Overreactions are natural in all forms of life. Stock market went down? We’re all going broke. Can’t get rid of that cough? Find the nearest deathbed.
Fantasy stud face-planted? Cut him. Making rash decisions after Week 1 is always a bad idea. But there were a few interesting subplots that could be a sign of things to come.
Clashed Titan
A bad game against the Patriots is usually nothing to get alarmed about. But when we take Chris Johnson’s four-yard outing in context with his disastrous 2011 campaign, we have a problem. CJ?K continues to dance his way into holes and fail to break tackles. Even worse, his offensive line appeared inept. Don’t sell Johnson low, but shopping him after a good game might yield a positive expectation.
Slot machine
Wes Welker has had a fistful of games like his three-catch, 15-yard performance last Sunday. The difference this time was usage. Welker almost always gets about 90 percent of the snaps and racks up double-digit targets per game. But in this one, he was on the field for just 64.2 percent of the offensive plays as Julian Edelman rotated into the slot. Perhaps the Patriots are beginning to phase out Welker, who is in the final year of his contract.
Cleanup Spiller
Fred Jackson went down, and C.J. Spiller went off. Sound familiar? When Jackson missed the final six games last year, Spiller averaged 105.5 total yards and scored five touchdowns. Over his last 17 games, he’s averaged 6.03 yards per carry. Jackson is out for at least a month, but the team is still waiting to see how the knee injury progresses before making a final call. Spiller is the real deal and a weekly top-5 option going forward. Don’t be surprised if he keeps the gig.
