A battle between the Bears’ Kyle Fuller and Panthers’ Kelvin Benjamin proved to be the rookie match-up of the week, with both showing their strengths and where they need to improve. Those two have become the key players for their teams’ on their respective sides of the ball.
Along those two, Blake Bortles continues to be the starter, Teddy Bridgewater and Derek Carr return next week and Sammy Watkins looks to further increase his role in the Bills offense with Kyle Orton at the helm.
Rank-(LW) – Team
1-(1) Jacksonville Jaguars
Blake Bortles got the chance to go against the passer many compared him too, and while he couldn’t put a touchdown on the board, he’s begun to settle in and make some next-level throws as a rookie. He’s ahead of schedule for sure.
2-(3) Buffalo Bills
Sammy Watkins was hopeful Kyle Orton would give him more chances, but that didn’t happen in Orton’s first start. That’s still expected though. Preston Brown continues to be a leader for the Bills on defense and one of the favorites in the Defensive Rookie of the Year race.
3-(2) Minnesota Vikings
Teddy Bridgewater was ruled out for the Thursday night game, but he’s played well enough (and is set to return as the starter this weekend). Anthony Barr continues to flash.
4-(8) Chicago Bears
Kyle Fuller was thoroughly impressive against fellow rookie Kelvin Benjamin in what was one of the best match-ups of the weekend. He won the battle with Benjamin and looks behind his years with his physicality and hip fluidity.
5-(6) Carolina Panthers
Kelvin Benjamin had his second worst output as an NFL player against Kyle Fuller despite receiving the most targets of his career. Still, the fact he’s become the clear #1 WR for Cam Newton is very impressive.
6-(4) Cleveland Browns
Ben Tate returned and put Terrence West and Isaiah Crowell on the backburner. Both of these rookies may now be a ways away from getting serious playing time again.
7-(5) Arizona Cardinals
Bit of an odd day for the Cardinals offense with Drew Stanton struggling and eventually being replaced due to injury for fellow rookie Logan Thomas. Thomas looked surprisingly adequate in his first action, but John Brown is still the feature player to watch.
8-(7) Oakland Raiders
The Raiders were on bye. Khalil Mack and Derek Carr will get their first chance to impress a potential head coaching candidate.
9-(10) Baltimore Ravens
CJ Mosely had another strong week, and he’s the lead enforcer for this team’s run defense. Despite not offering all that much as a pass-rusher or pass-defender, he’s a favorite for DPOTY.
10-(9) Green Bay Packers
Davante Adams is being slowly utilized in the offense, but it’s likely his role won’t grow adequately until year two. HaHa Clinton-Dix has become more and more comfortable in the vertical passing game, and seems more trusted in the defensive sets.
11-(11) Atlanta Falcons
Jake Matthews has made his presence felt as a huge and much needed addition to the Atlanta offensive line. Devonta Freeman still isn’t used with any frequency in the Falcons four-back approach.
12-(12) New Orleans Saints
Brandin Cooks continues to get the snaps and targets in the offense, but hasn’t exploded to be the clear second option after Jimmy Graham. He’s on a bye next week, so the offense could look to include him in more ways moving forward.
13-(13) Pittsburgh Steelers
Ryan Shazier was still out for Pittsburgh. He was playing well enough before his injury against Carolina to not push the Steelers down too far.
14-(19) St. Louis Rams
Aaron Donald isn’t getting a ton of opportunities to make plays, and his seen his production drop since early in the year. EJ Gaines has begun making plays in the secondary, including an interception this past weekend.
15-(26) Detroit Lions
Eric Ebron continues to be more involved in the offense, but hasn’t gone producing yet. He’s close to having his first breakout game.
16-(27) New York Giants
Andre Williams is set to be the starter now that Rashad Jennings is out for a few weeks. He’s flashed before, and if he’s the potential lead back the Giants are hoping for, he could push this draft class way up.
17-(14) Tampa Bay Bucs
Mike Evans was injured this and the hope is he’ll return in week six. He had his best game as a pro the prior week, and he’s continuing to steal redzone targets away from Vincent Jackson.
18-(18) Dallas Cowboys
Zach Martin continues to be the catalyst of the Cowboys run game success, as he’s been effective initially, at the second-level and on the move in space. He’s getting close to a Pro Bowl contender-type play if he continues to improve.
19-(15) Cincinnati Bengals
Jeremy Hill has consistently gotten carries/touches and solid yards each week, but he won’t be able to truly explode until they evenly split Bernard’s carries equally or if Bernard gets injured.
20-(16) Philadelphia Eagles
After a big week two weeks ago, Jordan Matthews has had another mediocre day. Keep in mind that he won’t be a consistent, every week impact player, but used a lot when the defensive match-up (likely cornerback/nickel issues) dictates that he’ll have value, compared to Ertz and Sproles.
21-(17) New York Jets
Jace Amaro will have flashes, but he’s not polished enough to be a consistent threat in the offense, regardless if Geno Smith or Michael Vick are at the helm. Calvin Pryor has yet to become an every-snap safety in New York.
22-(20) San Francisco 49ers
Frank Gore had a strong week, and it’s clear the transition to Carlos Hyde won’t be sudden. But he’s shown great power and balance when he has gotten touches, and the future looks bright.
23-(21) Denver Broncos
Bradley Roby doesn’t get enough touches to keep this pick high, but the Broncos have to be excited by his potential thus far.
24-(22) Houston Texans
Alfred Blue still back to full back-up duty with Arian Foster back, but he’s shown enough to give the Texans hope that they have a solid spell just in case.
25-(23) Seattle Seahawks
Justin Britt has been underwhelming as the starter, but he’s still entrenched due to a lackluster set of depth the Seahawks have there.
26-(24) Miami Dolphins
Ja’Wuan James has continued to be a positive for the Dolphins at right tackle, and he’ll look to continue his value with the Dolphins returning from bye. I’m hoping that Jarvis Landry becomes a bigger part of the offense after the bye week.
27-(25) Washington Redskins
Ryan Grant is getting enough touches to be deemed a huge impact, and Andre Roberts stole most of his potential targets in the offense this past week.
28-(28) Tennessee Titans
Bishop Sankey seemed to be on track to get substantial carries, but ended up not. It’s frustrating because despite his limitations, he’s the clear best back in the offense.
29-(30) Indianapolis Colts
While he’s not always a sexy start, Jack Mewhort has performed adequately protecting one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks. The run game has struggled, and the whole offensive line is to blame, including Mewhort.
30-(29) San Diego ChargersJeremiah Attaochu is the only Chargers draft pick that has gotten substantial playing time, but he was injured and didn’t play this past week.
31-(31) Kansas City Chiefs
Zach Fulton is the starter at right guard, and while he’s clearly the weakest link for the offensive line, he hasn’t been a major hindrance yet.
32-(32) New England Patriots
Dominique Easley still isn’t a key part of the defense, so it’s hard to put the Patriots up any further. Jimmy Garoppolo playing time is exciting, but isn’t an indication of the immediate future yet.
