Mostly NFL Notes: Talking Eagles struggles, a Pats shootout and a look around the league
There’s obviously a real worry about all Cowboys players after Dez Bryant and Tony Romo going down, but what about the Eagles? This Dallas/Philly game had by far the highest over/under in Week 2 (55.5 points in most places), yet the teams entered the fourth quarter totaling 13 points (with the Eagles being shutout). Philadelphia didn’t score its first touchdown until garbage time (despite Dallas committing a franchise high 18 penalties), when they were down 20-3 with 1:21 left in the fourth quarter in a truly dismal performance. Sam Bradford got just 6.1 YPA, threw two picks and lost a fumble, yet he wasn’t the team’s biggest worry, which was the running game, as DeMarco Murray got -15 yards on his first eight rushing attempts.
No one expected him to repeat last year’s numbers, especially while sharing carries, but the Eagles actually graded as the No. 1 run-blocking unit according to Pro Football Focus last season by a wide margin (the Cowboys were second). Murray did manage to haul in all five of his targets for 53 yards, including this hurdle over Brandon Carr. Still, Murray has 11 rushing yards over two games, which is incredible for someone who totaled 2,261 yards last season. I still have faith in Chip Kelly producing numbers, but it’s been a discouraging start to say the least, and a road game against the Jets in Week 3 is no easy task. I’d look to buy-low on Eagles players entering Week 4 (especially Jordan Matthews).
Matthew Stafford was bad Sunday, but his fantasy performance was fine thanks to 53 attempts...Meanwhile, Teddy Bridgewater scored nearly as many points despite throwing 35 fewer passes...After the 49ers ran for 230 yards last week against Minnesota, Ameer Abdullah and Joique Bell combined for 12 rushing yards on 10 carries...Adrian Peterson looked great, aside from his three fumbles (one was overturned). He had 20 more receiving yards than any other Vikings player...Charles Johnson has just 37 yards on six targets through two games, so I’d bench him for Week 3 (he then faces Denver in Week 4 followed by a bye)...Calvin Johnson got an ugly 5.2 YPT, but his TD catch was nice, and he saw 16 targets after getting just four last week.
After coughing up the ball five times over 222 carries last year, Jeremy Hill lost two fumbles Sunday (he had another overturned in Week 1) and was benched as a result. I was as high on Hill as anyone entering the year and own plenty of shares, but this is obviously a big concern...One week after dominating, Keenan Allen got just 16 yards on four targets, and he too lost a fumble.
Here’s possibly the greatest table tennis rally ever.
I’m an idiot and took an apparently bad Saints team in survivor this week, and this game shouldn’t have been as close as the final score. Austin Seferian-Jenkins dropped a wide open 40-yard catch, and Tampa Bay lost fumbles on back-to-back drives when they had the game in hand (although the Saints were driving for the win when Mark Ingram lost a fumble)...Jameis Winston somehow got 9.9 YPA while completing 66.7 percent of his passes despite Mike Evans securing zero of his three targets. Not known as a rusher in college, the rookie QB also ran in a score after doing so twice in the preseason...I’ve looked wrong about Brandin Cooks so far, but I’d remain patient...Despite playing in a dome, the Saints simply can’t find an adequate kicker...The Bucs have an NFL-high 23 straight games with a giveaway, while New Orleans has lost six straight home games.
Headlines of the Week: Man Tries To Steal Phone From Walmart, Ends Up Stabbing Himself...Brazilian Wasp Venom Kills Cancer Cells, But Not Healthy Cells...Man Suspected Of Smelling Woman’s Feet At Library Leads Police On Scooter Chase...Teen Dies After Parents Allegedly Try To ‘Teach Him A Lesson’ By Forcing Him To Drink.
Matt Ryan got 6.9 YPA on the road last season (compared to 8.2 at home), but he threw for 363 yards (7.9 YPA) Sunday, despite targeting Roddy White just once (Leonard Hankerson saw 10 more)...Julio Jones hauled in 13-of-15 targets for 135 yards...Shane Veeren secured all eight of his targets and remains a sneaky PPR play...Even with no Victor Cruz and facing an Atlanta secondary that allowed an NFL-high 8.2 YPA last season, Rueben Randle had one catch for five yards. He’s a bum, and I’ve clearly been too slow to admit as much...Rashad Jennings obviously can’t be trusted at this point...Tough break for Tevin Coleman owners, as he looked good, including punching in a GL score...The Giants are the first team in NFL history to lose their first two games of a season despite leading by 10+ points in the fourth quarter of each game.
I was worried Steve Smith was done, despite his apparent opportunity, but 16 targets (and 150 yards) later, he still has a pulse to be sure...Derek Carr’s 7.6 YPA mark Sunday was the third highest of his career over 18 games...Crockett Gillmore is quite obviously on the fantasy radar and is a must add for those in need of TE help....Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree became the first pair of Raiders wide receivers to total 100 yards in the same game since 2012.
Lamar Miller has 23 carries for 67 yards over the first two games...T.J. Yeldon had a touchdown overturned, and while his YPC was unimpressive, you have to like the 28 touches...To call survivor a week of carnage would be an understatement.
How about the Bills/Patriots combining for 72 points? After Buffalo’s secondary held Andrew Luck to an ugly 5.0 YPA last week, Tom Brady shredded them for 466 yards and a 3:0 TD:INT ratio...Tyrod Taylor had a weird game, taking eight sacks and throwing three picks yet completed 76.7 percent of his passes and got 8.1 YPA. He also totaled four touchdowns and ran for 43 yards...Rob Gronkowski now has a TD reception in eight straight games, which is the longest active streak in the NFL...LeGarrette Blount owners probably expected more than two carries in a game in which the Pats scored 40 points...Meanwhile, Dion Lewis had his second fumble of the season in just over five quarters, which was half the amount the entire Patriots team lost all of last season. Surprisingly he later returned, but who knows with this backfield moving forward...Karlos Williams looks like a bigger threat to LeSean McCoy’s fantasy value than his balky hamstring.
The Cardinals are 15-2 (including eight straight wins) over Carson Palmer’s last 17 starts...Michael Floyd continues to be nonexistent, while Eddie Royal and Marquess Wilson combined for just 3.9 YPT despite the absence of Alshon Jeffery (although Jimmy Clausen obviously contributed to this). Meanwhile, Larry Fitzgerald scored three touchdowns, including this sick play...David Johnson has three touchdowns over the first nine touches of his career, averaging 58.7 yards per score.
Police Blotter: Teen Charged As Adult For Taking & Having Naked Photos Of A Minor – Himself... Father, Daughter Arrested After Bank Robbery, High-Speed Chase...Woman Fondles Strangers, Breaks Into Home To Play Cards...Woman Arrested For Throwing Dog Poo At Policeman...Burglar Returned For Lost Keys.
Johnny Manziel did this on his first pass of the game. He finished with a 133.9 QB Rating against a Titans defense that played well last week. There’s no reason not to give him another chance regardless of Josh McCown’s health in Week 3...Even with David Cobb out of the picture, Bishop Sankey is clearly sharing touches with both Terrance West and apparently now even Dexter McCluster (although game flow played a role here), and PFF gave Sankey a terrible grade in Week 1, so I would ignore him in fantasy leagues.
Matt Jones looks like such a beast. His floor is lower, but I’d prefer to own him over Alfred Morris over the rest of the season...Tre Mason didn’t exactly impress. Todd Gurley can’t be ready soon enough...Nice to see Ryan Grant resurrect his career as a wide receiver (I guess the same could be said about Matt Jones, only in opposite positions).
I’m beginning to think Alfred Blue isn’t any good...DeAndre Hopkins owners should still be encouraged by his 11 targets, although it was surprising to see Cecil Shorts get more...This Cam Newton TD run was pretty nice, even if he didn’t totally stick the landing.
Song of the Week: The Dead Weather – I Feel Love (Every Million Miles)
Carlos Hyde left with a scary looking injury (in which you could hear him scream in pain) and then later with a possible concussion that he’s since passed protocol, so as long as he’s healthy, his fantasy owners should be happy with Sunday’s lackluster results...Almost all of Colin Kaepernick’s stats were racked up when down big, but it was nice to see what he can do when given 45+ pass attempts. Kap has zero interceptions on 72 attempts this year and has already rushed for 92 yards...Pittsburgh went for two after their first touchdown and then again on their second after San Francisco jumped offside during an extra point attempt. Josh Scobee then missed an extra point after their next TD...Those who drafted Le’Veon Bell should be salivating after looking at what DeAngelo Williams has been able to do so far in this offense.
Longread of the Week: Many Psychology Findings Not As Strong As Claimed, Study Says
In the last two seasons (including playoffs), Aaron Rodgers has a 39:0 TD:INT ratio at home...Eddie Lacy’s ankle injury didn’t look good (although X-ray's were negative), and James Starks would immediately become a top-10 fantasy back if he were to miss time (Lacy owners can hold hope he gets an extra days’ rest when they play next Monday night)...James Jones now has three touchdowns on seven targets, which seems unsustainable...The Seahawks are 0-2 but should still be considered the favorites to win the NFC West.
