We’re Off And Running

The second weekend of fantasy football action is in the books and with it came some unfortunate injury news:

• Ben Roethlisberger is done for the year to a torn ligament in his elbow
• Drew Brees is out of action for at least 6 weeks for a torn ligament in his thumb
• Michael Gallup will need surgery on his meniscus
• DeSean Jackson & Alshon Jeffery were unable to compete that much on SNF due to their respective injuries

Fortunately, there were a lot of bright spots during this past weekend’s action that made up for it:

• Players like John Ross and Terry McLaurin continued their climb upward towards weekly fantasy relevance.
• Aaron Jones was finally able to take on bell-cow duties in the Packers backfield leading to an impressive stat line
• Julio Jones kept making his case as to why he should be considered WR1 this year both in yardage and in touchdowns
• The BEARS KICKER kicked a successful game-winning field goal

…..and that my friends is just a taste of the news this past weekend’s slate of action brought us.

As a reminder, we, here at Fantasy In Frames, refer to all player statistics using 0.5 PPR scoring when providing player analysis.

Let’s get down to business and go through my 4-EYED OBSERVATIONS from WEEK 2!

Quarterback: Goff looked “better” on Sunday, but I’m still concerned.

Jared Goff started playing like his old self on Sunday posting the following stat line:

• 6th in pass rating with 112.7
• 2nd in passing yard average with 10
• 10th in completion percentage with 67.9%
• 8th in fantasy points scored among QBs with 19.1

Yes, I know he scored one of his total touchdowns as a runner, but still, at the end of the day, I don’t care. I’ll take the points however I can. The real questions with Goff are the same questions I had of him in the 4-EYED PREVIEW of the NFC WEST over the summer.

What the hell happened to him towards the end of last season?

Was he overly fatigued? Did he lose his confidence?

Is he just not really that good?!

We can’t blame it on the lack of a running game last season because while Todd Gurley faded towards the end of last season, the running game did not, thanks to C.J. Anderson.

The fact that I still have to ask the same questions of him now, two weeks into the regular season, REALLY concerns me. I’m sure you heard the TV commentators mention it could be due to the lack of preseason playing time he had this past August. I’m not sure why that would be the case as it certainly did not affect him last season.

The good news for Goff managers is that he’ll have an opportunity to have a HUGE bounce-back game against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday Night Football in week 3. Yes, the same Browns who let Marcus Mariota hang 248 yards and 3 TDs on them in week 1. If he can’t get this high powered offense going against the Brownies, then we might have a bigger problem on our hands going forward such as whether he should go back to being a waiver-wire candidate like he was in his sophomore season.

 

Running Back: I don’t care if I said it already….. AARON JONES WAS SET FREE ON SUNDAY!

I’m pretty sure our tweet in our Sunday’s #4EYEDreactions said it all.

Jones finished with the following stat line:

• 2nd in fantasy points (23 in 0.5 PPR scoring) at the running back position
• 1st in the NFL rushing attempts with 23

Next week the Packers face-off against the 0-2 Denver Broncos who’ve been allowing on average 125.5 rushing yards to opponents.

Start him with confidence next week.

Wide Receiver: “Hollywood” Brown is the gift that keeps on giving in Baltimore

While Marquise Brown was overshadowed by fellow team-mate Mark Andrews in the receiving game this past week, one thing is for certain. Brown is the only wide receiving option his quarterback cares about. LOL. No seriously, he had 13 targets on the day. The next highest target number for a wide receiver was three. THREE! Over the past two weeks, he’s led the wide receiving corps with 18 targets. The next highest wide receiver has 4.

He’s 12 for 18 on the season for a combined 233 yards, 2TDs, 19.4 yards per reception, and averaging 20.6 fantasy points per game (0.5 PPR scoring).

Next week the Ravens face the Chiefs who’ve been very liberal when it comes to receiving yards allowed to the wide receiver position. Volume + Talent + Opportunity = START HIM WITH CONFIDENCE!

 

TE: Greg Olsen turned back the clock on Thursday Night Football.

You know what, let’s give a round of applause for Greg Olsen. Back-to-back seasons with a broken foot and a lot of unmet expectations. Many, including this guy right here, thought his best days were behind him. Instead, he posted the following stat line this week:

• 2nd in receiving yards among tight ends with 110
• 2nd in targets with 9
• 4th in yards per reception with 18.3
• 5th in fantasy points with 14 (0.5 PPR scoring)

He was 2nd on the Panthers among WRs and TEs in receptions with 6 and led both categories in receiving yards. Next up are the Cardinals who just gave up 112 receiving yards to the position in week 2. Assuming health is on Olsen’s side there is no reason to think he can’t go off in back-to-back weeks.

IDP-DB: The Tracy Walker breakout is in full effect.

Tracy Walker is quickly making his case for the illustrious title of  Fantasy In Frames #TackleMachine Of The Year!

He’s leading all defensive backs in solo tackles with 16 as a free safety through two weeks this season, and now in week 3 will face an Eagles receiving corps that got lit up by defensive backs on Sunday Night Football in week 2.

Say it with me……..

via GIPHY

Now as we all know free safeties are usually more the exception than the rule when it comes to defensive backs in terms of IDP output. Nevertheless, there are always those who break through that glass ceiling and Walker is well on his way to being one of those rare exceptions in 2019.

That’s all for this week, folks. Don’t forget to read our 4-EYED PREVIEWS for Week 3 Wednesday morning as well as listen to our Week 3 preview podcast on Friday!

For waiver-wire advice stay glued to social media on Tuesday and look for the hashtag #4EYEDwaiverclaims as myself and the other writers here will be posting their takes on who you should submit claims for.

Thanks for visiting FANTASY IN FRAMES!

*Statistical information brought to you by FantasyData.com