The Primer: Week 2 Edition (2020 Fantasy Football)

Baltimore Ravens at Houston Texans

Total: 52.5
Line: BAL by 6.5

QBs
Lamar Jackson: He picked up right where he left off in 2019, making it look easy against the Browns defense, completing 20-of-25 passes for 275 yards and three touchdowns. How can we expect him to have more pass attempts when he’s continually this efficient? The Browns were a plus matchup, but so are the Texans. They’re struggling to get pressure, as Patrick Mahomes was under duress on just six of his 33 dropbacks in Week 1. If you give Jackson time, he’s going to carve you up. Their starting cornerback unit consists of Bradley Roby, Vernon Hargreaves, and Antonio Hamilton. This is a worse version of the defense that Jackson played in 2019 when they still had D.J. Reader and Johnathan Joseph, as well as Gareon Conley healthy. In that Week 11 game last year, Jackson threw the ball just 24 times, but they went for 222 yards and four touchdowns, while he also rushed for 86 yards. Over their last 17 games, they’ve allowed 13 quarterbacks to post at least 17.9 fantasy points. You’re getting a sky-high floor and ceiling with Jackson, so don’t hesitate to play him in both cash and tournament lineups if you can afford him.

Deshaun Watson: I don’t think there were too many surprises in Watson’s first game without DeAndre Hopkins, though you could tell he struggled to find a true safety valve in his pass-catching corps. That should lead to many scrambles in fantasy, which amounts to fantasy points. That’s where the upsetting part comes against this Ravens defense. Do you know how many fantasy points they’ve allowed on the ground to quarterbacks since the start of last season? 19.5 points. That’s it. Watson himself had the worst game of his career against the Ravens in Week 11 last year, as he completed just 18-of-29 passes for just 169 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception. When you tack on his measly 12 yards rushing, he ended that game with just 3.96 fantasy points, a career-low. Remember, that was with DeAndre Hopkins. This Ravens defense did lose Earl Thomas this offseason, but it didn’t seem to affect them very much last week when they held Baker Mayfield to just 189 yards and a touchdown on 39 pass attempts. They also have one of the best cornerback duos in the league, so if they take away Will Fuller, and limit Watson’s ability to run, where does his upside come from? If there was a week to consider potentially benching Watson, it’s this one, though it’s tough to completely kick him out of the QB1 conversation.

RBs
Mark Ingram and J.K. Dobbins: There will be some major reactions to this backfield after we saw the touches go Ingram 10, Dobbins 7, and Edwards 4 in Week 1, but how much can we really take from it when the Ravens stomped the Browns 38-6? Well, more than you’d think. The Ravens were continually running away with games last year, and through 15 games, there was just one game where Ingram totaled less than 10 touches. Not surprisingly, that one week was a game the Ravens won 49-13. The following week, they played against the Texans where Ingram totaled 16 touches in a 41-7 win. We knew Dobbins would cut the legs off his potential ceiling, but his floor is in jeopardy, especially when he doesn’t score. The Texans are a team to attack with running backs, though. They’ve allowed 18 running back touchdowns over their last 17 games (10 rushing, 8 receiving). Losing D.J. Reader up the middle of the field is a crushing blow and we saw rookie Clyde Edwards-Helaire crush them for 138 yards and a touchdown in his NFL debut last week. Here are the touches by running backs in each of their eight games since their Week 10 bye last year (most recent first): 34, 33, 25, 25, 28, 35, 40, 30. That’s a lot of touches to go around. My guess would be that Ingram gets back into the 12-14 touch range, which allows him to be played as a high-end RB3. Dobbins himself should get close to Ingram, though I still believe he’s second in line when the game is close. Totaling just seven touches in a game hardly suggests you’re a weekly play, even if two of those touches were for touchdowns. He’s a risky RB3/4 who’d benefit if the game gets out of hand.

David Johnson and Duke Johnson: It’s fair to say that David Johnson looked like the running back we all knew and loved pre-injury. Before even taking a handoff, Johnson looked like he lost weight and that was apparent once he got the ball in his hands. He moved smooth through his blockers and didn’t look clunky at all. To be fair, the Chiefs matchup was one of the best you can have as a running back, but it was a great start to his Texans career. Now comes a matchup no one looks forward to, as the Ravens are one of the toughest defenses in the league. We did see Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt total 132 yards on the ground with just 23 carries (5.71 yards per carry), but we’re projecting this game to get out of hand rather quickly, and that’s a problem for Johnson because despite many teams falling behind the Ravens last year, they allowed the second-fewest fantasy points through the air to running backs. Not only that, but running backs averaged a league-low 22.3 touches per game against them. The positive is that it’ll be his backfield throughout the game with Buddy Howell and Scottie Phillips maybe getting a few touches. Still, 15-18 touches against the Ravens doesn’t guarantee big numbers. He should be considered a low-end RB2 for this game due to his volume. Just hope that he falls into the end zone.

WRs
Marquise Brown: Despite the Browns not putting up any fight, Brown was able to produce in the blowout, racking up six catches for 101 yards. There were 15 targets among the Ravens receivers, so we took a step in the right direction, as they averaged just 10.8 targets per game last year. That can be the difference Brown needs to jump into those top-20 receiver conversations. The Texans did a good job slowing Tyreek Hill last week (was still the WR23), but they paid the price with Sammy Watkins instead (WR10). Knowing they allowed two top-24 wide receiver performances in a game where Patrick Mahomes threw for just 211 yards is great. Brown will see a lot of Bradley Roby in coverage this week, which should be considered a good thing. Roby does have 4.39-second speed, but he’s been inconsistent in his coverage over the last few years. After seemingly breaking out in 2017, the Broncos relied on him as their top cornerback in 2018, where he crashed and burned, forcing them to release him. He’s been competent with Houston, though he’s not great when thrusted into that No. 1 role. With Gareon Conley out, he’s the top cornerback on that team. Brown can win this matchup, but as always, he comes with a lower floor than most in the high-end WR3 tier. His ceiling is just too good to pass up, especially if they’re going to target wide receivers more often.

Miles Boykin and Willie Snead: If you’re left considering these two, you might have some issues with your fantasy team. The Week 1 performance Snead had was something he does a few times every year. This is your reminder that he didn’t have back-to-back games with at least 10 PPR points at any point last year, while Lamar Jackson was the MVP. Boykin actually played the most snaps among wide receivers and has touchdown potential, so he’d be the one I’d lean towards if you want one. It also doesn’t hurt to know that Vernon Hargreaves is the one who’ll cover him. He’s allowed seven touchdowns in his coverage since the start of the 2019 season.

Will Fuller: We knew Fuller would be the Texans target leader in Week 1, but he accounted for 45 percent of wide receiver targets, 62 percent of their receptions, 69 percent of their yards, and 51 percent of their air yards. That’s unsustainable, but it’s good to know how big of a role he has in a DeAndre Hopkins-less Texans offense. The next hurdle standing in his way is the Ravens defense that just held Odell Beckham to three catches for 22 yards on 10 targets. The cornerback duo of Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphrey might be the best in the league, and Fuller doesn’t go into the slot very often. That means he’s stuck against two cornerbacks that have combined to allow 102-of-176 passing for 1,113 yards and eight touchdowns since the start of 2019. That amounts to just 6.32 yards per target. You can’t bench Fuller with the target/air yards share he had, but you need to lower your expectations into WR3 territory.

Brandin Cooks and Kenny Stills: He was limited in practice all last week with a quad injury, so it should’ve been expected that he’d be eased into the offense. He played 31 snaps while Stills played 22 of them. They essentially shared that role while Will Fuller played 47 snaps and Randall Cobb played 46 snaps. If Cooks can practice in full this week, we should expect to see him in more of a full-time role. Stay tuned for updates here. It’s not like you’ll be excited to play either of them, as the Ravens secondary is one of the best in football. The 1.48 PPR points per target they allowed last year ranked as the third-lowest mark in the league. And keep in mind they didn’t acquire Marcus Peters until the trade deadline. We could see plenty of pass attempts with the projected gamescript, and it’s why the Ravens faced 357 wide receiver targets last year (third-most), so there could be some desperation value, but it’s still dicey with Cooks’ quad injury. If I had to choose one, it’s Cooks, but he’s just a desperation WR4 in a tough matchup. *Update* Cooks was limited in practice this week, so he’s still a risky play until we see him in a full-time role. 

Randall Cobb: While Kenny Stills and Brandin Cooks fought for playing time amongst each other, Cobb played a full complement of snaps in Week 1. You wouldn’t know it by his production, though. He caught 2-of-3 targets for 23 yards in what appeared to be a minuscule role. He didn’t catch his passes until it was near garbage time either, so it’s not likely he’ll be a recommended start before we see production in his new environment, though it helps he’s in a full-time role. The Ravens are a tough matchup, though the best matchup might be Cobb’s in the slot while Fuller and Cooks deal with Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphrey. The Ravens added Jimmy Smith to their injury report with back spasms last week, and though he was active, he didn’t play any snaps. That led to Tavon Young playing in the slot, which I’d consider to be above average. If Smith practices in full and plays this week, it clouds the path to production. In the end, you need to see the targets with Cobb before trusting him.

TEs
Mark Andrews: We wanted more snaps, and we got them. He played 42 snaps in Week 1, which would’ve ranked as the second-highest number for him in 2019. With Hayden Hurst gone, he’s in line for a bigger role, and he delivered in Week 1, catching five passes for 58 yards and two touchdowns. It was a great matchup against the Browns, but you expect your high-round pick to deliver in those situations. The Texans matchup isn’t a bad one, either, as we watched Travis Kelce deliver a similar performance against them in Week 1 where he totaled 6/50/1. There were nine tight ends who totaled at least 41 yards against the Texans last year, though just one eclipsed 75 yards. In fact, there were just two tight ends who had more than four receptions against them, which means they’re susceptible to the big play. Looking at the last time these two teams met (Week 11 of last year), it’s no shock to see Andrews with four catches for 74 yards and a touchdown. You’re starting him as your TE1 every week and the confidence continues to grow for cash game usage, though they’re making you pay for it.

Jordan Akins and Darren Fells: I tried explaining last week that Akins was the one with a more sustainable role in the offense. Not only does the production mirror my thoughts, but so does the snap counts. Akins was on the field for 48 snaps while Fells played just 25 of them. If you streamed Fells last year, you’re going to be streaming Akins at times this year. The issue is that they combined for just four targets last week. That’s a real problem against a Ravens defense that’s allowed just two tight ends to top 34 yards in their last 17 games. One of the tight ends who did that was a backup that broke a long touchdown, while the other was Travis Kelce. Chasing touchdowns isn’t wise, either, as they allowed just three all of last season. They allowed 20 fewer PPR points to tight ends than any other team in the NFL last year. Stay away from these two this week.

Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Chargers

Total: 47.5
Line: KC by 8.5

QBs
Patrick Mahomes: It was odd to watch Mahomes continually check-down last week, as he averaged a measly 4.7 air yards per attempt. By comparison, Deshaun Watson averaged 8.5 air yards per attempt. He took what the defense gave him, which resulted in a 75 percent completion-rate and three touchdowns. Don’t worry, the bigger games will come, though it may not be this week. The Chargers defense is great, though losing Derwin James in training camp was a huge blow. The acquisition of Chris Harris Jr. this offseason was a massive one that took their secondary to the next level. Mahomes played them twice last year, turning in performances of 182 yards and a touchdown, as well as 174 yards and a touchdown. They were two of his worst three fantasy performances of the year. With that being said, both games came after he suffered his injury in Week 7. Mahomes and Andy Reid have also had a full 10 days to come up with a gameplan for this one. I don’t think this is one of his biggest performances of the year, but you’re starting him as a QB1 this week. I wouldn’t say he’s a must-play in cash, though having exposure in tournaments is never a bad idea.

Tyrod Taylor: Despite having what appeared to be a cake matchup to start the season, Taylor bombed for those who streamed him, totaling just 208 passing yards, seven rushing yards, and no touchdowns. He was the No. 31 quarterback on the week. People see the Chiefs on the schedule and think, “Hey, there’s going to be a lot of pass attempts/points when they fall behind!” That wasn’t really the case in 2019, as they allowed the 12th-fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks despite facing the 10th-most pass attempts. They were above average in every major statistic, including touchdown percentage, yards per attempt, fantasy points per attempt, and completion rate. The part where Taylor needs to get some points is on the ground, as they allowed 5.0 yards per carry to quarterbacks last year. Here’s a list of the mobile quarterbacks yardage/touchdowns on the ground since the start of the 2019 season: Deshaun Watson (42/2 and 27/1), Aaron Rodgers (29/0), Ryan Tannehill (37/0), and Lamar Jackson (46/1). It does help that the Chiefs are likely to be without two of their top cornerbacks, as Charvarius Ward broke his hand in Week 1, and Bashaud Breeland is still suspended. Taylor should be a solid floor QB2. Though we did think that last week, we can’t let one game decide his fate.

RBs
Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Darrel Williams: The rookie’s first action in an NFL game led to 25 carries and two targets in the high-flying Chiefs offense, racking up 138 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, Williams touched the ball nine times, leading to just 30 scoreless yards. The difference to the human eye was just as evident as the stats between these two. Sure, Edwards-Helaire went 0-for-6 inside the five-yard line, but it highlights they trust him in that role. He was hit on five of those carries before even getting back to the line of scrimmage. As Mike Clay pointed out on Twitter, there were just 35 players who had six-plus carries inside the five-yard line the entire 2019 season. That’s massive for his outlook. Some will point out his lack of usage in the passing game, but that’s the least of my concerns, as he’s one of the better receiving backs in the league. The Chargers were able to shut down the Bengals run game last week, though their offensive line looked atrocious. This is still the same scheme with many of the same players that allowed 12 different running backs to finish as top-15 options last year, including five 23-plus PPR point games. The Chiefs are projected for 28.0 points (four touchdowns) and knowing that Mahomes has thrown just four touchdowns in the last three games against the Chargers, the points have to come from somewhere. Edwards-Helaire should be played as an RB1 this week. Williams is a handcuff to Edwards-Helaire, but he’s also someone who is stealing some of the third-down work. He’s not someone you want to start but he should be rostered.

Austin Ekeler and Joshua Kelley: It was not what Ekeler owners had hoped for in his first game alongside Tyrod Taylor. Sure, he got 19 carries that amounted to 84 yards, but he saw just one target. That’s an issue, especially when you see that Kelley got the lone carry inside the five-yard-line. After the game, Anthony Lynn said it’s a priority to get Ekeler more involved. Expect a big bounce-back this week against the Chiefs, who allowed the most receiving yards to running backs last year. They allowed a massive 59.4 yards per game through the air to running backs while no other team allowed more than 55.7 per game. It’s not just that, either. They allowed the sixth-most fantasy points per opportunity to running backs, so touches mean everything. And guys, let’s not pretend that 19 carries for 84 yards isn’t impressive, as that was the eighth-most among running backs in Week 1. Start Ekeler as an RB1 and expect big results. Kelley is a bit tougher to place this week, as he looked good on his 12 carries last week, but that was a neutral gamescript where they ran the ball 33 times with the running backs. Against the Chiefs, that won’t happen. Opponents averaged just 22.3 carries per game against them in 2019. Still, if they get into a goal-line situation, it seems Kelley will be the guy. Seeing that Justin Jackson is dealing with an injury, we should still get 8-10 carries out of Kelley. Consider him a touchdown-dependent RB4.

WRs
Tyreek Hill: Prior to scoring his touchdown, Hill owners were in full-on panic mode last Thursday. His touchdown saved what would’ve been a miserable day, but you already knew there would be days like that when you drafted him. The bad part of last week is that it was one of the best matchups he could’ve asked for. This week isn’t a walk in the park. He’s going to see a mixture of all three Chargers cornerbacks, including Chris Harris Jr., Casey Hayward, and Desmond King. Without Harris on the team last year, Hill totaled 0/0/0 (left with injury in the first quarter) and 4/61/0. That was with Derwin James on the field, which helps the defense all around. But all in all, teams avoided targeting their cornerbacks heavily, as they faced a league-low 15.1 targets per game to wide receivers. They allowed a league-leading 71.5 percent completion rate, but also a miniscule 11.92 yards per reception. We could see Hill rack up some receptions here, but the big play may be hard to come by. He’s still in your lineup as an every-week WR1 due to the ceiling he has any time he takes the field. Not a cash play this week, but he’s fine in tournaments.

Sammy Watkins: Do we have another DeSean Jackson on our hands where he just lights things up in Week 1 and then lets fantasy owners down for most of the year? Watkins racked up seven catches for 82 yards and a touchdown against the Texans last week, and if you recall, he had nine catches for 198 yards and three touchdowns in Week 1 last year. He didn’t top 64 yards the remainder of the regular season, so we can’t automatically assume he’s a fantasy starter, though the talent is certainly there. The matchup this week makes it easier to keep him on benches, too. The Chargers are not a team to target with wide receivers, as they allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers last year. On the year, they allowed just 128.9 yards per game to them, and that was before they acquired Chris Harris Jr. The Bengals trio totaled just 118 yards last week. Let’s make Watkins prove it before trusting him in tough matchups. He’s a very risky WR4/5 this week.

Demarcus Robinson and Mecole Hardman: It came as a shock to many, but Robinson nearly doubled the snaps of Hardman in Week 1. This is a continuation of what we saw last year. Despite how inefficient Robinson has been with his targets, he continually sees more targets. A large reason is due to his perimeter play, as both Watkins and Hill alternate in the slot, and Hardman just isn’t a great perimeter receiver at this point. As mentioned last week, the big red flag for Hardman was when they put him back on special teams, as it limits his involvement in the offense. Against the Chargers who were the No. 4 team against wide receivers last year, you don’t need to consider either of them. Sure, Hardman offers one-play upside, but you can’t bank on that when he’s running 11 routes in a game.

Keenan Allen: I had my concerns about Allen coming into the season with Taylor under center but moved him up based on the fact that Mike Williams was not supposed to play the first few weeks. Not only did Williams play, but he got more opportunity than Allen. Yeah, it was only one target, but Williams had a 43.3 percent share of the Chargers air yards while Allen was at just 27.8 percent. The Chiefs moved on from Kendall Fuller this offseason and went to Antonio Hamilton to cover the slot. In his first start, he allowed 3-of-4 passing for 45 yards in his coverage. He’s a former undrafted free agent who’s on his third NFL team in three years, so it’s not a matchup to be scared of. The Chiefs allowed the fewest yards to wide receivers last year, but they suddenly have three new cornerbacks starting (Fuller replaced, Bashaud Breeland suspended, Charvarius Ward hurt). Allen obviously isn’t a lock but getting eight targets in this matchup should produce results. I’m good trusting him as a low-end WR2/high-end WR3.

Mike Williams: He went from not expected to play for a few weeks, to maybe he’ll be on a snap count, to getting 43.3 percent of the team’s air yards. He looked great, too, though I was worried about his health as Taylor continually threw the ball high, leaving him getting hit hard down the field. This matchup would’ve been one to avoid last year, but the Chiefs secondary is likely going to be missing their top two perimeter cornerbacks, as Bashaud Breeland is suspended, and Charvarius Ward broke his hand last week. That would leave them with L’Jarius Sneed and Rashad Fenton to start. Sneed is a fourth-round rookie, while Fenton is a sixth-round pick from last year who’s only seen 30 targets come his way to this point in his career. If Taylor is willing to throw it up to Williams, he can win one-on-one in these matchups, though we have to be a bit cautious based on what the Chargers are saying (they want to get Ekeler more targets), as well as Keenan Allen‘s plus matchup. I’d still consider him someone who should be in the low-end WR3/high-end WR4 conversation.

TEs
Travis Kelce: Those who spent a second-round pick on Kelce got rewarded in Week 1 when he caught all six of his targets for 50 yards and a touchdown. It was the 29th time in his last 33 games where he’s posted TE1-type numbers. The matchup this week has not been a great one for him in years past, as he’s played the Anthony Lynn-led Chargers six times. Here are his marks in those games.

It’s fair to say they’ve done a great job keeping him in check most of the time. It does help that the Chargers will be without their top safety Derwin James, who’s out for the season. That allowed C.J. Uzomah haul in four passes for 45 yards last week. Knowing how tough the wide receiver matchups are, it’s hard to see Kelce not getting eight-plus targets in this game. He was the only tight end in the league who saw more than five targets against them last year, and when he did, that’s when he had his big game of 22.2 PPR points. Start him as you normally would. The addition of Chris Harris Jr. to their secondary might just funnel more targets his way.

Hunter Henry: It was a promising start to Henry’s season with Taylor where he saw a massive 26.7 target share. He caught five of his eight targets for 73 yards in a plus-matchup against the Bengals. This mirrors what Taylor did as a starter in Buffalo, relying heavily on his tight end, who was Charles Clay at that time. However, if they want to proactively target Ekeler more out of the backfield, it would cut into Henry’s targets. The Chiefs have continually let tight ends have the underneath stuff and it’s the reason they faced 145 targets last year, which ranked as the second-most in football. Tight ends averaged just 9.94 yards per reception, which ranked as the seventh lowest in the league. So, if the Chargers want to dink-and-dunk down the field, the Chiefs will seemingly allow it. Henry tallied six catches for 69 yards against this defense last year, so he’s familiar. Until we see Taylor move of Henry and target Ekeler a lot more, you should play Henry as a stable TE1 with a solid floor.

New England Patriots at Seattle Seahawks

Total: 45.0
Line: SEA by 4.0

QBs
Cam Newton: I’ll admit when I’m wrong, and based on what I saw in Week 1, I was wrong about Newton’s mobility taking a decline at age-31. If anything, he looked spry, and may have even shed weight from his Carolina days. Even better, Josh McDaniels built this offense for him to succeed. Unfortunately, that type of gameplan won’t work against Seattle, who is going to blitz him and force him into some pressured passes. Last week, Newton was pressured just four times against the Dolphins, which ranked as the second-lowest number to only Derek Carr. To be fair, the Seahawks need to blitz in order to create pressure, as their front-seven is not very imposing. That leaves their cornerbacks vulnerable, so can Newton capitalize like Matt Ryan did last week when he threw for 450 yards? If Newton breaks that first line of defense, it could be off to the races. You should also know that this defense allowed 5.98 yards per carry to quarterbacks last year, the most in football. Knowing he has that rushing floor again, Newton is a weekly QB1, and this matchup shouldn’t scare you off that.

Russell Wilson: Will the Seahawks “let Russ cook?” was the question in Week 1, and I’d say the answer was yes considering he completed 31 passes in a game they led throughout. There was just one game he topped 29 completions in 2019 and it was against the Saints in a close game. He’s currently the QB1 in fantasy football. The Patriots defense looked to pick up right where they left off last year, allowing just 191 passing yards, no touchdowns, and three interceptions, but there’s a lot of red tape there. The Dolphins have an entirely new offensive line, DeVante Parker was hurt, and they installed a new offense this offseason. The Patriots have lost defensive tackle Danny Shelton, edge rusher Kyle Van Noy, and linebackers Jamie Collins and Elandon Roberts in free agency. Not just that, but linebacker Dont’a Hightower and safety Patrick Chung opted out of the season. That’s seven near full-time players that have been replaced. Bill Belichick always comes prepared, but this is going to be a much tougher test. Wilson has played against the Belichick three times, averaging 296 yards and 2.7 touchdowns in them. I’d start Wilson as a low-end QB1 but wouldn’t be surprised if he finished top-five in this game.

RBs
Sony Michel, James White, and Rex Burkhead: As we could’ve predicted, the Patriots backfield is a mess. Not only do we have four running backs getting touches, but we also have Cam Newton stealing 10-plus carries per game with some goal-line work. The snaps: Michel 19, White 19, Burkhead 19, J.J. Taylor 9. You cannot make this stuff up. The opportunities: Michel 10, White 8, Burkhead 7, Taylor 5. This. Is. Gross. The Seahawks faced an average of just 19.3 running back carries per game last year, which ranked as the sixth-lowest mark in the league. They did, however, allow a rushing touchdown every 17.1 carries, which was the second-most often in the league. Opportunity is everything against them, as they allowed 0.99 PPR points per opportunity last year, the third-highest total in the league. Unfortunately, you cannot say any of these running backs get more than 10 touches in this game. Given they’re underdogs, it should favor White’s role, but his three targets in Week 1 matched his season-low from 2019. Michel is the co-goal-line back alongside Newton, so he offers touchdown upside, but cannot be relied upon for more than RB4 production without a touchdown. He’s a low-end RB3. White is probably the safest of the bunch, though this isn’t a Tom Brady offense. Consider him a solid RB4 in PPR formats. Burkhead wasn’t used in the passing game at all, even though he was on the field for more passing plays than White. None of this makes sense. Avoid until we get some sort of clarity.

Chris Carson and Carlos Hyde: Without looking, how many games do you think Carson had fewer than 15 carries in 2019? The answer is two, and he was hurt in the Week 16 game that knocked him out for the year. So, when we see him total just six carries in Week 1, it’s worrisome. Ok, enough of the negative. How many games do you think he had more than five targets? One. There are certainly pros and cons, but it adds up to him being a bit less reliable on a week-to-week basis. The Patriots aren’t a team that’s very friendly to running backs, as they allowed a league-low 15.8 PPR points per game to them in 2019. As mentioned in Wilson’s notes, this isn’t the same defense, but they did limit the Dolphins running backs to just 69 yards on 22 carries, though Jordan Howard found his way into the end zone. That’s a step in the right direction, as the Patriots allowed just one rushing touchdown during the entire 2019 season. If the Seahawks get a lead, Pete Carroll is likely to hand the ball to Carson and Hyde continually, as it just means too much to get a win over the Patriots to risk it. We know they’ve been among the most run-heavy teams in a neutral gamescript, so don’t let one game completely scare you off Carson. And don’t forget, targets are worth 2.5 times as much as carries in a PPR format from a fantasy production standpoint. Carson should be looked at as a middling RB2 who carries a little more risk than last year. Hyde can’t be started after totaling just seven carries, though he does fit what the Seahawks want in a clock-grinder. It’s tough to see them dragging the Patriots all over the field in this game, which makes him just an RB5.

WRs
Julian Edelman: It was a promising start to the 2020 season for Edelman, as he saw 7-of-19 passes thrown by Cam Newton for a 36.8 percent target share. Granted, he had the best matchup on the field, but it’s something. The Seahawks are similar to the Dolphins in ways that they have two stable cornerbacks on the perimeter but lack a pass rush and allow production up the middle of the field. They allowed 10 receivers to finish as the WR10 or better against them last year, and four of those receivers were primary slot guys, like Edelman. The Seahawks now have last year’s second-round pick Marquise Blair covering the slot, and let’s just say that’s been an adventure on the 22 targets he’s seen in coverage, allowing 17 receptions for 181 yards and two touchdowns. Just last week, it was Russell Gage tagging the Seahawks defense for a career-high 114 yards. Edelman isn’t going to average over 10 targets per game like he did with Brady, but that number is within reach in this matchup. He should be played as a low-end WR2.

N’Keal Harry: While Julian Edelman led the team with seven of Cam Newton‘s 19 targets, Harry wasn’t far behind, as he racked up six of his own. He caught five of them for 39 yards but made a costly mistake of fumbling into the end zone, which is something we know Bill Belichick doesn’t stand for. Fortunately for Harry, they don’t really have alternates. His primary matchup will be against Shaquill Griffin, which may not seem bad after Griffin was continually burned last week. But still, he’s an above average cornerback that just couldn’t hang with Calvin Ridley and Julio Jones. I mean, not many can, especially when they leave you on an island while blitzing. Harry is not a separation artist but rather someone who wins contested catches. Griffin has some size at 6-foot and 200 pounds, so he won’t be easy to bully. If Harry went into the slot, I’d like him a lot more in this matchup, but he rarely goes there, and that’s where the Seahawks are weakest. Consider him a touchdown-dependent WR5 this week.

D.K. Metcalf: The connection between Metcalf and Wilson continues to grow, though Metcalf did have an ugly drop in Week 1. The matchup with the Falcons cornerbacks was a cakewalk compared to what he’ll face this week, as it’s expected that Stephon Gilmore shadows him. That’s obviously a tough matchup, though it’s worth noting that Gilmore did allow 4-of-4 passing for 37 yards to DeVante Parker before he left with a hamstring injury. But going back to the start of last year, Gilmore has allowed exactly one touchdown on 104 targets in coverage, which is just bananas considering he covers the opposing WR1 every week. The reason you have to love Metcalf in fantasy is due to the fact that he’s seeing six-plus targets per game from what may be the most efficient passer in the league. Even if he starts with two catches for 30 yards, there could be an 80-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter that changes his fortune. Yes, that can happen with anyone, but combining volume with Wilson, and a big-play wide receiver is a must-play nearly every week. Because of that, Metcalf should remain in lineups as a risk/reward WR3.

Tyler Lockett: What an efficient performance by Lockett last week, as he caught all eight of his targets for 92 yards. Even better? D.K. Metcalf continues to improve, meaning Lockett could reap the benefits of Metcalf getting top-tier coverage. Lockett should see a lot of Jonathan Jones, a veteran cornerback who’s been a solid cornerback through the years, though not great. Even going back to last year when the Patriots were the shutdown defense, Jones allowed a 110.8 QB Rating in his coverage. He allowed 13.0 yards per reception and a touchdown every 15.2 targets. Six of the top-seven performances the Patriots allowed to wide receivers last year were slot-heavy receivers. Lockett played 68.4 percent of his snaps from the slot in Week 1. You should trust him as a solid WR2 this week.

TEs
Ryan Izzo: So much for the rookie Devin Asiasi making a mark his rookie season. He played just 10 snaps in Week 1 while being out there on exactly one pass play. Meanwhile, Izzo played 63 snaps and was on the field for 17 pass plays. It didn’t matter much because Izzo saw just two targets on the day. The Seahawks were bad against tight ends last year, but with the acquisition of Jamal Adams, they’re a heck of a lot better. Don’t think about playing a Patriots tight end.

Greg Olsen and Will Dissly: Well, we got our answer about who leads this timeshare in Week 1. Olsen not only doubled Dissly’s targets (4 to 2), but he out-snapped him (41 to 25) as well. It’ll take time for Dissly to get back to speed, and it was good to see Olsen have rapport with Olsen immediately, catching all four targets for 24 yards and a touchdown. It’s still a timeshare so we can’t get too excited. The Patriots were the seventh-best team at defending tight ends last year, allowing just three tight ends to top 44 yards. Those tight ends were Zach Ertz, Travis Kelce, and Dawson Knox. It was touchdown or bust for every tight end not named Ertz or Kelce, because outside of them, no tight end who failed to score finished top-18 against them. With the exit of Patrick Chung this season, they could be more susceptible to big performances, though Mike Gesicki just finished with 30 yards on five targets. Olsen is the preferred option but it’s hard to say he’s more than a middling TE2 who would need to score.

New Orleans Saints at Las Vegas Raiders

Total: 51.0
Line: NO by 6.5

QBs
Drew Brees: Life without Michael Thomas… what does it look like with a 41-year-old Brees? Well, I suppose you could look at last week, right? I’m kidding, kinda. But really, we haven’t seen what that looks like since 2015. Losing Thomas, who accounted for 185-of-292 wide receiver targets, you’re removing a lot more than “just one wide receiver.” The Saints offense didn’t look great last week against a Tampa Bay defense they’d crushed the last couple years. I’m not going to jump to conclusions with Brees or anything, but if there’s one thing that’s a near-lock, it’s that they go with a run-heavy approach without him. The Raiders did allow a league-high 8.28 yards per pass attempt last year, though teams didn’t run very many plays against them due to the slow pace of the Raiders offense. The average number of plays in their games was 122, which ranked as the second lowest in football. Add in a Saints offense that may be more run-heavy, and you have a game that might net very few plays. Knowing the high efficiency the Raiders allow, combined with Brees’ accuracy and willingness to take what they give him, he should post competent numbers here, though nothing that’ll win you a week. Look for him to utilize his running backs in the passing game quite a bit, an area the Raiders have shown a vulnerability. He’s more of a high-end QB2 this week than a can’t-miss QB1.

Derek Carr: Despite the game being pretty close throughout, it was clear the Raiders were going with a run-heavy attack against the Panthers. Carr threw the ball just 30 times in a game they ran 61 plays. Against the Saints, it’s hard to see the number staying so low, but this defense is no joke. Tom Brady had thrown eight interceptions on 613 pass attempts last year. He threw two interceptions against them on 36 pass attempts last week. The Saints had allowed just 6.92 yards per attempt last year, and they only got better in the secondary since that time. The reason they are typically an attractive start is due to the shootout potential, but with Michael Thomas out, it could be a slower run offense. It doesn’t help that starting offensive tackle Trent Brown injured his calf in Week 1 and is highly questionable in this game, as the Saints pass rush pressured Brady on 32 percent of his dropbacks last week. That’s not something Carr is used to considering he was pressured just 10 percent of the time in Week 1, while no other quarterback was under 18.2 percent. Carr has played better at home during his career, but this is a new home in Las Vegas, so we can’t assume it’s the same effect. I wouldn’t want to use him as anything more than a back-end QB2.

RBs
Alvin Kamara and Latavius Murray: With Michael Thomas gone, these two are going to be relied upon heavily. Not that they weren’t in Week 1, as the duo combined for 36 total opportunities. Last year, this duo averaged 29.8 opportunities per game. Their Week 1 usage was more in line with the way the team was trending the last five years. The Raiders allowed a mediocre 3.82 yards per carry last year but did rebuild their entire linebacker unit this offseason. Still, they held Christian McCaffrey and the Panthers to just 3.88 yards per carry in Week 1, so the scheme appears to be working. There was no running back who totaled more than 110 yards on the ground against them last year, but there were two running backs who scored multiple rushing touchdowns (Derrick Henry, Melvin Gordon). The area to watch Kamara is the passing game. He saw eight targets last week, something that would be highly beneficial to him in this matchup, as the Raiders allowed the fourth-most fantasy points through the air to running backs last year, including 6.93 yards per target. With the volume that they’ll have, I consider both of these running backs startable. Kamara is an RB1 who could see double-digit targets, while Murray is a decent RB3 play, as he should total at least 12 carries and a few targets against his former team.

Josh Jacobs, Devontae Booker, and Jalen Richard: It was good to see Jacobs come through in a smash spot last week, though 3.7 yards per carry against that Panthers unit wasn’t as good as it should’ve been. The best news for Jacobs owners was his career-high six targets in a game Carr threw the ball just 30 times. That’s massive for his weekly ceiling. The Saints are not a team to attack with running backs, as they’ve been one of the best in the NFL over the last two years. They allowed just 3.65 yards per carry last year and 3.22 yards per carry in 2018. They didn’t allow a single running back more than 83 rushing yards or one touchdown in a game last year, and there were eight running backs who totaled at least 15 carries. They did allow eight different running backs 30-plus receiving yards, which is why Jacobs’ targets were refreshing to see. It was only one game, so we can’t automatically assume it’s 100 percent sticking, but it’s a step in the right direction. Jacobs should be able to remain in the RB2 territory this week, even in a brutal matchup, though he lacks a massive ceiling against this defense.

WRs
Emmanuel Sanders: With Michael Thomas sidelined, Sanders will be asked to step up and play a bigger role in the offense. “But Mike, wasn’t he a full-time player already?” Well, no. He played just 33 snaps in Week 1 while Thomas played 55 and Tre’Quan Smith played 44. Despite that, Sanders tied for the league-lead in red zone targets (4) in Week 1. He was playing in the slot 48 percent of the time, which might go down considering Thomas’ absence on the perimeter. The Raiders have a young cornerback duo in Trayvon Mullen and Damon Arnette, and it wasn’t the best of debuts for Arnette, who allowed 110 yards and a touchdown on just five targets in his coverage. Mullen seems to be a competent NFL cornerback, but he’s not going to be shadowing anyone. I’m expecting the Saints to move the veteran Sanders around and get him matched up with the rookie to take advantage of his inexperience. Sanders can be played as a WR3 this week who should have a solid floor, though we don’t know how high his ceiling is in his age-33 season.

Tre’Quan Smith: There will be a lot of fantasy owners flocking to Emmanuel Sanders, and rightfully so, but don’t forget about the Saints former third-round pick who’s never had the opportunity he’s about to. Over the course of his career, Smith has seen 70 targets, turning them into 47 receptions for 665 yards and 10 touchdowns. That’s 9.5 yards per target and a touchdown every 7.0 targets. He’s had 12 career games with three or more targets. Here are the results:

If you’re looking for a hail mary start this week (especially in DFS), you could do a lot worse than Smith. He should be locked into at least 4-5 targets in this game, which has netted results in his career, and he’s likely to see a lot of the rookie Damon Arnette who was just burned for 110 yards and a touchdown in his debut.

Henry Ruggs: Want to hear something crazy? Ruggs led the NFL in the percentage of his team’s air yards in Week 1. He saw 60.5 percent of Derek Carr‘s air yards, which is just stupid high. By comparison, Courtland Sutton led the league in that category last year with a 42.9 percent air yards share. While that number will come down for Ruggs, it’s a good sign of his usage, though they need to do a better job at getting him the ball close to the line of scrimmage. It looked like Ruggs hurt his knee/ankle during their Week 1 game, but he played through it and appears to be okay. The issue waiting is the Saints cornerback trio of Marshon Lattimore, Janoris Jenkins and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, which is extremely good. Gardner-Johnson is the one Ruggs will see a lot of, and while he allowed 6-of-6 passing for 41 yards in his coverage last week, I think you can call that a success against Chris Godwin. Ruggs played 59 percent of his snaps in the slot last week, but with an average depth of target of 18.5 yards, he’s not getting those high percentage targets. Ruggs still carries that one-play upside and Gardner-Johnson doesn’t have blazing speed. Ruggs should be considered a boom-or-bust WR3/4 option who we hope isn’t playing through an injury.

Bryan Edwards: The good news is that Edwards played 47 snaps in Week 1, which led the Raiders wide receivers. The bad news is that he saw one target for nine yards. But being on the field is what matters, as we should fully expect the targets to come. However, it shouldn’t be this week against the ridiculous duo of Marshon Lattimore and Janoris Jenkins. Edwards didn’t travel into the slot, so that means Edwards won’t escape their coverage. He’s not someone you want to play here, though I do think he should be stashed on benches.

Hunter Renfrow: When we heard that Ruggs was going to play in the slot, we wondered how much playing time Renfrow would get. He ranked third on the team in snaps, ahead of Nelson Agholor, and got two targets, so he’ll be involved, but that’s not nearly enough to be considered in fantasy circles. When on the field, he played 61 percent of his snaps in the slot. There might be matchups to play him in the future, though I just don’t see enough of a ceiling to take the risk in this matchup.

TEs
Jared Cook: It was surprising to see Cook tally seven targets with everyone healthy in Week 1, and he looked good on them, racking up five receptions for 80 yards. With Michael Thomas out of the lineup, you should expect his target share to remain high against his former team. They were a team that allowed a sturdy 7.69 yards per target to tight ends last year, as well as 10 touchdowns, which ranked as the second-most in the league. Because of that, there were 12 tight ends who finished as top-16 options, including three who posted top-five numbers. I was hesitant to recommend Cook with Thomas in the lineup, as there were eight games last year where he saw four or less targets, but I’m now comfortable playing him as a top-six tight end.

Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns

Total: 44.0
Line: CLE by 6.0

QBs
Joe Burrow: It wasn’t the greatest start to Burrow’s career, but what did we really expect in his first NFL game with no preseason action, and against the Chargers nonetheless? He did flash what made him attractive in fantasy, though, as he rushed for 45 yards and a touchdown. That’s an underrated portion to his game. The Browns are far from the Chargers defense. While the Chargers allowed just five of the last 17 quarterbacks they played to throw for two-plus touchdowns, the Browns have allowed 10-of-17 to accomplish that feat. The crazy part is that they haven’t allowed a single 300-yard passer since November 11th, 2018. That’s a stretch of 23 games. Can that change knowing they’ll be without their starting cornerback Greedy Williams this week? He’s been out with a shoulder injury for the last few weeks, so outside of Denzel Ward, who’s only one man, the Browns secondary is severely lacking. The part that’s extremely enticing about the matchup from a floor standpoint is that the Browns have allowed eight quarterbacks to rush for at least 24 yards since the start of the 2019 season. A lot of that is likely due to their weak linebacker unit, which took a hit in training camp when they lost starter Mack Wilson. They also lost their second-round draft pick Grant Delpit, who was supposed to help their safety unit. Over their last 17 games, they’ve allowed 458 rushing yards and five touchdowns to quarterbacks, which ranks as the second-most fantasy points allowed during that time. Burrow should offer a stable QB2 floor this week. The concerning part is that they have a 19-point implied team total, which is extremely low.

Baker Mayfield: It was not a great start for Mayfield under the Kevin Stefanski regime, as he completed just 21-of-39 passes for 189 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. We can’t take too much away from that performance because the Ravens defense continually shut down opposing offenses last year. Seriously, there was one quarterback who scored more than 15.8 fantasy points all season. He didn’t look good regardless, though. The Bengals are not the Ravens, as they allowed 12-of-16 quarterbacks score at least 16.3 fantasy points against them last year. Mayfield played them twice, completing 23-of-51 passes for 471 yards and three touchdowns in the two games combined. That’s a robust 9.24 yards per attempt, though he lacked pass attempts (just 27 and 24 pass attempts). We could see a similar situation this week, as the Bengals are a team the Browns should be able to run the ball against. Not only did running backs total 1,781 rushing yards against them last year (fifth-most), but quarterbacks chipped in with 489 yards, which led the NFL. The Chargers rushed for 155 yards against them last week, though 148 of them came from the running backs. It doesn’t seem likely that we see Stefanski be very aggressive in this game considering the way their offense played in the opener. I would assume he just wants to escape this game with a win, so seeing them as six-point favorites is concerning for Mayfield’s floor/ceiling in this game. Let’s see Mayfield deliver in this offense before trusting him as anything more than a low-end QB2.

RBs
Joe Mixon: We saw Mixon in a similar role to the one he played in 2019, as he totaled a solid 20 touches against the Chargers last week, but the issue is that just one of those was a reception. In fact, Giovani Bernard out-targeted him 5 to 2. The Browns were a fantastic matchup for running backs last year, as they allowed a massive 4.96 yards per carry to running backs, which ranked as the third-highest mark in the league. The 260.4 fantasy points they allowed on the ground was the sixth-most in the league, which obviously benefits Mixon’s role. This offseason didn’t treat the Browns well, either, as they lost linebackers Joe Schobert, Christian Kirksey, and Adarius Taylor this offseason, then lost Mack Wilson during training camp. Their linebacking corps is a mess right now and it’s one the Bengals should attack. Mixon demolished them in both matchups last year, totaling 176 total yards and two touchdowns in one game, and 186 total yards and a touchdown in the other. They are under a new coaching staff, but watching the Ravens running backs turn 21 carries into 94 yards and two touchdowns is a good sign. Mixon should be safely placed into lineups as an RB1 this week.

Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt: This was close to a 50/50 timeshare in Week 1 where Chubb played 51 percent of the snaps and Hunt played 46 percent of the snaps. I suspect we’ll see that favor Chubb in games the Browns win, as he’s the favorite for early-down work. I say that because when the game was still within reach (first half), Chubb played 21 snaps compared to just 11 for Hunt. It should be noted that Chubb also totaled 48 of his 66 yards in the first 12 minutes of the game. This game is projected to go much differently than their Week 1 matchup did, as the Browns are near-touchdown favorites. There were just four teams who allowed more than the 190.5 total yards per game to running backs in 2019 than the Bengals. Those teams were Washington, Chiefs, Jaguars, and Dolphins. It helps that running backs combined to average 29.1 touches per game against them. After watching them allow the Chargers running backs 148 yards and a touchdown on 33 carries, it’s safe to say that they still have an issue stopping the run, as everybody and their grandmother knew what the Chargers would be doing. I’m expecting the Browns to play this game close to the vest, simply getting away with a win, and considering the matchup, the production should go through their running backs. Chubb should garner at least 16 touches in this game and produce like a low-end RB1/high-end RB2. Hunt is a bit trickier, as we don’t know if his role that netted 17 touches was a product of gamescript, or if the Browns really view this as a 50/50 split. No matter the case, the running backs should approach 30 touches this week, which means Hunt should be locked into a minimum of 12 touches, and a RB2/3-type start with upside for more if this is a true split.

WRs
A.J. Green: We didn’t know if Green would play a full complement of snaps in Week 1, but after seeing him lead the team in targets (9) against a tough Chargers secondary, the reigns have been removed. He collected five balls for 51 yards, so while it wasn’t a great game, it was borderline WR3 worthy. The Browns cornerback unit isn’t in the same stratosphere as the Chargers, and it shows in the results. There were five receivers who saw nine or more targets against the Browns last year, and while all of them finished as top-28 receivers, four of them finished as the WR21 or better. While Denzel Ward is a good cornerback, he plays sides and the Bengals moved Green around the formation quite a bit. The Browns will also play this game without No. 2 cornerback Greedy Williams, who suffered a shoulder injury a couple weeks back. The lack of depth was highlighted last week when the Ravens top-four pass catchers caught 17-of-20 targets for 260 yards and three touchdowns. They’re also going through a coaching change in all facets of the game, and with no offseason, that’s tough to do. Based on what we saw in Week 1, Green should be in lineups as a low-end WR2/high-end WR3 while he and Burrow establish some rapport.

Tyler Boyd: It wasn’t a great start to the season for Boyd, who caught just four passes for 33 yards in Week 1. It was a tough matchup no matter where you looked against the Chargers secondary, but he still had the best cornerback matchup on the field, so it was disappointing. The Browns are a plus-matchup for slot receivers, as even Willie Snead was able to exploit that last week, torching them for 64 yards and a touchdown on just four targets. Boyd didn’t have massive games against them last year when he posted 5/75/0 and 5/59/0. Those totals aren’t anything to latch onto, though, as they’re under a new head coach and defensive coordinator, as well as having a new starting slot cornerback. Tavierre Thomas is the one who took over there and we watched him allow 3-of-3 passing for 55 yards and a touchdown in Week 1. There are many different avenues the Bengals can choose to attack this matchup, so there’s some volatility here with Boyd, though I’d still feel confident playing him as a WR3.

John Ross: He only walked out of last week’s game with two catches for 17 yards, but the encouraging sign for Ross was that he was an every-down player. He actually led all Bengals skill-position players in snaps. Zac Taylor also seemed to take it easy on Burrow in his first game, giving him a bunch of short throws, allowing him to ease into the NFL in a tough matchup. Knowing how often Burrow was under duress, it’s no wonder we didn’t see many deep passes. The Browns registered a sack on 6.9 percent of dropbacks last year and 7.1 percent in Week 1, so it’s not likely he’ll have a lot of time to look downfield in this game. The difference in this matchup is the cornerback play, though, as the Browns don’t have near the cornerback or safety talent that the Chargers do. The downside is that their best cornerback, Denzel Ward, typically sticks at LCB, which is where Ross runs most of his routes. They moved him around, so it’s not exclusive, and it’s possible they decide to have Ward shadow A.J. Green. Ross is someone who should be owned in fantasy leagues, but he’s still a boom-or-bust WR5 until we see Burrow and him connect. He’s a one-play upside tournament play in DFS, though.

Odell Beckham: The good news? Beckham saw a team-high 10 targets in Week 1 under Kevin Stefanski. The bad news? He turned them into just three catches for 22 yards. It was a brutal matchup against the Ravens, but old Beckham would’ve posted better numbers than that, right? Not so fast. If you go back and watch his targets, this could’ve been a 100-yard game for Beckham if Mayfield played competently. With bad quarterback play, it’s going to be tough for him to post elite numbers. This week, Beckham will continue to create windows for his quarterback, as the Bengals cornerback unit of William Jackson, Trae Waynes, and Mackensie Alexander doesn’t quite matchup to the Ravens unit. Beckham saw six targets against Jackson last year, catching three of them for 81 yards and a touchdown. The Bengals allowed the 15th-most yards to wide receivers last year, which isn’t great, but it was due to lack of volume. On a per-target basis, they allowed the third-most yards per target (9.48). If he gets 10 targets again, it could be a massive week. By playing him as anything more than a WR2, you’re putting your confidence in Mayfield to deliver, which is something that’s tough to do, even in a decent matchup.

Jarvis Landry: We heard that Landry was going to be a on a limited snap count last week in a tough matchup, so he was somewhat of an easy fade. He was still able to catch 5-of-6 passes for 61 yards, so it wasn’t a bad performance with all things considered (Mayfield’s struggles, Ravens secondary). The matchup won’t be as nice as it was last year against the Bengals, who’ve improved their play up the middle of the field. New slot cornerback Mackensie Alexander did a great job keeping Keenan Allen in check last week, holding him to just four catches for 37 yards on eight targets. This is not anything new for him, as he played extremely well for the Vikings last year. He was the only one on that team who delivered, allowing just 9.2 yards per reception and two touchdowns on 65 targets in his coverage. Landry is still clearly a favorite of Mayfield, so we should see him net six-plus targets, but the ceiling isn’t quite there. Consider him a low-ceiling WR3. *Update* Landry missed practice on Tuesday and was limited in practice on Wednesday. It appears his hip injury continues to give him issues. He’s questionable for the game. 

TEs
C.J. Uzomah: We wondered if Drew Sample would be a bigger part of the passing game in his second year, but after seeing Uzomah tally five targets to Sample’s one, we have to assume he’s still the one to target among Bengals tight ends. The Browns linebacking and safety group is among the worst in the league, and that’s who typically covers the tight end position. It’s why we saw seven different tight ends finish as top-eight options against them last year, and their unit only got worse this offseason after losing all their starting linebackers, and then losing their second-round safety in training camp. It’s no wonder Mark Andrews found his way into the end zone twice while collecting 58 yards on six targets last week. The problem is that there are a lot of mouths to feed on the Bengals offense, and the Browns do allow production on the ground. Because of that, Uzomah will be a sketchy streamer, but this matchup is a good one.

Austin Hooper: Remember when the Browns listed David Njoku as the third-string tight end, then later that week he led the tight ends in targets and production? It’s not like three targets is a lot but it was more than Hooper, who finished with just two targets in his first game with the team. I mentioned this offseason how the Vikings used their two tight ends last year, and it appears the Browns wanted to potentially use three tight ends, as even rookie Harrison Bryant was targeted twice. The tight ends combined for 7-of-39 targets, which is a measly 17.9 percent target share. Now that Njoku is on injured reserve, it’s fair to say Hooper gets a big bump in the confidence department. The Bengals were without starting safety Shawn Williams last week and it led to Hunter Henry tagging them for 5/73/0, though it took him eight targets to get there, something we can’t guarantee from him, even with Njoku out. There are now six tight ends who’ve hit double-digit points against the Bengals over the last 17 games, and five of them saw at least seven targets. I won’t say Hooper gets there, but I’ll still consider him a high-end TE2 considering Bryant is a rookie who can’t be too involved.

Darren Waller: For all the talk about wide receivers this offseason, the Raiders showed that Waller is still very much a giant part of their offense, racking up eight of Derek Carr‘s 30 pass attempts for a 26.7 percent target share. The Saints have not been a great matchup for tight ends, just ask Rob Gronkowski how tough that matchup was. They signed Malcolm Jenkins to help on the back end of the defense this offseason, but that wasn’t even completely necessary because the Saints allowed just eight top-20 tight ends last year. To be fair, every tight end who saw at least seven targets (there were four of them) finished as a top-eight tight end against them. With how tough Bryan Edwards‘ matchup is on the perimeter, we should see targets funneled to Waller once again this week. While he may not be very efficient, he should get enough to finish as a top-10 play this week.

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio

Mike Tagliere is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeTagliereNFL.