Tag: Kerryon Johnson

Potential candidates if the Detroit Lions are sellers at the NFL trade deadline

The Lions should at least get inquiries about a few players

The NFL’s trade deadline is 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Nov. 3rd. Bob Quinn and the Detroit Lions were buyers last week in picking up DE Everson Griffen from the Dallas Cowboys.

But that was before an ugly loss to the Indianapolis Colts that killed any positive momentum. Now the team is 3-4 and facing the prospect of playing the next few games without the best weapon on offense (WR Kenny Golladay) and best player on the defense (DE Trey Flowers).

If Quinn and the Lions decide to be sellers before the deadline, there isn’t a lot to take to market. With Golladay — the No. 1 name other teams will call about — out for at least a week with a vague hip injury, his trade value takes a hit.

Here are some other Lions who could get moved if the team decides it’s better off with the return compensation than the player himself.

Marvin Jones: The 30-year-old WR has fallen off in 2020 but still makes for a solid No. 2 WR on the outside. He’s entering the final months of his contract with the Lions. A contender could flip a late-round pick to rent Jones for eight games and a potential playoff run. Even if he leaves, Jones would be a candidate to return to Detroit in the offseason — provided he doesn’t retire.

Will Harris: In his second season, the 2019 third-round pick has played his way out of the rotation. With Jayron Kearse playing significantly better in the same role and with no tangible improvement to his game after a bad rookie season, the Lions could try to sell off Harris with the idea he’s the defensive version of Travis Fulgham.

Kerryon Johnson: D’Andre Swift has taken over as the top dog in the backfield, and Adrian Peterson also continues to get more reps than Johnson. The team has enviable depth at RB and could part with Johnson to try and fill more glaring holes on the roster elsewhere. Shopping Peterson and his declining yards per carry also makes sense.

Joe Dahl: Detroit’s starting guard has played decently enough, but the team has fourth-round rookie Logan Stenberg waiting in the wings. If they’re looking to see if Stenberg can be the future, it makes sense to shop Dahl to one of the many OL-needy teams.

Matthew Stafford: Now is not the time to trade, or trade for, Stafford. I suspect teams will call and inquire, but it is more about planting possible seeds for after the season.

I don’t expect any moves of significance, but with a new owner in place it’s hard to predict the timbre of the team.

[lawrence-related id=53123]

Fantasy Football: Targets, Touches & TDs: Week 6

Tackling five backfields that create confusion in fantasy football and trying to make sense of them.

Despite the ongoing extreme makeovers with the NFL itinerary, we remain right on schedule here with your weekly serving of TT&T.

Running backs remain the most valuable point-for-point fantasy football commodities, and with that in mind this week, we’re tackling five of the league’s most baffling backfields – ones where a clear, startable fantasy back has yet to emerge.

From each of these five backfields, we’ll take a look at the key stats and metrics produced so far and use those as guideposts to try and forecast whatever fantasy value may emerge from each going forward.

Here goes, starting alphabetically with the …

Baltimore Ravens

Primary backs and stats

  • Mark Ingram: (5 games played) 45 rushes-205 yards-2 TDs; 5 targets-3 receptions-25 yards-0 TDs. 35.0 standard-scoring fantasy points/38.0 point-per-reception points
  • J.K. Dobbins: (5) 16-126-2; 10-9-73-0. 31.9/40.9
  • Gus Edwards: (5) 34-192-0; 3-0-0-0. 19.2/19.2

Total touches-yards-TDs (fantasy points/touch)

  • Ingram: 48-230-2 (0.73 standard scoring/0.79 PPR)
  • Dobbins: 25-199-2 (1.28/1.64)
  • Edwards: 34-192-0 (0.56/0.56)

Offensive snap shares

  • Dobbins: 106/300 (35.3 percent)
  • Ingram: 99/300 (33.0)
  • Edwards: 95/300 (31.7)

Red-zone stats

  • Ingram: 7-16-1 rushing; 2-1-4-0 receiving
  • Dobbins: 2-5-2; 0-0-0-0
  • Edwards: 1-2-0; 0-0-0-0

Outlook

Major asterisk here, of course, with quarterback Lamar Jackson ranking second on the team in rushing attempts (41) and pacing the squad with 238 rushing yards – and that’s even with Jackson’s average number of attempts down 3.5 carries per contest (11.7-8.2) from last season.

The drafting of Dobbins has played a major role in knocking Ingram’s per-game touch average down to 9.6 from 15.2 a year ago, and that – and an expected touchdown regression – has caused Ingram to fall from the RB1 ranks down to sub-flex territory as he currently ranks 34th at the position in total fantasy points (standard scoring) and 42nd in average fantasy points per contest.

Ingram has been the Ravens’ back to own simply due to the fact that he’s getting the most the carries on the league’s second-best rushing team (160.8 yards per game). But Dobbins is superior in yards-per-touch (8.0-4.8) and fantasy-points-per-touch averages. Additionally, his higher usage in the passing game portends bigger and better fantasy things as the season presses on. He’s a must-add if he was somehow dropped in your league.

Edwards still will be involved as well – primarily as a late-game closer – but Ingram and Dobbins are the Ravens’ backs to own in standard-size leagues.

Detroit Lions

Primary backs and stats

  • Adrian Peterson: (4 games played) 54 rushes-245 yards-1 TD; 6 targets-4 receptions-31 yards-0 TDs; 33.6 standard-scoring fantasy points/37.6 PPR points
  • D’Andre Swift: (4) 12-42-1; 16-13-124-1; 28.6/41.6
  • Kerryon Johnson: (4) 21-71-1; 3-2-17-0; 14.8/16.8

Total touches-yards-TDs (fantasy points/touch)

  • Peterson: 58-276-1 (0.58 standard scoring/0.65 PPR)
  • Swift: 25-166-2 (1.14/1.66)
  • Johnson: 23-88-1 (0.64/0.73)

Offensive snap shares

  • Peterson: 105/264 (39.8 percent)
  • Swift: 83/264 (31.4)
  • Johnson: 70/264 (26.5)

Red-zone stats

  • Peterson: 12-35-1 rushing; 0-0-0-0 receiving
  • Swift: 2-2-1; 3-2-16-1
  • Johnson: 5-19-1; 0-0-0-0

Outlook

The Sept. 7 signing of the 35-year-old Peterson changed the whole dynamic of the situation here as he has 10 more touches than the rookie Swift and the incumbent Johnson combined.

Given his superior rushing attempt and snap shares and red-zone work, an iron man known as Peterson has been Detroit’s most trustworthy fantasy back to date, but Swift’s sizable edge in the passing game isn’t to be ignored. The second-round pick quietly ranks 20th among all league running backs with 13 receptions and figures to become more and more involved as his adjustment to the pro game eases and his early-season health issues further fade away.

Johnson, thought be to be a rising fantasy star only a season ago, has become the odd man out.

Los Angeles Rams

Primary backs and stats

  • Darrell Henderson: (5 games played) 58 rushes-260 yards-3 TDs; 11 targets-7 receptions-92 yards-1 TD. 59.2 standard-scoring fantasy points/66.2 point-per-reception points
  • Malcolm Brown: (5) 53-213-2; 14-9-44-0. 37.7/46.7
  • Cam Akers: (3) 26-113-0; 1-1-4-0. 11.7/12.7

Total touches-yards-TDs (fantasy points/touch)

  • Henderson: 65-352-4 (0.91 standard scoring/1.02 PPR)
  • Brown: 62-257-2 (0.61/0.75)
  • Akers: 27-117-0 (0.43/0.47)

Offensive snap shares

  • Brown: 176/336 (52.4 percent)
  • Henderson: 119/336 (35.4)
  • Akers: 40/210 (19.0)

Red-zone stats

  • Henderson: 17-35-3 rushing; 3-2-18-1 receiving
  • Brown: 10-31-2; 3-1-(-2)-0
  • Akers: 2-5-0; 0-0-0-0

Outlook

There’s definitely some interest here as the Rams have logged the league’s second-most rushing attempts (169) this season and trail only the Browns as well in overall rushing-play percentage at 51.5.

Even though Brown owns a sizable snap edge, Henderson has out-touched Brown in three of the Rams’ last four games for a 62-41 edge during that span. Akers, meanwhile, got the start in Los Angeles’ opening two games before leaving early in Week 2 with a rib-cartilage injury that kept him out of action until Sunday.

As a rookie second-round pick, Akers is the team’s shiny new object, while Brown lends a steady, veteran presence, and Henderson has been the most productive and dynamic of the trio to date. Look for a Henderson/Akers split of the workload going forward with the former drawing the slight edge in touches.

New England Patriots

Primary backs and stats

  • Rex Burkhead: (4 games played) 30 rushes-128yards-2 TDs; 17 targets-12 receptions-101 yards-1 TD. 40.9 standard-scoring fantasy points/52.9 point-per-reception points
  • Sony Michel: (3) 26-173-1; 3-2-23-0. 25.6/27.6
  • James White: (2) 8-43-0; 11-10-68-0. 11.1/21.1
  • Damien Harris: (1) 17-100-0; 0-0-0-0. 10.0/10.0
  • J.J. Taylor: (3) 16-70-0; 2-1-4-0. 7.4/8.4

Total touches-yards-TDs (fantasy points/touch)

  • Burkhead: 42-229-3 (0.97 standard scoring/1.26 PPR)
  • Michel: 28-196-1 (0.91/0.99)
  • White: 18-111-0 (0.62/1.17)
  • Harris: 17-100-0 (0.59/0.59)
  • Taylor: 17-74-0 (0.44/0.49)

Offensive snap shares

  • Burkhead: 128/280 (45.7 percent)
  • White: 59/139 (42.4)
  • Harris: 23/75 (30.7)
  • Michel: 60/205 (29.3)
  • Taylor: 25/205 (12.2)

Red-zone stats

  • Burkhead: 8-36-2 rushing; 4-2-23-1 receiving
  • Michel: 5-18-1; 0-0-0-0
  • Taylor: 3-10-0; 1-0-0-0
  • White: 1-7-0; 1-1-(-4)-0
  • Harris: 1-5-0; 0-0-0-0

Outlook

The Pats’ backfield situation is the toughest enigma to crack – for a number of reasons.

First, there’s the sheer number of backs in the mix (five), and then there’s the Cam Newton factor, as the quarterback remains one of the league’s top red-zone rushing threats with 12 carries for 37 yards and four TDs in only three games so far. And, then, most significant of all, this is the Patriots we’re talking about, as the chameleon-like Bill Belichick and his staff change things up on a weekly basis to keep opposing defenses – not to mention fantasy general managers – off-balance.

With Michel on injured reserve, though, and the rookie Taylor seeing only a 12.2-percent snap share in the games he’s played, that whittles the usable fantasy contenders down to three.

White, who’s averaging five catches per game, remains a PPR-format flex factor while Harris – he of the preseason buzz before a finger injury knocked him out of the first three games – made the most recent favorable impression with a team season-high 17 rushes for an even 100 yards in his 2020 debut in Week 4. Burkhead is the jack-of-all trades who always figures to be active and involved to some degree, but we’ve more than likely already seen his best game this season as he accounted for a 65.8 percent (34.8) of his 52.9 PPR points in Week 3.

That leaves White (PPR) and Harris (still need to see more coming out of the Week 5 bye) as the Pats’ best RB fantasy bets.

New York Giants

Primary backs and stats

  • Devonta Freeman: (3 games played) 33 rushes-103 yards-1 TD; 7 targets-6 receptions-62 yards-0 TDs. 22.5 standard-scoring fantasy points/28.5 point-per-reception points
  • Dion Lewis: (5) 13-31-1; 16-9-55-0. 14.6/23.6
  • Wayne Gallman: (4) 15-76-0; 6-5-21-0. 9.4/14.4

Total touches-yards-TDs (fantasy points/touch)

  • Freeman: 39-165-1 (0.58 standard scoring/0.73 PPR)
  • Lewis: 22-86-1 (0.66/1.07)
  • Gallman: 20-97-0 (0.47; 0.72)

Offensive snap shares

  • Freeman: 89/188 (47.3 percent)
  • Lewis: 124/321 (38.6)
  • Gallman: 43/256 (17.0)

Red-zone stats

  • Freeman: 3-6-1 rushing; 1-1-(-2)-0 receiving
  • Lewis: 1-1-1; 2-1-4-0
  • Gallman: 1-1-0; 1-1-3-0

Outlook

We go from the toughest nut to crack (Patriots) among our five to the easiest, as Freeman is the main man here as long as he can avoid the health issues of recent seasons (18 combined games missed from 2017-19).

The last two weeks, Freeman has out-touched Lewis and Gallman combined by a 34-18 margin and has outgained them 155-88 with a 27.5-14.8 edge in PPR points.

The Giants, though, are saddled with one of the league’s worst offensive lines and overall offenses, keeping Freeman in flex-start territory most weeks instead of the RB2 ranks. 

Extra points

  • The Ravens’ aforementioned Jackson is off to a slow start, ranking 14th among quarterbacks with 113.2 fantasy points through action Sunday. Gardner Minshew (120.7), Ryan Fitzpatrick (120.3), Derek Carr (119.5) and Carson Wentz (113.6) are among the QBs with more points. Jackson still ranks second at the position with his 238 rushing yards on 41 attempts (tied for first), but he only has one rushing score so far. Jackson, though, is mainly falling short as a fantasy passer, ranking 24th (as of Sunday) with 949 passing yards and tying for ninth with nine TD tosses after leading the league with 36 a season ago.
  • Jets WR Jamison Crowder has played in only three of the team’s five games, but he’s had at least 10 targets, seven receptions and 104 receiving yards in each outing while snaring a pair of TD passes for a total of 67.5 PPR points. Crowder’s average of 22.5 PPR points per contest, though, trails only the Packers’ Davante Adams (24.1) among league wideouts.
  • Dalvin Cook, Mike Evans and Tyreek Hill are the only players to score a TD in all five weeks so far this season.
  • Meanwhile, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Ronald Jones, Myles Gaskin, Austin Ekeler, Devin Singletary, Frank Gore, Amari Cooper and Robby Anderson were the only players with at least 60 touches or 35 receptions and one or fewer TDs through Sunday.
  • The Rams not only have a backfield fantasy conundrum but one at tight end, as well. Tyler Higbee had a monster Week 2 with five receptions for 54 yards and three TDs (28.4 PPR points), but he’s only caught 10-of-12 targets for 122 yards and no scores (22.2 points) in his other four contests combined. Gerald Everett, meanwhile, missed Week 2 but has out-produced Higbee in the other four games, catching 8-of-9 targets for 141 yards and no TDs while scoring on a 2-yard rushing TD (28.3 PPR points).

Ty Johnson and the RB lesson Lions GM Bob Quinn refuses to learn

Lions GM has been adept at finding RB talent off the street but keeps overspending on RB draft picks anyway

Thursday spelled the end of Ty Johnson’s status on the Detroit Lions active roster. The second-year RB was waived to make room for safety Jayron Kearse, who was activated from the suspended list.

Johnson’s departure is the latest of the near-constant deck shuffling by the Lions at the running back position. It’s been one of Detroit GM Bob Quinn’s biggest follies, and it’s proof Quinn just isn’t learning from his own mistakes.

Johnson is the second running back the Lions have drafted in the last two years to get cut by the team in a little over a month. Fifth-round rookie Jason Huntley, who couldn’t beat out Ty Johnson in the competition between the two declared by Quinn when he drafted Huntley, is now in Philadelphia. He has played one snap all year, gaining one yard in a garbage-time carry.

The third RB Quinn drafted since 2019 is the most glaring example. D’Andre Swift was the No. 35 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. He’s currently the third-string RB, playing just 60 snaps in three weeks. Yet that’s not an indictment of Swift’s talent or potential. Instead, it illustrates how Quinn has botched handling the RB position.

Kerryon Johnson, back healthy after a 2019 season where he missed half the year and didn’t play well when he was on the field, remains above Swift. As he probably should; Johnson was a second-round pick in 2018 and played very well as a rookie.

That’s two second-round picks in three drafts on running backs. Detroit remains a pass-heavy offense with Matthew Stafford at the helm, but Quinn continues to overspend draft capital on running backs.

In 2019, Detroit’s most effective runner was Bo Scarbrough. He was signed off the street thanks to a lengthy injury history and negligible skill in the passing game. Scarbrough is currently injured too, a status that helped lead Quinn to sign Adrian Peterson off the street after training camp ended.

That’s right. A future Hall-of-Fame RB was readily available for anyone to sign the week before the Week 1 kickoff. And Peterson has impressed — he’s still got “it”. He’s the lead back despite being 35 and barely practicing with his new teammates in a different offense.

Backs are always available. Carlos Hyde was still available a month after the draft before joining the Seahawks despite the fact he topped 1,000 rushing yards for the Texans in 2019. Frank Gore signed with the Jets after the draft. as did LeSean McCoy in Tampa Bay. Both were perfectly capable starting RBs in 2019, running for more yards per carry than Kerryon Johnson did. The Browns salvaged a very good player in Kareem Hunt after the Chiefs dumped him for his off-field issues, which is also how Peterson became available a few years back.

The NFL is littered with relative unknown RBs suddenly emerging as good starters. Take Raheem Mostert in San Francisco, a player cut by five different teams in a 12-month span before blowing up when given an opportunity. Austin Ekeler with the Chargers proved a better all-around back as an undrafted free agent than first-rounder Melvin Gordon. Kenyan Drake went from deep reserve on a bad Miami offense to effective starter in Arizona — he’s currently 7th in the league in rushing. This week’s Lions foe, the New Orleans Saints, plucked Vikings discard Latavius Murray off the street and he’s a very effective No. 2 RB…for little more guaranteed money than the Lions are paying Swift.

Detroit added Kerrith Whyte to the practice squad, effectively swapping him in for Jonathan Williams, yet another running back with starting experience plucked off the street over the summer. The Lions see enough in Whyte, who got 24 carries with the Steelers as a rookie, to keep him on the protected practice squad list every week.

This is where Quinn isn’t seeing the err of his own ways. He’s been effective at scouring the waiver wire and free agent market to pick up useful RB talent. But he continues to burn valuable draft capital to try and accomplish the same goal, and it’s not working. It’s a wildly inefficient allocation of draft resources for a team that sorely lacks depth at several more critical positions.

Quinn is guilty at fullback, too. In an offense where the fullback plays between 12 and 20 percent of the offensive snaps and touches the ball about once a month, he burned a 2018 draft pick on Nick Bawden. Nothing against Bawden, though he didn’t play well in 2019, but linebacker Jason Cabinda switched from defense to offense and in less than a month pushed Bawden off the roster.

The dichotomy of Quinn and the Lions being able to find effective RB talent from the outside, but still overspending draft capital for the very same — at best — outcomes makes no sense. Yet that’s exactly what Quinn continues to do, without fail. That’s a big fail for the Lions GM.

Adrian Peterson will remain the Lions lead RB

Lions OC Darrell Bevell trumpeted Peterson but also Kerryon Johnson’s pass protection

The Detroit Lions running back by committee is morphing into a more traditional setup with a lead back and situational reserves. And the lead back entering Week 4 is not Kerryon Johnson or second-round rookie D’Andre Swift. It’s Adrian Peterson.

Lions offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell was asked about the shift to Peterson as the primary back in the Week 3. Peterson had 22 carries for 75 yards in the win over Arizona. That’s more carries than Swift (6) or Johnson (20) had total snaps.

“It’s not anything that those guys are or aren’t doing,” Bevell said in his press conference. “We’re just trying to, again, accentuate their positives and put them in positions to be successful. You saw [D’Andre] Swift. His plays were a little bit down. We want to keep those up and get him more involved. The one play he catches, he has a nice catch-and-run, looks fast, looks explosive.”

Bevell cited Peterson’s incredible physical condition despite his advanced age (35) for a running back,

“…this guy is a freak of nature now. I don’t know where that wall is or where he’s going to hit it. The guy is always asking for more. Like you said, he is in great shape; he takes care of his body. He does all those little things to set himself up for that success. I don’t know when it’s going to happen, but he wants it. We want him to have it. We’ll keep continuing to go there.”

Bevell did have nothing but positive things to say about Johnson and his performance in pass protection in Arizona.

“Adrian took a little bit more of the running load, but Kerryon (Johnson), really to me, was player of the game. He was phenomenal in his protection pickups, in all the little detail nuances that we needed particularly on Jesse (James’) touchdown. He was a huge part of that play. His protection pickup – I mean there was one where they’re picking in the middle and he picks up basically both linebackers that were coming, has some physical plays there, really strong when we had the ball.”

That appears to leave Swift, a highly-touted second-round rookie, a decided third on the depth chart.

Shea’s Favorite Auburn Games – No. 7: Tigers vs Georgia 2017

Shea’s favorite Auburn games continues with the 2017 beatdown of rival Georgia.

I hope you’re all emotionally preparing yourselves for kickoff! As I write this there is actually less than a week left until SEC Football returns and this is a great time to remind you all to go ahead and resume/continue your hatred for the University of Georgia. The countdown of my favorite games continues here.

Number 7-Auburn vs Georgia 2017

I’d like to preface this by saying that all of my favorite games listed are extremely sentimental to me. These games don’t just mark great victories by Auburn, but important memories of my life too. I hope that by reading these articles you also reflect and share your good times as well.

2017 was a crazy year for me. I was 23 years old fresh out of college when I decided to press the “reset” button on multiple facets of my life. Necessary heartbreaks were made and at the time, I never could have envisioned how my life would so beautifully put those broken pieces of my heart back together again, but it happened. For those who have been in a familiar situation, you don’t need me to tell you that the healing process hurts like hell.

That’s what 2017 was like for me.

We interrupt this deep moment to bring you Jeff Holland aka Sensei Mud, enjoy.

 

Traveling to Auburn to see my friends was an escape for me. When I turned off of 280 and into Auburn it would feel like a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. I went down there a lot in 2017 and each time I was welcomed into the arms of my closest friends. I advocate therapy for anyone, but if you want an instantaneous soul refresher, get your friends together for game day and get your booty down to Auburn.

Getting together for Auburn vs Georgia in 2017 was a no-brainer for all of my friends. Post graduate life scattered us all across the map and not a single one of use could figure out how this “adulting” thing worked. Life doesn’t give people blueprints, but it does give you companionship and that’s what we needed more than anything. Each other.

And for the Tigers to beat the tar out of Georgia.

I was all sorts of amped up heading down to Auburn that Friday. I really believed in this 6-1 Auburn team. The only loss the Tigers had was a head-scratching complete come-apart against LSU, but these dudes were a scrappy bunch! It wasn’t surprising that the national talking heads weren’t giving Auburn any love against Georgia after that LSU loss, but Georgia added fuel to the fire that week after their fans took to the keyboards to fire off some hot take trash talk.

The Bulldogs were pretty new to being ranked first and there was just no way a 6-1 Auburn team was going to knock them off of their pedestal.

Oh, but they did.

Deshaun Davis, Jeff Holland, and Dontavius Russell pummeled Jake Fromm and completely shut down Georgia’s offense. Jarrett Stidham threw for 214 yards and three touchdowns, but the player of the game was none other than Kerryon Johnson. Johnson rushed for 167 yards and scored the final Auburn touchdown on a 55-yard catch to quiet any barks from the crowd.

I spent the first half of that cold game tailgating on the Green Space with my closest friends in tow. The campus that night? Absolute bedlam, and not a single depraved soul was barking at innocent Auburn fans. I’ve never hated leaving Auburn more than I did that Sunday. That weekend reminded me that nobody needs a roadmap to navigate life, they just need the right kind of people in their camp and good times.

Fantasy Football: Targets, Touches & TDs – Week 1

Analyzing which Week 1 fantasy football performances have staying power and if you should add or pass on those players in your fantasy football league.

The NFL’s 101st season is a NFL and fantasy football season unlike any other, and that was clear on the opening Sunday with fans in attendance at only one of the day’s 13 games and face-masked coaches – well, for the most part – patrolling the sidelines.

But in other respects, 2020’s Week 1 was much of the same ol’, same ol’ with the New England Patriots receiving superior quarterback play to beat the Miami Dolphins and the Detroit Lions and Cincinnati Bengals bumbling away chances for a 1-0 start like only those woebegone franchises can.

Fantasy football-wise, there were the usual Week 1 standouts who came out of nowhere to blow up on benches or are now taunting and tempting owners from the waiver wire.

But which of these standouts are flash-in the-pan fool’s gold (recall Sammy Watkins, Case Keenum and T.J. Hockenson from Week 1 a season ago) and which are the real deal? Here’s the forecast for 10 of Sunday’s surprise standouts (going by relative preseason ADPs) and whether we’re buying in or simply bypassing …

Fantasy Football Targets, Touches and TDs

New England Patriots QB Cam Newton

Fantasy position rank (Huddle Performance scoring) through Sunday: Seventh with 27.2 fantasy points

Buying or bypassing? Definitely buying.

Cam did the bulk of his fantasy damage with his legs Sunday, rushing for 75 yards and two touchdowns on a team-leading 15 carries in the 21-11 home win over the Dolphins. He only threw for 155 yards with no TD tosses, but he passed his most important test by seemingly emerging from the contest fully healthy.

In the six (of his nine total) seasons in which Newton has played at least 15 games, he’s been a top-four fantasy quarterback five times. And even though he’s now 31 and the Patriots’ passing-game weapons are less than ideal, Josh McDaniels’ offensive mind can certainly make up for a number of deficiencies and can easily help set up Cam to another top-10 fantasy QB season.

Chicago Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky

Fantasy position rank through Sunday: Ninth with 26.7 points

Buying or bypassing? Bypassing – aside from two-quarterback leagues.

Trubisky was impressive Sunday, throwing for 242 yards and three TDs without a turnover in rallying the Bears to a 27-23 comeback win over the host Detroit Lions. He has traditionally done well vs. the Lions, too.

His run of four straight games with at least 23.6 fantasy points from Week 12-15 last season likely is still fresh in fantasy memories, but in Trubisky’s other 17 games since Week 11 of the 2018 season, including a wild-card playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, he’s only scored as many as 23.6 fantasy points once. Trubisky rhymes with risky, and that’s exactly what the up-and-down QB is outside of two-quarterback leagues or as a fill-in start in standard leagues.

Jacksonville Jaguars QB Gardner Minshew

Fantasy position rank through Sunday: 13th with 22.6 points

Buying or bypassing? Buying – in two-quarterback leagues only.

Minshew was superb Sunday in directing one of the upsets of the day, completing 19-of-20 passes for 173 yards and a trio of TDs in a 27-20 win over the visiting Indianapolis Colts. With the second-year starter also an able ground threat – he was fifth among QBs with 344 rushing yards a season ago – and the Jags figuring to have to throw often given their overall talent deficiencies, Minshew is a strong bet to improve on his No. 21 fantasy finish at the position a season ago, but there’s simply still not enough to count on him as a weekly starter in a 10- or even 12-team league.

Los Angeles Rams RB Malcolm Brown

Fantasy position rank through Sunday: Fourth with 23.0 points.

Buying or bypassing? Interested, but just renting for now.

While rookie Cam Akers and second-year back Darrell Henderson were the sexy summer fantasy picks in the Rams’ backfield following the offseason departure of Todd Gurley, it was the veteran Brown who outtouched (21-18) and outperformed (110-49 in total yards 2-0 in TDs) the young duo combined in Sunday night’s 20-17 win over the Dallas Cowboys. Brown, though, had a big Week 1 a year ago with 17.3 fantasy points (53 total yards, two TDs on 11 touches spelling Gurley), but never reached double digits in any of his remaining 2019 contests. Don’t expect a repeat of that tumble, but once Akers gets up to speed, expect Brown to revert back to a reserve/handcuff role once again in L.A.

Indianapolis Colts RB Nyheim Hines

Fantasy position rank through Sunday: Seventh (fourth PPR) with 19.3 (27.3) points

Buying or bypassing? Most definitely buying – particularly in PPR leagues.

Hines led Indy in rushing (28 yards on seven carries) and receiving (eight catches for 45 yards) and scored via the ground and air in the loss to the Jags.

Some of Hines’ production was a result of starter Marlon Mack’s season-ending Achilles’ tendon tear Sunday, and he should continue to fill a valuable pass-catching role with rookie Jonathan Taylor assuming the bulk of the rushing duties going forward. Hines was an afterthought in drafts with the excitement of the Colts selecting Taylor in the second round this spring, but the former has been highly underrated despite 115 receptions in 33 career games since 2018, and now needs to be rostered in all PPR leagues.

Los Angeles Chargers RB Joshua Kelley

Fantasy position rank through Sunday: 16th with 12.0 points

Buying or bypassing? Buying as a bench stash/handcuff.

The rookie back had a strong debut Sunday, rushing for 60 yards and a TD in a 16-13 road win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Despite only receiving one target, Austin Ekeler rushed a career-high 19 times for 84 yards Sunday so expect those carry and target totals to balance out more toward the latter as the season goes on given Ekeler’s non-workhorse stature. That will leave a decent chunk of rushing attempts available, and with Justin Jackson (2 carries for 4 yards Sunday) battling a quadriceps issue to open the season, Kelley is in prime position to seize the No. 2 role.

Atlanta Falcons WR Russell Gage

Fantasy position rank through Sunday: Ninth with 20.4 points

Buying or bypassing? Bypassing outside of deeper leagues.

Gage caught a career-high nine of 12 targets for 114 yards in Sunday’s 38-25 home loss to the Seattle Seahawks and stunningly still finished with the third-best receiving day on the team. Fellow wideouts Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley also were targeted 12 times apiece and each finished with nine catches as well with Jones racking up 157 receiving yards and Ridley 130 to go along with a pair of TD grabs.

Matt Ryan has attempted eight more passes and finished with 86 more yards than any other passer so far through Sunday, and while it wouldn’t be a shock to see the Falcons ranked among the pass-heaviest teams at the end of the season, asking one offense to support a trio of top-30 fantasy wide receivers is a lot to ask, so Gage, while promising, remains the odd man out. Don’t prioritize adding him outside of deeper leagues.

Indianapolis Colts WR Parris Campbell

Fantasy position rank through Sunday: 24th (PPR) with 14.0 points

Buying or bypassing? Buying as wideout depth.

New Indy QB Philip Rivers finished with only one fewer completion (37-36) than Ryan Sunday and his most frequent targets were WRs T.Y. Hilton and Campbell (nine apiece) and the aforementioned Hines (eight) out of the backfield.

Campbell, though, led the team in receiving yards Sunday with 71 on six receptions, and his specialty as an underneath target seems more compatible with the 38-year-old Rivers’ current game than the deep-threat Hilton. Campbell might’ve been overlooked in your league after health issues limited to him to 18 receptions in seven games as a rookie in 2019, but add him to your bench if you’re looking to upgrade your wide receiver depth and upside.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Scott Miller

Fantasy position rank through Sunday: 29th (PPR) with 12.9 points

Buying or bypassing? Buying – in deeper leagues.

Miller added to his preseason buzz with five catches for 73 yards on six targets Sunday in the Bucs’ 34-23 loss to the New Orleans Saints. Like Gage, it’s tough to get excited about the No. 3 wide receiver on a team with two fantasy studs in Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, but the latter clearly was limited by a balky hamstring in Week 1 and finished with only a two-yard TD catch on four targets Sunday.

New Bucs QB Tom Brady found a connection in New England with another wideout from the Mid-American Conference in Julian Edelman, and Bowling Green’s Miller could be a poor man’s version in Tampa. Swoop him up in deeper leagues or if you need a bench flyer.

Washington Football Team TE Logan Thomas

Fantasy position rank through Sunday: Seventh with 9.7 points

Buying or bypassing? Bypassing – for the time being.

Thomas, a converted former QB, led Washington in targets Sunday with eight, and reeled in four of them for 37 yards and the team’s only receiving touchdown in a 27-17 comeback win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Those aren’t small feats on a team in dire need of reliable offensive weapons, and among all league tight ends, only Philly’s Dallas Goedert (nine) has had more Week 1 targets than Thomas. Still, tight end is a deeper fantasy position than in recent seasons, and it often comes down to which TE scores a TD that week. Definitely keep Thomas on your radar if you need help at the position, but he’s far from a must-add if more proven talents such as Mike Gesicki, Chris Herndon and Jack Doyle are also available in your league.

Fantasy Football Extra Points

  • With injuries continuing to hamper the team’s wideout corps, Philly tight ends Dallas Goedert and Zach Ertz combined for 16 targets, 11 receptions, 119 yards and both of Carson Wentz’s passing TDs in the loss to Washington. Goedert is no longer a secret as he begins his third season, and through play Sunday, led all league tight ends in targets (nine), receptions (eight) and receiving yards (101). Both Eagles tight ends are strong weekly starting considerations.
  • The Lions’ backfield was a three-headed mess Sunday with Adrian Peterson leading the way in touches (17) and total yards (114) and rookie D’Andre Swift (6 touches-21 yards) pacing the contingent in snaps (34) while scoring the group’s only touchdown. The odd man out appears to be incumbent Kerryon Johnson, who rushed seven times for only 14 yards while bringing up the rear in snaps (26).
  • Saints stud RB Alvin Kamara rushed for only 16 yards on 12 carries Sunday but looks to be well on his way to some expected positive touchdown regression after scoring twice – once each via air and ground – and having a third TD overturned on a coin-flip replay. Kamara totaled only six TDs all of last season after scoring 31 over his first two years.
  • Lost in the shadow of Josh Jacobs’ monster rushing day (25 carries-93 yards-three TDs) Sunday for the Las Vegas Raiders, he finished second on the team in targets with six and caught four for 46 yards, setting career highs in all three categories. It was only one game against the defenseless Panthers, but Jacobs is looking like a locked-in elite fantasy back for his sophomore season.
  • Jets WR Jamison Crowder paced the team with a 39.4 percent target share (13 of 33) and caught seven for 115 yards and a TD. Crowder led the team with 122 targets a season ago (26 more than any other player). A full 27 of those targets came in two games against the Bills, giving him 29 catches on 40 targets for 180 yards and two TDs in his last three outings vs. Buffalo. Swoop him up if he’s still available in your league.

Adrian Peterson an inspirational influence on Kerryon Johnson in the Lions RB room

Adrian Peterson an inspirational influence on Kerryon Johnson in the Lions RB room

Lions running back Kerryon Johnson has gone from competing against one of his football heroes to sharing a backfield with him. It’s hard to overstate the type of cache newcomer Adrian Peterson has with the Lions running back room, especially Johnson.

“He’s going to be a for-sure Hall-of-Famer and I get to sit next to him in meetings,” Johnson said via the Detroit Free Press. “And he’s trying to learn things from me and I’m trying to learn things from him. But I’m like, ‘What do I have to offer?’ You know what I’m saying? Just because he’s been there, done everything that I can say. So it’s very weird.”

One area where Peterson still astonishes is his physical condition. For his age and the mileage on his legs, Peterson still looks remarkably spry in practices. Or, as Johnson tells it,

“How is he still running? What is he, (14) years in the league or something like that? ACL surgery and here and there whatever bumps and bruises he’s gone through. And I mean, he’s still running, he’s still explosive. We go to walk-through, I mean he’s dang near running in the walk-through.”

That’s an inspirational influence on a player like Johnson, who has missed 19 of the 32 games over the last two seasons with various injuries. Johnson admitted he’s asked Peterson about how he can remain in such great shape.

Look: Kerryon Johnson has hilarious response to Adrian Peterson joining Lions

Kerryon Johnson is a must follow on Twitter.

If you don’t follow former Auburn running back Kerryon Johnson on Twitter, I would highly recommend it.

Now on the Detroit Lions, Johnson was astounded when the team signed fellow running back Adrian Peterson only because he is such a fan of the former NFL MVP.

It didn’t take long for Johnson, the 2017 SEC Offensive Player of the Year, to get that photo he wanted.

Never change, Kerryon.

Matt Patricia insists signing of Adrian Peterson was ‘independent’ of Lions health at RB

Detroit Lions coach Matt Patricia insists the signing of Adrian Peterson was “independent” of the teams health at running back.

Detroit Lions running back Kerryon Johnson has landed on injured reserve twice in his two year NFL career and is currently wearing a brace on his knee to prevent further injury. The team took it easy on his during training camp, giving him a lighter load of work in order to keep him healthy — and it’s worked, for now.

The Lions’ other running backs weren’t as fortunate as Johnson. D’Andre Swift was injured in the third practice of his NFL career and sat out for over a week before he was able to return to the field.

When coach Matt Patricia was asked for an update on Swift’s health, Patricia pointed to the fact that they would be putting out an injury report on Wednesday that would provide updates. “Check the report” is back in full force.

Bo Scarbrough was injured at the same time as Swift, and while he also looked to be on a path to recovery, he was placed on injured reserve this morning. Because he was part of the Lions original 53-man roster, his time on injured reserve only has to last three weeks and then he can return to the active roster when healthy.

When Patricia was asked how much the health of the Lions running backs group came into play in signing Adrian Peterson, Patricia insisted the move was an independent decision.

“I think with Adrian Peterson it was kind of independent of everything else that was going on,” Patricia said. “Just having an opportunity to talk to him on the phone was great as we pushed and figured out it would be something that we’d want to pursue and there was mutual interest. It’s kind of an independent situation.”

Patricia noted that Peterson’s history with offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and offensive line coach Hank Fraley were part of a “perfect storm” of things that helped Peterson land in Detroit.

With the main structure of Bevell’s offense still intact from his time with Peterson in Minnesota, Peterson should be able to pick up the scheme quickly and find the field early in the season — through Patricia said “he just got here. So we’ll see how everything goes,” with regards to his ability to contribute in Week 1.

Regardless of if he sees the field in Week1, its clear, signing Peterson was part of a larger picture.

“I think it’s always great especially for young players to see vets that have been in the League for a long time,” Patricia said of Peterson’s influence on the Lions’ young running backs room. “Especially great players who have been in the League for a long time and try to see how they approach game week. How they approach the preparation, how they practice, and how they perform. I think that’s certainly a big part of younger players developing and becoming professional at this level… I think it’s great for young guys to sit there and maybe just watch, just observe and see what it looks like to be in the League as long as he’s been in the League, Adrian’s been in the League, with the success that he’s had — that’s a tremendous opportunity for a young player to see.”

Bo Scarbrough placed on IR, will miss minimum three games

Former Alabama RB Bo Scarbrough was placed on the injured reserve by the Detroit Lions as his job security and future in the NFL is wary.

Former Alabama running back, and Tuscaloosa native, Bo Scarbrough has had a hard time adjusting to the NFL, bouncing around four different teams in his three years in the league. Now, with the Detroit Lions, he’ll have to wait a little longer to see consistent action, as he’s been placed on injured reserve.

The news was reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

The injury in question has not been disclosed, but he has been dealing with it for a few weeks, hindering his ability to participate in Lions training camp in preparation for the 2020 regular season.

Being placed on the IR means that Scarbrough will miss a minimum of three games to open up the season.

His position in the Detroit backfield is interesting, as the Lions have Kerryon Johnson, drafted D’Andre Swift from UGA in the second round of the 2020 draft and recently signed veteran Adrian Peterson.

With his injuries keeping him form participating in practices and games, paired with his limited experience on the field in regular season games, one must question what Scarborough’s job security looks like.

Despite entering his fourth season in the league, the Crimson Tide product has only appeared in six games for 89 carries, 377 yards and a lone touchdown, all with Detroit.

There’s no telling what the future holds for Bo Scarbrough, but it seems as if all he needs is a healthy season and a system that fits him in order to succeed at the professional level.