The 2nd year breakout has come to fruition for Odunze, as after
two games he has established himself as the WR1 in Chicago. His
advanced metrics in usage, target, and yardage percentage are
off the charts, and he’s already found the endzone as many
times this year (three) as he did in 17 games last year. Caleb
Williams might be a bit of a mess right now, but he’s looking
Rome’s way early and often, and the floundering Cowboy defense
is up next.
Things got off to a slow start in Philly Week 1, but Pickens
rebounded in Week 2 to put up a solid 5-68-1 line on 9 targets.
Sure, last week was an epic shootout with the Giants, but with
the state of this Cowboy defense, Dallas might need to run up
as many points as possible on a weekly basis. Pickens is worth
a long look as a big upside WR3.
Scarry Terry has been everything but to start the season with
only 7 receptions for 75 empty yards. This offense has sputtered
in the season’s first two games, and maybe it’s the rust from
missing most of the preseason that has kept McLaurin in check.
Jayden Daniels is hobbled with a knee injury, but even if Marcus
Mariota has to go, McLaurin should have worked himself back into
shape by now. With the Raider secondary coming off a rough game
against the Chargers, be patient, and give Terry one more week
before you panic.
The receiver to own in New Orleans has been tight end Juwan Johnson,
as he leads all Saints pass catchers with 20 targets, 13 receptions
and two touchdowns. Spencer Rattler has had trouble throwing the
ball too far past the line of scrimmage, and the downfield plays
just haven’t been there. With a capped upside and low floor,
it’s tough to trust Olave or Shaheed as anything more than
low level options on a weekly basis. And let’s not even
mention the brutal Week 3 matchup on the road with Seattle’s
lockdown secondary.
McConkey was the clear alpha in the receiver room last season, but
with the addition of Keenan Allen, and continued development of
Quentin Johnston there have been many more mouths to feed this season.
His 14 targets are the same as Johnston, and three less than Allen.
Considered a low end WR1 or upper tier WR2 coming into the year,
McConkey just hasn’t seen the high value targets he saw last year
to warrant that billing, and it might be time to downgrade him to
WR3 territory in a tough division game against Denver.
As a man in my 40’s I respect the heck out of what Joe
Flacco is still able to do, but between the mobility limitations
and the shaky O-line, there is nothing about this passing game
that inspires weekly confidence. Jeudy has a solid 16 targets
on the year, but the yardage has been underwhelming, and meaningless.
My guess is that the Browns employ a run-heavy scheme this week
in an attempt to stem the rush of Parsons and Company. Until the
matchups get better, or passing game improves, it might be best
to leave Jeudy on the bench.
