Thursday Night Football Fantasy Preview: Kirk Cousins, Alexander Mattison, Ty Chandler
Thursday night in Week 1 was supposed to be the highest-scoring game of the week and present all kinds of fantasy options. Instead, the teams scored just 41 combined points, and only Patrick Mahomes and tight ends Blake Bell and Sam LaPorta were top-10 at their position in PPR scoring.
Well, Thursday night of Week 2 is projected to be the second-highest scoring game of the week, according to BetMGM, so we’re back where we started, hoping for fireworks to kick off the week. Let’s look at high-ceiling, inconsistent quarterback Kirk Cousins and his ball carriers to see how they match up with Philadelphia and whether they should be in your lineups for Week 2.
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Quarterback
Kirk Cousins Fantasy Football Outlook Week 2
I’m going to steal a few stats from my look at the Vikings receivers and tight ends while adding a few others about 2022:
- The Eagles allowed the least number of passing yards per game last season. They also allowed the least total yards per game.
- Philadelphia gave up the seventh-least points per game in 2022.
- They led the league in sacks and had the fourth-most interceptions.
- They allowed the fifth-least fantasy points per game to quarterbacks.
- The main weak spot for Philadelphia against QBs was allowing rushing yards, the fourth-most in the league. Unfortunately for Cousins, he doesn’t run much, with just 97 yards on the ground last year (26th among quarterbacks).
That looks like a bad week coming for Cousins, but let’s hit a few positive notes as well. Minnesota attempted the third-most passes last season and tied for fourth-most in Week 1 this year. The volume with which they throw the ball is near the top of the league, so Cousins will get opportunities for fantasy points. Minnesota also had the fourth-most passing yards per game last season, and Cousins was second in Week 1 with 344 yards. He’s also throwing to one of the best receivers in football in Justin Jefferson, so Cousins has somewhere to go with the ball even when everyone is covered (we saw examples of this last year).
Maybe most importantly, Minnesota isn’t throwing the ball while down and trying to catch up; they throw the ball all the time and in neutral situations. The Vikings were 13-4 last season and aired it out while leading and in close games. Despite never trailing by more than one score in Week 1, Minnesota threw the ball all day long against a good Bucs defense.
The Eagles allowed the fourth-most passing yards in Week 1, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Mac Jones threw the ball 54(!) times against the Eagles, eight more than any other player. Jones had 316 passing yards, but his 5.8 yards per attempt and 64.8% completion percentage were both just 17th among starters. Cousins was fourth in yards per attempt (7.8) and fifth in completion percentage (75%) in Week 1 (he did throw an interception and lose two fumbles).
Philly’s defense was solid even while giving up surface stats. The Vikings now get to test their prolific passing game against a tough defense that shut them down last season. These teams matched up on Monday Night Football in Week 2 last year, and the veteran QB was 27/46 (58.7%) for 221 yards (4.8 per attempt) with one touchdown and three interceptions as the Eagles blasted the Vikings 24-7.
Every game is different, but history is the best indicator of what will happen in the future. Cousins was 10th in fantasy scoring among quarterbacks last week in a decent performance, and our projections have him heading for the 13th-most points this week.
That is the range he will sit in most weeks, so owners are tasked with deciding when he will hit and when he won’t. Week 1 was a tough matchup with Tampa, and he was starter-worthy, but now he must do it on the road in Philadelphia (where they played last season when Cousins struggled). He could easily come through again, but I’m skeptical.
Running Backs
Alexander Mattison Fantasy Football Outlook Week 2
Despite their great defense, the Eagles allowed the 17th-most rushing yards last season, right at league average. They were slightly better against just running backs, allowing the 20th-most rushing yards. Philly allowed the 17th-most receptions and 18th-most receiving yards to backs, again numbers in the middle. All of this is to say that Mattison has an OK matchup in Week 2.
Mattison was 16th in PPR and 18th in Standard scoring in Week 1. That’s a starting fantasy performance. The numbers are uglier, though, as he carried the ball 11 times for just 34 yards and caught three passes for 10 yards. A receiving touchdown in the fourth quarter saved what otherwise would have been a Week 1 outside the top 30 for Mattison.
This could be a recurring issue, as the Vikings had the third-least rushing attempts per game in 2022 (to go with the third-most pass attempts). Minnesota had the second-least rushing attempts in Week 1. The ball is going to fly around, as we discussed above, and Mattison is going to be left with more scraps than pristine opportunities.
A good offense always gives players a chance to score, and being a no-doubt lead back means a lot in the 2023 NFL, but Mattison won't have the same highs as previous Minnesota backs like Adrian Peterson or even last year's starter Dalvin Cook.
We are projecting Mattison to have the 23rd most points among running backs in Week 2; that’s a borderline starter, much like Cousins, or a flex player. Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliot were the backs facing the Eagles in Week 1, and they struggled to run the ball, totaling just 54 yards on 19 carries. They did combine for 11 receptions, though, and Stevenson in particular had a big performance with six catches for 64 yards. Stevenson was the 20th-highest-scoring back in Standard, but 13th in PPR thanks to his work in the passing game.
Mattison finishing in the same range around RB15-RB20 in Week 2 feels about right. That’s a player worthy of starting consideration, depending on the other players on your roster, and a strong flex play.
Ty Chandler, C.J. Ham Fantasy Football Outlook Week 2
Second-year backup Ty Chandler had three carries for zero yards and caught one pass in Week 1. Fullback C.J. Ham caught two passes. Every other touch from a back was by Mattison. Mattison is the only one to consider in this backfield unless there’s an injury, and even that wouldn’t produce a clear performer immediately.
Verdict
Cousins and Mattison are both borderline starters, and I feel better about the running back. Unless you have two very good backs (which some managers do), Mattison is probably in your starting lineup. A game against a tough Philly team could bring disappointment, but he is likely to get the ball with a chance to produce.
Cousins I’m less sure about, and I think you can find a better option than him this week. Ryan Tannehill plays the Chargers (who just gave up a ton of yards to the Dolphins), Jared Goff plays the Seahawks (who just gave up 334 yards to Matthew Stafford at home), and Baker Mayfield has another nice matchup against the Bears (who let Jordan Love throw for 245 yards with three touchdowns, no interceptions, and just one sack); those are all streaming options with better matchups. Cousins throws the ball a lot, and he could surely rack up numbers, but he’s unlikely to crack the top 10 in Week 2.
