This article is part of our NFL Reactions series.
Vultured Touchdowns
Complaining about vultured/poached touchdowns is a time-honored tradition for fantasy football players, as many fantasy matchups have been decided when workhorse running backs are pulled for a backup or fullback at the goal line, only to see some no-name player take the precious fantasy points for himself.
Names like Marcel Reece, Mike Tolbert and John Kuhn are well known in fantasy circles, not because of their ability to finish near the goal line but their ability to steal touches (and therefore touchdowns) from feature backs.
Many were up in arms Sunday, as they believed Cowboys rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott had not one, but two touchdowns vultured from him in the Cowboys' 27-23 win over Washington. But there's much more to the story than simply seeing the Cowboys score three rushing touchdowns and Elliott only getting one.
Elliott scored his second touchdown in as many weeks in the first quarter, banging home a one-yard run to put the Cowboys up 10-0. However, he wouldn't find the end zone again, thanks in part to the versatility of rookie quarterback Dak Prescott and Elliott's own struggles holding onto the football.
Prescott scored on a six-yard run in the third quarter to briefly put the Cowboys up 20-17, but it was far from a vultured score, as he very clearly went through his reads, found no open receivers and then decided to take off for the score:
DAK! DAK! DAK!He's just gonna do it himself. 🔥🔥🔥 #DALvsWAShttps://t.co/qD0njnWo3q
— NFL
Vultured Touchdowns
Complaining about vultured/poached touchdowns is a time-honored tradition for fantasy football players, as many fantasy matchups have been decided when workhorse running backs are pulled for a backup or fullback at the goal line, only to see some no-name player take the precious fantasy points for himself.
Names like Marcel Reece, Mike Tolbert and John Kuhn are well known in fantasy circles, not because of their ability to finish near the goal line but their ability to steal touches (and therefore touchdowns) from feature backs.
Many were up in arms Sunday, as they believed Cowboys rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott had not one, but two touchdowns vultured from him in the Cowboys' 27-23 win over Washington. But there's much more to the story than simply seeing the Cowboys score three rushing touchdowns and Elliott only getting one.
Elliott scored his second touchdown in as many weeks in the first quarter, banging home a one-yard run to put the Cowboys up 10-0. However, he wouldn't find the end zone again, thanks in part to the versatility of rookie quarterback Dak Prescott and Elliott's own struggles holding onto the football.
Prescott scored on a six-yard run in the third quarter to briefly put the Cowboys up 20-17, but it was far from a vultured score, as he very clearly went through his reads, found no open receivers and then decided to take off for the score:
DAK! DAK! DAK!He's just gonna do it himself. 🔥🔥🔥 #DALvsWAShttps://t.co/qD0njnWo3q
— NFL (@NFL) September 18, 2016
Later in the game, Alfred Morris scored on a four-yard run to put the Cowboys ahead for good. However, Elliott has only himself to blame for Morris' opportunities, as he fumbled twice in the game, losing one, which is something a running back, especially a rookie running back, absolutely cannot do and keep his job. Ball security is one of the most important aspects of the game for a running back (pass blocking is another), and if you can't hold onto the football, you'll hold onto your helmet on the sideline.
This isn't to say that Elliott has a fumbling problem; in fact, one of the reasons so many are high on him is because he rarely fumbled in college. But the NFL is another level, and if the issues linger, he'll lose more and more touches, particularly near the goal line, to Morris (two fumbles, both recovered, in the last two years combined) and maybe Darren McFadden when he returns from injury.
One last Elliott note: if you take away the longest runs in each of his first two games, this is what you'll get:
• Week 1 vs. N.Y. Giants: 19 carries for 43 yards (2.26 YPC) and one catch on one target for one receiving yard
• Week 2 at Washington: 20 carries for 62 yards (3.10 YPC) and two catches on two targets for four receiving yards
Where are the Elite Wideouts?
Last week I wrote about how it felt like quarterbacks were throwing to a greater number of players this season, which may have an impact on the upper-tier wideouts, as they weren't getting as many targets as expected. I decided to dive into the numbers, comparing Weeks 1 and 2 this year to the same weeks last season, believing it made more sense than using the end of last season after teams had played with each other for four months, not to mention the significant weather differences in some cities.
The results weren't as drastic as I had expected:
Now, the distribution of passes is fairly even from last season, but we're still seeing some ... unexpected names near the top of the fantasy scoring lists.
Raise your hand if you had Travis Benjamin as the top-scoring wideout for Week 2. Benjamin got plenty of ink after Keenan Allen was ruled out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL last week, but did anyone reasonably expect him to be the top wideout so soon? And while the inclusions of Julio Jones and DeAndre Hopkins in the top 10 for Week 2 aren't surprising, Corey Coleman (rookie wideout from the Browns, who are using a backup quarterback), Marquise Goodwin (who caught only two passes Thursday) and Mike Wallace (remember him!?) made the top 10 as well. Meanwhile, some huge Week 1 performers were near non-factors Sunday, with Antonio Brown catching four passes on 11 targets for 39 yards after going for 126 yards and two touchdowns last week, while A.J. Green, fresh off smoking Darrelle Revis and the Jets for 180 yards and a touchdown in the opener, had only two catches on eight targets for 38 yards Sunday against the Steelers, a team he's burned many times.
Meanwhile, Blake Bortles threw for 329 yards and two touchdowns, but Allen Robinson only caught three passes for 54 yards. Eli Manning threw for 368 yards, but Odell Beckham only had 86 and no scores. We can't expect these guys to get 100-plus receiving yards and score 1-2 touchdowns every week, but we paid up for them in fantasy drafts and auctions because of their consistency and upside. Unfortunately, the early (and yes, it's very early) results are saying we overpaid.
Looking Legit
After a dreadful touchdown-free rookie season, Melvin Gordon looks like the running back the Chargers thought they were getting when they drafted him in the first round last year. After finally getting into the end zone in Week 1, he did so again Sunday against the Jaguars, while also rushing for a career-high 102 yards on 24 carries. The Chargers lost top wideout Keenan Allen to a torn ACL last week, and it looks like they will be without running back Danny Woodhead for some time after he suffered a suspected sprained PCL on Sunday. Up next for the Chargers: a Week 3 trip to Indianapolis and then a home game against the Saints, two fantasy-friendly matchups. Even if the per-touch numbers aren't great, Gordon should have plenty of volume to be a legitimate fantasy option this season.
Speaking of Gordon, he's one of three running backs to finish in the top 10 in fantasy scoring (non-PPR) in Weeks 1 and 2, joined by C.J. Anderson (second in scoring in Week 1, eighth in Week 2) and DeAngelo Williams (first and third). David Johnson just missed the cut, as he finished 11th in Week 2 after being seventh in Week 1 (sorry, but completely arbitrary cutoff points are necessary!). Given the volume he should see if Woodhead doesn't return for a number of weeks, Gordon could certainly be in the top 10 more often than not. And who thought we'd think that after what he did last season?
