Fantasy Takeaways: Mike Wallace demands attention with two TDs
1. Mike Wallace: Reports of his demise greatly exaggerated
Wallace was thrown a lot of shade by the fantasy community this offseason as a 30-year-old coming off a 473-yard, two-TD campaign in Minnesota. It’s as if Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater has a glorious track record of producing stalwart fantasy wideouts and Wallace failed to make good in this land of milk and honey. What should have been the focus for Wallace going into drafts is that he finished as a top 25 fantasy WR for five consecutive seasons, based largely on his ability to find the end zone, before landing with a Vikings team last season that finished with the fewest pass attempts in the league, and the second-fewest fantasy points at the QB position.
Paired with the big arm of Joe Flacco, Wallace has already splashed pay dirt three times (twice on Sunday) in his first two games in Baltimore. Blessed with difference-making speed and a remaining schedule that, after Week 1, ranked as the easiest among wide receivers, Wallace has a clear path to finish back into the top 30 WR mix.
It should also be noted that Steve Smith Sr. (3 catches for 64 yards) looked spry and full of tiger blood on Sunday, coming off his Achilles injury that knocked him out of the second half of last season. Considering the sorry shape of Baltimore’s backfield and the issues that persist on defense, this Ravens team could be more air dependent than we’ve seen in a while, even better for the fantasy prospects of Flacco, Wallace, and Smith going forward.
2. Isaiah Crowell: This Hue looks good on him
Crowell was a draft-day afterthought as the head of a Browns RB platoon that contributed to the fourth-lowest backfield fantasy tally last season. Enter Hue Jackson, the team’s new coach, who has engineered top five fantasy production for three of the past four offenses that he has guided (’14 Bengals, ’10-’11 Raiders – the other team, Bengals ’15, finished 11th). Jackson made noise this past week about feeding Crowell the pigskin more, and Crowell made good on the increased volume, toting the ball 18 times, including an 85-yard TD run among his 133 total rushing yards.
With Josh McCown replacing the injured Robert Griffin III at QB, the Browns showed good balance between the run and the pass. With deep threat rookie play-maker Corey Coleman, who scored his first two NFL touchdowns on Sunday, and terrific safety valve options in TE Gary Barnidge and RB Duke Johnson in the passing game, the Browns won’t be an easy read for opposing defenses. That becomes even more true when Cleveland gets WR Josh Gordon back after Week 4. The legit passing game threat should only help keep the box light for Crowell.
He’ll face Miami next week on the road, and the Dolphins allowed LeGarrette Blount to find pay dirt along with 123 rushing yards on Sunday. A third straight top 15 fantasy RB performance is a reasonable expectation for Crowell, who suddenly finds himself as a player that should be cast in at least RB2 light going forward.
3. LeGarrette Blount: Could be focus of offense
Not surprisingly, New England leaned heavily on Blount with QB Jimmy Garopollo lost to a shoulder injury in the first half of a victory against the Dolphins. The injury looked serious enough to cast doubt on his availability for next week, if not the next couple weeks. With Garopollo out and the Pats nursing an early lead, Blount played the workhorse, toting the rock 29 times for 123 yards and a score. That should remain the script for as long as the Pats have to employ third-string rookie Jacoby Brissett as their starting QB.
Blount faces a Houston defense that allowed 118 rushing yards on a combined 18 carries from Kansas City’s Spencer Ware and Charcandrick West in Week 2. He’ll then face an inexperienced Cleveland defense in Week 4. Suffice it to say, it’s shaping up as a September to remember for Blount.
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