Category: Featured

Week 1 was … let’s just say unpredictable and underwhelming. Six teams failed to score more than 10 points and a lot of fantasy owners were affected by their star players. With that being said, there were a few players that probably are not owned in your league that you’ll want to grab. Here are a few players from each position.

QB Tyrod Taylor

Week 1: 224 YDS 2 TD 1 INT, 8 Rushes 38 YDS

Tyrod might be the most underrated QB fantasy wise in the entire NFL. He finished in the top 10 in points last year, but doesn’t see the love in being owned in fantasy. He’s a guy that will throw for 250 yards, average 2 TD’s and 20-40 rushing yards per game.

 

WR Cooper Kupp

Week 1: 6 Targets 4 REC 76 YDS 1 TD

In a PPR league, Kupp is a guy that has forced his way into your starting lineup. His excellent route running and sure hands has made him a fan favorite on his team and most important, a trusted WR for Jared Goff. Going forward, you should expect 5-7 catches a game with at least 50 yards.

WR Kenny Golladay

Week 1: 7 Targets 4 REC 69 YDS 2 TD

It only took the Lions 1 year to find a big explosive WR to take the place of Calvin Johnson. He hauled in 2 impressive TD’s in the 4th quarter of Sunday’s game against Arizona even with Golden Tate and Marvin Jones ahead of him on the depth chart. He played 44 of the 73 offensive plays. At this time, he might be a guy to stash on your bench.

RB Tarik Cohen

Week 1: 5 Rushes 66 YDS, 12 Targets 8 REC 47 YDS 1 TD

What seemed like out of nowhere, Tarik Cohen was the talk of fantasy — he had a 46 yard run and tacked on a 19 yard catch for a score. What’s the most exciting is that he led the Bears in targets and narrowly out touched Jordan Howard 16-13. Although he had a breakout game, we shouldn’t expect this every week but going forward he should be in your starting lineup.

RB Kerwynn Williams

Week 1: 5 Rushes 10 YDS 1 Td, 1 Target 1 REC 2 YDS

Seems to have won the lead back spot in what sounds like a RBBC. Yesterday, the Cardinals signed DJ Foster off the Patriots’ practice squad and re-signed Chris Johnson. The latter who had been on the team the last few seasons but was let go. Andre Ellington is also still on the roster and looks to be a factor. At the start of the season, the Cards planned on using Williams more as a slot guy, but with the injury of Johnson we will see him more in the running game.

RB Alvin Kamara

Week 1: 7 Rushes 18 YDS, 6 Targets 4 Rec 20 Yds

Kamara is an interesting player. He’s 3rd on the depth chart but had 31 total snaps, which is more than both Mark Ingram and Adrian Peterson had on Monday night. Although he didn’t have a big play, he was heavily used and you have to believe his breakout week is right around the corner.

TE Zach Miller

Week 1: 6 Targets 4 REC 39 YDS

Although he didn’t have eye popping numbers, he’s a guy you might want to stash on your bench. Miller should see more targets after yet another season that Kevin White has gone down injured. He had a decent week 1 and I expect even more production in week 2.

Arizona Defense

Week 1: 29 PTS vs, 1 Sack 1 INT 1 TD

Arizona has to be a must add. Their week 2 game with the Colts is a prime matchup. We all saw how they played against the hapless Rams, who put up 28 fantasy points and definitely won some fantasy teams’ week. At this point, any defense that plays the Colts is a must add.

Oakland Defense

Week 1: 16 PTS vs, 1 Sack

Just like Arizona, Oakland is a must add simply because they’re playing the Jets and you can expect double digit points this week.

The New England Patriots, which were the consensus #1 in power rankings across the media world opened the season up with a loss, marking their fall from grace (temporarily). There were some contenders that looked weak and some that stood out. It’s only Week 1, so obviously the sample size is a bit small but we’re going to take a shot at ranking the teams anyway. Let’s take a look at the rankings:

1) Green Bay Packers (1-0)

The Packers managed to not let the Seahawks score one TD, which although it’s Russell Wilson, shouldn’t be overlooked. The Packers came out and defended their home turf against a good Seattle team and look poised to have a successful season

 2) Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0)

The Steelers opened their season with a close fought victory over the Cleveland Browns. A heavy pre-season favorite to make the AFC title game, their offense sputtered a little bit against a Browns team that did not perform well last year but looks to be much improved. We’ll need to see a little more out of the Steelers before we award them the top spot.

3) Dallas Cowboys (1-0)

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before — but the Cowboys played the Giants in a tough fought game on Sunday Night Football. After falling to the Giants twice last year, the Cowboys were able to get their revenge and open the season on a positive note against their NFC East rivals. Although without Beckham, the Cowboys were in control the entire game and that cannot be overlooked.

 4) Kansas City Chiefs (1-0)

What’s not to look about the way the Chiefs opened the season? They went into Gillette Stadium, home of the Super Bowl champions and punched them in the mouth. They made the greatest QB of all time look painfully average and out-coached Belichick and his staff en route to a blowout victory. Are they for real? It’s hard to say they’re not after that performance.

5) Oakland Raiders (1-0)

The Raiders traveled over to Nashville to take on the Titans in what many considered to be a trap game. Marshawn Lynch’s return to football was triumphant though as the Raiders looked solid in all phases of the game. They scored on the opening drive, traded some scores but never looked to be in doubt.

6) New England Patriots (0-1)

The preseason favorite to win the Super Bowl looked BAD on the Thursday night opener. Although they manage to put up 27 points, they fell apart in the fourth quarter. The defense looked porous and the injuries are lining up already. The Patriots need to make a statement at New Orleans.

7) Atlanta Falcons (1-0)

The Falcons went in as big favorites against the Chicago Bears but seemed to struggle at times as it was kept close for a majority of the game. The Falcons were a dropped catch and extra point away from losing this game. Mike Glennon took a sack on 4th and Goal and saved the Falcons from an embarrassing first game defeat.

8) Seattle Seahawks (0-1)

The Seahawks struggled at Lambeau on Sunday evening. They weren’t able to get the ball moving on offense too much and the retooled offensive line still looks bad. The Seahawks look to the same script of riding their defense to success but we’re going to need to see some improvement out of Wilson and the offense.

9) Minnesota Vikings (1-0)

Sam Bradford had one of the better games of his career and looked locked in during Monday night. Stefon Diggs and Dalvin Cook look to be a nice pair of weapons on an offensive side that needs to support their strong defense. The Vikes crack the top 10 with the opening game win.

10) Denver Broncos (1-0)

The Broncos were in control most of the game against the Chargers but a couple turnovers made the game into a very close contest. Siemian looked better under center but still needs some improvement. A blocked kick after an iced field goal put a notch into the Broncos’ win column.

11) Detroit Lions (1-0)

The Lions fell behind quick to the Cardinals and looked to be blown out. However, Stafford picked up right where he left off and led another 4th quarter comeback to win big over Arizona.

 

12) Baltimore Ravens (1-0)

Are the Ravens back? Maybe. Their defense shut out the Bengals which is a fact that cannot be overlooked. Andy Dalton looked bad but this defense looks to make offenses turn the ball over more frequent than not. The Ravens could be a dangerous team come January.

13) Philadelphia Eagles (1-0)

The Eagles defense looked good — and the offense look even better. Carson Wentz made some big plays to lead the Eagles to a victory. The second-year QB looks primed for a big year in a competitive NFC East.

 

14) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-0)

Hurricane Irma delayed the Bucs’ start of the season so we were unable to see them in action. Highly touted to do well this season, the Bucs open up the season at home against the Chicago Bears.

15) New York Giants (0-1)

The Giants went into Dallas without their best player and looked painfully mediocre. We’ll wait for Beckham to come back into the lineup before deciding how the Giants look but a loss at Dallas won’t raise any eyebrows.

16) Carolina Panthers (1-0)

The Panthers coasted to an easy 20 point victory against a bad San Francisco team. We didn’t really learn too much other than Cam looked rusty and McCaffrey looked to be a solid addition. We’ll learn more about the Panthers in their home opener against the Bills on Sunday.

17) Tennessee Titans (0-1)

Marcus Mariota was unable to lead the Titans to an opening game victory. The Raiders, albeit a tough opponent, were on the road and playing on the East Coast at 1 pm. The Titans should have taken this game and will look to bounce back against the newly confident Jaguars.

18) Miami Dolphins (0-0)

The Dolphins are back in action this week. Jay Cutler looks to lead an offense that lost Ryan Tannehill to a season-ending injury. The Dolphins made the playoffs last year, but will have to over-perform to get back there.

19) Los Angeles Rams (1-0)

The Rams aren’t as good as their 46-9 absolute dismantling of the Colts but we shouldn’t ignore that. Their defense forced turnovers, scored touchdowns and made the Colts look like a junior college team. Jared Goff didn’t look too bad either.

20) Jacksonville Jaguars (1-0)

The Jaguars had TEN sacks against the Texans on Sunday. They won’t keep up this pace but their defense looked mean and ready to go. Is this the year the Jaguars finally figured it out? Wouldn’t be a bad guess after an impressive performance week 1.

21) Los Angeles Chargers (0-1)

The Chargers managed to hang in there at Mile High and lose due to a last second FG being blocked. Philip Rivers is always dangerous and a healthy Chargers offense could spell trouble for opposing defenses.

22) Washington Redskins (0-1)

The Redskins were a let down against the Eagles at FedEx Field. Kirk Cousins wasn’t able to get much going and outside of a Chris Thompson highlight TD, neither was the rest of the offense.

23) Arizona Cardinals (0-1)

The Cardinals jumped out to a quick lead but then rolled over and let the Lions put a beating on them. A loss of stud RB David Johnson suddenly makes this offense look pretty one-dimensional. We’ll see if they can bounce back.

24) Buffalo Bills (1-0)

An ugly win against the New York Jets on your home field is not something to be proud of. The Bills got the W but struggled at times against the lowly Jets. A road game against Carolina will let us know if the Bills are going to compete this year or not.

25) New Orleans Saints (0-1)

The Saints went into Minnesota for an Adrian Peterson revenge game but after 6 rushes for 18 yards and a sideline argument with Sean Payton — things don’t look well. The defense will be tested next week against an angry Patriots team in the Super Dome.

26) Houston Texans (0-1)

The Texans has expectations of winning the division but they open up low on our rankings due to the embarrassment of an effort they put up against the Jaguars. The offense sputtered and word is that O’Brien is already moving forward with rookie QB Watson. Not the worst call.

 

27) Cleveland Browns (0-1)

The Browns check in at 27 after a pretty well fought game with one of the premier AFC teams. After opening the game with a blocked punt, Kizer was able to move the ball down the field. The defense didn’t look too bad either which led Roethlisberger to praise the team as a whole in a post game interview. Be careful, this is not your same Browns team — they’re on the rise.

28) Chicago Bears (0-1)

The Bears were a Jordan Howard catch away from upsetting the NFC champions. They hung in there but four goal-to-go situations without a touchdown with the game on the line was not the greatest look. Mike Glennon isn’t scaring any defenses but these Bears have some fight in them.

29) Cincinnati Bengals (0-1)

Cincy looks to bounce back on Thursday against the Texans after an awful offensive performance by Andy Dalton. Four picks and a fumble later, it’s no surprise the Bengals looked like garbage. However, AJ Green can not be overlooked but Marvin Lewis’ job is not looking secure.

30) New York Jets (0-1)

The Jets looked to be on their way to a respectable game but were unable to capitalize off of the Bills inefficient play. This team was slated to be one of the worst after offloading most of their veterans. They still look to be one of the worst and a cross country trip to Oakland is not going to help.

 

31) San Francisco 49ers (0-1)

The Niners put up 3 points and barely deserved that field goal. Hoyer is leading an offense which seems uninspired. Maybe first year coach Kyle Shanahan can lead them to a couple victories this year.

32) Indianapolis Colts (0-1)

The Colts, missing Andrew Luck, were the worst team this weekend. They looked lost and let a Rams offense (and defense) put up an astounding 46 points on them. Recently acquired Jacoby Brisett entered the game and connected on a long pass with Donte Moncrief for the Colts only highlight of the day.

 

 

Week 1 is in the books and everyone is scratching their heads on what just happened with some of the big time fantasy studs. We’re going to highlight the best players of the week using Yahoo! PPR points to see exactly how the best team of the week stacks up.

 

QB:  Alex Smith

28/35, 368 yds, 4 TDs

31.02 points

We all know the story now — Alex Smith lit up the defending champions on their own turf. It’ll be interesting to see how he does Week 2 to see if this was an anomaly or a new Alex Smith.

 

RB: Kareem Hunt 

17 att, 148 yds, 1 td — 5 rec, 98 yds, 2 TD, 1 fum

45.60 points

The Chiefs’ rookie out of Toledo looked explosive after his opening touch fumble. He bounced back and the Patriots had no answer for him. Big things were expected taking over the spot that Spencer Ware had been tipped for. Hunt looks to be a dangerous option going forward.

RB: Tarik Cohen 

5 att, 66 yds — 8 rec, 47 yds, 1 TD

25.30 points

The Bears’ 4th round pick out of NC A&T beats out Gillislee in PPR formats. The 5’6″ RB showed explosiveness in his big plays as he broke a couple long runs.

WR: Antonio Brown

11 rec, 182 yds

29.20 points

No shock here — the consensus #3 pick of fantasy drafts made his owners much more proud than the first two picks. Brown looked to pick up right where he left off in 2016, connecting with Big Ben on multiple long plays. No touchdowns and still put up 29.20 points? Brown looks poised to have yet another monster year.

WR: Stefon Diggs

1 att, -6 yds — 7 rec, 93 yds, 2 TD

27.70 points

Diggs looked extraordinary on Monday night, connecting on passes from Sam Bradford. He tied Randy Moss as the only Vikings WR with 2 TDs on opening night. Diggs should be making his owners pretty happy as the Vikings’ clear #1 option at WR.

TE: Jesse James

6 rec, 41 yds, 2 TD

22.10 points

Jesse James replaced Le’Veon and Martavis as Big Ben’s second favorite target. The big man was open for 2 touchdowns to finish out a solid day fantasy-wise against the Browns.

FLEX: WR Tyreek Hill

2 att, 5 yds — 7 rec, 93 yds, 2 TD

26.80 points

The best all-around weapon is the third Chief to make this week’s team. Tyreek Hill did what we know him best to do, which is get open for huge game-changing plays. He was wide open on a deep ball from Alex Smith and made the Patriots pay all night.

K: Giorgio Tavecchio

1 20-29 fg, 1 40-49 fg, 2 50+ fg

19.00 points

The last minute fill in for the hurt Sebastian Janikowski finished the week as the highest scoring kicker. Tavecchio hit two huge 50+ yard fg to win the game-ball and warrant a pick-up from fantasy owners worldwide.

DEF: Jacksonville Jaguars

10 sacks, 1 INT, 3 fum rec, 1 TD

28.00 points

The Rams defense also racked up 28 points but the Jaguars make our team of the week for an eye opening 10 sacks. Most of this was on how bad Houston was but the Jags defense will be feeling pretty confident flying into their next game against the Titans.

Total Points: 254.72

 

A very draft-able team is our team of the week. This team would have gotten you an unthinkable 254.72 points, which just goes to show you how much of a crap-shoot fantasy football can be. Three Chiefs lead the way and it’ll be interesting to see if anybody remains on the list next week.

Week 1 of the 2017 NFL season is officially in the books — and just has its been since 2004, the Cleveland Browns will walk away 0-1. The NFL is a pass/fail league, and the Browns failed.  This year though — it was different in so many ways.   Lets take a look at how the game unfolded.

The Browns first offensive possession left many doing the whole “here we go again” routine.  In three plays, the Browns netted -9 yards and had to bring out the punting unit to kick it away from their own 2. In typical Cleveland Browns opening day fashion, the Steelers got penetration right through the A gap and blocked the punt.  Normally you’d see the ball fly out of end-zone, but this one landed in the back of the end-zone with back spin forcing it die rather than going out of bounds.  The Steelers recovered to take an early 7-0 lead.   At this point, Browns fans had to be heading out to mow their lawns.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3GtXczxQGE

 

This special team mishap turned out to be the games most critical play.  From this point on, the Browns played toe to toe with the Super Bowl contending Steelers.  Late in the first quarter, rookie QB DeShone Kizer led a 12 play, 62 yard drive to tie the game at 7. The Browns chose to strike mostly through the air as the ground game struggled.  Isaiah Crowell was bottled up by the Steelers for the whole game.  Once inside the 5, Kizer snuck his way into the end zone for his first professional score.

Once the game was tied up, the Steelers vaunted air attack got going.  Roethlisberger orchestrated a 7 play, 91 yard drive — ending with a 4 yard touchdown reception by TE Jesse James.  Going into the half, the Steelers had the lead 14-7.  Considering the start, things were going well for the Browns.  The defense stifled arguably the NFL’s best offense. Le’Veon Bell was a non-factor, and the Browns were able to put pressure on Big Ben.

Early in the 3rd quarter the Browns made it 14-10 with a Zane Gonzalez 24 yard field goal.  The Steelers, however, came right back down the field with a methodical 6 play, 75 yard drive that ended with another Jesse James touchdown catch.  It looked to be slipping away from the Browns in typical opening day fashion.

Kizer threw his first interception on the following possession:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtIFtW-n5GE

It was  a rookie throw, through and through.  Kizer eyed his receiver down the whole way and tried to float one on his back shoulder.  Watt made a beautiful play, ending the the Browns drive which was surely going to be a drive that would end in three points. Roethlisberger began his march down to the Browns’ death.  Picking apart the weak secondary until Browns safety Derek Kindred intercepted a tipped ball near the Browns own goal line.  There was life still.

Kizer went on to lead an 8 play, 73 yard drive with time slowly winding down in the fourth quarter.  On fourth down from the Steeler 3 yard line, Kizer threw a frozen rope into the hands of Corey Coleman to cut the Steeler lead to 5.  In a gutsy play call, Isaiah Crowell converted the 2 point play on a draw from a shot gun set.  21-18 was the Steeler lead.

Finally on the last possession, Antonio Brown and Big Ben stuck the finally dagger into the Browns.  Ben chucked up a 40 yard bomb to Brown, who caught it in traffic above Browns defenders.  That was it.  The Steelers ran out the clock for the win.

 

Quick Thoughts Heading into Week 2:

1. Kizer looks good.  Real good.  Tangible hope at the QB position.  Hue Jackson and Kizer need to work on releasing the ball quicker.  Kizer took 7 sacks.  5 or 6 were because of DeShone holding onto the ball too long.
2. Get the running game going.  Crow only had 33 yards on 17 carriers.  This team should be built around the run game with a rookie under center.  They were able to neutralize the Steelers running attack all day, but couldn’t get anything going with Crowell either.  This was the difference in the game.
3. Need some playmakers to emerge.  Good effort from Corey Coleman being a reliable target for Kizer.  Coleman caught 5 passes for 53 yards and a touchdown.  We need more options to step up for the kid.  Tight end Seth DeValve was a nice check down option, as was rookie Tight End David Njoku.  Second year receiver Ricardo made two big catches and Britt had major drop.  Look for Duke Johnson to become more prevalent in the passing game as the season moves on.
4. Whatever Coach Greg Williams brings to this defense keep on bringing it.  The Browns defense was absolutely flying to the ball yesterday.  I cannot remember a Browns team that swarmed the ball as fast.  A major factor in the D’s big day was definitely rust on the Steelers offense and I would like to see great pursuit and tackling carry over week to week.

Whats up next?

The Browns will travel to Baltimore to take on the 1-0 Ravens.   The Ravens beat the Cincinnati Bengals 20-0 in Week 1.  It seems that the 1 team the Browns always play within the division is Baltimore.  I am predicting a tight affair this coming Sunday.  Ultimately, a Ravens team with a healthy Joe Flacco should be able to come up with a win at home.  It’s early, but the Browns may have themselves a favorable schedule coming up. They’ve got the Colts, who were battered by the hapless Rams 46-9.  Following that is the Bengals who were shutout by the Ravens and the New York Jets who are just miserable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yljWJA8z-nw

Final Score Prediction:

28-20 Ravens.

Bottom Line: I am optimistic about this bunch after what I saw on Sunday.  I see a team whose defense can keep them in games, and an offense that showed they could make crucial plays in high leverage situations.

Go Browns!!!!

The start of the NFL season brought us a couple of close games, a few blowouts, and a few spectacular plays. We’re going to start a segment where we highlight the top 3 plays of the week with video clips of the plays. Since it’s only 3, a few great plays were left off the list.

3) Amari Cooper Gets By With a Little Help from His Friends

 

2) Chris Thompson Makes the Eagles Forget How to Tackle

1) Cole Beasley Catches the Ball Behind His Shoulder

 

Quote of the Week

http://twitter.com/MrJoshua/status/906989375103401984

 

The Patriots and Chiefs opened up the 2017 NFL season last night at Gillette Stadium. After a mediocre trophy ceremony hosted by Mark Wahlberg and an equally terrible rendition of the National Anthem, the Patriots were ready to defend their crown. The crowd was “louder than they’ve ever been” before the game, according to Tony Dungy. The Patriots came out hot firing on all cylinders after a missed connection between Dwayne Allen and Tom Brady. The drive finished with Mike Gillislee punching in his first TD in a Patriots uniform.

Everything was looking perfect for the Patriots, who came out exactly as we expected them. Though question marks were surrounding the defense and the newfound secondary, the first play from the line of scrimmage was a fumble from the Chiefs rookie RB Kareem Hunt, who never lost a fumble in his four years at Toledo.

 

The Pats managed to drive down the field yet again but this time were stopped short on fourth down & inches. This sparked life into the Chiefs who were able to finish up their next drive with a touchdown. The rest of the half was back and forth with really the only highlight being James White with an early candidate for stiff arm of the year.

 

The Patriots managed to take a 17-14 lead into halftime, so there wasn’t too much panic in the air in Foxborough. After all, the Chiefs were a 12–4 team last year — so nothing to be ashamed off. Brady looked a little off at times but as the rest of the NFL knows, nobody is better than the Patriots at halftime adjustments.

The Patriots and Chiefs traded empty possessions before this absolute bomb to a wide-open Tyreek Hill — which was the best indication of what was to come from a porous defense.

 

Gillislee punched in his third TD of the night and a Gostkowski FG wrapped up the third quarter scoring, and the Patriots scoring for the night. It took no time in the fourth quarter for the Chiefs to punch the Patriots right back in the mouth when Kareem Hunt got free for a 78 yard pass from Alex Smith.

 

From there, the Patriots never really got anything going. Tom Brady looked like Alex Smith — and Alex Smith looked like Tom Brady.

The Chiefs were able to drive down the field to put the Patriots down by 8. To which the Patriots responded … by not responding. The Chiefs then stomped on the Patriots with an embarrassing 2 play drive for 79 yards and a touchdown.

 

FINAL SCORE: Chiefs 42, Patriots 27

Quick Hits

• Devin McCourty was the only one able to make any significant plays for a defense that let up 537 yards and the most points ever in the Bill Belichick era (second-most was also the Chiefs, funny enough).
• McDaniels play-calling has some work to do. Too many end-arounds and running plays that went nowhere.
• Brady finished the night 16-36 with 267 yards. He looked bad at times but was able to connect with Brandin Cooks on a deep ball late in the game. The hope is still there.
• An injury to Amendola leaves the WR corp looking a bit bland — we will most likely be seeing a lot more of Philip Dorsett once he has a full week of practice under his belt.
• The front 7 looked awful — nobody doing anything of note. A front seven that looked menacing during the off-season, with McClellan, Nink, Rivers, and all of the other scat LBs they got to replace the production of Jamie Collins was laughable. This group isn’t going to put any fear into anyone and Chris Long wannabe Cassius Marsh is going to need to step his game up.
• Gilmore, although completely burned by Tyreek Hill on the long TD pass, played decent on an island most of the game. Still need more production from him and Butler if this Patriots defense is going to be competitive.
• Sad to see Eric Berry with an Achilles injury — he made Gronk a non-factor in this game and is a class act. Hopefully it’s nothing to serious.

 

In the long run, this loss may be a humbling lesson for the defending Super Bowl champions. The Patriots are no doubt going to make some adjustments and have a tough week of practice because they have a top 5 QB coming into town with Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints on the schedule. The Saints will smell blood in the water and the Patriots will need to respond as they always do. We’re on to the Saints.

 

 

 

 

 

For the past decade and a half, the New England Patriots have been in the business of winning. Led by the greatest coach/QB combination of all time, the Patriots have followed three simple words, “Do your job.” Doing your job is exactly how it sounds. When faced with adversity, you must step up and take ownership of what you are able to control.

In the Pats’ third preseason game against the Lions, Julian Edelman, who many consider the heart and soul of the organization, went down with a torn ACL and will miss the entire season. Edelman was Mr. Reliable, always there when Brady was under duress, ready to make another big catch and get the first down. Now that Edelman is gone, what does this mean for the rest of the roster moving forward?

Many people going into this season figured that with the addition of Brandin Cooks from New Orleans, a healthy Gronk, and Edelman, this offense would be even more unstoppable compared to previous years. With a strong backfield made up of Gillislee, Burkhead, and White, along with other receiving weapons like Hogan, Amendola, Mitchell, and Allen, this roster had some serious depth and could very well have averaged thirty points per game. Does losing Edelman actually change anything? I don’t think it does.

Looking at those names above, I can taste a breakout year coming from someone. Yes, Bellichick is still the coach, and we all know he runs the team by committee rather than a superstar, but a couple of names really stick out to me.

Chris Hogan- After Edelman went down, and even before, Hogan was out there running with the first team offense. 5 catches for 70 yards and two TD’s in the first half aint bad, albeit a preseason game. Hogan, who joined the team last year from the Bills, really broke onto the scene in the AFC Championship game, and I expect for that trend to continue throughout this season.

Malcolm Mitchell- This will be Mitchell’s third season on the Patriots. He has missed some time with injuries, but he is a big target that if healthy, can really hurt defenses under Brady’s guidance. Mitchell had one of the biggest catches (besides Edelman’s, of course) during their comeback in the superbowl. Mitchell needs to get and stay healthy, but if that happens, I could see a 50 catch, 700-yard season from him.

Even with Edelman going down, many reporters believe that this is the best offense Brady has had throughout his whole career. Looking at the offense without all of the other names, Gronk and Cooks alone will be hard to stop. With so much talent and depth at receiver, running back, and even tight end, this will still be an explosive offense that won’t miss Edelman.

 

Hurricane Irma, recently classified as a Level 5 category storm, is fast approaching the state of Florida — leaving it predicted to hit Miami right as the Dolphins and Bucs game was scheduled to kick off. This put the NFL in quite a predicament as the game would not be safe to play during that time as most of South Florida is already being evacuated. Rather than moving the game to Tuesday or another day this week — similar to the Eagles-Vikings game in 2010 that was moved due to a blizzard, the lovely NFL decided the smartest outcome was to move this game to both teams’ Week 11 bye week.

For a league that preaches player safety, this is a ridiculous outcome. Rather than pushing the game back two days, the NFL is more concerned that they will not generate the same audience on a Tuesday night than a regular Sunday. The ripple effect for both of these teams is huge, as they go from having a coveted late-season bye week to an unheard of Week 1 bye. No doubt the players will struggle from having to compete 16 weeks in a row, with an added risk to even more players being prone to injury.

Players are starting to speak out as well with the NFL under scrutiny from their decision:

https://twitter.com/JOEL9ONE/status/905174766453174272

 

Not surprisingly, the NFL has dropped the ball once again. Fans of the Bucs and Dolphins who were looking forward to watching their team play this week will have to wait another week and will be forced to watch their teams gassed out by the end of the year.