Week 1. This occurs yearly: we spend all summer season speaking about roles, conditions and offenses. We draft gamers primarily based on what we predict these groups are going to appear like, then we get one recreation of precise soccer, and lose our minds.
Every part we believed is both validated or feels prefer it simply went up in flames.
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This is the factor: a few of what we noticed issues. A few of it’s Week 1 variance. A few of it’s simply noise. The job is determining which is which earlier than you make a foul resolution simply since you are reacting to at least one Sunday. That is what I am right here to assist with.
The Panic Meter is straightforward: No Panic, Some Panic, Complete Panic or Coping Nook. Which performances am I prepared to be affected person with? Which of them truly modified how I really feel about these gamers and offenses?
This is the place I stand after the primary full Sunday of the season.
Los Angeles Chargers: Some Panic
This was one of the vital disappointing performances of Week 1. The Chargers have been favored by practically double digits at dwelling in opposition to an Arizona staff lots of people anticipated to be one of many worst in soccer. As an alternative, the Cardinals walked into SoFi Stadium and put belt to you-know-what. Arizona gained 26-14, outgained Los Angeles 393-268 and held the soccer for greater than 37 minutes. Justin Herbert completed with 209 passing yards, one landing and one interception. He wasn’t horrible, however this wasn’t the kind of efficiency we anticipate from Herbert both. Arizona managed the sport and the Chargers offense by no means actually discovered its footing.
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Ladd McConkey was the exception. McConkey caught 5 of seven targets for 82 yards and a landing earlier than leaving with a rib damage. His 6.75 Trinity Rating, my utilization mannequin, was above league common. No person else on this passing recreation reached that degree. Tre’ Harris and Quentin Johnston merely did not see sufficient significant utilization to offer us a lot confidence popping out of Week 1.
That is regarding, as a result of McConkey may be the piece that makes this complete factor work. Scott Pianowski described him because the Jenga piece of this offense on the Yahoo Fantasy Forecast and I feel that is precisely proper. The offense was useful when he was concerned, then every thing appeared to crumble. Now he is coping with the rib damage.
Omarion Hampton scored a landing, however I am not giving him a whole go both. He completed with 43 yards on 12 carries, however I simply wished to see extra. Extra juice, extra wiggle and extra of the stuff you anticipate from a former first-round operating again. I am not making some dramatic Hampton downgrade after one recreation, however I believed he wanted to play higher.
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The offensive line nonetheless appears problematic and Herbert must be sharper, particularly as a result of the schedule is not giving Los Angeles a smooth touchdown with the Raiders, Payments and Seahawks arising. I am not sounding each alarm after one recreation, however this offense wants to point out us extra rapidly. I’ve bought Some Panic with the Chargers.
My largest concern with New England has much less to do with one unhealthy Drake Maye recreation and extra to do with what this offense appears like with out A.J. Brown.
Brown is headed to injured reserve with a excessive ankle sprain and will miss roughly six weeks. That may be a large loss for an offense that was constructed round him being the centerpiece of the passing recreation. Brown was presupposed to command defensive consideration, create simpler appears for everybody round him and provides Maye a real difference-maker on the surface. Now, New England has to determine the place that manufacturing comes from for probably the following month and a half.
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Sure, the Patriots opened on a Wednesday night time in Seattle in opposition to an excellent protection. Maye threw for 178 yards with one landing and three interceptions within the 13-10 loss. The matchup deserves context, however Maye was within the MVP dialog on the finish of final season and entered this yr being mentioned and valued as one of many high quarterback choices in fantasy. The expectations are greater now. When an offense loses a participant like Brown, you want your quarterback to assist elevate every thing round him.
That is the place the priority begins for me. DeMario Douglas led New England with a 22.6% goal share and a 5.66 Trinity Rating, however even that was solely league-average utilization. Mack Hollins caught 4 passes for 51 yards whereas Hunter Henry by no means established a significant position within the passing recreation. Romeo Doubs gave fantasy managers nothing after signing a four-year, $68 million deal this offseason. With out Brown, any individual on this group has to emerge. New England wants one other go catcher to command targets and provides Maye someplace dependable to go along with the soccer.
The excellent news is TreVeyon Henderson is working his method again. Henderson returned to apply Monday after lacking the opener and his explosiveness might be precisely what this offense wants proper now. Rhamondre Stevenson dealt with 22 touches and performed 60 of 71 snaps in Week 1, however his 18 carries produced solely 51 yards. Stevenson can nonetheless have a task, however Henderson provides New England one other participant able to creating explosive performs. That turns into much more essential once you lose the largest supply of juice in your passing recreation for probably six weeks.
That is why I am at Some Panic. Maye can play higher and the offense ought to enhance, however shedding your finest go catcher for probably six weeks modifications the mathematics. Getting Henderson again helps change a few of that offensive firepower, however any individual else on this passing recreation nonetheless must step ahead till Brown returns.
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Los Angeles Rams: No Panic
There is not any method round it, the Rams laid an egg in Australia. Matthew Stafford accomplished 15 of 25 passes for 155 yards with an interception and Los Angeles misplaced 27-7 to San Francisco. It seemed flat, drained and utterly out of sync within the passing recreation. The truth is, the Rams have been the solely staff within the NFL that failed to attain double-digit factors in Week 1. Everyone else bought to at the least 10. Los Angeles scored seven.
That appears like one thing that ought to ship the Panic Meter flying within the different course, however I am prepared to offer this staff some grace. San Francisco arrived in Melbourne every week earlier than the sport whereas the Rams bought there lower than two days earlier than kickoff. Perhaps subsequent time, get to Australia somewhat earlier. Los Angeles outsmarted itself with the journey plan and I feel that performed an element in what we noticed.
There have been nonetheless sufficient issues I appreciated to maintain me from panicking. Puka Nacua caught 5 passes for 74 yards whereas commanding a 33.3% goal share. His 6.91 Trinity Rating was above league common and he was the one Rams go catcher to clear that mark. I might nonetheless like extra. Get the soccer to Puka and discover extra methods to get Davante Adams concerned.
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Sean McVay is all the time going to make use of a number of personnel groupings and transfer items round, however the offense wants to verify its finest gamers stay the focus. Puka and Adams ought to drive this passing recreation. The operating recreation was encouraging, although. Kyren Williams had 11 carries for 41 yards and a landing whereas including three receptions for one more 24 yards. Blake Corum rushed 10 instances for 54 yards. Collectively they produced 95 dashing yards on 21 makes an attempt and each seemed able to holding this backfield productive.
Terrance Ferguson will get a yellow flag. The snaps and routes are encouraging, however they should flip into precise alternatives. He completed with out a catch and his 3.55 Trinity Rating confirmed little or no significant involvement within the offense. I am not treating him like a plug-and-play fantasy choice till we truly see the soccer coming his method.
Being the one NFL staff that failed to attain 10 factors in Week 1 is ugly. I am simply not able to let one ugly morning on the opposite facet of the world erase what I consider about this offense. Stafford must be higher, Adams must be extra concerned and Nacua ought to proceed to be the centerpiece. No Panic.
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I do not wish to begin anyone in Atlanta who is not named Bijan Robinson. That is the place I am at. As unhealthy as you thought this factor might look with Cooper Rush, it was worse.
Rush accomplished 12 of twenty-two passes for 143 yards with one landing and two interceptions. Atlanta managed 238 whole yards in a 20-13 loss to Pittsburgh. This offense was inoperable except Robinson created one thing himself. Happily, Robinson is ridiculous. He dealt with 29 touches, produced 173 scrimmage yards and scored as a receiver. The sport plan principally turned give Bijan the soccer and pray he makes any individual miss.
Bijan is ok. Everyone else? I am nervous. Drake London caught two passes for 29 yards, added a six-yard carry and completed with 5.5 PPR factors. His 4.78 Trinity Rating mirrored how little significant utilization he obtained. Kyle Pitts Sr. had one goal. One. He caught zero passes and completed with a 4.01 Trinity Rating. There was merely nothing there from a utilization standpoint.
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These weren’t late-round dart throws. London carried a Yahoo ADP round twentieth total because the WR7. Pitts was being drafted round TE8. You paid for these guys to be difference-makers. Proper now they’re hooked up to a quarterback scenario that provides them virtually no likelihood of paying off at that worth.
I by no means thought I might get to the purpose the place I used to be begging for Tua Tagovailoa or Michael Penix Jr. to get again onto the sphere, however right here we’re. Tua at 20% may be higher than Cooper Rush at 100%. Give me one thing. Till that occurs, I do not wish to take care of this offense exterior of Bijan. Complete Panic.
I am bored with making excuses for Marvin Harrison Jr. Severely, how lengthy are we going to maintain doing this? Arizona scored 26 factors, gained 393 yards and Jacoby Brissett threw for 277 yards. This wasn’t some catastrophe offensive surroundings the place no person might produce.
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Trey McBride caught 9 passes for 95 yards and a landing. His 7.86 Trinity Rating was elite. Kendrick Bourne caught all eight of his targets for 75 yards and posted a 7.30 Trinity Rating. Michael Wilson caught 5 passes for 56 yards. Marvin Harrison Jr.? One catch, three targets and 33 yards. His 4.47 Trinity Rating tells the identical story because the field rating: there merely wasn’t significant utilization.
Now, the catch was lovely. Nice. I would like a couple of lovely catch. In some unspecified time in the future, pedigree has to change into manufacturing. We hold saying Harrison goes to determine it out. We hold speaking concerning the fourth total decide, the prospect profile and the generational expertise.
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This is what we have truly discovered: he isn’t the first goal on this offense. That is Trey McBride. I am not even certain Harrison is the clear secondary choice proper now. Michael Wilson continues to be concerned and Arizona simply confirmed us it’s completely comfy giving Kendrick Bourne beneath quantity.
Do I consider Bourne goes to out-target Harrison each week? No. However I am additionally not going to fake Week 1 did not occur as a result of I appreciated Harrison as a prospect three years in the past. Proper now, he appears like an costly WR3 on a staff that’s utilizing different huge receivers within the roles we hold ready for him to occupy.
I am bored with listening to that ultimately the generational expertise goes to take over. When it occurs, come wake me up. Till then, I’ll sleep. Complete Panic on Marvin Harrison Jr.
