We avoided COVID calamity in week 4 only to trade it for even more uncertainty in week 5. It’s going to take luck and an extra edge to win leagues this year. We’re all desperate for some luck. Trust me, the saying “Horseshoe up your ass” is purely metaphorical. Help get yourself that edge by popping the hood on some players poised to produce.
- Marquise Brown air yards will always be off the charts. When you can outrun everyone the deep ball will pad that. It can make rostering him frustrating at times. The blowup game is coming, though. He’s averaging 114 per game. Many of Lamar Jackson’s passes have been just out of his reach. With no preseason they’re still getting the timing right.
- Here we are with Aaron Jones usage again. Matt Lafleur has now restricted Jones and Derrick Henry from turning into workhorse backs in his career. Jamal Williams certainly deserves a role. Averaging 40% of the snaps is just too much, taking Jones explosiveness off the field for that many snaps is just bad business.
- The Keenan Allen target share story is shaping up much as usual. The other playmakers get hurt, the team gets into foot races, Allen benefits (37% on the year, 48%(!) in week 4). Rinse, repeat. Always repeat.
- Joe Mixon obviously broke out on the ground last week. Of his three touchdowns, one was receiving. That’s great to see. Even better were the 25 routes he ran to Gio Bernard’s 5. You aren’t a modern day workhorse without the passing work.
- We’ve been on Will Fuller watch all season. The production has been solid but we’re waiting on the signature multi-touchdown game. He almost had it against Pittsburgh. Hopefully with BOB out of the way it comes soon. He’s running routes on a healthy 87% of team pass plays.
- Kyler Murray is rushing way more this year. Some by design but he’s also been very quick to pull it down and take off in passing situations. Maybe that’s also intentional with defenses having less time to prepare right now. Either way, he’s on pace for over 1,000 yards and plenty of rushing TDs. The Konami code is happening for him at Kenyan Drake’s expense.
- That brings me to the second reason Drake’s value is suffering: Chase Edmonds’s target share. Edmonds has gobbled up 77% of the RB targets. His receiving is the special part of his game. The team sees that and deploys him as such.
- Jerrick McKinnon received 21/25 RB touches for San Francisco last week. The window for him to show he’s a reliable back has been brief but he’s made the best of it. I’d hold him even after Raheem Mostert returns. The offense should get back on track as it gets healthier and McKinnon has shown enough to be a flex option even splitting the work.
- We Ronald Jones truthers got some terrific evidence Thursday night with 111 yards on 20 carries. The rest of the RB room was nursing an injury after Ke’Shawn Vaughn got dinged. If Jones can stay near the 64% snap share he saw the breakout will come. Passing downs will never be his forte. If Tampa gets a lead it’s his time to shine.
- Jimmy Graham was brought to Chicago with a purpose in mind: give them a big red zone target. He’s caught 5 of 8 targets for 4 touchdowns. Teams are likely to focus on Allen Robinson in the endzone. No one is particularly scared of a washed up, old basketball player. Maybe they should be.
