This week in Targets & Touches we saw some players capture the form we expected to see out of them when they were drafted in August. We'll also call back to last season in Big East football, and the return of a running back who's the fantasy version of Jason Voorhees. Just when you think he's done and gone, he returns from oblivion. "I could swear they got him with the ice pick and the chainsaw, but here comes James Starks again!" To Targets & Touches we go!
Target Analysis
Julian Edelman needs to be owned in every league. It's that simple. And he needs to be started as your No. 2 or flex. He's the only WR Tom Brady trusts and with Danny Amendola's constant injury concerns, there's a big place for Edelman in New England's offense regardless of who else is out there. I'll have more on him later this week in my Higher/Lower column.
Cecil Shorts is a tough call. He'll be the number one WR in Jacksonville for the next two games (until Justin Blackmon returns), but it's hard to see an improved present or future for him. The Jaguars offense is abysmal, so even though he's the best pass catcher they have, if you're not completing many passes how good is it? Can you trust the Jaguars to even throw a TD pass right now? If you can't do it against the Raiders, who are you going to do it against? When Blackmon gets back the offense will kick it up a notch and the former OSU Cowboy will be a breakout star. But Shorts should only currently be viewed as a middle-of-the-road flex option.
Also totaling 13 targets were DeAndre Hopkins and Torrey Smith. So far Smith is a nice if not elite No. 2 WR for you. Eventually Joe Flacco will start throwing him some touchdowns but the Ravens offense has struggled so far. Hard to expect more than low-end No. 2 production from him right now. Hopkins however, is a different matter. I love watching wide receivers become physical beasts and dominate games. That's what happened with Hopkins against Tennessee. He saw 13 targets Sunday and took over in overtime for Houston. He's now played his way into a flex option for you, and it could be more depending on how banged up Johnson is. Hopkins had the pedigree coming out of the draft and after two games he's already the best WR the Texans have ever had opposite Johnson. Hopkins reminds me a bit of Dez Bryant in his combination of talent, toughness, desire and grace. Try as hard as you can to obtain him.
Two guys you're feeling a heckuva lot better about are Pierre Garcon (13 targets) and Mike Wallace (just off this week's list with 11 targets). You likely drafted them to be your No. 2 and were hoping Week 1 was a mirage. Both players had big breakout games in Week 2 and you can start them with confidence moving forward as either a No. 2 or at the least a flex. Wallace made noise this week about wanting the football - and something I mentioned on Fantasy Live all week - the squeaky wheel gets the grease. He'll keep getting the ball, as will Garcon, who is RG III's clear favorite in the passing game. This is why you don't panic after one week in fantasy.
How about James Jones and his 12 targets for Green Bay? It was so bad for Jones, that on Fantasy Live Sunday morning we had to show footage from 2012 because he didn't catch a pass in Week 1. But here he was, a beneficiary of Aaron Rodgers huge day -- just like all Packers WR's were. Jones is a dicey play for you. He's just as capable of a 150-yard day as he is of a 25-yard day. Still proceed like normal with Packers WR's. Play Randall Cobb (as your No. 1 WR), Jordy Nelson (as a No. 3 WR/flex), and Jones you can own and hold onto until he gets more consistent.
Welcome to fantasy football, Tavon Austin! I like everything about the Rams offense this season - they play fast and Austin's going to be a huge part of it. Austin saw 12 targets Sunday in a breakout game. He's the biggest playmaker they have out wide, and now he's played his way into contention for your flex spot. Don't go crazy with him yet, but he has the potential to be a poor-man's DeSean Jackson. His plays will get bigger and bigger for more and more yardage as the season progresses. He's a must-get in free agency if he's available.
Touches analysis
As a result of Eddie Lacy's concussion, James Starks made the most of his opportunity with 24 touches and a monster fantasy game. Concussions are always dicey, so if you have Lacy pick up Starks as a handcuff at the very least, because Johnathan Franklin is nowhere to be seen for this Packers offense. Starks has played his way into a share of the playing time at running back, regardless of Lacy's health. The thing is, Lacy and Starks are only worth playing if the other one is not. You've seen how splitting carries goes in Green Bay the last couple of years -- and that means limited fantasy production from the RB's. So if one guy has the job, green light to start him. If it's two, red light.
Congratulations if you own C.J. Spiller (like I do in three leagues) -- he's now officially a member of a Running Back Committee! Hooray! Okay, not really on the hooray. Spiller had a decent fantasy day Sunday, but don't be fooled. Spiller had 20 touches Sunday while Fred Jackson totaled 16. It's not like Jackson had a huge game, but there was a commitment to him to get him the football. This is what Doug Marrone has decided with his offense: He's going to use two running backs to ease the load on his rookie QB. It's similar to his strategy was last season at Syracuse, when he went away from relying on Ryan Nassib and more on his punishing running game, which helped the Orange to a share of the Big East title. That's his playbook and he has offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett who he brought from Syracuse implementing it. Spiller's value has been decreased a little bit - so if you own him you just have to suck it up and hope he plays himself into the full-time feature role. For Jackson, sure, nab him off the waiver wire, but he's really just a bye-week replacement at flex. He's not the Fred Jackson of three years ago.
Jason Smith hosts NFL Fantasy Live on the NFL Network and writes fantasy and other pith for NFL.com. Talk to him on Twitter @howaboutafresca, and listen to his Fantasy Podcast with Michael Fabiano and Elliot Harrison every week on nfl.com. He only asks you never bring up when the Jets play poorly.
