What We Saw: Week 2

Dallas Cowboys vs Washington Redskins

 

Washington Redskins

 

Quarterback

 

• Case Keenum: 26/37, 221 yards, 2 TDs

 

Just like in week 1, the Redskins were absolutely terrible at running the ball, and Case Keenum was called upon to sling it often. He once again looked like a productive-enough quarterback, and it should be awhile before Dwayne Haskins is trotted out to take snaps as the starter. Keenum avoided any turnovers and made accurate throws, but he was constantly under pressure and forced to make things happen while defender Byron Jones smothered top receiving option Terry McLaurin. He’s a decent quarterback but lacks anything resembling a consistent running game or the supporting cast necessary to be anything more than a matchup dependent streaming option in 1 QB formats.

 

Running Backs

 

• Chris Thompson: 2 carries, 3 yards, 8 targets, 5 receptions, 48 yards
• Adrian Peterson: 10 carries, 25 yards, 1 TD, 2 targets, 2 receptions, 7 yards
• Wendell Smallwood: 1 carry, 4 yards, 2 targets, 2 receptions, 9 yards

 

After last week’s abysmal rushing performance and the news of Derrius Guice’s knee injury, I was quick to attribute the Redskins’ rushing woes to the injury. However, after Sunday’s game, it was extremely apparent that the Redskins are simply terrible at running the ball with their current offensive line. 

Adrian Peterson looked competent enough as an every-down back. He was a yard short of a receiving touchdown in the first quarter and showed off his juking ability early in the second with a shoulder-to-shoulder cut across the wide body of defensive end Tyrone Crawford. He obviously still has some of the explosiveness and shiftiness that will eventually earn him a spot in the Hall of Fame, but his current situation is nothing short of awful. Not only was he a healthy scratch in Week 1, but he also didn’t see the field for almost the entirety of the third quarter. Despite the fact that Peterson is the best rushing option on the roster, the coaching staff decided to limit him to 10 carries and even gave some surprise carries to rookie UDFA Steven Sims Jr. AD appears to be in the coach’s doghouse for the foreseeable future, and, considering the abysmal o-line play, I don’t see him returning much value even if he eventually gets the volume he deserves.

Chris Thompson still remains a top receiving option on this team and even saw some snaps in the slot, but there’s not much to be excited about considering their difficulty sustaining drives. I’d snag him as a flex option in PPR but wouldn’t give anything up for him.

 

Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends

 

• Terry McLaurin: 9 targets, 5 receptions, 62 yards, 1 TD
• Trey Quinn: 7 targets, 4 receptions, 36 yards
• Paul Richardson: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 6 yards, 1 TD
• Steve Sims Jr.: 3 carries, 16 yards, 1 target, 1 reception, 3 yards
• Vernon Davis: 4 targets, 3 receptions, 29 yards
• Jeremy Sprinkle: 1 target, 1 reception, 11 yards

 

I sure do love me some Terry McLaurin. Cowboys Cornerback Byron Jones smothered McLaurin all game, yet Scary Terry was still able to rack up five catches and a touchdown in the contest. Fun fact: Byron Jones only gave up one reception to Redskins wide receivers in two games last year. Terry had five. McLaurin also had a near-miss on a deep bomb on the Redskins’ first offensive play of the game as well as a beautiful comeback route for a quick reception that left Jones facing the wrong way later in the game. The team obviously wants to feed him and he truly displays the talent necessary to be a starting wide receiver, even as a rookie. Grab him anywhere you can and flex him with confidence against weaker defenses.

Steve Sims Jr. stood out with a surprising three carries in the contest. He looks quick and could be a fun gadget player, but don’t expect his usage to increase significantly down the line.

Trey Quinn is exactly who we thought he was: a sure-handed short pass option who should get peppered with targets. He’ll sustain some value in PPR but don’t expect any big games out of him.

Terry McLaurin is the only player of the bunch that looks to provide consistent fantasy production. The Redskins offense doesn’t appear potent enough to make multiple guys fantasy-relevant, so don’t look here for value to add to your lineups unless McLaurin is available.

 

Dallas Cowboys

 

Quarterback

 

• Dak Prescott: 26/30, 269 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT

 

Yes, the matchups have been advantageous, and, yes, his supporting cast is outstanding, but Dak Prescott looked fantastic in his outing on Sunday. He had the offense moving methodically down the field throughout the contest and even showed off some big-play ability. Prescott dropped a beautiful 51-yard bomb right into the hands of Devin Smith for a touchdown with just about six minutes left in the second quarter. The play should have been enough to silence anyone questioning his deep ball accuracy. However, he underthrew Michael Gallup a few minutes later on what should have been an easy deep touchdown, so he certainly isn’t perfect.

If you can get Prescott on your roster before Week 3’s matchup with the Miami Dolphins, you absolutely should. I don’t know where this recent play came from, but he almost looks like an MVP candidate out there and should be rostered and started until he starts to slow down.

 

Running Backs

 

• Ezekiel Elliott: 23 carries, 111 yards, 1 TD, 2 targets, 2 receptions, 9 yards
• Tony Pollard: 4 carries, 22 yards, 1 target, 1 reception, 3 yards

 

Ezekiel Elliott had a productive afternoon and did so in a relatively quiet fashion. Into the third quarter, I noted that it seemed like Zeke was getting stuffed often, but checked the stats and suddenly he had over 60 yards. He’s a powerful, decisive runner who is capable of playing every down and consistently churning out yards. He had a nice 13 yard run in the first minute of the third quarter, but for the most part, he was simply consistent and quiet in the contest, which bodes well for his consistency moving forward.

Tony Pollard looks like a near-perfect complement to Zeke. He should have had a touchdown in the contest but it was unfortunately called back due to a penalty. He’s got the speed to break big plays after Elliott wears down opposing defenses, and he looked great with relatively limited volume. He may not provide consistent production, but he has the potential for standalone volume even with Zeke in the mix.

 

Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends

 

• Amari Cooper: 5 targets, 4 receptions, 44 yards, 1 TD
• Michael Gallup: 8 targets, 6 receptions, 68 yards
• Devin Smith: 3 targets 3 receptions, 74 yards, 1 TD
• Randall Cobb: 6 targets, 5 receptions, 24 yards
• Jason Witten: 4 targets, 4 receptions, 25 yards, 1 TD
• Blake Jarwin: 1 target, 1 reception, 22 yards

 

Michael Gallup stood out in the contest despite racking up just 68 yards. He should have had a deep touchdown with four minutes left in the second quarter but was unfortunately underthrown. He showed sure hands by maintaining possession through a big hit later in the contest, and he ran crisp routes throughout the game. He’s a guy to keep an eye on moving forward, and He’s bound to have some huge weeks this season.

Amari Cooper didn’t seem to come alive until the third quarter when he came up with a touchdown on the Cowboys’ first possession of the second half. I could certainly see this being a 1A/1B situation between Cooper and Gallup based on Sunday’s performances,  but Cooper should still get a few of the astronomical stat-padding games he’s notorious for.

Don’t expect this to be the norm for Devin Smith. He was able to snag a 51-yard touchdown bomb from Dak Prescott, but that grab was his first catch since 2016. I’ll pass on targeting him as the next hot waiver wire grab, especially with Cooper, Gallup, and Cobb all demanding targets.

Jason Witten is basically the Frank Gore of Tight Ends. He’ll just never quit, and his touchdown grab should be more of a frustration for Blake Jarwin truthers rather than an indication of his role in the offense. He’ll vulture touchdowns occasionally but shouldn’t be targeted for anything beyond that.

 

-Marshal Hickman