close
close

first Drop

Com TW NOw News 2024

    • The Top 10: Week 3
    news

    The Top 10: Week 3

    Vaseline Posted on

    The Top 10: Week 3

    Photo: USA Today Sports

    The Top 10: The Cliff’s Notes

    • The Saints have the personnel, coordinator and scheme to be a top fantasy offense, with Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, Alvin Kamara and Derek Carr carrying fantasy value.
    • Kyler Murray targeted Marvin Harrison Jr. early and often. The Rams’ zone defense was far too soft, but give the Cardinals credit for making Harrison a starter — at least until we see coverage like the Bills did.
    • Check out my Friday article, The Replacements, for the latest finds from Jalen Nailor and Alec Pierce.
    • The way Andrei Iosivas plays is the reason he is a good candidate to become a fantasy starter in the long run.
    • Will Levis is tough and daring, but his unpredictable decision-making is a major problem.
    • Treylon Burks could contribute to a team, but not with the expectation that he would be a primary receiver. He lacks the ingrained skills that primary receivers in the league have, and those are hard to acquire this late in a player’s career.
    • Breece Hall showed all the skills at the catch point that Burks didn’t. No wonder he’s an early reader in the Jets’ passing offense.
    • Caleb Williams didn’t fall apart as a decision maker despite the immense pressure he faced Sunday night. This year is likely a bust, but he was understatedly impressive for an evaluator like me who is used to seeing rookie QBs fall apart in ways Williams didn’t.
    • The Colts’ run defense is a solid opponent until further notice.
    • Cody Alexander explains the nuances of the ever-changing chess match between NFL offenses and defenses. A good read.
    • 10 More Fantasy-Relevant Points I Learned in Week 2

    1. A year (and an OC) earlier in the Saints offense

    I could have been a year — and an offensive coordinator — into the Saints’ offensive success. I began last year’s Gut Check with an examination of New Orleans’ personnel and concluded that this group could become one of the most productive offenses in the league.

    My starting point:

    • The emergence of Rashid Shaheed, especially as a field stretcher, would put the defence in too much trouble.
    • Shaheed’s versatility has allowed the Saints to more often utilize a two-tight end lineup to improve the ground game and unbalance opposing defenses.
    • Derek Carr would do well behind an offensive line that Matt Bitonti viewed as a top 10 unit, particularly as a vertical passer with a play-action component.

    The starting lineup fell apart in Week 1 because left tackle Trevor Penning wasn’t ready for the NFL. The Saints had to help Penning too much, which hampered the offense. Peter Carmichael’s scheme also lacked a lot of movement, which made it even more predictable.

    Enter Kyle Shanahan (and Gary Kubiak) midseason recruit Klint Kubiak. Kubiak gave the Saints a much-needed scheme overhaul. What we see is an offense performing at the level I predicted last year.

    The Saints dismantled the Cowboys’ stout defense on Sunday as Kubiak expertly used his talent, leaving Dallas with too much to answer for. Give Derek Carr time to throw and he’s a competent fantasy starter capable of supporting 2-3 fantasy options in the passing game, if you count Kamara as that third man.

    Combined with a solid defense from the Saints, New Orleans is the favorite to win the NFC South division. Fantasy GMs can expect top-24 WR production from both Olave and Shaheed and top-5 RB value from Kamara.

    Last week I advised you to bench Harrison until Murray proved he would prioritize Harrison in the passing game. It only took half a quarter of the Rams game to see that Murray, who told the media it wasn’t his job to force the ball to Harrison, got the memo.

    I like to imagine the “memo” as a conversation between Murray and Drew Petzing that went something like this…

    Petzen: It may not be your job, Kyler, but it’s my job to make it your job. Feed Marv.

    Madam: But coach, what if he’s not completely free?

    Petzen: Give him something to eat.

    Madam: What if there are brackets…

    Petzen: Give him something to eat.

    Madam: What if he is under pressure at the border?

    Petzen: FEED HIM!

    Madam: (Sighs and rolls his eyes)

    Petzen: Let’s be realistic, Kyler. You’re the football equivalent of a black-hole player in pickup games on the basketball court. Once the ball goes to you, nobody sees it. You’ve backed up one player with a league-leading 24 receiving production during your three healthy seasons in the NFL.

    One. And while DeAndre Hopkins was too classy to say he didn’t ask for a trade, what veteran with your track record as a decision maker wants to team up with you?

    This is your chance Kyler. If you see even a flash of red that crosses the line or a hint of our bird, rip it. If you tell me you saw red and it was a bandage or wrap on an LA cornerback, I’m not going to throw you under the bus.

    Feed Marvin. Let me hear you say it.

    Madam: What?

    Petzen: I need to hear it. You can’t dodge this for an eternity like you’re in a bag that you destroyed yourself anyway. Be the sun, Kyler, not a black hole.

    Let’s fast forward to Sunday…

    I don’t have to tell you that Harrison should be in your lineups going forward. That said, the Rams zone coverage was Charmin’ soft and they did a poor job of accounting for Harrison multiple times during his first-quarterback point-fest.

    LA didn’t seem nearly as ready for the Cardinals’ passing game as Buffalo did in Week 1. Buffalo also used a little more man-to-man with a defender playing over Harrison than what we saw from LA

    Harrison looked like the player we saw at Ohio State and that’s a promising prospect.

    There is still a big risk that opponents will force Murray to prove that he prioritizes Harrison, regardless of the coverage he provides, and LA’s performance is a season-highlight.

    But let’s remain optimistic about Harrison, now that Murray has done what we hoped.

    Are you already a subscriber?

    Vaseline
    View all posts

    You Might Also Like