Now that Corey Coleman will be sidelined with a broken hand, do the Browns even have anyone worth starting in fantasy right now?
After just two weeks of the NFL season, burning questions abound. This article could be written three times over and dedicated solely to trying to discern the backfield situations of a number of NFL teams. Some of this article will be devoted to those backfields, but it also takes a look at other burning questions as we enter into Week 3 of the NFL season.
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Will Jerick McKinnon get his chance?
McKinnon was the hottest waiver wire addition this week due to the potentially season-ending injury that Adrian Peterson suffered last week. McKinnon was a rookie in 2014 when Peterson missed the entire due to his suspension, and he was impressive in racking up nearly 700 total yards while in a near 50/50 split in touches with Matt Asiata.
Though the fantasy landscape at the running back position is extremely thin, a nearly perfect split in workload would be a disappointing development for owners who picked McKinnon up with a lot of anticipation this week. To make muddy waters even murkier, the Vikings also signed Ronnie Hillman this week. While he may not make an immediate impact, he could be in a position to take away carries from both Asiata and McKinnon in weeks to come.
When Minnesota takes the field this weekend against Carolina, it will give us our first indication of whether McKinnon has earned enough trust with the coaching staff to earn the bulk of the touches out of the backfield. Of course, his effectiveness is also worth noting, and some have even speculated that he and Asiata are a better fit for Minnesota’s offense than Peterson. If that’s the case, he will shoot up fantasy rankings across the board.
Is Phillip Dorsett a reliable fantasy option?
Donte Moncrief suffered a serious shoulder injury in last week’s action and will be sidelined for four to six weeks. Dorsett was a popular late-round flier during the draft season, but his involvement in the offense has been limited to this point. He has reeled in just five of his 11 targets this season which also calls his efficiency into question.
11 targets is a small sample size, but efficiency was also an issue for him in his rookie campaign as he managed to haul in only 18 of his 39 targets. It’s unfair to hold a less than stellar rookie campaign against him, but it is enough to call into question whether he can step into the value that Moncrief was expected to provide.
Dorsett won’t be the red zone threat that Moncrief was so he will rely primarily on big plays to score touchdowns, similarly to T.Y. Hilton. That should allow Jack Doyle and Dwayne Allen to see even more share of the targets in the red zone. Thus, if Dorsett doesn’t reach the end zone on deep passing plays, he may not see the end zone thanks to both Doyle and Allen.
Who is the player to own in Miami’s backfield?
While we have gotten at least some clarity in a lot of the situations where workhorse running backs have gone done, that hasn’t been the case in Miami. Jay Ajayi is expected to start on Sunday, but he has yet to live up to any expectations since entering the league last season. He may be the choice by default, however, as Damien Williams has just two carries on the season and Kenyan Drake is unlikely to be able to hold up under a full workload.
With all that said, it seems as if the Dolphins have little choice but to allow Ajayi to handle the bulk of the workload while Arian Foster is out. In PPR leagues, it may be a good time to stash Drake in case he can carve out a Theo Riddick like role in the Dolphins’ offense. This is a situation that is best to sit out for this week at the very least and hope one back emerges while Foster is sidelined.
What does Buffalo’s offense look like under new Offensive Coordinator Anthony Lynn?
Sammy Watkins has been the biggest disappointment among the fantasy assets on the Bills’ roster, but no one on the team can live up to their draft position due to the lack of volume of offensive plays the Bills have run. They are averaging just 49 offensive plays per game, dead last in the league.
If that changes under new offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn, there is some hope. According to Pro Football Focus, Tyrod Taylor currently ranks 11th among quarterbacks in points per dropback. As alluded to above, the problem is that he is dead last among quarterbacks in dropbacks among those who have played two full games.
The narrative remains the same throughout the rest of the offense. LeSean McCoy has a clear hold on the Bills workload from the running back position; Reggie Bush has the second most rushing attempts at the position with three, yet he only has 31 attempts through two games. Watkins has just 11 targets through two games.
No matter how efficient any of these individual players are with the volume they’ve been given, it is nearly impossible for them to be elite fantasy options at the moment. Lynn will have the chance to put a stamp on the team and turn around a disappointing season for the Bills, and if he does there is a nice opportunity to pounce on buy-low options in this offense.
Do the Browns still have viable fantasy assets?
It’s not a big surprise that the Browns are 0-2 this season, but unlike seasons past the offense has shown promise. Before going down with a broken hand, Corey Coleman had shown plenty of promise. Isiah Crowell has racked up fantasy points, regardless of how the yards have come.
The problem now is that Coleman is sidelined for quite some time and the Browns will be starting their third quarterback in as many games this season when rookie Cody Kessler goes under center on Sunday. The first priority in watching the Browns this week will be if Kessler can hold his own. If he can’t, the conversation ends.
Terrell Pryor will remain inefficient, and Gary Barnidge will continue to be irrelevant. Crowell will face stacked boxes and life will be difficult for him. Fantasy owners will then be left to hope for the best upon the return of Josh Gordon.
However, if Kessler looks competent, then Pryor is a player to watch. He has 17 targets on the season and has an average depth of target of 20.7 according to Pro Football Focus. Though it’s likely that the Kessler experiment will be ugly, at least to start, this is an under the radar story I’ll be sure to keep an eye on this week.
Fantasy Football Start/Sit (Week 3):
Daniel Marcus is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Daniel, check out his archive, visit fantasy-phenoms.com, or follow him @danmarcus3.
