Week one is now in the books and if your week went anything like mine, then it was very up and down. Before getting into which players I love and which players I think will underperform, I need to give a quick recap of how my predictions went last week. I believe in being fully transparent because I’m certainly going to pat myself on the back when I get things right, so I also need to be able to own up to the ones I didn’t get so correct.
I would say I went 2 for 4 on who I liked, as Lamar Jackson finished as the highest scoring quarterback of the week and Evan Engram also finished as the highest scoring tight end of the week in 0.5ppr. On the flip side of the coin, Kerryon Johnson finished outside the top 30 for running backs and Tyler Lockett finished as the WR40, so not so good on my part. As for who I said I didn’t like, I’m going to go ahead and give myself a 3.5 for 4. Baker Mayfield finished as the QB25, Juju Smith-Schuster finished as the WR41, and Evan Engram finished as the TE30.
Now that that’s done, let’s get into my thoughts for this week.
Who I love:
QB: No team gave up more yards through the air in week one than the New York Giants, and the guy that gets to take advantage of that this week is Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. He finished the first week as the QB16, but also had 4 turnovers so he would have finished as the QB11 without those, so look for a bounce back week for the dual-threat quarterback.
Moose’s prediction: 260 pass yards, 3 touchdowns, 1 interception, and 45 rushing yards.
RB: Todd Gurley was the top scoring running back last season, but has had a lot of doubt coming into this season because of his knee and how the playoffs went for him. Those fears were confirmed when backup Malcolm Brown saw just three less rushes than Gurley, but punched it into the endzone twice. The Rams face off against the Saints this week and I think Gurley reminds the Rams (and all of us) of the force that he truly is.
Moose’s prediction: 17 carries, 114 rushing yards, 1 touchdown, 2 receptions, and 35 receiving yards.
WR: If you read my very first article here on StoveLeg, you would know I had Michael Gallup as a breakout candidate this season, and he sure looked good in their week one victory over the New York Giants. He’s playing a Washington Redskins defense that let up two 50+ yard touchdowns to Desean Jackson in week one, so the opportunity is there if he and Dak Prescott are able to connect like they did last week. And with Josh Norman most likely lining up against Amari Cooper most of the game, Gallup could become Prescott’s go-to receiver.
Moose’s prediction: 8 receptions, 133 receiving yards, and 1 touchdown.
TE: The Baltimore Ravens entire offense feasted last week (even if it was against the Dolphins who are probably worse than any team we’ve seen take the field) and they have another great opportunity this week against the Arizona Cardinals, last year’s worst team. Mark Andrews led the team in targets in week one and will put up similar numbers in week two against a defense that gave up 146 yards to the tight end position.
Moose’s prediction: 9 receptions, 126 yards, and 1 touchdown.
Who I hate:
QB: Kyler Murray was the QB11 last week and really came alive in the fourth quarter against the Lions, but has a much tougher matchup this week against the stout defense of the Ravens. I have a feeling this Harbaugh led squad is going to run the ball a whole lot and control the clock well, making Murray really have to make the most of his possessions, leading him to a couple interceptions.
Moose’s prediction: 196 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions, and 23 rushing yards.
RB: The Oakland Raiders have been the most talked about team of the last two weeks and most of that has been for the wrong reasons, but after Sunday they finally had some good things to talk about. They held out for the win, Guy Fieri is happy, and rookie Josh Jacobs had a great debut. That’s going to make a lot of people want to start him this week, but I’m here to caution against that. They’re matched up against the high-flying Kansas City Chiefs who will put up a ton of points, which may cause the Raiders to lean towards receiving back Jalen Richard once they’re in comeback mode.
Moose’s prediction: 12 carries, 54 rushing yards, 1 reception, and 12 receiving yards.
WR: The Indianapolis Colts probably surprised some people by narrowly losing to the Los Angeles Chargers, and much of that was due to the play of Marlon Mack and T.Y. Hilton. This week, though, Hilton won’t be having such a good week. He has a tough matchup this week facing off against a Tennessee Titans defense that just shut down Baker Mayfield and a high powered Cleveland Browns offense. Unfortunately, his fate will be around what Odell Beckham, Jr. was able to put up against them last week.
Moose’s prediction: 6 receptions and 68 receiving yards.
TE: The Philadelphia Eagles sure have a lot of weapons this year and Carson Wentz loves spreading the ball around, as evidenced by 8 different players catching a pass for the Eagles last weekend. And it’s because of this that Zach Ertz will have another subpar fantasy performance this week taking on an Atlanta Falcons defense that held the Minnesota Vikings passing game in check last weekend. I’m sorry to everyone that spent a third round pick or better on Ertz this season, but he won’t be having the record-breaking season he put up just a year ago… and this is coming from an Eagles fan.
Moose’s prediction: 6 receptions and 66 yards.
Thanks for reading and good luck to everyone this week (unless you’re playing me). Be on the lookout next week when I’m back for my week three predictions. Until then, let me know your thoughts on my picks and share some thoughts of your own!
~Moose~
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