NICK MERSCH
SPORTS EDITOR
It’s the time of year when it’s acceptable to not move from your couch on Saturdays and Sundays. I can’t believe that it’s finally here. September is always a weird time because there’s so much football on but it’s still 80 degrees outside. But who cares? No one, because football is back.
As you all know, I’m a big fantasy football guy. I love to hand out my tips and tricks for pickups, drops, starts and sits, sometimes just stating the obvious because I want to talk about it. So that’s what I’m going to do in this column. Here we go.
DJ Moore WR, Car
Moore is a really solid receiver who didn’t get a whole lot of usage last year. This year he solidified his spot as the number one wideout and proved himself as he racked up targets and catches on Sunday, including some really tough grabs in tight coverage. He didn’t find the endzone, but owners should keep starting him because I believe that production is inevitable.
Sammy Watkins WR, KC
I have an emotionally abusive relationship with Sammy Watkins which consists of him hurting me deeply over and over again. It’s mainly because I started him for 6 weeks straight last year and he gave me nothing. I loved him in Buffalo, and with that high-octane offense in Kansas City, I thought, “Oh, this can’t go wrong!”
Well it did, and it took me way too long to take him out.
I drafted him again this year because I have no self-control, but here’s the twist: I benched him. As some of you know, Watkins had 9 catches for 198 yards and 3 touchdowns. I’m hurt, but I’m also starting him this week because I think he found his rhythm. Tyreek Hill being out is also good for his volume. It makes sense to start him, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he has two catches for 27 yards.
Todd Gurley RB, LAR
Ladies and gentlemen, we have our first panic–button alert. Todd Gurley basically split carries with Malcolm Brown Sunday against the Panthers. After the first half, Gurley had just 8 yards off of five carries.
At this point in the game, everyone was hitting the panic button. Then midway through the third quarter, Brown scored his second touchdown. This really made Gurley owners start to sweat. After that scoring drive however, Brown did not get another carry. Gurley rushed for 89 yards after that just off nine carries. He ended with 97 yards on 14 carries, which isn’t a bad performance but not what people wanted from their first round pick.
Head coach Sean McVay commented on what seemed to be a committee approach in the backfield for the Rams and said that the heat in the stadium factored into this decision. What I gather from all this information is that Sean McVay is afraid of the sun and that Gurley is still a clear choice RB1. You shouldn’t worry.
Jaylen Samuels RB, Pit
This is my sneaky pickup if you’re in a pinch for week two. James Conner is listed as questionable this week, and in Samuels’ rookie season, he performed well when given the full workload. Samuels really excels in the open field where he can dance a little and make guys miss. Fortunately, the Steelers offense allows for just that. If given the carries and targets, he has the ability to be a really solid flex/RB2. However, if Conner becomes available, then definitely don’t start Samuels.
Julio Jones
For the second edition of our panic button, we have Julio Jones. He didn’t even have a bad day technically, but people are still freaking out. Jones had six catches for 31 yards and a touchdown off of a team high 11 targets. That Vikings secondary is really scary, and Jones still managed to pull down six short passes, which for a normal receiver is impressive. But for Julio, we all expect more. I’m not worried about him simply because it is the first game of the season and he still had a pretty good fantasy outing. He’s still a WR1, and I would definitely hold onto him.
That’s all I have for now, but if you take anything away from this, just know that Cam Newton may be the worst quarterback in the NFL; football is back; and we can all be bums again. Until next time, be well, and watch some football.