One of the most unique features about football is that because the NFL season is only 16 games it often doesn’t take long to evaluate what a player is and what their potential could be going forward and for the rest of the season. Now this is not always 100% true, for some guys as some can be hot right out of the box only to fizzle out in the end, while others start slow and come on in the end. Either way after the first two weeks we are starting to see who might be the studs going forward and who might be duds. With that here are your Week 2 Heroes and Villains.
(Note: All scores discussed use the Fantasy In Frames ½ PPR scoring structure)
Heroes:
Dak what you get for doubting the Cowboys QB!
One of the biggest surprises so far after two weeks has been the near flawless play of Cowboys QB Dak Prescott. While Dak has always been a pretty good QB, if his play in the Cowboys first two games is any indication of what we might see for the rest of the season, we could be talking an MVP year for the Cowboys signal caller. Last week versus NFC East Rival Washington, Prescott threw for 269 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for 69 yards and only the one interception in the Cowboys 31-21 win. Over these first two weeks, only Ravens QB Lamar Jackson has accumulated more fantasy points than Prescott; and just in case you think that he might be in for a due for a mediocre game, don’t look for this week’s matchup against the woeful Miami Dolphins to be the moment that he regresses. The Dolphins come into Week three having given up an almost unprecedented 102 points in their first two games. Miami has given up a ridiculous 1,024 yards over their first 2 games, 633 of which has come through the air. So, look for Prescott to said into Week 4 still being the hero of all fantasy QB heroes.
Same Breida Running back in San Francisco
Coming into the 2019 season, the San Francisco 49ers running game was a bit in flux. They brought in Tevin Coleman from Atlanta to ostensibly to be the new starting running back, thereby reuniting him with Kyle Shannahan, who was his Offensive Coordinator in Atlanta. However, two games into the season, it is clear that incumbent Matt Breida is not going to be such easy pushover. Coming off a strong 2018 season where he started 13 games and rushed for 814 yards (5.3 yards per carry) and 3 touchdowns, Breida should not only should be on most fantasy teams, but is someone who should, depending on the matchup be considered for a flex and/or RB2 slot. That was never more on display than in his performance last week against the Cincinnati Bengals. Breida put up 121 yards on only 12 carries (13.7 fantasy points) while he did not find the endzone. What makes his numbers encouraging is that Breida seems to be making a habit of getting the most out of the touches that he gets as illustrated by his career 5 yards per carry indicates. Although there is a word of caution in that he has not been able to find the endzone much in his first two seasons and he is not much of a duel threat running back, lessening his value in ½ and full PPR leagues, but I predict that with the elusiveness that he has shown, it’s only a matter of time where the TDs will start to pile up.
Who’s the Boss Mr. Ross??
With the injury to AJ Green, it was universally thought that the Bengals WR to watch this season was going to be Tyler Boyd and with good reason as Boyd finished 2018 with 76 receptions for 1,028 yards and 7 touchdowns. According to Fantasydata.com, Boyd’s ADP this season was 62 making him WR26 on most draft boards. However what people have forgotten is that on the roster sat 2017 first round draft pick John Ross III, who needed to make his third year the break out campaign that everyone was looking for, or else be saddled with the dreaded “bust” label. So far through the first two games of 2019, Ross looks like he is fitting in nicely into new Head Coach Zac Taylor’s high octane LA Rams-style offense. Ross followed extraordinary first game (158 yards, 2TD, 33 fantasy point) with an almost equally impressive second game against the 49er’s as he would catch 4 passes for 112 yards and 1 touchdown, racking up 19 more fantasy points. While only 4 catches was a lower number, especially for those in PPR leagues, his 20 targets through two games reveals that he does look like an important part of the offense and with AJ Green not scheduled to return for at least another week or two, so it will give Ross an even better chance to rack up the yards, TD’s and receptions.
He’s the Man-Drews in Baltimore
Ok everyone, say it with me…a good pass catching tight end is a Quarterback’s best friend. You want evidence of that, just look what is happening in Baltimore, as second year tight end Mark Andrews is making one hellacious case to be considered in the upper echelon of NFL pass catching tight ends. Through the first two weeks of the season, there has not been a better tight end in the NFL, both from an offensive perspective and from a fantasy football perspective than Andrews. Feast your eyes on these stats, in two games, Andrews has been targeted by Lamar Jackson 17 times, he has caught the ball 16 times for a total of 220 yards and 2 touchdowns. He leads all TEs in fantasy football points with 42, with the next closest being Evan Engram with 30. It is very easy to see that Andrews will be a big part of the Lamar Jackson offense, and with that ridiculous target to catch rate, there is no doubt that Andrews will be a major player in the TE fantasy rankings in all league scoring formats.
Honorable Heroes
Kerryon Johnson (RB) – Detroit Lions – 12 carries 41 yards, 2 receptions 47 yards, 1 touchdown, 15.8 Fantasy Points
Calvin Ridley (WR) – Atlanta Falcons – 8 receptions 105 yards, 1 Touchdown, 20.5 Fantasy Points
Josh Allen (QB) – Buffalo Bills – 19/30 253 yards, 1 touchdown; 21 rushing yards, 1 touchdown, 22.2 Fantasy Points
Russell Wilson (QB) – Seattle Seahawks – 29/35 300 yards, 3 touchdowns, 24.2 Fantasy Points
Kenny Golladay (WR) – Detroit Lions – 10 targets 8 receptions, 117 yards 1 touchdown, 23.2 Fantasy Points
Emmanuel Sanders (WR) – Denver Broncos – 11 receptions 98 yards, 1 touchdown, 24.8 Fantasy Points
Le’Veon Bell (RB) – New York Jets – 21 rushes 68 yards, 10 receptions 61 yards, 15.9 Fantasy Points
Villains:
Seriously what is up with Cam Newton’s head scarf??
Are we watching the downslide of Cam Newton’s career? Have all the hits that he has taken in his career begun to take its toll? Through the first two games of Newton’s ninth NFL season, he has not looked in any way like the MVP Quarterback that he was four short years ago. There was concern for Newton before the season due to shoulder issues, however, he did start the season, and now he is dealing with a foot injury, that may cause him to miss extended time. However, up until then, he is playing and unfortunately for those who chose Cam Newton to be their fantasy QB1, he has severely underproduced this season. Through the Panthers first two games of the season, Newton has combined for 574 yards passing, but zero touchdowns and two fumbles, and he has only rushed for -2 yards. Let that sink in for a moment, one of the most dynamic quarterbacks of his generation has fewer rushing yards this season than the recently benched statue known as Eli Manning. Newton has a total of 18 fantasy points through two games and depending on how his foot holds up in practice this week, it is not a guarantee that he will be starting this week against an Arizona defense that has let up an average of 458 yards so far.
You might want to Mixon a good game or two at some point
Joe Mixon came into this season as one of the most in-demand running backs in the NFL. Coming off last season where he rushed for 1,168 yards in 14 games with eight rushing TDs, as well as 43 receptions, Mixon was seen as the next big dual threat running back that is gold in every fantasy football league. Now this is not to say that he won’t get it together and become that superstar running back that he has shown flashed of, but blaming a banged up offensive line only goes so far. Mixon has rushed for 27 yards TOTAL through the Bengals first two games. For an RB whose ADP put him in the second round, to have him currently with a combined eight fantasy points this season is simply embarrassing. This week he faces a Bills defense that has already faced two of the best running backs in Le’Veon Bell and Saquon Barkley. So, you know they will be ready for the challenge, the question is, will Mixon be ready to bust out and produce the way that we all know and saw that he was capable of.
Diggs himself a big hole
The Minnesota Vikings offense was supposed to be one of the most dynamic in all of football, however, other than running back Dalvin Cook, this has been a relatively anemic offense through the first two games of the 2019 campaign. No one has embodied this more than WR Stephon Diggs who has been targeted only nine times this season with just three receptions for 86 yards and one touchdown. This is actually quite shocking for most people, especially fantasy owners who drafted Diggs as if he was a solid WR2 with a potential to move into an WR1 slot. Fantasydata.com had Diggs ADP as 36, which was only 10 spots lower than teammate Adam Thielen rating him as WR13. With the Oakland Raiders coming to Minnesota on Sunday, this might be a good chance for Diggs to break out of his early season slump as the Raiders have given up the most passing yards in the NFL this season.
This Evans ain’t Dy-No-Mite
Mike Evans is one of the most talented wide receivers in the NFL, now in his sixth season, he has averaged 79 catches for 1,220 yards and eight touchdowns a season in his first five years. In 2018 he had his best season catching 86 passes for 1,524 yards and 8 touchdowns; so you will forgive us for having high expectations going into this season, particularly for someone whose ADP was 21.5 and listed as WR8. Unfortunately for those who took Evans in the second round of their draft, he is not putting up anywhere near the numbers that would justify that lofty ADP designation. Going into week 3 against the Giants on Sunday, Evans has caught just 6 passes for a total of 89 yards and no touchdowns. For a guy who averaged 95 yards per game in 2018, these are unacceptable numbers, but ones that I don’t see continuing as Evans is way too talented. With the Bucs heading into Sunday’s matchup with a woeful Giants defense, Evans should be able to right himself this week and get back to producing at the Pro-Bowl caliber levels that we are all used to seeing.
Dishonorable Villains:
David Johnson (RB) – Arizona Cardinals – 7 carries 14 yards, 0 receiving yards in WK2, 7.9 Fantasy Points
Dede Westbrook (WR) – Jacksonville Jaguars – WK1 – 5 Receptions 30 yards 1 TD, 13.2 Fantasy Points; WK2 – 1 reception 3 yards, .8 Fantasy Points
Kyle Rudolph – (TE) – Minnesota Vikings – Zero receptions (No Injury) in Week 1 – W2 – 3 receptions 9 yards 2.4 Fantasy Points.
