Dose: Ravens Rip The Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers turned in a clunker on Thursday Night as penalties and turnovers proved costly and kept Mike Tomlin’s crew out of the endzone in Baltimore. 26-6 was the final tally, as the Ravens came out on top in this AFC North battle. Most of the pertinent fantasy news came from John Harbaugh’s offense in this one, so tighten up that chin strap and let’s dig in.
The Baltimore backfield was a bullseye for waiver wire claims and excessive FAAB bids this week and we didn’t have to wait long to see how the workload would be divided between the Baltimore backs in the post-Ray Rice era. Bernard Pierce appears to be back in the good graces of coach John Harbaugh, as he handled 22 carries for 96 yards just four days after being benched for fumbling after a mere eight snaps. Pierce looked decent, yet unspectacular on Thursday but the point here is that he was clearly Baltimore’s lead back. Week 1 hero Justin Forsett was given only eight carries, but handled the passing work as he chipped in with four grabs for 16 yards. Pierce will be the only startable fantasy commodity in this backfield in the near future.
Joe Flacco’s preference in receiving options continued to draw the ire of fantasy owners as the Steve Smith Sr. show continued in Week 2. The 35 year-old wide receiver was targeted 10 times on the night and he hauled in six of those passes for 71 yards. That makes 25 targets in two weeks for Smith, who looked as spry as ever as he proved to be a reliable option for Flacco. On the much more depressing side of the coin was Torrey Smith, who was targeted only three times on the evening. Steve Smith Sr. (25) now has 15 more targets than Torrey Smith (10) through two weeks and has taken quite a chunk out of Torrey Smith’s expected workload this season.
Baltimore tight ends Dennis Pitta and Owen Daniels were both busy on Thursday, but it was Daniels who found the end zone twice with two goal line touchdowns receptions. New offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak oversaw Daniels’ prime years in Houston and it looks like the two plan on reliving their glory days in 2014. Pitta, who caught three passes for 30 yards, is still clearly the tight end of choice here but Daniels’ involvement hurts his stock a bit and may cap his red zone contributions this season.
Steelers at Ravens Quick Slants
Le’Veon Bell only saw 11 carries but salvaged a decent fantasy performance by adding five catches for 48 yards. Bell caught 45 passes as a rookie in 2013 and his receiving skills are the feather in his RB1 hat. … LeGarrette Blount handled only three carries on Thursday, giving him a whopping seven touches in two games. This is Bell’s backfield and hopefully the summer time hype surrounding Blount lowered his price for folks in drafts this year. … Antonio Brown was removed from the game briefly to get checked for a concussion, but later returned and finished with a nice PPR stat line of seven catches for 90 yards. He is as reliable as they come among fantasy wide receivers. … The Pittsburgh offense has another tough defense awaiting them in Week 3 as they travel to Carolina. Bell and Brown will be the only recommended Steeler options in that one, even after the long layoff.
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In Other News…
According to CSN Bay Area, Oakland running back Maurice Jones-Drew is expected to miss Week 2 after having hand surgery earlier this week. Fantasy enigma Darren McFadden and intriguing youngster Latavius Murray will both hop up one rung on the Oakland depth chart for Sunday’s home contest against Houston. Alfred Morris and Roy Helu had a fair amount of success against Houston’s front line in Week 1, and now the Texans will be without the services of injured rookie Jadeveon Clowney. McFadden will enter the ranks of flex consideration this week, but waiting on fantasy results from Darren McFadden has cost owners the better part of the last decade so any expectations should be tempered here.
Green Bay’s fortunes took a positive turn on Thursday as their bruising running back Eddie Lacy practiced in full and has been cleared to play in Week 2 against the New York Jets. Rex Ryan’s defense held the Oakland Raiders backfield to just 25 yards on 15 carries in Week 1 so this may not be the softest landing spot for Lacy, but he is still a must-start as long as he is healthy. Despite Lacy’s clearance, James Starks should still be rostered and remains a premier fantasy handcuff.
Josh Gordon updates continue to mount, the latest of which comes from NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport who reports that the NFLPA will hold a Friday afternoon vote on the new NFL drug policy. An approval could mean reduced suspensions for players like Gordon and Wes Welker, who would benefit from retroactively applied changes to the league’s drug policies. Josh Gordon could still end up missing a chunk of the season either way, but fantasy owners who have stashed the Cleveland wide receiver in hopes of a payday should keep some champagne on deck just in case.
Cecil Shorts and his troublesome hamstring did not practice on Thursday after being limited on Wednesday. Shorts appears to be on the way to missing his second straight contest, which means waiver wire warrior Allen Hurns may see additional snaps again this week opposite Marqise Lee. The Jaguars face the friendly Washington defense on Sunday, so this could be another cushy spot for Hurns and Lee. Those looking for cheap options in the DFS world would be wise to take note.
Injury Quick Slants
Seahawks running back Christine Michael (hamstring) missed practice again on Thursday and will likely miss Week 2, leaving Robert Turbin to backup Marshawn Lynch once again. … Keenan Allen is practicing normally despite being listed with a rib issue on San Diego’s injury report. Allen draws the fearsome Seattle secondary on Sunday, so another slow week is expected for the second-year wide out. … Packers tight end Brandon Bostick (fibula) was limited in practice Thursday but appeared to improve this week after missing Week 1. Bostick still has a chance to emerge with a decent role in Green Bay if he stays healthy. … Justin Hunter (knee) practiced in full on Thursday and will be ready to feast on the Dallas secondary this weekend.
Depth Chart Quick Slants
Bucs coach Lovie Smith denied reports that running back Doug Martin (knee) was simply benched in Week 1. Martin looks like he will play this week but Bobby Rainey is next up if Martin misses more time. … Dexter McCluster told ESPN on Thursday that his snap count could range from two to 20 in any given week. The Titans will continue to mix in Shonn Greene, Bishop Sankey, and even Leon Washington as they sort out their backfield competition. … Cleveland coach Mike Pettine alluded to the fact that rookie Isaiah Crowell may be more of a “power back” than fellow rookie Terrance West. Crowell is likely to see fewer carries than West in Ben Tate’s absence but will likely hold on to the goal line work for the Browns.
