is currently the No. 2 best tight end behind  only Travis Kelce.

Washington backfield – What a headache. Peyton Barber was the primary back in the opener with 17 carries and two touchdowns in the opener. Antonio Gibson and J.D. McKissic were mostly ignored. In Week 2 at the Cardinals, Gibson became the main back with 13 runs for 55 yards and a score while McKissic gained 53 yards on eight rushes with no targets because, you know, he’s the third-down, pass-catching back. The only certainty here is that Bryce Love is a complete nonfactor and was inactive for both games.

Baltimore backfield – The Ravens won handily against the Texans and that does yield more rushing attempts and spreads the wealth more. But Mark Ingram (9-55, TD), J.K. Dobbins (2-48), and Gus Edwards (10-73) all had effective production without a big game by anyone. And that doesn’t even count the 16 runs by primary back Lamar Jackson.

WR Brandon Cooks – He opened the year with only two catches for 25 yards but then led the team – against the Ravens no less – with five receptions for 95 yards in Week 2. Randall Cobb (5-59) also was better while Will Fuller never recorded a catch. Playing at the Steelers this week probably won’t help their stats, but then again, playing the Ravens wasn’t supposed to either.

QB Justin Herbert – The rookie learned that he was the Week 2 starter literally after the coin flip and before the kickoff since Tyrod Taylor re-aggravated a chest injury and went to the hospital. The Taylor era may already be over. The rookie almost beat the visiting Chiefs when he passed for 311 yards and one score, plus he ran in a touchdown as a Chargers quarterback for the first time since 2011. Better yet, his two best receivers were Keenan Allen (7-96) and Hunter Henry (6-83). And now they face the visiting Panthers? Things are looking up for the Bolts.

QB Cam Newton – It appears that fantasy drafters got a steal when they took Newton. He just passed for 397 yards and a score with his three best receivers being the three starting wideouts – Julian Edelman (8-179), N’Keal Harry (8-72) and Damiere Byrd (6-72). He also ran for two scores and very nearly three on his 11 rushes for 47 yards. The Pats lost their game on the final play from the two-yard line when they attempted the exact play that they had called the first two times that Newton scored. There is no debate – Newton is more productive than the last Patriots quarterback. Cannot remember his name…

Huddle player of the week

Aaron Jones  –  Dak Prescott was a very close second, but we all knew at home against the Falcons he should have a big game. Jones was at home as well, but clearly outdistanced all other running backs (and did not get injured) when he ran for 168 yards on 18 carries plus caught four passes for 68 yards. He scored twice – once on a 75-yard run and again on a 14-yarder at the end of the game. He cranked out 41.6 points in a PPR league and 37.6 without receptions points.

Salute!

Drama 101 – Somebody has to laugh, somebody has to cry

Now get back to work…