Now that the first week of the football season is over, fantasy teams saw key players go down like David Johnson and Allen Robinson. Now people must be wondering who the key pickups are after week one is concluded and I have three for you.
Allen Hurns hasn’t looked like himself since his magical 2015 season with over 1,000 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns. He dipped off dramatically last season and is looking for a bounceback year in 2017. Now he has an even better opportunity to do so with Allen Robinson going down with a season-ending torn ACL.
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In 2015 Allen Hurns was not only a productive receiver but he was one of the league’s most efficient receivers. In terms of red zone receptions and touchdowns, Hurns ranked 16th and seventh respectively. A big red zone threat, and now without Robinson in the mix, Hurns may see the bulk of the red zone targets.
In the win against a stout Houston Texans defense week one, Hurns had three receptions for 42 yards. You never know what to expect with Blake Bortles but when he was at his best in 2015, Hurns benefitted in a big way. If Blake Bortles can produce like we all expected him to, then big things can happen for Allen Hurns.
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The toughest blow that happened in week one and maybe the toughest blow that could’ve happened all year was the injury to David Johnson. The Cardinals offense may struggle mightly with the loss of DJ. Next man up is Kerwynn Williams, and he has been with Arizona since 2014 but hasn’t seen too much of the field and there’s nothing to back up his production.
The good sign is how the Cardinals turned David Johnson into an every down, MVP caliber player. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that Kerwynn Williams is as good as David Johnson, but he is in a position to succeed with Johnson sidelined for a extended amount of time.
Now the Cardinals aren’t particularly known for running the ball as they ranked 18th in rushing last season, but they beauty of Williams is how he can be utilized in both the rushing and passing game. David Johnson was a gifted pass catcher and rusher and if Kerwynn Williams can step up and take advantage of his opportunity, he’ll succeed.
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The best performance from week one might’ve came from the Chicago Bears running back. No I don’t mean Jordan Howard, I’m talking about Tarik Cohen.
With a combined 113 yards and a touchdown in his debut, Cohen looks like he’s here to stay in the NFL. I don’t think that he will take over Howard’s starting job right now, and if Jordan Howard keeps producing then there’s no reason why he should.
The North Carolina A&T product is in an unlucky situation behind the running back with the second highest rushing total from the 2016 season. With the Bears receiving corps getting thinner and thinner it looks like the Bears may use two running backs more often. T
arik Cohen made some noise against the Falcons week one and he should be on everyone’s fantasy radar from here on out.
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