New Orleans Saints vs Los Angeles Rams
New Orleans Saints
Quarterbacks
- Drew Brees: 3/5, 38 yards, 1 INT
- Teddy Bridgewater: 17/30, 165 yards | 2 carries, 5 yards
- Taysom Hill: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 16 yards
The major headline of this game will inevitably be the injury Drew Brees suffered early in the first quarter. In all honesty, it didn’t look too bad. After Brees threw the ball, his throwing hand followed-through into Aaron Donald’s hand and got jammed up. It may not have looked very bad, but it certainly wasn’t a good sign that Brees never tried to warm up after his hand was wrapped. This situation is concerning when one of the toughest quarterbacks in the league wasn’t even close to coming back in. If he didn’t bother throwing the football on the field there’s a good chance he broke that thumb.
Teddy Bridgewater came in for Brees and was better than I expected him to be. He looked good and showed composure, but the rest of his offense was making silly mistakes. The Saints had way too many offensive fouls and miscues which stopped Bridgewater from piecing together consistent drives. Bridgewater wasn’t perfect but his offense certainly didn’t make things easier. I think Teddy should be okay if he needs to take over this offense for the next couple weeks; he just needs to bring his play up to game speed. That being said, it’s fair if fantasy owners are worried about the upside of their rostered Saints players.
Taysom Hill is still nothing more than a gadget player and didn’t take one snap as a quarterback today.
Running Backs
- Alvin Kamara: 13 carries, 45 yards | 3 targets, 1 reception, 15 yards
- Latavius Murray: 5 carries, 7 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 16 yards
The Saints’ rushing attack was fairly similar to last week’s. Both Alvin Kamara and Latavius Murray were part of the overall game-plan and neither back was used exclusively. Also similar to last week, both backs got off to slow starts.
Kamara had a pretty awful week but that was mainly because the Rams’ front four was absolutely embarrassing the Saints’ line. The offensive line was a joke after Andrus Peat left the game with an ankle injury. The Saints tried to get Kamara involved more in the second half, but the game-script had gotten out of hand by that point. I wouldn’t be surprised if Kamara struggles this year whenever the Saints are getting blown out. Also, Kamara’s targets through the air were concerning. If Bridgewater is going to run this offense he needs to find Kamara in open space.
Murray had a slow first half but started the second half with a nice catch-and-run where he danced his way to the first down while staying inbounds. Murray’s stats tonight are exactly why I’m (as a Kamara owner) never sending the Murray owner a trade offer. If you own Kamara and want to handcuff him, you would be better off just waiting for the frustrated Murray owner to drop him after a few bad weeks. In reality, Murray likely didn’t get much opportunity because Kamara wasn’t having much success either. It’s likely Murray will not have very productive games unless Kamara is also having success. It’s also worth noting for the second time just how terrible the Saints O-line was playing because it was a big part of both these backs’ mediocre finishes.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
- Michael Thomas: 13 targets, 10 receptions, 89 yards
- Tre’Quan Smith: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 49 yards
- Jared Cook: 7 targets, 2 receptions, 25 yards
Unfortunately, the only fantasy-relevant receiver for the Saints was Michael Thomas. I wouldn’t be too worried about Thomas’ future if Bridgewater needs to take over for a few weeks. He was Teddy’s favorite target and should continue to be startable in the future. Here’s the thing though: if Thomas becomes the only viable receiver on this team, then he could start facing more and more double coverage.
Tre’Quan Smith was looking pretty darn good with his limited targets. He had a great early catch that displayed his reliable hands. Unfortunately, he left the game late in the fourth quarter after an awkward tackle. Hopefully, he can bounce back ready to play next week. If not, then the Saints may have to use even more of Taysom Hill. The multipurpose quarterback played all his snaps as if he were a receiver.
I wouldn’t be too worried after Jared Cook’s poor showing. His day started badly and just continued from there. He gave up an interception on his first target that bounced off him and somehow stayed off the ground. It was just a freak accident on a circus ball. Cook continued to get targets which is encouraging but he had trouble coming down with the ball for the rest of the game. He will need to take a big step up next week, especially if Bridgewater is the starting quarterback for the next few weeks.
Los Angeles Rams
Quarterback
- Jared Goff: 19/28, 283, 1 TD | 4 carries, -2 yards, 1 TD
Jared Goff got off to a great start. He had an amazing 57-yard bomb to Cooks on the first drive that was right on the money. The Saints’ defense quickly brought the pressure though, and Goff’s play slowed down. He struggled with piecing together plays to keep his drives going. He had to make tough throws quickly and he had trouble consistently rising to the occasion. That being said, any time the Rams get Goff in a nice pocket with plenty of time, good things will happen. Goff performed much better towards the end of the game when the Rams had officially worn out the Saints’ defense. The QB sneak definitely helped pad his fantasy points today but Goff is still as solid as ever.
Running Backs
- Todd Gurley: 16 carries, 63 yards, 1 TD | 4 targets, 3 receptions, 4 yards
- Malcolm Brown: 6 carries, 37 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 10 yards
Todd Gurley looked like his old self, especially on his 20-yard run shortly before the half. There are times he’s still trusted with the third-and-short work and goal-to-go situations and you’re thinking why anyone was ever worried about him. He looked great today even if his fantasy points were mediocre. The problem is, there are five other guys getting at least one carry and eating into Gurley’s production bit by bit.
It’s tough to pin down the running backs on this team. It’s clear the Rams are making a conscious effort to limit Gurley’s touches, but the reasoning behind when he is or isn’t on the field is anyone’s guess. I thought Gurley was done for the night after Malcolm Brown started getting much more carries in the second half. Then Gurley comes in for one of the last drives of the game (that was already won) and I have no idea what to make of it. It’s got to be frustrating as a Gurley owner.
That being said, Malcolm Brown is still looking like a solid bench stash or handcuff. He didn’t get a carry until the second quarter and only had two carries in the first half, but Brown will be the guy on this team should Gurley go down. He was still on the field for some goal-to-go situations and came very close to getting a touchdown. I wouldn’t feel confident starting him without a Gurley injury but I also have no problem keeping him on the bench for the time being.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
- Cooper Kupp: 9 targets, 5 receptions, 120 yards | 1 carry, 6 yards
- Robert Woods: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 33 yards | 1 carry, 9 yards
- Brandin Cooks: 4 targets 3 receptions, 74 yards, 1 TD | 1 carry, 2 yards
- Gerald Everett: 5 targets 3 receptions, 21 yards | 1 carry, 0 yards
- Tyler Higbee: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 21 yards
Cooper Kupp has still got it and you should feel bad if you let him sit on the board in your draft. I lost count of how many tackles he broke on his almost-touchdown catch-and-run. He will be great this year if he stays healthy. He’s looking just as reliable as last year and he hasn’t lost a step when it comes to yards-after-the-catch ability. Kupp also had a target in the end zone he couldn’t quite come down with.
Brandin Cooks had an odd night. He had a great early catch but didn’t really get involved again until the third quarter, mostly due to Goff having a tough go of it. Once he was targeted again in the third quarter, it seemed like Cooks was involved in every other play which eventually led to his touchdown. The Rams will likely focus on getting the ball to him more often.
Robert Woods was likely the most affected by Goff’s pressure in the pocket. He simply wasn’t getting open quickly enough for Goff to get the ball to him. It was an awful fantasy performance but he should bounce back eventually. Gerald Everett and Tyler Higbee both had solid games, but not solid enough to be fantasy relevant. If one tight end on this team went down, I’m sure the other would instantly become valuable to plenty of fantasy teams. Unfortunately, the two tight ends split work fairly evenly, making neither worth a roster spot.
— Ryan Kruse
I know it’s only week 2 and it’s only their first game with Antonio Brown in, but do you see Josh Gordon’s value tanking enough to make him a drop? Seems like a crazy thought since Brady has always spread the carries but even though they played the dolphins this week, it seems like it’s going to be the Edelman/AB show. With side performances from Gordon.
And with Chark, Deebo and Mostert available on the waivers, I’m wondering whether it’s a good idea to cut him loose early if it means I can grab one of them.
Totally commented this in the wrong game analysis! Thought I was still on the dolphins v patriots thread. Sorry!
I was on my way back to this thread to also ask if you think Moncrief is droppable now. The big question mark I see is with Big Ben being potentially out for a few weeks, but (again it’s only week 2 I know), it hasn’t looked very good for Moncrief.
Sorry again!!
Hey Jess! I would hold on to Gordon. You drafted him for his talent so stay the course! As for Moncrief feel free dropping him. I’ve seen nothing from him in the first two weeks and now he lost his QB (it appears right now that the injury is serious). Unless Moncrief has an epiphany this week, he looks to be out of the league soon.
Mixon didn’t fumble on his first touch. Watch it again. Dalton never handed it to him. Dalton basically just dropped it.
good catch! It appears the box score agrees with you as well. I’ll fix it.
So I have Chris Carson. Rashaad Penny is on waivers right now. Should I drop Chris Thompson or Tarik Cohen for him, or keeping both of those backs is fine. I’m in a full PPR league.
So I didn’t get a chance to see the Seahawks play this week, but apparently Chris Carson fumbled (and almost did a second time). Some coaches react quickly to this, so Penny should be owned for sure…just in case. I would probably drop Thompson in order to pick up Penny