Dose: Falcons Dismantle Bucs
Week 3 kicked off with a Thursday Night NFC South matchup that was over before it began, as the Atlanta Falcons dominated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a 56-14 blowout win. Just how bad was the carnage in the Georgia Dome? Mike Glennon led Tampa Bay in passing and T.J. Yates threw for more passing yards than Josh McCown. Atlanta tallied a whopping eight touchdowns before Tampa Bay managed to score, and put on a clinic in all three phases of the game.
Atlanta was led by the Matt Ryan to Julio Jones connection on Thursday, as the pair hooked up on nine passes for 161 yards and two scores. Jones looked like he was playing with the junior varsity team while ripping off huge chunks of yardage with little resistance from the Tampa Bay defense. Through three games, Jones is averaging a ridiculous 7.7 receptions, 121.7 yards and one touchdown per game. Let’s just say his career highs of 1,198 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns are in serious danger of being demolished this season.
Matt Ryan finished the night early as he gave way to backup T.J. Yates, but ended with a healthy 286 yard, three touchdown stat line. Ryan looked comfortable all night as he completed 88% of his 24 passing attempts despite the absence of Roddy White (hamstring). White sat out the game, which is actually good news for the fantasy football world as he will have another ten days to rest before Atlanta heads to Minnesota in Week 4. Forcing his way back from injury too early sunk Roddy’s 2013 season so this layoff should be a relief to folks counting on him for fantasy production moving forward.
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Buccaneers at Falcons Notes
Bobby Rainey got the start for Tampa Bay as Doug Martin (knee) was scratched prior to kickoff. Rainey’s night was saved by a heap of garbage time production but his performance on the night was not encouraging as he faced an Atlanta front that had been extremely soft over the first two weeks of the season. Rainey lost two fumbles and was briefly benched in the contest, leaving little doubt that Doug Martin will reclaim his role as Tampa’s lead back when healthy. … Steven Jackson bulldozed his way into the endzone for a third quarter score to salvage his fantasy night. Jackson ran tough but didn’t show much speed as he turned 14 carries into 54 yards and wasn’t involved in the passing game. … Harry Douglas (foot) was in line for a huge jump in work with Roddy White out, but departed Thursday’s game early with a foot injury. Luckily, he chipped in with an opening drive touchdown before the injury. … Devin Hester set an NFL record with his 20th career return touchdown and showed off the crazy speed that has been his signature over his nine-year career. Hester also added a 20-yard rushing touchdown on the evening for good measure. .. Vincent Jackson snagged a fourth quarter touchdown to save his fantasy night. The veteran receiver looked disinterested for most of the evening as the Tampa Bay quarterback play was terrible and the score was out of hand.
In other news…
The biggest surprise from Thursday’s NFL practice news was Jamaal Charles (ankle) getting a limited workout in Kansas City’s Thursday session. Coach Andy Reid described Charles’ injury as having “the component of a high-ankle sprain” earlier this week, so seeing the highly drafted fantasy back at practice was certainly a noteworthy development. This will be the most frequently updated injury of the upcoming weekend, so be sure to stay tuned for more information on Charles’ status. As for Sunday, this puts the “startability” of waiver wire warrior Knile Davis in jeopardy, although he should still see significant work even if Charles miraculously suits up as Kansas City would not likely push their stud running back. The cherry on top of this messy situation is the fact that the Chiefs play an afternoon (4:25 ET) game on Sunday, so Charles and Davis owners alike will have difficult decisions prior to kickoff of the early games.
Cleveland tight end Jordan Cameron (shoulder) was reportedly “very limited” at practice on Thursday and is a dicey bet to play on Sunday as Cleveland hosts Baltimore. With a dinged up shoulder and Andrew Hawkins hogging the targets in Cleveland, Cameron won’t exactly be a reliable tight end starter in Week 3. Additionally, Baltimore has allowed zero touchdowns and only 88 total yards to opposing tight ends through two weeks, so exploring other options would be encouraged even if Cameron starts.
Minnesota OC Norv Turner announced on Thursday that he will be using the “hot hand” approach at running back on Sunday as the Vikings travel to New Orleans. The sluggish Matt Asiata performed as expected in Week 2 as he averaged 2.8 yard per carry on 13 attempts while filling in for Adrian Peterson. Fantasy owners disappointed with rookie Jerick McKinnon’s four Week 2 touches should continue to hold onto the young speedster, as it appears our old friend Norval is taking note of the more talented of his two available backs. Asiata will remain dependent on goal line work, so McKinnon will be the best bet for upside with a better chance at being an impact fantasy asset as the season progresses.
A.J. Green (foot) was a limited participant in Cincinnati’s Thursday practice and his Sunday status remains murky. The only thing working in favor of Green’s fantasy owners is the fact that Cincinnati hosts Tennessee at 1:00 ET on Sunday so a full slate of fall back options will be available when we learn Green’s official status. If Green does indeed play, he will still be a top option against the Titans defense that was torched by Dez Bryant in Week 2. Wide receiver Mohamed Sanu would likely see an increase in action if Green sits, along with added receiving duties for both Bengals running backs.
Depth Chart Quick Slants
With Mark Ingram (hand) on the shelf for a month, New Orleans coach Sean Payton thinks running back Khiry Robinson is “ready for the workload” as the Saints move forward with just Robinson and Pierre Thomas in their backfield. Ingram averaged 14 touches per outing in the season’s first two games, so Robinson’s workload is set to inflate for the next few weeks. … Baltimore wide receiver Torrey Smith announced on Thursday that he is “not frustrated” with his role in the Ravens’ offense despite being tied for fourth (with Justin Forsett) on the team in targets (10) through two weeks. Smith can’t be viewed as anything higher than a WR3 for the time being as Joe Flacco is locked onto Steve Smith and both Dennis Pitta and Owen Daniels. … The Miami Dolphins will be without Knowshon Moreno (elbow) for a month or two, and it appears that Damien Williams will take the backup running back role behind Lamar Miller in Moreno’s absence. Williams scraped up five carries after Moreno departed in Week 2, so he could have a moderate workload for the next handful of games. Keep Williams’ name handy if Miller goes down, as Miami’s ground game has been promising early in the season.
Injury Quick Slants
Bad news from the desert as Carson Palmer (shoulder) was limited in Thursday’s practice. Another Drew Stanton start (14-29 for 167 yards passing in Week 2) would knock Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd down a few pegs for Sunday’s matchup with San Francisco. … The shoulder woes continue as DeSean Jackson (shoulder) was limited in practice on Thursday as well. We should know more on Friday about Jackson’s chances of suiting up in Week 3 alongside new starting quarterback Kirk Cousins. … Another limited participant in Thursday practice was Arian Foster (hamstring). No serious news has alluded to Foster being in danger of missing Week 3, but it appears that rookie Alfred Blue has emerged as Foster’s handcuff. Blue played more snaps and handled more carries than fellow Texans back Jonathan Grimes in Week 2. Keep that in mind if/when Foster misses time. … DeAngelo Williams (thigh) did not practice Thursday but all indications from Carolina show that he will play in Week 3. Williams is a sketchy flex play if he starts and the same goes for Jonathan Stewart if Williams sits.
