What We Saw: Week 3

Catch our recap of every game from Week 3

Drew DeLuca
What We Saw A Year Ago
Series Navigation
Introduction
Saints @ Packers
Colts @ Ravens
Titans @ Browns
Falcons @ Lions
Chargers @ Vikings
Broncos @ Dolphins
Patriots @ Jets
Bills @ Commanders
Texans @ Jaguars
Panthers @ Seahawks
Cowboys @ Cardinals
Bears @ Chiefs
Steelers @ Raiders

Falcons @Β Lions

Final Score: Lions 20, Falcons 6

Writer: Brett Ford (@FadeThatMan on Twitter)

 

In the ultimate battle of stud rookie position players, the battle between Bijan and Jahmyr was won by… Sam LaPorta? The Detroit tight end had the best fantasy day above expectation of just about anybody on the field in this one, pulling in eight catches for 88 yards and a long touchdown reception as the Lions took down the Falcons, 20-6. Jahmyr Gibbs flashed his talent but was limited in the passing game, while Bijan Robinson and the Falcons’ offense looked mostly stagnant against a very solid Lions defense.

With just three games in the books for each team so far this season, fantasy managers are still learning about player roles and the way that teams choose to utilize them. For the Falcons, it continues to be a frustrating voyage for Pitts and London fantasy managers and the Lions have continued to befuddle those who drafted Gibbs.

Let’s dig in.

 

Three Up

  • Sam LaPorta – LaPorta put the top tight ends in the league on notice with a big day, including a long touchdown catch.
  • Jahmyr Gibbs – Clearly the feature back with David Montgomery out of commission.
  • Amon-Ra St. Brown – Still a target monster, topped 100 yards receiving for the second-straight game.

Three Down

  • Josh Reynolds – Was listed as active, but was not targeted at all as he nursed a groin injury
  • Kyle Pitts – He’s getting the targets, but his role doesn’t line up with Ridder’s strengths.
  • Drake London – Why do you hurt me like this, Arthur Smith?

 

Atlanta Falcons

 

Quarterback

 

Desmond Ridder: 21/38, 201 Yards | 2 Carries, 3 Yards, 1 Fumble (Lost)

 

Ridder was on his back nearly as often as he was on his feet, taking seven sacks in large part due to a relentless Lions pass rush that dominated the Atlanta offensive line. When he was upright, Ridder was frequently distributing to the short areas of the field.

Notes

  • Ridder’s best throw of the day came late in the game, but it was too little too late.

Missed Opportunities

  • In the rare instance that he was well-protected, Ridder did not connect with his receivers downfield. He missed a very open Kyle Pitts on a long pass in the first quarter, a prime example of his inaccuracy on long throws.

 

 

Running Back

 

Bijan Robinson: 10 Carries, 33 Yards | 6 Targets, 4 Receptions, 27 Yards

 

Utilized in the passing game far more than his rookie counterpart on the opposite side of the ball, Robinson hauled in four catches for 27 yards on six targets. He’s clearly the superior playmaker, especially in space, but the stubborn Falcons have stuck with Allgeier in early down situations. Bijan is such an incredible rusher and puts it on display so frequently, it’s difficult to understand why the Falcons continue to hamstring their most explosive playmakers with limited usage.

 

 

Tyler Allgeier: 7 Carries, 12 Yards | 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 17 Yards

 

Allgeier was used in early-down scenarios, similar to the role he had in the first two weeks. However, with the Falcons trailing for most of the game, the game script leaned towards the passing game meaning that Robinson was on the field far more often than Allgeier. Limited to just 1.6 yards per carry, Allgeier was largely unimpressive.

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Jonnu Smith: 8 Targets, 5 Receptions, 37 Yards

 

Smith has become the safety valve for Ridder, pulling in five receptions for 37 yards, with nearly all of his routes within five to seven yards of the line of scrimmage. His role so far has been more of a traditional tight end than Pitts, who has been used more as a deep threat. Though his touches typically aren’t high-yield, Smith could be fantasy viable in deep PPR leagues if he stays in Ridder’s good graces as a dump-off option.

 

Kyle Pitts: 1 Carry | 9 Targets, 5 Receptions, 41 Yards

 

Man, it is so hard to cheer for the Falcons to succeed as a fantasy manager of Kyle Pitts. Instead of getting the ball to one of their best playmakers in space, Atlanta has decided to use Pitts almost exclusively on intermediate to long routes, which is Ridder’s biggest weakness. It makes it so hard for Pitts to have consistent fantasy production. Pitts was targeted nine times and caught five, and according to Nathan Jahnke at PFF.com, all four of his incomplete targets were uncatchable. Hey man, at least he’s not being used as the fullback this year.

 

Drake London: 6 Targets, 2 Receptions, 31 Yards

 

There’s a new tourism slogan debuting in Atlanta next week: “Where big-play pass-catchers go to die.” As long as Drake London is tied to Arthur Smith and Desmond Ridder, his ceiling is capped. On Sunday, London started out great with a 28-yard catch early in the game, displaying his big play ability with a contested catch up the sideline.

 

 

After that, he made just one catch for three yards. It’s baffling the way that the Falcons seem to neglect their best playmakers on the perimeter, even in matchups that seem exploitable in the air.

 

Mack Hollins: 4 Targets, 1 Reception, 23 Yards

KhaDarel Hodge: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 15 Yards

MyCole Pruitt: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 10 Yards

 

Detroit Lions

Β 

Quarterback

 

Jared Goff: 22/33, 243 Yards, TD, INT | 5 Carries, 3 Yards, TD

 

Goff was really solid for most of the game, standing tall in the pocket and hitting his receivers in space as they were schemed open with good play calls and excellent routes. The target distribution was extremely narrow (which fantasy managers loved to see) as his targets were limited to just four receivers. Goff did get hit in the third quarter and didn’t seem quite right in the second half, including his interception throw to end the third.

 

 

Notes

  • Goff kept the target distribution super-narrow, distributing 33 targets across just four pass-catchers.
  • For the first time since joining the Lions, Goff rushed for a touchdown, finishing off a 62-yard drive with a 3-yard read-option keeper. He flashed so much athleticism on the run that he was out of gas when he tried to leap into the crowd.

 

 

Running Back

 

Jahmyr Gibbs: 17 Carries, 80 Yards | 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 2 Yards

 

We finally got to see Jahmyr Gibbs unleashed, as Dan Campbell finally let his rookie run wild. Gibbs finished with 18 touches, though his involvement in the passing game was concerning. He only had two targets and one reception, which was largely due to the way the Lions rolled him out mirroring Montgomery’s early-down role rather than keeping him on the field in passing scenarios. Craig Reynolds was in the game for most passing situations but was barely involved. Fantasy managers surely wish that the Lions would scheme Gibbs into open space a little bit more often, considering his incredible playmaking ability in the open field, but for now, they’ll have to wait and see if the Lions turn over the reins to the rookie or not.

 

Craig Reynolds: 4 Carries, 15 Yards

Zonovan Knight: 3 Carries, 13 Yards

Jason Cabinda: 1 Carry

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Amon-Ra St. Brown: 1 Carry, 4 Yards | 12 Targets, 9 Receptions, 102 Yards

 

St. Brown is the football equivalent of a grilled cheese sandwich. When you go out and order a grilled cheese sandwich, you know exactly what you’re getting and it’s nearly impossible for it to be bad. Grilled cheese is consistent. And sometimes, grilled cheese goes crazy with some fancy toppings, maybe some bacon, tomato, or some high-end cheeses. Today was a regular cheddar day for St. Brown, who caught nine of 12 targets for 102 yards. He’s consistently good with an extremely high floor. The ceiling is there, too, but just not this week.

 

Sam LaPorta: 11 Targets, 8 Receptions, 84 Yards, TD

 

When I signed up to write this game, I was not expecting the rookie that I would be most hyped about to be LaPorta. The rookie tight end is slowly developing into a poor-man’s Travis Kelce, garnering elite usage for the position and coming away with some great production. He’s earned his quarterback’s trust extremely quickly and has been targeted on 23.4% of his routes run. Today was the first time we really saw the Lions use him in a downfield role. Entering Sunday, LaPorta had just a 4.5 average depth of target (aDOT), after Sunday’s game it’s definitely increased. He was wide open for a 45-yard touchdown in the second quarter to put an exclamation point on his big day.

 

 

Kalif Raymond: 6 Targets, 4 Receptions, 55 Yards

The speedster was involved as the Lions’ WR2 while Josh Reynolds was dressed but wasn’t targeted at all and was presumably used only as a decoy as he nursed a groin injury. Once Reynolds returns to full strength, Raymond will likely regress back to his WR3, deep threat/gadget role.

Series Navigation
Introduction
Saints @ Packers
Colts @ Ravens
Titans @ Browns
Falcons @ Lions
Chargers @ Vikings
Broncos @ Dolphins
Patriots @ Jets
Bills @ Commanders
Texans @ Jaguars
Panthers @ Seahawks
Cowboys @ Cardinals
Bears @ Chiefs
Steelers @ Raiders

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