What We Saw: Week 3

Denver Broncos vs Green Bay Packers

 

Denver Broncos

 

Quarterback

 

• Joe Flacco: 20/29, 213 yards, 0 TD, 1 Interception, 6 sacks | 2 carries, 5 yards, 1 Fumble Lost

 

Joe Flacco looked good in the early stages of this game and had the Broncos looking like they might pull off an upset in Green Bay, but the Packers defense kept pressuring Flacco and eventually forced him into some mistakes. That’s been Flacco’s M.O. all year and most of his career: he can put together a string of nice plays, sometimes a nice drive, or even a nice string of games, and then he’ll make a mind-bogglingly bad throw that completely takes away all his team’s momentum. That happened a few times today, first on a throw down the left sideline where Courtland Sutton had broken free for a potential touchdown. Flacco’s throw sailed too far toward the sideline and Sutton wasn’t able to make the catch. It happened again later on when the ball slipped out of his hands on a pass attempt and fluttered toward Packers safety Darnell Savage instead of Flacco’s intended receiver. Savage made a diving interception that essentially sealed the Green Bay victory. Flacco wasn’t fantasy relevant to begin with other than in 2-QB leagues, but this 0-3 start likely means that we see Drew Lock on the field once he returns from the IR.

 

Running Backs

 

• Phillip Lindsay: 21 carries, 81 yards, 2 TD | 5 targets, 4 receptions, 49 yards 
• Royce Freeman: 15 carries, 63 yards, 0 TD | 5 targets, 4 receptions, 10 yards

 

The Broncos attempted to win this game by running the ball and keeping it away from Aaron Rodgers. Their run game was effective, but they weren’t able to break off any big plays. Their longest run was just 13 yards. Royce Freeman left this game briefly in the first half, which opened the door for Phillip Lindsay to exceed 20 carries. Other than that, it was an even split between the two running backs the same it has been all year. Freeman continues to be used interchangeably with Lindsay, which means he’s getting targets more targets than he was last year. 5 more targets for Freeman today, and he looks like a capable receiver.

I wonder whether Lindsay can hold up for an entire year given his small frame. He got hit hard a few times in this game and while he never seemed rattled by it, his body didn’t appear to absorb the contact well. It’s always good to have depth at running back in fantasy, but I’d say its especially important if you’re relying on Lindsay right now.

 

Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends

 

• Courtland Sutton: 8 targets, 5 receptions, 87 yards
• Emmanuel Sanders: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 10 yards
• Noah Fant: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 37 yards

 

It was a disappointing day for Emmanuel Sanders after his big game in week 2. The Packers deployed their best cornerback, 2nd-year player Jaire Alexander, to shadow Sanders wherever he went, even covering him in the slot. Alexander isn’t a household name yet, but he’s developing into a guy that can shut down opposing receivers, and that’s what happened here. The focus on Sanders left lesser coverage on Courtland Sutton, and he capitalized on the opportunity with a solid game. This will likely be how things are for the Denver pass game going forward. Opposing defenses will decide whether to focus on Sanders or Sutton, and the guy receiving less attention will have the better day. There’s not enough volume in Denver’s passing game, so both guys should probably be considered WR2 or flex options. Preseason sleeper candidate Dasean Hamilton is the odd man out for the Denver receiving group, as Denver likes to put 2 Tight Ends on the field instead of 3 receivers. I didn’t notice Hamilton on the field much and he did not receive a target.

 

Green Bay Packers

 

Quarterback

 

• Aaron Rodgers: 17/29, 235 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT 

 

Aaron Rodgers is a better real-life quarterback than fantasy quarterback these days, as he’s now failed to eclipse 250 yards in 3 straight games, all Packer wins. Part of the issue for Rodgers, from a fantasy perspective, is that he’s finally getting support from his defense consistently. For the 3rd week in a row, the Packers got the lead in the first half and the offense didn’t have to do much in the 2nd half to seal the victory. For fantasy, you want the Aaron Rodgers that needs to score 35+ points to win the game, but we may not see that guy as often in 2019.

The 2nd issue is the supporting cast around him. Rodgers trusts Davante Adams and is developing a rapport with Marquez Valdes-Scantling, but there’s nobody else on the team that defenses need to worry about. The Packers continue to have wasted plays where Rodgers can’t find an open man and has to throw the ball away or settle for a check-down. Rodgers seemed extra-frustrated today, even by his standards. Rodgers was caught on several occasions directing his disgust toward his own sideline, and at one point the cameras captured an argument between him and Matt Lafleur. We’ll see if things improve as Rodgers gets more comfortable with the offense, but it’s unclear how much of it is fixable.

 

Running Backs

 

• Jamaal Williams: 12 carries, 59 yards | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 27 yards
• Aaron Jones: 10 carries, 19 yards, 2 TD | 1 target, 1 reception, 4 yards

 

Aaron Jones salvaged his day with 2 rushing TD’s, but was very close to a putting up a dud in this game. His 2nd TD occurred after Rodgers hit Danny Vitale on a 27-yard pass and Vitale got tackled on the 1. 

Jamaal Williams continues to take touches from Jones, typically subbing in for Jones after two or three drives and coming in on passing downs for his alleged pass blocking ability. The added wrinkle for this week: when the Packers were trying to run the clock out on the final drive, Jones was nowhere to be found. Williams took 4 carries for 16 yards on the drive. I’m not aware of any injury to Jones, so it may just be that the Packers preferred the more physical (read: slower) Williams in this situation. Williams, to his credit, played well, and it makes sense for the Packers to want to save Jones for more crucial times in the season, but this is just one more thing eating into Jones’s production. Jones is still comfortably an RB2, but Williams’s presence may prevent AJ from reaching RB1 levels.

 

Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends

 

• Marquez Valdes-Scantling: 10 targets, 6 receptions, 99 yards, 1 TD
• Davante Adams: 4 targets, 4 receptions, 56 yards
• Robert Tonyan: 3 targets, 1 reception, 4 yards
• Geronimo Allison: 3 targets, 1 reception, -1 yard

 

Not a great output from Davante Adams, which is to be expected against an elite cornerback like Chris Harris. Rodgers instead focused on Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who scored a long TD on the first drive.

Jimmy Graham came into this game with a groin injury, so that could be the reason behind his lack of targets, but it also might be a sign that the Packers are phasing him out of the offense. Robert Tonyan seemed to be on the field quite a bit more than Grahm and looked solid in his place. He got open deep on the Packers 2nd drive and Rodgers just barely overthrew him.

There has to be a better option out there for the Packers than Geronimo Allison, whether it’s on their roster or elsewhere. Geronimo’s first target was a basic stop route for a first down, which he bobbled and allowed to pop up into the air. It landed incomplete, but the Packers were fortunate it didn’t lead to an interception. His lack of athleticism was on display on his other two targets, first on a high throw that Geronimo was unable to get his hands on and then on a screen pass where Geronimo got bottled up before he was able to turn upfield. I wonder if the Packers may turn to Jake Kumerow before too long because Geronimo isn’t getting it done.

 

• Tom Schweitzer