What We Saw: Week 1

Steelers @ Falcons

Final Score: Steelers 18, Falcons 10

Writer: Riley Blum

T.J. Watt and the Steelers defense were dominant in this game.  Outside of Bijan Robinson, the Falcons weren’t able to get much going offensively with Kirk Cousins under constant pressure.  Justin Fields was able to effectively manage the game after some early miscues, and Chris Boswell nailed all six of his field goal attempts to propel the Steelers to victory.

Three Up

• Chris Boswell – 6/6 on FGs (3/3 from 50+) scored all of the Steelers’ points and even made a good punt after the starting punter got injured.  With such a strong defense, Boswell could be a good option at kicker for fantasy managers in leagues that reward bonus point for longer field goals.
• George Pickens – The Steelers’ leading receiver and main down field target in this game.  It was encouraging to see that Fields can support him.
• Justin Fields – It wasn’t the prettiest game, but he showed his dual threat ability.  More importantly, he got the win, which should earn him at least another start in Week 2.

Three Down

• Jaylen Warren –  This is less about Warren, who looked good on his touches, and more to do with the fact Najee Harris saw a heavy workload.  Cordarrelle Patterson also saw the same amount of touches as Warren, and it looks like he may see enough snaps to be a thorn in the side of Warren owners.
• Kirk Cousins –  I expect Cousins to improve after shaking off the rust, and luckily he doesn’t have to play against this Steelers defense again.  However, he did not look good in his debut with the Falcons throwing two picks and another near interception on the first drive.
• Drake London –  London only saw three targets for the whole game, which isn’t what fantasy managers want to see out of their likely second round pick regardless of a tough match up.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Quarterback

Justin Fields: 17/23, 156 yards, 14 carries, 57 yards

Fields was mostly asked to be a game manager in this one, and he did pretty well in that role despite a few miscues, most notably a fumbled snap he recovered and a miscommunication with the offensive line on a fourth-down QB sneak attempt.  George Pickens was Fields’ main target, and the only Steelers pass-catcher to see a reception longer than 10 yards.

Notes

• A lot of designed runs and option plays with Fields at QB, which plays to his strengths.
• Fields threw some beautiful deep balls to WR George Pickens, who looked best when throwing on play-action and bootlegs.

Missed Opportunities

• Fields hit Pickens on a go route for what would have been a 36-yard gain, but it was called back due to an offensive pass interference penalty on Pickens.  It was a bad call by the officials as Pickens did not extend his arms.

Running Back

Najee Harris: 20 carries, 70 yards, 2 targets, 1 reception, 9 yards

Najee Harris out-carried the other Steelers’ running backs 20 to 6.  Najee ran hard and fought through contact on many of his rush attempts.  His longest carry on the day went for 20 yards, and it looks like new OC Arthur Smith is going to use Harris as the feature back in this offense.

Jaylen Warren: 2 carries, 7 yards, 2 targets, 2 receptions, 13 yards

Warren was mostly used in passing situations or to give Najee Harris a quick breather.  He won’t have much standalone value if his usage does not increase.

Cordarrelle Patterson: 4 carries, 13 yards

Patterson followed his old head coach Arthur Smith from Atlanta, and Smith trusts him enough to give him touches.  Patterson’s usage in this backfield looks like it could be an annoyance for Jaylen Warren drafters moving forward.

Wide Receiver/Tight End

George Pickens: 7 targets, 6 receptions, 85 yards, 1 carry, -10 yards

Pickens operated as Justin Fields’ top target on the day, and he looked good in that role.  Pickens helped to convert on multiple third downs and continues to look like one of the better deep ball and contested catch WRs in the league.  He would have been well over 100 yards receiving if not for a bad call against him by the officials early in the game.

Notes

• It looks like Pickens could play the A.J. Brown role in this Arthur Smith offense.

Missed Opportunities

• Fields hit Pickens on a go route for what would have been a 36-yard gain, but it was called back due to an offensive pass interference penalty on Pickens.  It was a bad call by the officials as Pickens did not extend his arms.

Pat Freiermuth: 4 targets, 4 receptions, 27 yards

It was a relatively quiet game for the Muth, though he was still the second-most target Steelers player.  Freiermuth could serve as the safety blanket for Justin Fields or Russell Wilson.

MyCole Pruitt: 2 targets, 1 reception, 9 yards

Calvin Austin III: 2 targets, 1 catch, 7 yards

Darnell Washington: 1 target, 1 catch, 5 yards

Van Jefferson: 2 targets, 1 catch, 1 yard

Atlanta Falcons

Quarterback

Kirk Cousins: 16/26, 155 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT, 1 carry, 0 yards

Cousins struggled in his first game back after a season-ending Achilles tear last year.  Despite the Falcons having a strong offensive line coming into the season, Cousins was constantly under pressure.  There was a strip sack called back by a close offsides penalty on Pittsburgh.  Cousins would have had another interception on the opening drive had a defender not dropped the ball.  Cousins had a few more mistimed and off-target throws, but the timing should improve with more game reps with this offense.  I’d also expect Cousins to be better in games he doesn’t have to face T.J. Watt and this stout Steelers defense.

On a positive note, Cousins continues to be tough and willing to hang in the pocket, taking a hit to deliver a completion.

Notes

• The Falcons lined up a lot in pistol formation, something Cousins did not do very often in Minnesota.
• Cousins had fewer passing yards than Justin Fields.  Okay, it was only one less yard, but still, it’s going to be a rough fantasy week for a pocket-passing QB if he can’t outproduce Fields through the air.

Running Back

Bijan Robinson: 18 carries, 68 yards, 5 targets, 5 receptions, 43 yards

Bijan Robinson was the lone bright spot on the Falcons offense in this game.  He handily out-snapped Tyler Allgeier and out-touched him 23 to 3.  Despite not finding the end zone, this was a strong start to the season for Robinson.  It was encouraging to see the heavy usage and involvement in the passing game.  Things should only get better for Bijan as Kirk Cousins and the Falcons offense improves as the season progresses

Notes

• Robinson showed good vision, burst, and elusiveness.  He did a great job letting his blocks develop.
• He had more receiving yards than Kyle Pitts and Drake London combined in this game.

Tyler Allgeier: 3 carries, 21 yards

Allgeier was productive on his limited touches.  However, if his usage stays the same as it was in the opener, he doesn’t offer much fantasy value outside of being one of the better handcuffs at RB.

Wide Receiver/Tight End

Drake London: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 15 yards

This was an abysmal fantasy day for London.  London had to deal with Steelers’ CB Joey Porter Jr., and QB Kirk Cousins wasn’t given much time to throw all game; still, we would like to see a WR drafted as highly as London was this fantasy season do a better job of earning targets.  I’d mostly chalk this one up to facing a strong defense and Cousins struggling in his first game back from injury.

Kyle Pitts: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 26 yards, 1 TD

Pitts scored the only Falcons’ TD on the day, finding himself wide open in the end zone on a good play concept.  If we included his catch called back by a penalty, Pitts out-targeted Drake London in Week 1.

Notes

• Considering Pitts had scored only six TDs in his first three seasons, it’s encouraging to see the big TE used as a red zone threat and open the season with a TD reception.

Missed Opportunities

• Pitts had a good 17-yard catch and run called back by a penalty.

Ray-Ray McCloud III: 7 targets, 4 receptions, 52 yards

McCloud led the Falcons in targets and receiving yards in this game.  His best catch came on a 20-yard throw from Kirk Cousins as he was hit in the pocket, and McCloud climbed the ladder to come down with the ball.

Notes

• McCloud could be worth monitoring taking the Rondale Moore role (out for the season) and pacing the Falcons in targets in Week 1.

Darnell Mooney: 3 targets, 1 reception, 15 yards

It was a quiet day for the Falcons’ WR2, as it was for most of the team’s pass catchers.

Charlie Woerner: 2 targets, 1 reception, 4 yards