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| Wednesday, September 16, 2020 |
| Wednesday morning is a lot like Christmas morning for Fantasy players, except there's only one present to go around and 12 people vying for it, and if you don't get what you want, now you have to watch your friend play with your toy in front of you. OK, so maybe the first waiver wire run of the Fantasy football season is actually more like The Office's White Elephant episode. |
| Whether you got what you wanted from your waiver run last night or you were left with a metaphorical lump of coal, it's time to get ready for Week 2. We'll have Jamey Eisenberg's Start 'Em & Sit 'Em columns ready for you by tonight, but for now, get a sense of how this week is going to go with Heath Cummings' preview of each position. Of course, you'll have to find out what's going on with injuries to Michael Thomas, Le'Veon Bell and more before you do anything, and we've got everything you need to know right here. |
| If you ever want help from one of our experts, by the way, we've got something like a Bat Signal for answering Fantasy questions. All you've gotta do is tweet "#AskFFT" and we'll answer it on Fantasy Football Today podcast, on the CBS Sports HQ show at noon Monday through Friday and Sunday from 10-1, or on our new Twitch channel. Or, you can send a question to Chris.Towers@CBSInteractive.com with the subject line " #AskFFT" and you'll see it answered right here. Today, we're looking at some trade questions to go along with Dave Richard's first Trade Values Chart of the season, including some big questions about how to handle Michael Thomas. |
| Here's what else today's newsletter has in store as we preview Week 2: |
| Injury Updates: Michael Thomas, Le'Veon Bell and more Week 2 Position Previews — QB | RB | WR | TE #AskFFT Trade Mailbag Injuries, News, and Notes |
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| Injury Updates: Michael Thomas, Le'Veon Bell and more |
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| With limited training camp and no preseason games, a heavier than usual injury report coming out of Week 1 shouldn't be a surprise. However, the caliber of player dealing with injuries heading into Week 2 is still tough for Fantasy players to swallow. Here's the latest on Michael Thomas, Le'Veon Bell and more. |
| Michael Thomas could miss multiple weeks |
| The news on Thomas went from, "He doesn't think it's serious" post game to, "It's a high-ankle sprain but he's going to play in Week 2" Tuesday morning to, "It's more serious than initially thought and he'll probably miss multiple weeks. At least we got that news relatively early in the week, though it wouldn't be a surprise if Thomas tries to push through it and is a game-time decision for Monday's game against the Raiders. But unless we get very, very unexpected good news before Sunday, you should plan on Thomas being on your bench for at least one week. Probably more. Dave Richard has more on the ramifications of this injury here, and Jamey Eisenberg and Adam Aizer discussed the injury on the Fantasy Football Today in 5 podcast Wednesday morning. Head to Apple or Spotify for a brief breakdown of what these injuries might mean. |
| Le'Veon Bell was placed on IR |
| That's less serious than it would have been a year ago, because teams can call players back from IR after just three weeks this season. Of course, it still means he won't play until Week 5 at the earliest. You have to stash Bell, and I'm not sure you have to add anyone from this backfield while Bell is out. Frank Gore figures to be the lead back here, but we've seen in Miami and Buffalo the past two seasons that isn't a particularly exciting prospect. Neither is Josh Adams getting work. Maybe if La'Mical Perine can get healthy, the rookie might have some value, but this is a situation you should steer clear of if you can. |
| Phillip Lindsay 'in doubt' for Week 2 |
| Lindsay is reportedly dealing with a "minor" case of turf toe, but it's still a notoriously difficult injury to get over -- maybe we can find a better name for it than the decidedly unthreatening "turf toe?" This will be Melvin Gordon's backfield for at least Week 2 against the Steelers, and he'll be worth starting even against that tough matchup. Royce Freeman has little value as the backup here. |
| James Conner could play in Week 2? |
| Benny Snell was viewed as the top waiver-wire target for Week 2 under the assumption that Conner will not be able to play with his ankle injury. However, Mike Tomlin told reporters he isn't ruling out his starter just yet, so this will be one we have to watch throughout the week. If Conner sits, Snell is a must-start player against the Broncos; if Conner does play, I don't see how you could feel comfortable starting either player. |
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| Week 2 Position Previews — QB | RB | WR | TE |
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| Every week, Heath Cummings dives deep into every position to help you get ready for your matchups. He's looking for everything you need to know for the upcoming week, from key matchups to injuries to DFS targets and more. Here's a look at each position preview, along with the consensus expert top-12 for each position: |
| QB Preview |
| "If Week 1 was any indication, the bar is being raised at quarterback once again. In a standard CBS league, Kirk Cousins and Cam Newton tied for 12th with 25 Fantasy points. Teddy Bridgewater reached (what used to be) the magical 20 Fantasy-point mark, and only finished 18th in Week 1." |
| Injuries: None. Number to know: 8 -- Carson Wentz was sacked eight times in Week 1. You can't start him unless he gets Lane Johnson and/or Miles Sanders back Matchup that matters: Tom Brady vs. CAR — A nice soft landing after a tough showing in his first game without wearing Patriots colors. If Brady struggles again this week, it might be really time to panic. |
| Consensus Top-12 Rankings |
| Lamar Jackson QB | BAL Patrick Mahomes QB | KC Kyler Murray QB | ARI Dak Prescott QB | DAL Russell Wilson QB | SEA Aaron Rodgers QB | GB Josh Allen QB | BUF Matt Ryan QB | ATL Tom Brady QB | TB Deshaun Watson QB | HOU Ben Roethlisberger QB | PIT Cam Newton QB | NE |
| RB Preview |
| "Outside of a handful of studs, most running backs find themselves in some sort of committee in the NFL. That's just the way the game is played now, and Fantasy football players are well aware of it. That's especially true for most of the rookie running backs. We had our theories about how things were going to work in these backfields before the season and it seems like a good idea to check out how they fared in Week 1." |
| Who's out: Marlon Mack (Achilles), Le'Veon Bell (Hamstring), Miles Sanders (Hamstring) Number to know: 11% -- Christian McCaffrey's target share in Week 1 was approximately half of what it was in 2019. Matchup that matters: Kareem Hunt vs. CIN — Whether Hunt playing and touching the ball more than Nick Chubb was just a one-week thing or not, you're starting him in this one. |
| Consensus Top-12 Rankings |
| Christian McCaffrey RB | CAR Alvin Kamara RB | NO Ezekiel Elliott RB | DAL Saquon Barkley RB | NYG Derrick Henry RB | TEN Dalvin Cook RB | MIN Aaron Jones RB | GB Josh Jacobs RB | LV Clyde Edwards-Helaire RB | KC Kenyan Drake RB | ARI Joe Mixon RB | CIN Raheem Mostert RB | SF |
| WR Preview |
| "It can be tough to know what to believe from Week 1 and what we can dismiss. While we won't truly know the right answer for a few weeks, we can at least settle on what we think is the best approach. For me that means mostly standing pat on efficiency, and adjusting where there's a change in usage. In other words, I'm holding firm on guys like D.J. Moore." |
| Injuries: Michael Thomas (Ankle), Kenny Golladay (Hamstring), Courtland Sutton (Shoulder), DeVante Parker (Hamstring), Brandon Aiyuk (Hamstring) Number to know: 6 -- Cooper Kupp has only seen more than six targets twice in his last nine games. Matchup that matters: Odell Beckham vs. CIN — Here's another one where if Beckham struggles again this week, it might be time to panic. |
| Consensus Top-12 Rankings |
| Davante Adams WR | GB DeAndre Hopkins WR | ARI Julio Jones WR | ATL Calvin Ridley WR | ATL Adam Thielen WR | MIN Tyreek Hill WR | KC Amari Cooper WR | DAL Chris Godwin WR | TB Allen Robinson WR | CHI Tyler Lockett WR | SEA Robert Woods WR | LAR JuJu Smith-Schuster WR | PIT |
| TE Preview |
| "It was a mixed bag for the young upside tight ends in Week 1. Blake Jarwin was lost for the year to injury, while Mike Gesicki and Chris Herndon predictably struggled with difficult matchups. Last year's first round picks, Noah Fant and T.J. Hockenson, both posted encouraging totals. Jonnu Smith was good as well. But the big story was Dallas Goedert as the No. 1 tight end in Fantasy." |
| Injuries: Blake Jarwin (Knee), David Njoku (Knee) Number to know: 71% -- Mark Andrews played 71% of the Ravens snaps in Week 1. He never topped 60% in his first two seasons. Matchup that matters: Mike Gesicki vs. BUF — Here's one where the matchup might lean you toward sitting the player, though if DeVante Parker is unable to play, Gesicki might see enough targets to where it doesn't matter. |
| Consensus Top-12 Rankings |
| Travis Kelce TE | KC George Kittle TE | SF Mark Andrews TE | BAL Darren Waller TE | LV Hunter Henry TE | LAC Zach Ertz TE | PHI Evan Engram TE | NYG Noah Fant TE | DEN Dallas Goedert TE | PHI Jared Cook TE | NO Jonnu Smith TE | TEN T.J. Hockenson TE | DET |
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| 🔍#AskFFT Mailbag |
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| It's probably too early to make a drastic decision, but that's never stopped Fantasy players before. Plus, sometimes, you'd rather make a trade three weeks too early rather than three weeks too late, right? |
| If you're looking to make a trade, Dave Richard's first in-season trade values chart is here to help you put together a winning deal, but I want to offer some help too. So, I went to Twitter and asked my followers to give me some trade scenarios they are considering ahead of Week 2. Including, of course, several about what to do with Michael Thomas. We'll start there. |
| So, what do I do with Thomas? |
| Right now, your best bet is to do nothing. It's entirely possible he misses just one or two games and is back to being his dominant self again. You're never going to get fair value for him right now, so your best bet is to just ride it out. |
| Of course, if you don't have Thomas, this is the perfect time to try to acquire him. You're freaked about the injury and what it might mean for his production moving forward, but you also didn't have to invest a first-round pick in him. So, if you can get him for a discount — say, a David Johnson or Cooper Kupp — I would do it. You won't have to give up fair value for him, and if Thomas returns quickly as his usual self, you'll gladly stomach a few weeks with an empty spot. |
| Robin: I have D.J. Moore, Robert Woods, Calvin Ridley, Amari Cooper and Jamison Crowder in PPR. Is there an RB to trade for using some of these WRs? My RBs are Joe Mixon, Aaron Jones, Antonio Gibson, and David Montgomery. |
| Given the backs you have, you don't necessarily need to make a move, unless this is an eight-team league. But you also have four top-15 WR and another guy who looks like a top-30 guy at least, so if you could move Cooper for someone like Austin Ekeler, that would be a solid move, assuming you have room for Mixon, Jones, and Ekeler in your lineup. |
| Jason: What exactly is Zach Ertz worth if I'm looking to offload him? |
| My opinion of him hasn't changed. It's not like Dallas Goedert moved him to the bench, or anything. Ertz played his usual role and, in a down game, scored a touchdown. He's still a top three or four TE, and I wouldn't trade him for anything less than face value. That means someone in the Raheem Mostert/Tyler Lockett/DK Metcalf range. |
| Samuel: I give up Amari Cooper and James White for Cam Akers and Mike Evans in .5 PPR. |
| This seems like an easy win for you. Obviously, I'm a bit worried about Tampa's offense with Tom Brady after that first showing, but I'm not so worried that I'm fading Evans. He's better than Cooper, and while Akers didn't look great in Week 1, he did get 15 touches in his NFL debut. I expect Malcolm Brown to be the starter for the time being, but Akers already has a role, and that should only grow. |
| J.O.: My Christian McCaffrey and Hayden Hurst for Chris Carson, Aaron Jones, and Tyler Lockett — I have Conner, Snell, Joshua Kelley, Lindsay, and James Robinson at RB. |
| I don't want to oversimplify and say you should never give up the best player in Fantasy, and this wouldn't be a bad return if you did. But unless you're in a really bad spot at wide receiver — and it would be hard to be, given how deep it is — you don't really need to do this. You've got whoever the Steelers starter is, James Robinson looks like a potential No. 2 based on volume alone, and Kelley could be one if he gets to 15 touches per game. I don't really see any reason to do this one. |
| News, Notes, and Quotes |
| Allen Robinson isn't happy in Chicago. There were reports Tuesday that he had requested a trade, but that may not be true. What is true is Robinson helps cover up for a lot of Mitchell Trubisky's faults, and this offense would badly miss him. And, as mediocre as Trubisky is, switching teams in the middle of the season is rarely a good thing for a wide receiver's value. Let's hope they figure this out. … Broncos coach Vic Fangio hopes Courtland Sutton can "do more" in preparation for Week 2 while dealing with his shoulder injury. He wasn't ruled out until relatively late Monday, so it seemed like he might be close, but we'll have to watch in practice. … The 49ers signed Mohamed Sanu. He might actually end up with a pretty significant role with Deebo Samuel on IR, though Sanu is coming off ankle surgery that seemed to be slowing him in camp before the Patriots released him. … The Jets placed Denzel Mims on IR. The rookie is dealing with injuries in both hamstrings, and seems unlikely to make an impact any time soon. … |
| They said it… |
| Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians said on his weekly radio show that he "feels bad"whenever Mike Evans has fewer than 10 targets, and he has to move him around the formation more to get him involved. That's what you want to hear. J.K. Dobbins over Mark Ingram? "I'm still not buying it yet." - The Athletic's Ravens reporter Jeff Zrebiec, however the team will continue to try to get all of their backs involved, and the roles could shift weekly. "Snell is just a better running back at this point, and I can't see that changing." — Steelers reporter Mark Kaboly, who has been extremely high on Snell since training camp. "Jamaal Williams ... seems ready for an increased role as a receiver." — Packers reporter Bob McGinn. Williams was in on 23 pass plays among his 32 snaps and ran 15 routes. He doesn't matter much for Fantasy, but he's going to keep A.J. Dillon from having a bigger role. |
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