Breshad Perriman steps up big in loss to Texans

With Tampa Bay Buccaneers Pro Bowl receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin not playing, the game plan for the Bucs was that Breshad Perriman would be the number one receiver for the team when the Houston Texans came to Tampa. Perriman, coming off of a …

Perriman, coming off of a game where he had five catches for 113 yards and three touchdowns in the Bucs’ 38-17 win over the Detroit Lions, was not slowed down by the Texans defense either. Perriman saw 12 passes come his direction, and was able to haul in seven of them for 102 yards.

Throughout the game, Perriman had a series of toe-tapping catches on the sidelines and was clearly Jameis Winston’s go-to in the passing game. Fellow wide receiver Justin Watson saw 10 targets come in his direction and caught five of them for 43 yards and a score. When a team is missing their top receiver, there is usually a significant lull in the offense, let alone missing the top two targets, both of whom are over 1,000 yards receiving on the year. To have someone like Perriman that is capable of stepping up and filling the shoes left by Evans and Godwin, and effectively filled the void, is a blessing for any team.

On March 14, 2019, the Buccaneers brought in Perriman on a one-year contract for $4 million and he has shown what he can do for the team when he is utilized. This puts the Bucs in an interesting position on what to do with him going forward, but smart money says to bet on the team offering him another deal and get a full year of Evans, Godwin and Perriman in the Bruce Arians system, now that the team has seemingly fully bought in.

While Godwin has not been officially placed on IR alongside Evans, it’s assumed that Perriman will see the lions’ share of targets for the Week 17 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons.

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Texans defense has to be mindful of Buccaneers receiver Breshad Perriman

The Houston Texans defense has to keep their eye on Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Breshad Perriman.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Breshad Perriman has had a resurgence with the NFC South club.

In Perriman’s first season, he has produced 24 catches for 409 yards and five touchdowns. In last week’s 38-17 win over the Detroit Lions, Perriman caught five catches for 115 yards and three touchdowns.

A former 2015 Baltimore Ravens first-round pick from Central Florida, Houston Texans defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel knows they can’t discount Perriman’s talent, even if he is on his fourth NFL team in three seasons.

“Perriman, he shows up on the tape,” Crennel told reporters. “As you’re looking at the tape, he’s got good size, got good downfield speed and they throw him the ball as well.”

Perriman will have to play a larger role now that receiver Mike Evans is on injured reserve and wideout Chris Godwin is out for Saturday’s game with the Texans.

“They had a good stable of receivers and I think probably his role will become more prominent without those guys around and so he’ll be the go-to guy and then we’re going to have to try to get something done about him.”

The Texans have a bevy of cornerbacks who should be able to stop Perriman in Johnathan Joseph, Bradley Roby, Gareon Conley, and former Buccaneer Vernon Hargreaves. Whoever is tasked with guarding Perriman, they will have to play sound, fundamental technique to shut down virtually the only option quarterback Jameis Winston has left with two weeks remaining in the regular season.

9 fantasy football sleepers for Week 16

Jameis Winston and Kyler Murray top Touchdown Wire’s list of nine fantasy football sleepers for Week 16.

Arizona rookie Kyler Murray and Tampa Bay’s Jameis Winston aren’t quarterbacks that will be starting in the real-life Super Bowl. But we’re talking fantasy football here and that’s a whole different story.

If you’ve got Winston or Murray on your roster, start them. They just might be good enough to win you a championship. That may sound strange about two of the league’s more inconsistent quarterbacks. But it’s the truth.

With everything on the line in Week 16, you have to look for guys on hot streaks and guys with favorable matchups. Winston is on the hottest streak of any quarterback in the league right now and, although Murray has struggle recently, he’s got a favorable matchup against a Seattle defense that hasn’t been good against the past.

Winston and Murray headline Touchdown Wire’s Week 16 fantasy sleepers. Here’s the complete list:

9. Tarik Cohen, RB, Chicago Bears

The Bears probably will be playing catch-up ball against Kansas City. That means Cohen, who has emerged as a receiving threat out of the backfield, could put up some serious fantasy numbers. He’s averaged 5.5 catches per game over the last six games.

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7 fantasy football waiver wire claims to make ahead of Week 16

Seven targets to target, claim and add on the fantasy football wavier wire ahead of Week 16.

It’s championship weekend in fantasy football. Maybe you’re out, but maybe you have a title to play for.

Injuries, suspensions and other circumstances don’t care about that, though. Week 16 might be the perfect time for one last ditch late season move to make ahead of the big weekend.

Here are seven wavier wire claims to make in fantasy football ahead of Week 16:

Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

QB Ryan Fitzpatrick

The Dolphins and Bengals faceoff in a meeting of bottom-feeders in this one. While it’s tough to bet on the Dolphins to win games this year, it’s easy to bet on Ryan Fitzpatrick throwing the ball a lot. In nine games since returning as his team’s starter, he’s averaging 37.6 pass attempts per game and gets a few yards here and there on the ground. Beating the Bengals usually requires running the ball, but the Dolphins don’t really have a run game, either.

Percent owned in ESPN fantasy leagues: 15.7%

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Tunnel Vision of Week 15

Tunnel Vision – a look back at Sunday for fantasy free agents, injuries and notable performances.

SUNDAY SALUTES
Quarterbacks	Pass-Rush	TD
Jameis Winston	458 – 4	4
Lamar Jackson	212 – 86	5
Ryan Tannehill	279 – 10	3
Patrick Mahomes	340 – 11	2
Mitchell Trubisky	348 – 29	1
Running Backs	Yards	TD
Kenyan Drake	146	4
Christian McCaffrey	175	2
Miles Sanders	172	2
Ezekiel Elliott	160	2
Saquon Barkley	153	2
Wide Receivers	Yards	TD
Breshad Perriman	116	3
Julio Jones	134	2
Jamison Crowder	90	2
DeVante Parker	72	2
Terry McLaurin	130	1
Tight Ends	Yards	TD
Ricky-Seals Jones	29	2
Travis Kelce	142	0
George Kittle	134	0
Darren Waller	122	0
Zach Ertz	61	1
Placekickers	XP	FG
Dan Bailey	3	4
Robbie Gould	1	3
Nick Folk	4	2
Dustin Hopkins	3	2
Harrison Butker	0	3
Defense	Sck-TO	TD
Vikings	2 – 7	1
Patriots	0 – 5	1
Eagles	1 – 1	1
Buccaneers	2 – 3	1
Packers	3 – 3	0

Bumps, Bruises and Bowouts

Pretty light but last week removed some important players from this Sunday already.

WR Chris Godwin – Hamstring
WR Scott Miller – Hamstring
RB J.D. McKissic – Neck
RB Dalvin Cook – Shoulder
WR Brandin Cooks – Back

Chasing Ambulances

WR Chris Godwin – The Buccaneers already missed Mike Evans and then Chris Godwin went down untouched and had to be carted to the locker room. While the prognosis isn’t available as of this writing, all such signs usually mean missing a week or more And only next week matters. Breshad Perriman (5-113, 3 TD) was the one to step up with Evans gone.

Scotty Miller also scored in his first game back from injury but then pulled his hamstring. Justin Watson turned in a touchdown in Week 14 replacing Evans for part of the game but was limited to only two catches for 17 yards. If Godwin is still out, Perriman becomes the No. 1 but he won’t surprise anyone after his three scores in Week 15.

Watson would have to play more as the only receiver with any experience left on the roster. The Bucs host the Texans and their weak secondary this week. And Jameis Winston is on a mission to post yardage and scores.

RB Dalvin Cook – He went down yet again with a shoulder injury. He was in obvious pain and seemingly more than the times before. He has to be in doubt for the homestand against the Packers and their weak rushing defense this week. Alexander Mattison would have been the backup, but he was inactive with an ankle injury.

That only leaves Ameer Abdullah (5-25) and Mike Boone (13-56, 2 TD) behind. The Vikes need a run game and whichever back starts will be fantasy relevant against the soft Packers run defense. If Cook or Mattison do not return, then expect the same sort of committee with Abdullah and Boone. Cook was injury-prone for his first two seasons and seemed to finally get over his durability issues. Until you absolutely, positively needed him for one specific game. Oh, Dalvin…

Free Agents, Flops and Other Notables

RB Christian McCaffrey – He not just the guy with the magic year in most of the league playoffs, and he’s not just the No. 1 fantasy running back but a significant margin. He is also the only Panthers player that ever produced over 2,000 total yards in one season. He’s rushed for 1,307 yards on 265 carries and added 814 yards on 94 receptions. That’s 2,121 yards. He still has two more games.

RB Chris Carson – Already had a strong season but the Seahawks just lost Rashaad Penny last week. That left Carson to run 24 times for 133 yards and two touchdowns in the win over the Panthers. Penny was getting up to 15 carries but C.J. Prosise (5-15) and Travis Homer (2-7) didn’t get in the way as much.

RB Joe Mixon – He rushed for 136 yards on 25 carries and even caught three passes for 30 yards versus the No. 1 defense versus running backs. The Bengals only passed for 151 yards and lost the game badly. But at least Mixon’s late-season push continues. He’ll be interesting in 2020 so long as the offense around him gets an upgrade.

QB Jameis Winston – Fractured thumb be damned. Winston passed for 458 yards and four touchdowns against the Lions were nicely timed for fantasy owners in their playoffs. He leads the NFL with 4,573 passing yards and that is a pace for 5,226 yards. That would rank fourth-best in NFL history. He averages 326 yards per game and his final two games are at home against the Texans and Falcons. He only needs 213 yards per game to become the eighth quarterback to throw for more than 5,000 yards.

WR Anthony Miller – He’s produced marginal stats at best this season but he gained over 100 yards in each of his last two road games and scored these last two weeks. His nine catches for 118 yards and a touchdown this week was a season-best.

WR Davante Adams – The Packers only threw for 203 yards and one score on Sunday, but Adams accounted for 103 yards on seven catches and caught the lone touchdown pass. The Packers have evolved to where there is no fantasy value in any receiver aside from Adams. No matter what happens in the Packers’ passing effort, Adams will produce and no one else will.

TE Travis Kelce – He reeled in 11 catches for 142 yards in the win over the Broncos. He now totals 1,131 yards on the year in the thinnest of fantasy positions. He also just set the record for the only tight end in the history of the NFL to record four straight 1,000 yard seasons.

WR DeVante Parker – He was a flop for his first three seasons. Parker currently totals 59 catches for 954 yards and eight touchdowns and should break 1,000 yards likely this week when they host the Bengals. He just signed a 4-year, $40 million extension. Apparently, he only comes to life when the Dolphins offense becomes completely stripped of all talent. He scored four touchdowns over the last three games.

RB Carlos Hyde – After six years and four different teams, Hyde currently stands at 224 carries for 1,030 yards for the Texans. His first 1,000-yard season. He was only paid $1.8 million this year and is a free agent in 2020. Will the Texans finally draft a talented rookie back or just more of the same by re-signing Hyde?

WR Terry McLaurin – All may not be lost with Dwayne Haskins. The speedy rookie McLaurin just scored for the second week in a row and gained a career-best 130 yards on five catches versus the Eagles.

WR Odell Beckham – He’s nursed a sports hernia all season according to recent reports. And he’s been a disappointment to fantasy owners. He did just catch a season-best eight passes for 66 yards at the Cardinals, in a game where Jarvis Landry was held to only five receptions for 23 yards. He fielded a season-high 13 targets versus eight for Landry.

TE Tyler Higbee – He led the Rams with 12 catches for 111 yards in the loss to the Cowboys. He is in his fourth season and had never gained more than 295 yards in any year. Higbee just turned in his third 100-yard game in a row. He’s suddenly reached the Top-10 for tight ends this season. Gerald Everett is out and had been the lead receiver. Higbee replaced Everett at an opportune time, but he’s been the No. 1 tight end for the last three weeks.

WR Julio Jones – The Falcons star didn’t have to share with Calvin Ridley but was facing the 49ers defense in San Francisco. He ended with 13 catches for 134 yards and two touchdowns including the game-winner. He also became the only wideout with 20 targets in one game this year. Tyler Lockett was the leader with 18 in Week 9.

Huddle player of the week

Kenyan Drake – Someone is going to be a soon-to-be rich free agent in 2020. Drake just ran for 137 yards and four touchdowns on 22 carries and added nine yards on one catch in the win over the Browns. He’s everything that you thought David Johnson would be. Timing is everything in the world of expiring rookie contracts.

Salute!

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

Comedy		Yards	TDs	Tragedy		Yards	TDs
QB	Ryan Fitzpatrick	312	2	QB	Jimmy Garoppolo	206	1
RB	Miles Sanders	172	2	RB	Melvin Gordon	64	0
RB	Tony Pollard	143	1	RB	Dalvin Cook	43	0
WR	Breshad Perriman	116	3	WR	Emmanuel Sanders	9	0
WR	Jamison Crowder	90	2	WR	Julian Edelman	9	0
WR	Anthony Miller	118	2	WR	Robert Woods	17	0
TE	Ricky Seals-Jones	29	2	TE	Hunter Henry	29	0
PK	Dan Bailey	3 XP 4 FG		PK	Greg Zuerlein	1 XP
Huddle Fantasy Points = 129				Huddle Fantasy Points = 28

Now get back to work…

Six Points with David Dorey: Week 15

Six items to ponder from David Dorey

Fantasy playoffs are underway and last week witnessed several players getting knocked out of the game if not the season. That lets others take their turn while the final weeks are also used by NFL teams to try out a few players to see if they are worth keeping.

WR Isaiah Ford – The Dolphin’s seventh-round pick in 2017 first NFL catches came in Week 4 and then not again until Week 14 after DeVante Parker and Albert Wilson both left with concussions. Ford stepped in and caught six passes for 92 yards and one touchdown against the Bills. He started for three years at Virginia Tech and bounced back and forth between the practice squad and active roster. He should see more work if both Parker and Wilson are out. Even if they are not, the Dolphins have nothing to lose by giving the kid more playing time after playing so well in his first game in a starting role. Ryan Fitzpatrick talked him up after the game and the Fins face the Giants this week.

WR Breshad Perriman – With Mike Evans likely out for the season, Perriman became a hot property on waiver wires this week. The former first-round pick in 2015 never really worked out with the Ravens or Browns and now plays for the Buccaneers. He’s manned the slot on most plays but only totaled 16 catches going into last week. He caught three passes for 70 yards that included a 12-yard touchdown that proved to be the winning margin over the Colts. The Bucs play the Lions this week, so there should be plenty of passing to distribute. He should see more work, but he’s not going to replace Evans. His role will see more work though and he turned in five receptions for 87 yards in Week 13 at the Jaguars.

WR Justin Watson – The fifth-round pick last year only had one catch as a rookie. He caught just one pass this season entering Week 13. He played four years at Penn in the Ivy League where he set the record for the most receiving yards in conference play history along with every U. of Penn receiving record. The 6-3, 216-pound replaced Mike Evans last week and ended with five catches for 57 yards and one score. Perriman played the full game and fielded five targets. Watson returned punts but did not play as a receiver until the second quarter and his eight targets were second only to Chris Godwin’s nine. He has a chance to stay on the roster next year with another good game.

RB Raheem Mostert – He plays well, he disappears, he plays well. The 49ers backfield is among the most fluid in the NFL but Mostert was named the official starter (whatever that means). He was originally an undrafted free agent in 2015 signed by the Eagles, Dolphins, Ravens, Browns, Jets, Bears and finally joined the 49ers for the last four years. His previous best was only 34 carries just last year. His four years at Purdue saw his top marks as a senior with only 93 runs for 529 yards and three touchdowns. His first three years had him as a wide receiver that totaled just one catch. He was a special teamer and returner. He’s never been a true running back really. He was ranked as the fastest college football player in 2014 other than Tyreek Hill. Mostert’s path to being a starting running back has been anything but direct.

Primary running backs – Here are two shortlists of the top-ten players who were the highest-scoring back for their team at least nine times through Week 13. This shows using performance points and then with reception points.

Each of these backs has the opportunity to be an elite back and the bigger difference is their offensive lines and schedule strength.

Worst RBBC teams – It is interesting to see which teams featured the most running backs that logged at least one game as the highest-scoring fantasy back.

5 – 49ers
4 – Falcons, Lions, Chiefs, Colts, Dolphins, Patriots, Giants, Eagles, Steelers.

Many of these were the product of injuries. But the 49ers, Falcons, Patriots, and Eagles always use committee approaches. All of these teams could use an elite and durable running back but 2020’s NFL draft isn’t considered to be “RB rich” just last 2019.

6 waiver wire pickups in fantasy football for week 15

Waiver wire targets for the fantasy football playoffs.

It’s Week 15 and that means you’re either in the thick of the playoffs, just started the playoffs or trying not to come in last place. For the lucky postseason contenders, congratulations! In a year of injuries and roller coaster superstars, it has not been easy to develop a consistent roster week to week.

As any fantasy football veteran knows though the tinkering does not end at the end of the regular season. Adding and dropping players continues right up until the championship game and if you aren’t on top of things, it might just cost you a trophy and maybe a good amount of cash.

Some players are just late bloomers and while that might not be the best for fantasy football, its spots like these that you need a guy who is on a hot streak.

With the season winding down, here are six players to add to really put your team over the top:

WR A.J. Brown: 31.3% rostered (ESPN)

The Titans have been a new team in the second half of the season winning six of their last seven games. A large part of their success has been the impressive quarterback play of Ryan Tannehill, but Brown has been the leading receiver on this roster.

Last week against Oakland, the rookie receiver totaled five catches for 153 yards and two touchdowns. The combination of Brown and Corey Davis has really helped this Titans team, although Brown is separating himself in terms of production.

Brown will not be available for long after his big week so make sure if he is available in your league you claim him while you can.

Next game: vs Houston

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