Film Review: Cook Ascending

Indianapolis (31) vs. Cleveland (28)

I think Deshone Kizer is going to be very good. The game is too fast for him right now and his accuracy might never be better than average, but he just doesn't get shook in the pocket. His ability to keep his eyes downfield throughout a play, even as it deteriorates, is unusual for a quarterback as young as him. That he's establishing himself as a feared runner means he might make himself a viable fantasy quarterback even before he establishes himself as one in real life.

Kenny Britt had a first quarter drop on a long back shoulder throw on the sideline. The defense was good and it would have been an impressive play if Britt had made it, but his failure to reel it in is problematic given how his first two weeks went. I don't understand why he's been so bad. He still looks fast. Rashard Higgins does not, but his developed skill set at wide receiver tasks could get him back on the fantasy radar at some point. Both Seth Devalve and David Njoku stand out for their athleticism – it's conceivable that both will have fantasy utility if Kizer takes a step forward as a passer, though that's likely at least a year away. But in the meantime, goal line playaction to Njoku is an almost automatic touchdown.

The Browns are running out of excuses for not starting Duke Johnson. He's such a good runner, and his touchdown in this game was one of the best plays by a running back this year. Isaiah Crowell is serviceable, but Duke is uncommonly talented.

I don't know if it's worth blitzing Jacoby Brissett, who seriously might break tackles better than any quarterback I've ever seen. Considering his strong arm and natural poise in the pocket, there's a pretty good chance the Colts flip him for a substantial haul after this year. His arrival and specifically the running threat he poses has been good for Frank Gore, who somehow still has a little more burst than you'd expect.

T.Y. Hilton is so good, and it's nice to see Brissett put him in position to produce again. While he still profiles as an eventual breakout candidate, Donte Moncrief is invisible right now.

Buffalo (26) vs. Denver (16)

This Buffalo offense could really use a Sammy Watkins type. Tyrod Taylor is a below average passer, but it's crazy how consistently Buffalo's pass plays devolve to Taylor scrambling with no one open. They might want to consider an option offense. Taylor really is an incredible runner – he managed to freeze and juke away from Von Miller in a one-on-one open-field showdown early in this one.

LeSean McCoy's owners certainly weren't happy to see Mike Tolbert get extensive reps in the red zone. Maybe the Bills will use Tolbert there less after he dropped a wide open touchdown pass in the flats. The Tolbert problem likely isn't going anywhere, though – he looks surprisingly decent and it makes sense to limit McCoy's exposure to contact after his knee and hamstring troubles the last two years.

Trevor Siemian seems to have better chemistry with Emmanuel Sanders than Demaryius Thomas. They were both getting open quite a bit in this one, though the Buffalo pass rush and Siemian's underwhelming talent resulted in only modest returns for their efforts. For a team with such short and slow personnel in the secondary, Buffalo goes into press man coverage with little or no safety help rather often. A good quarterback will tear through this pass defense so long as they have time to throw (not that that's always a given with how good the Buffalo front four is).

There's no reason for C.J. Anderson owners to worry about Jamaal Charles' usage – Anderson was the clear lead back, and it was anomalous game flow that resulted in Charles matching Anderson's carry count. Charles should continue to thrive as a rotational player, though. While his speed and quickness have depleted a bit, he's still a magician at manipulating space.

Jets (20) vs. Miami (6)

Josh McCown was pushing the ball downfield in this one, and the Dolphins helped out with soft coverage. As good as his day otherwise was, Robby Anderson had two early drops in this one, including what would have been a long touchdown. It was a tough play to make, but still one a starting receiver should take care of. Anderson's explosiveness is unique for the Jets, so they'll keep going back to him some amount. Jermaine Kearse did a good job and will usually go punch-for-punch with Anderson's usage.

Austin Seferian-Jenkins could be a significant fantasy asset in this offense. He saw six targets despite supposedly lacking conditioning heading into the game. They even split him out wide for a target inside the 10-yard line. He's a top talent among tight ends if he's got his mind right.

Rookie sixth-round pick Elijah McGuire might be the best player in the Jets backfield. That doesn't amount to much in a mediocre offense with Matt Forte and Bilal Powell still involved, but McGuire has those two on notice and could push for further promotion going forward. He fumbled in the fourth quarter, but he was in the midst of a nice run that Forte and Powell probably couldn't have pulled off.

Jay Ajayi actually ran very tough in this one, and it didn't look like his knee limited him at all. He had a nice second-quarter run called back on an unrelated and probably unwarranted penalty. His box score tells the rest of the story – he just didn't have openings in this one, and the sputtering of the Miami offense deprived him of volume. He'll bounce back.

Jay Cutler wasn't prohibitively bad in this one, but he was still kind of bad. The accuracy and decision making weren't great, and he couldn't move the ball downfield at all. The offensive line didn't help. Cutler missed a wide open Jarvis Landry for what should have been an easy touchdown in the fourth quarter. Despite his ankle issue, DeVante Parker saw 10 targets. He's been the target on 24.7 percent of Cutler's passes so far.

Chicago (23) vs. Pittsburgh (17)

The first play of this game was a microcosm of its broader result; Martavis Bryant running free for an automatic 75-yard touchdown, but the Ben Roethlisberger throw was a little too far ahead. Bryant should have dove for it, but it also shouldn't have been a difficult play.

While his numbers look fine, Roethlisberger has been bad this year. In addition to missing the uncovered Bryant on the first play, he overthrew Antonio Brown by about 10 feet on a slant the next drive. He followed up that play with a sack where he appeared content to hold the ball indefinitely. The throwing velocity is fine, so he seems healthy, but Roethlisberger's accuracy is a mess and he hasn't made great decisions, either. I think he might be approaching toast status.

Le'Veon Bell looked a little more like himself in this one, though the tenacity of the Chicago defense posed a tough task. He had a 10-yard run called back for an illegal shift. He has to be on the verge of a monster game.

Jordan Howard didn't look fundamentally different in this one, he simply had more favorable surrounding conditions. His struggles in the first two weeks were neither his fault nor a reflection of his talent. He's a beast. But his shoulder injury was evident in between plays, which makes this the third year straight he's been nicked up. He plays hurt better than almost anyone, but it'd be nice to see him just get healthy. Tarik Cohen is the other half of this offense and that's not changing any time soon.

Mike Glennon can't possibly have too much longer in this starting offense. And Mitchell Trubisky can't possibly be as bad.

New England (36) vs. Houston (33)

The brief panic over Tom Brady's Week 1 struggles is already comical in hindsight. After lighting up the Texans in this one, despite taking five sacks, he's up to 825 yards and eight touchdowns over the last two weeks. He's back to doing jedi stuff.

Brandin Cooks' long-awaited breakout was nice to see, not that there was any reason to ever question his talent. Still, it's disappointing that he saw only seven targets in a game where Brady threw 35 passes. His target share through three weeks is a miserable 16.4 percent. At 14.2 yards per target, you'd think the Patriots will have reason to feed him eventually.

It seemed like the Patriots might have done a better job of throwing the ball when Mike Gillislee is on the field – Gillislee tends to see more traffic than James White because defenses presume run when in the game – but he still hasn't seen a target. They should really try to change that, if only to keep the defense honest.

It looked like it was going to be more of the same struggles for Deshaun Watson, as his opening drive burned out after a well-defended bootleg and a third-down play where he threw the ball at the receiver's feet. But from that point onward, it sure looked like a light went on for Watson, who had looked uncharacteristically confused and sheepish through his first two NFL games. His touchdown pass to Bruce Ellington was great – not only did he read it right and place the ball well, but he looked off the safety, too. Watson is still a turnover liability, but he's learning.

Lamar Miller looks good whenever I watch him, but his rushing average is always lower than I guess at the time. He should have some nice games if he stays healthy, especially with Watson further establishing himself as a running threat, but there's no doubt that D'Onta Foreman is closing in for more work. The rookie's speed always jumps out, and he's a good bet to push for about 10 carries per game going forward.

Carolina (13) vs. New Orleans (34)

Cam Newton's arm isn't right, and a playbook limited to slants and in routes proved crippling against a Saints defense that previously appeared uniquely built for failure. I have no clue when Newton's arm might come around, but until it does this is looking pretty bad for him. At least Jonathan Stewart and Christian McCaffrey are running well.

The Panthers seem focused on getting Curtis Samuel going in this offense. He showed off his rare speed on a 31-yard in this one, and otherwise saw five targets. I'm pessimistic about his chances of doing much with targets as long as Newton is like this, but a player as explosive as Samuel should be monitored closely if he's getting any sort of usage, especially in light of Kelvin Benjamin's knee injury.

This was probably Drew Brees' best performance of the year. His touchdown pass to Tedd Ginn was great – an instance of playmaking that had eluded Brees in the first two weeks. Now he gets Willie Snead back.

Adrian Peterson actually looked pretty good in this one, but the three-person backfield split of him, Mark Ingram, and Alvin Kamara makes it practically difficult to capitalize on any of the talent that might be there. With 18 targets in three games, Kamara is a candidate to establish mainstream PPR relevance going forward.

Minnesota (34) vs. Tampa Bay (17)

Case Keenum struggled against Pittsburgh in Week 2, but his reps with the first-team offense appear to have paid off. Not only did he put up big numbers against the Buccaneers, but he did it by sticking the big-time throws you normally only see from top quarterbacks. He showed superb downfield accuracy and better velocity than you'd expect from a journeyman who not long ago was unwanted. If you're an owner of Adam Thielen or Stefon Diggs, you shouldn't worry about Keenum dragging them down.

Dalvin Cook is a beast. He looked very slick in this game, and it looks like his instincts have caught up to NFL speed. He seems more certain in his movements now, allowing him to play at a higher speed than he did in Week 1. There's immense upside here as a pass catcher, too – there's a very good chance he goes over 80 receptions multiple times in his career.

Jameis Winston did some things well, but he still sometimes makes throws that are just inexplicably bad. His interception to Trae Waynes was baffling – DeSean Jackson had Waynes cooked, but instead of using his ample arm strength to throw the ball ahead of Jackson, Winston lazily lofted up an underthrow, allowing Waynes to catch up. Jackson, by the way, has seven targets in each game. If that usage holds up, he's headed for a 1,100-1,200-yard season.

Doug Martin is so much better than Jacquizz Rodgers, but so is Charles Sims, and Dirk Koetter didn't care about that. I'm assuming Martin gets the workhorse role here, but Tampa's personnel management is among the very worst.

Philadelphia (27) vs. Giants (24)

In light of Darren Sproles' cruel season-ending injuries from this game, the Eagles offense will have to reimagine itself going forward. Sproles led the Philadelphia running backs with 83 snaps going into Sunday, with LeGarrette Blount and Wendell Smallwood both at 29 snaps in the same span. Then there's the consideration of Sproles' skill set, which is generally incomparable.

Smallwood definitely has the skill set closest to Sproles, as at least he's a tested pass catcher, with college experience running receiver routes. The 4.47 speed also helps. He has a rare motor for a running back, so he can surprise with his after-contact production despite lacking power.

Blount did a good job bowling over defenders, but man does he look slow. He'll need to watch out for Corey Clement, who offers a lot of power but with better athleticism and pass-catching ability than Blount.

Carson Wentz will probably never be the greatest at read progressions or accuracy, but his combination of tools and pocket presence make him a force anyway. A powerful scrambler who plays unafraid, his worst-case scenario is a career where he's somewhat dependent on broken plays, kind of like Donovan McNabb in Philadelphia. Wentz left a few big plays on the field this year, though, including an overthrow on what would have been an Alshon Jeffery touchdown on a fly route in the second quarter.

Odell Beckham probably wasn't quite 100 percent, but he was very impressive in this one anyway. Sterling Shepard was great, too. He should have had another touchdown – in the Giants' last drive of the first half, Shepard had two called touchdown receptions get overturned on replay. Eagles corner Rasul Douglas runs a 4.59 40, and Marshall seemingly couldn't outrun him. It's hard to see him becoming a fantasy factor again. Indeed, the Giants would be better off giving Marshall's wide receiver snaps to Evan Engram.

Paul Perkins just doesn't run hard enough to produce right now. He's regressed since last year, when he finished rather strong in the season's final month. He basically has the yips and there's no guarantee he ever gets over it.

Detroit (26) vs. Atlanta (30)

Devonta Freeman was rock solid, as almost always. He had an incredible catch in the first quarter, taking a huge hit from the safety on a post route to convert a 3rd-and-16 play. I still think it would serve Atlanta well to make the workload split between him and Tevin Coleman closer to 50/50, though.

Matt Ryan uncharacteristically threw three interceptions in this one, which surprised me. The Lions defense isn't intimidating. Still, there's probably no insight to take from it.

Julio Jones continues to disappoint in fantasy despite playing well in real life, and this game was yet another missed opportunity as he finished with seven catches for 91 yards on 12 targets. Jones didn't log any red-zone targets in this one, but he did see a couple end-zone targets from beyond 20 yards out. Mohamed Sanu saw six more targets, giving him at least six in each game so far, though he dropped a pass that turned into one of Ryan's interceptions. While Taylor Gabriel is supremely explosive and posted five catches for 79 yards and a touchdown in this one, his six targets marked a season high by two. It will be tough to anticipate his blowup games.

I don't understand why Austin Hooper isn't seeing more work – he had just two targets in this, as he did in the two preceding games. At least the snaps were there, as he finished with 49 plays logged. He almost has to get something going soon.

Matthew Stafford regressed in this game after an impressive first two weeks. You have to push the ball downfield to keep up with the Falcons, but he was dependent on yards after the catch. To be fair, the Atlanta defense is talented and very fast. If it's not a 'good' defense, it's on the verge of becoming one. Also, the Lions had a few bad drops in this one, with Eric Ebron dropping at least two. What would have been a first-down catch was dropped in the fourth quarter by I think Marvin Jones, but pixelation in my game feed made it difficult to confirm.

That Golden Tate put up seven catches for 58 yards and a touchdown in what was a down day for Stafford reminds that his floor is uniquely high most weeks. Of course, he very nearly had a second touchdown. He doesn't make big gains, though, so Stafford will need to get Kenny Golladay more involved to provide those.

Theo Riddick is barely maintaining fantasy relevance, even in PPR formats. Ameer Abdullah is the clear top runner in this offense, and so far the Lions haven't shown an interest in even giving Riddick a rotational role as a ballcarrier.

Tennessee (33) vs. Seattle (27)

The game started out as more of the same for Russell Wilson, with his offensive line dissolving post-snap, leaving him to run for his life. Toward the end of the second quarter, though, the Seahawks finally picked up some speed, and Wilson finished with huge numbers despite the slow start.

Doug Baldwin was brilliant in this one, showing dominant ability both downfield and after the catch. If his groin injury causes him to miss time, Seattle is going to find out just how bad they can get. Paul Richardson is alright, but his skill set is mostly limited to the sideline.

Chris Carson is the clear lead back for the Seahawks and will have mainstream fantasy value as long as that's the case. I continue to see little reason on tape or in his prospect profile to think he has a strong hold of his role, but we'll see. The Seahawks used C.J. Prosise as a downfield wide receiver several times, which is an interesting if clever approach given their lack of playmaking at receiver so far. Prosise was a good receiver before he was a great running back at Notre Dame.

Marcus Mariota had a rushing touchdown that was called back on a hold in the second quarter. He was throwing high early on in this one, but eventually settled in despite the tough matchup.

Rishard Matthews continues to establish himself as the best receiver on the Titans, in a wideout rotation with more depth than any other. His touchdown was on a long-range screen pass where he zipped past and around numerous would-be tacklers before trotting into the end zone with a gassed defense in his wake. It was also probably Eric Decker's best game yet as a Titan.

Rookie third-round pick Jonnu Smith got two red-zone targets in this one, scoring on one for the second game in a row. Perhaps he's more of a short-term issue for Delanie Walker than previously thought. Smith is just too good to keep on the sideline.

DeMarco Murray mostly looked like himself despite playing through a hamstring issue. There's not much evidence that he's better than Derrick Henry, but as long as Murray can play the Titans appear committed to him as the clear lead runner.

Chargers (10) vs. Kansas City (24)

Alex Smith continues to play very well. The future is so weird. As long as he's doing it, Tyreek Hill is in for a great season. I was skeptical of Hill this year in large part because I was skeptical of Smith, but if Smith is good it's hard to see Hill failing.

Kareem Hunt, very good, etc.

Philip Rivers was atrocious in this game. His arm angle seemed a bit off, and his velocity is bad. Some of his throws were as if he just completely misread the defense – I have to wonder if he's laboring through his throws and missing reads while he thinking too much about mechanics that don't come as naturally at his age. Along with Roethlisberger, Rivers is on Toast Watch going forward.

As long as Rivers is playing this bad, it's hard to extract any insight on Keenan Allen, Tyrell Williams, or Travis Benjamin. I think all three are good, but it won't matter how open they are if Rivers doesn't shape up.

Melvin Gordon didn't look particularly explosive, and he seemed to be in pain at a couple points, but his vision could hardly be sharper. He did a great job of sensing the defense and manipulating his blockers to bait defenders out of position. His backup, Branden Oliver, also looked pretty slick.

Green Bay (27) vs. Cincinnati (24)

I was about ready to claw my scalp off when I saw Jeremy Hill start this game, but that would have been unnecessary since Joe Mixon ended up with the most usage. If the usage remains intact – and I don't know why it wouldn't – the breakout will occur soon. Like Dalvin Cook has lately, Mixon is going to show another gear once he gets in a rhythm.

Andy Dalton was better in this one, but still not good. He had trouble getting the ball to anyone not named A.J. Green, but Green is basically a gimme. It's a grim sign that Dalton took three sacks on just 27 pass attempts while the Packers were without Mike Daniels and Nick Perry. This offense can't support two fantasy-viable receivers right now.

The Packers really need to figure out a new plan at left tackle if David Bakhtiari continues to miss time. Backup swing tackle Kyle Murphy was awful there before suffering a season-ending injury, and it's not clear whether Bakhtiari will be ready off the short week. Considering how bad the blocking was, it's immensely impressive that Rodgers put up 313 yards and three touchdowns in this game.

Geronimo Allison was mostly ineffective before going super clutch in the fourth quarter and overtime. He lacks talent but has one crucial redeeming trait: he's naturally great at improvising with Rodgers. Randall Cobb's eventual return will push him out of the picture, but any time one of Cobb, Jordy Nelson, or Davante Adams is out, Allison is worth plugging in.

The need to lighten Ty Montgomery's workload is more than just talk. Generally competent as he was, he appeared a bit sapped in this game. I don't expect Jamaal Williams to be particularly good if his workload increases, but we ought to get some insight there this Thursday.

Washington (27) vs. Oakland (10)

Well. That was disappointing. I knew Preston Smith and Ryan Kerrigan were good, but I didn't expect them to have nearly so much help against a highly-regarded Oakland offensive line. The entire Washington front seven swarmed Derek Carr all game, even on short dropbacks. Of course, Carr wasn't at his sharpest anyway – on one of the few plays where he did have ample time, he threw a duck at Amari Cooper that the safety closed on and intercepted with time to spare.

Cooper was a complete non-factor. He caught what would have been a first down reception toward the end of the first quarter, but the play was called back on holding. Then he dropped what would have been another first down catch on the next play, forcing a punt. He'll get it going, but it's been a disappointing start to the season for him. I bet Jared Cook can build some more momentum – he's running a lot of receiver routes and has at least five targets in each game.

Marshawn Lynch continues to run well. His modest volume might preclude the possibility big yardage from scrimmage, but it feels like someone as effective as him has to rack up a couple multi-touchdown games before the season ends. He even looks good as a pass catcher.

I'm trying to be cognizant of my bias, but it seemed to me that the Oakland run defense overpowered the Washington offensive line, leaving little running room for Samaje Perine. Perine didn't stand out otherwise, but he still presents a sharp contrast to Rob Kelley in terms of burst, speed, and even power. I'd like to see just one play where he has a running lane as big as the kinds Kelley saw multiple times against the Rams. Unfortunately for me, Kelley will go back in the starting lineup when healthy.

No matter whether it's Perine or Kelley who starts, Chris Thompson is clearly the most effective running back on this team, and the per-play gap between him and the previously mentioned duo is so vast that Washington really might have its resolve tested on its commitment to limiting Thompson's touches out of durability concern. Fast, quick, perceptive, and decisive, Thompson's pass-catching skills and burst in space completely change the nature of this offense for the better.

I would take him for a merely average starting NFL quarterback, but Kirk Cousins reminded Sunday that he's capable of playing quite well at times. In addition to Cooper, Terrelle Pryor is killing me this year. Both players look physically imposing and project for big target counts, setting the stage for imminent breakouts, but I'm definitely bitter about the missed opportunities to this point. This should have been a strong game for both players. Jamison Crowder still looks quick, yet his role looks mostly the same as it was last year. That's not what I had in mind when I picked him throughout the summer. It was heartening to see Josh Doctson's touchdown, but I don't know what to make of his broader projection since he saw just two targets. Vernon Davis is always in play if Jordan Reed is out.