3:04 pm | September 8, 2019 | Go to Source | Author:
It was a Week 1 with plenty of standout performances. What do they mean? Tristan Cockcroft and Matt Bowen are here with instant analysis on the biggest fantasy performers.
Here are the players who stood out from a fantasy perspective.
Cockcroft: Jackson’s 40.7 PPR fantasy points, a total that looks all the more remarkable if you consider that he was lifted from the Baltimore Ravens‘ 59-10 blowout victory against the Miami Dolphins after three quarters, paced all quarterbacks from the 1 p.m. ET game block (seven total games). In most unusual fashion, Jackson accomplished the feat primarily passing the football, becoming the first quarterback in Ravens franchise history to have a perfect 158.3 passer rating, thanks to his 371 yards and six touchdowns passing.
To put that into perspective, Jackson made seven starts to conclude his 2018 rookie season, and amassed a total of 1,114 yards and five TDs passing. Some of his success Sunday must be attributed by an extremely favorable matchup against a weak Dolphins defense, but Jackson’s willingness to throw deep in this one, especially to rookie wideout Marquise Brown, makes him a more appealing upside play when the matchup calls — and that’s in addition to his already-elevated weekly floor thanks to his rushing ability, which was a non-factor in Week 1. Jackson was started in only 37.5 percent of ESPN leagues, a number that should rise in the coming weeks.
Bowen: Jackson diced up the Miami secondary today, going 17-of-20 for 324 yards and five TD throws. And I loved the scripted matchups to get Brown loose over the top or the strike zone throw to Willie Snead. While Jackson didn’t fill up the box score on the ground – only two rushing attempts – his accuracy from the pocket was impressive. I thought Jackson was locked-in with both the drop back game and the pass concepts coming off run action.
I expect the rushing numbers for Jackson to get a boost moving forward, as they can dial up a bunch of QB designed runs and RPO schemes for Jackson. But in a game where Baltimore had the matchup advantage versus Miami , new offensive coordinator Greg Roman put together a call sheet to attack the Dolphins secondary. And with Jackson displaying noticeable jump in development as a thrower, he is going to climb in my weekly ranks. Dual-threat talent with the Cardinals defense on tap in Week 2.
WR Marquise Brown
Cockcroft: In addition to becoming the first player in NFL history with multiple 40-yard touchdowns in his debut, per Elias, Brown scored 30.7 PPR fantasy points, the sixth most by any wide receiver since at least 1950. Unfortunately, only 1.1 percent of ESPN fantasy managers actually started Brown in Week 1, missing out on what ultimately might be his best score of the entire season, considering it came against a Dolphins team in shambles. But his two long touchdown scores illustrated his big-play capability and he does appear to have Jackson’s eye, so even from a risk/reward angle the rookie is worth adding in most fantasy leagues.
Bowen: It’s all about the explosive play traits with Brown in the Ravens system. This guy can fly, and we saw that early on the quick inside slant route from Jackson. With run action pulling the linebackers and the post safety down, Brown had a true 1-on-1 matchup. Win at the top of the route and make a house call – on a high-percentage throw from Jackson. Basic scheme that leads to a big play jump for Baltimore. The deep ball throw to Brown on the post route? Speed wins again.
With Miami in a split-safety look, Jackson had room and open field to stem the safety within the route. And it was a clear read for Jackson. Take the vertical shot – which should be a weekly part of the Ravens game plan moving forward. Think about this: Brown averaged 36.8 yards per catch. While the Ravens don’t get to matchup to the Miami defense every week, I’m with Tristan on the risk/reward play. He should be added in all scoring formats given his ability to instantly flip the field, with more upside in non-PPR leagues.
Cockcroft: If you thought you might’ve been witnessing Watkins making history in Sunday’s game, you weren’t wrong: His 46.8 PPR fantasy points — the runaway leader among players from the 1 p.m. ET game block — were the most by any wide receiver since Earnest Gray had 50.4 in the 1980 opener. While Watkins did capitalize upon an early injury to Tyreek Hill (shoulder), Watkins also broke his own career high for fantasy points in less than half of the first quarter, his first touchdown in particular exhibiting his tremendous skill set. If Hill misses additional time, Watkins would become a big benefactor, elevating easily into the WR2 tier with the potential to boost into WR1 when the matchup calls.
Bowen: As Tristan noted, Hill’s injury helped Watkins, but let’s not look past the numbers here. Watkins put up nine catches — on 11 targets — for 198 yards and three scores today against an upper-tier Jags’ defense. Yes, I loved the designed throwback wheel from Andy Reid today. That was slick. And it led to an open target toss from Mahomes to hit Watkins in space. Catch and go for six. But let’s go back to Watkins first score, because it highlights his sudden ability after the catch. A simple, Hi-Lo read for Mahomes. Throw the in-cut, right? Sure. However, this is where Watkins turned an intermediate route into a big play. Make the grab and scoot past the defense. Pursuit angles? Not when Watkins hits the gas. Now, if Hill is down next week, then we bump Watkins up as high-end WR2. Remember, the system in Kansas City, with Mahomes throwing the rock, is going to create positive opportunities. And a healthy Watkins becomes a weapon for that offense.
Cockcroft: If you’re a big believer in “revenge” games, you’ll certainly be collecting Jackson’s Week 1 as part of your case. I don’t classify myself amongst this group, but acknowledge that certain players do, occasionally, step up their game against their former mates, and Jackson’s 35.4 PPR fantasy points, just four-tenths of a point shy of his previous personal best, against the Washington Redskins had that kind of look. With it, Jackson has now averaged 18.3 points in his eight career games against a former team, compared to 13.4 for all games played in his career. Of greater relevance to me was his giving quarterback Carson Wentz that deep threat that seemed to be absent in last year’s Eagles offense, as Jackson hauled in a pair of 50-yard TD passes in the process. Jackson is historically an up-and-down weekly fantasy play, tough to gauge around his matchups, but he’s in a good fit for 2019 and should be in your WR3/5 mix.
Bowen: This is the exact impact fantasy managers wanted to see from Jackson in Doug Pederson’s system. In addition to opening up the inside passing lanes with his ability to push safeties down the field, Jackson reminded us that he is still a blazer in the vertical passing game. And that’s easy money for Wentz. Take those shots when Jackson can get on top of the defense – and let him separate with the ball in the air. Now, as much as I believe in Jackson’s vertical ability, and the need for Wentz to challenge the top of the defense, Tristan has noted the up-and-down fantasy history with Jackson. And I’m with him. Yes, Jackson has value as a WR3 in the lineup, but let’s pump the breaks before elevating Jackson in the ranks.
Cockcroft: While Cook has had a pair of higher-scoring fantasy games in his career than his 26.0 PPR points from Sunday, his 21 carries were more than he had in a single game in all of 2018 and the effort continued an upward trend he was showing late last season (as well as during this preseason). With it, Cook has now averaged 19.5 points in his past seven regular-season games played, and if he can handle more than two-thirds of the snaps — that was his percentage played on Sunday — as well as the occasional 20-carry workload without recurrence of past injuries, an RB1 season could be in order.
Bowen: This is the guy I watched back on his college tape at Florida State. He’s fresh, the body is healthy and he’s playing fast in an offense that wants to lean on the run game. Zone schemes, power, misdirection, more. He’s a fit here, and he showed us today that he can handle 20-plus touches, totaling 120 yards and two scores versus the Atlanta defense. Let’s look at the Next Gen play diagram of Cook’s 22 yard touchdown run.
Classic one-back power with the misdirection jet sweep mixed in. The scheme is on point, so is the play from Cook to bounce the rock outside. And that’s where we saw the burst to take the ball to the end zone. Yes, Cook will give some touches to rookie Alexander Mattison, but I’m with Tristan here. The Vikings running back looks healthy and should be in line to produce consistent RB1 numbers.
Quick-hitters
Cockcroft: Christian McCaffrey‘s 42.9 PPR fantasy points led all running backs from the 1 p.m. ET game block, and they were the second-most he has scored in any of his 33 career NFL games. He has an astonishing 296.1 points in his 10 games played since last Nov. 1.
Cockcroft: Los Angeles Rams linebacker Cory Littleton, the No. 3 scoring linebacker from 2018 using the scoring system we do for our weekly ESPN IDP rankings (237.8), set a new personal best with 32.5 fantasy points on Sunday behind eight solo tackles, six assisted tackles, two passes defensed, one interception and one fumble recovery. Only nine players had a greater single-game total in all of 2018.
Cockcroft: Cam Newton‘s 2019 debut bust through the bottom of his expected statistical floor, as his 5.4 fantasy points were the worst among starting quarterbacks from the 1 p.m. ET game block. That was also his third-worst single-game score in any of his 124 career games played (123 of those starts).
Bowen: The numbers won’t reflect it, as Miles Sanders posted a total of just 27 yards on 11 touches. However, Sanders did have a chunk play called back, saw carries in the tight red zone and I thought he flashed the same traits I watched on his college film at Penn State. He’s a dynamic runner who could emerge as a solid flex play this season if he sees a consistent rate of 12-15 touches a game in a high-scoring Eagles offense.
Bowen: Todd Gurley did post over 100 total yards on offense, and I could see the straight-line speed late in the game on the zone runs, but is there a little concern here for Gurley managers? He saw 14 touches, while backup running back Malcolm Brown scored twice on tight red zone carries and ended up with 11 touches. As of now, it seems the Rams are fine taking some of the load off Gurley.
Bowen: Is the rushing volume going to jump for Devin Singletary next week? The rookie out of FAU posted 70 yards rushing — on just four carries. And he has the stop/start speed to find daylight. Even with the Bills using a rotation in the backfield with veteran Frank Gore, Singletary has the pro traits as a runner, and he did catch the ball today — bringing in 5-of-6 targets for 28 yards. He’s a solid flex play for me in Week 2 versus the Giants.
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