Target Teddy Bridgewater

By: Dave Stewart

Week 1 is in the books and just like every season, we saw some unfortunate injuries to fantasy-relevant players. You may have lost Raheem Mostert, Jerry Jeudy, or Ryan Fitzpatrick. You also may have lost the Elijah Mitchell sweepstakes or decided not to enter. So, now you could be left with difficult lineup decisions, as a result. Well, I have good news.

In ”˜Getting Deep,’ we will be focusing on deeper (16-team+) leagues, looking for startable players to help fill your lineup holes.

QB – Teddy Bridgewater Denver Broncos Bridgewater looked very competent in his first start as a Bronco. He threw for 264 yards and a pair of passing touchdowns. His 77.8% completion rate was second only to Russell Wilson. His average depth of target (aDOT) was 8.7 yards, so he was looking to make plays down the field. This week, he heads to Jacksonville to face a Jaguars’ defense fresh off making Tyrod Taylor look like a Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback. Jacksonville allowed 291 yards and 2 touchdowns through the air against Houston. This matchup appears prime for Bridgewater to build off his opening game success and deliver another top-15 quarterback finish.

RB – Nyheim Hines Indianapolis Colts I know you like Jonathan Taylor. I like him, too. But, it is time to face facts. Hines has a role in this offense. If you are looking for a deeper start this week, I like Hines, at home, facing the Los Angeles Rams. Last week, Hines had 15 total touches, including six receptions on eight targets, and 82 total yards. The Rams’ defense was beaten up by David Montgomery last week, and Damien Williams did some damage as a pass-catching running back. Expect Hines to shine in that area this week.

WR – Jaylen Waddle Miami Dolphins It did not take long for the connection between Waddle and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to materialize. Waddle caught four of his five targets and found the end zone in his NFL debut. Now, Buffalo comes to South Beach and Waddle will face a difficult challenge against the Bills’ defense. Still, with a 75% slot rate in Week 1, Waddle is unlikely to see much coverage from Tre’Davious White. Playing 80% of the snaps was encouraging for Waddle and his rapport with Tagovailoa should continue to build. With 15.3 yards per reception and 25 yards after the catch, look for Waddle to be involved as a playmaker, once again.

TE – Juwan Johnson New Orleans Saints This does feel like a bit of a gamble. After all, Johnson saw only three targets in his Week 1 effort. However, two of those targets were from inside the 10-yard line and both were touchdowns. Counting on touchdown production is risky, but when we are looking for tight ends, particularly deep tight ends, touchdowns make all the difference. Johnson will not get double-digit targets like Darren Waller, but if he can find the end zone again, fantasy managers will be happy. The good news is that Winston is looking for him around the end zone. Carolina gave up six completions for 48 yards against the Jets last week. Covering the tight end is no strength of the Panthers’ defense. Johnson should see red zone targets again this week in Carolina.

Hopefully, this exercise helps you identify some potential targets to use in your deep league lineups. Getting deep is never easy, but we all need it once in a while. Good luck in your Week 2 matchups.