Giants DC Shane Bowen: Playing Abdul Carter off the ball is something to consider
Giants first-round pick Abdul Carter went third overall in this year's draft because of his potential to impact games off the edge, but getting the most out of him as a rookie might involve getting creative with how they use him.
Carter played 38 of the Giants' defensive snaps in Week 1, which put him behind Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns in the edge rusher pecking order and led to questions for the Giants about how they can get three of their best defensive players on the field more often. Defensive coordinator Shane Bowen said in a Thursday press conference that he thinks "that's something that's going to evolve as we go."
One evolution could come as a result of linebacker Micah McFadden's foot injury. McFadden was placed on injured reserve Thursday and Bowen was asked about possibly using Carter off the ball as a way to have him on the field more often.
"Abdul's got the history of playing off the ball, so that's something we've got to consider, got to look at," Bowen said, via a transcript from the team. "Another way, as you've said, to potentially get all three of those guys on the field. I think all those guys have versatility to do some different things for us that we've got to continue to explore. By game plan, what we're seeing, first, second down versus third down. What are those situations on third down? All that stuff kind of comes into play."
McFadden's backup is Darius Muasau, but they've got at least four games to look at options while McFadden is on injured reserve and getting as much talent on the field as possible isn't a bad idea for a team that needs to start winning games.
Fantasy Football: Here are our bold predictions for Week 2
The Yahoo Fantasy staff is back in Week 2, sharing their boldest predictions for fantasy football.
Dak Prescott remains money vs. Giants
Prescott had a bad runout in the opener — dropped passes, a weather delay, even a surprise ejection that encouraged Dallas to run more than usual. But Prescott deserves a fantasy mulligan, especially with the Giants on the schedule in Week 2. Prescott has 13 straight wins in this matchup, and monster career stats against the Giants (102.4 rating, 7.9 YPA, 29 touchdowns, just eight picks). Don’t let a fluke Week 1 result steer you off a bankable passing game. Dak will finish in the top five at QB this week. — Scott Pianowski
All three Chargers wide receivers feast again
Earlier this week, I wrote about how the world needs to accept that the Chargers are a pass-first team. Los Angeles was second in neutral pass after the Week 5 bye in 2024, invested in tons of wide receivers this offseason and doubled down on that identity in Week 1 of this season. The targets were incredibly concentrated between Ladd McConkey as the WR1 of the offense, Keenan Allen as the zone-beating chain-mover and Quentin Johnston, more cleverly deployed as a horizontal threat. The team took it to a Chiefs secondary last week that has its holes but is a significantly better unit than what they’ll see in Week 2 against the Raiders. Additionally, the Raiders also juiced up their neutral pass rate in Week 1 with Geno Smith in town, finishing No. 1 in the NFL. You want to attack games where two teams are likely to take to the air. I’d be comfortable starting any of the Chargers' top three receivers and expect all of them to finish among the top-20 WRs in Week 2. — Matt Harmon
Jordan Mason stays hot despite RB split
The offseason talk around Minnesota that suggested Mason would be in a 50-50 split with Aaron Jones came to fruition in Week 1. Mason earned slightly more snaps, touches and scrimmage yards, but Jones finished as the RB11 thanks to a receiving touchdown. Had it been Mason crossing the goal line instead, he would have been inside the top 12 at the position. The former 49er also passed the eye test, looking like the more dangerous back. Beat writer Alec Lewis of The Athletic pointed out that Mason averaged 3.86 yards after contact in the game, which is the highest by any Vikings’ running back since Kevin O’Connell arrived in Minnesota. While Jones isn’t going away, there are signs that the younger Mason deserves even more work. With the Vikings favored at home versus the Falcons on Sunday Night Football, get ready for Mason to build on his stat line from last week and find the end zone, finishing as a top-12 RB in Week 2. — Justin Boone
A.J. Brown bounces back in a big way
I’ve got a three-pronged argument for Brown returning to his rightful spot toward the top of our WR ranks. First, there have been four instances where Brown has earned less than 20% of Jalen Hurts’ targets. His share of the looks in the games after a dud performance has been 30.4%, 43.2%, 32.1% and 35%. After seeing a lone pass thrown his way last Thursday, betting on the pendulum swinging back his way is a worthwhile wager. Second, Brown wasn’t just running wind sprints in the season opener. Give credit where it’s due. Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus used zone coverage on all of their defensive snaps, minimizing the throwing opportunities for Brown as he primarily works on the outside. And finally, without a setback to his offseason hamstring injury, Brown’s Week 2 matchup against the Chiefs comes at the perfect time. Kansas City’s secondary just gave up 79 yards and two TDs to Quentin Johnston, who also primarily plays on the perimeter. With the projected volume and matchup, Brown should be back in the top six among WRs by the end of Sunday’s games. — Chris Allen
Javonte Williams isn't just a one-week wonder
Williams is my bold call to finish as a top-10 running back in Week 2. Last week, the Dallas backfield belonged to him. Even with Miles Sanders breaking a long run, Williams handled 100% of the carries inside the 10-yard line and inside the 5. Those money zone touches matter because they show who the Cowboys trust when it counts. Rookie Jaydon Blue was a healthy scratch, and the word out of Dallas is he still needs a full understanding of the offense before seeing meaningful work. That leaves the runway wide open for Williams. The Giants were supposed to be tough up front but rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt ripped them for chunk gains and even scored on a goal-line touch in his debut. Dallas’ offense looked sharper than the box score showed, and with Williams’ usage locked in, he’s lined up for another top-10 fantasy finish. — Ray Garvin
Breece Hall makes it back-to-back
Hall has been one of the most explosive rushers since entering the NFL, and will only be more explosive with Justin Fields. The Jets QB brings an extra element to the read option rushing game, giving Hall more space to hit breakaway runs when edge defenders have to focus on the QB. Over 21% of his Week 1 carries went for over 10 rushing yards. This new rushing attack now gets a Buffalo Bills team that lined up against a similar rushing offense in Baltimore last Sunday night. Did they slow them down? Not in the slightest. Buffalo allowed 223 rushing yards purely on explosive carries (rushes of 10+), the only defense to allow more than 140 explosive rush yards. I expect a few more explosive runs from Hall as the Bills are forced to focus on another dual-threat quarterback, landing the star RB another 100-yard game on the ground. — Joel Smyth
Sean McVay aims to roll out a more blended Davante Adams-Puka Nacua attack
Rams wide receiver Davante Adams signals first down after making a catch against the Houston Texans on Sept. 7 at SoFi Stadium. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
Except, perhaps, fantasy football players who drafted Adams.
“That’s not in the forefront of my mind,” Adams, chuckling, said this week. “I know they think it is. I'm just out here trying to win games and contribute and make plays when I can.”
Nacua brushed off a cut above his eye that required stitches and caught 10 passes for 130 yards. Adams, making his Rams debut, caught four passes for 51 yards.
As the season progresses — starting with Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans in Nashville — coach Sean McVay and quarterback Matthew Stafford are apt to even out the targets.
“I'm excited about being able to learn — and it's a good thing to be able to figure out how to get those guys involved,” McVay said as the Rams prepared for a Titans (0-1) team that will be playing its home opener.
Nissan Stadium in Nashville was the setting for one of the first big moments of McVay’s tenure.
In 2017, McVay’s first season, the Rams clinched the NFC West with a victory over the Titans made possible by then-rookie receiver Cooper Kupp’s diving touchdown catch.
Last March, a few days after they agreed to terms with the three-time All-Pro Adams, the Rams released Kupp, the 2021 NFL offensive player of the year and most valuable player of Super Bowl LVI.
Since last visiting Tennessee, the Rams have played in two Super Bowls and won a title. They have been to the playoffs six times in McVay’s eight seasons.
With a deep and talented roster, they are regarded as Super Bowl contenders.
But much of that rides on how McVay can blend Nacua and Adams.
“I thought it was a good start,” McVay said of the opener.
Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua evades a Houston Texans defender after making a catch during the Rams' win on Sept. 7. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Late in the first quarter against the Texans, Nacua caught a pass for a first down, and then left the field and went to the locker room, where he was evaluated for a concussion and received stitches.
“I felt like half my face had fallen off into my facemask that was all the way over here,” Nacua said, gesturing beyond his left shoulder.
But the third-year pro demonstrated his trademark toughness and returned.
Adams noted that Nacua “bounced up” after taking hits against the Texans, came back after receiving stitches and continued to excel.
“It’s hard to stop a pit bull once you get going,” Adams said. “That's clearly what you get from somebody like Puka.”
Or somebody like Adams.
On the Rams’ third play, Adams absorbed a major hit after converting a third down, but he popped to his feet and pointed downfield, signaling first down.
“To give that exclamation point of being like, ‘All right, we’re here, we’re going to take your best shot, and we’re going to stand up and we’re going to get ready to march the ball forward,’” Nacua said, adding, “There’s a toughness that you earn the right to play with in the NFL, and he definitely has that.”
As does Nacua, who has said that his physical style was borne from competing against older brothers. Those siblings pumped him up as a youth by slapping him hard on his shoulders during car rides to games. Nacua had college teammates slap him on his shoulder pads before each series, and he recruited several Rams teammates to do the same.
“It’s always nice to get a little wake up on the sideline before you officially get hit by somebody else out there,” Nacua said.
Rams receivers have a saying, Adams said: “You can’t live forever.”
“Sometimes you have to go across the middle and make that play,” he said. “You can't just let a ball soar past your eyes just because you're in harm's way. It sounds kind of crazy, but that's what you signed up for when you want to be a receiver in this league.”
In the opener, Adams and Nacua made pivotal plays for long gains.
Adams’ textbook back-shoulder catch along the left sideline netted 24 yards. It was the kind of play the Rams envisioned when they paired Stafford, a 17th-year pro who played 12 seasons for the Detroit Lions, with Adams, a 12th-year pro who played his first eight seasons with the Green Bay Packers.
“I know he is really good at that kind of stuff from playing against him and watching him do it and tormenting my team back in the day,” Stafford said, laughing.
Said Adams: “It's a good building block.”
Nacua caught a no-look pass for 25 yards in the fourth quarter. In the final series, he caught a short pass and clinched the victory by turning it into a 24-yard gain.
Which receiver gets the leading role each week will be determined by how opponents attempt to stop them.
“I'm sure there'll be times when he's lighting it up and they say, ‘All right, let's try to tilt over there, maybe we'll stop that, see if that works,’” Adams said. “Then I'll be one-on-one and have a lot more opportunities as well.
“It's a long season and I think everybody here knows that.”
