It seems a bit unfair, after only one performance, to compare new Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady and his successor in New England, the seemingly rejuvenated Cam Newton. For one, Brady had to face the tough, contending New Orleans Saints in his Tampa debut, and Newton was gifted the rebuilding Miami Dolphins. Still, fantasy managers are hardly a patient lot, and they saw Newton nearly outscore Brady just with his rushing yards and touchdowns alone and earn a victory with his new organization, while Brady struggled.
The tables turn for Week 2 as Brady's Bucs host the Carolina Panthers, and Newton must travel to Seattle to face another preeminent rushing quarterback in Russell Wilson. My colleagues called Newton a fantasy starter and it's certainly a reasonable conclusion, but what about Brady? His first drive was a successful one, ending with his own short rushing touchdown, but after that he hardly impressed, much like the 2019 version that was near the bottom in completion percentage and yards per attempt.
Brady threw for a mere 239 yards Sunday, with roughly a third of them coming in the closing minutes and the result hardly in doubt, and it included a Mike Evans touchdown grab. Evans was hardly a lock to play through a hamstring injury and certainly struggled to get open, but others around Brady were healthy, including tight end Rob Gronkowski, handling a heavy and perhaps foolish workload, and spry running back Ronald Jones II, who performed with power and swagger and should keep Leonard Fournette in a backup role. Brady gets to throw to Chris Godwin, too.
One game, of course, tells us little, and those who give up on Brady so soon could regret it. Expect communication issues to improve and the young offensive line to gel. After all, Brady and Newton can each be reliable QB1 options, but the former is going to have to perform better than one game suggests, while the latter mainly just needs to stay healthy. That matters as well. For one game, at least, it sure seemed as if only one of these quarterbacks had an offense tailored to their strengths, so let us see how Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians adjusts for the Panthers game before presuming Brady's top 10 ranking was an unjust one.
Here are some other thoughts heading into Week 2.
The other 40-something QB
Saints leader Drew Brees threw for only 160 yards in the 34-23 win over Brady's bunch, reminding fantasy managers that he is no longer a candidate for 5,000 passing yards and monster fantasy numbers but aims to rock in completion percentage and avoiding turnovers. Brees might also have lost his main receiving asset in Michael Thomas, who hobbled off the field late because of an ankle injury, for the Monday night road game in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, running back Alvin Kamara scored a few touchdowns but what is with the 16 rushing yards on 12 attempts? Not cool! Expect this offense to rebound against a Raiders defense that allowed Robby Anderson to shred it.
Jekyll and Hyde performance
The Philadelphia football team suffered a rather embarrassing defeat to the Washington one, as quarterback Carson Wentz led his team to a 17-0 lead and then turned into a completely different player. Sure, the Eagles missed several key individuals on offense, including right tackle Lane Johnson and running back Miles Sanders, and perhaps they return healthy for Week 2 against the Los Angeles Rams, but Wentz deserves some blame as well. At least half of the eight ferocious Washington sacks were a result of him holding onto the ball too long, as the offense became predictable when it failed to establish a running game. Well, the Rams sure do rush the passer, too. Rookie Jalen Reagor hauled in a nifty 55-yard catch early on and that was it for his production. DeSean Jackson looked his age. Wentz supposedly has ample weapons, but time will tell. Frankly, if the Eagles cannot properly protect him, it seems unlikely he will be suiting up for all 16 games.
Ohio quarterback players
Few seemed to need to see disappointing Browns veteran Baker Mayfield and optimistic Bengals rookie Joe Burrow in separate games on Sunday to know which one to invest in for dynasty purposes in fantasy. Not that Mayfield cannot turn his career around, but most of us had seen enough before his single-digit fantasy outing on Sunday. These quarterbacks from Ohio franchises meet up Thursday night, and while it seems unfair to criticize Cleveland's defense for its inability to handle the championship caliber offense of the Baltimore Ravens, expect Burrow to win this quarterback battle and draw new fans. Burrow rushed for an impressive touchdown against the Chargers but otherwise looked ordinary until the final drive, which was unsuccessful not because of his efforts. An A.J. Green push-off cost a touchdown pass. Few argue Burrow is already a QB1, but give him time. As for his opponent, his time is probably up.
Rookie running back report
While everyone loves Kansas City Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire for good reason, there seemed a rather cautious approach in fantasy when it came to trusting first-year running backs. Look for the Indianapolis Colts to give Wisconsin product Jonathan Taylor a healthy workload for the Week 2 game against the Vikings, accelerated due to the unfortunate Marlon Mack injury. I maintain a hierarchy shift was imminent, but the Colts cannot expect pass catcher Nyheim Hines to handle early down work, not over the larger, ready Taylor. Ravens reserve J.K. Dobbins should move to the top of his depth chart soon as well, so make sure he is rostered in your league, and go and add Jacksonville Jaguars undrafted free agent rookie James Robinson, for the backfield appears to be all his at this point. Robinson did not have to share carries with any other Jaguars running back.
Charging ahead
It is far too early to judge usage, but it would be nice to see Chargers passer Tyrod Taylor look the way of Austin Ekeler a few more times against the Chiefs. Ekeler saw a mere one target in the Bengals win, catching a late, lonely pass for three yards. A season ago, Ekeler averaged 6.7 targets per game and at 9.2 yards per target, so perhaps Sunday's outing was merely aberrant, but he also ceded the goal-line work to rookie Joshua Kelley. The Chargers did not do much scoring but wide receiver Mike Williams and tight end Hunter Henry, each healthy enough, shined, and Kelley looks as if he deserves occasional flex attention based on his usage. Taylor need not be a fantasy asset for the members around him to aid us.