Sunday Morning Huddle: Week Nine

George Kritikos

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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

Tampa Bay at Cleveland

With early rumors that Charles Sims is going to see ten touches in this game in his first action of the year, I’m interested. Sims is a versatile back who could seize control of a lackluster backfield. While this is likely going to remain a committee for a few weeks, I think Sims is the type of back the coaching staff is looking to feature.

Switching to another muddled backfield, what the heck is going on in Cleveland? Ben Tate may be getting the majority of the touches, but his results have been mixed to say the least. As for the second running back, no one knows from week to week who will rotate into that backfield. With Jordan Cameron out, someone has to run the ball and Tampa Bay is the type of defense that lets everyone get a turn (or is that someone else?).

Arizona at Dallas

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A favorite of several DLF writers, rookie receiver John Brown had another great game last week. I’m not sure if he can maintain that level consistently, but it shows his potential. Arizona will continue to spread the ball around but Brown could be a starter as soon as next year, so watching him in potential shootouts like this could be a peek into the future.

Returning to a previous highlight, Gavin Escobar has seen the highs and lows just in the last few weeks. Unfortunately, he had a low last week with just six snaps in an overtime game against Washington. By comparison, Jason Witten had 65 snaps, most of any pass receiver for Dallas last week. Escobar deserves better than this and hopefully the Cowboys make last week an aberration.

New York Jets at Kansas City

One word for this offense: WTF. OK, that’s not one word but seriously, the Jets’ offense is beyond terrible. Let’s highlight Michael Vick this week as he supplants Geno Smith, at least for one game. Not sure he does much better, but Vick is worth watching as he is capable of some big plays even this late in his career.

While the touches don’t tell the story, De’Anthony Thomas is starting to see increases in snap count. Last week culminated in a season high 15 snaps, just seven behind Knile Davis. It will be interesting to see where the cap is on Thomas and if it impedes Davis’ development or even his place in the pecking order.

Washington at Minnesota

While Pierre Garcon is the clear number two receiver, Andre Roberts is a very close third (Roberts even has one more target over the last two weeks). Garcon has been a disappointment this year, but perhaps the return of Robert Griffin III will make the receiver hierarchy a little clearer.

Remember when Cordarrelle Patterson was a thing? Well, he finally returned last week (he never actually left but he was like a tree in the forest that didn’t make a sound) to the tune of six catches and 86 yards against Tampa Bay. I would like to see it continue against a suspect Washington secondary, but I am still a believer and don’t necessarily need a “prove it” game, just want to see him turn that corner.

Jacksonville at Cincinnati

Even with Cecil Shorts back, I’m glad to see Allen Robinson maintaining the primary receiver role. For now at least, there seems to be enough passes to go around for the both of them but early season revelations Marqise Lee and Allen Hurns have been cast aside. I think roles are becoming defined in this offense, even with the potential reinstatement of Justin Blackmon.

With Giovani Bernard a likely game time decision, I will look to the more probable return of A.J. Green. Even in a limited capacity, there is interest not only with his performance, but of Andy Dalton’s budding relationship with Mohamed Sanu. This is another receiver core that will see some interesting target distribution come Sunday but has a favorable matchup with Jacksonville in which to tinker.

Philadelphia at Houston

Nick Foles was asked to throw 62 times last week, making a lot of Philadelphia receivers’ counting stats quite juicy. With a Houston defensive secondary that has looked anything but formidable, the drop off won’t be as severe as one would expect. Foles could exceed 40 attempts in this game easily and put up his fifth 300 yard game of the season, even if it comes with a few interceptions (Foles is third in the NFL with nine).

Looking at the nature of the Philadelphia offense, it makes sense to stream a member of the Houston secondary. My recommendation is free safety Kendrick Lewis. Just a few weeks ago, he recorded eight solo tackles against a similar high octane offense in Indianapolis. Lewis is not a guy who goes for the ball in the air (zero passes defended) but prefers to wrap up and avoid long gains, helping his tackle stats.

San Diego at Miami

With Ryan Mathews out for at least one more game, Branden Oliver gets another chance to stake his claim to a large role when Mathews returns. Oliver had a rough game against Denver (although the seven catches helped) and really needs a bounce back. Miami is no soft touch but he should see a few more holes to run through.

On the other side, we have Ryan Tannehill who may be fighting for his long-term status with the team. While he has shown improvements in his completion percentage (62.3%) and touchdown-to-interception ratio (11:6), there has been little that has stood out. Tannehill needs to make a statement soon in order to establish himself as more than a short-term solution at quarterback for the Dolphins.

Afternoon Games

Denver at New England

The forgotten man, Wes Welker has become no more than an afterthought in the Denver receiving order. After seeing nine targets in each of his first two games after suspension, Welker has been reduced to a two target per game option. In a return game against his former team, Welker will see the snaps, but will he find opportunities to make plays?

In all the talk around Rob Gronkowski’s re-emergence, Julian Edelman has seen his targets drop as he has become a secondary option. While Denver has proven to be a tough pass defense, Edelman operates best when he can sneak underneath the coverage and pick up small gains. This game could be the one where Tom Brady dials back and focuses on making safe throws to his sure-handed receivers.

St. Louis at San Francisco

With Brian Quick’s season ending injury, someone needs to emerge. Kenny Britt is doing nothing more than filling a uniform while Stedman Bailey seems like he could become the top option. Bailey has the speed and hands to be a serviceable choice and while his return has come along slowly, he could see an uptick in snaps and targets.

Over the last few weeks, Carlos Hyde and Frank Gore have failed to distinguish themselves as a viable lead back. Gore has shown his age while Hyde has seen the inconsistencies typical of a rookie running back. The Rams have proven to be a tough test for runners, so whoever can be effective in this game could create a little separation.

Oakland at Seattle

Mismatch aside, there have been some bright spots in Oakland’s season and Khalil Mack has been one of the brightest. He leads 3-4 outside linebackers in tackles and already has 17 quarterback hurries (but no sacks). Mack likely won’t end that sackless streak in this game but he will be on the field a lot and should see an uptick in tackles standing opposite Marshawn Lynch.

The biggest beneficiary of Percy Harvin’s departure has been rookie Paul Richardson. After failing to top 20 snaps in a single game, he has seen at least 40 in the two games after Harvin was traded. While Richardson is still incorporating himself as part of the offense, I foresee the snap increase to eventually correlate to a jump in targets.

Sunday Night Football

Baltimore at Pittsburgh

As the Smith brothers remained quiet last week, 2011 undrafted receiver Kamar Aiken snuck in and managed to get Joe Flacco’s attention to the tune of six targets (just one behind Steve Smith for the team lead). Aiken has good size (6’2”) that the Ravens are in desperate need of right now so I am interested to see if last week was an exception or the start of a trend.

Last week’s scoring binge against Indianapolis resulted in the Steelers’ top five receivers each seeing at least 20 snaps. That kind of distribution belies the fact Antonio Brown (83 snaps) is clearly number one while number two is open (no other player had more than 34 snaps). While Martavis Bryant is looking more like Brown’s counterpart each week, we could see this rotation continue to develop until the Steelers find some sort of consistency in their offense.

Monday Night Football

Indianapolis at New York Giants

Among the most fruitful running back situations, it looks like Indianapolis is planning to start Trent Richardson. Last week, Ahmad Bradshaw managed just 13 touches (including seven catches) as the team played from behind nearly the entire game. This week, with both running backs in tow, the distribution of snaps and carries will be largely dependent on Richardson’s level of health.

A less interesting running back situation is brewing in New York where the Giants are forced to use Peyton Hillis on passing downs with Rashad Jennings out yet again. Hillis could be on the field more than Andre Williams as this game has the potential to get out of hand early but is he really worth using? Hillis has shown very little since his days in Cleveland, but Williams has been terribly inconsistent and one-dimensional as a rookie so anything is possible here.

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