Fantasy Frontline
NFL news happens each and every day. In fantasy football, it is important to have an awareness of it and have an understanding of the potential implications. The Fantasy Frontline will provide Gridiron Experts readers line of sight on NFL news flow that you should be aware of from a statistical angle and help you understand what’s happening during the season and offseason.This article will cover six headlines you should be aware.
KAREEM HUNT IS AN RB1
Hunt’s impressive NFL debut helped win Week 1 matchups for fantasy owners. He played 58 percent (40) of the Kansas Chiefs offensive snaps and touched the football or was targeted on 55 percent of them.
| Player | Att | Yds | Att | TD | Targets | Rec | ReYds | ReTD | Fum | Lost | FP PPR |
| Kareem Hunt | 17 | 148 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 98 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 45.6 |
Hunt will continue to split touches with Charcandrick West as the lead RB in the Chiefs committee. He displayed all of the athleticism and versatility that made him a top prospect out of Toledo. Hunt’s 246 yards from scrimmage was the most in history for a rookie in his first NFL game according to ESPN Stats and Info. He can be viewed as an RB1 heading into Week 2 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
ALLEN ROBINSON IS OUT FOR THE SEASON WITH A TORN ACL
Robinson’s knee injury was a non-contact injury and as a result, will be placed on injured reserve this morning. The Jaguars offensive philosophy going into this season was to rely on rookie Leonard Fournette in order to limit pass attempts and costly turnovers from quarterback Blake Bortles. Who will fill the void left by Robinson?
Marqise Lee and Allen Hurns are now the Jaguars top two wide receivers but could sign another one given their lack of depth at the position. Fournette will receive all the work he can handle.
LEONARD FOURNETTE IS A CANDIDATE TO LEAD THE NFL IN TOUCHES THIS SEASON
Fournette delivered for his fantasy owners in an excellent debut. He controlled 72 percent of the Jaguars rushing attempts with T.J. Yeldon being inactive.
| Player | Att | Yds | Yds/Att | TD | Targets | ReRec | ReYds | ReTD | Fum | Lost | FP |
| Leonard Fournette | 26 | 100 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21.4 |
The Jaguars offensive coaching staff want to be as run-heavy as possible. Fournette will be used as a workhorse, and the Jaguars defense could put the offense in a position to leverage positive game flow. The defensive unit finished sixth in the NFL in yards allowed last season. Fournette can be viewed as an RB1 based on volume alone but has the skill set and collegiate body of work to truly be a special back as evidenced by the Box Score Scout and his comparables below.
HOW MANY GAMES WILL DAVID JOHNSON MISS?
The hearts of David Johnson’s fantasy owners skipped a beat when he exited Week 1 against the Detroit Lions with a wrist injury. It remains to be seen whether he misses a few weeks or the entire season. Johnson is scheduled for an MRI on Monday. The Cardinals recently released Chris Johnson and have Kerwynn Williams listed as Johnson’s backup, but Andre Ellington actually ended up playing more snaps than him on Sunday.On David Johnson's injured wrist – a team source says will determine whether he'll miss a "few weeks" or "half the season or more"
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) September 10, 2017
Sports Injury Predictor classified Johnson as a medium injury risk with a 51.6 percent chance of missing two or more quarters this season with a projection of missing 2.9 games. It will be difficult to replace his production and efficiency over the last two seasons in particular with the continued decline of quarterback Carson Palmer.
| Season | Team | Att | Yds | Att | TD | Targets | ReRec | ReYds | ReTD | Fum | Lost |
| 2016 | ARI | 293 | 1239 | 4.2 | 16 | 120 | 80 | 879 | 4 | 5 | 3 |
| 2015 | ARI | 125 | 581 | 4.6 | 8 | 57 | 36 | 457 | 4 | 5 | 1 |
DANNY WOODHEAD’S SEASON IS IN JEOPARDY
Danny Woodhead is hurt after that last play. Grabbed his left hamstring. Has dealt w/hamstring issues in camp.
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) September 10, 2017
Woodhead has also dealt with a pair of serious injuries over the last two seasons including a fractured fibula and a torn ACL. This unfortunate trend continues for him after a very promising start against the Cincinnati Bengals. What effect will have absence have on the Baltimore Ravens running game? Terrance West should continue to handle the early down, and short yardage carries. He benefits the most from new Ravens offensive coach Greg Roman who has a history of revitalizing various NFL team’s running games most recently with the Buffalo Bills. His first season as the offensive coordinator with the Bills in 2015 brought a 39 percent increase from the previous season. Buck Allen becomes fantasy relevant and is in line to receive an increased number of touches after a solid offseason.
@jeffzrebiecsun whats your opinion about buck and rainey?
— Carlos Mulholland (@carlosnf91) July 29, 2017
Buck Allen has been one of the few offensive standouts early in camp. He's running hard and decisively. Haven't seen that much of Rainey
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) July 29, 2017
TARIK COHEN GOES BOOM
Cohen produced 113 total yards on 13 touches against the Atlanta Falcons and only had three fewer touches than Jordan Howard.
| Player | Att | Yds | Yds/Att | TD | Targets | Rec | ReYds | ReTD | Fum | Lost |
| Tarik Cohen | 5 | 66 | 13 | 0 | 12 | 8 | 47 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jordan Howard | 13 | 52 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Cohen led the Bears in targets and has less competition for touches after an injury to free agent addition Benny Cunningham. What does this mean for Howard moving forward? Fantasy owners could be looking at a running back by committee with an even distribution of touches. Cohen will be one of the most coveted waiver wire adds this week.
Tarik Cohen on the bullet for a TD pic.twitter.com/hd8314jmoW
— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) September 10, 2017
QUICK HITS
Jared Goff has shown growth from one season to the next. It is easy to constantly look through the rear view mirror in fantasy football when we should be looking ahead. Goff can be considered as a legitimate option in two quarterback or Superflex formats.
| Player | Comp | Att | Pct | Yds | Yds/Att | TD | Int | QB Rating |
| Jared Goff | 21 | 29 | 72 | 306 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 118 |
Golden Tate continues to be underrated. He delivered despite the difficult matchup against the Cardinals secondary. He is a weekly WR2 with upside. Tate has been very productive in his tenure with the Lions. Since 2013 he has averaged 8.5 targets, 5.8 receptions, 67.1 receiving yards, and 0.3 touchdowns per game.
Ty Montgomery played 90.2 percent of the Green Bay Packer’s offensive snaps against the Seahawks. He also set a career high with 23 touches. Montgomery is firmly on the RB2 radar in one of the NFL’s most explosive offenses.
The purpose behind the Fantasy Frontline is to condense a few days of NFL news into an article that is easy to read to simplify your fantasy football life. If you enjoyed this column, I would be very grateful if you would help it spread by emailing it to a friend or sharing it on Twitter. What was most useful for you? Let me know in the comments below or follow me on Twitter @EricNMoody.
Eric Moody is a member of the FSWA (Fantasy Sports Writers Association) and writes exclusively about fantasy football. He has a lifelong passion for the game and played on the collegiate level as an offensive lineman. Eric also participated in Dan Hatman’s Scouting Academy in order to learn the process of player evaluation at an NFL level by using game film. When he provides fantasy football advice he prefers to “play the piano with both hands” using game film, analytics, and statistics to help you understand his perspective. Eric enjoys Netflix, listening to music, playing bass guitar, drinking coffee, and spending time with his family. He lives in Dallas, Texas
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