- Dion Lewis is the RB to own in Tennessee, no matter if you’re in a PPR or standard league – This pains me to admit as a Derrick Henry owner in my 2 most competitive leagues, but Lewis is the back to own going forward. One of the reasons I was big on Derrick Henry was that I thought we’d see improvement in Marcus Mariota and the Titans offense as a whole. I know it was only one game, but this looked like the same old Titans offense. Mariota was injured and looked shaky while healthy. In the few drives they did have success, it was with Dion Lewis on the field making plays on the ground and in the passing game. Lewis is the far superior pass receiver and if the Titans fall behind in games, Derrick Henry could be rendered useless since he offers little to nothing in the passing game. Sunday was the perfect example as the Titans trailed for most of the game and Dion Lewis was in on 71% of the Titans offensive snaps, while Derrick Henry only got 29% of the backfield snaps. If the Titans offense continues to struggle, trailing in games could become a constant trend and Henry’s weekly output could be very hard to predict, while Dion Lewis will continue to hold more value.
- Emmanuel Sanders is a legit WR2 moving forward – Sanders was one of my favorite sleepers coming into the season. He was drafted around WR36 in many leagues, while his teammate Demaryius Thomas was drafted about 2 or 3 rounds earlier. Sanders felt like the much better value in draft season, and he delivered big time on Sunday with 10 catches for 135 yards and a TD. It was easy to forget how good Sanders was in 2014-2016, after his down 2017 season. But let’s not overlook the fact he had a pitiful combination of Trevor Siemian, Brock Osweiler, and Paxton Lynch throwing to him. Case Keenum, while not an elite QB in the NFL, is a major upgrade over the previously mentioned QBs. It’s clear that Sanders is as healthy as ever and has become Keenum’s favorite target. Their schedule is very enticing the next 3 weeks with a mediocre Raiders secondary, a Ravens secondary missing their best CB Jimmy Smith, and the Chiefs who may have the worst cornerback combo in the NFL. Buy stock in Sanders now.
- Joe Mixon is a top 10 RB moving forward – Mixon had a very rough rookie season. He only averaged 3.5 YPC, struggled with consistency, and lacked big play explosiveness as his longest run went for only 25 yards. He came into the season at 218 lbs., down 12 lbs. from the 230 lbs. he weighed last season. It’s always good to see a RB lose weight in an effort to get faster and quicker. The results spoke for themselves on Sunday as Mixon had 149 total yards, a TD and a long run of 27 yards (the longest run in his short career). Mixon was treated as a 3 down back as he handled 22 touches to Gio Bernard’s 2 touches. He was on the field for 76% of the snaps which was the 6th most among all RBs who played this past weekend. The talent has always been there for Mixon. He would have been a 1st round pick 2 years ago had it not been for off field issues. It looks like he’s ready to cash in on his talent this season.
- Phillip Dorsett is a thing – Dorsett generated a lot of buzz this offseason from Patriots beat writers. It was easy to overlook if you’ve followed Dorsett over his career. Dorsett, a former first round pick has looked like a bust and a one trick pony as only a deep threat option throughout his career. We saw some glimpses of his chemistry with the GOAT Tom Brady in the 3rd preseason game, as he had 4 catches on 4 targets for 35 yards… but still it was only preseason. After Dorsett’s 7 catch (on 7 targets) 66 yard TD performance in week 1, I think it’s time to buy stock in Dorsett. Brady clearly has trust in him. He actually looked like a polished route runner as well. With Julian Edelman suspended another 3 weeks, Dorsett should have value as a WR3/flex play the next 3 weeks… and may even have value after Edelman comes back.
- Dalvin Cook looks healthy and ready to eat – One of the biggest questions coming into week 1 was “how healthy is Dalvin Cook?” The Vikings were very cautious with him in training camp and preseason, coming back from his torn ACL. He only had 2 carries in the preseason for 1 yard. The coaching staff was noncommittal leading up to week 1 on whether Dalvin Cook would get a full workload. All questions were put to rest this past Sunday. While Cook didn’t light the world on fire, only rushing for 40 yards on 16 carries (while adding a respectable 6 catches for 55 yards), the major takeaway was that he looked healthy and could handle a full workload. Cook had 21 touches and was on the field for 80% of the Vikings offensive snaps. Minnesota looks like they could have their best offense since the Daunte Culpepper to Randy Moss days. This should lead to a lot of scoring opportunities and success for a healthy Dalvin Cook.
Sports Chatter with MJD 