When down is up and up is down, it's time to start living upside down and embrace what life's handed to you.
Most top 15 RBs played moderately to well below expectations yesterday. Three of them (Lacy, Hill, Miller) got knocked out of their games (though Hill's two fumbles likely played a role). Several (five? six?) had TDs poached by backups. Matt Jones, Karlos Williams, Gio Bernard, and yes, even Lorenzo Taliaferro--and some others--could/should play even more prominent roles next week.
On the flip side, most elite WRs (at least, those who weren't injured) had nice games. But that next tier--a hobbled Mike Evans, DeAndre Hopkins, Brandin Cooks (a true shocker), and Keenan Allen were largely invisible. We go into weeks identifying baseline stats for our guys; all four fell well below even the most pessimistic baselines.
At QB, Tony Romo's out 'til November. Drew Brees and Sam Bradford--for many, a trendy QB1 pick--looked lost out there. We could blame the offensive line in Philly, but I believe it's more than that. That said, if you owned anyone other than these three guys, you probably were pretty happy with the results. But losing a QB1 for most of a season--especially in leagues with fewer waiver options--has to hurt.
Among "great" TEs, Jimmy Graham was worthless, Greg Olsen was mediocre--not good enough for his owners--and Jason Witten didn't step up, . . . These early-to-middle round investments haven't delivered. I saw it coming with Graham and Witten, but would have thought Olsen had everything going for him to be Cam Newton's primary target.
We can't predict injuries to players who aren't chronic injury risks. But as always, we can do something about it.
And let's remember that Week 2 is not weeks 3-13. There's no "norm" yet for the 2015 season. That's still being fleshed out. In the meantime, the best we can do is hold onto our highest upside, grab free agents to fill in the gaps, and seize on opponents' fears and hopes.
Most top 15 RBs played moderately to well below expectations yesterday. Three of them (Lacy, Hill, Miller) got knocked out of their games (though Hill's two fumbles likely played a role). Several (five? six?) had TDs poached by backups. Matt Jones, Karlos Williams, Gio Bernard, and yes, even Lorenzo Taliaferro--and some others--could/should play even more prominent roles next week.
On the flip side, most elite WRs (at least, those who weren't injured) had nice games. But that next tier--a hobbled Mike Evans, DeAndre Hopkins, Brandin Cooks (a true shocker), and Keenan Allen were largely invisible. We go into weeks identifying baseline stats for our guys; all four fell well below even the most pessimistic baselines.
At QB, Tony Romo's out 'til November. Drew Brees and Sam Bradford--for many, a trendy QB1 pick--looked lost out there. We could blame the offensive line in Philly, but I believe it's more than that. That said, if you owned anyone other than these three guys, you probably were pretty happy with the results. But losing a QB1 for most of a season--especially in leagues with fewer waiver options--has to hurt.
Among "great" TEs, Jimmy Graham was worthless, Greg Olsen was mediocre--not good enough for his owners--and Jason Witten didn't step up, . . . These early-to-middle round investments haven't delivered. I saw it coming with Graham and Witten, but would have thought Olsen had everything going for him to be Cam Newton's primary target.
We can't predict injuries to players who aren't chronic injury risks. But as always, we can do something about it.
And let's remember that Week 2 is not weeks 3-13. There's no "norm" yet for the 2015 season. That's still being fleshed out. In the meantime, the best we can do is hold onto our highest upside, grab free agents to fill in the gaps, and seize on opponents' fears and hopes.