Some weapons are stuck in the corner of Accounting department and overlooked in intra-office basketball tournaments, while other players are hyped by their manager in the #nfl thread and locked into starting lineups.
This segment is about answering the question: who really is the secret weapon?
- Stanley Hudson sticker: the player is worse than advertised or hyped. (More Stanley stickers means more disappointment)
- Kevin Malone sticker: the player is better than appearances.
PC’s Brandin Cooks
4 Kevin stickers for Cooks. BoB was wasting Kevin’s Famous Chili! (In weeks 1–4, Cooks was the WR84 overall.)
Since BoB got fired, Cooks has been the WR2…overall. BoB had Watson running PA at a league-low rate of 16%. After his departure, that number has jumped up to 29%, unlocking Cooks explosive WR2/3 upside.
Caleb’s Le’Veon Bell
Two Stanley stickers for Le’Veon.
When news hit that Le’Veon was signing with the Chiefs, Caleb immediately advertised Bell as a contender for top-5 RB in the league. While Bell will certainly be a weapon in the passing game, Le’Veon may end up channeling more of Stanley’s palm-slap dribbles as a breather FLEX…upsetting Michael-Scott sized expectations of a borderline RB1. See Glazer’s tweet below:
Via coach Andy Reid, Glazer reports Bell has been added to “take just some of the reps but not become their starter.” In Glazer/Reid’s colorful language, Reid does not want Bell to “take the plays of my little guy.”
Sammy’s J.D. McKissic
Nope it’s not Antonio Gibson, it’s J.D. McKissic! Equally handsome, equally smart. While Sam’s Oscar Martinez and Angela (CMC & Melvin) were OOO, J.D. has filled in admirably, averaging 12.5 points per game. That rates as RB18 overall, tied with James Robinson.
In Week 6, McKissic led all Washington’s running backs in snap share (56%), opportunities (14), touches (14), yards from scrimmage (84). J.D. gets only one Kevin sticker because Rivera might give more reps to the rookie in the second half of the season.
Gordon’s JuJu Smith-Schuster
JuJu has been as unproductive as Stanley on Pretzel Day.
JuJu was projected to be on the WR1/2 borderline, given his experience with Big Ben. But lately, he has been more FLEX than WR2. Decline in snaps (76% → 65%), low aDOT, and a stacked receiver group (that is only getting more crowded with Diontae’s return) is tanking JuJu’s elite outlook.
Benny’s Travis Fulgham
Fulgham is looking like the real deal as Wentz’ go-to receiver and Benny’s new season-long WR3. While the return of Alshon and DeSean may take away targets, note that Pederson has already stated that Fulgham’s role is safe, as Fulgham’s peripherals rank high among all WR’s:
- Most receiving yards per route run (3rd)
- Passer rating when targeted (2nd)
AA’s Marquise Brown
Before season start, Hollywood was projected to step into a WR2 alpha role. However, it’s looking more likely that the Ravens won’t need to air it out to win. There is a tinge of Kevin Malone in Hollywood’s game, as he can bust open for a long TD at any moment’s notice, but with the way the Ravens defense is playing, those deep targets will likely have to come within the first half of every game.
I give one Stanley Hudson sticker for the boom-bust WR3, but Hollywood is just 1–2 Kevin Malone’s chili cook-offs away from being a consistent weapon.
Kong’s Ronald Jones
Ronald Jones is the only player this season with three straight games of at least 100 rushing yards (111, 106, 113). He is also 3rd in the league in rushing yards over expectation per attempt. While Fournette’s impending return keeps the Malone meter to a modest 3 Kevin’s, RoJo may have already proven himself as the lead back.
