Tag: Peyton Barber

5 most surprising players cut by Washington

While there were no major shockers on Tuesday, here are five moves that could be considered the most surprising.

The Washington Football Team released 27 players over the last two days to meet the league-mandated 53-man roster by Tuesday afternoon.

For the most part, there were no surprises. On Monday, Washington released 10 players, none of which were a surprise. However, on Tuesday, the Football Team released five players who were a bit of a surprise.

The bigger surprises may be Washington keeping just four linebackers on the initial 53-man roster than the actual players released.

Here are five players whose releases could be considered the most surprising on Tuesday.

 

Peyton Barber, Antonio Gandy-Golden & Jimmy Moreland among Washington’s cuts on Tuesday

The release of Jimmy Moreland is the most surprising of the bunch.

The Washington Football Team continues to release players as it looks to trim the roster to 53 players by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday.

Washington released 10 players on Monday, none of which were a surprise.

On Tuesday, one of Washington’s first cuts was third-year cornerback Jimmy Moreland. It was a bit of a surprise. A seventh-round pick out of James Madison in 2019, Moreland played in 30 games for Washington over the past two seasons.

He was one of Washington’s top three corners in 2020.

The additions of William Jackson III and Benjamin St-Juste and the emergence of Torry McTyer made Moreland expendable in the end. Also, the versatility of Bobby McCain, Kendall Fuller and Kam Curl helped make Washington’s decision easier.

Veteran running back Peyton Barber was Washington’s short-yardage back in 2020. Washington’s starting running back, Antonio Gibson, should handle those duties in 2021. The emergence of undrafted rookie Jaret Patterson proved too much for Barber.

Gandy-Golden, a fourth-round pick in 2020, was a victim of the numbers game at wide receiver. He had a strong preseason and many, myself included, thought he’d done enough to earn a spot. He would be an ideal candidate for the practice squad if he clears waivers.

Make sure to follow our continuing coverage of all of Washington’s roster moves as it works to trim the roster to 53 players.

Six points with David Dorey

Friday’s quick look at six fantasy items to know

Well, the Steelers are on a losing streak now. Maybe the Saints need Drew Brees… or Jameis Winston? Each week hits a few more players with a COVID-19 vacation but has only truly impacted a few games. At least so far.

The Ravens-Browns game on Monday was outstanding and everything fantasy football loves. Heading into the weekend, we’re getting comfortable with the Chiefs being the best AFC team and that the Packers might be better than the Saints in the NFC.  The Jets and Jaguars are racing toward the No. 1 pick but there is just no catching the Jets. They’ve reached a new low when they lost 40-3 to the Seahawks and threw for 132 yards against the worst secondary in the NFL.

And yet, HC Adam Gase still has the reserved parking spot in the front row. His badge still opens the door. By this point, he must be planning on what he’s going to do with the draft pick.

Six things going into Week 15:

  1. RB Leonard Fournette (TB) – The Buccaneers signed Fournette to a one-year deal, so chances are high that he’ll be somewhere else in 2021 since the Bucs haven’t cared to make him a starter. At least not until this week. Ronald Jones is out with a fractured finger and COVID-19, so Fournette is expected to take the primary role with some help from LeSean McCoy and potentially Ke’Shawn Vaughn. This is a one or two game interview for the NFL to look at Fournette before the season is over. And how the Bucs use him will also be telling about their intention to keep him next season.

  2. QB Aaron Rodgers (GB) – The NFL world raised a collective eyebrow when the Packers used their 2020 first-round pick on Jordan Love. There was speculation that Rodgers was on his way out, one way or another. But Rodgers has been on fire this year. Currently, he’s thrown for 3,685 yards and 39 touchdowns. That’s a pace to end with 4,533 yards and 48 touchdowns.  Rodgers passed for more yardage in just one season  (2011 – 4,463 yards) and has never thrown for more than 45 touchdowns. The final schedule is against the Panthers, Titans and Bears. And that other high-yardage year for Rodgers was the year they went to the Super Bowl.
  3.  TE Irv Smith (MIN)  – The ex-Alabama tight end was the 2.18 pick in 2019, but he’s starting to show up well in the box scores. Kyle Rudolph was out last week and Smith caught four passes for 63 yards and a touchdown at the Buccaneers. Rudolph appears likely to be out this week with a foot injury and looks likely to miss this week so far. Smith would be the primary tight end versus the Bears and their No. 30 defense against tight ends. Rudolph is signed through 2023, but he’s also 30 years old. Interesting to see if Smith can handle the primary load and take the lead in 2021.
  4. QB Taysom Hill (NO) –  There are conflicting reports about Drew Brees returning this week, but the last thing the Saints need is to send him back to the sidelines for a few more weeks. Hill is more likely to start. And he needs to do well. He finally threw for two scores versus the Falcons but then struggled versus the Eagles. He ended with 291 yards and two scores but completed 11-of-15 passes for only 65 yards and no scores at halftime, and they lost. HC Sean Payton told Winston he could compete for the starting job in 2021 when he signed with the Saints. Hill will do himself a big favor if he can look like more than a running back that can throw  against the Chiefs this week.
  5. WR/RB Lynn Bowden (MIA) – The ex-Kentucky Wildcat was drafted by the Raiders with their 3.16 pick as a wideout, but the athletic Bowden could also serve as a running back. He ran for 1,468 yards as a junior for the Wildcats last year. He also threw 35 passes. He was traded to the Dolphins and little used until last week when both DeVante Parker and Jakeem Grant were injured. He ended with a team-high seven catches for 82 yards and ran once for two yards. There’s a chance that Parker and Grant could return but may not be 100% if they do. Bowden is a talented “tweener” type that can do many things well. Would like to see him do more.
  6. Top 5 Fantasy Playoff Performances 2000-2019, Per Position
    Always fun to look back to see which players had the best fantasy performances in their position during Weeks 15 and 16 over the last ten years. Did you have any?
    Interesting that the top guy was always in a road game.

    Again – always in a road game. And Todd Gurley in 2017 was a monster.

    Antonio Brown pre-meltdown was pretty good.

    And mostly at home for tight ends.  Kelce was the only time a top tight end  racked up Top-5  positional fantasy points during fantasy playoffs. Kelce repeating this year would be no surprise. Easy to forget how good Zach Ertz was.

5 keys to victory for Washington over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday

Washington arguably has the upper hand in a few key matchups, but they’re going to need to take care of these keys in order to be victorious against the 49ers.

If you were to take a blind resume of both teams heading into this game on Sunday, it seems pretty clear which should have the upper hand. One team is riding high on a three-game winning streak, coming off of their biggest win in several years, with a top-five defense in the NFL that has been nothing short of dominant in the second half of games.

The other team has been ravaged by injuries this season and is without both their starting QB and All-Pro tight end, forced instead to rely on a middling QB and a who’s-who of running backs and receivers to get the job done. Their defense is solid, but they’re missing their best player on that side of the ball as well.

Both teams have the same record; both teams are on the outside of the wild-card race looking in; both teams have a ton to fight for on Sunday. So why the are San Francisco 49ers favored by three points on a neutral field?

We don’t have an answer for you, but we can say that we feel confident in Washington’s chances to continue their winning streak this weekend, even if rookie RB Antonio Gibson is unable to play with a turf toe injury suffered last week. In order to pull out a win, though, Washington is going to need to what they’ve been doing for most of the season — rely on their defense and get a mistake-free game from Alex Smith. Here are our biggest keys to victory for Ron Rivera and his squad.

Six points with David Dorey

Friday’s quick look at six fantasy items to know

It ends up that the Steelers are mortal, and all it took was the worst team that they had yet faced to visit. Injuries were very low last week and that’s not uncommon. They say everybody who is going to get hurt, already has. And by this point of the season, everyone is hurt on some level and just dealing with it.

COVID-19 is a bigger deal each week and has proven to be a problem since it’s hard to know if a person is on the lost with a positive test or were just in contact with someone who had. Hard to know when they are coming off the list and what shape they are in because it is not a part of the official injury report.

Fantasy playoffs have started in large contests and will happen in fantasy leagues this week and next. We’ve made it through 13 weeks without missing any games, and only a few fantasy-relevant players were impacted. Let’s hope it all lasts just three more weeks.

Six things to think about for Week 14:

  1. RB Christian McCaffrey (CAR) – Just when you think you can use that first draft pick, “nope”. McCaffery missed six games with an ankle injury, played Week 9, injured his shoulder and right when it looks like he’ll be back, he hurts his quad. Mike Davis was a life-saver if he could be reached by the McCaffrey owner. That probably did not happen in most leagues. That made me look at the five year history of where the No. 1 running back ended up the next season.

    2019 – Christian McCaffrey, 2020 = No. 42 (currently)
    2018 – Saquon Barkley, 2019 = No. 10
    2017 – Todd Gurley, 2018 = No. 3
    2016 – David Johnson, 2017 = No. 111
    2015 – Devonta Freeman, 2016 = 6
    2014 – Le’Veon Bell, 2015 = 48

    If there’s any consolation (and there isn’t), McCaffrey had monster performances in all three games that he played. But top running backs have a spotty track record the next year anyway.

  2. WR Keke Coutee (HOU) – Okay, so now we know how Will Fuller remained healthy this year.  Now that his season is over, Coutee moved up to the No. 2 role and reeled off eight catches for 141 yards against the Colts last week.  The Texans face the Bears in Chicago and it will be interesting to see what he can do there. Coutee spends Week 15 against the Colts again and then the fantasy Championship versus the Bengals. I’d still contend that anyone playing with Deshaun Watson is a player worth owning.
  3.  RB Cam Akers (LAR) – He just rushed for  171 yards on 29 carries and caught two passes for 23 yards. The only other backfield touches were two carries by Darrell Henderson. I have to comment – “where has that been?” As every optimistic Akers’ owner can attest, he never had more than ten carries in any game through Week 11 and was mysteriously not even used in several games despite being productive the previous week. Perhaps the is the newest version of the Rams Tyler Higbee who blew up down the stretch in 2019, only to hide back under his rock. Akers looked great, but his previous usage looks even harder to understand.
  4. Washington Football Team Backfield –  Antonio Gibson injured his toe last week and has yet to practice. He’s been a nice surprise with 11 touchdowns but looks likely to miss at least this week. The Football Team averages about 30 touches per game from the backfield and that now shrinks to just Peyton Barber and J.D. McKissic. They face the 49ers’ tough defense this week, but if  Gibson remains out, the final two weeks of the fantasy playoffs has them at home against the Seahawks and then Panthers. Those are two of the softer defenses versus running backs. This Sunday will indicate which back is the better option.
  5. Top 10 Free Agent Running Backs 2021 – The important part of the final four games for these players is looking good enough for a big 2021 contract (from someone) and how they are used can be telling as to if a team intends to re-sign them or let them walk.
     

    They are mostly the same age, finishing up that rookie contract or coming off a one-year deal. This is not a time for any of them to play poorly or sit a game out if they can possibly play.
  6. Top 20  Free Agent Wide Receivers 2021
    This is always interesting, because like the running backs, each player has a huge stake in what they do over the final weeks of their season since they need to sell themselves.

    But also interesting is what happens on their teams with other receivers. Many of the above teams are trying out newer players and that may play into their decision to re-sign or let them go. The Lions are in a notable situation. Not only are they looking for a new head coach, but none of their current starting wideouts are signed beyond this year. Kenny Golladay cannot stay healthy. Marvin Jones and Danny Amendola are heading into their 30’s.  Each of the pending free agents will be interesting to track for the final month.

Six points with David Dorey: Week 1

David Dorey looks at the most interesting six things heading into the weekend.

Well, the season started and so far COVID-19 mostly impacts concession sales at the stadium. We’ve got four months left to reach the playoffs, so fingers crossed that the players don’t act the way I would if I was in my early twenties with millions in the bank account.

Six things I am thinking about heading into the weekend:

  1. Saints receivers – The unthinkable happened when Michael Thomas suffered a high-ankle sprain against the Buccaneers.  His absence should boost the playing time for Tre’Quan Smith who was hyped this summer by players and coaches. The reality is that some or even all of those passes once meant for Thomas will now end up with Alvin Kamara or Jared Cook and both are already fantasy starters. Smith has scored five times in each of his first two seasons, but last year never did more than one or two catches in a game. He had two monster games as a rookie (10-157 and 3-111) but was quiet in all other games. Smith is one to watch since Thomas seems likely to miss a few games. Notable as wellNotable as well is Marquez Callaway, an undrafted free agent that signed with the Saints in May after the NFL draft. Technically, he is the backup for Thomas while Smith is behind Emmanuel Sanders. It’s been five years since the Saints have had to play without Thomas who topped 100 catches in each of the last three seasons. The Saints face Raiders, Packers, Lions and Chargers next, and will need to throw downfield to someone new.
  2. RB Benny Snell – The Steelers backfield is instantly harder to read after James Conner sprained his ankle in the win over the Giants. Conner was ineffective on his six runs for nine yards but Snell gained 113 yards on 19 carries and looked very comfortable. Now Conner is back to full practices yesterday and should face the Broncos on Sunday. HC Mike Tomlin said that Conner would return as the primary back but the speculation is that Snell has bought himself a bigger role. The Steelers offensive line has been hit with injuries which won’t help, but they play in home games in three of the next four games. Snell was already a must own for the less-than-durable Conner owner and now is the one to watch in this backfield.
  3. RB James Robinson – It’s not often that a a no-name, undrafted rookie running back makes the team. It’s unheard of to see him shoot up the depth chart to No. 1 in about one week right before the season started. The former Illinois State back ran for 1,899 yards on 364 carries in 2019 but went undrafted since he was from a small school in the Missouri Valley Conference. But Robinson ran for 62 yards on 16 rushes versus the Colts in Week 1 and no other back had a carry. Chris Thompson only fielded two short passes for six yards. Robinson faces the Titans this week, but his next three opponents are the Dolphins, Bengals and Texans. If he looks as good this week at the Titans, Robinson will end up as one of the biggest running back surprises of the season.
  4. WR Quintez Cephus – The Lions spent their fifth-round pick on the Wisconsin wideout who topped out with 59-902-7 last year on a team that greatly prefers to run. He made the Lions final roster and was already speculated to be in line to play some slot. But Kenny Golladay injured his hamstring right before the start of the season and missed Week 1. Cephus took his place and led the Lions with ten targets versus the Bears. He only caught three for 43 yards but he faced the Bears defense and Matt Stafford kept trying to connect with him. The Lions are not going to have the luxury of rushing at the Packers and then Cardinals next and Golladay appears likely to miss at least this week as well.  This is a powerful passing attack that starts the year against some of the better defenses. Cephus could earn an ongoing role if he can continue to attract the attention of Stafford.
  5. WR Parris Campbell – The Colts used their 2.27 pick of 2018 to take the 4.31/40 speedster out of Ohio State, but he was plagued with injuries his first two seasons. The Colts offense is all new now with Philip Rivers as the starting quarterback. His first game this year saw him start across from T.Y. Hilton (not Michael Pittman). Campbell tied with Hilton with nine targets and left the team with 71 yards on six catches. This week their home opener is against the Vikings defense that struggled in their opening loss to the Packers. Campbell looks to finally be cashing in that potential and worth watching on Sunday.
  6. RB Peyton Barber – The lack of preseason games or even comprehensive reports from training camps led to numerous depth chart surprises across the NFL in Week 1. One of the biggest was Peyton Barber who out-carried Antonio Gibson 17 to 11 rushes and  scored both short touchdowns.  Dwayne Haskins only completed three passes for nine yards to his running backs so receptions are not going to be part of the running back value in Washington. Goal line plunges are and Barber has quickly climbed through the logjam in the backfield to be the No. 1 back. Bryce Love was a surprising inactive in Week 1. If he doesn’t suit up for the matchup in Arizona on Sunday, his career is likely to never start. Week 1 is usually in favor of veterans, but Washington’s depth chart was open for any back to climb. There is a chance that Gibson eventually overtakes Barber, but there is an equal chance that it remains a committee and Gibson is not considered a primary back.

Tunnel Vision of Week 1

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

SUNDAY SALUTES
Quarterbacks Pass-Rush TD
Josh Allen 312-57 3
Russell Wilson 322-29 4
 Aaron Rodgers 364-2 4
 Matt Ryan 450 2
 Kyler Murray 230-91 2
Running Backs Yards TD
Josh Jacobs 139 3
Christian McCaffrey 134 2
Nyheim Hines 73 2
Raheem Mostert 151 1
Chris Carson 66 2
Wide Receivers Yards TD
Davante Adams 156 2
Calvin Ridley 130 2
DeAndre Hopkins 151 0
Adam Thielen 110 2
Julio Jones 157 0
Tight Ends Yards TD
Mark Andrews 58 2
Dallas Goedert 101 1
T.J. Hockenson 56 1
Travis Kelce 50 1
David Njoku 50 1
Placekickers XP FG
Daniel Carlson 3 3
Mason Crosby 5 2
Josh Lambo 3 2
Matt Prater 2 3
Joey Slye 1 3
Defense Sack-TO TD
Saints 3-3 1
Football Team 8-3 0
Ravens 3-2 0
Bills 3-2 0
Chargers 3-2 0

Bumps, Bruises and Bowouts

RB Le’Veon Bell – Hamstring
RB Marlon Mack – Achilles
WR  Devante Parker – Hamstring
RB Jordan Howard – Hamstring
RB Justin Jackson – Quad
TE David Njoku – Knee
TE Blake Jarwin – Knee (ACL?)

Chasing Ambulances

A light week is always great to see. But it also

RB Marlon Mack – Reported to have torn his Achilles and that clears up the Colts’ backfield. Jonathan Taylor becomes the primary rusher but he was snapped up in all fantasy leagues. Nyheim Hines is the free agent to note with seven carries for 28 yards and one touchdown as a rusher, and then eight receptions for 45 yards and a second touchdown. The next three opponents – Vikings, Jets, and Bears – all sport above-average defenses but that likely prompts more passes to Hines and Taylor.

RB Le’Veon Bell – While Bell left the Bills game after only six carries, the woeful Jets only totaled 14 runs in the game anyway. Frank Gore would start if Bell misses time but Josh Adams ran in the score against in Buffalo. The Jets face the 49ers next and that won’t be much better than what happened against the Bills. Gore and Adams come into play only in the biggest of leagues and even then, only for the Bell owners.

RB Jordan Howard – Left with a hamstring strain but like Bell, or even worse than Bell, the Dolphins offense is just not something to waste a free agent move on. Matt Breida wasn’t a factor and Myles Gaskin was the best back with just nine runs for 40 yards. He added four catches for 26 yards but Patrick Laird also had a couple of catches. They face the Bills next as well. Gaskin is worth a stash only in the deepest of leagues but keep all expectations from this backfield low.

Free Agents, Flops and Other Notables

TE Jordan Akins – The Texans are searching for new receivers since DeAndre Hopkins left and while Will Fuller had another Week 1 explosion, that’s not going to happen often (or ever if last year serves). The third-year tight end Akins was a star in training camp and caught two passes for 39 yards that included a 19-yard touchdown. Not reliable yet, but at least Akins deserves to land as fantasy depth. The Texans have a bad stretch up next – Ravens, Steelers and Vikings – so Akins won’t be a starting option this month.

TE Greg Olsen – Like Akins, he surprised with four catches for 24 yards and a touchdown against the Falcons. There’s not enough left after D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett take their share, but Olsen is worth at least watching.

WR Russell Gage – The Falcons produced three wideouts with nine catches for over 100 yards in one game thanks to the 450 passing yards by Matt Ryan. It was a great game by Gage to be sure, but he’ll never be as reliable as either Julio Jones or Calvin Ridley. He’s worth rostering only if you own Ridley or Jones as insurance.

Browns running backs – Nick Chubb’s value took a hit with the Browns falling behind so badly since Kareem Hunt plays in more passing situations. Chubb ended with only ten carries for 60 yards and Hunt finished with 13 runs for 72 yards and four catches for nine yards. The good news is that the next two games are at home against the Bengals and Redskins so Chubb should improve.

RB Mark Ingram – The Ravens decimated the Browns and yet Ingram only ran ten times for 29 yards while the rookie J.K. Dobbins gained 22 yards and two touchdowns on seven carries. Gus Edwards had four carries as well so Ingram’s role appears to be shrinking.

RB Devin Singletary – Like Ingram, Singletary’s team had their way with the Jets but he only ran nine times for 30 yards while the rookie Zack Moss took nine carries for 11 yards.  Worse yet, Moss scored a touchdown on his three catches for 16 yards while Singletary went scoreless despite five receptions for 23 yards.  At least he did not fumble, but the expectations that Singletary’s role would get dialed back was correct.

WR Nelson Agholor – He only caught one pass for the Raiders but it was a 23-yard touchdown and the rookie starter Bryan Edwards settled for just one catch for nine yards. The Raiders are still throwing mostly to Josh Jacobs and Darren Waller, but Agholor is worth noting.

WR Robby Anderson – While No. 1 wideout DJ Moore was held to only four catches for 54 yards in the Panthers new offense, Anderson turned in 115 yards and one score on six catches thanks to a 75-yard touchdown. The scheme intends to be pass-heavy and Anderson has already made a splash as the No. 2 receiver.

RB Adrian Peterson – Kerryon Johnson only ran seven times for 14 yards against the Bears while Peterson accounted for 93 yards on 14 runs and even caught three passes for 21 yards. D’Andre Swift ran in a score but was only used on three rushes for eight yards. Peterson’s value is higher than expected but this will remain a committee.

TE T.J. Hockenson – He caught all five passes and gained 56 yards with the lone receiving touchdown. That’s a positive sign for the tight end that was drafted specifically to be a cog in the passing game.

RB James Robinson – The Jaguars game of musical chairs for their backfield ended with the undrafted Robinson getting the starting nod. He handled all the backfield carries with 16 for 62 yards and even caught a 28-yard pass. He’s worth owning if only for Week 3 when the Dolphins visit.

WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling – Davante Adams is simply a pass-sponge but MVS turned four catches into 96 yards and a score on the Vikings on Sunday. He’s had good showings in the past and then disappeared for almost all of 2019. But notable that he generated some buzz this summer and then delivered.

QB Cam Newton – What says Tom Brady is gone more than having the Patriot’s quarterback run 15 times for 75 yards and two scores?  Newton threw for 155 yards and even completed 15 of 19 passes. But a muddle committee backfield just got a lot worse with less scoring and runs to go around.

TE Dallas Goedert –  Carson Wentz was surprisingly less effective passing with only 24 of 42 passes completed and Goedert was the only one with notable production when he turned a team-high nine targets into eight catches for 101 yards and a score. That was the same number of catches by all wide receivers combined. The Eagles disappeared after leading 17-0 so hard to rely on any of the outcomes, but Wentz is still having trouble connecting with his wideouts even though they are all healthy now.

RB Peyton Barber – While Antonio Gibson (9-36) got all the hype this summer, Washington turned to Barber (17-29, 2 TD) to lead the backfield in carries. Touchdowns aside, the running backs only combined for 65 yards on 26 carries in a home game they controlled for the second half. Playing in Arizona next week doesn’t look like as much fun as it used to be so Barber is still no safe fantasy start.

RB Joshua Kelley – The Chargers lost Justin Jackson to a quad injury so Kelley hasn’t formally become the No. 2 running back. But the rookie gained 60 yards and a score on 12 carries. Austin Ekeler (19-84) also ran effectively though never more than 13 yards on any carry. But the offense only threw one pass to a running back all game. That’s a major shift from life with Philip Rivers under center.

RB Ronald Jones – The jury was still out on Jones and then once Leonard Fournette was acquired, the fantasy world figured that the third-year back wasn’t going to be a factor. Not so fast. Fournette ran five times to gain five yards while Jones handled 17 rushes for 66 yards and caught two passes for 16 yards. We should know a lot more after the Bucs host the Panthers this week, but Jones ran strong and Fournette isn’t effective, at least not yet.

TE George Kittle – Caught four passes for 44 yards in the first half but then had a shot to his left knee that looked bad and sent him to the sideline. He played in the second half but never caught a pass so fantasy owners need to pay attention to practices to see if Kittle will be healthy to play at the Jets this week. The 49ers ran out of starting wideouts already and finally started throwing to Raheem Mostert (4-95, TD).

RB Malcolm Brown – Cam Akers ran for 39 yards on 14 carries but Brown took the lead against the Cowboys with 18 runs for 79 yards and both rushing touchdowns, along with three receptions for 31 yards. Akers may eventually become the new Gurley, but so far Brown owns that role.

The Week 1 Chill Pill

Before you freak out that your players all suck or that we all whiffed on drafting the stars of 2020, the annual reality check is in order.

The top 3 wideouts from Week 1, 2019 were Sammy Watkins (9-198, 3 TD), DeSean Jackson (8-154, 2 TD), and John Ross (7-158, 2 TD). All three got you nowhere last year after Week 1.

T.J. Hockenson turned in six catches for 131 yards and one score. David Johnson totaled 137 yards, five receptions and one touchdown. Case Keenum ended with 380 passing yards and three touchdowns. It happens.

Joe Mixon opened 2019 with just 17 yards. Tyreek Hill had 21 yards. Mike Evans only managed 28 yards in a season where his team passed for over 5,000 yards.

It’s just one week. And usually very different than the rest of the season.

Huddle player of the week

Davante Adams  –  While Michael Thomas was turning in a head-scratching Week 1, Davante Adams richly rewarded the fantasy drafters that probably spent a first-round pick on him. Adams roasted the Vikings with 14 receptions for 156 yards and two scores as the best fantasy play on opening weekend. That tied the all-time Packer record for single-game receptions.

Salute!

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

Comedy Yards TDs Tragedy Yards TDs
QB Cam Newton 230 2 QB Drew Brees 160 2
RB Peyton Barber 29 2 RB Devin Singletary 53 0
RB Nyheim Hines 73 2 RB Le’Veon Bell 46 0
WR Jamison Crowder 115 1 WR Michael Thomas 17 0
WR Robby Anderson 115 1 WR Odell Beckham 22 0
WR Russell Gage 114 0 WR Keenan Allen 37 0
TE Dallas Goedert 101 1 TE George Kittle 44 0
PK Matt Prater   2 XP   3 FG PK Ka’imi Fairbairn  2 XP
Huddle Fantasy Points = 134 Huddle Fantasy Points = 39

Now get back to work…

Watch: Peyton Barber scores second touchdown for Washington

Washington has scored 24 unanswered points to take a late lead against the Philadelphia Eagles and Peytoon Barber has led the charge.

Washington has scored 24 unanswered points to take a late lead against the Philadelphia Eagles and Peytoon Barber has led the charge.

Barber capped off a 13-play, 48-yard drive with his second touchdwon of the game to complete the comeback.

Washington leads Philadelphia 24-17.

Watch: Peyton Barber scores first touchdown for Washington

It is Peyton Barber’s first game for the Washington Football Team.

Peyton Barber has found a new home in Washington and it took only one game for him to make his mark.

The former Auburn star rushed for a short touchdown to cut the Philadelphia Eagles lead to 17-14.

What does Adrian Peterson’s release mean for your fantasy football team?

With Antonio Gibson now assuming the starting RB role in Washington, there are some major fantasy football implications to be had.

While the Washington Football Team is working to make their actual roster on the field work after the surprise release of veteran RB Adrian Peterson, there are a number of fantasy football managers around the world who may be wondering something similar.

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With the NFL season just a week from being kicked off, many teams have already been drafted, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if you rostered Peterson with hopes of him being the starting RB in Washington. So now that he’s gone, what do you do? Here are some tips.

Pick up Antonio Gibson Immediately

If you can do so, you need to be rushing to your waiver wire and looking to pick up rookie Antonio Gibson immediately if he is available, which may not be the case. Gibson has already been one of the young players picking up ‘sleeper buzz’ this season, so there’s a good chance that he is already rostered by someone who just won the lottery on Friday morning, but you at least need to check.

Even as the RB2 in Washington, many expected Gibson to have a nice rookie season where he could help win you a couple of games. Now that he is stepping into the starting role, though, his value just went through the roof. When you consider that the release of AP was primarily to give these young players more of a chance, namely Gibson, it’s exciting to think of the possibilities that he will have in Scott Turner’s offense. We could be dealing with a young superstar on our hands, and you’ll want to do everything you can to get a piece of it.

Hold on to Adrian Peterson

Just because AP is no longer a member of the Washington Football Team doesn’t mean his value has plummeted. In fact, depending on where he ends up landing, it could potentially help him down the road if he goes to a contending team that has an easier path to scoring points than Washington typically does.

I would hang onto AP for the time being and watch to see what happens. We saw two years ago in Washington that he doesn’t need much ramp-up time to get going, and he can definitely go to a new system and start to provide an impact right away.

Be open to fliers in Washington

This move seemingly caused all of the other backs in Washington to take a step forward in the value chart. While players like Bryce Love, J.D. McKissic, or Peyton Barber were unlikely to be rostered a couple of days ago, you can now look at potentially adding and stashing them for future use. If it were me, I would try to pick up McKissic first, and maybe Love if he is unavailable. We haven’t yet seen enough from Barber to make me think that he is going to have a legitimate impact on the offense in Washington, but it’s something to keep your eye on.

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