Fantasy

The Denver Broncos offense came to life Thursday in a 37-28 victory against the New York Jets.

In the passing game, Broncos wide receivers Jerry Jeudy and Tim Patrick enjoyed great nights.  

Jeudy notably channeled his inner Randy Moss and beat Jets cornerback Pierre Desir in a mid-air fight for a moonball that ended with a 48-yard touchdown:

He finished with two catches (on four targets) for 61 yards and one touchdown.

Patrick finished with team highs of six receptions, 113 yards and one touchdown on seven targets. He arguably made the play of the night with a 31-yard sideline reception late in the fourth quarter and the Broncos down 28-27:

The ex-Ute also gets bonus points for his accomplishments despite a high degree of difficulty, per Next Gen Stats:

Denver eventually finished the drive with the game-winning field goal before adding an insurance touchdown thanks to a Melvin Gordon III 43-yard touchdown run. 

Jeudy, the 15th overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, was thrust into the spotlight after Broncos No. 1 wideout Courtland Sutton suffered a torn ACL that will sideline him for the entire season. Jeudy has paced the team with 28 targets, one more than tight end Noah Fant.

He's responded with at least 50 receiving yards in each of his first four games, a notable feat that places him in good company, per NFL Research:

Jeudy has 15 catches for 234 yards (15.6 yards per reception) and one touchdown. Eight of his catches have gone for 15 or more yards. He's on pace for 60 receptions for 936 yards and four touchdowns.

Patrick, a third-year pro who went undrafted out of Utah, enjoyed the first 100-yard game of his career. He has 16 catches for 209 yards and two touchdowns on the season, and he's third on the team with 21 targets.

Like Jeudy, Patrick was forced to assume more responsibility with Sutton out. While he hasn't been featured as much, he saw the field for 85 percent of snaps in Week 1 and 84 percent of snaps in Week 3 during games in which Sutton did not play, per Pro Football Reference.

He's also seen at least four targets in each game, so he's at least been present and relevant in the Broncos offense despite not making a huge impact until Thursday.

Jeudy and Patrick have notably excelled despite playing with three quarterbacks through four weeks in the injured Drew Lock, the benched Jeff Driskel and third-stringer Brett Rypien, so it may not matter who calls signals.

However, the No. 1 quarterback in Lock has an outside shot to return in Week 5 versus the New England Patriots, per Broncos head coach Vic Fangio on KOA Colorado (h/t James Palmer of NFL Network). A Week 6 return against the Miami Dolphins is more likely.

That should presumably brighten Jeudy's and Patrick's fantasy outlook moving forward. 

Jeudy entered Thursday as the 36th-ranked wide receiver in FantasyPros' rest-of-season rankings. Patrick ranked No. 104.

Jeudy was a borderline flex/third wide receiver starting option in 12-team leagues entering the night, but bump him over the line and squarely into a solid flex/third wideout option at this juncture.

As the touchdown showed, fantasy players don't need him to see many targets for him to get a good weekly score. Unless you're loaded at wideout and can play mix-and-match every week, start him as your third wide receiver and don't look back from this point forward.

Patrick shouldn't be a near-auto start at flex or wideout just yet, although his fantasy outlook clearly rose Thursday. Broncos head coach Vic Fangio offered kind words on him postgame, per Brandon Krisztal of KOA Colorado: "I really like Tim. I think Tim's a quality NFL receiver. He's got size, tough. ... I'm not surprised by it with Tim. ... I'm really glad we have him."

Add him to your bench if he's sitting on the waiver wire, but take a wait-and-see approach for at least one week against a tough Patriots defense in Week 5.

He's a solid reserve for now and could play his way into starting lineups with more productive performances.

Tre'Quan Smith, WR, New Orleans Saints

6 percent rostered in all Yahoo leagues

Tre'Quan Smith saw just one target in Week 1's victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which he grabbed for four yards. But with Michael Thomas dealing with a high-ankle sprain that will sideline him for a few weeks, Drew Brees could look to Smith in his scramble to create some offense against the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday. 

At 6'2", injury restricted the third-year receiver to 11 games in 2019, during which he caught 18 passes for 234 yards, scoring five touchdowns to match the total from his rookie season. 

Per Mike Tagliere of FantasyPros, Smith has only seen three or more targets in 11 games, but in six of those outings, he scored at least 10 points in PPR leagues. And Monday's matchup gives him room to run. In Week 1, the Raiders allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to wide receivers.

Where a lack of consistency and plenty of talent in front of him has limited him from making an impact in the past, he'll get the start as Thomas works his way back. Based on the matchup with Las Vegas, this is the week to start Smith as a WR2.

Curtis Samuel, WR, Carolina Panthers

28 percent rostered

Curtis Samuel saw eight targets, reeling in five for 38 yards in the Carolina Panthers' Week 1 loss to Las Vegas, tying him for the most targets among other Carolina receivers. In 2019, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense allowed opponents to run all over them, allowing almost 200 yards to wide receivers, which was worst in the league.

Samuel might not be a long-term solution, but for any manager looking to test a worthy WR4 option, this is the week to put in Samuel and reap the rewards.

Logan Thomas, TE, Washington Football Team

19 percent rostered

While grabbing four of eight targets for 37 yards and a touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles, Logan Thomas finished sixth in the league among tight ends with 31 routes run. The 29-year-old will continue to star on a team that has limited receiving options, with only Terry McLaurin grabbing more receptions than Thomas in Week 1.

Thomas is a strong pick looking at the matchup against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2. Arizona conceded the all-time most fantasy points to tight ends last season, allowing 311.3 PPR points and more than 72 yards per game at the position.

Los Angeles Rams D/ST

61 percent rostered, +13 percent from Week 1

Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz struggled to stay on his feet in Week 1, with eight sacks and two interceptions at the hands of the Washington defense in a 27-17 loss, proving that the loss of Andre Dillard to injury on the offensive line is going to bring trouble this season in Philadelphia.

Now that Alshon Jeffery has joined Dillard on injured reserve, Wentz has lost a weapon, and as someone who historically holds on to the ball too long, he's a prime target for the Los Angeles Rams defense.

When Aaron Donald and his Rams head to Philadelphia on Sunday, the five-time All-Pro and two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year will cause Wentz's second consecutive week of destruction. Based on the Eagles' inability to counter Los Angeles' strong defense, the Rams are an ideal defense option in Week 2.

Fantasy football managers already in need of a quarterback in Week 2 may have found their man on Thursday Night Football. 

Joe Burrow's astounding usage by the Cincinnati Bengals will make him a player to target immediately if he's still available on wires in your league. 

Consider the rookie quarterback attempted 61 passes against the Cleveland Browns in Thursday's 35-30 loss, the second-most in NFL history by a rookie. His 37 completions, however, are the most by a first-year player in league history. Along the way, Burrow recorded 316 passing yards and three touchdowns without an interception. 

Sure, there was plenty of garbage time, and the quarterback's usage may fluctuate a bit depending on the game situation, but there's no denying the comfort Cincinnati has in letting him air it out. Even if the Bengals may not win too many games this season, the rookie will get plenty of reps as long as he stays healthy.

Burrow is rostered in 71 percent of Yahoo Sports leagues. If he's not available as a free agent, don't try to overspend to get him. There are still plenty of solid options right now, and it's too early in the season to panic—even in dynasty leagues.

Thursday's performance, on the other hand, showed that the quarterback may be sticking around for a while. 

The Bengals will also face a much tougher defense in Week 3 when they travel to play the Philadelphia Eagles. Week 4 against the Jacksonville Jaguars at home provides an intriguing matchup, though. 

Only fantasy teams in desperate need of a new option should be starting Burrow without hesitation at this point. For all others, he's a matchup-dependent quarterback until proven otherwise. 

Congratulations to the fantasy players who were not scared off by the presence of Nick Chubb when deciding to put Kareem Hunt in their lineup.  

The pair of Cleveland Browns running backs destroyed the overmatched defense of the Cincinnati Bengals during Thursday's 35-30 victory. Chubb's performance was to be expected given his status as one of the more reliable running backs in the league, but Hunt's was notable as a secondary option.

The Toledo product finished with 10 carries for 86 yards and one touchdown, as well as two catches for 15 yards and another score.

His 8.6 yards per carry suggest Cleveland may have been better off giving him the ball even more, and it was a continuation of a solid showing in the team's Week 1 loss when he averaged 5.5 yards per carry against the Baltimore Ravens.

Before fantasy players consider Hunt a must-start, it should be noted that the Bengals were last in rushing yards allowed last season and played without eight-time Pro Bowler Geno Atkins along the defensive line Thursday night.

Hunt will face far more difficult opponents than Cincinnati as the season continues, which means fantasy players shouldn't expect massive performances like this on a consistent basis. He is behind Chubb on the depth chart for good reason and finished the 2019 campaign with 179 rushing yards, 285 receiving yards and three total touchdowns in eight games.

Those numbers don't jump off the page, especially for someone who ran for 1,327 yards with the Kansas City Chiefs as a rookie in 2017.

He isn't going to put up those numbers with Chubb ahead of him, but Hunt is still worth flex consideration after his quick start to the season.

Monitor how he does against better defenses in the coming weeks, but for now, he is once again worthy of being included in starting lineups.

Boston Scott is set to become the Philadelphia Eagles' lead ball-carrier for Sunday's season opener against the Washington Football Team, as regular starter Miles Sanders will reportedly miss the game.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Sanders will not travel with the team to Washington because of a hamstring injury.

Scott, a sixth-round draft pick in 2018, was stuck behind Sanders and Jordan Howard for much of 2019. He ran for 245 yards and five touchdowns while catching 24 passes for 204 yards. Those five TDs did little to boost his value in a fantasy context.

Howard's departure moved Scott up the pecking order. As a result, a number of fantasy managers have probably already added the former Louisiana Tech star as an insurance policy or with the idea he might become a consistent threat in the passing game.

Sanders' injury makes Scott a must-add given the scarcity of worthy running backs on the waiver wire. Waiting to see how the situation develops isn't a luxury managers have.

Corey Clement, on the other hand, should stay right where he is.

The former Wisconsin star had 580 rushing yards and eight touchdowns through his first two seasons before a shoulder injury limited him to four games in 2019.

There's no reason to believe a fantasy breakout is on the horizon for Clement.

When the Eagles had few offensive weapons late last season, especially at wide receiver, Scott was one of the biggest beneficiaries.

Most notably, he scored three touchdowns in the Eagles' Week 17 win over the New York Giants to clinch a playoff spot.

With Sanders reportedly out Sunday, Scott should be deployed as an RB2 at worst, and he will have RB1 potential in the game.

For the second year in a row, Sammy Watkins produced big numbers in Week 1. The question is whether the Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver can be trusted on a consistent basis for fantasy football.  

Last season, Watkins opened the year with nine catches for 198 receiving yards and three touchdowns, quickly becoming the most-added player in fantasy leagues and a fixture in starting lineups for the next couple of months.

Unfortunately, he didn't have another touchdown the rest of the season and had just 475 yards across the next 13 games.

Fast forward to Thursday against the Houston Texans and Watkins was once again a key part of the Chiefs offense. The 27-year-old had seven catches for 82 yards, adding a touchdown catch on a quick throw:

Watkins also had a touchdown called back after he was ruled short of the goal line and was targeted again inside the 5-yard line later in the game.

As well as he played, the receiver could have had even bigger numbers.

Despite the production, concern remains that this was just a fluke, similar to last season:

With a lot of mouths to feed in the Chiefs offense, Watkins' numbers are certainly going to fluctuate, and he will be difficult to trust even in Week 2. However, there is reason to believe this was just the start of something bigger for the talented player.

Watkins might not have scored much last season, but he ranked second on the team with 90 targets and led all Chiefs receivers in offensive snaps, per Pro Football Reference. He remained a near-every-down player Thursday, finishing with a team-high nine targets.

The veteran had plenty of opportunities last year in an elite offense, and he just didn't capitalize. The team still trusts him in 2020, and there is a chance he finally takes advantage of his chances.

Watkins will likely remain a volatile WR3 going forward, but he is someone you can't ignore. He should be added in all leagues and could be a starter for those seeking a high-upside option.