NFC South Review: Week 7

By Robert Knarr

The NFC South continues to be a tight race as the Panthers and Falcons both won.  The Saints were also victorious keeping the division even more interesting.  Meanwhile, the Bucs could’ve made it a clean sweep for the South, but had an epic collapse to a bad Redskins team.

Atlanta Falcons at Tennessee Titans: 10-7

The Falcons keep on rolling, and keep looking bad doing it.

They played poorly in another ugly game.  Matt Ryan threw 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions, and 251 yards, which is a decent but unimpressive outing.  Tennessee’s defense is tough, and Julio Jones still seems to be less than 100%.  It’s obvious how much Ryan needs him.  Thankfully, they have Devonta Freeman who continues to excel.  He had 25 carries for 116 yards and 2 catches for 14 yards.

One of the other bright spots was the defense, which played well.  Then again, stopping the Titans without Mariota isn’t a tremendous accomplishment.  All that matters in the end, of course, is the “W”.  Eking out victories, many of which they would have lost last year, says a lot about the character and coaching of this team.  But, if the team has aspirations to go deep into the playoffs, adjustments need to be made and their going to have to get and stay 100% healthy.  In comparison to their hopes just 2 months ago, I think most fans should be pleased that the Falcons are nearly a sure thing to advance to the postseason.  Anything they do when they get there is just icing on the cake.

Fantasy Implications – Julio Jones had 9 receptions and 92 yards with one touchdown.  That’s better than he’s been playing, but not as good as he should be doing, especially with 17 targets.  Matt Ryan had another mediocre performance as well, but both of these guys should be fine in the long run.  The Falcons definitely seem to be relying more heavily on the running game, which is understandable with Freeman breaking out as a top 5 option.  Continue to start him, and be happy you picked him up.  Throwing the ball is still essential for their continued success, which bodes well for Jones and Ryan, but I wouldn’t be starting any other Falcons wide receivers.

Philadelphia Eagles at Carolina Panthers: 16-27

The Panthers remain one of 5 unbeaten teams in the NFL.  They sit atop the NFC South, and are the best team in the division.

The game started well for the Panthers.  They got to an early 14-3 lead on a Cam rushing touchdown.  He finished with 197 yards, 1 passing TD, and 1 rushing TD.  After going up 21-6 on Tolbert’s catch the Panthers seemed to have this game locked up.  The Eagles did well to get back into it though.  Ryan Matthews had a 63 yard touchdown to close the gap, giving the Eagles a chance to tie it.  However, they couldn’t get the drive started, as Jared Allen dominated getting two sacks.  This defense is ridiculous.  Kuechly and Davis were a force, combining for 24 tackles.  Kawann Short had 3 sacks and has joined the conversation of elite DT’s.

The Panthers aren’t without their flaws though.  They were lucky to get a lot of drops from Eagles wide receivers, and are still getting poor play from their own wide receivers.  Cam threw 3 picks, but 2 of them hit his wide receivers in the hand.  When a team makes those kinds of mistakes in the playoffs they generally lose.  The Panthers, despite being 6-0, could also face an early playoff exit due to their weaknesses, just like the Falcons.

Fantasy Implications – Jonathan Stewart has looked really good in his last couple of games.  He had 125 yards on 24 carries, but no touchdowns.  He’s not going to get a lot of touchdowns, because Tolbert and Cam are going to take opportunities away from him.  Meanwhile, Cam continues to play well overall, and is a solid fantasy option.  His legs keep him valuable even when he has down games.  Olsen had an alright game, but isn’t having the season myself and most expected of him.  No other Panthers wide receivers are very valuable either.  If I had to take one, I’d take Ginn.  His speed is for real, and he seems to play well for the Panthers.  He also led the team in targets, with 8.  Funchess is being used a little more, but doesn’t seem to be showing the ability the Panthers were hoping for.

New Orleans Saints at Indianapolis Colts: 27-21

The Saints earned another much needed win against a struggling Colts team.  They seemed to take their foot off the gas in the second half, and let it get closer than it should have, but ultimately played well.

They jumped out to an early and dominant lead, starting things off with a fake field goal attempt that took them to the 1-yard line leading to a Khiry Robinson TD.  Brees was efficient and kept things moving throughout the first half ultimately amassing 255 yards and a touchdown by completing 28-44 and having only one interception.  Meanwhile Mark Ingram and the defense were the real stories.

Ingram had 14 carries for 143 yards and 1 TD.  He easily could have had 3, but they gave two to Khiry for some reason.  The defense had two interceptions and recovered a fumble. They also had 4 sacks and were in the backfield all day as Luck held the ball too long.  The Colts made a solid run in the second half.  Luck seemed to turn it on as he and T.Y. Hilton connected for a couple of long touchdowns.  It wasn’t enough though.  The Saints held, and earned another victory.  They are going to have to keep this run going to think about getting into the playoffs.  With an easier schedule coming up, they could make things interesting, at least in the Wild Card race.  They have the talent to stay in the discussion.

Fantasy Implications – Brees looks better than he did at the beginning of the season, but isn’t performing up to expectations.  He nearly had another touchdown, and it really seemed like they quit playing offense in the second half.  Personally, I’m keeping him as a backup in case he figures it out.  Brandin Cooks finally showed up.  He had 6 receptions for 81 yards, but no touchdowns.  He has been maddening and probably won’t ever put up a lot of touchdowns.  Willie Snead fell off the earth.  I’d stay away from starting Saint’s receivers until someone emerges, if one ever does, atop the pile.  Ben Watson kept up his solid play from the week before and nearly had a monster day, but landed on the 1-yard line twice.  I wouldn’t shy away from starting him.  Ingram continues to be really good, and also nearly had an unbelievable day, as Robinson poached 2 touchdowns from him. I’ve talked about Robinson’s odd and sporadic use before.  He has touchdown dependent value, but is a big gamble even for flex positions.  I’m about done with Spiller, unless it’s a PPR league, in which his value is still minimal.  They don’t give him enough opportunities and he doesn’t do enough with the ones he gets.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Washington Redskins: 30-31

Wow.  If you are a Bucs fan, you probably thought you were watching Jennifer Love Hewitt and Gene Hackman, because this was a heartbreaker and difficult to stomach.

The Buccaneers had a 24 point lead in the second quarter, but the Redskins still won.  They had never overcome a deficit that large before, which helps describe how colossal this loss was.  However, Winston played well.  Pro Football Focus actually had this ranked as the best game of his career.  He completed 21-29 passes for 297 yards and 2 touchdowns.  Doug Martin again lit up the field with 136 yards on 19 carries.  Entering halftime, the Bucs were cruising.  In the locker room, Gruden tore into his team and they came out to play in the second half.  Cousins and Reed connected big for two touchdowns, one that put them up for good with less than a minute to go.  The Bucs kind of shot themselves in the foot.  They had 16 penalties for 142 yards and Chris Conte dropped an interception on the final drive.  The Bucs are clearly still rebuilding, and as tough as this was to endure, the team should be happy that Winston and Mike Evans played terrific.

Fantasy Implications – Evans had a huge game.  He should be really good moving forward, after a slow start.  I’d like to make a slightly bold prediction that Evans will be the best receiver of his class.  Winston looked really good as well, and if he keeps this play up then the Bucs are in good shape.  He’s made better decisions after giving up 4 picks to the Panthers.  Remember, I wrote about not getting down from that and learning from the experience.  It appears he’s done this.  Winston is even becoming worthy of consideration in fantasy.  I’d consider streaming him against weak defenses.  Austin Seferian-Jenkins is nearing a return.  He had breakout potential, had a monstrous first game, then got hurt.  He’s worth a pick-up, but I’m concerned about how much Mike Evans will eat into his potential.  Doug Martin continues his resurgence and looks amazing.  Vincent Jackson is hurt and probably done providing much, if any, value on the season.  He certainly has made me look bad, as I harped on his eventual resurgence.  I don’t see it happening now.