Matchups Start/Sit

Stefon Diggs melted faces on Monday night torching a Titans secondary for 148 Yards on 14 targets finishing as WR1 in week 2 with 44.8 fantasy points. Diggs is the WR1 in all of fantasy and priced $2,200 less than Cooper Kupp, and has only the fifth highest salary on DraftKings.  That just does not make sense. Even if Gabriel Davis’ ankle is well enough for him to return, Diggs will see plenty of opportunity to post another potential WR1 overall week against a Dolphins defense that was recently roasted by the Ravens.

Chris Olave has broken the Air Yards DFS Value List! The difference between Olave’s Air Yards Value Score when compared to the player second on the list is the greatest I have charted in the past three seasons I have written this article. Olave’s week two Air Yards totals are gobsmackingly absurd as he amassed 278 Air Yards and has seen the most Air Yards in the NFL this year. He is a recommended play in all formats after overtaking Jarvis Landry on the Saints depth chart.

The Texans’ run defense has allowed over 100 yards rushing to its opponents each of the first two weeks of the season. Last season, Houston allowed the 3rd-most RB fantasy points, and the run defense has not improved by much this season. From the first two weeks, it looks as if Justin Fields will have a lower pass volume and attempting shallower passes often. Montgomery and Herbert will see checkdowns and a high rush volume in a good matchup against a lacking Texans defense.

San Francisco allowed the 26th most fantasy points to TEs in 2021, yielding just 4 receptions to TEs this season so far. The LB corps and safeties, headlined by Fred Warner and Talanoa Hufanga, have been good in coverage and will give the Broncos a hard time over the middle of the field. In the midst of a struggling offense, TE rotation, and facing a good TE coverage defense, Albert O is in a tough bind this week.

Welcome in to the Week 3 Edition of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to RB! This is the place where we talk all things running back streaming. Each week we discuss running back usage, matchups, and waiver opportunities to convert the least amount of capital into a playable running back position on your fantasy teams.

When the Chiefs reached the Chargers’ nine-yard line in the 2nd quarter Thursday, Mahomes threw to McKinnon for a score. In the 3rd quarter, down by three points and at Los Angeles’ 3-yard line, the Chiefs went McKinnon-pass-pass. When that didn’t work, they kicked a field goal rather than try again from the one yard line. A single, late 52-yard 4th quarter run boosted an otherwise muted performance. There are just too many options in Kansas City, and the Chiefs don’t seem to want to commit to Clyde.

Jaylen Waddle finished inside the top-20 last week thanks to a touchdown, but his opportunity metrics are concerning. His Target Share ranks No. 40 among wide receivers and his Slot Rate plummeted from 43.8-percent last season to 17.5-percent in Week 1. Rashod Bateman’s opportunity metrics from Week 1 show that inconsistent performances will occur. He was outside the top-50 in targets, Snap Share, and Route Participation.

Marvin Jones is top-20 in Air Yards and Routes Run. On top of that, he’s top-10 in Average Target Distance, Unrealized Air Yards, and Deep Targets. Jakobi Meyers saw a 92.5-percent (No. 16) Snap Share, 20.0-percent (No. 32) Target Share, and 32.7-percent (No. 23) Air Yards Share. On top of that, his 14.8 (No. 14) Average Target Distance in Week 1 was MUCH higher than years past where he’s been under 11.0 every season.

The Titans gave up a whopping 164 yards to Saquon Barkley on the ground in week 1. The Giants ran for over 200 yards total against Tennessee, while Barkley tacked on 6 receptions. Singletary had 67 (No. 13) evaded tackles last season, so look for him to take advantage of the Titans’ poor tackling that was on display week 1. The Bills are the better team in this matchup, so a lead would open more rushing opportunity for Singletary as well.

The Vikings contained Aaron Rodgers to less than 200 yards, no touchdowns, and an interception in the opener. New additions Jordan Hicks and Za’Darius Smith wreaked havoc up front with Danielle Hunter. Patrick Peterson in the secondary with Lewis Cine potentially returning in week 2 will also make Hurts’ life harder. Opponents were No. 23 last season in scoring QB rushing fantasy points against Minnesota, and Hicks and Smith make Hurts’ chances of a big rushing day even more difficult. Facing an improved Vikings defense, don’t expect Hurts to put on a show this week.

All in all it was a strong week for our roster making transactions rather difficult. The brightest star is of course Darrell Henderson. The former Memphis Tiger played 82-percent of his team’s snaps and dominated usage in all situations. While he was not able to punch in a score or provide much in terms of efficiency, his usage profile was that of an RB1.

Football is back! It’s been a minute, but we finally made it through. Now, we all begin our journeys of winning our leagues, watching some good ball, and maybe winning a few bets along the way. That’s where I come in. Betting the spread in the NFL can be tough, but it is not impossible. Over the season, for PlayerProfiler EDGE, I’ll be making picks against the spread for each game of the NFL season. Last year, I was well above .500, so hopefully that continues in 2022. Let’s get off to a great start to the 2022 season. Welcome back football!

A.J. Terrell finished 2021 ranked No. 1 in Coverage Rating, Catch Rate Allowed, Passer Rating Allowed, and Fantasy Points Allowed Per Target. Meanwhile, Michael Thomas has gone on to play in one game since their Week 13 matchup in 2020.

Amari Cooper had three top-10 scoring weeks last season. Two of those cornerbacks primarily tasked to guard him are out of the NFL. Outside of those games, Cooper had ZERO top-24 performances in 2021.

Josh Allen attempts to lead the Bills prolific offense to an opening night victory against the defending champs. He has at his disposal a duo of Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis who’ve compiled 31 touchdowns over the last two seasons. They patched arguably their only offensive hole this offseason with the drafting of James Cook, who will immediately see a fantasy relevant role.

The defending champs are undefeated on opening day under head coach Sean McVay. With Allen Robinson now in Matthew Stafford’s arsenal, this offense is not going to skip a beat from 2021. In fact, they’ll only be sharper. Cam Akers returns to the lineup fully recovered. With a rejuvenated offense and an undermanned Bills secondary, the Rams are in a great spot to keep the streak alive.