September 15th 2017
Friday Morning Edition
Friday Fantasy Five
5 Things to Watch this Week
As we enter the second week of the NFL
there are always little things each week to keep an eye for and to watch. With
week 2 quickly approaching, here are five things I’ll be looking for on Sunday;
#1 Quarterback Jameis Winston
If you been watching this season’s “Hard
Knocks” you’ve been following the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and quarterback Jameis
Winston. The 3rd year signal caller has been working hard and looks poised and
ready to take the next step this season. The Bucs are at home this week facing
the Bears and I would have to say the expectation is to see great things from
Winston. This will be a favorable matchup against a secondary that allowed over
300 yards passing to Matt Ryan in week 1. I am watching Winston on Sunday.
#2 Vikings Offensive line (Sam Bradford)
In week one the headlines were all about
quarterback Sam Bradford’s numbers and the passing game, but a big key to his
success starts and ends with his offensive line. Bradford is a former number
one draft pick (2010 draft), so someone believed the kid could play at a high
level. I believe we saw some of that last Monday night. Bradford’s past
struggles can easily be connected to playing on poor offenses and bad teams.
The Vikings looked to be a complete team Monday night and as long as the line
can protect Bradford and keep him healthy, we could see a lot more of repeat
performances of week 1. I’ll be watching the Vikings line on Sunday against the
Steelers.
#3 Adrian Peterson
The Saints running game last Monday looked
like a train wreck. It seemed head coach Sean Payton was too much trying to
juggle his three backs (Peterson, Mark Ingram, and Alvin Kamara) and was
struggling to figure out how to use them. You’ve read it, heard it, and I’ll
say here too, Peterson looks out of place in this offense. Unless Payton
commits to using Peterson more, 9 plays isn’t going to do anything for fantasy
owners. Last week Payton definitely favored the rookie (Kamara), but Ingram
stayed just as involved. I’ll be watching Peterson closely on Sunday against
the Patriots.
#4 Jay Cutler & Devante Parker
This will be week 1 for the Dolphins and a
passing combination that owners and myself will be very interested in seeing;
Jay Cutler to Devante Parker. The Dolphins made an offseason scramble to pick
up Cutler to replace their injured starter Ryan Tannehille. The move seemed
sensible reuniting with (head coach) Adam Gase and to fantasy owners this
offers a lot of upside for Parker ( a speedier version of Alshon Jeffery).
There are a lot of questions with Cutler, but what he showed in the preseason
left owners with some promise. This Sunday my focus will be on the duo and
hopefully we see some of their big play potential.
#5 Kirk Cousins (& Redskins offense)
Lastly, the fifth thing for me to watch on
Sunday will be Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousin and the offense. Coming out of
the preseason, there were some discussions about their struggles and hints that
it could take a while for the pieces to fall into place. This was quite evident
in week one against the Eagles as Cousins completed only 57 percent of his
passes, was sacked four times, and the offense only scored 17 points. What will
be most interesting to watch is Kirk Cousins under pressure this week facing a
tough front four that will feature the return of Rams defensive lineman Aaron
Donald. Cousins’ is going to have to make good decisions and get rid of the
ball quickly, chemistry with his receivers will be at a premium and I will be
watching.
That’s My Take.
~David Ortega
No comments:
Post a Comment