"The standards are being lowered, not just on the Internet, but in all of news and media." - Vince McMahon
We are back and like Vinny Mc can attest, the standards here are low! But I am glad you are with us, I spent a good amount of time going back through each game from Week 1 and noticed a lot of things you may have missed, so let's dig into Week 2.
Saturday
New York Guardians @ DC Defenders: 2 pm ET (ABC)
Tampa Bay Vipers @ Seattle Dragons: 5 pm ET (FOX)
Sunday
Dallas Renegades @ LA Wildcats: 3pm ET (ABC)
St. Louis BattleHawks @ Houston Roughnecks: 6pm ET (FS1)
Quarterbacks
All the QBs seemed to be priced pretty fairly this week, no ridiculous pricing like Walker in Week 1, makes everyone pretty much in play.
Phillip Walker – Roughnecks - $10,600
Major price increase for Walker, who last week was at $7,800. Walker showed the type of playmaking ability he is capable of, accounting for 4 scores and nearly 300 yards of total offense against LA in the opener. The Battlehawks defense kept the Dallas offense out of the endzone last week, so it could be a difficult match up for Walker. Walker should be able to make more plays against St Louis than Phillip Nelson was able to do, I still think he is in play this week even with the high price tag. I would mostly target him in GPP, as there is still a slight risk that last week isn’t repeatable against a perceived better defense.
Josh Johnson – Wildcats - $10,400
Johnson will be interesting again this week. He is still sporting the Swish Flag Tag, but all signs are pointing to him starting. Dallas had all sorts of problems trying to contain St Louis QB Jordan Ta’amu last week. Ta’amu rushed for 77 yards and threw 209, if Johnson is healthy, he could certainly reach that production.
Matt McGloin – Guardians - $9,900
I was expecting McGloin to be priced a little higher than this, as he appears to be in a pretty spot this week. Seattle was able to move the ball quite a bit against DC last week and really tried to do so vertically. McGloin and his Guardian receiving corp will likely try the same approcach which could lead to some big numbers. Last week, according to my charting NY threw the ball 12 times down the field past 20 yards. If McGloin can complete this passes at a higher clip than Silvers last week, he could be in for a monster game.
Cardale Jones – Defenders - $10,200
I don’t mind Jones this week, but he certainly isn’t my favorite play and I am not sure he is even in my top 3 this week. However, Jones was pretty impressive in Week 1 and it was hard to ignore his production and chemistry with his WR core. The big worry I have with DC is the O-Line play, Jones was a magician most of the game vs. Seattle and really put his team in great situations with his ability to manipulate the pocket despite being under heavy pressure. New York’s defense caused Tampa Bay a lot of problems with only a 4-man rush, if they can get to Jones and get him down, it maybe a long day for DC.
Landry Jones – Renegades - $9,500
Jones was held out of last week’s game vs. St. Louis due to an injured knee. He appears to be cleared for Dallas’ matchup vs Los Angeles and should provide a huge boost to the Renegades aerial attack. Dallas was held out of the endzone last week as QB Phillip Nelson had little success pushing the ball down the field vertically. Going against a Los Angeles defense in turmoil (Released Captain / MLB Anthony Johnson and Fired DC Pepper Johnson) that was absolutely shredded by Houston, Jones and the Dallas offense should be in for a big day.
Brandon Silvers – Dragons – $8,200
After re-watching Seattle’s game vs. DC, I was more impressed with Silvers play than during my initial viewing of the game. He still makes some head-scratching throws, but has a ton of moxy. New York pushed vertically all game against Tampa in Week 1 and I expect Seattle to test the theory. It will be interesting to see how CFL Legend SJ Green fits into the Dragons passing game, if he ready to go, it could be a big boost to Silvers.
Running Backs
For RB's, we are still going with the who is on the field and who is getting the ball logic. A lot of guys contributed in a lot of backfields. Really trying to avoid committees with only 1 RB slot.
Deveon Smith – Vipers - $7,500
No Aaron Murray this week for Tampa Bay, but who will get the call for the Vipers? Both Quinton Flowers and Former OK State QB Taylor Cornelius are both expected to play. When Flowers entered the game, it really seemed to allow Smith to attack the NY defense. Regardless of who the QB is, Smith should be a focal point of the TB offense and I expect him to get around 15 carries.
Jhurell Pressley – Defenders - $7,000
Pressley didn’t feature as heavily as I anticipated in Week 1. DC worked a lot of read-option looks into their offense which has me intrigued. Tampa Bay really struggled running the ball against New York, but as soon as Flowers entered the contest and Tampa started running read-option, the defense began to show some signs of cracking. Unless NY was able to sure up some assignments in the read-option open game, Pressley should be able to get loose for more than the 31 yards he had in Week 1.
Elijah Hood – Wildcats - $6,500
Hood was really impacted by Johnson not being able to play in Week 1. Houston seemed determined to bottle up Hood and make Charles Kanoff beat them. Hood ran hard and took a bulk of the carries against the Roughnecks. I like him to bounce back in Week 2 against Dallas. The Renegades really struggled containing St. Louis’ Read-Option run game and I could see them struggling again here. With Johnson back in the lineup, Hood should be in for a better week.
James Butler – Roughnecks - $6,300
Butler really seems to fit into what Houston is doing offensively. He shined bright in the passing game catching 2 targets for 20 yards and was strong in pass protection. I don’t anticipating Houston running a lot this week, but Butler is an explosive player who can gain yards in big chunks.
Matt Jones – BattleHawks - $5,900
Jones was the surprise of Week 1 in terms of running backs, he out touched “starting” running back Christian Michael 22 to 8. Jones led the league in rushing attempts with 21 carries for 85 yards. St. Louis will need to control the ball and the clock in this one against a high-scoring Houston offense, which should play to Jones’ advantage.
Lance Dunbar – Renegades - $4,600
I think what surprised me the most about Dallas’ plan of attack in Week 1 was the use of the RBs in the pass game. I am not sure if Nelson playing was the reason for that or if St. Louis was allowing that with the coverage they played. Dunbar was a big factor in the pass game, he caught 6 passes for 29 yards and led the team in targets. I expect him to get more work on the ground as well, his 5.4 yards per touch was best of Dallas top 3 backs in Week 1.
Darius Victor – Guardians - $4,100
Victor stood out the most to me in the NY backfield. He seemed to have a more productive day than Tim Cook. Victor had 9 carries for 32 yards and 3 receptions for 25. It’s a committee approach in NY but at $4,100 Victor is great dart throw.
Wide Receivers
I took a really deep look at WR's this week and came up with a system for grading targets. Yes, mine did differ from the official stats, but I think mine will help.
Deep - Any target over 20 yards in air
1st Read - Receiver was primary target
Short - Less than 10 yards in the air
Garbage - Throwaway - Scrambles, essentially not a useful indicator pass.
Nelson Spruce – Wildcats - $10,400
Spruce was a monster in Week 1, total 10 catches (15 TARGETS) for 103 yards and this week he should be getting starting QB Josh Johnson back from injury. Lining up mostly in the slot, he give Houston fits and I can see him causing similar issues for Dallas. St. Louis weaponized the middle of the field in the RPO game against the Renegades, most notably giving up a 41-yard reception to Pierson-El. Spruce is the highest costing WR on the board.
Eli Rogers – Defenders - $9,700
I worry about the DC offense in this game against the Guardians. However, if DC falls behind they will be throwing the ball quite a bit. Eli Rogers seemed to have a great connection with Jones in Week 1, notching 6 receptions for 73 yards. With defenses worried about Rashad Ross ($9,900), Rogers should see plenty of 1 on 1 coverage.
Austin Proehl – Dragons - $9,200
Proehl on Saturday was like watching a preview for what Spruce would be doing on Sunday, he was everywhere for the Dragons. Also manning the slot, Proehl amassed 10 targets and was easily Brandon Silvers favorite target. As long as Silvers is good to go, Proehl could provide as much production as Spruce for $1,200 less. SJ Green is not listed for Seattle on Draftkings this week, but was added to the Dragons roster earlier this week. Still unknown if he will see much action.
Kahlil Lewis – Roughnecks - $8,900
Lewis jumped off the screen for me watching this game back, his speed is undeniable and you can tell defenses fear him. Working mostly in the slot, Lewis caught 5 passes for 45 yards and a score in Week 1. St. Louis was attacked repeatedly in the middle of the field by Dallas (Nagel 6 Receptions). The only worry I have here is Houston will spread it around. Cam Phillips $8,400 saw 9 targets, Ryheem Malone $3,900 caught 5 passes from the slot and that doesn’t even figure in Sammie Coates $9,500. Good thing Walker will be slinging it around in the June Jones system.
L’Damian Washington – BattleHawks - $4,400
St. Louis will be trying to the control the football to keep Houston off the field, but the BattleHawks may find themselves trailing in this football game. If that is the case Washington could be finding himself in a great spot. Last week, he 5 passes for 20 yards and seemed to be a favorite for Jordan Ta’amu. Alonzo Russell $4,800 worked opposite of Washington and had a productive Week 1, catching 3 of 5 targets from 49 yards and a TD
Larry Whitfield – Wildcats - $4,000
Whitfield was another guy who popped for me during my 2nd viewing. He wasn’t overly productive just 3 catches for 30 yards, but the speed is there. If anything happens to Spruce, Whitfield would slide inside to the slot.
Jalen Tolliver – Vipers - $3,900
The big story in Week 1 was Dan Williams $7,600 and his 6 receptions for 123 yards, but after re-watching the game I wasn’t as impressed with Williams as I was with Tolliver. Williams broke off 2 big plays (37 and 42 yards), one was a fluky reception where the pass being poor actually helped Williams make a catch in coverage and the latter play was in garbage time. Tolliver on the hand was targeted often (8 times). He was targeted 3 times DEEP and 4 times as the first read. A couple of drops really hurt him but he still finished with 47 yards on 3 receptions (15.7 average). Losing Aaron Murray hurts and could put both Williams and Tolliver at a disadvantage.
Dontez Byrd – Dragons - $3,800
Big Play Byrd, at least that is what I am calling him. Dontez saw 5 targets and most of them were deep vertical routes. He hauled in 2 of those 5 targets from 32 yards. If Silvers and Byrd could connect on a few more deep balls he maybe a great GPP Dart play.
Joe Horn – Guardians - $3,400
"Horn is my FAVORITE play of the week."
I am not sure how he is priced so low. Draftkings has him for 8 targets, I show him for 10 during my re-watch. Horn was constantly getting behind the defense and McGloin was certainly looking for him. He had 4 Deep Targets and 5 first read targets. If he can convert at a better clip (2 reception on “8” targets), he could have a monster game. Similarly, Colby Pearson $7,200 is in play here as well. Pearson only catch 2 passes for 44 yards (22.0), Draftkings had him down for 4 targets, I had him for 7 and 4 of them were Deep targets. I think a McGloin, Horn, Pearson stack could be in play.
Donald Parham – Renegades - $3,200
Parham is a good low-priced tight end option. Parham has good ability, good speed and great size (6’8). He logged 4 receptions on 6 targets for 40 yards and should see better space if Landry Jones can get the ball deep. Parham could be a good 1,2,3 point target for Dallas in the redzone. Flynn Nagel $5,200 did nothing to turn us off in Week 1, he tied Parham with 6 targets and should be around that number again. My only issue is the salary, at $3,900 he was a slam dunk last week. $5,200 makes him need a bit more production at that tag.
Colin Jeter / Evan Rodriguez – Seattle - $3,000
One thing I noticed about Seattle is they play with 1 and 2 tight ends A LOT and typically they played a more complete game when they were in these sets. At $3,000 both of these guys are in play because they will be on the field. Jeter is more likely to see a bulk of the reps but Rodriguez seems to have some explosion that could lead to a big play. Both guys are minimum priced dart throws.
Defense
Guardians - $4,000
Big fan of NY in this one, good price point and I think they may have the best defense in the league. Last week, they were able to get a ton of pressure with just 4 and that resulted in 2 INT and 5 sacks. With DC struggling in pass pro, this could be another huge spot for New York.
Dragons - $3,000
Not the sexiest pick, but Seattle is at home and Tampa Bay will be with out Aaron Murray. At the minimum, a few sacks and a turnover or two could go a long way.
I am also thinking about doing this in podcast form. These write ups take forever, please let us know if you like the write up or would rather have an audio podcast.