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Five Burning Questions for Week 2 (2020 Fantasy Football)

Five Burning Questions for Week 2 (2020 Fantasy Football)

Week 1 is in the books and it was a welcome relief to have football back in our lives, no matter what it looked like. As one week closes and another begins, fantasy GMs are looking at some recurring and new questions concerning their rosters. Let’s dive into five burning questions for Week 2 as we continue with this very strange 2020 NFL season.

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1. Are Baker Mayfield and the Browns Already Doomed in 2020?

The Browns made some serious offseason moves to beef up the offensive line while also adding head coach Kevin Stefanski. WR Odell Beckham Jr. is finally healthy and they have pass-catching phenom, RB Kareem Hunt, for the entire season. Things sounded positive coming out of camp, so what happened to the Cleveland Browns?

The Browns got the short end of the stick when it came to schedules in Week 1. Playing against one of the best defenses in the league with a shortened training camp and no preseason games isn’t the best way to debut the new season. Plus, the Ravens keenly remember their matchup from 2019, which they describe as “the whooping”, where RB Nick Chubb ran all over the Ravens on 20 attempts for 165 yards and three touchdowns in a 40 to 25 win over Baltimore. The Ravens were not going to let that happen again.

A Ravens’ victory over the Browns in 2020 isn’t all that surprising. After all, the Ravens didn’t need to add multiple new pieces to their already star-studded team in the offseason. That didn’t stop new addition, RB J.K. Dobbins, from finding the end zone twice.

The Browns aren’t so lucky. As mentioned, they are playing under yet another new head coach with new pieces on their offensive line. They have had zero preseason games to create chemistry and protect Baker Mayfield who was sacked twice and threw an interception in the opening drive. Turnovers and missed field goals plagued the Browns, and numerous attempts to target WR Odell Beckham Jr. failed to connect.

Is this is really indicative of the remainder of the season or can this be chalked up to 2020 weirdness? I may be alone on this hill, but I’m not ready to throw in the towel just yet. I will admit, though, that I am only holding on to half of that towel. There are rumors that the Browns are shopping Beckham, but until that happens, I am in “wait and see” mode. The matchup this Thursday against the Bengals and rookie QB Joe Burrow will be a better litmus test than a season opener against the Ravens.

If the Browns still can’t find a way to generate some offense and get their fantasy stars involved, then it may be time to move on. I’m am still holding firm on the potential for a few more weeks.

2. Do We Have Any Clarity on RB Volume?

One of the burning questions heading into Week 1 revolved around running back volume for teams starting multiple backs. I am afraid the answer so far is just “sort of”.

There are two teams that jump out as being less murky. They are the Indianapolis Colts and the Los Angeles Chargers. I think it’s fair to say that we all assumed that rookie RB Jonathan Taylor would eventually be getting more touches than veteran Marlon Mack. Well, that transition happened a lot sooner than expected when Mack went down with a torn Achilles tendon last week. That leaves Taylor and RB Nyheim Hines as the primary beneficiaries of Mack’s vacated rushes and targets. Last week, it was Hines who capitalized, scoring a rushing and a receiving touchdown. After that, fantasy GMs were quick to swoop in and make a claim for the running back.

Hines is certainly known for his pass-catching chops, but I was surprised to see that Taylor was also involved in the passing game.

  • Hines: Rushing 7/28/1 … Receiving 8/8/45/1 … 100% catch rate
  • Taylor: Rushing 9/22/0 … Receiving 6/6/67/0 … 100% catch rate

I do imagine those rush attempts for Taylor will heavily increase now that Mack is out for the season. That should give fantasy GMs a better idea of how to start these two running backs. My only concern is the widespread rush to grab Hines, burning FAAB, or a waiver priority, for a player who may not be the primary back. It’s chasing touchdowns and that makes me wary. However, I do understand why folks are excited about Hines with QB Philip Rivers at the helm. He has the opportunity to be the Colts’ version of Austin Ekeler.

Speaking of Ekeler, sometimes the box score simply doesn’t tell the whole story. The first half of the Chargers at Bengals game was filled with incompletions and a near impossibility to run the football. Ekeler got the rock early and often but struggled to make much of the volume, rushing 19 times for only 84 yards. Last time I checked, the Bengals aren’t exactly known for the stellar run defense. This tells me that either the Bengals defense has vastly improved, or Ekeler was used incorrectly as the bell cow in this offense. In fact, he was targeted only once. That’s not the Ekeler we are used to seeing.

Rookie RB Joshua Kelley was practically non-existent in the first half, as was any kind of advancement in the run game for the Chargers. That changed once they gave Kelley the nod. The two backs’ identity became much clearer once Kelley got involved. He looked like a much stronger, line-from-scrimmage runner, which is exactly where he needs to be. If the Chargers can stick to a game plan using Kelley as the bell cow and Ekeler as another receiver, life will be a lot easier for fantasy. Kelley finished the game with 12 rush attempts for 60 yards and a touchdown.

As for the rest of the running backs by committee, I am still not sure who to trust yet. (More on the Ravens in question 4.)

3. What Is Going On With Allen Robinson (WR – CHI)?

In a seemingly cryptic move, Bears WR Allen Robinson removed his affiliation with the Chicago Bears from his social media bios. After a bit of back of forth, Robinson’s agent Brandon Parker confirmed that the WR is unhappy with Chicago but denied that a trade request was made.

The dissonance derives from the Bears reportedly being unwilling to extend Robinson’s contract, per Adam Schefter.

Whether or not Robinson expressed his interest in a trade formally or not, there are a plethora of teams in need of a wide receiver of his caliber. The top of that list is the Philadelphia Eagles who were upset by the Washington Football Team on Sunday and are dealing with a myriad of injuries to their pass catchers.

If you have Robinson, now is not the time to freak out. Wait and see what happens with either a contract or a trade. His new home, if he gets one, may prove to have better opportunities for fantasy than Chicago. If you didn’t watch the game, QB Mitch Trubisky made an all-star, 4th-quarter comeback to defeat the Lions. However, he didn’t look that great until the end of the game. It may just be a matter of time before we see Foles under center.

After a press conference on Wednesday, Robinson assured reporters that he spoke with HC Matt Nagy and the receiver does not want his contract issues to become a distraction. Is it too soon to say too late?

One thing is clear. WR Anthony Miller should be picked up and rostered in all formats. The WR2 is looking for a breakout year in 2020 and came away with a touchdown in Sunday’s matchup. Since Robinson’s main beef isn’t with usage, it’s not really a “squeaky wheel gets the grease” type of situation. In fact, the Bears may double down and try and prove that they don’t in fact need to pay Robinson and incorporate Miller more heavily in the offense. Stranger things have happened. If Robinson is indeed traded, Miller is the obvious beneficiary of his vacated targets.

4. Is Rookie J.K. Dobbins the Back to Roster in Baltimore?

I know I touched on the confusion of committee backfields in my earlier question, but I felt the need to single out the Ravens specifically. There was a ton of hype surrounding Dobbins in the offseason and after Sunday’s game, it seems all of that hype is indeed for real.

Or is it?

Can the first week of the season with no preseason games really be a steadfast indicator that Dobbins will get the goal-line work?

I am not so sure. Either the Ravens are committed to using all three healthy backs with Mark Ingram, Dobbins, and Gus Edwards, or they are experimenting with who to use when. The snap counts were nearly equal between Ingram and Dobbins with the rookie edging out the veteran by 3% with 36% to 39% and Edwards posted 25%. Ingram rushed 10 times for only 29 yards and Dobbins ended the day with seven rush attempts for only 22 yards but had two touchdowns.

When it comes to even splits, it doesn’t get much closer than that in terms of volume. I believe it’s still too early to crown one back over the other just yet, even with Dobbins’ clear usage in the red zone in Week 1. It’s very possible that the Ravens simply didn’t want to put the miles on their veteran back with a 20 point lead, giving the rookie and Edwards a chance to make some plays.

Either way, it’s nearly impossible to guess who will be lead or if there will be a clear featured back in Baltimore yet. If you have another RB or flex player you can pivot to, I would recommend doing so until things level themselves out. Unfortunately, Week 2 probably won’t help answer these questions. The Houston Texans proved last Thursday that teams can run the ball all over them. Just ask rookie RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire. We may see all three backs get the rock in another near-even running back by committee.

5. Who Will Step Up For the Buccaneers and the Saints?

Many of us were excited to see the divisional matchup between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New Orleans Saints last Sunday. Although the Bucs came away with a loss, it was certainly interesting to see QB Tom Brady in a Tampa Bay uniform, and it was highly entertaining watching Kamara score two touchdowns (if you started him).

What was not fun to see was elite WR Michael Thomas get his ankle rolled up on by Kamara at the end of the game. At first, the injury didn’t seem too bad. Thomas is as tough as they come and fantasy GMs were hopeful that it was simply a minor thing. After some bad news, it looks like Thomas will indeed miss several weeks with a high ankle sprain.

On the other side of the matchup, WR Chris Godwin looked good with Brady, catching six of his seven targets for 79 yards. But, more bad news abounds. On Wednesday, Godwin entered the team’s concussion protocol and HC Bruce Arians says they intend to be cautious with the receiver.

This is bad news for fantasy. The next man up on each team is Emmanuel Sanders for the Saints and Mike Evans for the Buccaneers, but it’s doubtful either of these players is available on the waiver wire, and a trade to get them will be costly without the season-long benefits.

If you have to pivot to another receiver available on the waiver wire, take a look at Bucs WR Scotty Miller and the Saints WR Tre’Quan Smith. Out of the two, I like Miller the most. With Evans and Godwin on the field last Sunday, Miller caught five receptions on six targets for 79 yards and Brady looked comfortable looking his way.

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Lauren Carpenter is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Lauren, check out her archive and follow her @stepmomlauren.

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