Thoughts go out to anyone who drafted a 49er...

By Martin Richardson

Imagine being the person who implied that Aaron Rodgers looked washed and couldn’t play ball. And imagine that same person having both Brock Purdy and George Kittle in his fantasy team.

But let’s not dwell on the past. Which is what Giants and Dolphins fans will want to do very quickly. After the loss to the Colts, Mike McDaniel said it can’t get much worse (it can) and his moribund offense will need to win what could be labelled a ‘must win’ game against the Patriots. Before I move on, I want to share a concerning stat that worries me about the Tennessee Titans and the value of any of their Fantasy players on offense: they had 133 total yards on offense, which is just awful in itself all things considered; but they also had 131 penalty yards on defense. That is simply outrageous for a professional football team and they have a lot to do in week 2 against the LA Rams.

Now, looking ahead to this week and we have a little bit more information about teams that look good, teams that look bad and teams we are still unsure of. And in the middle of all this, we have Fantasy games that need to be won. There are some really exciting match ups across the NFC and AFC and the impact on your game week 2 matchups is just as exciting. The AFC East will certainly be one to watch as it’s a divisional week and Josh Allen Fantasy players will be hoping for another good showing against the Jets. Ben Johnson returns to the Lions with both his new team and old looking to get a W on the board. And there is the small matter of a Super Bowl rematch between the Eagles and Chiefs to get the Fantasy players’ pulses racing. Whilst it may be too early to be making any rash decisions, there is a need to be thinking about any trends, patterns or concerns that Fantasy players need to have in the back of their minds and this week we start at that Super Bowl rematch…

AJ BROWN:

1 target, one catch, 8 yards.

There really is only one person to start with, and it’s the season opener and it has to be with wide receiver AJ Brown. With just one target and catch for 8 yards, it was hardly the start that people were hoping for from a potential second round Fantasy football pick up. As the tweet above suggests, there is certainly somewhat of a disconnect between Brown and Hurts and it is quite unbelievable to witness week after week. Naturally at this point when discussing the following week, the normal response is well week 2 will be better, but the Eagles play the Chiefs, who will be smarting after being humbled by waiver wire pick up Quentin Johnston. All jokes aside, the Chiefs may have looked somewhat porous against the Chargers, and I doubt that happens two weeks in a row, so Brown could very easily bounce back. The big question is: what if Brown has another poor showing Fantasy wise in a huge game between two heavyweights in their respective divisions? It certainly will be one to watch as the weeks progress and if he gets fewer targets as the weeks go on, then I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets annoyed and makes his voice heard. Another poor week and he enters benching territory, which is a crazy thought or someone who is such a huge talent at the position.

HOLLYWOOD BROWN

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16 Targets, 10 receptions, 99 yards

What we have here is someone who has benefitted from injury and necessity. Whilst I don’t want people to get hurt, you cannot help but be somewhat happier if you had Hollywood Brown in your team. He is now the number one receiver in Kansas after Travis Kelce wiped out Xaiver Worthy in a total fluke hit. To Kelce’s credit, on his podcast with his brother he held his hands up and apologized for the mistake, which was nice of him. But what we saw in that game after the injury was a confident performance from a player that has promised so much. He was targeted 16 times last week for 99 yards, which proves he is going to get more opportunities to impress over the coming weeks in both Worthy’s and suspended Rashee Rice’s absence. Should the Worthy injury prove to be a longer one, even if he wants to wear a brace (no idea how that will work), then Brown will be an excellent Fantasy pick up going forward.

This week, as with AJ Brown, we have a very interesting matchup with the Eagles. Irrespective of drops, CeeDee Lamb was productive with 110 yards of 7 receptions, so there is chance for Hollywood Brown to be equally as productive this week against that Eagles defense. Add to this the fact that the Chiefs lost in week one, which means they will have added incentive to get a win on the board against their Super Bowl superiors from last year.

TYLER WARREN

9 targets, 7 receptions, 76 yards

Imagine being someone who thought the Colts would be battered by the Dolphins? And just with that statement come the reason that Tyler Warren is on my ‘Ones to Watch’ list for week two.

He was impressive. Like, really impressive.

However, the Dolphins were dreadful. Like, really dreadful.

So, Warren is one to watch to see if he sustains an impressive start to his NFL career, which will not be easy as he will be going up against the Denver Broncos defense that is one of the best in the NFL. Danny Dimes will not have nearly as much time to get the ball out for players like Warren and Pittman Jr, so how Warren et al adapts to a game that features an elite defense, will certainly be one to watch. But one thing is for sure, the more he produces, the more eyes will be on him to see if he develops in that top TE the Colts hope he will be.

Kenneth Walker III

10 rushing attempts, 20 yards

3 aerial targets and receptions, 4 receiving yards

This one surprised me a lot. He just could not get going at all. Then you add slightly more productive (by virtue of a TD) Zach Charbonnet into the mix, Walker had a tough week 1. Should that continue, then there would be chance that it is Charbonnet who takes the carries going forward. Fantasy talking heads had been hyping up this pair all off season but leaning more to a season that had Walker being the RB1 from the start and maintaining that with a sprinkle of Charbonnet. But with a really tricky second week against a Steelers defense that will be looking to more solid than against the Jets, Walker could be in for a difficult afternoon again for Seattle.

Harold Fannin Jr

9 targets, 7 receptions, 63 yards

This is such an interesting one to watch this week and beyond. Last week he had a huge debut against the Bengals and deserved a shot at finishing it with a TD, but it just wasn’t to be. After week 1, he had 20% of the targets and was the first read on 24% of plays, and a huge 50% of two TE sets, so he is going to have the opportunities to impress. What will need to happen is consistency from the QB room and no changes if an ageing Joe Flacco does ageing Joe Flacco things. You also have to see how current TE1 David Njoku reacts to having as much of the ball with only 6 targets and 3 receptions. This week, the Browns go against a Ravens team who will still be stinging from that gut wrenching loss to the Bills. Whilst the Browns looked solid in the defeat to the Bengals, this week will be another test to see if players like Fannin Jr can have Fantasy importance going forward.

MARTIN RICHARDSON

NFL/FANTASY FOOTBALL ANALYST

A Yorkshireman living in Lancashire, Martin is a massive NFL fan but his heart belongs to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Also a huge Fantasy Football enthusiast and spends far too long crunching the numbers! Follow him at @MRBucsFan31

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