The Weekly Wipe Up – Week 2: Sept 16th – Sept 20th

Keep an eye out for this article every Tuesday bringing you a brief overview for NFL and fantasy impact, both redraft and dynasty.   Thanks for reading!

New York Giants 29 @ Washington Football Team 30

FedEx Field – Landover, MD

With double :00 on the clock, and an untimed down due to an offside penalty on the Giants, Dustin Hopkins booted a 43 yard field goal through the uprights to lead the Washington Football Team to victory.  With Taylor Heinicke at the helm for the injured Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Football Team didn’t skip a beat with it’s offensive production.  Heinicke looked sharp going 34 for 46 for 336 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT.  Heinicke was zoned in on Terry McLaurin who had a bit of a let down in week one but returned to form with 11 catches on 14 targets for 107 yards and a touchdown in week 2.  J. D. McKissic also flashed shades of the PPR monster he was last year by hauling in 5 balls for 83 yards and rushing 4 times for 10 yards and a TD.

For the Giants, Daniel Jones put the team on his shoulders completing 68.7% of his passes for 249 and a TD while adding 9 rushes for 95 yards and a rushing touchdown.  He had the type of game that makes you wonder if he could be the future of the franchise…until next week when he inevitably throws a back breaking INT and fumbles twice.  Sterling Shepard continues to be his most trusted target catching 9 out of 10 for 94 yards.  Saquon Barkley continues to be the biggest story line for the G-Men as he struggles his way back from his ACL injury.  So far he hasn’t shown a big return on the fantasy investment you had to make in redraft, but in coming weeks his usage should continue to increase and we’ll get a better feel for what his season might look like as a whole.

Las Vegas Raiders 26 @ Pittsburgh Steelers 17

Heinz Field – Pittsburgh, PA

Neither team played great defensively and it showed on the stat sheet.  In fact, both teams had similar stories, but the Raiders found themselves getting the better narrative.  Rush yards, passing yards, and total yards all went in the Raiders favor.  Derek Carr completed 28 of 37 and had 2 TDs on the day.  While Ben Roethlisberger went 27 for 40 with a TD and an INT.  The running backs on both teams failed to make much noise.  Payton Barber saw the bulk of the carries for the Raiders with Josh Jacobs out with toe and ankle injuries, but was only able to gain 32 yards on 13 carries.  For the Steelers, Najee Harris had 10 carries for 38 yards and 5 catches for 43 yards and a TD.  Harris continues to dominate RB touches for Pittsburgh with Benny Snell being the only other RB to record a carry (2 for 1 yard).  Ruggs was the pass catcher of note for the Raiders with 5 for 113 and 1 TD.  Darren Waller was mostly snuffed out by the Raiders defense.  He was being bracketed on every single passing down and the Steelers were in the mindset to keep Waller out of the game.  But he still made some hay, catching 5 of his 7 targets for 65 yards.  For the Steelers it was Diontae Johnson (9 catches on 12 targets for 105 yards) and Chase Claypool (3 catches on 9 targets for 70 yards) leading the way in target share.  Diontae Johnson did go down on the last play in regulation on the Raiders sideline and suffered a knee injury.  Early indications are that it is not serious and an appearance at practice this week in any capacity should bode well for him playing in week 3.  Breathe easy D. Johnson managers.

San Francisco 49ers 17 @ Philadelphia Eagles 11

Lincoln Financial Field – Philadelphia, PA

This is a completely subjective opinion, but 17 to 11 is the ugliest, most absurd score I’ve ever seen.  It jumped off the screen at me as two numbers that shouldn’t be grouped together as the final score of an NFL game.  This made me consider why I was having such strong feelings about a football score.  I think the answer is more than likely something goofy in my brain, however there might be another reason.  This score has only happened one other time when the Broncos 17 beat the Chiefs 11 on November 6, 1988.  I would have been 9 years old, completely clumsy and awkward, acne on my face, and hopelessly crushing on Christy Walker who lived near me but had no clue that I was an actual human being.  Maybe I was magically teleported back to those feelings and it made me crabby.  Anyway…

The 49ers won this game on both sides of the ball.  Nick Bosa had two sacks on the day and the San Francisco defense as a whole gave Philly fits.  Jimmy Garoppolo had an efficient day completing 73.3% of his passes and adding 20 rushing yards and a touchdown.  Deebo Samuel continued his red hot start to the season with another 6 catches for 93 yards.  The running game was relatively quiet in this game, but what is noteworthy is that Trey Sermon (concussion), JaMycal Hasty (high ankle sprain), and Kyle Juszczyk all left this game with injuries.  With Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson already on the IR, and the 49ers bringing in veterans Duke Johnson and Lamar Miller, there are tons of questions as what this back field is going to look like for the next few weeks.

Jalen Hurts had a game that reminded Eagles fans about all the reasons they had doubts about the exciting young quarterback.  He completed 52.1% of his throws, which (spoiler alert) is not good.  He is electric when he takes off running, and did so 10 times for 82 yards and a TD.  If your quarterback can’t pass, do you really have a quarterback?  Are his completion issues something he can fix?  Second year Quez Watkins had more than half of Hurts passing yards with 117 on the day, but those yards came on two catches, one being 91 yards.   Philadelphia travels to Dallas next week which should prove to be a tough situation for the 1 – 1 Eagles.

Houston Texans 21 @ Cleveland Browns 31

FirstEnergy Stadium – Cleveland, OH

Tyrod Taylor started the day strong completing 10 of 11 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown while adding a 15 yard rushing TD.  The day went sideways for Taylor when he suffered a hamstring injury and didn’t return to the game in the second half.  Davis Mills stepped in as the Texans signal caller and didn’t have nearly as much success.  It didn’t help matters that Houston couldn’t get anything going on the ground with their leading rusher, Mark Ingram, only able muster 41 yards on 14 carries.  Brandin Cooks was the best receiver for Houston logging 9 catches for 78 yards and a TD.

Cleveland looked like they were going to have their hands full in this one with the game tied at 14 going into half.  Fortunately, the defense was able to put the clamps on Davis Mills and the Browns did what they needed to do to get the win.  Nick Chubb was mostly irrelevant in the first half but became the star of this show with 11 rushes for 95 yards and a touchdown.  Kareem Hunt was also heavily involved (though not as productive) with 13 carries for 51 yards.  Baker Mayfield completed throws to nine different receivers on the day and no one receiver really shined.  One of Baker’s favorite targets, Jarvis Landry, injured his knee early during the game.  That is something to monitor with Odell Beckham still not back from his ACL tear.

Denver Broncos 23 @ Jacksonville Jaguars 13

TIAA Bank Field – Jacksonville, FL

No Jerry Jeudy, no problem!  Courtland Sutton had himself a day.  Teddy Bridgewater found him 9 times for 159 yards and the Broncos handed the Jags their second loss of their young season.  Bridgewater is completing an outrageous 77.1% of his passes and is much more fun to watch than Drew Lock was last season.  In the running game, the highlight was rookie Javonte Williams who had more than double the rushing yards of backfield mate Melvin Gordon with the same amount of carries.  Could Gordon begin to take a backseat to Williams in the run game? 

The word Jaguar comes from the indigenous word “yaguar”, which means “he who kills with one leap”.  The Jacksonville Jaguars might have had intentions of pouncing on and taking down other teams, but in the execution, they seem to have been declawed and mostly harmless.  On the opening, scripted drive for Jacksonville, they were able to march down the field for 83 yards ending with a 25 yard touchdown to Marvin Jones JR.  The entire rest of the game they were only able to generate 106 yards of offense.  Head coach Urban Meyer seems completely over his head in the NFL thus far, and whether it’s him or offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell who is ultimately responsible for the scheme, it’s not working.  Trevor Lawrence was 14 of 33 for 118, 1 TD and 2 INTs.  He completed a ghastly 42.4% of his passes on Sunday.  The Jags rushed the ball on 32% of their plays making them one dimensional through most of the game.  I had all the faith in the world that QB Trevor Lawrence was going to be an outstanding NFL quarterback, and he still could, but so far I just don’t see him being put in a position to win.  Until that changes, no one on this team can be trusted for fantasy.  The Jags stay home to play Arizona next week, in what should be an absolute blood bath.

New Orleans Saints 7 @ Carolina Panthers 26

Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, NC

The Carolina Panthers scored their first touchdown three minutes into the game and never looked back.  It was the NFL equivalent of the red wedding from Game of Thrones as the Saints were dominated on both sides of the ball.  

What a surprise that Sam Darnold looks like a completely different player now that he is free of Adam Gase.  Yet, here we are.  Darnold completed 26 passes on 38 attempts for 305 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT.  At least some of the young signal caller’s success is due in part to Christian McCaffrey forcing defenses to pay attention to him.  The Saints defense could have put 11 in the box on Sunday and I don’t think it would have mattered as CMC carried 24 times for 72 yards and a TD while also catching 5 passes for 65 more yards.   D.J. Moore looks like a complete alpha receiver and is making the leap with his new QB.  Moore caught 8 passes for 79 and a TD on the day.  

The Saints were a shadowy reflection of what they once were under Drew Brees while being held to 128 yards of offense on the day.  The fewest ever since coach Sean Payton has been with the team.  For as good as they looked in week 1, against Green Bay, they looked equally as bad in week 2.  QB, Jameis Winston, couldn’t get anything going and threw for two interceptions.  RB Alvin Kamara was only able to produce 5 yards on his 8 carries.  The offense looked like they were playing uphill and stuck in mud all game as the Carolina defense devoured the Saints on every level of the field.  New Orleans will try to right the ship in week 3 in Foxborough, MA as they square off with the 1 – 1 Patriots.  But I hope they don’t hold their breath.

Los Angeles Rams 27 @ Indianapolis Colts 24

Lucas Oil stadium – Indianapolis, IN

This was one of the strangest games I’ve ever seen when you compare the optics on the field versus the stats.  Watching the game, it looked like a wildly lopsided affair as Rams QB Matthew Stafford looked comfortable moving the ball down the field and the LA defense lived in the Indy backfield.  Ultimately leading to Carson Wentz’s ankle injury that knocked him out of the game in the 4th quarter.  The numbers tell another story with the team rushing yards, passing yards, and total yardage were almost identical.   The breakout stars of this game were a pair of receivers, Cooper Kupp for the Rams and Michael Pittman Jr. for the Colts.  Kupp caught 9 of his 11 targets for 163 yards and 2 touchdowns and could not be stopped when he got the ball in space using his rapid change of direction to elude would-be tacklers.  Pittman wasn’t as elusive as Kupp but used tenacity and physicality to bully his way to 123 yards off of 8 catches.  This game was really fun to watch with both teams combining for 725 yards of offense on the day.  In week 3, the Rams face the Buccs at home while the Colts travel to Tennessee to battle the Titans.

   

Buffalo Bills 35 @ Miami Dolphins 0

Hard Rock Stadium – Miami, FL

A bit of a snoozer in Miami as the Dolphins had no success moving the ball after Tua Tagovailoa was knocked out with a rib injury on the second drive of the day.  Jacoby Brissett played like one of the better backup QBs in football but the Buffalo defense was on point.  The Dolphins prospects are a bit scary if Tua misses time with the Raiders, Colts, and Buccs next on the schedule.  Jaylon Waddle and Devante Parker continued to lead the way in targets despite the change at QB.  One thing to monitor with Miami is the situation in the backfield.  Myles Gaskins carried 5 times, Malcolm Brown carried 5 times, and Salvon Ahmed carried 6 times in what was a true running back by committee.  If you have Gaskin on your fantasy roster, I’m going to be a bit nervous starting him next week until I know if this trend continues.

Josh Allen didn’t need to do much in this one and thus all the pass catches fantasy numbers suffered.  Devin Singletary had a solid day with 13 rushes for 82 yards and a TD.  Zack Moss also helped on the ground with 8 carries for 26 yards and 2 TDs.

New England Patriots 25 @ New York Jets 6

MetLife Stadium – E. Rutherford, NJ

Mac Jones looked solid on Sunday as he led the New England Patriots to victory over division foes the New York Jets.  He took what was given to him, used those opportunities effectively, and leaned on the run game and defense to do the rest.  Damien Harris paced the Patriots backfield in carries with 16 for 62 yards and a touchdown with the next busiest ball carrier (James White) only rushing 5 times.  Speaking of James White, he’s doing work as a PPR back tallying another 6 catches for 45 yards to add to the 6 receptions he had in week 1.  In fact, only two pass catchers for the Patriots had 6 targets in this game, James White and Jakobi Meyers.  The defense really played well in this game and because of this, the offense did not need eye popping numbers to come away with a comfortable win.  

In an interview before the game, Bill Belichick praised Zach Wilson and his optics as a rookie quarterback.  You knew right then that Bill’s plan was to completely destroy the kid.  The Patriots defense had Wilson completely confused from start to finish.  Wilson completed 19 of 33 for 210 yards and 4 interceptions on the day and his first two pass attempts on the day were both INTs.  You expect these types of games from rookies occasionally and I don’t think there is much to glean from it, especially when the best coach in NFL history had made it his priority that you had a tough go of things in this contest.  In the running game, Michael Carter was the most utilized running back on the day logging 14 touches to Ty Johnson’s 12.  Tevin Coleman still sprinkled in there for 5 carries and this backfield is still a jumbled mess for fantasy purposes.  I would point out that Michael Carter leading touches could be a good sign.  The rookie only had 5 carries in week 1 and could be a sign that his stock is trending towards a bigger workload.  WR Braxton Berrios lead the team in targets (11), catches (7), and receiving yards (73) and in two games is the Jets leading receiver for the Jets.

Cincinnati Bengals 17 @ Chicago Bears 20

Soldier Field – Chicago, IL

Andy Dalton connected early to Allen Robinson for an eight yard TD but Robinson was quiet the rest of the day only recording 1 more catch in the game.  Justin Fields got his chance to play and run the offense due to an Andy Dalton injury.  He underwhelmed in his NFL debut going 6/13 for 60 yards with an INT and added 10 rushes for 31 yards.  With Fields and Dalton combining for 116 pass yards on the day, Bears pass catchers went hungry and thus didn’t make noise for your fantasy team.  David Montgomery was poor as well, turning his 20 carries into only 61 yards.  It was enough to get the Bears the win though and they head to Cleveland for a week 3 battle of 1-1 teams.

Joe Burrow had a 3 interception day including a costly 4th quarter pick 6 that tied the game at 17 and gave the Bears the opportunity they needed to pull this one out.  Joe Mixon for the most part mimicked his counterpart and laid a bit of an egg with his 20 rushes for 69 yard stat line.  Tyler Boyd showed up in this one after a forgettable week 1.  He caught 7 of his 9 targets for 73 yards.  Tee Higgins was also productive with 6 receptions for 60 yards and a touchdown.

Atlanta Falcons 25 @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers 48

Raymond James Stadium – Tampa, FL

Game Reviewed by MikeD you can find him at @DirtyJobs21 on Twitter

Tom Brady is on pace for a 6,000 yard season with 77 touchdowns and the way this team is firing on all cylinders, it is absolutely within the realm of possibility. The defending Super Bowl champions efficienciently handled both sides of the football.  The score was close during the game but there was never a time the Buccs weren’t dominating. In fact, the score didn’t really get out of hand until Matt Ryan threw not one, but two pick sixes to Mike Edwards.

There were a ton of fantasy takeaways from this game, however, and we will start with the Falcons. This team has a lot of problems. With a non-existent running game from Mike Davis and lacklustre performances from Pitts and Gage are eradicating Matt Ryan’s fantasy value. Calvin Ridley (7/63/1)  and Cordarelle Patterson (5/58/1) are the only bright spots on this team and would be the only two pieces I’m interested in moving forward. On the flip side, welcome back Gronk! He hauled in 4 catches for 49 yards and 2 touchdowns.  Making it two games in a row where he’s put up 2 TDs. He looks the exact same as his dominant self from New England. The Bucs also had very little running game to speak of and I won’t be starting either Jones or Fournette until I see something different. Mike Evans returned to true form with 5 catches for 75 yards and 2 touchdowns and Godwin had the fifth receiving touchdown from Brady. I may even try to start the waterboy in Tampa at this point.

Minnesota Vikings 33 @ Arizona Cardinals 34

State Farm Stadium – Glendale, AZ

Game Reviewed by Ben you can find him at @LiveFromTheBen on Twitter

This match was a barn burner with the leading changing back and forth throughout the match. The offenses for both sides exploded in the first half. Cardinals are moving to 2-0, and the Vikings are dropping to 0-2 after Vikings Kicker Greg Joseph, who connected two 50 FG’s yards earlier in the game, missed wide right on a 37 yard FG in the final seconds.

Kirk Cousins orchestrated an incredible final drive to put the Vikings in field goal position throwing for 244 yards and 3 TDs, whilst Dalvin Cook has 131 yards on 22 carries. Before that final drive, the vast majority of that production for both players came in the first half.

For the Cardinals, Kyler Murray was to no one’s surprise, the star of the show.  Despite throwing two interceptions, he finished with 400 yards passing with 3 TDs passes and another TD on the ground. Much of that passing production went to rookie WR Rondale Moore. He finished with 7 catches from 8 targets for 114 yards and 1 TD.  77 of those yards coming off one play where Kyler Murray somehow managed to avoid a near sack as he scrambled down the left side of the field to hit a wide-open Moore.  

Besides Deandre Hopkins, who had an uncharacteristically quiet game but saved his fantasy day with a TD.  It’s going to be hard to know which Cardinals WR to start each week.  However, for dynasty, Moore might be a player to “buy high” before his stock gets even higher.

There are a couple of positives for the Vikings though, who could have been 2-0 right now, if they’d had a little more luck. After years of searching, the Vikings have finally found a third WR, KJ Osborne.  He put together another impressive performance with 5 catches from 6 targets for 91 yards and a TD. He should be picked up in all dynasty leagues if he was still left on waivers after week 1. Danielle Hunter is back to form after missing all of last season with a neck injury. Hunter finished with 7 tackles and 3 sacks and looked like a contender for DPOY.

Maybe the Vikings can get a win on the board in their first home game of the season, next week against the Seattle Seahawks. The Cardinals travel to Jacksonville to face the Jaguars and have a great shot at starting the season 3-0.

Tennessee Titans 33 @ Seattle Seahawks 30

Lumen Field – Seattle, WA

Game Reviewed by Andrew you can find him at @AndrewCampey on Twitter

A 24-9 halftime lead wasn’t enough for the Seahawks in front of their hometown fans for the first time in over a year. Tyler Lockett continued his work from last week with several big catches including a 63 yard touchdown and would finish with 178 yards and a touchdown (8 receptions / 11 targets) in what was a very feisty game.

However, the story is about King Henry who looked mortal in the first half and anything but in the second half. Pete Carrol at half time suggested they needed to find ways to keep him out of the game in a horrible bit of foreshadowing as Henry would walk off with 182 yards on 35 carries as well as THREE touchdowns. Of note, too, was his 6 receptions for 55 yards and while no one would consider him a natural pass catcher it adds to an already scary skill set.

Julio Jones had 128 yards and just missed a touchdown (story of his career?) due to his heel stepping out and 9 different players caught a pass on what was an impressive victory for the Titans.

Dallas Cowboys 20 @ Las Angeles Chargers 17

SoFi Stadium – Inglewood, CA

Game Reviewed by Andrew you can find him at @AndrewCampey on Twitter

In one of the stranger games of the week, the Cowboys walked away with a three point win as time expired. As Post Malone and Conor Mcgregor watched on, the Cowboys came out and scored two rushing touchdowns in the first quarter and wouldn’t score anymore points until two field goals in the fourth quarter.

The Cowboys’ maligned defense led by Trevon Diggs, Micah Parsons (playing mainly at Defensive End due to injuries), and Leighton Vander Esch did a decent job of preventing the Chargers from getting into rhythm and picked up two interceptions. CeeDee Lamb (8 for 81), Keenan Allen (4 for 108), and Mike Williams (7 for 91 and a touchdown) all got in on the action.  However, the day belonged to the Cowboys running backs with Pollard (109 yards and a touchdown, plus 31 yards receiving) and Elliot (71 yards and a touchdown, plus 26 yards receiving) seemed to get yards at will.

Kansas City Chiefs 35 @ Baltimore Ravens 36

M&T Bank Stadium – Baltimore, MD

Game Reviewed by Andrew you can find him at @AndrewCampey on Twitter

This was exactly the type of game you would expect from two powerhouses in the NFL. The orthodox flamboyants of the Chiefs passing game versus the unorthodox brilliance of the Ravens running game.

Lamar Jackson started poorly and couldn’t seem to get in rhythm in the first half.  Ending up with two interceptions including an early pick six to Tyrann Mathieu.  However, he shook it off in the second half to put on a clinic on crazy passes and runs. He eclipsed 100 yards on the ground and ran in two touchdowns while hooking up with Hollywood Brown all day.

However, in a game with two high powered offenses, it was the Ravens defense that took the day. Many of their younger players stood up at key moments such as Odafe Oweh with a fumble and recovery, just when the game seemed lost. Their young corners and safeties had perfect technique all day. The Ravens sold out to limit Tyreek Hill (3 catches for 14 yards) and in the end it worked.

The game was sealed on a fourth and 1 with a minute remaining where John Harbaugh simply asked his QB if he wanted to go for it from their own 43 yard line. Jackson said he did and got two yards with his feed to seal a memorable victory for the Ravens.

Detroit Lions 17 @ Green Bay Packers 35

Lambeau Field – Green Bay, WI

Game Reviewed by Alex you can find him at @Alexo_ff on Twitter

In Weekly Wipe Up fashion, the Packers wiped out the Lions.  The first half and second half couldn’t have been more different.  In the first half, the Packers defense was dropping 7 into coverage every single play and getting absolutely zero pressure on Goff.  This led to Goff being able to sit back comfortably in the pocket and move the ball down the field.  The Lions were able to get 17 points in that first half but were held scoreless in the second half. The Packers turned up the heat in the second half on defense and were able to disrupt Goff’s pocket.  

Meanwhile the Packers on offense, started looking like the Packers we were all expecting on their way to 35 point victory.  They played the game with a pound the ground mentality and worked off the play action to get the ball down the field.  Aaron Jones was a super star, scoring 4 total TDs(three receiving and one rushing) and racking up 115 total yards which included six receptions on six targets.  Davante Adams continued to be Rodgers’ go-to-guy and finished with eight receptions on nine targets for 121 yards.  Robert Tonyan was the only other relevant player on the Packers offense.  Recording three catches for 52 yards and a TD.  After all was said and done, this Packers offense remains, mainly, a 3-man machine composed of Rodgers, who threw 22/27 for 255 yards and 4 TDs, Adams, and Aaron friggin’ Jones for fantasy.

The Lions offense began to look far more normal in this game.  Swift had a modest day with eight carries for 37 yards and four receptions for 41 yards.  Jamaal Wiliams did very little with his opportunities and ran the ball for a measly 25 yards and caught three catches for 12 yards in his return to Lambeau. Hockenson remains a top fantasy TE option hauling in eight receptions for 66 yards and a TD.  Quintez Cephus started early with a first quarter TD but was only able to muster up 63 yards on four catches throughout the game.  Goff began the game sitting pretty in the pocket and putting up some decent stats but after the Packers started getting after him, he started getting flustered and making mistakes.  He ended up 26/36 for 246 yards with 2 TDs, an INT, and a fumble. The Lions showed some promise if they can keep the pocket clean for Goff.