Fantasy Football Player Notes

The preseason was supposed to help us figure out which of Jackson/Kelley were going to be the No. 2 to Ekeler. Jackson is dealing with some sort of foot issue, so it could be Kelley. Whatever the case, Ekeler is going to be the guy. With Tyrod Taylor under center, this team won't be throwing the ball close to 600 times like they did last year. That hurts someone like Ekeler who got 73.5 percent of his production through the air last year. No other top-20 running back eclipsed 48.5 percent. The injury to Mike Williams helps his potential target share, as the Chargers are lacking pass-catching options behind Keenan Allen and Hunter Henry. The Bengals are a team that were demolished by running backs last year, allowing a massive 4.58 yards per carry and even more importantly, 7.40 yards per target. The acquisition of D.J. Reader in the middle of the defense will surely help, but they do have two new starting linebackers as well, so this unit is far from familiar with one another. Running backs averaged 29.1 touches per game against the Bengals last year, which leaves plenty of room for Ekeler to get 16-plus touches even if Kelley/Jackson are involved. Start him as a low-end RB1/high-end RB2 who should come with a high floor.

The Chargers have a very shallow wide receiver depth chart. Seriously, after Allen, it's Mike Williams, Jalen Guyton, Joe Reed, K.J. Hill, and Darius Jennings. You probably haven't heard of most of them. Knowing that Williams is likely out for this game, Allen should be peppered with targets. The Bengals didn't have William Jackson shadow last year and I doubt they'll do that this year. They did snag both Mackensie Alexander and Trae Waynes in free agency, so they have a new look to them in the secondary, though Alexander has been away from the team for a lot of off-the-field issues, while Jackson and Waynes have been hit-or-miss in coverage through the years. The Bengals defense under Lou Anarumo allowed 9.48 yards per target to wide receivers last year, which ranked as the third-most, though teams didn't pass all that much against them. Wide receivers averaged just 17.3 targets per game, though that's more than enough when we know the state of pass catchers in the offense. Allen should see eight-plus targets in this game and be considered a high-end WR2. He's worth considering in cash lineups.

Regression is going to hit Cook hard this year, as he won't average 16.4 yards per reception or score a touchdown every 7.2 targets. Will he get more targets per game? Hard to say yes when they signed Emmanuel Sanders, adding another quality option to the pass catchers. The Bucs did allow the seventh-most fantasy points to tight ends last year, and it was definitely a safety unit to target. The Bucs did add one of my favorite safeties in the draft when they took Antoine Winfield in the second round, but it's still his first NFL game with no experience. Is there a hole in the Bucs defensive scheme? Teams targeted tight ends 129 times against them, which ranked as the seventh-most in the NFL. Knowing how well the Bucs stop the run, the Saints could resort to a west-coast, quick-hitting offense this week that produces a lot of pass attempts. Cook's lines against them last year were 4/41/1 and 2/33/1, so nothing massive. He's going to be touchdown-dependent throughout the year, but given the fact that he scored in both matchups against them last year, it might not be the worst bet. Consider him a high-end TE2 who comes with a lower floor than most would like. He's not a tight end to consider in cash lineups.