NFL WEEKLY GAME PREVIEWS: WEEK 2

Eleven of the 16 games in Week 1 were decided by seven or fewer points.

Six of the 16 games finished at two points or less, the most in any week in NFL history.

The Broncos improved to an NFL best 43-13-1 (.768) in home openers.

The Packers have won 55 games in road openers, the most in NFL history.

At least one rookie QB has started in Week 1 in 9-straight seasons, an NFL record.

Larry Fitzgerald scored twice to reach 100 receptions for scores in his career. He’s just the 10^th player to have reached that mark.

Will Fuller became the first wideout, taken in the first round, to gain 100-yards in his first game since Louis Lipp in 1984.

From NFL.com…

Since 1978 when the NFL went to the 16-game schedule (and excluding the abbreviated season of 1982): 

Of the 554 teams which won openers… 288 went to the playoffs (173 won division titles)

Of the 555 teams which lost openers… 134 went to the playoffs (77 won division titles)

Here's a link to the Fantasy Alarm WEEKLY PLAYER RANKINGS.

Here’s a link to the DFS NFL PLAYBOOK PRO.

** Game recaps are from NFL Media.

** All times listed are EDT.

Ray Flowers can be heard Monday/Tuesday and Thursday/Friday, 8 PM EDT, Wednesday 7 PM EDT on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio (Sirius 210, XM 87). You can also hear Ray Sunday nights at 9 PM EDT PM on the channel talking fantasy sports. Follow Ray’s work at Fantasy Alarm and on Twitter (@baseballguys).

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New York Jets

Eric Decker has scored in each of the last two matchups. Remarkably, he scored in Week 1 despite catching only two passes for 37 yards. He did see seven targets, it was just that his quarterback was off most of the game.

Quincy Enunwa scored his first NFL touchdown last week as he caught seven balls for 54 yards. Given the two beasts out wide it’s hard to have any faith in this breakout effort.

Ryan Fitzpatrick has thrown for at least two scores in all five of his last five divisional games. In his last three games against the Bills he has just five scores and seven picks. Fitzpatrick looked awful at times in Week 1 showing diminished arm strength while throwing fluttering passes at times.

Matt Forte had 169 yards from scrimmage last week (87 rush, 82 receive). He leads the NFL in yards from scrimmage since the start of the 2008 season. With a workload of 27 touches (five grabs) it’s clear that Forte has nothing to worry about in terms of losing touches to Powell.

Brandon Marshall has scored in each of the last four matchups with the team. He had eight grabs for 126 yards and a score the last time they met. Marshall has a hip issue which may have contributed to him gaining just six yards after the catch in Week 1.

Bilal Powell has 51 carries against the Bills and has scored just one time though he’s averaged 5.3 YPC. He looked sharp on the rare occasion the ball was in his hands in Week 1 as he ran the ball four times for 41 yards and caught two passes for seven yards.

Sheldon Richardson returns from suspension which is bad news for McCoy.

Buffalo Bills

The Bills have won 5-straight matchups outscoring the Jets 162-74.

Charles Clay is missing practice time with a knee issue, he always seemingly has one of those, but he should play this week. Clay caught just two passes for 40 yards in Week 1 and should be seen as that type of option in this offense.

Mike Gillislee, not Reggie Bush, is the back to look at behind McCoy, even if he caught the ball just once for (-4) yards in Week 1. Bush carried the ball three times for (-4) yards. Obviously it’s McCoy or bust in this backfield.

LeSean McCoy has gone for 100 rushing yards in each of his previous two matchups versus the Eagles. He was repeatedly stuffed at the goaline in Week 1, but he finally got in the end zone as he carried the ball 16 times for 58 yards. He also tied for the team lead with four receptions, though he only went for 12 yards. The biggest takeaway though is 20 touches.

Tyrod Taylor looked terrible last week as his offensive line didn’t help him at all. He’s thrown for 340 yards and one score over 56 passes against the Jets. The Bills ran the slowest offense in football in plays per second in Week 1.

Sammy Watkins had 11 receptions for 136 yards in the last matchup. In his last six games at home he’s caught an average of six balls for 101 yards and 0.67 scores. He’s dealing with a foot issue this week however and for the majority of his career he’s struggled to perform when healthy. He seems likely to play but is listed as questionable. Without him, the Bills offense will drown.

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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2016

San Francisco 49ers

Blaine Gabbert has thrown at least one TD pass in 11-straight games. Whoopee. The Niners ran the fourth fastest offense in football per second last week. It won’t matter this week as Gabbert figures to be one of the four or five worst QBs in the league this week given the matchup.

Shaun Draughn had a touchdown against the Rams on the ground. He should have a role in Week 2 as the Niners are likely to fall behind and pass a good deal to try and catch up.

Carlos Hyde ran for two scores and 88 yards in Week 1 though he averaged a mere 3.8 YPC. That’s 6-of-8 games in which he’s gone for at least 60-yards from scrimmage. The Niners will be unlikely to bust loose on the ground the way the Broncos did rendering Hyde a workload dependent RB2 this week.

Jeremy Kerley was basically added off the street, and 17 day later he was leading the Niners with seven receptions for 61 yards on 11 targets. Gabbert likes to play it safe and throwing it to slot man Kerley is likely to happen a good deal, even if Kerley has no appreciable upside.

Vance McDonald scored in Week 1. Alas, he caught just two of three targets for 14 yards. Moreover, he was only on the field for five more snaps than Garrett Celek.

Quinton Patton caught five passes for 60 yards in Week 1 as he appeared on 78 of 82 snaps to lead the wideout crew. While he might seem like the wideout to start this week it might still be Mr. Smith. Torrey Smith was a letdown in Week 1 with two grabs, on six targets, for 13 yards (he also had a drop). His volume figures to be hit or miss as Gabbert may not be willing to challenge defenses with his moderate arm strength, but Smith merely needs to get a step on the defender to take one to the house.

Carolina Panthers

Kelvin Benjamin saw 12 targets in Week 1 as he played more than anyone thought he would (he saw action on 51 of 72 snaps). He only caught six passes on 12 targets though no one cares as they went for 91 yards and a score. He’s still not an elite talent, but it won’t matter if Newton targets him relentless as he did in Week 1.

Devin Funchess was on the field for 39 snaps and hauled in 1-of-4 targets. So much for him being “ahead” of Benjamin like every beat writer of the team thought. Ted Ginn out snapped Funchess, he was on the field for 45 plays, but he caught only one pass for five yards (his only target). He added 20 yards on an end around. Corey Brown was on the field for 39 snaps. He caught one pass for 11 yards.

Cam Newton has thrown just one score against three picks in two games versus the Niners. Newton threw and ran for a score last week, an NFL record 32^nd time he has done that. He completed less than 55 percent of his passes, threw a pick, and was hammered on multiple occasions by the Broncos. He should find the going easier this week.

Greg Olsen caught a team leading seven passes in Week 1. He’s scored five times in his last seven games at home. Same old same old for Olsen who should once again be a top-5 tight end this week.

Jonathan Stewart has produced at least 75-yards from scrimmage in 8-of-10 games. He failed in Week 1 as he posted 64 rushing yards on 15 carries against the Panthers. Cameron Artis-Payne was a healthy scratch in Week 1. Crazy. As it stood, Steward was on the field for 42 offensive snaps while Forrest Whittaker saw 13 snaps. It’s all Stewart all the time and he figures to get work in the second half when the Panthers build a lead on the Niners.

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Baltimore Ravens

Kamar Aiken caught six passes for 80 yards and a score in the matchup last November. Unfortunately, with Perriman and Smith back on the field in Week 1 he did nothing hauling in his only two targets for 14 yards. Can’t trust him at the moment.

Joe Flacco has thrown for 3,327 yards, 19 scores and seven picks in 15 starts against the Browns (13 wins). He’s also run for three scores. The Browns looked terrible last week against Philly as they were beat for 270 passing yards and two scores by a rookie in his first NFL game.

Justin Forsett has run for 240 yards and a touchdown in the last two meetings. Terrance West and Forsett were the only active back last week with Forsett out-snapping West 34 to 30. West had two more carries, 12 to 10, and had 14 touches to 13 for Forsett. The smaller Forsett was much more effective with a 4.1 YPC compared to 2.7 for West. Have to figure West is the goaline back, but against the Browns it’s still hard not to favor Forsett as the better play. Buck Allen didn’t even play last week but he has carried the ball 20 times for 113 yards against the Browns.

Crockett Gillmore saw just 30 snaps in Week 1 as Dennis Pitta was the runaway leader at the position with 56 snaps (on 68 plays). Pitta only saw four targets turning in three grabs for 39 yards, but it sure looks like he’s the end to own right now – until he gets hurt of course.

Breshad Perriman finally made an NFL catch, after doing nothing last season. Alas, he appeared on just 21 of 72 snaps last week, and he was not practicing early in the week. Impossible to trust even if he suits up.

Steve Smith caught five balls for 19 yards in one of the most brutally inefficient efforts of his distinguished career. He wasn’t able to get loose at all with his lone contribution being his attempt to induce the Bills to fight. Can’t imagine starting him.

Mike Wallace scored a 66-yard TD last week, his 11^th career score of 50-yards. Wallace went for 91 yards and a score in Week 1 as he caught 3-of-6 passes.  Without an increase in targets Wallace will likely disappoint as he will need to “break one” for a score to be relevant.

Cleveland Browns

Gary Barnidge averaged more than eight targets a game, and 80 receiving yards and 0.75 TDS when Josh McCown was throwing him the football last year. Don’t give up on him after a slow Week 1 with RGIII. Barnidge lit up the Ravens last season for 15 grabs, 230 yards and a score.

Corey Coleman caught two passes for 69 yards in Week 1 on five targets. Coleman had a rough week as one the passes thrown his way ended in a pickoff, and he also dropped another pass.

Isaiah Crowell has run for an average of 87 yards and 0.67 scores in his last three games at home. He had a rushing score last week as he carried the ball 12 times for 62 yards. He’s the preferred option out of the backfield in this matchup, though the Ravens did a good job last week in containing McCoy.

Robert Griffin III has been placed on the I.R. with a left shoulder issue, a fractured coracoid bone. It will be at least eight games before he returns, if he does. Josh McCown takes over and he’s thrown 120 passes without a pickoff against the Ravens. Last season he threw for a Browns record 457 yards in a matchup with the Ravens as he produced three scores (one rushing). He broke his collarbone in the second matchup. McCown was 1^st in the NFL last season in third down passing when he was hurt with a 129.5 QB Rating.

Duke Johnson has 11 receptions in two matchups with the Ravens. Ge caught just three passes for 28 yards and ran the ball three times for 22 yards in Week 1 in a down effort. At this point, hard to trust him in a starting lineup.

Terrelle Pryor led the club with seven targets in Week 1. He hauled in three of them for 68 yards, including a 44 yarder in which he outleaped the defender. He will continue to run with the starting lineup, at least until Josh Gordon returns.

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Tennessee Titans

Andre Johnson caught three balls for 30 yards and dropped a touchdown pass that was right in his hands.

Marcus Mariota completed just 6-of-16 passes for 95 yards on passes in the air more than 10-yards and he threw for just 271 yards on 41 passes (two scores, one pick). He has had success on the road with 10 scores and just one pick in his career and he takes on a Lions team that was obliterated by Andrew Luck last week.

Rishard Matthews only appeared on 35 snaps in Week 1. Therefore, it’s not surprising to see that he caught three of four targets for just 26 yards. There is no reason that Harry Douglas saw 37 snaps, that makes just no sense. Why Titans, why?

DeMarco Murray was on the field more than twice as often as Derrick Henry (50 to 21 snaps). Murray scored twice in Week 1, though both were through the air. Murray has scored 28 times on the ground since 2013, the most in football. Henry carried the ball just five times for three yards last week looking nothing like the explosive player we saw this preseason.

Tajae Sharpe saw the field for 64 snaps in Week 1 and he was the best wideout on the team with seven catches for 76 yards. As impressive as those numbers are the number to focus on might be 11, as in the targets he received.

Delanie Walker has caught 33 balls for an average of 87 yards a game in his past five games on the road. He caught just three passes, on five targets. for 42 yards in Week 1, and the team admitted they need to get him the ball more in Week 2. Don’t forget that Detroit allowed three scores to tight ends in Week 1.

Kendall Wright was inactive in Week 1 because of his hamstring issue, and at this point he’s a total afterthought.

Detroit Lions

Ameer Abdullah had 120 yards from scrimmage in Week 1 (63 rush, 57 catch). The Titans held AD to just 31 yards last week on 19 carries so expecting a big week on the ground from the Lions might be asking too much.

Anquan Boldin caught all three of his targets in Week 1 for 35 yards. With Ebron healthy it might be difficult for Boldin to offer weekly value.

Eric Ebron came through in Week 1 and now has 2-straight games with five catches and a score. Carving out a role where he produces at that level on a weekly basis will be difficult to say the least with all the mouths to feed in this offense, though Kyle Rudolph did have success against the Titans last week.

Marvin Jones caught just four passes in Week 1, but he was also targeted 10 times and produced 85 yards. Bigger days lay ahead, likely this week.

Theo Riddick was a star in Week 1 with two touchdowns as he produced 108 yards from scrimmage (63 catch, 45 rush). He has five receptions, and has scored three times, in his last four games at home. Make no mistake though. Reddick ran the ball for 133 yards last season and in 44 previous NFL games he has 209 rushing yards on 72 carries. He also had one rushing score his previous 44 games.

Matthew Stafford threw for 340 yards and three scores in Week 1. Over his last nine games he’s thrown for 22 touchdown passes against a mere two picks. Since Jim Bob Cooter took over the offense, Stafford has been a monumentally elite play.

Golden Tate caught seven passes in Week 1. Unfortunately, he went for just 41 yards, an average of 5.9 YPC. A PPR monster, Tate doesn’t offer much in the touchdown column, 10 the last two seasons, or yards as he averaged just 9.0 YPC last season.

Dwayne Washington has seemingly taken over as the “big back” with the Lions rendering Zach Zenner unneeded at the moment (in fact, ZZ was a healthy scratch in Week 1).

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Kansas City Chiefs

Allen Bailey has four sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery the last two meetings.

Jamaal Charles (knee) seems likely to miss another game as he is working with the second offense in practice.

Chris Conley had a moderate day, even with the Chiefs offensive explosion last week as he caught four of seven targets for 43 yards. Can’t expect him to maintain a workload at that level.

Travis Kelce blew up against the Texans in the last two outings with 14 grabs, 234 yards and two scores last season. In Week 1 he caught six balls for 74 yards. The Bears’ Miller was held to less than 20 yards last week by the Texans.

Jeremy Maclin has scored seven times his last 10 games (playoffs included). In four games against the Texans he’s caught 19 passes for 307 yards and two scores. He caught five of seven targets in Week 1 for 63 yards and a score as he worked through a concussion scare.

Alex Smith went nuts last week with 363 passing yards, two scores and another score on the ground. He will never again throw 48 passes, and it’s highly improbably that a guys who has never thrown for 3,500 yards will blow past 360 again. The Chiefs ran the 8^th fastest offense in football per second last week. Don’t expect that to happen again this week.

Spencer Ware was a monster last week. He caught seven passes, enough to lead the running back position in Week 1. He touched the ball 18 times leading to 199 yards and a touchdown. Ware has scored seven times on the ground his last 10 games. He missed practice Wednesday (undisclosed), but as of this writing was expected to play.

Charcandrick West pretty much split the snaps with Ware, but he didn’t do much of anything with them. He caught six passes but only produced 24 yards and he carried the ball three times for (-1) yards. He’s not worth starting in any format. Period.

Albert Wilson caught three passes for one-yard last week.

Houston Texans

Jadeveon Clowney has a sack in Week 1 and has four in his last five games.

Will Fuller had a big game in Week 1 as he caught five passes for 107 yards and a score in his NFL debut. Fuller saw a whopping 11 targets but he did drop what could have been a long touchdown pass as well. The hands are still a concern.

Ryan Griffin (two), C.J. Fiederowicz (one) produced 23 yards out of the tight end spot.

DeAndre Hopkins caught six balls for 98 yards and two scores in the matchup in Week 1 of 2015. Hopkins caught five balls for 54 yards and a score in Week 1. Oddly, he saw three less targets than Fuller with eight. Last season Hopkins saw an average of 12 targets a game. Look for more looks this week.

Lamar Miller was one of two backs to go over 100-yards on the ground last week. He carried the ball 28 times and caught four passes, the first time he’s ever touched the ball 30 times. He should be in for 20 touches a week leaving his floor pretty high. The Chiefs allowed Gordon/Woodhead to produce three scores in Week 1.

Brock Osweiler threw for two scores last week and could have had more (drops by Fuller and Hopkins). Brock was also extremely effective on passes under 19 yards as he hit 18 of 25 of those tosses. The Chiefs allowed Rivers to throw for 243 yards and a score in Week 1 with a 97.3 QB Rating.

Jaelen Strong didn’t catch a pass.

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Miami Dolphins

Jordan Cameron caught two passes for six yards in Week 1. Nothing to see here.

Arian Foster only produced 38 yards on the ground on 13 carries against the Seahawks. He contributed a solid 62 yards on three grabs. That’s 16 touches and 100 yards of offense against the stout Seahawks in Seattle. Pretty solid work. Foster was missing practice time early in the week with a hamstring issue, but he should be fine.

Jarvis Landry reached 200 receptions faster than any player in history, just 33 games. In Week 1 he caught seven of 10 targets and is pretty much defense proof given the routes he runs and his connection with Tannehill.

DeVante Parker caught five balls for 106 yards and a score in the last meeting. Of course, he has no chance to get to that level this season though he is practicing early this week.

Ryan Tannehill has thrown for 996 yards the past three meetings with the Patriots and he’s gone over 300-yards in each outing. Tannehill didn’t look good in Week 1 against the Seahawks as he was continually harassed producing a poor fantasy day (186 yards, no scores, 55.2 percent completion rate) and Palmer didn’t look great against the Pats in Week 1.

Kenny Stills caught just one pass for 16 yards, despite the fact that Parker was a non-entity. As long as Still stays on the field he should produce, but the Week 1 effort shows you the floor with Stills who is mostly just a deep threat.

New England Patriots

Here are the snap counts for the wideouts in Week 1: Danny Amendola 19, Malcolm Mitchell 39, Chris Hogan 55 and Julian Edelman 61.

Here are the snap counts for the running backs in Week 1: LeGarrette Blount 42, James White 26, Brandon Bolden 3.

LeGarrette Blount had 22 carries for 70 yards and a touchdown in Week 1. Take away his 13 yard run and it becomes 21 carries for 57 yards. Both efforts fail to impress. Blount also fumbled, the quickest way to find the bench. The carries are great, no other back had more than one, but you know better than to trust that, right?

Julian Edelman has scored seven times in his last nine outings against the Dolphins. Seen some worry with Edelman, why? If he repeats what he did in Week 1 he would go over 110 receptions and 1,000 yards. How is that a problem?

Jimmy Garoppolo performed well in Week 1 as he threw for 264 yards and a score. In fact, he looked very Brady-like in doing so completing 24-of-33 passes. The return of Gronk would obviously be even more helpful.

Rob Gronkowski didn’t play in Week 1 after the team said he was fine the past three weeks, a total lie as his hamstring kept him on the sidelines. Gronk has scored seven times in his last nine games against the Dolphins. He’s scored 14 times his last 15 games at home (playoffs included). He was practicing early in the week.

Chris Hogan caught a touchdown in Week 1. He caught three passes on four targets in Week 1. Not that impressive. For more see this Daily Dive video.

James White caught five passes for 40 yards. He could do that kind of thing regularly. He got one carry though, and his touchdown upside is limited.

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New Orleans Saints

Drew Brees threw for more than 400 yards and four scores in Week 1. In six games against the Giants he’s thrown for 19 scores and three picks while averaging 322 passing yards. Oh yeah, he also threw for 505 yards and seven scores in the matchup last season.

Brandon Coleman didn’t catch a pass in Week 1.

Brandin Cooks caught 143 yards worth of passes and scored twice in Week 1. Cooks caught 40 passes average of 62.5 yards on the road last season in eight games as he scored three times. He saw nine targets in Week 1.

Colby Fleener caught one pass for six yards in Week 1. We heard all preseason that he didn’t have a connection with Brees and because he didn’t know the playbook. Noted as he did absolutely nothing last week. #RiskyInWeek2

Mark Ingram was the only game in town last week on the ground with 12 carries for 58 yards (no other back had more than four carries – Tim Hightower). Unfortunately, he caught only two passes last week as Mr. Cadet soaked up the passes with four catches, one more than Ingram. If Ingram isn’t catching passes like he did last season he’s more of an elite RB2 than RB1 option.

Willie Snead fumbled, but it was recovered by Michael Thomas. Snead blew up for nine grabs, 172 yards and a score. He generated 51 of those yards after the catch and beat six different defenders for grabs. The last time the two teams met he went for 70-yards and two scores.

C.J. Spiller was a healthy scratch after the team lied all summer about how good Spiller looked. Liars. They then released Spiller. Travaris Cadet filled the role that Spiller was supposed to. He carried the ball four times for 24 yards and caught three passes for 14 yards. He also scored. He will have a role, but a viable fantasy role? Not likely.

Michael Thomas recovered a fumble in Week 1. He also caught six passes for 58 yards and looked shark in doing it. This offense can support three wideouts.

New York Giants

Odell Beckham went for an 8-130-3 line the only time he’s faced the Saints. He had a disappointing first week with four catches for 73 yards. The fact that he caught only four of eight targets is surprising.

Victor Cruz played nearly every snap in Week 1, just six fewer than ODB actually (49 to 55). He also scored last week. He didn’t look great and only saw four targets though he caught them all for 43 yards. He’s still not startable.

Larry Donnell scored against the Cowboys in Week 1. It was his only catch. Will Tye caught three passes for 16 yards. Don’t know how you can pick one this week.

Rashaad Jennings ran for 75 yards last week on 18 carries. He has gone for 100-yards from scrimmage in four of five games. He’s the back to own on this club and he’s most likely the goaline weapon too after only he, and Vereen, carried the ball last week.

Eli Manning has thrown for 15 scores against five picks against the Saints. In Week 1 he threw for 207 yards and three scores. The last time he faced the Saints he was flinging it around for 350 yards and six touchdown passes. His last three against the Saints: 338 yards a game and four scores.

Paul Perkins didn’t show up in the box score. He didn’t play a snap. Neither did Orleans Darkwa or Bob Rainey on offense.

Sterling Shepard scored in his first NFL game. He was only targeted four times though catching three passes for 43 yards.

Shane Vereen carried the ball six times for 38 yards and caught three balls for 23 yards. That’s the type of middling effort that Vereen will most likely offer. He only saw the field for 24 snaps.

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Cincinnati Bengals

Giovani Bernard has two scores on the ground in 43 carries against the Steelers. He didn’t score in three games last season against the Steelers (playoffs included) as a pass catcher or runner. Bernard carried the ball five times for 25 yards in Week 1 catching two passes for five yards in a very disappointing effort. The ‘Skins couldn’t get their runners going last week. Will the Bengals?

Tyler Boyd had a typical poor effort for a rookie in his first game. He caught 2-of-3 passes for 24 yards. He saw the field for 44 snaps though getting lots of run.

Andy Dalton completed 26-of-43 passes for 290 yards, one score and three picks last season against the Steelers. He’s only thrown for 12 scores against 10 picks in the matchup in his career, and that is over 322 pass attempts. The Bengals ran the second most plays in football per second last week.

Tyler Eifert will not play in Week 2 as he’s not ready to return from his ankle issue. What a shock. He hopes to return by Week 4. Hopes to. Tyler Kroft didn’t start in Week 1 as C.J. Uzomah did as he caught two of five targets for 59 yards. His 54-yard grab was a nice catch. Neither guy can be started.

A.J. Green has averaged 6.7 receptions, 92 yards and 0.64 touchdowns a game in the matchup over 11 meetings. He scored in all three meetings last year (playoffs included) and he’s gone for at least 71 yards in 6-straight. He lit up Darrelle Revis and company for 180 yards in Week 1.

Jeremy Hill has one touchdown on 65 carries against the Steelers. Hill also failed to run for more than 60 yards in any of the three matchups last season (playoffs included).

Brandon LaFell was on the field for 55 snaps, the same total as Green. Brandon caught all four of his passes for 91 yards, 49 coming on one play (he’s not really a deep threat).

Pittsburgh Steelers

Le’Veon Bell is out again this week (week two of a suspension).

Antonio Brown has averaged seven receptions, 99.6 yards his last five games against the Bengals with two scores. He had two scores, eight grabs and 126 yards in Week 1.

Sammie Coates saw only three targets in Week 1, even with Wheaton out. He caught two of three targets for 56 yards. The one he missed was pass that bounced off him in the end zone leading to a Rogers score.

Jesse James saw seven targets catching five of them for 31 yards. It was a rather lackluster effort that for some reason really intrigued a lot of folks. Efforts like that are possible, but it’s not like he’s likely to become a huge red zone threat.

Ben Roethlisberger has a mere 34:25 TD/INT ratio against the Bengals while his total of 6,032 yards is the most he’s ever thrown against one team. The last three games between the two he’s thrown just two scores while being picked off four times. He threw for 300 yards and three scores in Week 1.

Eli Rogers scored for the first time in Week 1, on a deflected pass. He also caught six passes for 59 yards though he also lost a fumble in what was a bit of an up and down effort.

Markus Wheaton missed last week with a shoulder issue. That led to Darrius Heyward-Bey seeing 15 snaps. He didn’t catch a pass.

DeAngelo Williams ran for two scores the last time he faced the Bengals. In Week 1 he produced 143 yards and two rushing scores. He also caught six passes for 28 yards. He’s a monster. An RB1 every week Bell is out, as I’ve been saying all offseason.

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Dallas Cowboys

Cole Beasley saw a whopping 12 targets in Week 1 as Dak P. was a veritable checkdown machine. The mini-sized Beasley caught eight of them for 65 yards and he now has 60 receptions his last 17 games with five scores. A very low ceiling here.

Dez Bryant paid the price for working with an inexperienced, young quarterback in Dak Prescott. Bryant caught one of five targets for eight yards. The only other time in which he had a worse effort was when he was held catchless back in 2010 against the Saints. He’s scored four times in four games against the ‘Skins. He also figures to be shadowed by Josh Norman.

Ezekiel Elliott carried the ball 20 times for 51 yards and a score in Week 1. He called himself out and said he has to be better. Washington was destroyed by DWill last week on the ground, but until Dak shows he can stretch the field, at least a bit, it’s hard to envision Elliott going nuts.

Darren McFadden is still out. Alfred Morris carried the ball seven times for 35 yards in Week 1. He’s nothing more than a handcuff and has no standalone value.

Dak Prescott, when under pressure, he hit just 35.3 percent of his 17 passes for 66 yards. He didn’t turn the ball over, but 25-for-45 in Week 1 is very boring stuff. He showed no ability to stretch the field and crippled Bryant in the process. The Redskins allowed 288 passing yards and three scores last week to Big Ben.

Terrance Williams caught three passes for 34 yards, and cost the Cowboys the game when, instead of running out of bounds, he turned up field, got tackled, and the clock ran out. Brice Butler caught one of two targets for 16 yards and cannot be bothered with either.

Jason Witten led all tight ends with 14 targets in Week 1 as Dak dumped off over and over. Witten caught nine of the passes for 66 yards. He’s caught at least eight passes the last two times the teams have met.  

Washington Redskins

Kirk Cousins threw for 329 yards, no scores, and two picks in Week 1. The last time he faced the ‘Boys he threw for three scores with a 155.1 QB Rating but in two games last season he tossed just four scores and a total of just 395 yards.

Jamison Crowder saw a whopping 10 targets in Week 1 caught six of them for 58 yards. He also fumbled, though it was recovered. He can’t be expected to see workloads as large as that moving forward, but he might end up with some PPR value, especially when the bye weeks begin.

Josh Doctson was active in Week 1 after missing so much time with an Achilles issue. He saw just 12 snaps and caught his only target for nine yards.

Matt Jones ran 18 times for 49 yards in the matchup last December. He didn’t fumble in Week 1 this season, but he only carried the ball seven times for 24 yards, though that was the best effort by a Redskins back. In Week 1 he appeared on 19 plays with Rob Kelley not seeing a single snap. Chris Thompson was out there for 39 offensive snaps though he did nothing either (four carries for 23 yards, two catches for 16 yards).

Pierre Garcon caught a score in the last matchup though he pulled down eight balls for 103 yards in two games. He caught all six of his targets in Week 1 for 51 yards. He has scored nine times his last 33 games.

DeSean Jackson caught six balls for 102 yards in Week 1. Last season he appeared in one game against the Cowboys and caught six balls for 80 yards and a score.

Jordan Reed caught seven balls for 64 yards in Week 1. Though he was impressive last season it just didn’t happen when he faces the Cowboys as he caught seven passes for 78 yards and no scores in two games.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Mike Evans saw just seven targets in Week 1 but he made the most of them catching five balls for 99 yards and a score. He’s likely to be a WR1 every week because of workload and his red zone prowess.

Vincent Jackson was able to corral two of seven passes for 18 yards in Week 1. Adam Humphries, meanwhile, hauled in three of his five targets for 34 yards. Without a higher volume of passes, secondary receiving options could struggle for weekly production in this offense.

Doug Martin forced eight missed tackles in Week 1, the most in football. He carried the ball 18 times, and caught five passes, leading to 96 yards from scrimmage. He’s averaging 102.1 yards from scrimmage over his last 10 games (85.2 on the ground). Arizona held Blount to just 3.2 yards a carry last week.

Tight end snap counts from Week 1: Brandon Myers 13, Austin Seferian-Jenkins 18, Cameron Brate 25, Luke Stocker 37. ASJ scored last week, but if you are starting him this week, can’t help ya.

Charles Sims was on the field for just 20 snaps, less than half the 44 that Martin was out there. Sims carried the ball four times for nine yards and caught three passes for 2 yards.

Jameis Winston threw for four scores last week. He has thrown at least two scores in 3-of-4 games. Arizona wasn’t able to stop the Patriots through the air in Week 1, even with no Brady or Gronk.

Arizona Cardinals

John Brown caught 1-of-2 targets for 18 yards in Week 1. He was a complete non-entity. He was only on the field for 35 snaps, light years from the 59 snaps for Fitzgerald and 58 for Floyd.

Chris Johnson saw two snaps. He was a complete non-entity.

David Johnson forced a league best seven missed tackles on just 16 carries in Week 1. He also recorded 4.1 yards after contact in the matchup. Johnson produced 132 yards from scrimmage with a rushing score last week (89 rush, 43 catch). #BeastMode2

Larry Fitzgerald scored twice on eight grabs for 81 yards in Week 1. Fitzgerald soaked up 10 targets on his way to a dominating performance. People slept on him way too much in drafts this season.

Michael Floyd hauled in three of seven targets for 61 yards. Tampa Bay didn’t have much success last week against the Falcons as both Sanu and Jones scored.

Carson Palmer was absolute money on passes under 10-yards going 17-for-19. He hit only one pass over 20-yards and he was 7-for-13 under pressure. He also continues to look shaky as he did at the end of last season, this preseason, and in Week 1. He still threw for 271 yards and two scores in Week 1 and has a QB Rating of 100 in 8-of-11 games.

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Seattle Seahawks

Paul Richardson saw 17 snaps in Week 1, Jermaine Kearse 70, Doug Baldwin 70 and Tyler Lockett 62.

Doug Baldwin caught nine balls for 92 yards and a score last week. He had eight grabs for 118 yards and a score in the last matchup with the Rams. He’s also caught seven balls in 3-straight matchups.

Jimmy Graham caught one measly pass in Week 1. We knew he wasn’t ready to play a full slate of snaps coming back from his knee injury, but it’s still pretty shocking that he wasn’t used at all. Can’t trust now, but good times are hopefully ahead.

Jermaine Kearse scored in the last matchup and he caught five balls for 57 yards in Week 1. He saw seven targets, the same as…

Tyler Lockett generated just 17 yards on his three receptions on seven targets. Nothing to see there. Tried to tell ya over the summer.

Christine Michael led the backfield with 66 rushing yards last week, and 15 carries. However, Thomas Rawls carried the ball 12 times for 32 yards, despite having been on the field for 30 fewer snaps. HC Pete Carroll stated after the game that Rawls is ready to see an increased workload which means that Michael is very difficult play this week as Rawls would appear to be ready to take the workload lead now that he is starting. The Rams allowed three rushing scores last week to the Niners.

C.J. Prosise carried the ball once for (-2) yards and caught one ball for 13 yards in his debut.

Russell Wilson has an ankle issue throwing his outlook into doubt. The last two years Seattle has had a both seven defense in both pass and run blocking. They might be even worse this season. He’s never missed a game, and has thrown for a score in 17-straight games. He’s thrown for at least 250 yards and a score in each of the last two matchups.

Los Angeles Rams

Tavon Austin has appeared against the Seahawks with 14 carries for 46 yards and a scored while catching 12 passes for 46 yards. He did nothing in Week 1 as he caught four of 12 targets for 13 yards. The Rams offense is terrible. So is Austin.

Kenny Britt has a score in 2-of-4 games. He also scored last time the two teams met. He saw six targets in Week 1 hauling in four passes for 67 yards.

Pharoh Cooper didn’t catch a pass though Brian Quick did. Three of them for 23 yards.

Todd Gurley ran for 85 yards on 19 carries against the Seahawks last season with a rushing score. He has run for four scores his last four games. He couldn’t get loose for one of his patented runs in Week 1 and ran for just 47 yards on 17 attempts as the Niners collapsed at the line with Case K. unable to generate anything. The matchup in Week 2 is even worse on paper than Week 1.

Lance Hendricks caught two balls for 15 yards. He has 27 receptions and two scores his last 16 games.

Case Keenum was dreadful in Week 1 against the Niners, but he will once again start for the Rams. He did nothing to lead the offense on his way to 130 yards, no scores and two picks. He looked dreadful, so bad in fact that you simply cannot start any pass catchers in this offense in Week 2.

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Indianapolis Colts

Dwayne Allen scored last week while Jack Doyle scored twice (Allen also had a 2-point conversion). OC Chudzinski loves utilizing the tight end. Denver had no luck stopping Greg Olsen last week and should face similar issues this week. Allen is the obvious play and could be a red zone threat all season long (he caught four balls for 53 yards last week).

Phillip Dorsett caught four passes for 94 yards in Week 1. He also saw the field for 51 snaps. His workload, and production, could go up and down from week to week unless there is an injury. He’s really a WR4 in most weeks.

Frank Gore carried the ball 14 times and caught four passes as well last week. Unfortunately, he didn’t score and posted just 78 yards of offense. The workload is heartening though, especially since Robert Turbin and Josh Ferguson carried the ball twice for two yards.

T.Y. Hilton has averaged 16.2 yards a catch since 2014, the best in football. He had five grabs for 82 yards in the last two matchups. Hilton has caught 16 passes for just 222 yards and no scores in four games against the Broncos with Luck under center.

Andrew Luck has produced 11 scores his last four games against the Colts (two rushing). He threw for 385 yards and four scores in Week 1 looking sharp. No reason to worry about his shoulder. His o-line also looked pretty sharp in Week 1, something needed against a stout Broncos team. The Colts ran the third fastest offense in football per second last week.

Donte Moncrief caught six of seven targets for a score and 64 yards. He has the look of a breakout candidate.

Denver Broncos

C.J. Anderson ran for 92 yards and a score in Week 1. He also 47 yards of passes and scored another touchdown. He has scored seven times in his last six home games. He’s averaged 4.9 YPC on 29 totes against the Colts, just off the 4.7 PYC that he’s averaged the past two seasons.

Devontae Booker saw just six snaps. Total non-entity.

Virgil Green caught four passes for 28 yards. Who cares? Don’t know why some of you do. Jeff Heuerman will likely be able to return from his ankle issue this week.

Von Miller has produced six sacks, has forced two fumbles and has intercepted a pass in his last three games.

Emmanuel Sanders caught six passes for 90 yards and a score in the last matchup. He turned eight targets into five catches and 49 yards last week. In this offense, that’s likely to be the type of production you should expect.

Trevor Siemian helmed the third slowest offense in football last week in plays per second. That’s the plan too. Keep things slow and steady on offense, and let the defense win it. Siemian did do a good job last week getting the ball out quickly and this week he takes on the beat up Colts secondary: Patrick Robinson, Tj.j Green and Vontae Davis are out while Antonio Cromartie and Darius Butler are listed as questionable.

Demaryius Thomas (hip) is taking his health day by day but he was at practice on Wednesday which certainly suggests he will play this weekend though he seemed to be in discomfort. The Colts defensive backfield is in shambles, so if Thomas doesn’t show up this week there will be serious concerns after he caught four of just six targets for 48 yards last week.

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Atlanta Falcons

Tevin Coleman looked great in Week 1, especially as a pass catcher making multiple fine grabs. He appeared on 32 snaps, just four less than Devonta Freeman. In Week 1 Coleman posted 117 yards on 13 touches while Freeman produced a mere 40 yards on 15 touches. Freeman has produced 100-yards from scrimmage in 2-of-3 games on the road by the way. Freeman is still the better play this week, but the team will continue to use both backs damping the outlook of both.

Julio Jones seemed to reinjure his ankle in Week 1, but for the most part played through it and should be fine in Week 2 after catching 66 yards of passes for a score. He’s now gone for six grabs and 80-yards in 12-straight outings. He’s an elite option, ankle issue and all.

Matt Ryan threw for 334 yards and two scores last week, even as he sailed some passes. He gets to face a Raiders club that was annihilated last week by Brees and the Saints for four passing scores and more than 400 yards. Ryan was 7^th in football with an average of 9.2 yards per aimed throw last week even as his accuracy was spotty (he as 16^th on accuracy on aimed throws last week).

Mohamed Sanu injured his ankle but had a nice game in Week 1 as he caught five balls for 80 yards and a score on eight targets. He’s also scored in both his career games against the Raiders. Still, he’s never been that guy, and the past couple of years this offense has had trouble consistently producing weekly efforts of value from the second wideout.

Jacob Tamme had a nice Week 1 with six receptions and 51 yards. Over his last 16 games he’s caught 65 passes for 708 yards. He clearly has a role in this offense. However, his fantasy value is capped since he never gets into the end zone. He has one score in that time.

Oakland Raiders

Derek Carr tossed the ball for 319 yards and a score last week. Carr was 6^th in yards per attempt, but he was only 9^th in PFF football weekly QB rankings, a poor score given the overall numbers last week as his effort wasn’t as good as it seemed from the box score. He will face a Falcons club that is likely to blitz more, but he should once again be effective with huge upside.

Armani Cooper saw 11 targets last week as he caught six balls for 137 yards. There is no way the Falcons will stop him, especially if Carr targets him more effectively this week (Cooper graded out as the 22^nd best wideout last week cause he was missed so frequently on pass attempts though Cooper dropped one pass).

Michael Crabtree caught seven balls for 87 yards in Week 1. He averaged 2.23 yards per route, the 14^th best number in Week 1.

Khalil Mack has 10 sacks over his last seven games. He has five sacks his last five games at home.

Latavius Murray has averaged nearly 100 yards a game from scrimmage the last five games at home (98 per contest). In Week 1 he averaged 2.50 yards after contact, the 12^th best mark of any back with 14 or more carries (23 in total). He averaged 66.6 yards a game last season on the ground, and had 59 yards in Week 1. He’s a volume back, nothing more.

Clive Walford caught three passes for 25 yards. Keep hearing he’s going to be involved more. Can’t start him til we will it.

DeAndre Washington had eight offensive snaps, just two more than Taiwan Jones. Jalen Richard had a 75-yard touchdown run on his first NFL carry but he too only saw the field for 10 snaps in Week 1.

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Jacksonville Jaguars

Blake Bortles has completed 69 percent of his passes in two games against San Diego but he’s only tossed three scores versus three interceptions, though he did go for 329 yards and two scores the last matchup. Bortles threw for 320 yards and a score last week.

Allen Hurns has scored seven times with four games of 100-yards in his last seven games on the road. He only saw five targets in Week 1, a low total, but he caught four of them for 75 yards. Last season he averaged 4.3 receptions and 68.7 yards a week.

Chris Ivory is out of the hospital but there is no way to know if he will play this week. Be safe/smart and make other plans.

Paul Posluszny has produced 10 tackles in 4-straight games against the Chargers.

Allen Robinson caught just six of 15 targets in Week 1. Just remarkably inefficient. He’s also caught 19 passes of at least 25-yards, the second most in football, since 2015. Robinson had a touchdown in the last meeting and he’s scored 12 times his last 13 games.

Julius Thomas scored in Week 1 while catching five passes. He also, yet again, injured his ankle. Given his track record of ankle woes, you should be very cautious. He caught nine balls for 119 yards and a score in the last meeting and is practicing early in the week.

T.J. Yeldon got all the work in Week 1, and he was dreadful. Luckily he scored, or it would have been a horrific effort. Yeldon somehow touched the ball 25 times yet somehow produced just 69 yards in total. Scary bad. Yeldon had 82 yards from scrimmage in the last matchup with the Chargers.

San Diego Chargers

Keenan Allen has torn his ACL and he’s done for the season. As Al Zeidenfeld points out, that could lead to some changes for Danny Woodhead and Antonio Gates. The last two season, in the games that Allen missed, Woodhead averaged 14.5 PPR points, nearly two full points above his average when Allen played, and he gained a full reception per contest (5.12 per game) while seeing two more targets an outing. Surprisingly, Gates actually saw his totals remain relatively similar. In fact, he lost a bit in his PPR point total from 14.3 down to 13.0.

Travis Benjamin saw eight targets, and that number might go up with Allen out. Benjamin caught seven balls in Week 1 but somehow averaged 4.6 yards a catch (career 14.8 percent). The catches go down, and the yards go up this week.

Antonio Gates caught just three of four passes for 20 yards. He also didn’t block well, looking old in the process. He has scored seven times in eight games against the Jaguars including two in the last games.

Melvin Gordon generated 2.7 yards after contact as he broke four tackles. He also scored twice after not scoring last season. Gordon carried the ball 14 times, two fewer than Danny Woodhead. Gordon also was more than doubled in snaps in Week 1 by Woodhead, 50 to 23. Woodhead cant see as much action as he did last week (16 carries, five catches), and he’s simply not going to have games where he puts up 120 yards.

Dontrelle Inman and Tyrell Williams will be looked at to pick up things with the loss of Allen. Last week Inman appeared on 58 snaps, Williams 44. Williams is the slightly better play. He also produced more last week with two grabs for 71 yards and Inman six yards on one catch.

Philip Rivers has thrown for 15 scores against four picks against the Jaguars. Rivers has won 5-straight games against the Jags with a QB Rating of 100 in each game. Without Rivers last week he threw only eight passes that were in the air over 10-yards.

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Green Bay Packers

Davante Adams scored last week though he is still third in the pecking order after catching three balls for 50 yards at the wideout spot. Over his last 14 games Adams has 53 receptions for two scores and 533 yards. He was all over the field last week with 59 snaps, five more than Nelson and three less than Cobb.

Morgan Burnett had nine tackles and a sack last week.

Randall Cobb caught six balls for 57 yards last week as he saw eight targets. He’s only caught two scores though the years against the Vikings though one was last season. Too bad he caught just eight passes for 71 yards in the two matchups.

Jared Cook was everyone’s favorite last week, like in an obnoxious way. I said then, why? A week later I’m still saying the same thing – why? He caught one pass for seven yards. Meanwhile, Richard Rodgers caught a pass for 22 yards. The Cook love was/is just bonkers.

Eddie Lacy has run for a touchdown or 100-yards in five of six games against the Vikings. He’s also scored six times in those six games (five rushing, one receiving). His last 16 games Lacy has five scores (three rushing), and has averaged 4.2 YPC. Minnesota did look good last week limiting the Titans to just 64 rushing yards. James Starks carried the ball four times for seven yards and caught a pass for another six.

Jordy Nelson – I broke down his Week 1 effort in this Daily Dive video. Nelson has seven scores in 14 career meetings though he’s caught just 48 passes for 687 yards and has failed to reach 70-yards in any of the last three meetings and 4-of-5.

Aaron Rodgers didn’t look too sharp last week, but he still threw for two scores and ran for another He has thrown at least two scores in 11-of-13 games against the Vikings. He’s thrown for 35 scores, and run for another, against five picks all-time in the matchup.

Minnesota Vikings

Stefon Diggs looked sharp, and he should benefit from Sam Bradford who likes to utilize the slot. Diggs caught seven of eight passes for 103 yards as the only legitimate threat that can be counted on at the wide out spot with this team. He’s scored 4-of-5 against NFC North opponents though he only caught seven passes for 74 yards in the two games last season.

Shaun Hill should take a seat to allow Sam Bradford to man the controls in Week 2 though the team won’t, stupidly, announce the starter until Sunday. So dumb. The Packers allowed 300 passing yards last week but only one passing score while they picked off a pass while generating three sacks.

Charles Johnson caught one of six targets for five yards last week. He wasn’t able to separate in Week 1, perhaps still feeling the lingering effects of a quad issue that has been bothering him.

Jerick McKinnnon was supposed to be more involved this season. Not so much in Week 1 when he carried the ball once (six yards) and caught one pass (three yards). He has no week-to-week value unless AD goes down.

Cordarrelle Patterson has earned some playing time. Uh huh. Not hard to do since he only appeared on five snaps last week. Who cares?

Adrian Peterson has scored in 4-straight games against the Packers and he has 14 touchdowns in 17 matchups. He has run for a score or 99 yards in 9-straight versus the Packers as he tries to put Week 1’s completely lackluster effort (19 carries, 31 yards) behind him.

Kyle Rudolph caught four balls for 56 yards last week on eight targets. He had six catches for 106 yards and a score in his last home start against the Packers. He also has two scores in his last three games against NFC North opponents.

Laquon Treadwell didn’t play a snap in Week 1. Adam Thielen, whoever he is, caught four passes for 54 yards. At this point he seems locked into the WR3 role with the Vikings.

Blair Walsh missed two kicks and an extra point in Week 1. One was a 56 yarder, but still, that’s a terrible effort.

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Philadelphia Eagles

Nelson Agholor finally showed up. Finally. He caught four passes for 57 yards and a scored last week. He was on the field for 87 percent of the snaps in Week 1. He only saw five targets so don’t get too far ahead of yourself with the first round pick from 2015.

Zach Ertz will miss game action this week and it could be the sidelines for multiple weeks with a displaced rib near his left shoulder. Seems like Brent Celek will become the top option at tight end, though he’s more of a blocker than pass catcher.

Dorial Green-Beckham saw all of two targets in Week 1 catching them both for 14 yards. He wasn’t part of the base sets, but he could carve out a roll in the red zone, especially with Ertz out.

Mychal Kendricks played just 19 of 53 snaps in Week 1. He signed a huge contract extension this spring, but he’s seemingly the odd man out in sub packages.

Ryan Mathews carried the ball 22 times for 77 yards and a score last week. He’s now scored in 2-of-3 games. He should have continued success against a moderate at best Bears defense.

Jordan Matthews caught seven of 14 targets for 114 yards and a score. Over the last four games he’s caught a score each time out along with at least 50-yards. He’s also scored 4-straight games on the road and has a shot to extend that streak against a listless Bears pass defense.  

Darren Sproles was on the field for just 38 of 77 snaps. He was also out touched by Mathews 22 to seven as he ran the ball five times for 12 yards and caught just two of five targets for 23 yards. He’s simply not trustworthy on a week to week basis. Meanwhile, Kenjon Barner carried the ball four times for 42 yards to support Mathews.

Carson Wentz had the 4^th best adjusted completion percentage mark in football last week (PFF) as he threw for 278 yards and two scores. The Eagles ran the second slowest offense in football in plays per second last week.

Chicago Bears

Jay Cutler threw for 216 yards and a score last week. Carson Wentz lit the Browns up last week (278 yards, two scores). In four games against the Eagles Cutler has thrown eight scores against just two picks as he’s averaged a mere 212 passing yards a contest.

Alshon Jeffery has gone for a touchdown or score in 4-straight games (he caught four balls for 105 yards last week). The Bears seem likely to move Jeffery all around the field to get him more work this week. The Eagles will be down Leodis McKelvin so Jeffery could see a lot of rookie Jalen Mills.

Jeremy Langford carried the ball 17 times 57 yards and a score in Week 1. He also added two grabs on four targets. Langford was on the field for 96 percent of the plays in Week 1, a massive total. Jordan Howard and Ka’Deem Carey were on the field for two offensive snaps.

Eddie Royal caught 4-of-6 targets for 57 yards and a score in Week 1. He’s not trustworthy though, his career shows us that, as he’s no better than third in the pecking order out wide.

Zach Miller had a disappointing Week 1 as he caught just three passes for 14 yards. Last week the Eagles stopped Barnidge rendering him a non-entity.

Kevin White caught just three of seven targets in Week 1 for 34 yards. He dropped what would have been a first round, and it looked like he ran the wrong way on a Jay Cutler pick. He looked like what he is – incredibly raw.