Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons

Total: 44.5
Line: ATL by 5.5

QBs
Cam Newton: It was just another day at the office for Newton in Week 1, even though the fantasy numbers weren’t great. Against the Falcons in Week 2, a team he’s really familiar with, Newton will try to right the ship. The issue is this… His last five games against the Falcons have netted these game averages: 164.4 passing yards, 0.6 touchdowns, and 1.0 interceptions. He didn’t top 198 yards in any of those games and the majority of them were with Greg Olsen, who he’ll be without this week. But we cannot ignore the fact that safety Keanu Neal and linebacker Deion Jones are now on injured reserve, and they’ve been the heart and soul of this defense. The Falcons also lost Dontari Poe and Adrian Clayborn this offseason, so it may be an easier matchup than expected. The Falcons have had 10 days to prepare for this game and have had Newton’s number in the past, but with the injuries piling up, Newton makes for a solid QB1 play. He’s also going to make for a great tournament option due to other great quarterback matchups.

Matt Ryan: After the brutal Week 1 loss to the Eagles, Ryan has had 10 days to prepare for a Panthers defense that appears they may be without Luke Kuechly this week, as he suffered a hyperextended knee injury against the Cowboys, though there’s no guarantee he misses the game. Whatever the case, Ryan has played well against them over the last two years, totaling at least 313 yards in 3-of-4 games, including nine touchdowns in those four games. Their offense moved the ball well against the Eagles, just stalled in the red zone, so don’t be too hard on the 2016 MVP. He’s definitely on the streaming radar for Week 2, as the Panthers have locked-down opposing run games for years now. Knowing that the Falcons defense isn’t going to look the same without Keanu Neal, I wouldn’t be shocked to see this become more of a shootout than their last few meetings. Because of that, Ryan carries tournament appeal this week.

RBs
Christian McCaffrey and C.J. Anderson: After handling a workhorse role in the preseason, McCaffrey may have fumbled away part of that role when he dropped the ball inside the five-yard-line. He won the carry total between him and Anderson (10 to 7), but it wasn’t an 80/20 split like some expected. McCaffrey is going to be heavily utilized as a receiver with Greg Olsen out of the lineup, meaning we could actually see more carries for Anderson going forward. This is good for McCaffrey’s projections, though, as he’s best used out of the slot creating mismatches with linebackers and safeties. The Falcons are the team who’s allowed the most receptions to running backs over the last two years, and McCaffrey helped contribute to that last year when he caught 10 passes for 68 yards in their two games against each other. With Keanu Neal out of the lineup, the Eagles offense came to life and I’d expect a similar trend to take place against the Falcons going forward. McCaffrey is a decent RB2 in standard leagues but an RB1 in PPR formats. Inside the dome, he’s definitely worth considering in tournaments. He’s not the worst cash play with Olsen out of the lineup, though he’s not cheap. Anderson might morph into Jonathan Stewart‘s old role as the season goes on, so he’ll look better in games they’re favored. Until then, he’s just an RB4/5.

Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman: After having to leave the game with a slight knee issue, Freeman did nothing to make a case for a larger part of the Falcons timeshare. I stated it last week, but it’s worth repeating… Since Week 4 of last year, Freeman has topped 12 carries just twice (one of them was when Coleman was out of the lineup). On top of that concern, Freeman has played against Ron Riviera’s defense eight times in his career and has scored just twice. If the Panthers are without Luke Kuechly, it will be an upgrade, but for the time being, Freeman is a risky low-end RB2/high-end RB3, though he’s played better at home throughout his career. Knowing Freeman is dinged-up, the Falcons may give Coleman the lead-back responsibilities this week, though as we’ve discussed, it’s not a great matchup against the Panthers who allowed the third-fewest fantasy points to running backs last year. Coleman comes with more appeal than usual, though you wished it’d come in a better matchup. He’s a risk/reward RB3, though I wouldn’t want to play either of these backs in DFS this week. In Weeks 1-16, there were just two running backs who scored more than 17 PPR points against the Panthers, and both of them were Saints running backs (Kamara, Ingram).

WRs
Devin Funchess: As expected, it was a low volume game for the passing attack, something that the Panthers would love to have every week. With that, the absence of Greg Olsen will open additional target opportunities for Funchess. He’ll see a mix of Robert Alford and Desmond Trufant in coverage this week, which shouldn’t be considered a great opportunity. In two games against them last year, he totaled seven catches for 134 yards and a touchdown on 13 targets, so he was up to the task. It doesn’t feel great to know that he’s now finished with less than 50 yards in four straight games, but the targets should start to rise once again with Olsen out. The Panthers also won’t hold the Falcons to 8 points like they did with the Cowboys. Funchess is back on the WR3 radar with touchdown upside. He’s not a cash-game play with the inconsistent Newton, but he’s a decent play in tournaments.

Torrey Smith: In his first game as a Panthers receiver, he saw just two targets despite being a full-time player. He’s going to do what he did last year, where he catches a bomb every once in a while that makes you think he might be something, but take it from me, you’ll be let down more often than not. Newton’s arm aligns with his skill-set, but he isn’t going to get enough time to work downfield with the state of the Panthers offensive line. It’s indoors against a Falcons team that’s missing their captain, so it’s tempting, but believe me when I say tournament-only, and even then… not great.

D.J. Moore: He played just 16 snaps in Week 1 and is playing behind Jarius Wright, meaning he’s not a fantasy option at this time.

Julio Jones: Safe to say Jones is going to fine from a target-share standpoint? After seeing 19 targets and finishing with 169 yards, Jones isn’t the issue with this offense. If you recall, the Panthers defense was the one Jones hung 300 yards on at the start of 2016. In their two meetings last year, Jones wound up with a combined 11 catches for 189 yards, though he didn’t score in them. The Panthers secondary duo of James Bradberry and rookie Donte Jackson aren’t near the talent level of Jones, though I’d expect Bradberry to see the most of him. He’s the definition of an average cornerback matchup, as he’s allowed a QB Rating of 83.1 in his coverage throughout his two years, though Jones will also see some of the rookie Jackson, who wasn’t someone who I considered to be a top-three round talent. Jones is once again a WR1 in this matchup who deserves consideration for both cash and tournament lineups.

Mohamed Sanu: You had to wonder how the acquisition of Calvin Ridley would affect his target share, though it didn’t change much in Week 1 where Sanu saw six targets to Ridley’s two targets. This week Sanu will see veteran Captain Munnerlyn in the slot, as he did in Week 17 of last year when Sanu posted seven catches for 71 yards. It’s going to be a bit tough to predict in matchups like this, as each of the Falcons wide receivers have appeal, while the running backs have a tough matchup. Consider Sanu someone who should post safe WR4/5 numbers with minimal upside considering the talent around him.

Calvin Ridley: It was a quiet debut for the Falcons first-round pick who was tied up by Jalen Mills for most of the night, though Matt Ryan was not on his game, particularly with the deep ball. Ryan has averaged 7.97 yards per attempt throughout his career at home, while the number lowers to 7.34 yards per attempt on the road, which would seem better for Ridley. He’ll likely see fellow rookie Donte Jackson in coverage this week, someone who Ridley would’ve abused in college, so it’s fair to assume nothing should’ve changed in the last year. Jackson is quick, but doesn’t have the body control to cover someone like Ridley. Knowing he’s still yet to register a catch, you can’t play Ridley in season-long leagues, but I may stick him in a few tournament lineups this week as a contrarian play to Jones.

TEs
Ian Thomas: Considered a very developmental prospect, Thomas is going to be pushed into a bigger role in his rookie year than anticipated. The reports out of Carolina were that he was catching on faster than they expected, which explains the 37 snaps (led the tight ends) he played last week in relief of Greg Olsen. It’s still very unlikely that he sees a bigger role than Ed Dickson did last year, which netted more than five targets just one time despite Olsen being out much of the season. The Falcons are going to be without Pro Bowler Keanu Neal, but I’m not playing Thomas anywhere until we see him get more than a few targets in a game. I’d be able to live with myself if he went off and I didn’t have any exposure.

Austin Hooper: New year, same ol’ Hooper who posted three catches for 24 yards in Week 1. There were just three tight ends who topped 41 yards against the Panthers last year and Hooper was not one of them. In their two meetings he posted lines of 3/36/0 on six targets and 3/35/0 on three targets. He’s just a guy in the scene of tight ends who’ll need to score in order to justify a start. Knowing the Panthers have handled tight ends pretty well, Hooper isn’t a preferred streamer in Week 2.

Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans

Total: 45.0
Line: HOU by 2.5

QBs
Deshaun Watson: It was not the result that most hoped for out of Watson last week, as the final result was just 13.0 fantasy points. If you watched the game, it was even worse than that, as he looked like someone who was completely lost. The good news is that things can only go up from here. He did lose his starting right tackle Seantrel Henderson, which led to three sacks against the Patriots. The Titans front-three is pretty nasty, though Ryan Tannehill was able to post a respectable 230-yard, two-touchdown game against them, though the conditions make it ultra-questionable, as the game was delayed multiple times. Still, Watson won’t have as hard of a time getting the ball to Deandre Hopkins this week, which should amount to higher passing totals. Watson has to do his part in this, though, and that requires his accuracy to be much better. Knowing he has a high rushing floor, he’s a low-end QB1 with more upside than most in his range, as it’s extremely unlikely that the Texans will get anything going on the ground with their running backs.

Marcus Mariota: It’s always difficult gauging how to rank a quarterback who left a game because he “lost feeling in his arm,” though he’s expected to play and be fine, according to his head coach. Take that as you will, but I’m not playing him in a matchup against a healthy Texans front-seven, while Mariota may be without his starting left and right tackles, as LT Taylor Lewan suffered a concussion in Week 1, and RT Jack Conklin is expected out until at least Week 3. J.J. Watt looked mighty good last week, which adds a level of concern for re-injury with Mariota. The secondary of the Texans is terrible and they just lost cornerback Kevin Johnson to injured reserve, but I’m not trusting someone like Mariota when there’s plenty of other good options to stream.

RBs
Lamar Miller: There’s certain matchups that worry me for even workhorses and one of them is starting Miller against the Titans in Week 2. They quiet down even the best of running backs, as they allowed just one running back top 76 yards on the ground last year, and it was Todd Gurley all the way in Week 16. The odd part is that Miller was the highest-scoring running back after Gurley against them, as he totaled 75 yards on 19 carries with a touchdown, and then added 56 receiving yards with a touchdown for his biggest game of the year. I’m not saying that it was a fluke, but… okay, I am. Miller simply doesn’t have those types of games behind this offensive line, which is worse than ever before after losing their starting right tackle for the year in Week 1. The Titans were involved in a weird game that was delayed a ton in Week 1, so it’s tough to draw any conclusions from that contest, but Miller should have enough value to at least live up to low-end RB2 numbers. Just know that it’s not a good matchup, despite what he did against them last year.

Derrick Henry and Dion Lewis: The first-round of the battle between running backs definitely went to Lewis, who out-played Henry in every way, though the offensive line was at much less than 100 percent, as both tackles were missing by the end of it. That’s where the versatility of Lewis comes in, while Henry is what he is – a two-down back. The matchup against Houston is not one to attack on the ground, especially with J.J. Watt back and looking good in the process. 10 of the 11 rushing touchdowns the Texans allowed last year came from Week 12-17 when they were broken down after many injuries, though they have the heart and soul of their defense back. The passing-game is where you attack them, meaning it’s likely another Lewis game. He should be played as a high-end RB3 who comes with some risk, though his work in the receiving game will save his floor. Henry is an extremely boom/bust RB3/4 option who totaled just 7 yards on six carries in their first meeting last year, and then 109 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries in their second meeting. Just know that one run can make his stat-line look good, meaning he’s still in-play for tournaments.

WRs
Deandre Hopkins: After being shadowed and doubled by Stephon Gilmore and the Patriots, Hopkins will have a bit easier matchup in Week 2 when he matches up with second-year up-and-comer Adoree Jackson and Patriots cast-off Malcolm Butler. The duo struggled against the Dolphins last week, allowing 10 catches for 160 yards and two touchdowns, with most of the production going to Kenny Stills. It appears the injury to safety Johnathan Cyprien affected them in the secondary. If they had trouble with Stills, they’re going to regret taking the field against Hopkins. In two games against them last year, he totaled 18 receptions for 187 yards and a touchdown. Knowing they’re coming off a weak performance, I’m loving a bounce-back WR1 performance, making him a great tournament play. Knowing Watson didn’t look on-target at all in Week 1, he’s still a bit risky for cash lineups.

Will Fuller: After missing last week with a hamstring injury, it’s going to be extremely difficult to trust Fuller in Week 2. It’s no lock that he’ll play, but it seems to be trending that way. When you have a speed guy who’s dealing with a hamstring, it usually wont end well, especially when you tie in the inaccuracy of Watson in Week 1. You likely have healthier options on your roster, and it’s not as if it’s a great matchup against the Titans. He hauled in two touchdowns against them last year, but he caught just four passes for 35 yards. The Titans also added Malcolm Butler, who was an upgrade over LeShaun Sims and Brice McCain, who were there last year. Call me crazy, but I say to prove it before investing in him.

Bruce Ellington: After touting him as a play in The Primer last week, it felt good to have him sneak out that touchdown late in the game, as nobody predicted Deshaun Watson would look that bad. Ellington’s matchup was much better against the Patriots last week, though Logan Ryan isn’t extremely scary, either. He’s been somewhat of an average player throughout his career, which is where Ellington kind of falls as well. Because they’ll have trouble running the ball and knowing that Fuller may not be healthy, Ellington is a mediocre WR5 option who gets a bump in PPR formats. If Fuller is inactive, he gets a slight upgrade, but not much.

Corey Davis: It seems as if Davis is dealing with another soft tissue injury which forced him to miss practice on Wednesday. This is not good news after it hampered his rookie season. It’s also not great news that Marcus Mariota is less than 100 percent and reportedly couldn’t feel his arm after hurting it in Week 1. His matchup is a great one if he can get healthy, as the Texans just lost Kevin Johnson for the year, and they weren’t good before that. They’ll be lining up Johnathan Joseph (who is a 34-year-old) and either Johnson Bademosi or Shareece Wright (both not starting NFL cornerbacks) across from Davis, which should amount to a good fantasy day, but we have to keep him in the WR3 range considering his hamstring and Mariota’s arm. He makes for a good tournament play, though.

Rishard Matthews: It was odd to say the least, but Matthews played behind Tajae Sharpe in Week 1. It’s got to do with his missed time to learn the new offense in the preseason, though I can’t imagine they’ll keep doing this going forward. Matthews played just 36-of-69 snaps in the opener and didn’t see a single target. While he should be out there in this game in a good matchup, there are no guarantees. The Texans allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to wide receivers last year and they just lost one of their starters in the secondary (Kevin Johnson). Matthews is not a recommended play in season-long until we see him play more snaps, and it doesn’t help that Mariota isn’t right himself. Consider him just a dart-throw in tournaments.

TEs
Ryan Griffin: You might see the box score and be like, “where’s the tight end for the Texans?” but I promise you that Griffin was there and saw five targets, including one that should have been a no-doubt touchdown, though Watson threw it five yards over his head and two yards behind him. The Titans had two linebackers out for Week 1, though they’re both rookies, so they’re far from a guaranteed impact. Throws to the tight end could boost confidence and the Titans did allow nine tight ends to total at least 10.6 PPR points against them last year. Griffin is on the TE2 radar, though it’s low considering Watson’s struggles that may persist.

Jonnu Smith: Once Delanie Walker went down with a season-ending injury, we all knew that Smith was taking over, as he was the guy they drafted to become “the replacement” down the road. Despite being a rookie last year, Smith played well in spurts, totaling 157 yards and two touchdowns on just 30 targets. Some will assume that he just takes on Walker’s production, but don’t be that person. He’s inexperienced, playing in a new system (and one I don’t think he fully grasped, hence Walker’s extension before the season), with a quarterback who is having arm issues. Let’s see him in action before declaring him streamer-worthy. The Texans were a giving team against tight ends last year, allowing 922 yards and nine touchdowns, but I’m okay waiting it out with Smith, especially in redraft leagues.

Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams

Total: 46.5
Line: LAR by 13.0

QBs
Sam Bradford: This… isn’t good. In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising if Bradford had to leave this game at some point. The Rams defensive front is straight-up nasty and the Cardinals offensive line is, well, nasty in a bad way. Washington’s defensive front was able to pressure Bradford on 42.1 percent of his dropbacks, which was one of the highest marks last week. With little mobility to account for this, while on the road, Bradford has no chance in this game. He doesn’t even deserve a place in 2QB leagues this week.

Jared Goff: He wasn’t asked to do too much in the second half of Week 1, so seeing him finish with 233 yards and two touchdowns should feel relatively good for those who started him. The issue with relying on Goff for more than a safe floor is that he’s going to be ahead in a ton of games, including this one. After losing at home to Washington, the Cardinals will come out to play what might be the best defense in the league, though Jacksonville would have something to say about that. If the Cardinals can’t score, Goff may wind-up with less than 30 pass attempts, as he did in 7-of-15 games last year. The Cardinals defense allowed Alex Smith to post 255 yards and two touchdowns in his Washington debut in a similar spot to what Goff will be in this week, as Smith was up the entire game. Because of the projected gamescript, it’s tough to trust Goff as anything more than a middling high-floor QB2 with a limited ceiling who makes for a decent cash game option. He’s hard to use in a tournament because even if he throws three touchdowns, it might be accompanied by like 200 yards.

RBs
David Johnson: When I voiced my concerns about Johnson before the season, most told me that Johnson’s talent would come through regardless. I love him as a player, but he’s fighting an uphill battle behind this offensive line. If Bradford can’t get it together, we’re going to see Josh Rosen before long, which would likely benefit Johnson. But for now, he’s going to have a brutal matchup against one of the nastiest front-fours in all of football. The combination of Ndamukong Suh and Aaron Donald swallow offensive lineman and will be lined up across from rookie center A.J. Shipley this week. He’s a road underdog who should be able to get some garbage time points, but man, it’s depressing to see him play in this offense. He’s not to be used in cash games, but someone as talented as him needs to be considered as a tournament option any week. It’s very possible they re-think the offense this week and target him a whole lot in the passing game to take the pressure off Bradford, which could produce RB1 numbers.

Todd Gurley: After using Gurley minimally to start the game, the Rams did wind-up giving him 20 carries against the Raiders and he wound up scoring his ninth touchdown in his last four regular season games. No, that’s not a typo. After watching Adrian Peterson look like his old-self against the Cardinals, it’s fair to wonder if their defense changed enough to change their elite run defense they’ve had for a few years. Even though the Cardinals allowed just 3.33 yards per carry to running backs last year, Gurley tagged them for 312 total yards in their two meetings, though he scored just once. He’s an RB1 this week (and every week) but carries more appeal than even last year with the way his defense (and Arizona’s) is playing. He’s locked-in for 20-plus touches a week, making him cash-game viable despite his hefty price-tag.

WRs
Larry Fitzgerald: After one game, it’s worth wondering if Fitzgerald regrets his decision to come back for another season. Yes, he racked up seven catches for 76 yards on a team-high 10 targets, but after getting stomped at home by Washington, they’ll head out to Los Angeles to play against the Rams defense, who just obliterated the Raiders (I know, it’s the Raiders). Fitz should be busy again, however, as the Rams will be hitting Bradford early and often. The slot also happens to be their weak point in the secondary, as Nickell Robey-Coleman isn’t on the level of Aqib Talib or Marcus Peters. In the opener, Robey-Coleman allowed five catches for 63 yards on five targets in coverage, so it’s safe to say that Fitzgerald should be a fine play as a WR2 in this game. Knowing the Rams can kill the clock with the run, it’s difficult to recommend him in cash-lineups, though the matchup kind of calls for it.

Brandin Cooks: It was a great debut for Cooks and not necessarily because of his production, but more because of his opportunities. There was just one game in 2017 where Sammy Watkins had more than seven targets (he had nine with Robert Woods out in Week 12), while Cooks saw eight targets in his first game, which was a blowout, as well as one carry that went for six yards. The issue with trusting him this week, however, is that Patrick Peterson awaits in coverage. The Cardinals said they weren’t going to shadow Peterson this year, but he moved around the formation against Josh Doctson, though it wasn’t a complete shadow situation. With Cooks, you have to wonder if they’ll have Peterson play sides, as Robert Woods isn’t chopped liver. The risk is enough to move him down to the WR3 range with limited upside in this one. He’s not on my radar for DFS outside of a contrarian play in tournaments.

Cooper Kupp: It was more of the same ol’ Kupp/Goff connection last week, as he tied for a team-high nine targets and finished with a line of 5/52/1. While it was a good matchup, he gets another one this week against the Cardinals, who lack depth at cornerback behind Patrick Peterson, who doesn’t go into the slot. Instead, they have Budda Baker covering the slot, which might be a big mistake, as he’s a natural safety. In coverage though, he’s been a liability while allowing 31-of-43 attempts to be completed, including three of them for touchdowns. If Cooks is matched-up with Peterson, it’ll be Kupp and Woods who benefit most, though Kupp has no concerns in this matchup. Because of that, he’s on the WR3 radar whose only risk is Todd Gurley being too good and blowing out the Cardinals himself. If you need to save a few bucks in your DFS lineup, Kupp makes some sense.

Robert Woods: It was Woods who suffered most from the acquisition of Cooks, though it’s situations like this week where it may actually benefit him. If Patrick Peterson is asked to cover Cooks, it leaves Jamar Taylor on Woods, and Taylor is someone who has never held quarterbacks to less than a 93.6 QB Rating in his coverage. He’s also allowed 14 touchdowns over the last three years in his coverage. There’s certainly risk about Peterson not shadowing Cooks and seeing Woods more than we’d like, but we do know that they certainly won’t shadow Woods, making him an appealing WR4 this week who could outperform expectations and makes for a solid tournament play.

TEs
Ricky Seals-Jones: We did hear all offseason that the Cardinals wanted to involve Seals-Jones a bit more in the passing game, though his six targets netted just 19 yards against a beatable Washington defense. The Rams were just lit up by Jared Cook, though it didn’t affect the final score, so it may not be atop the list of priorities for the Rams. Seals-Jones a similar build/profile to Cook, so he’s an interesting streamer this week where the Cardinals should be in catch-up mode for the majority of the game. The Rams had second-year starter John Johnson in coverage most of the time last week, which is who Seals-Jones will see much of the time. He’s now allowed 31-of-49 targets to come his way to be completed, including six of them for touchdowns. Consider Seals-Jones a high-end TE2 who comes with some risk, but there’s not many tight ends who don’t. It would help if Jermaine Gresham is once again inactive as well.

Tyler Higbee: It was odd to see Higbee play 60 snaps on Monday night, as he never reached that mark in 2017. It helps that Gerald Everett was questionable for the game, but he played just five snaps total, which says that Higbee is the starter for the time-being. Too bad it doesn’t matter much, as there wasn’t a single tight end target in Week 1. The Cardinals aren’t a defense you target with tight ends, either, as Jordan Reed would’ve been considered a bust if he didn’t score a touchdown. Knowing the targets are limited, avoid this tight end situation that’s likely to even out a bit more as time goes on.

Detroit Lions at San Francisco 49ers

Total: 47.5
Line: SF by 5.5

QBs
Matthew Stafford: After watching Stafford have potentially the worst game of his life on Monday night, I had a lot of owners asking me if he should be dropped. Guys, I tried explaining this to you about Stafford before the season in Boom, Bust, and Everything In-Between… he’s posted QB1 numbers just 39.6 percent of the time over the last three years. He’s going to bust at times, though I don’t think Week 2 is one of them. The 49ers were playing on Minnesota’s home turf last week which didn’t allow them to hang with the Vikings offense, which essentially allowed the Vikings to coast in the second-half. The Lions don’t want to coast by, they need a confidence booster, and the 49ers secondary is beatable. Behind a wretched offensive line, Kirk Cousins was able to throw for 244 yards and two touchdowns against them, while rushing for another 26 yards. Stafford should bounce-back and will be a QB1 in Week 2. I’m confident playing him in both cash and tournaments.

Jimmy Garoppolo: Some are already swearing off the name Garoppolo after his three-interception game against the Vikings. Guys, we knew he wasn’t going to have a good game there, right? Returning home to play against the Lions who just allowed the youngest starting quarterback in NFL history to throw for 198 yards and two touchdowns on just 21 pass attempts (9.4 YPA). The run-game isn’t ideal right now, so the 49ers are going to count on Garoppolo to put points on the board. This game should be somewhat of a shootout, as the Lions have said to gameplan to take away the opponent’s top target, but the 49ers don’t have one of those. You can say that it’s Marquise Goodwin, but he’s banged-up, so it may be better if they try to take him away. I’m calling Garoppolo a low-end QB1 this week and one I’d feel very comfortable streaming.

RBs
LeGarrette Blount, Kerryon Johnson, and Theo Riddick: We don’t know if Blount is okay after suffering an injury on Monday night football, but there’s one thing we do know – he’s not a great fit for the Lions football team. He played just 13 snaps on the night anyway and actually lost three yards on his four carries. Meanwhile, Johnson didn’t make it onto the field until the second quarter and finished with 16 snaps, while Riddick led the team with 41 snaps. It’s clear there was little to be learned with the gamescript playing out like it did, but if it told me anything, it’s that Blount cannot be trusted. The offensive line did none of them favors, which is why Riddick may be the best option given his snap counts and ability to contribute on passing downs. The 49ers defense allowed the fourth-most receiving yards to running backs last year, too, making it even more enticing. Riddick should be looked at as a Chris Thompson-lite in fantasy, which puts him on the RB4 radar with those snaps. Blount should be avoided, while Johnson will eventually move into a bigger role. It’d be nice to predict it the week it happens, but that’s what DFS tournaments are for, not season-long leagues.

Alfred Morris and Matt Breida: The official snap counts are in… and it’s just as we thought. Morris started and played 35 snaps, while Breida logged 30 snaps. In a game where they were down for the majority of it, that’s not great for Breida, though Morris did fumble in the red zone, which could lead to more snaps for Breida. Similar to the way it was last year, though, Garoppolo didn’t target his running backs much as Breida had two targets, as did fullback Kyle Juszczyk. Against the Lions, it’ll be a better gamescript and a much worse run-defense, so we should see some fantasy points come out of this backfield. Knowing that Morris got all five of the red zone carries for them, he’s the one you’d play as an RB3, while Breida is more of a hopeful RB4/flex option. The Lions are coming off a game in which they allowed Isaiah Crowell and Bilal Powell rush for 162 yards and two touchdowns on just 22 carries.

WRs
Marvin Jones: It was more of the same with Jones with Golladay on the field last week. What I mean by that is this: In 11 games with Golladay in the lineup last year, Jones averaged just 5.3 targets, 61.3 yards and 0.6 touchdowns (12.5 PPR points). In the five games without him, it was 9.8 targets, 85.4 yards, and 0.6 touchdowns. Needless to say, the expectations for Jones need to be dialed back into WR3 territory, though he was inches away from multiple touchdowns against the Jets. He saw two red zone targets and finished with 121 air yards (Golladay was at 120 with four more targets), which ranked 15th among all wide receivers. His targets will amount to production in the near future, and he’s going to see Richard Sherman in coverage this week. Not to say that Sherman is a bad cornerback at this point, but he’s certainly not one you need to shy away from. Consider Jones an upside WR3 who isn’t as bad as some think. He’s obviously capable of multi-touchdown games, making him a great tournament play after a down week.

Golden Tate: The matchup didn’t get better than Tate’s last week, so it was good to see him come through with a 7/79/1 performance, though it took a massive 15 targets to get there. He’ll have another decent-matchup this week against K’Waun Williams, who has been a tad inconsistent through the last two years. There have been times where he’s played well, which led to a contract extension, but he’s not been what I’d call reliable. He did allow a 75 percent catch-rate in coverage last year, including a massive performance to Larry Fitzgerald last year where he allowed 11-of-11 targets to be completed. Tate is the reliable target over the middle of the field for Stafford, and they can look at Adam Thielen‘s performance last week as a blueprint. Consider him a high-end WR3 who comes with minimal risk. I believe there are better cash options this week, though I don’t hate him in the format.

Kenny Golladay: Oddly enough, Golladay played even more snaps than Marvin Jones in Week 1, as he led the receivers with 65 snaps played, though they run 3WR sets more often than most teams. It’s clear that Golladay is going to be used pretty extensively, though I still believe he’ll finish third among the Lions wide receivers most weeks. His 12 targets last week say otherwise, but understand that there’s going to be some volatility in his performances. He’ll see the most of Akhello Witherspoon, the second-year starter who has flashed at times. He’s allowed just a 58 percent catch-rate in coverage, so it’s not a high percentage throw when going his direction. He’s also 6-foot-2, so he’s got decent size to hang with Golladay. He’ll also see some Richard Sherman, making Golladay a risk/reward WR4 who has a small sample size to go off. Needless to say, he’s a decent tournament play, though his ownership will be higher after his Monday night performance.

Marquise Goodwin: We don’t have much information on Goodwin’s injury that caused him to miss much of the Week 1 game, though he did return for a short bit which makes me cautiously optimistic. They’re saying he’s day-to-day with a bruised thigh, so you’ll want to pay attention to his status. After one tough matchup, he gets another against Darius Slay this week. He’s a Pro Bowl cornerback who did a great job with Robby Anderson last week, even if he did wind-up with the touchdown (which was a great play in tight coverage where Slay was not on him). I’d like to see Goodwin play a full game before trusting him, especially in a not-so-great matchup. He’s a risky WR4 who should be approached with caution, but if he practices all week, he can occupy a few tournament slots if you’re setting 50-plus lineups.

Pierre Garcon: He’s the one who’d likely benefit most from a Goodwin absence, as he saw tons of targets before getting hurt/Goodwin became a thing. Garcon should see more of Nevin Lawson in coverage, who allowed four catches for 51 yards and a touchdown in his coverage last week to the Jets pass-catchers. He’s a smaller cornerback at 5-foot-9, so Garcon shouldn’t struggle to bully him around in the possession role of the offense. He’s not sexy because he doesn’t score touchdowns, but I do think he offers a 10 PPR point floor in this game, making him a high-end WR4 who gives your lineup some stability, though he lacks upside.

Trent Taylor/Dante Pettis: With Goodwin missing much of the Week 1 game, Pettis ranked as the No. 2 wide receiver in snaps behind Garcon, and he looked extremely good on those snaps. Even when he wasn’t getting the ball, he was running crisp routes and deserves more playing time than Taylor. The Lions have last year’s fifth-round pick Jamal Agnew covering the slot, which is easily the best matchup on the field. Goodwin’s presence will make a difference to who plays where, as Taylor is almost strictly a slot receiver, which would give him that matchup. I’m expecting him to play, which puts Pettis on the sleeper WR4 radar this week. I’m going to play him in a few tournament lineups myself and I suggest you do the same. Taylor becomes a decent floor-play in PPR leagues if Goodwin is out, but that’s about it.

TEs
Luke Willson/Hakeem Valles: Do not debate any tight end from the Lions unless you like playing with fire. Here’s the routes run from their Week 1 game: Valles 16, Michael Roberts 11, Wilson 9, Levine Toilolo 5. Unless they score a touchdown, you may end up with a goose egg on your roster. Until we get more clarity, they’re off limits.

George Kittle: It seemed like every time I looked at the 49ers game last week, Kittle was racking up another target. He ended the game with nine, though it seemed like a lot more. They weren’t shallow targets, either, as he racked up 118 targeted air yards, the most among tight ends in Week 1. Not just that, but his 52 snaps were much more than the previous high of 36 snaps with Garoppolo. Against the Lions, I’m all-in on Kittle this week. They allowed seven different tight ends to total 11 or more PPR points, and the best part is that none of them saw more than seven targets. They have a very inexperienced linebacker corps that’s learning a new system and it showed last week. Kittle is a rock-solid TE1 this week and one who can be used in cash and tournaments.