Week two of the NFL season has come and gone. The Dallas Cowboys were systematically dismantled by the 2-0 Denver Broncos. Alex Smith is the number-one fantasy scoring quarterback, depending on league settings, of course. Kareem Hunt hasn’t fallen back to earth yet. Injuries are still piling up and preseason rankings are being proven, or proven wrong.
As week three is nearly upon us all, let’s dive into the first game of the week and look at the fantasy football aspect of Thursday night’s tilt.
Fantasy Focus: Thursday Night Football – LA Rams-San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers host the Los Angeles Rams to kick off Thursday night football. At first glance it does not appear to be a juicy match-up. Under the surface, there are some key players worth watching for fantasy.
Los Angeles Rams
Jared Goff
So far Jared Goff has shown more confidence as a passer this season. He’s got some shiny new toys in Sammy Watkins, Robert Woods, and Cooper Kupp to throw to. He has a new head coach in Sean McVay to work with. In week one, he had a soft defense to beat up on with the Indianapolis Colts. In that game he put up 306 yards and one touchdown. Last week he faced a much tougher defense with the Washington Redskins and managed to poise himself for a near-comeback before throwing a game-ending interception.
Goff has looked improved both in his decision making and his accuracy. He’s been hitting receivers in-stride which improves yards after the catch. One can only hope his road to improvement continues as his chemistry with his receivers does.
If there’s a week to feel fairly confident in starting Goff, this week is it. Playing against a weak defense behind a solid line could mean another fantasy-relevant day for the sophomore signal-caller. He’s a solid pick for two-quarterback leagues or leagues that utilize a super-flex position. He could also be a sneaky start on the DFS radar.
Todd Gurley
If there’s a player who’s vying for a come-back season, it’s Todd Gurley. Gurley disappointed fantasy owners in 2016 in total yards, yards per carry, and touchdowns. Coming into the 2017 season, he remains the main back in an offense that improved both the offensive line and the receiving weapons.
In two games this season Gurley has two rushing and one receiving touchdown. His yards-per-carry this season is 3.65 and he hasn’t eclipsed a 100 yard rushing game since December 13th, 2015. He’s also had three fumbles, with one lost.
Gurley has succeeded by touchdowns and volume so far in the 2017 season. LA should be playing with a lead which would mean another heavy work load for Gurley. He should absolutely be in starting lineups for this game. Shrewd owners may be looking to ride him this game and then trade him high afterwards.
Sammy Watkins
Sammy Watkins was one of the biggest pre-season acquisitions for the Rams. Coming off of foot surgery, there were concerns about his health. Two games into the season, Watkins looks healthy but hasn’t received much in the way of target volume. He’s only seen seven total targets in two games, but it’s worth noting he’s caught all of them for a total of 88 yards. That’s the kind of stat-line one would normally expect from Sammy in a single game, not two.
If the Rams are playing with a lead, expect them to stay with the run-first mentality which could limit Watkins’ targets. At this point in the season, it’s difficult to recommend starting him. He remains a boom-or-bust type of play that could go off for a huge game at any point.
Cooper Kupp
Cooper Kupp was touted as an NFL ready receiver coming into the 2017 season, and he showed that to be true in his first game. He finished week one with four receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown. In week two, he was the intended target on the game-ending interception.
Kupp is Goff’s most targeted receiver so far this season. His target share indicates he’s the safer receiver to start this week.
Gerald Everett
Rookie tight-end Gerald Everett totaled 95 yards and a touchdown on three receptions in week two. Week one, he had one reception for 39 yards.
The targets are too low to trust, and with no update on the injury that removed him from week two, he’s a non-factor for fantasy purposes this week.
San Francisco 49ers
Brian Hoyer
Brian Hoyer enjoyed some success in his starting role with the Chicago Bears in 2016. Hoyer is one of those players that has been better for fantasy than real-life football…until 2017 that is. In two games, Hoyer has yet to surpass 200 yards passing or throw a touchdown. He’s also thrown an interception in each game so far this season. With the 49ers perpetually playing from behind, this is disconcerting for an NFL quarterback.
The Rams defense is fairly solid, so don’t expect this to be Hoyer’s bounce-back game. He’s not worth starting for fantasy until he strings together some productive games.
Carlos Hyde
Carlos Hyde has been a rare bright spot of the 49ers offense through the first two games of the season. In week two, he had 102 yards rushing in the first half. However, he’s been stymied by an offense that can’t seem to find the end-zone.
Carlos Hyde remains a top 12 NFL running back talent. His downside is the offense he’s part of. Hyde is a low-end RB1 heading into week three.
Pierre Garcon
Pierre Garcon is the only 49ers receiver worth starting in this offense for week three. In two games he’s had 15 targets that’s he turned into 107 yards. Garcon will continue to draw top coverage from opposing defenses. The majority of his struggles will be placed at the feet of Hoyer more so than the defensive attention. He remains a volume play in this struggling offense.
