What We Saw: Week 2

Did your QB survive the week?

Ben Brown
What We Saw 3 Years Ago
Series Navigation
Introduction
Giants @ Football Team
Bengals @ Bears
Texans @ Browns
Rams @ Colts
Bills @ Dolphins
Patriots @ Jets
49ers @ Eagles
Raiders @ Steelers
Saints @ Panthers
Broncos @ Jaguars
Vikings @ Cardinals
Falcons @ Buccaneers
Cowboys @ Chargers
Titans @ Seahawks
Chiefs @ Ravens

Falcons @ Buccaneers

Final Score: Buccaneers 48, Falcons 25

Writer: Josh Kurzer (@jkurzer52 on Twitter, jk303030 on Reddit)

 

In a game that was closer than the final score indicated, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took care of the Atlanta Falcons at home to move to 2-0 on the season. Tom Brady was exceptional, throwing for five touchdowns in the win. Rob Gronkowski and Mike Evans caught two touchdowns each, and Chris Godwin caught Brady’s final touchdown pass of the game to extend the Bucs’ lead to 10. Leonard Fournette was the clear lead back in this game for Tampa Bay, out-touching Ronald Jones II 15-7 on the contest. Matt Ryan did everything he could to keep Atlanta in the game and did so successfully for the first three quarters. It was a breakout game for the rookie tight end Kyle Pitts, who led the team in receiving yards with 73. Safety Mike Edwards sealed it for Tampa Bay with two pick-sixes in the fourth quarter, as the game ended with a final score of 48-25.

 

 

Atlanta Falcons

 

Quarterback

 

Matt Ryan: 35/46, 300 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs, 2 fumbles, 1 sack | 2 carries, 3 yards

 

Matty Ice gave his best effort, but could not overcome Tampa Bay’s overwhelming pass rush and electric offense. Ryan played better than the box score showed, as all three of his interceptions were off of passes that were tipped at the line of scrimmage. He spread the ball around the field, hooking up with 10 different pass catchers on the afternoon. The leading receiver in the game was Kyle Pitts, who Ryan started to find after Russell Gage left the game with an injury (he would later return). Ryan was avoiding pressure all game long, breaking several sacks to move the ball down the field. The Falcons are a bad defensive team and will likely be trailing in a lot of games. If this is the case, they will be throwing the ball a lot to try to catch up. Sheer volume keeps Ryan on the streaming radar, but he is not someone you should be looking to start unless you are in a dire situation at quarterback.

 

 

Running Backs

 

Mike Davis: 9 carries, 38 yards | 8 targets, 7 receptions, 26 yards

Cordarrelle Patterson: 7 carries, 11 yards, 1 TD | 6 targets, 5 receptions, 58 yards, 1 TD

Keith Smith: 2 carries, 3 yards

 

The Falcons’ running back situation is looking like a mess for Mike Davis owners. Although Davis finished with 13 fantasy points in standard PPR leagues, seven of those points were thanks to check-downs from an under-duress Matt Ryan. Davis recorded 16 touches to Cordarrelle Patterson’s 12, and Patterson was the go-to man in the red zone. He ran for one touchdown and hauled in a highlight-reel one-handed grab for his second touchdown of the game.

 

 

 

Patterson also had another catch that he stepped out of bounds on around the 23 yard line. Had his foot not gone out, it would have been an easy score for Patterson and an even bigger day for his fantasy output. With the carries that he did get, Davis did not look explosive at all. That said, it would be difficult for any running back to make plays behind the Falcons’ leaky offensive line. There are still 16 weeks left in the season and a lot can change, but as of right now Mike Davis is a flex option at best. Patterson will be getting a lot of love on the waiver wire, but I would stay away as far away from the Atlanta ground game as possible.

 

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

 

Kyle Pitts: 6 targets, 5 receptions, 73 yards

Calvin Ridley: 10 targets, 7 receptions, 63 yards, 1 TD

Russell Gage: 8 targets, 5 receptions, 28 yards

Olamide Zaccheaus: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 22 yards

Lee Smith: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 23 yards

Tajae Sharpe: 2 targets, 1 reception, 8 yards

Christian Blake: 1 target, 1 reception, 8 yards

Hayden Hurst: 1 target, 1 reception, 6 yards

 

After a disappointing debut, Kyle Pitts broke out with a 73-yard performance that took flight when Russell Gage briefly left the game in the second quarter. Pitts showed his explosive ability with several big plays throughout the game.

 

 

Pitts should only get better, and I am confident rolling him out as a TE1 from here on out. Calvin Ridley got back on track after Matt Ryan lost him against the Eagles. He led the team in targets with ten and added a touchdown for good measure. Now that Ridley is the undisputed number one target on the Falcons, he is drawing added attention and double teams from defenses. With the volume that he receives, he should produce solid numbers the rest of the way. Gage was second on the team in targets with eight, but most of these were on underneath throws from the slot. Gage plays his role in the Falcons offense perfectly, but should not be under consideration for your fantasy roster.

 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

 

Quarterback

 

Tom Brady: 24/36, 276 yards, 5 TDs, 3 sacks |1 carry, 6 yards

 

At the age of 44, Tom Brady is not only still an elite NFL quarterback, but a set and forget fantasy quarterback as well. Standing behind an offensive line that protected him well, Brady threw for five touchdowns and finished with 29.6 fantasy points. Brady was zipping the ball all over the field, carving up the Buccaneers’ secondary. With a strong offensive line and game-breaking weapons all over the field, Brady is doing whatever he wants to defenses. There is not much more to say. If you roster the GOAT, roll him out.

 

 

Running Backs

 

Leonard Fournette: 11 carries, 52 yards, 1 TD | 4 targets, 4 receptions, 24 yards

Ronald Jones II: 6 carries, 27 yards | 3 targets, 1 reception, 9 yards

Giovani Bernard: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 15 yards

 

Playoff Lenny took control of the running game for Tampa Bay, averaging 4.7 yards per carry and helping to open up play-action passes for Brady. Fournette touched the ball 15 times, while Jones had just seven touches on the afternoon. Fournette looked strong and decisive with the ball on the ground and through the air. Tampa Bay is a pass-first offense, and with so many pass-catching weapons, there is only so much room for fantasy production. No matter how strong Fournette looks, he will still be stuck behind the rest of the playmakers on the Bucs offense. Fournette is an RB3 with RB2 upside in plus matchups.

 

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

 

Mike Evans: 9 targets, 5 receptions, 75 yards, 2 touchdowns

Chris Godwin: 5 targets, 4 receptions, 62 yards, 1 touchdown

Rob Gronkowski: 5 targets, 4 reception, 31 yards, 2 touchdowns

O.J. Howard 1 target, 1 reception, 21 yards

Cameron Brate: 1 target, 1 reception, 8 yards

Tyler Johnson: 2 targets, 1 reception, 5 yards

 

Last night the sun set, this morning the sun rose. Last week was a bust week for Mike Evans, this week was a boom week for Mike Evans. He was lost in the mix with Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown being the playmakers against Dallas, but this week Brady looked for Evans early and often, connecting with him twice on the first drive of the game for 45 yards. Brady then found Evans twice in the end zone. Both of his touchdowns came in one-on-one coverage on the goal line. His first was an out route and the second came on a beautiful goal line fade.

 

 

Brady also linked up with his old friend Gronk for his second consecutive two-touchdown game.

 

 

 

Even past his prime, Gronkowski is such a dangerous weapon in the red zone. As much as we want to see it, Gronkowski will probably not continue to score at a rate of two touchdowns per game. But at the thinnest position in fantasy football, Gronkowski can comfortably be started as a back-end TE1 until he stops scoring touchdowns.

 

— Josh Kurzer (@jkurzer52 on Twitter, jk303030 on Reddit)

Series Navigation
Introduction
Giants @ Football Team
Bengals @ Bears
Texans @ Browns
Rams @ Colts
Bills @ Dolphins
Patriots @ Jets
49ers @ Eagles
Raiders @ Steelers
Saints @ Panthers
Broncos @ Jaguars
Vikings @ Cardinals
Falcons @ Buccaneers
Cowboys @ Chargers
Titans @ Seahawks
Chiefs @ Ravens

One response to “What We Saw: Week 2”

  1. Voucher Sort says:
    September 20, 2021 at 10:00 pm

    thank you this is great. I just thought I’d let you know there’s a typo in yyour title though?

    Reply

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