Cincinnati Bengals at Carolina Panthers
Total: 43.5
Line: CAR by 3.0
QBs
Andy Dalton: It’s funny how fast people switch from hater to lover in fantasy football, because nobody wanted Dalton on their squad prior to the season starting, despite us talking about his Week 1 matchup on the podcast for weeks. Anyway, he played much better than we expected in Week 2 against a Ravens defense that had been stout over the last few years, totaling 265 yards and four touchdowns. Don’t expect Dalton to turn into an elite quarterback with the same exact coaching staff, guys. He was always undervalued, but it’s gone too far the other way now. The Panthers back half of the defense is their weak point, but it all starts up front, as they should be able to generate pressure on Dalton, who is likely to be without his first-round starting center Billy Price, who hurt his ankle in Week 2. The Panthers have averaged three sacks in each of their first two games against two of the best offensive lines. I’m expecting Dalton to be rushed a bit more in this game with some mistakes being made. He’s on the QB2 radar, but I believe there’s better streaming options out there.
Cam Newton: It seemed that the big hit Newton took in Week 2 lit a fire under him and propelled him to finish as the No. 7 quarterback on the week. He completed a remarkable 71.1 percent of his passes (highest since Week 5 of last year) with three touchdowns and added another 42 yards with his legs. The Bengals have struggled to contain both Andrew Luck and Joe Flacco (both 300-plus yards and two touchdowns) in the first few weeks without Vontaze Burfict in the lineup, who is still serving a four-game suspension. They’ll also be without defensive end Michael Johnson this week, so Newton’s offensive line struggles shouldn’t be as bad as they typically would be. He should be in lineups as a QB1 and one who should post top-10 numbers at home. He’s safe for cash and can also be considered for tournaments.
RBs
Giovani Bernard: After an amazing start to the year, Joe Mixon now has to miss at least one game after he had a particle removed from his knee after last Thursday’s win. This opens a big opportunity to Bernard, who played well in his absence last year. The issue is that center Billy Price is hurt and likely to miss this game, while the Panthers have been dominant against the run under Ron Rivera. They haven’t looked great over the first two weeks, but again, they played against two dominant offensive lines, while the Bengals is far from it. Bernard is going to have to be used in the passing-game to reach the RB2 levels that everyone is expecting. Knowing the pressure will be coming, he should, though the rookie Mark Walton might be active for his first game and he’s considered one of the better pass-blockers. Knowing the lack of sure things at the position, Bernard can be considered a low-end RB2 who has little competition. I believe there are better cash-game options.
Christian McCaffrey and C.J. Anderson: After watching Anderson let a ball go through his hands, bounce off his helmet, and land in the hands of a Falcons defensive back, it’s safe to say that he’s not getting a much bigger role this week. The Bengals are a team who has severe weaknesses at linebacker and have allowed 18 receptions for 145 yards over the first two games. Enter McCaffrey who finished with 15 targets last week in Greg Olsen‘s absence. This game should allow for more carries than the eight he got last week, but it’s the targets that give him immense value in this matchup. Knowing that Funchess will be matched-up with William Jackson means he’s not going to do much this week, so look for some more checkdowns from Newton, making McCaffrey a solid RB2 in standard leagues, but an RB1 in PPR formats. He should be safe to use in cash lineups, too. As for Anderson, it’s tough to trust him after his blunder may have cost them the game. He only tallied three carries last week, but it was full comeback-mode for them. Still, he’s nothing more than an RB5 this week.
WRs
A.J. Green: It seemed like Green may set a record last Thursday, as he had three touchdowns in the first 17 minutes of the game. He didn’t do much after that, but let’s be honest, who cares? Green said that he was setting his sights on best to ever play the position this year and he’s gotten off to a remarkable start with four touchdowns in two games. The Panthers had James Bradberry shadow Julio Jones last week, so I’d assume they’ll do the same to Green, though that shouldn’t scare you off him as Bradberry is a slightly above-average cornerback. The concern is the amount of time that Dalton has to throw, but if we’ve learned anything from these two over the years, it’s to trust them on the road. Green is an every-week WR1 who is out to prove everyone wrong. There may be better plays in cash lineups, but he’s not a bad one.
Tyler Boyd: With John Ross struggling to find confidence, Boyd needs to become a bigger part of the offense and it was apparent last week when he tallied 6/91/1 against the usually tough Ravens defense. He saw nine targets (as much as Green), so he’s definitely worth monitoring when Green is in a tough spot. With James Bradberry shadowing Green, Boyd will see Captain Munnerlyn in the slot. Munnerlyn has had an up-and-down career, though it’s appeared to level out where he’s an average nickel cornerback. He’s not particularly big, but he’s allowed just two touchdowns on his last 113 targets in coverage. I’d still expect Boyd to rack up quite a few catches, as Munnerlyn has allowed a 77 percent catch rate over that same period. He’s just a low-end WR4/high-end WR5, but he’s got a higher floor than most in his area.
John Ross: He’s playing scared to make a mistake right now and that cannot happen to a wide receiver. Ross has all the talent in the world to win matchups, but he has to know that he’ll catch the ball when it gets thrown to him. His matchup this week is a good one, as rookie Donte Jackson isn’t anything special. Granted, he has the speed to hang with Ross (can’t say that about many), but he’s not able to shadow Ross’ movements. If Ross sees targets in this game, he can win the matchup as Calvin Ridley did last week, but it may be too late for Dalton to trust him. Ross should be considered a boom/bust WR5 who’s likely on waiver wires in most leagues. If you still believe, the matchup is good for a DFS punt-play. It also helps that Jackson is apparently is dealing with a groin injury that has him questionable for this game.
Devin Funchess: It wasn’t an easy matchup for Funchess last week, but he posted very respectable numbers against the Falcons, as he hauled in 7-of-9 targets for 77 yards. If Newton can step-up as a passer like he did last week, Funchess will find his way into WR2/3 territory, though this isn’t one of those weeks. The Bengals William Jackson is one of the up-and-coming cornerbacks who I figure could shadow Funchess in this game, though they haven’t used him to shadow anyone just yet. Whatever the case, Funchess runs about 75 percent of his routes from Jackson’s side anyway, so that’s his primary defender. Jackson is big enough (6-foot, 200 pounds) to handle Funchess, too, making this a week to nudge Funchess down in the rankings to low-end WR3 territory, because he’s still going to see 6-8 targets due to the lack of big men in the offense. I’d avoid him in DFS this week.
Torrey Smith: He saw seven targets last week, something that we didn’t know was possible with the Panthers, though Newton did throw the ball 45 times. His touchdown grab was on a bullet over the middle of the field, showing Newton’s willingness to target him on different routes than the way the Eagles used him last year. He’s going to be matched-up with Dre Kirkpatrick this week, who is past the prime of his career. He’s already allowed two touchdowns in his coverage this year, but is allowing just 5.4 yards per target. This isn’t a matchup that you necessarily need to attack, but it’s a bit more attractive knowing that Funchess will have the much-tougher matchup. You’re not going to start him outside of a very deep league, but the seven targets last week are promising for DFS purposes.
D.J. Moore/Jarius Wright: It’s only natural that you’d draft a wide receiver in the first-round and then even though you’re a receiver-needy team, you bench him for Jarius Wright. The snap counts to this point are: Funchess 123, Smith 109, Wright 75, Moore 34. We saw a glimpse of what Moore could do last week on his long catch-and-run touchdown, but until he plays more snaps, we can’t trust him in any format. Wright saw seven targets last week, but is a very low-upside option, as McCaffrey will always be the preferred option when they get into the red zone. I’m just patiently waiting until we get Moore on the field as a full-time player.
TEs
Tyler Eifert: We thought it would be Eifert’s job while healthy, but it appears that this is another timeshare. In fact, C.J. Uzomah leads the tight ends in snaps with 73 of them, though Eifert is right behind him with 72, and even Tyler Kroft has totaled 52 snaps. Even worse, they’re all getting targets, making it a mess to project. The matchup isn’t a bad one this week, though they’ll likely go with the timeshare approach again, as they need help on the offensive line. The Panthers just allowed Austin Hooper to tag them for 5/59/1 and if we go back to last year, there were two games where they allowed multiple touchdowns to a tight end. It’s extremely risky, but Eifert should be on the high-end TE2 radar this week.
Ian Thomas: It was questionable whether or not Thomas would be the snap-hog for the Panthers once Greg Olsen went down, but he was just that in Week 2 playing 63-of-67 snaps. He only tallied two catches for 10 yards, but the snaps should lead to more targets down the road. He also dropped a pass, though that’s likely part of the growing pains. The Bengals have been tagged by tight ends over the first few weeks, allowing 19 receptions for 185 yards and two touchdowns. The reason that’s possible, though, is because they’ve faced a league-high 108 pass attempts through two weeks. With Burfict and Johnson out, Thomas is on the streaming radar this week.
Denver Broncos at Baltimore Ravens
Total: 43.0
Line: BAL by 5.0
QBs
Case Keenum: He’s now up to four interceptions through two games, which is not what the Broncos had in mind when they traded for him, but they are sitting pretty at 2-0, so they aren’t that mad. Still, his weak performance against the Raiders doesn’t instill confidence in him as a streamer going forward, especially against the Ravens who’ll be coming off 10 days rest and playing in front of their home crowd. It was mentioned last week (though Andy Dalton didn’t care about it) that the Ravens have now held 14 of the last 18 quarterbacks who’ve played against them to 244 passing yards or less. In those 18 games, just five quarterbacks have been able to throw more than one touchdown. The Broncos do have a mismatch with Emmanuel Sanders in the slot, but it’s not enough to carry Keenum into streaming territory. He’s just a back-end QB2 this week.
Joe Flacco: We’re back to Flacco throwing the ball a ton, as his 89 attempts rank third in the league. The best part is that he’s producing with them, though he definitely made mistakes last Thursday night. The Broncos have a lot of talent on their defense, but that hasn’t mattered to opposing quarterbacks the last 18 games, as 11 quarterbacks have thrown at least two touchdowns against them. It’s unlikely the Ravens will move the ball on the ground, so we could see 35-plus attempts once again. The Ravens offensive line has allowed Flacco to be sacked five times through two games and now have to deal with Von Miller and Bradley Chubb. I’m not willing to say that Flacco is a high-end QB2 in this matchup, but it’s not as bad as some think. He’s a middling QB2 who loses upside with the way they’re involving Lamar Jackson.
RBs
Royce Freeman and Phillip Lindsay: Who could’ve seen this coming? Even from someone who liked Lindsay in the scouting process, I didn’t think he’d be this good with early-down work. My exact words from my notes when watching his college tape: Solid in blitz protection, has an aggressive nature. Solid initial burst, but a little up-and-down. Looks bigger than 5-foot-8 but isn’t thick. Not going to be a workhorse, but a change of pace back who can block? Maybe, would like to see more. Now that I’ve seen more on the NFL level, he’s a real problem to Freeman’s potential. After splitting reps in Week 1, Lindsay owned the snap count in Week 2, leading the way with 28 snaps compared to just 16 for Freeman. Lindsay is the more gamescript-proof running back, but it seems they want Freeman in around the end zone. They’ll need to utilize the passing-game this week, as the Ravens have been monsters at home against the run the last few years. Because of that, Lindsay is the preferred play of the two this week. Consider him an RB3 who wants to build on the momentum, though his upside is capped with Freeman as the apparent goal-line back. Freeman cannot be trusted as anything more than a RB4/flex-option in this matchup.
Alex Collins and Javorius Allen: This backfield appears to be the same one it was at the start of last year where it was difficult to tell whether or not it would be a Collins or Allen week. For those who thought that Collins was on the bench in Week 1 because of the blowout, what do you say about his 42 snaps that was dead-even with Allen? It’s a timeshare, though I still believe Collins is the better fantasy play most weeks. The Broncos have allowed just 80.0 rushing yards per game since the start of Week 1 last year, and that’s to entire teams of running backs, not just the starter. The Broncos faced another bruising back last week in Marshawn Lynch and allowed 65 yards on 18 carries to him, though he did find his way into the end zone. Collins is a touchdown-or-bust RB3 this week, while Allen should flirt with RB3 value, especially in PPR formats. I would stay away from both players in DFS.
WRs
Demaryius Thomas: There’s good news and bad news for Thomas. The good news – he saw 11 targets in Week 2. The bad news – he caught just five passes for 18 yards against the very beatable Raiders secondary. He’s clearly the No. 2 option behind Sanders right now and on top of that, he has the much tougher matchup with Brandon Carr this week. While A.J. Green was in Carr’s coverage last week, he was limited and didn’t score a touchdown. I’d assume they have Carr travel with Thomas after the debacle with Green last week. It makes him an iffy WR3 play this week who has minimal upside and one I’d fade in DFS.
Emmanuel Sanders: If you’ve missed the games, Sanders is easily Keenum’s favorite target in the passing-game, and he’s delivered on the targets he’s received. With 15 targets on the season, he’s caught a remarkable 14 of them for 231 yards and a touchdown. His matchup this week might be the best he’s had yet, as Tavon Young is the cornerback they use to cover the slot. He’s been burned for two touchdowns on just eight targets this year. Remember Tyler Boyd‘s 6/91/1 last week? Yeah, he’s a primary slot receiver, too. Sanders should be played as a high-end WR2 this week who is cash-game viable once again.
Courtland Sutton: It’s clear that he’s the No. 3 receiver on the team, but him and Keenum haven’t been able to connect quite yet, as he’s totaled just 3/54/0 on 10 targets this year. He’s going to match-up with sophomore Marlon Humphrey, who has played well on the NFL level. While he may not ever be a shutdown cornerback in the league, he’s built to handle Sutton. Humphrey is a decent-sized cornerback at 6-foot-tall and 200 pounds, so it’s tough to see him get bullied for a touchdown this week. He just allowed the first touchdown in his coverage last week, though it was to one of the best in the league, A.J. Green. Sutton is going to have a touchdown here and there, but I don’t think I’d bet on it this week.
Michael Crabtree: It’s somewhat concerning that Crabtree has just one red zone target through two games while John Brown has three of them. The truth is that Flacco has never had that “throw it up” wide receiver on his team, so it’s unlikely he develops that trait this late in his career. Crabtree is still going to get plenty of targets, but his touchdown upside is likely lower than most realize. He’s going to match-up with a mixture of Bradley Roby and Adam Jones this week, though if the alignment remains the same, he’ll see more of Jones. He’s a cornerback who flashed shutdown abilities once upon a time, but he’s towards the end of his career. He’s still a respectable cornerback who likes to get inside the heads of wide receivers, so don’t be shocked to see him and Crabtree tussle at times. I’ll leave Crabtree as a WR3 in the rankings this week, though I don’t believe it’s a great matchup for him to just go off. Update: Jones is dealing with a tweaked hamstring, which would definitely hinder his ability, making Crabtree a bit more appealing.
John Brown: He’s tied for second on the team with 14 targets, but Brown has emerged as Flacco’s favorite target in the red zone with three targets through two games. He has two touchdowns to show for them, but he should have three as he dropped a should’ve been one versus the Bengals. Since being asked to step-up and play LCB in place of Aqib Talib, Bradley Roby has struggled while allowing 10-of-11 targets to be completed for 101 yards and a touchdown. Roby is fast and allowed just 1-of-10 go routes to be completed against him last year, so Brown may not be the best deep threat this week. He’s more than that (as he’s shown), but he’s more of an upside WR4 this week than one who’s a must-play, as it’s just a small sample size that Roby has struggled with this year.
Willie Snead: He’s been more a part of the offense than most thought, but this isn’t a week where you want to consider him. He’ll match-up with Chris Harris Jr, the best slot cornerback in the game. While Amari Cooper played well against them last week, they didn’t have him in the slot nearly as much as they did the previous week. It just goes to show that teams gameplan around Harris. There’s going to be weeks to play Snead, but this isn’t one.
TEs
Jake Butt: Are we starting to see the shift to Butt as the lead tight end? After trailing Jeff Heuerman in routes 24-18 in Week 1, Butt was the one who got the 14-12 edge in Week 2. He’s the future for them at tight end, though it’s difficult to completely trust him with Heuerman still playing a big role. With the matchups that the Broncos have at wide receiver, they could look to Butt for some help this week. The Ravens are likely to be without linebacker C.J. Mosley for this game, which could also create a void over the middle of the field. Still, Tony Jefferson has been a solid safety in coverage, so it’s tough to trust someone who’s in a timeshare if you don’t absolutely have to. Butt is going to be someone we’ll talk about through the year, but I’d prefer to wait until he clearly overtakes Heuerman.
Mark Andrews: Despite ranking third in snaps over the first two weeks, Andrews has run the most routes of Ravens tight ends and it showed last week when he hauled in three passes for 17 yards and a touchdown. When he came into the league, most knew that Andrews wasn’t going to be a blocker, as he wasn’t very good at it. The Ravens clearly know this and are using him as more of a wide receiver. This week is one where he may pop-up on the radar again, as the Broncos have allowed 10 tight end touchdowns in their last 17 games. While Nick Boyle and Maxx Williams are still getting snaps, it appears they’re starting to trust Andrews a bit more. He’s on the streaming radar for those who are desperate, as it’s a very good matchup.
New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons
Total: 53.0
Line: ATL by 3.0
QBs
Drew Brees: It was a disappointing performance by Brees last week, as he totaled just 243 yards and two touchdowns against the Browns while at home, though the Browns defense is much better than most want to give credit for. Enter Atlanta, who will be without their top two defensive players for the rest of the year. Cam Newton, who had traditionally struggled against the Falcons, had one of his best games in a long time, completing over 71 percent of his passes with three touchdowns while without Greg Olsen. If you haven’t heard, Mark Ingram is still suspended and the Saints don’t have much of a run-game without him. In Brees’ last four trips to Atlanta, he’s averaged 319.3 yards and 1.5 touchdowns, though those defenses were healthy. There’s also a chance that pass-rusher Takkarist McKinley sits out of this game with a groin injury. Call me crazy, but Brees is likely going to be my No. 1 quarterback play this week who I’d consider safe for cash games. If they had more of a run-game, I’d be concerned about the running backs stealing the points, but they don’t right now.
Matt Ryan: We saw what could happen if the Falcons score in the red zone last week, as Ryan accounted for four touchdowns against the Panthers. He’ll be at home once again this week, though it’s against the Saints defense that looked a bit better last week. They still haven’t quite captured the magic they had last year when Ryan struggled against them, throwing for just 509 yards, two touchdowns, and four interceptions in the two games they played. The addition of Calvin Ridley to the offense glared it’s head last week, and that’s important because Ken Crawley has really been struggling in coverage. This game has one of the highest over/unders of the week and it appears that Devonta Freeman may miss another game, making it likely that Ryan hits 35-plus attempts. With a bevy of healthy options in the passing-game, Ryan makes for a solid low-end QB1 who comes with upside. There’s no reason to use him in cash this week with the options around his price range, as the Saints could very well turn into the team they were last year, and Ryan did just lose one of his starting guards (Andy Levitre) for the year.
RBs
Alvin Kamara: Well, he set a career-high in rush attempts (13) last week… but he also had one of his lowest fantasy output games, as he didn’t find his way into the end zone. It’s clear that Sean Payton doesn’t want him to carry the ball a ton and this is good for his fantasy projection because targets are worth much more than carries. Even with Deion Jones and Keanu Neal on the defense, the Falcons have struggled with pass-catching backs and allowed the most receptions to them over each of the last two seasons. Kamara was hurt in the first quarter of their first matchup last year, but recorded nine catches for 58 yards in the second meeting. Christian McCaffrey easily caught a career-high 14 receptions (on 15 targets) against them last week, which netted him a 102-yard game through the air alone. Kamara may be the No. 1 RB play in PPR leagues this week and he should get back to his elite ways. He’s safe to use in both cash and tournaments if you can find the room for his giant salary.
Tevin Coleman: It appears that Devonta Freeman will be unavailable again, though Dan Quinn has continually said day-to-day with him. We’ll monitor the situation and update as needed, but we’ll assume here that Coleman is the starter. Dating back to last year, the Saints have allowed just two running backs top the 20-point PPR mark, and they were Aaron Jones and Christian McCaffrey, who got there in different ways. Jones broke a long touchdown run, while McCaffrey caught nine passes for 101 yards. Coleman proved capable in a tough matchup last week against the Panthers where he posted 125 total yards, though no touchdown. Against the Saints last year, he and Freeman combined for a respectable 123 rushing yards and a touchdown on 33 carries in the first game, while they gained just 48 yards on 17 carries in the second meeting, though Coleman did add 40 yards through the air with a touchdown in that Week 16 game. Consider Coleman a must-play RB2 if Freeman is out again, though you don’t need to play him in cash-games.
WRs
Michael Thomas: My quote from earlier was, “He’s going to be in contention for the No. 1 wide receiver off the board in next year’s fantasy drafts – he’s that good.” His 28 receptions (on 30 targets) for 269 yards and three touchdowns are making me look smart. When you combine someone as good as Thomas with someone as elite as Brees, you have a lethal combination. He’s going to see a mix of Robert Alford, Desmond Trufant, and Brian Poole in coverage this week, though none more than the others, as he’s running 32 percent of his snaps out of the slot. This is great because Thomas dominates that work and Poole is their least-talented cornerback. He’s allowed 11-of-12 targets to be completed for 82 yards and a touchdown, which is good for a 122.9 QB Rating. With how little of a run-game the Saints have with no Mark Ingram, there’s no reason to think his reign ends this week. Elite WR1 until further notice.
Ted Ginn: We started to see Ginn’s snaps dip a little bit last week with Tre’Quan Smith getting a bit more acclimated to the offense. Ginn went from 50 snaps in Week 1 to just 30 snaps in Week 2, though he still saw seven targets, which is enough to do damage in a good matchup. He’s not more talented than either Desmond Trufant or Robert Alford, though, making his matchup a mediocre one. In two matchups last year, he totaled seven targets, six receptions, 86 yards, and a touchdown, though a 54-yard touchdown accounted for most of the production. He’s always going to be risky, but knowing the Falcons are missing Keanu Neal on the back-end of the defense gives slightly more hope. He’s a boom/bust WR4 this week.
Tre’Quan Smith: He saw his snaps double in Week 2, though he was still at 33 percent of the snaps played. Still, he needs to be on DFS radars because if you can get him into a tournament lineup before he makes that jump, you’ll have a leg-up on the competition. If you missed the preseason, Smith was a superstar catching 15-of-17 targets for 189 yards and a touchdown. The Saints told you they liked him when they drafted him in the third-round when they’re clearly in win-now mode. Smith is a boom/bust WR5 in season-long leagues who is gaining steam, but makes for a solid tournament play.
Julio Jones: He was shadowed by James Bradberry last week, which wasn’t necessarily an issue, but Ryan did the smart thing and played the matchups. The Saints are going to have Marshon Lattimore in coverage this week, but Jones made him look a bit silly in their matchups last year, totaling 12 catches for 247 yards in the two games, though he didn’t score (what’s new, right?). Lattimore was schooled in Week 1 by Mike Evans (who looked phenomenal) for 7/147/1 on just seven targets, and it’s very likely that Jones tries to follow suit. Jones is a WR1 every week, though I don’t think you need to play him in cash lineups this week.
Mohamed Sanu: With the arrival of Ridley, it’s Sanu who’s had his target share dipped into, as he’s seen just eight targets through two games. It’s still one more than Ridley, but his are much lower potential when it comes to expected fantasy points. His average depth of target is just 6.5 yards down the field, while Ridley’s going to see more targets down the field. In this matchup, Sanu will match-up with Patrick Robinson, who the Saints signed in free agency after he had a career-year with he Eagles in 2017. He’s only been targeted six times this year, but he’s played well in comparison to Lattimore and Crawley. Sanu is going to have some better weeks, but this is one of his tougher matchups, making him a WR5.
Calvin Ridley: It was good to see Ridley take full advantage of Julio Jones‘ shadow coverage last week, as he took Donte Jackson to school. This week it’ll be Ken Crowley in coverage, the cornerback who has allowed a league-high three touchdowns in his coverage this year, which also includes plenty of yardage (208 yards on 14 targets). He was the one getting burned by rookie Antonio Callaway on the touchdown catch last week. After a brutal rookie season, it appeared that Crawley was going to be a rock-solid No. 2 cornerback for the Saints last year, though he’s regressed thus far. While I won’t say Ridley is a must-play after seeing just seven targets the first two weeks, but he’s got the best matchup on the field, making him an upside WR4-option in what’s supposed to be a high-scoring affair.
TEs
Ben Watson: I cannot tell you the words that came out of my mouth when Brees legitimately overthrew Watson on a layup with no defender in sight, as they are not very nice. He was the streaming play of the week, but missing that connection blew what could have been a good day. Against the Falcons in Week 2, it’s tough to trust him too much, as the Falcons have allowed just four touchdowns to tight ends over their last 18 games. It helps that Keanu Neal and Deion Jones are out, as the Falcons have a lot of other concerns, so we may have been just a week early on the Brees/Watson connection. He’s now seen nine targets through two weeks which ranks 18th among tight ends, so it’s not all bad. Consider him an upside TE2 option who could help you out in a tournament.
Austin Hooper: After struggling to connect with Ryan in Week 1, the Falcons made Hooper a bigger part of the gameplan against the Panthers last week, targeting him five times and completing each one for 59 yards and a touchdown. It was the first time he’d topped 50 yards since Week 1 of last year, so don’t get too excited. The Saints played two much better tight ends over the first two weeks (O.J. Howard and David Njoku) and held them to just six catches for 74 yards combined. Hooper is an afterthought in a defensive coordinator’s gameplan, so he’ll have those weeks every now and then, but I’m not banking on it this week.
Los Angeles Chargers at Los Angeles Rams
Total: 48.0
Line: LAR by 7.0
QBs
Philip Rivers: It’s been a really up-and-down start to the season for the Chargers who lost Joey Bosa for multiple weeks, got smoked at home by the Chiefs, and then went into Buffalo and made quick work of the Bills. This week, though, it’s going to likely be another “down” week with the Rams and their team that has very few holes. Yes, Derek Carr threw for 303 yards against them, though it took 40 attempts to do it and he didn’t throw a single touchdown. Rivers is good enough not to bomb, but his offensive line is going to be under duress this week, something that Rivers hasn’t experienced much over the last 18 games, as he’s been sacked just 21 times in that span. The linebackers are the weak point that Rivers should attack with Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler, while Keenan Allen doesn’t have a terrible matchup, either. You shouldn’t play a quarterback against the Rams if you can help it, making Rivers a very iffy QB2. There are likely better options for the week on the waiver wire.
Jared Goff: The defense has done everything they’ve asked them to do over the first two weeks, allowing just 13 points in them. Goff is sitting as the No. 15 fantasy quarterback, which is right about where he should be considering he won’t have to do much with that defense and Gurley in the backfield. The Chargers defense looks a whole lot different without Joey Bosa, which makes Goff’s life much easier. It’s also why they’ve allowed five touchdowns on just 60 pass attempts this season, which were to Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen. The Rams aren’t going to just sit on a lead with Rivers on the other side of the ball, and to be honest, it’s kind of shocking that Goff has 65 attempts given the 67-13 score between them and the opponents. Goff should be on the QB1 radar this week in what’s essentially a home road game. I’d feel comfortable using him in cash, even though there may be better options this week.
RBs
Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler: After scoring three touchdowns, the Chargers decided that Gordon had played enough in Week 2, though he suffered an “upper-body injury” that they say is minor. I believe he’ll be fine for this week, though he’s going to struggle to find room on the ground. The Rams have allowed just 89 rushing yards on 24 carries to the combination of Marshawn Lynch and David Johnson, which doesn’t bode well for Gordon, who boasts a sub-4.0 yards per carry average for his career. He will get it done through the air, though, as we saw Jalen Richard rack up nine receptions for 55 yards in the first game of the year, while the Cardinals apparently don’t know who they have on their roster at running back. The Chargers said they wanted to use Gordon in the passing-game even more this year and with 20 targets through two games, it’s safe to say they are following through on that. He’s still a high-end RB2 this week despite the tough matchup, while Ekeler should also get in on the reception party en route to a RB3/4-type game in PPR formats.
Todd Gurley: Through two games, all is the way it’s supposed to be atop the running back leaderboard. Gurley has four touchdowns through two weeks which have included 45 touches. It’s good to see that despite the blowouts, he’s getting high touch counts, as it’s going to happen quite a bit this year. This week should be a good one for him, as the Chargers are simply not the same team without Joey Bosa on defense. Yes, he’s a pass-rusher, but he changes the entire makeup of the team. There were seven different running backs who were able to total at least 100 rushing yards against the Chargers last year with Bosa healthy, so it could be a blow-up type game for Gurley. He’s essentially a seven-point home favorite this week, so everything aligns for a big performance. He’s an elite RB1 play who can be used wherever you’d like with no hesitation.
WRs
Keenan Allen: It seems that nobody wants to play wide receivers against the Rams, but you mean to tell me you’re going to bench Allen? Not me, as he’s actually got the best matchup on the field with Nickell Robey-Coleman. Yes, no wide receiver has topped 6.7 PPR points against them through two weeks, but when Amari Cooper gets three targets and Larry Fitzgerald gets hurt, there’s little talent outside of those players on those teams. Dating back to Week 11 of last year, Allen has seen at least eight targets in every game. In coverage this year, Robey-Coleman has allowed 9-of-11 targets to be completed for 83 scoreless yards, so don’t run from this matchup. While I wouldn’t suggest using him in cash, I think Allen is a great tournament play this week who’ll have lower ownership to do people seeing the Rams as the opponent.
Mike Williams: He’s going to be a baller in the league, as his touchdown reception in Week 2 showed, but there are still warning signs. He’s third in snaps behind both Allen and Tyrell Williams, and that was with Travis Benjamin out of the lineup last week. He’s got to surpass Tyrell in order to be considered an every-week start because we need him on the field in 2WR sets. They’ll likely be three-wide often in this game, but he’ll see a mixture of Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib in coverage, which is never a good thing. Those are two veterans who’ll likely teach the young receiver a thing or two. Without a touchdown, he’s going to bust, so he’s best left on benches for this one.
Tyrell Williams: It won’t be too long before he’s surpassed by Mike Williams on the depth chart, though he’s still going to be on the field for 70-plus percent of the snaps. Williams is always a threat down the field, but he’s averaged just 11.2 yards per reception through the first two games. His average depth of target is a very-solid 14.1 yards down the field, but just like the other Williams, he’ll see both Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib in coverage, which is one of the best cornerback duos in football. On 13 targets in coverage this year, they’ve allowed just five receptions for 37 yards. It’s not a week to debate Williams.
Brandin Cooks: Through two games, Cooks is already 24.2 percent of the way to Sammy Watkins‘ target total last year. It’s clear that he’s the focal point of the passing-game while Woods and Kupp are the compliments. The best part is that he’s making the most of it with 12 receptions for 246 yards, though he hasn’t scored just yet. The Chargers aren’t likely to shadow him in this matchup, but if they do it’d be with Casey Hayward who isn’t someone I’d call quick. With the lack of pass-rush out of the Chargers front-seven, it’s allowed opposing wide receivers to tag him for 27.8 yards per reception. Cooks is a burner that’s being used all over the formation, and the Chargers don’t have the pressure to keep him in check. He’s a rock-solid WR2 this week and one who just might snag his first touchdown.
Robert Woods: I’m expecting Casey Hayward to shadow Cooks in this matchup, which would leave Woods with Trevor Williams in coverage. He may not be a household name, but he played at a high-level alongside Hayward last year. He’s been in coverage for just six targets this year, but one of them did go for a touchdown to Kelvin Benjamin last week. Woods actually leads the team in targets (18), though he’s offered the least amount of fantasy production. I’d rather place my chips on Cooks this week, though Woods remains in the WR4 conversation.
Cooper Kupp: It’s tough to pick your spot on which Rams wide receiver you want to play this week, though all of them have received enough targets to be productive on a weekly basis. Kupp is once again the favorite red zone target, as he’s got six targets inside the 20-yard line while Cooks has three and Woods has two. Last season, Kupp had more than double the closest receiver on the Rams. His matchup will be against the unproven sophomore nickel cornerback Desmond King, who has allowed a 78.5 completion rate in his coverage (65 target sample), including two touchdowns, though they both came last year. It’s really tough not to like Kupp as a WR3 with the targets he’s seeing, and more importantly, where he’s seeing them.
TEs
Virgil Green: It’s starting to seem like the Chargers brought Antonio Gates back just to play in certain packages, because Green has out-snapped him almost two to one (85-44). It’s not just the snaps, either, as Green has more targets as well. Green has turned his five targets into five catches for 76 yards and I’d argue that he’s probably better for the matchup as a much younger athletic tight end than Gates. The Rams allowed Jared Cook to go for a career-high 180 yards in Week 1, though they did hold Ricky Seals-Jones to four catches for 17 yards last week, but remember that Sam Bradford threw for just 90 yards in that game. Green is someone who is certainly sitting on your waiver wire who has more upside than most streaming options. He’s worth a look if you’re desperate and makes for an interesting tournament play.
Tyler Higbee: So much for the Rams using the tight end more this season, eh? Higbee is the clear leader in the clubhouse but has seen just two targets through two games. The offense is run through Gurley and the wide receivers, though Higbee will get the occasional touchdown when left uncovered like last week. It’s not like it’s a great matchup, either, as the Chargers held Travis Kelce to just six yards and then Charles Clay to 29 yards. Feel free to avoid the tight ends in Los Angeles until Sean McVay gives us a reason not to.
