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Jason & Dave go live from the studio to discuss injuries, trends, matchups, and more as we move into Week 5 of the 2019 fantasy season. There is still plenty of time to turn your team around (or lock in a top position for the playoff run), but in a few weeks you may look back at this time as a turning point. Do your research, make good decisions, and stay on top of the waiver wire!

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Listen to the Fantasy Finish Line, 10/2/2019: Week 5 Preview: Moving right along..

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For more in-depth analysis and discussion of these injury scenarios, tune in to the Fantasy Finish Line Podcast, Week 5 Preview: Moving right along..

QUARTERBACKS

Mitchell Trubisky (shoulder) – Yes, I’m calling him Mitchell. It’s the least I can do for a guy that is being outplayed by his backup Chase Daniel and is clearly not living up to expectations so far in 2019. The injury was to the left (non-throwing) shoulder and happened early in the game against the Vikings in Week 4. He was stretched out trying to recover a fumble with his left arm in front of him as a player from the opposing team landed on top of him with all their weight. The resulting injury to labrum was confirmed by an MRI and shouldn’t cause Trubisky to miss much more time but may force him to wear a shoulder brace for the rest of this season. Adam Schefter suggests that we’ll see Trubisky in Week 7, following the Bears’ week 6 bye. So far this year, Trubisky has thrown 3 TDs, all in the same game and all to Taylor Gabriel. He’s had 2 interceptions in that same time period. Trubisky provides an athletic element that Chase Daniel does not have, but he is performing at a very low level this year. Based on Daniel’s ability to run the Bears’ offense, Neither Trubisky’s absence nor his return should greatly affect the performance of skill-position players over the next few weeks.

Josh Allen (concussion) – The helmet-to-helmet hit that knocked Allen out of the game against the Patriots looked rough. Going up against the Titans on Sunday, Allen should have enough time to get healthy for the game, but it’s a situation to monitor. Otherwise, it’s Matt Barkley time against Tennessee and that’s not good for anyone in Buffalo.

Gardner Minshew (knee) – Minshew was limited in practice (Wednesday) with a knee injury but there’s currently no reason to think that will affect him suiting up against the Panthers on Sunday. Minshew mania is still alive and kicking.

RUNNING BACKS

Jamaal Williams (concussion) – Williams was hit violently last Thursday and taken off the field on a spine board. He did not practice today (Wednesday) and it’s likely that Aaron Jones will get the lion’s share of work whether or not Williams is able to practice later this week. It’s nice that he’ll get some extra time to go through the concussion protocol since he was injured on Thursday Night Football in Week 4, but there aren’t any other RBs on the depth chart currently that are worth discussion.

Marlon Mack (ankle) – Mack had an ankle injury in Week 4 but was able to return to the game for snaps still after originally coming off the field. After the game he said that he would play in Week 5 vs. Kansas City, but newsflash: it’s not up to Mack. He did not practice today (Wednesday), so he’ll need to practice sometime later this week in order to suit up. Jordan Wilkins (3% owned) has been more than serviceable in short yardage situations in the past (averaging 5.6 YPC in 2018), and Nyheim Hines (20% owned) has proven that he can be a PPR asset as long as he is out there for enough snaps (63 receptions for 425 yards on 81 targets last year). Especially going up against Kansas City, there could be fantasy value available on the wire here for teams with injury problems or bye-week issues if Mack can’t get healthy.

Tevin Coleman (ankle) – Coleman (70% owned) has been trucking around in a walking boot for a few weeks now, but it appears that he’ll practice this week and so he may suit up as early as Week 5 against the Browns on Monday Night Football. A high-ankle sprain carries a usual timetable of 2-6 weeks depending on severity, so this is all within the realm of possibility. During his absence, we’ve seen all of the 49ers running backs (Matt Brieda (82% owned), Raheem Mostert (29% owned), Jeff Wilson (6% owned)) putting up yards and touchdowns, but it’s likely that some clarity will return to the backfield situation with both Coleman and Breida healthy.  

WIDE RECEIVERS

Davante Adams (toe) – 10 passes for 180 yards, what a spectacular night for Adams against the Eagles. He did, however, injure his right big toe quite severely by getting it caught in the turf. Turf toe has several grades of severity and according to the reports that I’ve read from experts in the medical field as well as beat reporters close to the team, we’re looking at an absence of 2-4 weeks. That may put Adams back in play in Week 8 or 9 if recovery goes well. In the meantime, Marquez Valdes-Scantling (70% owned) and Geronimo Allison (32% owned) will certainly see more snaps, but neither is particularly exciting. Way under-the-radar is Jake Kumerow (0% owned), who just started practicing in full after an injury earlier this season, has only logged 9 receptions in the NFL, but has shown a lot of chemistry with Rodgers and is technically Adams’ direct backup. Hey, if you want to throw caution to the wind...

Christian Kirk (ankle) – A right ankle sprain has sidelined Kirk which is not great news for fantasy owners after enjoying a considerable number of targets consistently from QB Kyler Murray. As Kirk will likely miss at least 1-2 weeks for a low-grade ankle sprain and Damiere Byrd (hamstring) is also not likely to suit up against the Bengals, it looks like Larry Fitzgerald and Keesean Johnson (1% owned) will see their targets increase so both will be viable fantasy players this week along with David Johnson, of course. Look out for Andy Isabella (1% owned) who has been pushed down the depth chart so far this year but has the tools and talent to show up as soon as he becomes a major part of the offense. Could be soon.

Jarvis Landry (concussion) – Landry had his biggest day ever last week but went out with a concussion in the second half. Keep watch to see if he’ll be able to play or not, the Browns play on Monday Night Football and they could certainly use another sure-handed receiver.

Kenny Stills (hamstring) – Stills was becoming one of Watson’s favorite targets after being traded to the Texans from Miami earlier this year. Soft tissue injuries like these will sometimes take a while to heal, and although he did eclipse Keke Coutee (17% owned) on the depth chart while Coutee was battling injury, the reverse may happen now as Coutee is healthy. Don’t sleep on a guy that was a standout for some of last year and has shown great chemistry with Deshaun Watson. Going up against the Falcons, Coutee could have 100+ yards if Stills sits this one out.

TIGHT ENDS

T.J. Hockenson (concussion) – Hockenson looked great last week as he pulled in a TD and 27 yards early in the game against the Chiefs, but he later fell hard on his head and shoulder after attempting to leap over an opponent and suffered a concussion. The latest news from Adam Schefter is that he won’t be put on the IR, but there’s no estimate on his return to the practice field. I’d count him out, possibly for a few weeks. We’ll know more after the Lions’ bye week.

Welcome to Statistically (in)Significant, the place to find great stats that probably only matter at the water cooler (or bar). Each week I'll dig through the stats of the week gone by and deliver you some choice conversation starters. All fantasy stats are standard Yahoo scoring, unless otherwise noted.

18 QB ADP

If you combine the top 5 QBs so far this week – Lamar Jackson, Dak Prescott, Matthew Stafford, Patrick Mahomes and Case Keenum – you have an average ADP of QB 18. So much for expert draft advice, right? All 5 players scored at least 28 points, 3 TDs and 300 passing yards. All of them, except for Mahomes, were not expected to be fantasy studs, and were not drafted to be a main starter. Lamar Jackson is the highest of the remaining 4 at QB14, and he had the best game out of all of them. Jackson managed to log the very first perfect QB rating game in franchise history. Even more impressive, Red Zone channel took a break from a competitive game just to show us his first incompletion. I suppose this all goes to show that drafting QBs early in a single QB league is mostly pointless. Case in point – Andy Dalton had over 400 yards passing. This is why I like superflex leagues!

6 of the top 25 Fantasy Players

Waiver wires will be hopping this week, with people racing to pick up all of the forgotten, unknown and surprise players who had big games in Week 1. 6 of the top 25 fantasy performers so far in Week 1 are owned in 10% of leagues or less. Everyone in the top 25 scored over 20 points this week, and you’re sure to see names like DJ Chark (2% owned), Phillip Dorsett (4% owned) and John Ross (9% owned) pop up on waiver articles, not to mention Marquise Brown, who’s only owned in 31% of Yahoo leagues. A few QBs wind up in this niche as well, like Case Keenum, Andy Dalton and Marcus Mariota. They are a bit less relevant, however you may want to consider picking up one of them if you relied on Cam Newton, Jared Goff or Baker Mayfield in Week 1, all of whom scored 12.4 points and under.

10 WRs owned in 100% of Leagues

It was a rough Sunday for the top end of the fantasy world. In Yahoo, there are 10 wide receivers who are owned in 100% of leagues (2 more play on Monday night), and their average points scored was a meager 8.1. Keenan Allen and Amari Cooper were the only ones with a respectable game of 100 yards and 1 TD.  6 of the 10 players were under 8 points. In fact, if you expand this field to the top 25 by ownership percentage, only one player, TY Hilton, broke the 20-point barrier. The average total of the top 25 was still only 8.9, so it’s not like there was a lot of help among all the players who were drafted to actually help you win games. Who was helping win games? 6 of the top 10 point scorers at WR are owned in 50% of leagues or less, with 4 of those players in just the single digits.

4 Rookies Over 100 Receiving Yards

There were 4 rookies who managed to break the 100-yard mark on Sunday. Marquise Brown did it early after just two TD catches of 47 and 83 yards in the first quarter of his game. Titans Rookie A.J. Brown had 3 catches, but one was for 47 and the another was for 51 yards. OK, so he managed to just match the 100-yard mark and not pass it, but hey, it’s nice to finally see a deep threat in Tennessee, something that Marcus Mariota probably has never had. Terry McLaurin of the Redskins led his team in receiving with 125 yards. You may remember him from me telling you to draft him as a sleeper, just before I picked the Redskins to have fewer victories than the Giants. Rounding out the rookie group is T.J. Hockenson, who had 6 for 131 and a TD, leading his team in receiving and leading all tight ends (so far) this week in fantasy with 19.1 points. An honorable mention goes to Devin Singletary, who had 98 yards from scrimmage and averaged nearly 11 yards per touch. If he had gotten more than a measly 9 touches, he certainly would have broken the century mark.

17 Players at 100 Rec Yards

So far in Week 1, 17 players have matched or eclipsed the 100 receiving yards mark. Only 5 of those players are owned in 90% or more of Yahoo leagues. All these players average out for an ownership of just 55%. Does this mean anything? Not really, but it illustrates that the NFL is usually chaos, and Week 1 doubly so. Early season waivers are as important as ever this year, but it’s also important to remember to be patient with the players that you drafted high. Many of these performances are flukes, some of them are the start of trends, and some of them are introductions to future superstars. If I could tell you exactly which is which, I’d be in Vegas getting banned from various sports books. I’ll just leave you with this last nugget – Kyler Murray bringing his team back to get a tie with the Lions is the best result that a rookie QB has had in Week 1 since David Carr got a win in 2002. Let’s hope for all our sakes that Murray can be better than Carr’s career 29% win rate.

Welcome back to the Rookie Report! Week 1 was a surprising one from the rookie crop, especially for the pass catchers. Terry McLaurin, Hollywood Brown, and AJ Brown all cleared 100 receiving yards. DK Metcalf finished with 89 yards. Miles Boykin and Preston Williams each found the end zone, and KeeSean Johnson was targeted 10(!) times. TJ Hockenson set an NFL rookie record for a tight end debut with 131 receiving yards. Among the running backs Josh Jacobs lived up to his workhorse hype, but David Montgomery and Miles Sanders were week 1 disappointments. Perhaps the most anticipated rookie storyline, the Kyler Murray revolution, got off to a slow start on Sunday but finished with a flourish. There’s a lot to unpack as we look to week 2. Despite all the breakout week one games there is only one rookie that I would say to start with confidence this week. You don’t want to overreact to a small sample size. There are however a few that are really close to that level. Let’s dive in and take a look at who they are…

Rookies to Start:

RB Josh Jacobs, OAK (Wk. 2: vs. KC): One thing was clear in Oakland’s impressive season opener – the backfield belongs to Josh Jacobs. He played 73% of the offensive snaps, handled 82% of the team’s rushing attempts, and got the only two carries inside the 5-yard line (both of which he converted into TDs). This week he’ll square off with a Kansas City defense that allowed the Jaguars to run for more than 5 yards per carry. The only concern with Jacobs is that his snaps could dip a little if the Raiders play from behind, which is likely against the Chiefs. Jalen Richard ran almost as many pass routes in 16% of the offensive snaps as Jacobs did in 73%, but this offense is built around Jacobs. He’ll still get plenty of work and is a weekly RB2 going forward.

Borderline Rookies:

QB Kyler Murray, ARI (Wk. 2: @Bal.): For 3 quarters last Sunday. Kyler and head coach Kliff Kingsbury’s Air Raid system looked like a huge flop, and then suddenly it didn’t. Murray put on a show in the 4^th quarter and overtime leading the Cards back from 18 down to tie the Lions and topping 300 yards in the process. He should get a ton of passing volume each week, and with the Ravens favored by nearly 2 TDs that’s certain to be the case in week 2. Game script likely played a role in this, but the Cardinals played at the fastest pace of any team in the league and nearly three quarters of their offensive play calls were passes. Vegas projects the game script to be similar this week. That volume alone should make Murray a solid QB2 this week, and his rushing upside gives him a chance at more.

RB Devin Singletary, BUF (Wk. 2: @NYG): Singletary looks like my biggest preseason whiff so far. His athletic profile was beyond underwhelming, but he’s already showing he can be a dynamic receiver and somehow managed 70 rushing yards on just 4 carries without a run longer than 23 yards (runs of 23, 20, 15 and 12). Frank Gore had 11 carries to Singletary’s 4, but it was Singletary who played 70% of the offensive snaps. TJ Yeldon was nowhere to be seen. A more neutral game script might result in more snaps for Gore, but Singletary is the back you want in this offense. He gets a decent matchup this week against the Giants. There are still risks here. He only handled 9 touches in the opener, and we have no idea if he’ll handle any goal line work, but I like him ahead of Montgomery and Sanders this week in PPR leagues because his receiving role feels safe.

RB David Montgomery, CHI (Wk. 2: @Den.): Monty’s usage was a huge disappointment in week 1. He was in on just 28 offensive snaps and touched the ball just 7 times while playing behind Mike Davis for much of the night. It’s probably not a coincidence that the Bears’ offense was a mess. Head coach Matt Nagy said afterward it will be important for them to get Montgomery more involved going forward, and I expect him to stick to his word on that. Denver allowed 113 scrimmage yards and 2 scores to Josh Jacobs last week, and while a lot of that was due to Oakland hammering the run, I think Montgomery has nice upside if he gets up into the 12-15 touch range. I think he gets there. He’s still more of a risky flex play than anything, but I would expect a better showing from him in week 2.

RB Miles Sanders, PHI (Wk. 2: @Atl.): The matchup for Sanders looks enticing on paper. The Falcons were eviscerated by Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison to the tune of 160 yards and 2 scores on 5.3 yards per carry, but I’m not sure Sanders has the workload to turn this into a big week. While he led the Eagles in snaps and touches last week, he’s clearly part of a 3-headed committee. There were a couple flashes of his talent last week on a 19-yard run and then a 21-yard TD that was called back on a(n erroneous) penalty, but outside of those two runs he totaled just 8 scrimmage yards on 10 carries and 2 targets. That’s not the kind of efficiency you hope for. It’s still a promising spot for Sanders, but he’s not more than a flex option right now.

WR Terry McLaurin, WAS (Wk. 2: vs. Dal.): McLaurin is my favorite rookie WR play for this week, but he’s still not quite an auto-start. He was basically a full-time player – on the field for 93% of the team’s offensive snaps, but nearly 60% of his PPR points for the day came on one deep ball. It was still a positive sign to see Washington’s offense be willing to push the ball down the field, something they rarely did last year. Case Keenum had two completions of 40 yards or more and nearly had a third on a deep overthrow intended for an open McLaurin. Washington had just 6 completions of 40+ yards all of last season. McLaurin has solid upside this week against a Dallas defense that allowed Eli Manning to post a 95.5 passer rating and over 300 yards, but there is some baked in risk for a deep threat receiver with a 1-game track record. I think McLaurin is a borderline WR3 this week and should be a bargain in DFS slates with just a $3,800 price tag on DraftKings.

WR DK Metcalf, SEA (Wk. 2: @Pit.): Metcalf had an impressive debut posting a 4-89 line on 6 targets, and on paper he seems set up for another solid week. Tyler Lockett is battling a back injury that could keep him out of this one and the Seahawks are a 4-point underdog. He should draw Joe Haden in coverage. Haden was solid in 2018 but struggled in the opener as did much of the Steeler defense. The one thing that keeps me from confidently saying you should start Metcalf this week is the Seahawks’ play calling. They threw the ball just 20 times in the opener in a game where the margin was never more than 4 points, and Tyler Lockett was double-covered for much of the game which may have led to more targets for Metcalf. If Lockett plays in this one, I think he gets significantly more than 2 targets, and those targets have to come from somewhere. If Lockett sits, I think I’d feel pretty comfortable rolling Metcalf out as my WR3 in most formats.

WR Marquise Brown, BAL (Wk. 2: vs. Ari.): While it’s clear Baltimore wants to take some deep shots to Hollywood each week, he played just 14 snaps Sunday. The 4-147-2 stat line was fun, but he’s going to be a volatile weekly option. Brown does get a good matchup against a depleted Cardinals secondary this week that’s missing CBs Patrick Peterson and Robert Alford, so it’s not a bad roll of the dice to take a shot on another big game. The Lions connected on 7 pass plays of 20+ yards against these Cardinals last Sunday. Just know Hollywood comes with a very low floor.

TE TJ Hockenson, DET (Wk. 2: vs. LAC): I’m really tempted to tell you that you should be starting Hockenson this week, but I’m not quite ready to make that leap after one game. He’s clearly going to be one of the rare tight ends that produces as a rookie and will be a big part of the Lions’ game plan, but the team’s passing volume will be inconsistent and there are several other mouths to feed from that limited pie. Game script is projected to be close to neutral with the Chargers favored by 2.5 points. The Chargers ranked in the top half of the league last year at limiting tight ends and held the Colts trio of Doyle, Ebron and Mo-Alie Cox to just 3 catches for 31 yards. TJ is still just $3,000 in DraftKings and is a value there, but I wouldn’t play him over proven starters like Engram, OJ Howard, or Delanie Walker just yet.

Rookies to Sit:

RB Justice Hill, BAL (Wk. 2: @Ari.): On paper this should be a good opportunity for Hill to get some extended run. The Ravens are a 13.5-point favorite, so the game script should be favorable for an already run-heavy team, but last Sunday was about as favorable a script as you’ll ever see and Hill got just 7 carries while Mark Ingram and Gus Edwards combined for 31. Bigger workloads will come for Hill eventually, but I’m not ready to count on him until I see him move ahead of Gus Edwards in the pecking order. He’s especially risky in PPR formats as Lamar Jackson didn’t have a single target to a running back in the opener.

RB Alexander Mattison, MIN (Wk. 2: @GB): Mattison looked good in the opener with 9 carries for 49 yards but he didn’t touch the ball until the Vikings were already up 2 touchdowns. In fact, 5 of his 9 carries came with the team up by more than 20 points. Minnesota is a 3-point underdog in Green Bay against the Packers, who limited the Bears running backs to just 3 yards per carry. I don’t like Mattison’s chances of duplicating his output from last Sunday.

RB Darrell Henderson, LAR (Wk. 2: vs. NO): Henderson finished week one with 1 carry and zero targets on just 2 offensive snaps. It’s a far cry from the workload most were projecting for him as Malcolm Brown ran as the clear number 2 back. I’d expect Henderson’s usage to increase as the year goes on, but there is obviously no way to trust him in week 2 against the Saints.

RB Tony Pollard, DAL (Wk. 2: @Was.): Week 1 was a disappointing one for Tony Pollard. With Zeke expected to play limited snaps it was going to be his best opportunity to make an impression on the coaching staff and show that he should have a role moving forward. He finished the game with 13 carries for 24 yards (1.8 ypc) and zero targets in the passing game. It went about as poorly as it could have for him. He’s still likely the handcuff if anything happens to Elliott, but his case for standalone value took a big hit Sunday.

RB Darwin Thompson, KC (Wk. 2: @Oak.): Thompson’s first game confirmed our worst fears after the Shady McCoy trade. He’s going to have a hard time getting on the field early on this season. Thompson played just 2 snaps on Sunday. If your league has 12+ teams and you have the room on your roster, I’d still hold on to Thompson to see if his role grows over the next few weeks.

WR AJ Brown, TEN (Wk. 2: vs. Ind.): Brown finished as the leading receiver for the Titans last Sunday despite playing only 43% of the offensive snaps and seeing just 4 targets come his way. His production isn’t going to be sustainable if that usage continues. The Titans are going to be run-heavy when they can, and they enter this weekend as a 3-point favorite. I’d prefer Brown this week over any of the other wide receivers in the ‘Rookies to Sit’ section but chasing last week’s points feels like a bad idea here.

WR Preston Williams, MIA (Wk. 2: vs. NE): Williams played less than half of the offensive snaps last week (42%) and is on probably the worst team in the NFL. It was nice to see him score a TD Sunday and there will be a lot of garbage time passing for the Phins this year, but I’d still like to see his playing time increase a bit before using him in lineups.

WR Parris Campbell, IND (Wk. 2: @Ten.): It looks as though Campbell is going to be eased into the Colts offense this year. He played just 18 offensive snaps (29% share) in the opener and was targeted just once. His snaps may get an uptick from the injury to Devin Funchess, but Funchess plays much more on the perimeter than in the slot so those snaps are more likely to go to 2^nd-year receiver Deon Cain. The Colts were run-heavy in week 1 despite trailing for most of the game. That doesn’t bode well for the fantasy outlook of a player with the limited snaps Campbell is seeing. It’ll take time for him to work his way into a bigger role.

WR Miles Boykin, BAL (Wk. 2: vs. Ari.): The matchup is a good one for Boykin, but his usage will likely prevent him from taking advantage of it. Boykin found the end zone against Miami, but he did it on his only target of the game. He played just 18 offensive snaps. It’s a low percentage bet to count on a productive game with such limited usage.

WR JJ Arcega-Whiteside, PHI (Wk. 2: @Atl.): JJ was out-snapped 10-5 by Mack Hollins in week one. That’s not enough run to be useful. He should be on the waiver wire in all but the deepest of redraft leagues for now.

TE Noah Fant, DEN (Wk. 2: vs. Chi.): Fant had a great opportunity to impress in week 1, and he didn’t really take advantage. He posted a 2-29 line despite running a receiving route on 83% of Joe Flacco’s dropbacks in a game the Broncos trailed in all night. The Bears are a much tougher defense than the Raiders unit he faced on Monday. Only five teams allowed fewer receiving yards to tight ends than the Bears last year, and somehow Fant has the same price tag in DraftKings as TJ Hockenson.

TE Dawson Knox, BUF (Wk. 2: @NYG): Knox found himself on the field for 58% of the Bills’ offensive snaps with Tyler Kroft sidelined, but he was targeted just once. Kroft has an extensive injury history and isn’t guaranteed to be active in week 2. Knox is worth keeping an eye on in deeper dynasty leagues as the season progresses. He’s no more than a long shot TD dart throw this week though.

TE Foster Moreau, OAK (Wk. 2: vs. KC): Going into week one it appeared that Moreau’s road to fantasy relevance was road blocked by Darren Waller, but that didn’t stop him from finding his way onto the field for 55% of the Raiders’ offensive snaps and pulling in a couple catches. I have a feeling the snap count is an aberration caused by the Raiders playing with a positive game script all night. He’s a name to monitor in deep dynasty leagues, but he is in fact still road blocked by Waller for now.

Deep League Sleepers, Stashes, and Cheap DFS Options:

QB Gardner Minshew, JAX (Wk. 2: @Hou.): Minshew dazzled in his NFL debut despite physically looking like Uncle Rico’s football dreams come true. I doubt he continues to play quite as well as he did in week 1, but there are some positive signs. He was great in the face of pressure. He was pressured on about a third of his dropbacks, taking just one sack while throwing for 94 yards and 2 scores on those plays. Houston was shredded by Drew Brees in week one and managed to get just one sack in their first game after trading away Jadeveon Clowney. They may blitz a bit more this week to try and get more pressure, but Minshew has shown he can handle pressure. He should see decent passing volume again with the Jaguars a 9-point underdog, and that makes him a sneaky QB2 option this week.

WR Mecole Hardman, KC (Wk. 2: @Oak.): Hardman is an intriguing waiver wire pickup despite seeing just 1 target in the opener. He played 77% of the snaps in that opener thanks to the Tyreek Hill injury, and he should continue to be on the field a ton with Hill out for 4-6 weeks. Hardman is an explosive player in an explosive offense that faces off with the Raiders, Colts, Lions and Texans all within the next five weeks. He’s worth a flyer in most formats while Hill is on the shelf.

WR KeeSean Johnson, ARI (Wk. 2: @Bal.): Despite being drafted after both Andy Isabella and Hakeem Butler, it was Johnson who was on the field as nearly full-time player in week 1. The Cardinals truly did bring the Air Raid to the NFL, lining up with 4 wide receivers on about 75% of their snaps. Christian Kirk and Larry Fitzgerald were locked into the two slot spots, and it was Johnson and Damiere Byrd on the outside. All 4 saw at least 7 targets, and Johnson saw 10. Michael Crabtree is expected to be active this week, so it’s likely he takes one of the outside spots, but I think it’s much more likely that it’s Byrd who is pushed to the bench than Johnson. Starting CB Jimmy Smith is out for Baltimore, and their other outside corner Marlon Humphrey will likely tangle with Crabtree. That makes KeeSean an interesting option in DFS tournaments or as a flex in deep leagues. He somehow has a lower price tag than Isabella on DraftKings ($3,100). There is some risk that Crabtree cuts into Johnson’s snaps rather than Byrd’s, but it’s a risk I can live with at his price tag.

WR Deebo Samuel, SF (Wk. 2: @Cin.): Samuel played a whopping 88% of the 49ers’ offensive snaps in week 1. I’m not quite sure what is going on with Dante Pettis. Was he limited to 2 snaps due to a flare up of his groin injury? Is he just not a starter on this team? Who knows, but it was jarring to see him behind Kendrick Bourne and Richie James in snap count this week. Deebo’s role seems safe for week 2, and with Tevin Coleman on the shelf there may be an opportunity for him to take some of the dump off targets that would normally go to Coleman. The Bengals’ secondary was shredded to the tune of a 134.6 passer rating by Russell Wilson last Sunday, and I’d expect the 49ers to have more passing volume than the Seahawks did.  Samuel is in play as a flex in deeper PPR leagues.

That’s all I’ve got for this week. Hopefully it helps you with your toughest lineup decisions involving rookies. Keep a close eye on the injury report throughout the week and make sure to check before kickoffs to make sure there aren’t any surprise inactives. If you want to yell at me about anything written above or just have a general question, feel free to hit me up on twitter (@Shawn_Foss). As always: Good luck, trust your gut, and have fun. It’s just a game.