By @KenSonnenberg
Week #1 of the regular season is in the books, there were surprises, disappointments and of course the “where did this guy come from” moments. If you drafted Le’Veon Bell high in your draft, you better either hope that him and the Steelers have a meeting of the minds or that you drafted James Connor in the later rounds as a hedge against Bell not being available early in the season. On the other side; will fantasy owners start to take a closer look at guys like Ryan Fitzpatrick, Andy Dalton or Joe Flacco based off their stellar week 1 performances? Here are some guys that were taken in most, if not all drafts who we all should keep an eye on for Week #2.
4-EYED PREVIEW #1 Andrew Luck – Quarterback – Indianapolis Colts
It appears that new Colts Head Coach Frank Reich is not overly concerned about the durability of Quarterback Andrew Luck’s surgically repaired right shoulder. Playing in his first game since week 15 of the 2016 season, Luck would throw 53 passes in Indianapolis’ 34-23 Week 1 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. He would complete 39 of those passes for 319 yards and 2 TDs. Despite the loss, many are viewing this as a successful return to the starting quarterback position for the #1 overall pick of the 2012 NFL Draft. The question that fantasy owners will now have, is will this trend continue throughout the season for Luck, or will the Colts look to gradually curtail the number of throws that he makes per game as the season wears on? Many factors will go into that decision, and most of them will fall outside of Luck’s control, such as the effectiveness of the Colts defense, which did not start out too well, letting up 34 points and 380 yards of total offense. Also, what about the Colts running game and offensive line? Neither of these two areas look to be especially strong, even with the Colts drafting of Guard Quenton Nelson out of Notre Dame with the 6th overall pick in the draft.
Based off what we saw in Week 1, this trend does look like it will continue as the Colts come to Washington to play the Redskins this week. The Skins come off a dominant performance in Week 1, as they held the Arizona Cardinals to just one garbage time touchdown, while only giving up 213 total yards of offense. Luck will look to receivers TY Hilton and (former Redskin) Ryan Grant, along with tight end Jack Doyle to pick up most of the offensive yardage for the Colts, while they continue to figure out their running situation. Because of that, there is the potential for Luck to once again have a very good fantasy week as he will be racking up the passing yards, but be a little weary of that because the more the ball is in the air the better the chance that it could end up in the hands of the wrong team. Be that as it may, Luck is still a viable starter in most fantasy formats.
4-EYED PREVIEW #2: Isaiah Crowell – Running Back – New York Jets
Lost in the hoopla of the first career start by rookie Sam Darnold for the Jets was the performance of running back Isaiah Crowell. Playing in his first game for the Jets since coming over from the Cleveland Browns as a free agent this offseason, Crowell found a lot of holes in the Detroit Lions defense, enough to rack up 102 yards and 2 touchdowns on only 10 carries. Crowell comes into this season having averaged 4.3 yards per carry over his 4 years in Cleveland. It appears that Crowell will be splitting time in the Jets backfield with Bilal Powell, which will make Crowell’s fantasy value a weekly question. This does not mean that he is not a worthy start as a #2 running back or occasional flex player, Crowell has shown that he has the ability to be a very impactful back on a team that splits their RBs carries. Over the last two seasons, Crowell has rushed for 952 and 853 yards respectively while only averaging about 12.5 carries per game.
This week, the Jets face the Miami Dolphins who had to sit through 2 separate delays this past Sunday to defeat the Tennessee Titans. The Dolphins gave up a total of 116 total rushing yards to the Titans, while holding them to an average of four yards per carry. However, this new look Jets offense with Sam Darnold under center, along with a couple talented receivers in Quincy Enunwa and Robbie Anderson should do just enough to make fantasy owners of Isaiah Crowell happy should they find a spot on their roster to start him.
4-EYED PREVIEW #3: Tyreek Hill – Wide Receiver – Kansas City Chiefs
There may not have been a player in the NFL that had a better opening weekend than wide receiver Tyreek Hill. With 7 catches, 169 yards and 2 touchdowns, not only has Hill appeared to position himself as potentially one of the elite receivers in the league, but also it appears that going forward he will be the primary target for new starting QB Pat Mahomes. What makes Hill’s performance more impressive is that he did it against the Los Angeles Chargers, a team many consider to have one of the best defenses in the game. It will not get easier for Hill this week as his Chiefs face off against the Pittsburgh Steelers, who can also boast a pretty formidable defense.
Going into his third NFL season, Hill has already faced the Steelers twice before, however, in both games, he was almost completely invisible as he would combine for 10 catches for 58 yards. Something tells me that this game is going to be a little different. This Steelers defense, while still daunting, is susceptible to the big plays, which could open up Hill for another big day. Until further notice, Tyreek Hill is an automatic start on all fantasy teams, based off his status now as the Chiefs #1 receiver, and his burgeoning connection with Pat Mahomes.
4-EYED PREVIEW #4: Reshad Jones – Safety – Miami Dolphins
Perhaps one of the most underrated defensive players in the NFL, Reshad Jones began his 2018 campaign in style, as he tormented Titans QBs in Miami’s Week 1 rain-soaked win. Finishing his day with 7 total tackles and 2 interceptions, the two-time Prow Bowler looks like he will follow up last year’s 122 tackle performance with another stellar season. In one game Jones has already matched his interception output from all last season and this week will be staring down rookie Sam Darnold, as the Dolphins look to go 2-0 against their division rival New York Jets. While Darnold had a very good first start for the Jets against the Lions, the first pass of his career was intercepted and returned for a touchdown. He will have rookie moments and the growing pains that come with it, which means that this will be a chance for Jones to benefit from those pains. Jones’ week 1 performance was the highest single point total for any individual defensive player in most fantasy formats, so it should go without saying that he is not only a must start this week, but for those who are lucky enough to have him, based both on Week 1, along with his previous seasons output Reshad Jones should sit firmly in your starting lineup for the rest of the season.
