Denver Broncos vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Date/Time: Sunday September 19, 1:00pm ET
BettingPros Consensus Spread: Broncos -6
BettingPros Consensus Over/Under: 45 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Broncos 25.5, Jaguars 19.5
Quarterbacks
Teddy Bridgewater: The Broncos’ new starting quarterback did what he was supposed to do in Denver’s season opener: manage the game, protect the ball and bring home the win. In other words, he wasn’t Drew Lock. Bridgewater completed 28 of 36 passes for 264 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran three times for 19 yards. Now he gets to face a Jaguars defense that somehow managed to make Tyrod Taylor look like an MVP candidate in Week 1. Jacksonville gave up 8.8 yards per pass attempt to Houston even though the Texans’ offense is as explosive as a wet bag of sparklers. The loss of Jerry Jeudy to a high-ankle sprain makes Bridgewater’s job harder, but he still has an abundance of pass-catching weaponry: Courtland Sutton, Noah Fant, Tim Patrick, and K.J. Hamler. Consider Bridgewater a mid-range QB2 for this one.
Trevor Lawrence: Poor Trevor. Some of us (well, me anyway) probably overestimated new Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer and underestimated what a dumpster fire the Jaguars were going to be. The Texans, a franchise ridiculed all offseason, absolutely manhandled the Jaguars in the opener, jumping out to a 14-0 first-quarter lead and coasting from there. Operating with a negative game script throughout, Lawrence attempted 51 passes, completing 28 of them for 332 yards, with three touchdowns and three interceptions. The massive passing volume salvaged his fantasy point total, but the actual results were uneven at best. Lawrence looked sharp at times. There isn’t a throw this kid can’t make. He also looked awful at times. He threw across his body on the run on his first interception and badly missed his target. Later, he stared down his receiver and made an ill-advised throw into traffic – another interception. Things will get better for Lawrence … eventually. I still believe he’s the best QB prospect to enter the league since Andrew Luck. But this week, he has a rough matchup against a Denver defense that can get after quarterbacks and has a strong group of cover men in the secondary. Keep Lawrence on your bench in Week 2.
Running Backs
Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon: It looks like this is truly a 50/50 backfield. In fact, Williams and Gordon each played exactly half of Denver’s 66 snaps in the opener. Williams carried 14 times for 45 yards, and his one target was caught for a four-yard loss. Gordon was no more effective until he popped off a 70-yard TD run in the fourth quarter. He finished with 11 carries for 101 yards and the touchdown, and he caught all three of his targets for 17 yards. The lowly Texans trampled the Jaguars for 160 rushing yards and two touchdowns in Week 1, suggesting that Jacksonville hasn’t significantly upgraded a run defense that gave up 153.3 rushing yards a game and yielded 23 TD runs in 2020. Williams and Gordon both fall into the high-end RB3 range for Week 3.
James Robinson and Carlos Hyde: I know a few Robinson investors who were nervous that Urban Meyer was going to use Carlos Hyde more than he should, and that’s sort of what happened here. Hyde seemed to be Urb’s preferred early-down guy, logging nine carries to Robinson’s five. Robinson was used in more of a passing-down role. He out-snapped Hyde 47-25. But was that simply because the game script was negative for the Jaguars throughout? Will it be closer to a 50/50 workload split if the Jags are in a close game and don’t attempt 51 passes as they did in the blowout loss to the Texans? I now share the concerns of those Robinson investors. This week, I have J-Rob squarely in RB3 territory against a tough Denver D. Hyde isn’t far behind him, in high-end RB4 territory.
Wide Receivers
Courtland Sutton: The injury to Jerry Jeudy theoretically makes Sutton the Broncos’ No. 1 receiver for the next 4-6 weeks, but the question is whether the conservative Teddy Bridgewater is the sort of quarterback who can fully tap the talents of a vertical specialist like Sutton. Early results were not encouraging: Sutton was targeted three times in Denver’s opener and had one catch for 14 yards. And as shaky as the Jacksonville defense is overall, Sutton’s matchup against second-year corner C.J. Henderson isn’t easy. I have Sutton just barely clinging to WR3 status this week at WR35.
Tim Patrick: He’ll never be a proverbial “league winner” (good grief, do I hate that term), but Patrick seems to produce whenever called upon. The Broncos are going to need him now that Jerry Jeudy is expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a high-ankle sprain, so Patrick was a popular waiver add this week. He played 70% of Denver’s snaps in the opener and was a model of efficiency, catching all four of his targets for 39 yards and a touchdown. Patrick’s matchup against new Jaguars CB Shaquill Griffin keeps him relatively low in my receiver rankings this week (WR54), but I’ve been guilty of underestimating Patrick on many occasions.
K.J. Hamler: The speedy Hamler is sure to get a bump in snap share with Jerry Jeudy on the shelf for the next month or so. Through 15 career games, Hamler still hasn’t hit 90 receiving yards in a single game, so throwing him into a lineup is still risky business. I have him ranked WR69 this week.
D.J. Chark: It wasn’t a very efficient performance, but Chark’s overall Week 1 results were encouraging. He saw a team-high 12 targets. He only caught three of them, but he had 86 yards and a touchdown. Chark’s average depth of target in Week 1 was 16.6 yards, which is sort of a good news/bad news proposition. The completion percentage for those types of throws is going to be much lower, and if Chark only sees, say, five or six targets in a game instead of 12, the odds of a stink-bomb performance go way up. Chark was a field stretcher last year, too, with an aDOT of 14.0. But Chark’s 2020 season was considered a letdown, and when he had his 1,000-yard season in 2019, his aDOT was 11.5 yards. It will be interesting to see who Chark draws in coverage this week. The guess here is that it will primarily be rookie first-rounder Patrick Surtain II. Surtain is a wildly talented young cover man whose dad was a terrific corner for the Dolphins and Chiefs, but the younger Surtain only played 16 snaps in Week 1, possibly because he was burned for a long touchdown early on.
Marvin Jones: In a successful debut for his new team, Jones caught 5 of 9 targets for 77 yards and a touchdown. An 18% target share isn’t bad, and it somewhat allays my concerns about the Jaguars having two vertical receivers (D.J. Chark being the other) competing for targets. Jones is likely to take most of his snaps against Kyle Fuller, a quality cover man. I have him ranked WR44.
Laviska Shenault: While teammates D.J. Chark and Marvin Jones were running routes downfield, Shenault was staying close to the line of scrimmage in Week 1. He was targeted 10 times, and his seven catches went for only 50 yards. His average depth of target was just 4.1 yards, according to Pro Football Reference. As nice as it is to see the Jags scheming easy throws to Shenault, it’s hard for a receiver to make hay in the fantasy realm when the depth of his targets is so shallow. (Shenault also had one carry for nine yards on Sunday, by the way – another schemed touch.) Viska has a tough draw against ace Broncos cover man Bryce Callahan this weekend, so I have him ranked as a low-end WR4.
Tight Ends
Noah Fant and Albert Okwuegbunam: Fant was already an appealing tight end if you missed out on one of the bigger names at the position. He’s a terrific athlete and is a tough matchup for whoever’s trying to cover him. This week, that problematic assignment goes to Jacksonville safety Rayshawn Jenkins, a competent defender. Fant was heavily involved in Week 1, catching 6 of 8 targets for 62 yards. The Broncos might ratchet up his involvement even more with Jerry Jeudy out, making Fant a slam-dunk TE1 this week. Okwuegbunam played just over half of Denver’s offensive snaps in Week 1, catching all three of his targets for 16 yards. With two uber-athletic tight ends at their disposal, the Broncos might use two-TE more often in Jeudy’s absence.
James O’Shaughnessy: TE Chris Manhertz had a 22-yard TD catch for Jacksonville, but it was O’Shaughnessy’s stat line that raised eyebrows. He was targeted eight times and had six grabs for 48 yards. I’m not recommending that you run out and claim O’Shaughnessy, but I just picked him up in a league where you’re required to start two tight ends. He played 80% of the Jaguars snaps in Week 1 and ran routes on the vast majority of them – an encouraging sign for his usage going forward.
New Orleans Saints vs. Carolina Panthers
Date/Time: Sunday September 19, 1:00pm ET
BettingPros Consensus Spread: Saints -3.5
BettingPros Consensus Over/Under: 44.5 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Saints 24, Panthers 20.5
Quarterbacks
Jameis Winston: Blame the Packers for Winston not having an even bigger day. The Saints throttled Green Bay so easily and so thoroughly that Winston attempted only 20 passes. He completed 14 of them for 148 yards and five touchdowns, and no interceptions. He also added six carries for 37 yards. Winston looked good in this one. Really good. There are still a couple of nagging concerns for fantasy purposes, however. The first is Winston’s lack of firepower at receiver. It wasn’t noticeable in the blowout of Green Bay, but it could become problematic. The other is Sean Payton’s annoying habit of using Taysom Hill at quarterback near the goal line. In the second quarter, Hill came in when the Saints were inside the Packers’ 10-yard line. He threw a short pass to Tony Jones on 2nd-and-1 at the 6, and Jones was pushed out of bounds at the Green Bay 3. Winston came back in and threw a three-yard TD pass to Alvin Kamara on the next play. On the subsequent New Orleans drive, the Saints faced 3rd-and-goal at the Green Bay 2. Hill came in, tried to run right, and was stuffed for a one-yard loss. Two plays later, Winston threw a one-yard pass to Juwan Johnson. The point is that Winston could have lost two TDs if Hill had been able to punch it into the end zone from short range. That sort of thing is going to become nettlesome to the Winston faithful in the weeks to come.
Sam Darnold: By halftime of his first start for Carolina, Darnold had thrown for 234 yards and a touchdown, and he’d scored on a five-yard TD run. After leading 16-0 at the intermission, the Panthers took some of the air out of the ball in the second half and coasted home (perhaps a little too early). Darnold is in such a good situation. The Panthers have one of the best collections of pass-catchers in the league. Panthers head coach Matt Rhule and offensive coordinator Joe Brady are the perfect candidates to rehab Darnold after the wreckage of his Adam Gase years. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The Jets’ secondary was easy pickin’s for Darnold last week – and will be for most opponents this season. Let’s see how Darnold fares against a New Orleans defense that made Aaron Rodgers look bad last week.
Running Backs
Alvin Kamara and Tony Jones: Kamara stakeholders are probably a little miffed that their guy didn’t play a bigger role in such a lopsided Week 1 victory. Oh sure, Kamara had 20 carries and four targets, but the net result was 91 total yards and a single touchdown. It just seems like it should have been a much bigger day for him. As for Jones, he played 35% of the Saints’ offensive snaps and turned 12 touches into 53 yards. I don’t want to read too much into a blowout, but Jones saw action before this game got out of hand, and it seems like he’s going to have something very similar to Latavius Murray‘s old role. I generally don’t try to handcuff my top running backs before Halloween. In leagues where I have Kamara, I might make an exception and deal for Jones early in the season.
Christian McCaffrey: After missing 13 games due to injury last year, McCaffrey exploded out of the gates with 21 carries for 98 yards and nine receptions for 89 yards. You have to love that. Panthers head coach Matt Rhule and offensive coordinator Joe Brady had no compunction about giving McCaffrey 30 touches in his first game back. Please let this guy stay healthy so we can see what kind of cartoon numbers he can produce.
Wide Receivers
Marquez Callaway: After a splashy preseason, Callaway was quiet in Week 1, catching just one ball for 14 yards. He spent most of the day up against Packers CB Jaire Alexander, possibly the best cover man in the league. If Callaway’s performance discouraged his fantasy manager, float an offer for him. The “buy low” thing is often oversold by fantasy analysts – competitive leagues aren’t full of fools. But Callaway’s fantasy value will probably never be lower than it is right now, and this might be a good time to try to shake him loose. I have him ranked as a high-end WR4 this week and wouldn’t be a bit surprised to see him have a good showing against Carolina.
Deonte Harris: Marquez Callaway played 52 of the Saints’ 62 snaps against the Packers. Harris was a distant second among New Orleans receivers with 27 snaps. Bottom line: Until Tre’Quan Smith and/or Michael Thomas are back, Callaway is probably the only Saints receiver of value.
D.J. Moore: The stat line for Moore was unremarkable: eight targets, six catches, 80 yards. What’s notable is how the Panthers subtly tried to get him a few extra touches. Moore isn’t Carolina’s regular punt returner, but they sent him out for one punt, and he returned it nine yards. Moore also had a carry and picked up 14 yards. I don’t know about you, but I love seeing manufactured touches for a guy who crackles with electricity when the ball is in his hands.
Robby Anderson: I’m officially worried. A perfect 57-yard pitch-and-catch from Sam Darnold against their old team allowed Anderson to make his Week 1 fantasy quota, but that was his only catch of the game on three targets. The target pressure on Robby comes from two different sources. With Christian McCaffrey back, he’s going to take away a lot of the short-area targets that Robby inherited last year after CMC got hurt. The other source of target pressure is rookie Terrace Marshall, who seems like he’s going to force his way onto the field. I have Anderson ranked as a lower-end WR3 this week, and I think this is a good time to shop him.
Terrace Marshall: He played 53% of Carolina’s offensive snaps in his NFL debut, catching 3 of 6 targets for 26 yards. It doesn’t seem like much of a debut, but a 17.1% target share on a team with so many other good pass catchers ain’t bad.
Tight Ends
Adam Trautman and Juwan Johnson: With the Saints currently thin at wide receiver, this could become a TE-centric offense for a while. We saw some of that against Green Bay, although the lopsided score may have muted the effect a bit. Trautman played 51 of 62 snaps. He ran routes on only 35% of those snaps, but again … blowout. Johnson played only 12 snaps but ran routes on 10 of them. He caught all three of his targets for 21 yards and two touchdowns. Puny snap counts could scare people away from Johnson, but if he’s running routes on the vast majority of his snaps – and things seem to be pointing that way – then he could be a useful fantasy option. Johnson’s emergence of training camp seemed to turn people away from Trautman, but Trautman’s big snap share is a good sign. New Orleans is now fertile ground for TE speculators.
Dan Arnold and Ian Thomas: The Carolina tight ends each played about half the offensive snaps and combined for five targets, three catches, and 23 yards. There are too many high-quality pass catchers on this team for the tight ends to matter, especially if they’re going to divide snaps almost evenly.
Los Angeles Rams vs. Indianapolis Colts
Date/Time: Sunday September 19, 1:00pm ET
BettingPros Consensus Spread: Rams -4
BettingPros Consensus Over/Under: 47.5 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Rams 25.75, Colts 21.75
Quarterbacks
Matthew Stafford: After feasting on the Chicago pass defense in Week 1, Stafford goes on the road to face a Colts defense that was picked apart by Russell Wilson last week. It might not have been a great showing for the Colts’ defense, but Indy has a much more formidable group of cornerbacks than the Bears do, and we probably shouldn’t expect Stafford to average 12.4 yards per pass attempt again. But let’s not discredit Stafford, who did what he was supposed to do against a bad secondary. Stafford’s first TD pass as a Ram – a first-quarter missile to Van Jefferson – reminded us just how good the former Georgia star’s arm is. He’s a back-end QB1 this week.
Carson Wentz: Wentz’s foot appeared to be fine roughly six weeks after surgery. That’s the good news. The bad news is that the Indianapolis passing game looked listless in Week 1. According to Pro Football Reference, Wentz’s average depth of target in the loss to Seattle was 4.4 yards. The Colts’ longest pass play went for 24 yards. Wentz averaged 6.6 yards per attempt. Maybe T.Y. Hilton is on the back nine of his career, but the Colts could still use whatever downfield juice he has left. And now Wentz faces a matchup with the Rams? He’s unplayable.
Running Backs
Darrell Henderson and Sony Michel: Sean McVay isn’t ready to let the newly acquired Michel have a significant role in the offense yet. Either that or he likes Henderson more than fantasy owners suspected. Henderson played 49 of the Rams’ 52 offensive snaps in Week 1, with Michel picking up the other three. Henderson ran 16 times for 70 yards and a touchdown, and he caught his lone target for 17 yards. Michel had a single carry for two yards. The Colts had a stingy run defense last year. Only the Buccaneers gave up fewer rushing yards, and opponents averaged 2.7 yards per carry. Volume usually trumps matchup, however, and Henderson should be considered a low-end RB2 for this one.
Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines: The one positive thing about the Colts’ offense in Week 1 was that Taylor and Hines both had respectable fantasy performances even though the Colts’ offense was mostly toothless. There were fears that with check-down king Philip Rivers no longer at the controls of the Indy offense, there might not be as many targets for the Colts’ backs. Well, Taylor had seven targets (establishing a career-high) and six catches (tying a career-high) for 60 yards. Hines caught 6 of 8 targets for 48 yards. Add the rushing numbers, and Taylor totaled 116 yards from scrimmage, Hines 82. It is also encouraging for fantasy managers who invested in Taylor or Hines: They were the only two Indianapolis running backs to take a snap. Marlon Mack didn’t play. The Rams play rugged run defense, but Taylor is still a low-end RB1 for Week 2, and Hines is a low-end RB3 in half-point PPR but a mid-range RB3 in full-point PPR.
Wide Receivers
Cooper Kupp: Kupp and Robert Woods have more or less been co-equals in the Rams’ offense, but Kupp had the bigger day in Week 1, catching 7 of 10 targets for 108 yards and a touchdown. On his TD, he left Bears CB Marqui Christian grasping at air thanks to some fancy footwork, then wiggled past safety Eddie Jackson to get into the end zone. As usual, treat Kupp as a solid WR2.
Robert Woods: A two-yard TD catch late with only about three minutes left in the fourth quarter saved Robert Woods from a drab performance. He caught 3 of 4 targets for 27 yards and the score. This week, Woods may have the best matchup of any Rams receiver, going up against inconsistent Rock Ya-Sin.
Michael Pittman: It’s not time to move Pittman into the circle of trust just yet. Following a three-catch, 29-yard opener against Seattle, he faces a tough matchup against the Rams’ Darious Williams. I have him ranked as a WR5. For now, bench him.
Zach Pascal: The underrated Pascal scored both of the Colts’ touchdowns in a 28-16 Week 1 loss to Seattle. He’s at worst the Colts’ No. 2 receiver until T.Y. Hilton gets back. Pascal out-snapped No. 3 WR Parris Campbell 69-46 and caught 4 of 5 targets for 43 yards. But do you dare start him in a matchup against Rams CB Jalen Ramsey? No, you dare not.
Parris Campbell: He’s had his supporters in the fantasy community ever since he came into the league, but it’s starting to feel like it’s never going to happen for Campbell. Even with T.Y. Hilton hurt, Campbell ran behind Michael Pittman and Zach Pascal and caught 1 of 3 targets for 24 yards. There was a 1995 Billy Crystal/Debra Winger romantic comedy called “Forget Paris.” The long-awaited 2021 sequel can be titled “Forget Parris.”
Tight Ends
Tyler Higbee: There’s a good chance we’ll get a TE1 season out of Higbee if his Week 1 usage is any indication of how the season will go. He was in on all 52 of the Rams’ offensive snaps, and he caught 5 of 6 targets for 68 yards. That’s iron-man stuff, and maybe we’ll continue to see the massive target counts for Higbee now that Gerald Everett has left for Seattle.
Jack Doyle and Mo Alie-Cox: Doyle slightly out-snapped Alie-Cox in the opener, 45-39. But Doyle, alas, is the classic catch-and-fall-down type. His three catches against the Seahawks went for 21 yards. Doyle runs like your Uncle Frank at the annual family softball game. There’s no big-play potential whatsoever, so unless he scores touchdowns, he’s useless. With Alie-Cox sharing snaps and the Colts promising to have a low-octane passing game, Doyle isn’t worth rostering. Neither is Alie-Cox, for that matter, even though he’s considerably more athletic than Doyle.
Buffalo Bills vs. Miami Dolphins
Date/Time: Sunday September 19, 1:00pm ET
BettingPros Consensus Spread: Bills -3.5
BettingPros Consensus Over/Under: 47.5 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Bills 25.5, Dolphins 22
Quarterbacks
Josh Allen: Let’s start with the caveat that the Steelers’ pass defense is very good. Pittsburgh has some leaks in the secondary, but that pass rush is terrifying. Nevertheless, Josh Allen‘s performance in the Bills’ 23-16 Week 1 loss to the Steelers was extremely disappointing. He threw for 270 yards and a touchdown, but he put the ball in the air 51 times and averaged a paltry 5.3 yards per pass attempt. On most of his downfield throws, Allen was just … off. The accuracy problems that used to earn him scorn before his breakout 2020 season were on full display in Week 1. There’s no reason for panic. Pinpoint accuracy isn’t Allen’s thing. He’s all about running around and making plays. He fell short on the “making plays” thing against Pittsburgh, but he ran for 44 yards. I like Allen’s chances for a rebound this week. Miami’s pass defense is legit, but Allen lit up the Dolphins for seven touchdowns in two games last season, eclipsing 400 passing yards in the first meeting.
Tua Tagovailoa: In a Week 1 battle of former Alabama quarterbacks, Tua came away with a win over Mac Jones and the Patriots. Tagovailoa’s numbers weren’t great – 202 passing yards, one touchdown, one interception, and a three-yard TD run – but the Dolphins ran only 50 offensive plays, which tamped down the overall numbers. Play volume wasn’t a problem the last time Tua faced the Bills. He threw 58 passes against Buffalo in Week 17 of 2020, finishing with 361 passing yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. I have Tua rated as a low-end QB2 in this divisional matchup against a quality pass defense.
Running Backs
Devin Singletary, Matt Breida, and Zach Moss: Why was Moss inactive in Week 1? “Numbers. Just numbers,” Bills head coach Sean McDermott told the media after the game. Well, that’s certainly not good to hear if you drafted Moss. He’s now droppable in all formats. Singletary now appears to be the undisputed lead back for Buffalo, spiking his value. He played 75% of the snaps and had 11 carries for 72 yards against a tough Pittsburgh defense. He also caught 3 of 5 targets, though he only had eight receiving yards. I don’t know if we can count on this Singletary usage to stick, but I have him ranked as a high-end RB3 and consider him playable against a Miami defense that just gave up 100 rushing yards to Damien Harris. Breida only played 12% of the Bills’ snaps. That’s obviously too low a snap share to deliver value, and let’s also consider that Josh Allen‘s propensity to run the ball himself near the goal line deflates the value of all the Buffalo backs.
Myles Gaskin, Malcolm Brown, and Salvon Ahmed: Considering the fears about Gaskin’s role in the offense a month ago, after Brown started ahead of him in a preseason game, Gaskin’s 54% Week 1 snap share and 14 touches were encouraging for his investors. He ran for 49 yards on nine carries and caught all five of his targets for 27 yards. Last year it was easier to run on the Bills than to throw on them, so I expect to see Gaskin’s carry total increase this week. He checks in as a low-end RB2. Brown played 16 snaps against New England, ran five times for 16 yards, and didn’t see a target. Ahmed played 11 Week 1 snaps, ran three times for four yards, and caught two of three targets for 24 yards. Neither Brown nor Gaskin is useable this week.
Wide Receivers
Stefon Diggs: A 69-yard game with no touchdowns was a disappointing start for Diggs, but he was targeted 13 times and had nine receptions, so volume isn’t a concern. There shouldn’t be any concerns with Diggs, for that matter – not even a tricky matchup against Byron Jones. In two games against the Dolphins last year, Diggs totaled 21 targets, 15 receptions, 229 yards, and a touchdown.
Cole Beasley: Coming off a career year, Beasley picked up where he left off, catching 8 of 13 targets against the Steelers for 60 yards. He’s seen double-digit targets in five of his last seven regular-season games, and he’s gone over 100 yards in three of those games. His matchup against Miami slot corner Nik Needham is tough, but Beasley is close to becoming a must-start in PPR leagues.
Emmanuel Sanders: Sanders’ average depth of target in Week 1 was 17.0 yards, which is slightly worrisome, especially with Josh Allen showing scatter-arm tendencies on longer throws. Sanders’ bloated aDOT is probably just a one-game anomaly but bears watching. I don’t think he’s useable this week against a good set of Dolphins corners despite his 91% snap share in Week 1.
Gabriel Davis: The second-year man from Central Florida certainly has a knack for big plays. He had only two catches against the Steelers in Week 1 but averaged 20 yards a catch. Unfortunately, with Davis only playing about half of Buffalo’s snaps and stuck in a No. 4 receiver role, he’s simply not playable in most fantasy leagues right now.
Jaylen Waddle: In a respectable NFL debut, Waddle caught 4 of 5 targets for 61 yards and a touchdown. The TD was on a throw to the left flat, letting Waddle use his freaky speed to beat defenders to the corner pylon. Even more impressive was a 36-yard gain on which he blew by Patriots CB Jonathan Jones, then came back to the ball to win a contested catch. Waddle’s talent is undeniable. The question is how the target distribution works out now that Will Fuller is back from suspension. I have Waddle and Fuller ranked WR40 and WR41, respectively, this week.
Will Fuller: Editor’s Note: It was reported Friday that Will Fuller will not play in Sunday’s game due to a personal issue.
DeVante Parker: Buffalo’s Tre’Davious White is one of the best cover men in the game, and Parker figures to see more of White than any of the Dolphins’ other receivers on Sunday. It’s not necessarily a death sentence, though. Parker was productive in his two games against Miami last year, catching 12 of 22 targets for 169 yards and a TD. But there was less target competition for Parker last year. Jaylen Waddle and Will Fuller are now going to demand some of the downfield WR targets that were mostly going to Parker last year.
Tight Ends
Dawson Knox: He’s an athletic young player who has the Buffalo TE gig mostly all to himself, but Knox has topped 50 yards in only one of his last 16 games with the Bills, playoffs included – and in that game, he just barely cleared the bar with 51 yards.
Mike Gesicki: It’s time to ditch Gesicki. He played just 39% of Miami’s offensive snaps in Week 1, while fellow TE Durham Smythe, a superior blocker, played 70% of the snaps. And now Will Fuller is back, which will increase the Dolphins’ usage of three-WR sets. I have Gesicki ranked TE19 this week, and even that feels overly optimistic.
This season, the Primer is presented by Pristine Auction. They are going to be providing giveaways throughout the season. See below for how to win a signed Lamar Jackson jersey!
