Until DeAndre
Hopkins returns from suspension, the newly acquired Hollywood
Brown should see a significant target share in what potentially
could be an explosive Cardinal offense. Coming off a career year
in Baltimore, Brown joins college QB Kyler Murray, and the two
should pick up where they left off in Norman. The game against
the Chiefs currently has the highest over/under of Week 1 at 54.5
points, meaning Vegas sees a prospective shootout in the desert.
Brown should outperform his ADP as long as Hopkins is on the sideline,
so take advantage early.
If you live by the tenant that Belichick always schemes to stop
the other team’s biggest threat, that means Waddle should
benefit greatly from the attention Tyreek Hill is sure to receive
this week. While the Pats sit in cover two, Waddle should be able
to feast on underneath and sideline routes. As long as Tua stays
patient and works the hash marks, Waddle should see double digit
targets and has a chance to outproduce his much further hyped
teammate, at least for a week.
I want as many guys in this game as possible, so why not take
a shot on KCs likely WR1. Smith-Schuster has never been able to
capture the magic of his first two seasons in Pittsburgh, and
has continuously fallen flat when asked to carry a passing game.
Luckily JuJu gets a huge quarterback upgrade, and won’t
have the pressure of propping up KCs offense. If he’s healthy,
Smith-Schuster has the talent and opportunity to catch a ton of
passes for the Chiefs. This starts in a big game on the road against
the Cardinals.
Grab a Headset
NYG Receivers @ TEN
I’m not sure I can recall a murkier receiver situation
than the one in East Rutherford as we enter Week 1. Kenny Golladay
seems to be circling the drain, Kadarius Toney is a talented attitude
problem who can’t seem to stay healthy, and Sterling Shepard
is less than 10 months removed from tearing his Achilles tendon.
Even 2nd round rookie Wan’Dale Robinson might start out
as just a high school-sized versatile gadget player in his first
year. Someone among this group simply HAS to come to the forefront,
but nothing in the preseason has indicated who that might be.
This is definitely a citation to avoid early in the year.
If it seems like it’s been a while since we’ve seen
Thomas as a fantasy asset, well, it has. We’d have to flip
the calendar all the way back to 2019 when Thomas was racking
up an NFL record 149 receptions. An ankle injury and subsequent
surgeries cost Thomas the better part of the next two seasons,
and now he returns to a very different Saints offense. Gone is
the aggressive play calling of Sean Payton and the pinpoint accuracy
of Drew Brees. Jameis Winston is a lower tier starting quarterback,
and dynamic rookie Chis Olave is sure to command his fair share
of chances. The range of outcomes is all over the map with Thomas,
and I need to see him healthy and producing before I can fully
trust him as a starter.
The man that saved the offense for the Raiders during their push
for the playoffs seems to have been forgotten after the big acquisition
of Devante Adams, but there was certainly a reason Renfrow doubled
his fantasy production from 2020. Injuries to just about every
other able pass catcher certainly helped inflate Renfrow’s
opportunities as he went from 77 targets in his second season
to a whopping 128 in year three. With Adams on board, and Darren
Waller healthy, I think Renfrow returns to being a chain moving
slot receiver stuck without a clear fantasy role. He might not
get enough receptions to play a big PPR role, and won’t
come close to the 9 touchdowns he scored last season to carve
out a place in standard leagues.
