Welcome to Victory Laps & Receipts (September Edition). This is where our experts come to discuss one player that they have been right about so far (Victory Lap) and one player they’ve been wrong about (Receipt). Check back next month when we will revisit this series to see what has changed.
Victory Laps
Jeremy Shulman’s Victory Lap (James Cook, Bills)
Embed from Getty ImagesI’ve been pleasantly surprised by my investment in James Cook this offseason. Cook was a target on many of my redraft teams given his reasonable price tag and, so far, he’s paid massive returns. The half-ppr RB3 on the season, Cook has looked excellent in each game this season. Even when the run game was shut down in Week 3, the Bills looked to him often as a receiver. He’s remained a huge piece of this offense and maintains a solid floor with an incredible upside each week. I’ll continue to be happy with him through the fantasy playoffs and beyond.
SC Romero’s Victory Lap (Jayden Reed, Packers)
Embed from Getty ImagesThe breakout is upon us. Reed is the WR1 for the Packers. Currently, he is on pace to have 1,428 receiving yards which would almost be double his rookie numbers. His chemistry with Love is continuously building. Plus, his ability to win catches and beat the secondary allows him to be a good field stretcher for big play opportunities. Hope you bought in before he was a top-12 wide receiver.
Aaron St. Denis’ Victory Lap (Chris Godwin)
Embed from Getty ImagesIt’s tough to find a team that I drafted that doesn’t have Chris Godwin or Diontae Johnson, or both. There was a point in August where I would draft the two of them in Round 8 and 9 without even thinking, it became a reflex for me and was an automatic pick. Luckily for me, Godwin currently sits as WR4 on the season and has been a must-start receiver in an impressive Buccaneers offense. He has racked up at least six catches and 50 receiving yards in all four games this season and has a touchdown in three out of four games. Godwin is averaging 8.5 targets per game and has been a key cog in the Buccaneers machine all season. In years past it has been feast or famine between Godwin and Mike Evans, but so far, Baker Mayfield has been good enough to feed both of these elite receivers.
Receipts
Jeremy Shulman’s Receipt (Michael Pittman)
Embed from Getty ImagesMichael Pittman is shaping up as my biggest miss in the early season. I expect Pittman would be the clear alpha and, more importantly, Anthony Richardson would improve as a passer in a friendly, Shane Steichen scheme. Sadly, this couldn’t be further from reality as Richardson looks abysmal as a passer and the offense has, thus far, been stuck in neutral. While I’m still hopeful for Richardson and the Colt’s offense in general, there’s no world where Pittman returns on his draft-day value. Currently, the half ppr WR75, his 15.8 points have him below fellow teammates Alec Pierce and *checks notes* Ashton Dulin. Woof.
SC Romero’s Receipt (Najee Harris)
Embed from Getty ImagesAlthough Pittsburgh is using Najee more than he has ever been used before with 17 rushing attempts per game, “Run him to the core of the earth,” his efficiency has been a career low to start the season. Najee is currently averaging 3.3 yards per carry and is on pace for 969 yards which would be a career low. There is still hope for Najee to turn it around, but right now I am eating my words of thinking he would be a top 5 running back this season. However, if he can turn it around to average closer to his career average of 3.9 yards per carry then there might be hope.
Aaron St. Denis’ Receipt (Anthony Richardson)
Embed from Getty ImagesAnthony Richardson, Woof! I had Richardson ranked as high as QB4 during draft season and after a monster performance in Week 1, that ranking looked accurate. Unfortunately, in the two weeks after that performance, Richardson was awful and turned into a human turnover machine that would make Will Levis cry. This week, Richardson got off to a solid start against a tough Pittsburgh Steelers offense but was injured after taking a big hit and was quickly ruled out. After the game the Indianapolis coaching staff said that he would “miss some time” with a hip injury and it appears Richardson is going to be an albatross on fantasy teams all over the world. This should serve as a cautionary tale for drafting poor college passers with a limited track record high in Year 2 after a limited sample size In Year 1. It should also show the ever-present danger of drafting quarterbacks who operate more like running backs. R.I.P. fantasy teams with Anthony Richardson.
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