Week one is in the books, and it was a wild ride! Who could have foreseen Fitzpatrick playing so well? (hint: we did) The Lions got worked, the Bears got Rodgers’d, and the Browns didn’t lose! Each week in this column you will find some bold predictions, and one “wildcard” player spotlighted. The wildcard player will be someone each week who isn’t really on the radar but has the opportunity to return enormous value- if you have the guts to start him.
BOLD PREDICTION: What In The Sam Hill?
Sammy Watkins will outscore Tyreek Hill. The diminutive speedster, Hill, went nuclear in the first game of 2018, scoring touchdowns from seemingly everywhere on the field. Hill is a nightmare to cover and fun to watch, but he is also boom-or-bust. He boomed in week one and regression is heading his way in week two.
Sammy Watkins, on the other hand, had a pretty dismal outing last week. Kansas City has opened up the playbook for Watkins, and they are letting him run more routes than ever before. Combine increased usage and route-tree with a game script that will likely call for a juiced-up passing attack, and you have a perfect recipe for a Watkins explosion. Five catches for 90 yards and two TDs is entirely possible for Sammy this week.
BOLD PREDICTION: Josh Allen Outduels Philip Rivers.
Rookie quarterback Josh Allen is getting his first taste of live game action on Sunday. He will lead the Bills against what was supposed to be an outstanding Chargers defense. Allen is raw and will make some bad throws, but the Chargers D is not nearly so good without the likes of Joey Bosa. This game will be much closer than many expect. Don’t be surprised if Josh Allen’s cannon-arm is enough to drag his motley crew to a win over the Chargers. Extra Spicy Bonus Prediction: Rookie Ray-Ray McCloud III returns a kick to the house in this game. If he suits up, that is.
WILDCARD(s): Royce Freeman/Jalen Richard
It comes a week later than many were hoping, but Royce Freeman has his big breakout against the woefully bad Raiders defense. Phillip Lindsay was the waiver wire darling that everyone clamored after, but Freeman is the bigger, better back on that team. Game script necessitated the use of a hurry-up back against Seattle, hence Lindsay’s usage, but the script will be flipped this week. The Broncos will almost certainly jump out to a big lead against the Raiders. Freeman will likely have contributed to that lead and will undoubtedly help to preserve it when the Broncos salt the clock away.
Everything will be reversed on the opposite side of the field. The Raiders will be playing catch-up for most of the afternoon, and neither Lynch nor Martin are equipped to play that game anymore. Lynch is the thunder in a thunder-and-lightning attack if the thunder was 32 years old and had back problems. Richard was brilliant in the Raiders loss to the Rams. In fact, Jalen Richard has been pretty damn electric for the past few years in Oakland. The previous coaching staff just refused to recognize what they had in him. Jon Gruden is a crafty veteran, and he is ready to unleash Jalen Richard.
Both Freeman and Richard end up as Top-12 backs this week, but they take very different paths to get there.
