Yay Or Nay Week 2 (2017)

Yay or Nay Week 2:

I’d like the begin this edition of Yay or Nay with a moment of silence for all those who drafted David Johnson with their first overall pick.

…

…

Thank you. Hopefully those of us that drafted him first overall can figure something out to save our season.

QB’s I say Yay to Week 2:

Carson Palmer, Arizona Cardinals: You heard me. Carson Palmer. The man that threw three interceptions to a Detroit Lions defense that was pretty garbage last year. Yet I am sticking with him this week because he is playing the Colts. A defense who just gave up 46 points to the Rams. The Rams! I believe that Carson Palmer is more talented than Jared Goff and has more talented weapons around him than Jared Goff does. The Colts’ secondary is depleted and Carson Palmer will be forced to throw it with the injury to David Johnson. I think that Carson Palmer has a monster game. If you drafted Andrew Luck and need a streamer, I think that Carson Palmer is your guy.

Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints: This game is fantasy gold. I think this is a shootout all the way. The Patriots gave up 31 fantasy points to Alex Smith, who by no means is bad but he is no Drew Brees. The Patriots won’t be slowed down as the Saints defense does not seem to be improving in any way. They have got three rookies in that starting 11 and Tom Brady will be able to keep putting up points against the Saints which will force the Saints to air the ball out. Drew Brees will be able to expose the Pats on defense.

QB’s I say Nay to Week 2:

Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers: Ron Rivera said that Cam looked “rusty” on Sunday, which is understandable. After his shoulder surgery and not playing in the offseason it is expected. Which is why I avoided Cam Newton in my drafts. It will take him a little while to get used to throwing under pressure again but the bigger issue is that it will take time for him to get back in rhythm with his receivers. This was evident on Sunday when he missed a wide-open Ed Dickson for a would-be touchdown, and it wasn’t close. He missed his target on 10 of his first 15 passes but got better as the game went on. I think that he will start slow again against the Bills and will have a similar line as against the 49ers.

Kirk Cousins, Washington Redskins: You like that!? Because I don’t. (It’s been two years and I don’t think I’ll ever be sick of this reference.) He looked out of tune and unrefined against the Eagles. Now he’s heading up against a Rams defense who looked a lot better than they really are against Scott Tolzien but are no pushovers. Kirk Cousins is in a contract year so he’s got to play well but I believe that it’ll take him one or two more games to adjust to playing under the microscope.

RB’s I say Yay to Week 2:

Leonard Fournette, Jacksonville Jaguars: Fournette rushed the ball 26 times for 100 yards and 1 touchdown last Sunday. Twenty-six rushing attempts! The most in all the league for week 1. Coach Doug Marrone said that they do not want Blake Bortles throwing the ball. They want to run the ball every single play if they can. It doesn’t matter if he isn’t as effective as he was this past Sunday but anytime you have a player getting over 25 touches a game, he’s bound to either fall into the end zone or break open a big one. If Fournette continues to get this workload, as long as he can handle it, I’m a big fan of Fournette.

Mike Gillislee/James White, New England Patriots: Let’s start with Gillislee, I like him more than James White in non PPR because it appears that he’s the guy they go to in the big situations. Goal to go situations, 3rd and short, 4th and short. Those are all for Gillislee, last Thursday not only did he get all the touchdowns, he got two attempts at fourth and 1. Although he did not convert it shows that they have faith in him to get it when they need it. As for James White who I’m fonder of in PPR he outplayed Mike Gillislee, being on the field for 53% of the snaps. It is no secret that White is the passing down back, but what is a little shocking is that White got 2 touches within the 10-yard line and 10 carries for the whole game only 5 less than Gillislee. I would not be surprised if White started to see more carries and was not only the pass catching back but an all-around workhorse by the time the season ends.

RB’s I say Nay to Week 2:

Baltimore Running Backs: Both running backs got 19 touches or more which is bound to change but what really worries me is the matchup. I’m sure you’re thinking “Oh but it’s the Browns!” Yes it’s the Browns, the same Browns who held Le’Veon Bell to 32 yards. The same Browns who nearly beat the Steelers (maybe not nearly, but at least it was only decided by a field goal). I’m not saying the Browns will be good, I’m not saying that the Browns will be anything better than mediocre, I’m just saying that if you hold Le’Veon Bell to 32 yards, your run defense is probably not that bad.

Adrian Peterson, New Orleans Saints: I’d just like to put this here to remind everybody that it’s not 2015 anymore. Peterson will go down as the greatest Minnesota RB ever but that was in the past. He only got 6 carries against the Vikings. Mark Ingram is more versatile back and it looks like Peterson is the third option in that backfield.

WR I say Yay to Week 2:

Amari Cooper, Oakland Raiders: I love everything about Amari Cooper this week. He played well against the Titans. He looked strong, especially on that 8-yard touchdown reception where it looked like he was stopped and then muscled his way to the end zone while taking the whole pile with him. The thing that impressed me the most was a sequence in which he did not even catch the ball. Marshawn Lynch had just converted a 4th and one and gave the Raiders a 1st and goal from about the 2 or 3-yard line. Although they settled for a field goal, all 3 of the plays before the field goal were targets to Amari Cooper. He had very minimal red zone looks last year and zero red zone touchdowns. I think that the Raiders will move on from Michael Crabtree as the primary guy and Amari Cooper will see his usage rise.

Kenny Golladay, Detroit Lions: All aboard the Kenny Golladay hype train! He caught 4 passes for 69 yards and 2 touchdowns, one of them being a beautiful diving catch that had him landing in the end zone. I think he’s clearly the number two receiver on that offense (he had seven targets while Marvin Jones Jr. had only 2) and will be looked for in the end zone with that big frame of his. I think he will become a key part of this Lions offense and I like him against a Giants defense that looked weak.

WR I say Nay to Week 2:

Sammy Watkins, Los Angeles Rams: Sammy Watkins will most likely be shadowed by Josh Norman who held Alshon Jeffrey to just 38 yards. I do not think Jared Goff will force the ball to Watkins if he’s not open especially with the emergence of Cooper Kupp who made an impact in his NFL debut.

Alshon Jeffrey, Philadelphia Eagles: This is really more of a personal pick, I’ve never seen what’s so special about Alshon Jeffrey. He’s shown some signs of life now and then but he’s either injured or irrelevant. I think he’s a better football player than fantasy football player. He will help the Eagles tremendously merely by reputation. He was good at one point and will always draw attention that will get more guys open but he has not had a fantasy relevant season in a few years and I doubt he’ll have another this year.

TE’s I say Yay to Week 2:

Charles Clay, Buffalo Bills: Charles Clay ended last season on a bit of a hot streak and continued it this past Sunday. Taylor looks to him because that is what is most familiar to him. There is no star studded wide receiver in Buffalo so Clay could easily become the focal point of that passing offense. Of course, they want to run the ball with McCoy but when they do pass they will be looking for Clay. He had 9 targets and although he only caught four of them one of them was four a touchdown and unless you have Gronk or Kelce or some other big name tight end, that’s what you’re looking for.

Austin Hooper, Atlanta Falcons: Before you call this an overreaction, I’d just like to say that I started him in Week 1 and was rewarded nicely! The truth is that Jacob Tamme left and the Falcons threw 10 touchdowns to the tight end position last year. Hooper has no competition for the starting tight end spot so I think he’s in line for an increased work load once he gains Matt Ryan’s full trust.

TE’s I say Nay to Week 2:

Jordan Reed, Washington Redskins: I’ve never been a fan of players who “play through the pain” or are playing hurt (in terms of fantasy football) it doesn’t lead to production it just leads to uncertainty. Reed is playing with a potentially fractured toe and it will probably lead to him missing some time. I don’t think he’ll make an impact this Sunday against the Rams.

Tyler Eiffert, Cincinnati Bengals: He only got one target by Dalton against the Ravens and I doubt he’ll get any more looks against the Texans. It looks like he’s still battling a few injuries, I think you can find someone else who is more likely to fall into the end zone than Eiffert.

Streamer Defense of the Week (new section I will be adding, for defenses that I think will over perform): Detroit Lions