Tony Cutillo
Just like that, Week 1 is in the books. There are plenty of trends to look at and patterns to dissect as we head into Week 2 of the 2016 NFL season.
Our infinite wisdom is the one thing that carries us through a fantasy season, but even that at times is suspect. On top of that, the frustration always grows deeper when the guy you drafted as the leader of your franchise turns out to give you his greatest Houdini imitation and vanish faster than Jamarcus Russell. It all adds up to an eventful first week and one I will attempt to recap below.
Before we get into the stats, let’s look at the first week of the Fantasy Triple Threat league, which proved to be a success. The top trio was Andrew Luck, David Johnson, and Brandin Cooks. Below are the picks and the leaders in the clubhouse, respectively. [Note: If you’re having trouble viewing the pictures below, click here to download the Excel file.]
Standout Stars
QB
- Luck…385 yds 4 TD
- Brees……423 yds 4 TD
- Winston……284 yds 3 TD/1 INT
RB
- Williams….143 yds, 2 TD….6 rec, 28 yds
- Ware……..70 yds, 1 TD….7 rec, 129 yds
- Anderson…..92 yds, 1 TD…4 rec, 47 yds 1 TD
WR/TE
- AJ Green…..12 rec, 180 yds, 1 TD
- Cooks.…..6 rec, 143 yds 2 TD
- Brown…..8 rec, 126 yds, 2 TD
Last week’s picks: 5 out of 8, 63%
….
Substandard Stiffs
QB
- Taylor…..111 yds
- Cousins….. 329 yds, 2 INT
- Cutler….216 yds, 1 TD/1 INT
RB
- M. Jones…..24 yds…
- Peterson……31 yds…
- Bernard…..25 yds….2 rec, 5 yds
WR/TE
- Bryant…..1 rec, 8 yds
- T. Smith…..2 rec, 13 yds
- K. Aiken……2 rec, 14 yds
Last week’s picks: 4 out of 6, 66%
…
Surprise Performers (Sleepers)
Alex Smith – Kansas City was one of the favorite picks in the AFC this year and Alex Smith showed up in week 1 to show everyone why. In a back and forth contest against San Diego, he worked his way towards 50 pass attempts and ended up with 363 yards against a Chargers team that was still trying to find their way defensively. Will Smith end up in the Top 5 of QB’s every week, No! However, with Jamal Charles still a huge question mark and Andy Reid calling plays, opportunities will continue to be abundant to in his quest to put up a decent offensive point total on a weekly basis.
Will Fuller – This was a popular name coming out of ND in the draft and one that looks to be able to cash in on all the hype. Fuller’s blazing speed and prototypical frame seem to be a defensive coordinator’s nightmare. In an offense that already includes Hopkins and Miller, Fuller looks to keep everyone on their toes with a barrage of bubble screens and reverses. As long as his hamstrings hold up for an entire season, he has the chance to be what Tavon Austin hasn’t been, which is RELEVANT!
Last week’s picks: 3 out of 4, 75%
…
Statistical Busts
Todd Gurley – Todd’s neighborhood certainly didn’t have a nice mailman to visit him in California like the forever memorable Mr. Rogers. Instead his night consisted of 8 man fronts and a heavy dose of a monster named Bowman. When people were talking about drafting Gurley as a top 5 selection this is the scenario that scared me. Let’s be honest here and realize the Rams completely stink. Jeff Fisher seems to be the coach’s version of Sam Bradford as he continues to collect millions while performing at an average level. This team is a far way from developing any type of offensive rhythm, which will land Mr. Gurley into underperformance hell. It could be a long season for his owners, especially the ones who took him in the top 3!
Dez Bryant – While everybody was glowing over Zeke and Dak, the rest of us were taking out an add with Lehigh Farms to place on the back of their milk cartons looking for Dez Bryant. Dez caught more balls during opening warmups from OBJ than his own QB during the game. He was shadowed all day by a reincarnated version of Cromartie and only managed 1 catch for 8 yards. This should certainly not be norm, especially after Terrence Williams gave us all his best recreation of Chris Weber forgetting there were no timeouts left for the Fab Five. You’re an athlete that gets paid to play the game they love so excuse me if I feel you should have the decency to know the situation in the game. GET OUT OF BOUNDS!!!!!!!!
Last week’s picks: 1 out of 2, 50%
…
Week 1 Thoughts and Theories:
-The Indianapolis Colts looked like they may actually play in the NFL this year. After a year that seen them start everyone from the Uber Driver for Jim Irsay to Tom Brady’s ball boy at QB, Luck finally looks to be healthy and ready to put up monster numbers once again. The triple threat of Dorsett, Hilton, and Moncrief looks to be nightmare for opposing coordinators around the league.
–Odell Beckham Jr and Dez Bryant were non factors in the NFC East showdown for Week 1. Will this continue, I think not. This isn’t Torrance Small and Charles Johnson we are talking about. These are 2 of the top receivers in the league. So throw away the stat line from week 1 and watch them come to life in week 2.
-Who remembers Tevin Coleman? This is the guy who was named the starter for week 1 in 2015 and suffered a rib Injury in the 1st game of the season after getting off to a good start that set him back for a number of weeks. By the time he came back, Devonta Freemen was doing his best Priest Holmes impression and making the RB position in fantasy relevant once again. However, he slowed down towards the end of the year and in 2016 it looks like Dan Quinn may have a bromance brewing with Coleman once again. Coleman outgained Freeman 117-40 and nearly out-touched him as well by a margin of 15-13 in Week 1. When fantasy owners were selecting Freeman as their #1 back, this was far from what was expected.
–Russell Wilson and the Seattle offense looked slow, stagnant and out of sync. Let’s not make an excuse and say this all stems from the ankle injury Wilson suffered. Their running game looked off and their receivers were back to looking average once again. Doug Baldwin did have a nice game, but after that the numbers were nowhere near impressive. The ride was good while it lasted.
-Did you ever witness so many missed field goals and extra points in one week? Is it the new rules or conditioning? After watching the Detroit Lions game on Sunday, I was left wondering if Matt Prater was entering the next strong man competition coming up in Las Vegas or looking to go head on with Sebastian Janikowski for NFL’s most overweight kicker award.
The curse of the bad snap and the impact of a 33yard extra point seemed to cause a stir around the league. Graham Gano and Chandler Catanzaro have to live with their wide left slips all week, while Matt Prater was able to redeem himself for a win.
…
My Skinny Post for Week 1:
Keenan Allen started with 6/68 and then his ACL had enough. A top receiver gone already!……Drew Brees showed age is nothing but a number by passing for 423 yards and continuing to provide us football fans with a must see TV event…..Matt Stafford is on his way for another underrated season of over 600 pass attempts and consistent offensive scoring…….Speaking of the Lions, have you ever seen a secondary so bad? I am still trying to figure out if these are true NFL players or scabs left over from the strike of years ago……Eli Manning maintains his quiet dominance over the league and continues to pay dividends……Christine Michael and Thomas Rawls look to keep us guessing in a timeshare that looks to last the entire year…….Jamal Charles looks like he may have been doing the “Stanky Leg” too much after rehab and his season is in doubt……….Melvin Gordon showed us that he isn’t CJ Spiller and will play up to the level he is capable…..RGIII may actually be more brittle than Tony Romo. The overhyped QB got hurt once again and showed why his body may not be equipped to handle the duties of a bag boy for ACME let alone an NFL player…Arian Foster was kneeling for the National Anthem, not because he supports the cause, but instead because he looks like he ate too much FIVE GUYS in the offseason…..I am still looking around for the pounds Eddie Lacy lost and the Packer offense still looks to have issues…..Yes, Antonio Brown did twerk in the endzone and actually looks like he could give Nikki Minaj a good run for her money in a dance off……Now onto Week 2.
As always, you can stop by my Facebook page (Fantasy Sports Addiction) or tweet me (@TCutillo23) for questions or some nice fantasy debates. I can also be heard weekly via the internet stream live at WENG RADIO every Monday at 4:00 P.M. ET for a weekend sports wrap. But most importantly, you can catch me here at Pi!
For fantasy purposes, all my articles are predicated upon a PPR-based system.