Don’t give up on Rodgers after his Week 1 stinker
The first week is in the books. Did you soar with Matthew Stafford or crash with Aaron Rodgers? Did you curse Urban Meyer for going with Carlos Hyde and forgoing James Robinson? Did you bench Odell Beckham Jr. in time after he was declared inactive? Did you start Elijah Mitchell, who went for 104 yards and a TD? I don’t think anyone did. Such is the agony and ecstasy of Fantasy Football. Based on what we learned last week it will be a season for the ages for passers and catchers. For running backs, however, not so much. The following list is for players you might be on the fence about starting or sitting. Here are your Giddy Up and Whoa Down players for Week 2.
GIDDY UP!
Aaron Rodgers, QB: You done messed up A-A-Ron! Rodgers had 133 yards, two INTs and a 32nd place finish among starting QBs. Understandably, one might consider other QB options. But he has a discount double check this week. Rodgers just loves to be on Monday Night Football. He’s thrown for over 313 yards and at least two TDs in five of his last six appearances in prime time. If A-A-Ron fails in this slot against the lowly Lions, send him to Principal O-Shag-Hennessy’s office!
Ezekiel Elliott, RB:
Just like Rodgers, Elliott is another Week 1 bust you might consider benching. Don’t do it. The Cowboys will establish the run, eat time off the clock and give their defense time to rest. They also get All-Pro guard Zack Martin back from the reserve/COVID list. Look for Dak to feed Zeke at least 20 times.
Nyheim Hines, RB:
Do you remember the Eagles’ RB Darren Sproles? The dynamic sparkplug’s best year was 2016 with over 438 yards rushing and 427 receiving. His QB loved him. He was his safety blanket and checkdown outlet. That QB was Carson Wentz. Hines is the new Sproles for Carson Wentz. His 14 Fantasy points were more than first-rounders Derrick Henry, Austin Ekeler and Zeke Elliott.
Antonio Brown, WR: This will be the only time Brown will be listed in the Giddy Up section because he has earned the right as a weekly must-start. It wasn’t long ago the mercurial Antonio was considered the best WR in the game and a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He has a TD in six of his last seven games including the Super Bowl. Brown was Tom Brady’s house guest for his short stint in New England. Brady brought him to Tampa to win a Super Bowl or two. Ride Antonio all year long. Yippee ki yay!
Gabriel Davis, WR: To quote the late great Buddy Ryan, “All he does is score touchdowns.” In his last nine regular season games Gabe has six TDs. He had the Bills’ only TD last week. The Dolphins are his next opponent. Last year against Miami he had 107 yards and a TD. Davis is a super sleeper for sure, but if you lost Jerry Jeudy or you’re stuck with Odell Beckham Jr., why not grab Davis?
Noah Fant, TE: Fantasy Football is all about opportunity. One man’s pain is another man’s gain, and Fant’s opportunities have just risen exponentially. Jeudy was a budding superstar this offseason, only to be cut down with a gruesome ankle injury last week. Fant already leads the Broncos in target share and it will only go up. He should steamroll the Jags who gave up almost 300 yards passing against the lowly Texans.
WHOA DOWN!
Matt Ryan, QB: I’m shocked 34% of Fantasy owners started Ryan opening day. In his last 18 games, Ryan has thrown for one or zero TDs an embarrassing 10 times. This week he faces a redhot Tampa Bay team on the road. The Falcons will be hard pressed to compete. The best we can hope for is some garbage time points.
With Julio no longer down in the Atlanta schoolyard, Ryan’s on his way, but I don’t know where he’s going.
Melvin Gordon, RB: Be careful not to “chase points” in Fantasy Football. Melvin had one of only five 100-yard rushing games in the NFL last week, but numbers can be deceiving. Before he broke off a 70-yard TD run against the G-Men, Gordon went almost four quarters with 10 carries and 31 yards. Melvin has four 100-yard games in the last three seasons. Phillip Lindsay has six, and you’re not starting him either.
James Robinson: Peanut butter has jelly. Mac has cheese. Bacon has eggs. And Carlos has Urban. Carlos Hyde was an All-Big Ten star, rushing for 1,521 yards for Meyer at Ohio State as a senior. They’ve been reunited in Jacksonville, and it feels so good. But not to James Robinson. He had five carries to Hyde’s nine last week. Until Meyer reverses course, every way you look at it you lose, Mr. Robinson.
Odell Beckham Jr., WR: Wasn’t Odell on this list last week? Indeed, he was. And here he will remain until he takes the field again. All week long the Browns talked about Odell playing on a pitch-count, but he never left the dugout. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice and I’m Adam Gase.
Mike Evans, WR: Evans is suddenly the fifth pass catcher in the Buccaneer pecking order. He’s fighting for targets like the third giraffe on the ramp to Noah’s Ark and it’s starting to rain. Tom Brady threw for 379 yards and four TDs in Tampa’s home opener. Evans only had 24 of those yards. Ouch. His previous game was the Super Bowl when he had one catch for 31 yards. Double ouch.
Zach Ertz, TE: The grizzled veteran suffered a hamstring injury and had to leave the field briefly last week. Prior to that he had two catches on two targets. His teammate TE Dallas Goedert had four catches on five targets. A 30-year-old vet with a bad hammy facing a younger, faster competitor for receptions should not be in my starting lineup. Or yours.
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Share your creative Fantasy team names on my Twitter feed @fantasybillboa7 and get a shout out in the Daily News! The winners for this week are: BOHICA, (Wallkill, N.Y.), The WebbMaster Grills (Clark, N.J.), and the Brielle Bombers, (Brielle, N.J.)