The Worksheet, a fantasy football overview by Rich Hribar, breaking down everything you need to know for the Week 2 Los Angeles Chargers vs Detroit Lions Sunday afternoon game on September 15, 2019 at 1:00 pm ET.
| LA Chargers | Rank | @ | Detroit | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -2.5 | Spread | 2.5 | ||
| 25 | Implied Total | 22.5 | ||
| 30 | 8 | Points/Gm | 27 | 13 |
| 24 | 15 | Points All./Gm | 27 | 20 |
| 59 | 22 | Plays/Gm | 80 | 2 |
| 62 | 15 | Opp. Plays/Gm | 82 | 32 |
| 35.59% | 20 | Rush% | 40.00% | 14 |
| 64.41% | 13 | Pass% | 60.00% | 19 |
| 53.23% | 29 | Opp. Rush % | 28.05% | 8 |
| 46.77% | 4 | Opp. Pass % | 71.95% | 25 |
- T.J. Hockenson’s 25.1 fantasy points were the third-most most scored by a tight end in his first career game and the most since Jim Mitchell (26.7 points) in 1969.
- Hockenson ran 23 pass routes from the slot in Week 1, which was tied for second in the league in Week 1. On those snaps in route, Hockenson caught 5-of-6 targets for 92 yards and a touchdown.
- Detroit backfield snaps in Week 1: Kerryon Johnson (50), C.J. Anderson (26), Ty Johnson (eight), and J.D. McKissic (five).
- Matthew Stafford’s 12.4 average depth of target ranked third in the league in Week 1. Stafford ranked 38th in aDOT in 2018 (7.1).
- Austin Ekeler played 48 snaps (75 percent) in Week 1, compared to 16 (25 percent) for Justin Jackson.
- Philip Rivers has been a top-12 scoring quarterback in just three of his past 10 starts in early-start games over the past three seasons.
Trust (spike production for that player)
- Keenan Allen: Showing ill effects of a preseason ankle injury, Allen caught 8-of-10 targets for 123 yards and a score in Week 1. 40 percent of Allen’s targets in Week 1 came from the slot, tied for the highest rate in the league. Detroit allowed Arizona slot wideouts to catch 11-of-18 targets for 136 yards and a touchdown in Week 1.
- Austin Ekeler: He out-touched Justin Jackson 18-to-7 and had seven targets in the passing game. That kind of usage is going to give Ekeler a high floor, even when he fails to score three touchdowns again. Jackson did have two opportunities inside of the 10-yard line to three for Ekeler, but Ekeler’s dual usage is a threat to the Detroit linebackers in space that allowed a 6-55-1 receiving line to David Johnson in Week 1.
On the Cusp (proxy of a player’s average)
- Kerryon Johnson: Johnson’s usage warrants RB2 consideration. 18 touches and 50 snaps are nice, but 62 total yards against a defense we consider highly exploitable is not. The Chargers were trampled for 187 rushing yards from the Colts’ backfield in Week 1 at home, but the Indianapolis offensive line is another stratosphere than Detroit’s.
- Philip Rivers: There’s trap potential for a West Coast team coming off an overtime game and traveling for an early kickoff the following week, but the Lions were 23rd in passing points allowed to passers a year ago and then allowed a QB11 week to Kyler Murray in his first NFL start.
- Kenny Golladay: His 4-42-1 line in Week 1 was serviceable, but a lot of meat was left on the bone. Kenny G still had 20 percent of the team targets and led the team in air yards (147). Unlike T.Y. Hilton a week ago, Golladay doesn’t move inside often, so he’s going to find Casey Hayward a lot on the afternoon. With the types of targets Golladay gets, he’s still a WR2 option, but this is one to have more pedestrian expectations for.
Bust (down-week production for that player’s standards)
- Matthew Stafford: Stafford delivered in a streaming spot for us a week ago and he pushed the ball downfield, which is a big change from the limitations that he faced in Jim Bob Cooter’s scheme. The question still has to be proposed, however. How much was the scheme change, the receiver additions, and how much of last week’s performance was influenced by the matchup? We should get an answer here as the Chargers still pose a problem for opposing pass games, allowing 7.0 yards per pass attempt in Week 1.
- Marvin Jones: With Danny Amendola and Hockenson smashing last week, Jones was the odd man out with just four targets. This week, I’m expecting the entire Detroit passing game to have some recoil, leaving Jones as a WR4 option against a strong Chargers secondary.
If You Must (intriguing bench option or deeper league play)
- T.J. Hockenson: We can’t elevate him to full-time starting status just yet because we knew we wanted to target the Arizona matchup a week ago. While there’s some point-chasing in play here from an overtime game against a soft defense, Hockenson was also an elite prospect and his Week 1 usage speaks volumes. Hockenson had 142 air yards, the most of any tight end in the league. He was one of just two tights (Jimmy Graham with 117) with over 100 air yards in Week 1.
- Danny Amendola: He’s not going to catch many 47-yard touchdowns like he did a week ago, but Amendola had a team-leading 13 targets in Week 1. It will remain to be seen how sticky those opportunities are, but the Charges allowed 4-66-1 to the slot in Week 1.
- Mike Williams: He’s status in now up in the air this week. Even if he does play, I am cautious when playing players off of injury or ones who are on the injury report entering the game. He carries touchdown upside on any given week and is elevated by loss of Hunter Henry if he does play. If not, then Travis Benjamin will take on a larger role in Week 2.
More Week 2 Fantasy breakdowns from The Worksheet:
TB at CAR | SF at CIN | LAC at DET | MIN at GB | IND at TEN | NE at MIA | BUF at NYG | SEA at PIT | DAL at WAS | ARI at BAL | JAX at HOU | KC at OAK | CHI at DEN | NO at LAR | PHI at ATL | CLE at NYJ
