Fantasy Football Storylines to Watch in Week 3: Derek Carr, Saints look here to stay

Give me directions, and then let me work.

That used to be my mantra when I was younger. (I’d like to think) I’m a pretty smart guy. I can execute. But that perspective changed as I got older.

Try having a family and think one set of instructions is sufficient. I’ve had to take graduate-level courses to learn how to operate our washing machine to my wife’s standards.

Anyway, Week 1 was our first set of blueprints.

The problem is some of us took the results as gospel. Marvin Harrison Jr. was too slow to be a good WR. Sam Darnold couldn’t possibly be this good (although, if you checked out last week’s piece, I came away impressed).

Week 2 emphasized the idea that every week is an opportunity to learn. And once again, I’ve got five storylines that taught me something new to take into Week 3.

‘Oh When The Saints Go Marching In’

The joke I heard throughout the offseason about the Saints started something like, “An aging, disgruntled RB, a weak offensive line and Derek Carr walk into a bar …”. But I don’t think the punchline was sitting atop the NFC South with a +65 point differential (first in the league).

To be fair, years of watching a stagnant offense lowered our expectations. The scheme offered no easy buttons. And then, Klint Kubiak came to the Big Easy.

When I say “easy buttons,” think of a basic passing play with two WRs on the field and a QB dropping straight back to throw. In this scenario, the signal caller won’t get any hints of the defense’s intentions, nor is there an option to make them second-guess what the offense is doing. Essentially, the play-caller is asking his squad to “out-talent” the opposition. But it doesn’t have to be that difficult.

Schemers can pull on levers like play-action and pre-snap motion to get information while forcing defenders to adjust in an instant. Others put the onus on their players. After two weeks, Kubiak is clearly in the former category.

Play-Action Rate: 32nd (2023 rank), 2nd (2024 rank)

Pre-Snap Motion…

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Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-09-18 15:22:15

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