Chase Holden’s Fantasy Football Start’ Em and Sit’ Em: Saints Vs. Browns It’s officially Week 2 of the NFL
Youth Ted Ginn Jersey , and chances are you have already drafted your teams for the 2018 season. If you're a Saints fan like I am, its pretty impossible to go through your draft without picking at least one guy from the team. Lucky fans of the Black and Gold with the 5th-7th pick this year were excited to take Alvin Kamara to lead their teams, while those with the 9th-12th grabbed Michael Thomas. Whether you reached for Kamara first overall or waited to grab Ted Ginn Jr. towards the end, chances are you got at least one guy from the home team to pull for on your road to victory this season.Since this is my first time writing for this publication, I feel that it’s important that I lay down some framework for how I make my picks. Like most things in life, fantasy football is not one size fits all. There are many different platforms to play on, and more importantly different scoring settings from league to league. I personally prefer the ESPN Fantasy Football platform and use PPR scoring. All of my work will be based on PPR leagues, and obvious starters like Alvin Kamara will not be written about. Each week, I will evaluate both teams and list my picks from the matchups.START’ EMTed Ginn Jr. (NO) -We all know that Michael Thomas cant be guarded but sometimes everyone needs a break. Ted Ginn is that break. Last week against the Bucs, Ginn put up 20.30 FPTS with 5 receptions, 68 yards and a touchdown. With those kinds of numbers, you've got to have faith that Drew Brees and the Saints offense will continue this trend going into Week 2. The Browns defense has improved from last year
Ted Ginn Jersey Stitched , but with Michael Thomas likely being double covered, Ginn will be an excellent WR2 this week.Duke Johnson Jr (CLE) -John Dorsey announced today that wide receiver Josh Gordon has been cut from the Browns roster, leaving Jarvis Landry as the obvious receiver that will see the most targets. For those of you with little knowledge on Duke Johnson, you wouldn't know that he can be a handful catching the ball out the backfield. He should see plenty of those targets this week against a Saints defense that under delivered in Week 1. Carlos Hyde will be running between the tackles, but there is big opportunity with Johnson in the FLEX spot.SIT’ EMSaints Defense (NO) - Watching the Boonk Gang last week against the Bucs was about as hard as sitting through a four hour lecture on knitting! So much hype has been built around this unit, and watching them fall to Ryan Fitzpatrick in a divisional game was brutal! I’m not saying that this will be a thing every week, but for now I’m not taking any chances. The Browns are showing true signs of life and until we see some smash mouth defense like we did in 2017, I’m holding off.Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty ImagesAntonio Callaway (CLE) - With Josh Gordon being cut from the team, the obvious substitute will be Callaway. The rookie out of Florida had an impressive preseason, but had some off the field issues that I wont go into detail about (Watch Hardknocks). Callaway is good receiver, but I see Cleveland being more focused on the run and Tyrod Taylor scrambling to get Landry and David Njoku the ball down field. Hes just not worth the risk and for most this wont be an issue for those not in deeper leagues.For any NFL Start/Sit questions you have, feel free to ask me on Twitter @GarageGuyChase Calvin Ridley set a Falcons rookie record with three touchdown receptions among a bunch of big plays — in a bittersweet afternoon for the young wide receiver.After barely factoring in Atlanta’s first two games
Youth Manti Te'o Jersey , he was targeted a team-high eight times, caught a team-best seven passes and registered a game-high 146 yards. It wasn’t enough, though, because Drew Brees‘s half-yard sneak pushed the New Orleans Saints to a 43-37 overtime victory Sunday.That left the first-round draft choice less happy to talk about his scoring plays of 18, 75 and 9 yards.“I’d really rather have the win, but it means a lot,” Ridley said after lighting up the Saints. “It feels pretty good.”Ridley didn’t have a catch in Atlanta’s opening game, an 18-12 loss at Phildelphia on Sept. 6.He had four receptions in a 31-24 win over the Panthers a week ago.On Sunday, he was busy from the jump.He lined up in the backfield on Atlanta’s first offensive snap and later in the game as well, and also ran three reverses. Two were wiped out by penalties, leaving him with a carry for 9 yards.All of his catches counted and the Saints struggled to figure out a way to slow him, especially in the first half when he had five receptions for 129 yards and two scores.On the first
Manti Te'o Jersey Stitched , he beat embattled New Orleans cornerback P.J. Williams to catch an 18-yard touchdown in the right corner of the end zone. Ridley beat Williams for an 11-yard catch to start the Falcons’ next possession. Shortly before halftime, he blew past Williams on a 75-yard scoring play.After hauling in the long pass from Matt Ryan, he easily outran Saints safety Marcus Williams to the end zone.Ridley said he wasn’t necessarily looking to be matched up on Williams, and that play was nothing special.“I just came in ready for anybody. I was prepared. I was ready to help the team win,” he explained. “(It was) just a go ball, run deep. … I’m just getting comfortable, confident.”Atlanta star wide receiver Julio Jones, who has had a franchise-record 40 games with 100 or more receiving yards, didn’t seem surprised that Ridley riddled the Saints for his first. They both played at Alabama.“I knew it all along,” Jones said after catching five passes for 96 yards. “He’s a great player. Let him make plays. He made some great plays for us today.”Ridley’s best play might have come early in the third quarter, when Ryan scrambled left on second-and-goal from the New Orleans 9-yard line.By that time, the Saints had subbed cornerback Ken Crawley for Williams
Youth Tommylee Lewis Jersey , who had decent coverage on Ridley in the end zone. When the play broke down, though, Crawley was caught looking at Ryan, and the rookie receiver broke behind left behind the cornerback and the quarterback found him for a score.With 12 minutes left in the third quarter, Atlanta led 21-16.“I thought Calvin played really well,” Ryan said after completing 26 of 35 passes for 374 yards and a career-high five touchdown passes. “He stepped up when he had the opportunity to. It was clear from the start it was two guys to account for Julio. That leaves Calvin singled up in 1-on-1 coverage. … Today was special.”But, even greater for Ridley if the Falcons pulled out a win.“We knew it was going to be a high-scoring game coming in,” Ridley said. “We’ve just got to be better next time.”___