Sunday Morning Huddle: Week Two

George Kritikos

huddle

Let’s face it, there’s an enormous amount of information out there on Sunday mornings. We’re not going to waste your time by repeating the news and notes about who’s in or out this week, since that’s really not what you visit us for. We’re also not going to do another article on starts or sits this week – we already have the personalized lineup advice for you on the premium content. Again, there are 100 places you can go for that, so no reason to repeat ourselves or others.

The Sunday Morning Huddle goes through each game and states what we’re looking to see from a dynasty perspective. We’ll pick one player from each team who we have our eye on and describe why their weekend performance is a key one for them in relation to their dynasty value.

Early Games

Miami at Buffalo

Last week I said to pay attention to the running back situation and that solved little. This week, the passing game takes center stage and Charles Clay needs to reemerge after a quiet week one (five targets, two receptions). The “Claymation dude” should get more involved, especially if Stephon Gilmore is back and healthy for the Bills.

After they shocked my Chicago Bears, I’m bitter and confused. Robert Woods looked like he suffered a brutal offseason of being pushed down the depth chart yet emerged as the receiving leader in week one (six targets, four catches). Can he continue to emerge and become a viable dynasty hold?

Jacksonville at Washington
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All eyes were on Allen Hurns as he produced a two touchdown performance in his regular season debut. Marqise Lee, however, had the better catch rate and was the receiver most often used in the slot (76% of routes). It raises the question of whether the Jaguars see him moving inside when Allen Robinson and Cecil Shorts are healthy or if they are focused on finding Lee favorable matchups. His week two deployment could clarify the picture as long as his hamstring doesn’t hold him out.

I made fun of Jordan Reed last week about injuries and look what happened? Let’s turn to Roy Helu Jr. and his surprisingly tough running (4.5 yards after contact) with limited opportunities in week one. He may pick up additional receiving work to help make up for the absence of Reed as well.

Dallas at Tennessee

There was little to like in Big D in week one. Tennessee has a solid secondary so the pass game will again have some trouble. I will turn to the defense and the surprisingly effective Rolando McClain, the twice retired former first round linebacker. There is opportunity for him to carve out a productive role so those of you in IDP leagues may want to put him on the watch list and see what happens.

Who wore Shonn Greene’s jersey last Sunday and ran through what was supposed to be a strong Kansas City defense? Bishop Sankey owners can’t be pleased and will need to watch how the running game is handled in week two. If Sankey is again reduced to garbage time status, he may be no more than a bye week fill-in.

Arizona at New York Giants

Stepfan Taylor may have slipped passed Jonathan Dwyer for the number two role (or at least entered the conversation), which is an important fact in the continual Andre Ellington “will he or won’t he” saga. Taylor has the better hands and is a capable runner in spurts, likely keeping Dwyer relegated to short yardage duty even if Ellington is unable to play. Monitor the running game here and see how each man is used.

Not much to see here and I wouldn’t recommend watching the Giants if you suffer from stomach issues or general uneasiness. That being said, summer sleeper Larry Donnell was the surprise leader in catches (five) and yards (56) in their week one nightmare. Arizona is notoriously bad at defending the tight end position so there is some upside here.

New England at Minnesota

Assuming the Patriots do not throw over 50 times this week, who leads this backfield in carries? Stevan Ridley (8) just out-carried Shane Vereen (7) in week one, but if the team is leading against Minnesota, I think Ridley could manage upwards of fifteen carries. This is a fluid situation that may change weekly, but there is a lot of fantasy value in the New England running game.

Matt Cassel proved to be efficient in a trouncing of the Rams in week one. That being said, he didn’t help the fantasy values of non-Greg Jennings receivers very much. His play should be monitored not just for Teddy Bridgewater’s sake, but to see if this passing game can sustain several fantasy starting options.

New Orleans at Cleveland

The man to watch in the Saints backfield is Mark Ingram. His week one performance could represent his sell high opportunity as he had the second most carries (behind C.J. Spiller) without a single missed tackle. New Orleans still mixed in Pierre Thomas and Khiry Robinson, which is not expected to change. Ingram is on a tight leash so this situation can change mid-game, but if he comes close to what Le’Veon Bell did to this defense a week ago, he may earn the job going forward.

With Brian Hoyer safe for another week, it is time to shift our attention to yet another volatile running game. Terrance West put in a strong week one effort (he posted the second highest elusive rating according to Pro Football Focus) after a miserable preseason. Now, the ever brittle Ben Tate is reportedly out for upwards of four weeks so his deployment will increase along with Isaiah Crowell. Can West keep the momentum going or does he go back to his line dancing ways?

Atlanta at Cincinnati

The offense is well established in Atlanta, so let’s go to the defensive side of the ball and Paul Worrilow. While many IDPers may be familiar, the undrafted second year player from Delaware had a stellar game, leading the NFC with 15 total tackles (eight solo and six stops) in week one, after putting up a great rookie season last year. He is proving to be the real thing and doesn’t have the name recognition, yet.

The choice here is Jeremy Hill after a lackluster showing in week one. That’s not his fault as Giovani Bernard was heavily featured and Hill was given limited snaps. That is expected to change going forward, coach promises. A close second goes to Emmanuel Lamur who may see a spot start in the place of Vontaze Burfict (concussion) and could be a great week two IDP play.

Detroit at Carolina

Detroit is pretty settled at most offensive positions, although the tight end situation is still in flux. Eric Ebron only played on 18 snaps (of 68), seeing two targets but recording no receptions. He is still the successor to the position and his improvement will be tied to playing time. If he can cure the issues he had this preseason, Ebron could see increased time on the field as soon as this week.

Cam Newton is the simple choice here after missing week one due to fractured ribs. DLF’s own Dr. Scott Peak mentions in his weekly injury report that this injury can take “4-6 weeks to fully heal” so there is likely some lingering issues here. How it impacts his (and his receivers) performance remains to be seen. In a potential shootout like this, Newton is going to be needed here.

Afternoon Games

St. Louis at Tampa Bay

Brian Quick was an unexpected leader for the Rams in receiving last week, garnering nine targets and seven catches. That said, the 6’4”third year player out of Appalachian State has shown flashes of serious skill. The Rams need someone to step up and Quick may prove to be a sneaky breakout player this year since Tavon Austin doesn’t seem to be interested in the role.

The Doug Martin situation remains unclear, so Bobby Rainey’s usage is the key thing to watch for the Bucs. Rainey came in and was moderately more effective and Lovie Smith indicated that Martin could have returned to the game, but Rainey was the one providing the team a spark. We could have another RBBC here in short order.

Seattle at San Diego

The ultra-efficient Russell Wilson can make receiver stats hard to come by. That being said, Doug Baldwin is capable of much more than the three catches (on five targets) for 14 yards he put up against Green Bay. The Chargers are likely to be stacking the box against Wilson and Marshawn Lynch so Baldwin could be capable of a good game. Even the Seahawks need a second receiver, right?

I am not expecting the running game to work for the Chargers, at all, so let’s go with Ladarius Green once more in the hopes that the Seattle secondary forces Philip Rivers’ hand. Green is a potential mismatch Rivers will need to exploit here, so my expectation is that he will see more than the two targets he received last week.

Houston at Oakland

With Jadeveon Clowney out for the next four-to-six weeks, J.J. Watt is back to being an army of one. How the Raiders game plan for Watt to protect their rookie quarterback will be a major point of interest. Does Watt drop a few spots in the IDP ranks due to the increased attention?

Derek Carr played an efficient, albeit safe, game last week against a suspect New York Jets secondary. He won’t have the same fortune this week and will need his nonexistent running game to show up. Maurice Jones-Drew was the primary ball carrier last week but a healthy Darren McFadden is the more talented runner at this point. The distribution of carries should slowly start to play into McFadden’s favor beginning this week.

New York Jets at Green Bay

With Geno Smith taking control last week, I will switch gears to the unsettled running back situation and single out Chris Ivory. His physical running style profiles an angry Adrian Peterson with missed tackles and bodies left behind him (eight missed tackles in week one on ten carries!). I think Ivory is more involved this week in an effort to grind down the Green Bay defense and leave Aaron Rodgers on the sideline.

Very little went well for the Packers last week, but James Starks proved to be effective against a vicious Seahawks defense, forcing four missed tackles on just seven carries. With Eddie Lacy still progressing through the post-concussion protocol, Starks will likely have a bigger role this week. He could prove a desperate flex play against a defense that will be looking to defend the pass first.

Kansas City at Denver

Just 11 touches for Jamaal Charles last week and that was with him playing the entire game? Kansas City can’t win playing like that, so while Dwayne Bowe’s return is interesting, the Chiefs have to get Charles more involved. This will be a bounce back game for him and a wakeup call to any fantasy owner crazy enough to trade him after last week’s game.

Another star who saw a substandard performance (Demaryius Thomas) is looking for a rebound against a divisional foe. The Colts were effective in taking him out of week one only to watch Julius Thomas obliterate them with three touchdown catches. How the Chiefs attack this offense may give Demaryius more opportunities down the sideline.

Sunday Night Football

Chicago at San Francisco

Loss to Buffalo aside, the Bears need to get Matt Forte and that running game on track against a 49ers defense that watched DeMarco Murray run wild on them (brother!) in week one. Forcing Jay Cutler into must throw situations is a recipe for turnovers, which the 49ers managed on Dallas before they finally focused on the run game. Chicago should take a page from that game and use Forte (and to an extent KaDeem Carey), to grind a somewhat questionable run defense.

Carlos Hyde once again proved to be very effective in limited spots (nearly four yards per carry after contact), making his role for week two unclear. Does he simply remain Frank Gore’s backup or does this soon become a timeshare? The Bears sure can’t defend the run so even a ten carry game could net Hyde 60-to-70 yards and a touchdown.

Monday Night Football

Philadelphia at Indianapolis

Riley Cooper looked predictably mediocre so all dynasty eyes should be on Jordan Matthews and his rising status in the Eagles’ offense. While mostly playing in the slot in week one (83% of snaps), Matthews is capable of playing outside in two receiver sets and thriving across from Jeremy Maclin. His deployment on the perimeter and in the slot will be worth watching to gauge the Eagles’ confidence in Matthews.

While T.Y. Hilton appeared to be a secondary option in week one, he actually was targeted eleven times, or six more than Hakeem Nicks. This not only represents a bit of a buy low opportunity from pessimistic owners, but with this juicy matchup, perhaps a last opportunity to get Hilton before a big game.
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