"First, analytics writer Seth Walder breaks down three stat trends that could be pivotal this weekend. Then fantasy football writer Eric Moody runs through five players who are rostered in under 50% of ESPN fantasy football leagues as of Saturday and could be started in a jam. That's followed by NFL analyst Ben Solak predicting three potentially big surprises and NFL analyst Matt Bowen picking one key matchup to watch. Finally, sports betting analyst Pamela Maldonado gives her favorite bet of Week 1."
"Is Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs in line for a huge receiving day against the Packers' zone coverage? One of my favorite stat splits is the discrepancy between a running back's receiving numbers against man and zone coverage. Backs were targeted on 10% of man coverage dropbacks last season and caught passes on 8% of such dropbacks. But against zone, those same numbers jumped to 18% and 15%, respectively. That's almost doubling the reception rate when facing zone looks!"
Week 1 opened with the Eagles defeating the Cowboys and the Chargers beating the Chiefs in Brazil. Statistical splits show running backs are targeted and catch passes far more often against zone than man coverage, with targets rising from 10% to 18% and receptions from 8% to 15% on dropbacks. Jahmyr Gibbs ranked third in receiving yards among running backs while the Packers ranked second in zone usage, creating a favorable matchup. Five low-rostered fantasy players are identified as potential emergency starts. Predictions include a few surprise outcomes, one matchup to watch, and a top Week 1 betting pick.
Read at ESPN.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]