Fantasy Football Analysis-5 Things to Take from Opening Night
By Matt Bonini
Sep 5, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Miles Austin (19) celebrates scoring a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Dallas won 24-17. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE
It is safe to say that the New York Giants did not pick up where they left off last season when they trounced Tom Brady and the Pats in Super Bowl XLVI. The Giants/Cowboys matchup turned out quite the opposite of what most people expected. There wasn’t a single “Salsa Dance”. There was no “Catch” caliber play like Mario Manningham had made. Nothing about the Giants Front Four was stifling. Instead a new hero was born. An old hero looked like a goat. And until at least Week 2, the reigning Super Bowl champion Giants will be in last place in the NFC East.
Let’s take a look at some key notes from the first episode of “NFL Week One” and how they will affect fantasy rosters for weeks to come.
Sep 5, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Kevin Ogletree (85) runs in for touchdown against the New York Giants during the second half at MetLife Stadium. Dallas Cowboys defeat the New York Giants by a score of 24-17. Mandatory Credit: Jim O
1. Kevin Ogletree hit Paydirt twice.
That does NOT mean remortgage your home to attain him. Yes, he was targeted 11 times. I know many people are looking for him to become the second coming of Laurent Robinson. However, there is a lot of talent for Tony Romo love on in Dallas this season. Presuming Dez Bryant, Miles Austin and Jason Witten all stay relatively healthy, his workload will probably be fairly small. Remember, this is a guy who, until last night had ZERO career touchdowns. Inquire, but approach with caution.
2. David Wilson picked up right where he left off in college, by fumbling the football.
I would advise most people to not overreact in this instance. Yes, he was splitting carries evenly with Bradshaw until the dreaded fumble. And yes, he did get benched for the remainder of the game but we can’t forget why we like Wilson so much. He is a quick, elusive back that gashed Chicago’s defense in the preseason (give as much weight to that as you please) and an Ahmad Bradshaw injury away from being a full-featured back in a dynamic New York offense. I wouldn’t jump off the Wilson bandwagon yet. We knew this was going to take some time.
3. The Dallas Cowboys secondary has greatly improved since last year.
Coming into Wednesday’s matchup, the buzz was surrounding the new and improved Dallas secondary. The acquisitions of Brandon Carr and rookie Morris Claiborne proved to solidify the secondary and cause nightmares for Eli Manning, Hakeem Nicks, and Victor Cruz. Manning, who is usually a Cowboy killer, had a career low QBR versus Dallas of 53.2. Couple that with the fact that Nicks was a near no-show at four receptions for 38 yards and you can see why this Dallas defense can be a headache for other fantasy quarterbacks and receivers to come. Set your lineups accordingly.
4. Victor Cruz dropped 3 passes?!
Yeah, you read that right. A guy who had not dropped more than one ball in a game all of last season looked like he was trying to catch buttered potatoes all game. In all fairness, one of those dropped passes was on a ball zipped behind him by Eli Manning. Not too much of an excuse for an elite receiver but he still finished with six catches for 58 yards. Oh yeah, and he was targeted a team-high 11 times. Needless to say, I’m the King of Panic and I’m still incredibly excited for this guy. On to the next one.
Sep 5, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray (29) runs the ball during the second half against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Dallas Cowboys defeat the New York Giants by a score of 24-17. Mandatory Credit: Jim O
5. Demarco Murray is for real.
If Murray’s 5.59 YPC through his first 14 career NFL games isn’t enough for you I don’t know what to tell you. He’s a power/speed back drawing comparisons to a similar Oklahoma standout, Adrian Peterson. He wore down the Giant’s staunch front four as the game went on and finished with 140 total yards. Now let’s just hope his violent running style doesn’t bring the IR knocking on his door.