A day of remembrance. And on to football.
Last night's season opener reminded us (not that we needed reminding) that Kansas City could be this decade's New England Patriots. Three of their four major offensive players are pre-prime (21, 24, 26). Somehow Sammy Watkins is only 27. Travis Kelce remains elite at 30. And potential future #2 receiver Mecole Hardman is 22. In an age when dynasties are increasingly hard to maintain, maybe this one can last.
From a fantasy perspective (because that's all we care about, right?), five of KC's six main pieces made their fantasy managers happy. In a game that wasn't really in doubt by early in the third quarter, Hardman simply wasn't needed. Everyone else earned their draft-day paychecks.
I will caution--as I have before--that Tyreek Hill had a risky WR-3 / Overall-12 ADP this summer. He's averaged seven targets per game for his career and his 7.4. That's not what you want out of an elite wideout. So whereas Julio Jones can give you a 10-110 today, Hill usually needs scores to meet similarly lofty expectations. Something to monitor as the season goes on. If you bought Hill that early, I strongly urge you to sell high and grab a top 6-8 RB or another elite WR in return. I believe very, very strongly that Hill won't be a top-6 WR, and I wouldn't be surprised if a revitalized Watkins and an improved running game keeps Hill out of the top 10.
As for Houston, at one point they had been outscored 82-14 since their playoff collapse in January. While we can't judge them by two successive road games against the Chiefs, we can see what the loss of DeAndre Hopkins means. A healthy Will Fuller playing alongside Hopkins puts this passing attack in the top 12, if not higher. But the rest of the receiving corps is largely castoffs like Brandin Cooks (fourth team in five years) and Randall Cobb (third team in three years), or offensive question marks like Kenny Stills and the injured Keke Coutee.
While there's a clear path for a #2 to step up, I don't see how anyone can start a non-Fuller receiver right now. Of course, Cooks was limited, and when healthy he could vye for another 1,000-yard season. But not if the insanely $18 million Cobb is taking up space.
Finally, by my count David Johnson somehow edged CEH by 0.1 points. So while the major buzz this morning will be about the Chiefs' rookie sensation (as it should be), Johnson looked as good as he's looked in years--and on only 14 touches in a game script that went away from the run. I drafted him in the third round as my #1 RB, which seemed a bit silly for a near-universal back-end RB2. But after several successive seasons of calling him overrated, I've been confident about his top-12 potential, and last night he came through.
And yes, I'm still kicking myself for drafting D'Andre Swift. Thanks for all your push-back yesterday. It was deserved. This blog is only as good as it is authentic. Every summer I'm no better than any of you. Just like every season, I'll try to prove my value this year and keep you all posted on my team, so you'll know if I fall flat or kick butt.
Last night's season opener reminded us (not that we needed reminding) that Kansas City could be this decade's New England Patriots. Three of their four major offensive players are pre-prime (21, 24, 26). Somehow Sammy Watkins is only 27. Travis Kelce remains elite at 30. And potential future #2 receiver Mecole Hardman is 22. In an age when dynasties are increasingly hard to maintain, maybe this one can last.
From a fantasy perspective (because that's all we care about, right?), five of KC's six main pieces made their fantasy managers happy. In a game that wasn't really in doubt by early in the third quarter, Hardman simply wasn't needed. Everyone else earned their draft-day paychecks.
I will caution--as I have before--that Tyreek Hill had a risky WR-3 / Overall-12 ADP this summer. He's averaged seven targets per game for his career and his 7.4. That's not what you want out of an elite wideout. So whereas Julio Jones can give you a 10-110 today, Hill usually needs scores to meet similarly lofty expectations. Something to monitor as the season goes on. If you bought Hill that early, I strongly urge you to sell high and grab a top 6-8 RB or another elite WR in return. I believe very, very strongly that Hill won't be a top-6 WR, and I wouldn't be surprised if a revitalized Watkins and an improved running game keeps Hill out of the top 10.
As for Houston, at one point they had been outscored 82-14 since their playoff collapse in January. While we can't judge them by two successive road games against the Chiefs, we can see what the loss of DeAndre Hopkins means. A healthy Will Fuller playing alongside Hopkins puts this passing attack in the top 12, if not higher. But the rest of the receiving corps is largely castoffs like Brandin Cooks (fourth team in five years) and Randall Cobb (third team in three years), or offensive question marks like Kenny Stills and the injured Keke Coutee.
While there's a clear path for a #2 to step up, I don't see how anyone can start a non-Fuller receiver right now. Of course, Cooks was limited, and when healthy he could vye for another 1,000-yard season. But not if the insanely $18 million Cobb is taking up space.
Finally, by my count David Johnson somehow edged CEH by 0.1 points. So while the major buzz this morning will be about the Chiefs' rookie sensation (as it should be), Johnson looked as good as he's looked in years--and on only 14 touches in a game script that went away from the run. I drafted him in the third round as my #1 RB, which seemed a bit silly for a near-universal back-end RB2. But after several successive seasons of calling him overrated, I've been confident about his top-12 potential, and last night he came through.
And yes, I'm still kicking myself for drafting D'Andre Swift. Thanks for all your push-back yesterday. It was deserved. This blog is only as good as it is authentic. Every summer I'm no better than any of you. Just like every season, I'll try to prove my value this year and keep you all posted on my team, so you'll know if I fall flat or kick butt.