AARON’S MOST INTRIGUING MATCHUPS
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Tennessee Titans
After a surprising Week 1 victory for the Jaguars and a lackluster performance that led to a last second field goal win for the Titans, this matchup will serve as a proving ground for potential fantasy starters. We saw Gardner Minshew in all his efficient glory that led to him being QB 11 on the week and yet still left fantasy managers believing that there’s more on the horizon. He didn’t add much with his legs, and the nature of the close game didn’t require that he force the ball downfield for more yards. James Robinson took advantage of his weak backfield teammates and was shown every RB carry for the game. Chris Thompson appeared to be irrelevant in the game plan, and I don’t see much changing for this week. As for the Titans, I saw nothing that stood out to me as far as above average fantasy production. With that being said, as of Friday morning there has already been an announcement that WR A.J. Brown will not be playing; enter Corey Davis truthers. He was tied for the team lead in targets and 1st in receptions and yards. He is the main healthy receiver and is looking to earn the trust of fantasy managers. Derrick Henry accrued a massive 31 carries and I don’t think we should expect much less. Now, I’m not saying that he’ll average 31 carries a game, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see him in the high to mid-20s every game. That is the Titans identity and along with the head coach Mike Vrabel wearing a “Please give Derrick Henry the ball” mask in Week 1, I’m going to side with him. I know it’s early still, but this is also a battle for 1st place in the AFC South and a game I'm looking forward to viewing.
Minnesota Vikings @ Indianapolis Colts
Disappointing. That’s the only way I can describe these team’s Week 1 performances against Green Bay and Jacksonville, respectively. Both the Vikings and Colts entered the year with division title aspirations and football fans were left wondering if those expectations are realistic. After a devastating achilles injury to Marlon Mack, it is Jonathan Taylor’s backfield to take over; or is it? Nyheim Hines looked outstanding with 15 total touches, 73 scrimmage yards and 2 total TDs. This shows you the trust that the Colts and more importantly Philip Rivers have in Hines. For the time being, I believe that both Taylor and Hines are staring RB/FLEX options until they prove otherwise. In order for the Colts to fully reach their potential, Philip Rivers needs to be better. No longer will slinging the ball all over the field with reckless abandon be acceptable. This team is too good to be dealing with the risky play that Rivers has shown in the past. He needs to take a more cautious approach and get the ball into the hands of his playmakers down the field. As for the Vikings, most of their problems seems to be on defense. Getting behind in the game is not how this team is built to succeed with its explosive running game of Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison. Kirk Cousins was true to his nature as a good but not great fantasy QB finishing as QB 13. A resurgent Adam Thielen showed us what he can do when healthy, and fantasy managers were rewarded with a WR 3 performance. I’m excited to see what adjustments both of these teams make in order to push forward with their high expectations.
Washington Football Team @ Arizona Cardinals
No team in Week 1 had a more surprising and shocking performance in my opinion than the Washington Football Team. They absolutely dominated the Eagles on defense just bullying the injured offensive line. On the other side of the ball, they left much to be desired. The fewest total offensive yards in the NFL was overshadowed, and rightfully so by the defense, showing us that Washington needs to make major improvements if they want to compete on a weekly basis. The Washington offense shows that it’s a work in progress and until further notice it has only one start worthy player, Terry McLaurin. I don’t see any other valuable players on this team unless we see improvements in a major way. As for the Cardinals, I was thoroughly impressed with Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins. They looked like they had been teammates for years with the chemistry they demonstrated against the 49ers. Both players reassured fantasy managers as to why they were top 5 players at their positions. Kenyan Drake saved his day with a late rushing TD; otherwise I’d be a bit more concerned with his production. He wasn't very involved in the passing game and I know that the 49ers are a tough matchup, but I wanted to see more to cement him into one of those “set it and forget it” running backs. The other concerns I had are in regard to the other pass catching options for the Cardinals. Larry Fitzgerald was the only other relevant pass catcher for the Cardinals and cooled some of the Christian Kirk breakout potential, at least for the time being. My biggest questions that I have going into this game are what Washington can do to slow down Kyler Murray and where does the offensive production come from in Washington? Looking forward to finding out!
