RAIN OR SHINE
Week 1 NFL football Sunday weather report
Stephen Uzick
Sep 7, 2018, 6:55 am
Marcus Mariota and the Titans head to Miami. Andy Lyons/Getty Images
It’s finally Week 1 of the NFL season and everyone is eager to get their wagering on and to see their freshly drafted fantasy rosters in action. But before you lock in you should take note of weather conditions on Sunday that will be putting a damper (see what I did there) on a few games. Read on to see which games this week most likely to be impacted and how I believe the conditions will affect each fantasy position group:
Steelers @ Browns (noon central): The zombie corpse of Tropical Storm Gordon will be trolling the #lolBrowns hard on Sunday. All indications right now point to a very soggy and breezy afternoon in Cleveland. Heavy rain will be possible throughout the game, likely making the natural grass surface a muddy mess. Those with Antonio Brown on their team hoping for him to feast on the Browns may be disappointed in this game. Brown is a must start, regardless of conditions, but given the rain and the wind I wouldn’t bank on a huge day for him. These conditions present the perfect opportunity for the teams to lean heavily on the running game, so if you have Le’Veon Bell on your roster you have my sympathies. Winds look to be rather breezy out of the southeast at around 20 MPH with some higher gusts possible. The southeasterly direction means the wind will be blowing across the width of the field making kicking and deep passes challenging. Below are my rankings for how the conditions will impact each fantasy position groups (a total of 3 arrows are possible):
QB: ↓↓
RB: ↑↑↑
WR/TE: ↓↓
K: ↓↓↓
DEF: ↑
Bills @ Ravens (noon central) – This will also be a wet game, though probably not quite as soggy as Cleveland. Light to moderate rain showers will be present throughout the game – enough to soak the field but not totally swamp it. Wind will also pose a challenge, coming out of the east at about 15 MPH but gusting to 20 or 25 MPH at times. The orientation of the stadium makes it such that the wind will be blowing across the length of the field, giving each team an equal opportunity to be helped or harmed by the wind. With less a less than stellar quarterback for the Bills (and that is putting it kindly) and below average receivers for the Ravens look for the running game to be heavily favored here. These aren’t the best conditions for kickers but it’s not the worst either. Despite the conditions I would still play Justin Tucker as he is one of the best, if not the best, kicker in the game right now. If you have Steven Hauschka though, it might not be a bad idea to take a look at what other kickers are available for this week.
QB: ↓↓ (If Peterman or Flacco is your starting QB you need more help than I can offer)
RB: ↑↑↑
WR/TE: ↓
K: ↓
DEF: ↑↑
Titans @ Dolphins (noon Central) – This game won’t necessarily feature out of the ordinary conditions, but playing in Miami in early September is no walk in the park. Typical of south Florida the heat and humidity will be downright stifling. The heat index will be hovering around 100 degrees with little to no breeze to provide relief. As always in Miami there is the possibility of a passing rain shower, but any impacts from rain will be minimal. Rather it will be the heat that has the greatest effect, especially given that this is the first game of the year and conditioning may not be 100%. I would give the defenses a bump down here as they are likely to get gassed more quickly than would otherwise be normal. Alternatively, I would give the kickers a slight bump up as hot and humid air is less dense which can give a little more distance on kicks.
QB: ↔ (Neutral)
RB: ↔
WR/TE: ↔
K: ↑
DEF: ↓
For more information on these games and to get any questions answered (including College Games) you can find me on Twitter @stephenuzick
Most Popular
SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome
Listen Live
NFL insiders hint at eye-opening future for Houston Texans offense
Dec 7, 2024, 2:38 pm
C.J. Stroud faced criticism in Houston's last few games as the Texans hit a rough patch after losing just two of their first eight games.
But the second-year quarterback remained confident and his strong performance last Sunday helped the Texans (8-5) to a 23-20 win over the Jaguars to enter their bye with a two-game lead atop the AFC South.
“When he is leading and playing the way he is playing, our entire team feeds off of him,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “I am excited for his second year. I think he is showing a ton of growth, he is in a really great spot for us physically, mentally. I really love where he is and I am excited to see how he comes back after the break.”
Stroud threw for 242 yards and a touchdown against Jacksonville to leave him ranked fourth in the NFL with 3,117 yards passing this season. That game came after he threw two interceptions in a 32-27 loss to Tennessee a week before for the team’s third loss in four games.
Those two interceptions brought his season total to nine, which are four more than he threw in 15 games a rookie. But the Texans aren’t worried about that statistic and believe he has grown in his second year.
“He’s made a lot of progress,” general manager Nick Caserio said. “There are some plays, like all of our players, that we probably wish he could have back, but happy he’s our quarterback, happy with what he brings to the table. ... Wouldn’t want anyone else leading this team.”
The Texans are in position to win their division for a second straight season despite dealing with several significant injuries on offense. Running back Joe Mixon missed three games early with an ankle injury and leading receiver Nico Collins was sidelined for five games with a hamstring injury.
They also lost four-time Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs for the season when tore an ACL in Week 8.
Mixon leads the team with 887 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns and has added four touchdown receptions. His work in his first season in Houston after a trade from Cincinnati has helped the team deal with those significant injuries to the receiving corps.
Mixon ranks third in the NFL by averaging 88.7 yards rushing a game and has had at least 100 yards rushing in seven games.
Stroud has continually raved about Mixon’s contributions on and off the field.
“He’s a servant, a helper,” Stroud said. “That’s ultimately what I want to be as well. Who can I serve and how can I help? That’s ultimately what the game of football is.”
While Mixon has been the team’s most important new acquisition on offense, Danielle Hunter has been Houston’s new defensive star. The defensive end spent his first eight seasons in Minnesota before joining the Texans this year.
He has helped Houston lead the NFL with 84 tackles for loss after piling up 15 this season, which is tied for third most in the league. He also leads the Texans with 10½ sacks to help them rank second with 42.
Hunter been a great addition to a team that already had defensive end Will Anderson Jr., last year’s AP Defensive Rookie of the Year. Anderson ranks second to Hunter on the team with 13 tackles for loss and 9½ sacks.
Ryans said this week’s break is much needed for a team that opened the preseason on Aug. 1 in the Hall of Fame game.
“It’s here and we’re going to take advantage of it,” he said. “We’ve been going at it for a long time.”
The Texans need to recharge this week with a brutal stretch of three games in 10 days when they return from their bye. Houston hosts Miami on Dec. 15 before a trip to Kansas City on Dec. 21 and a visit from the Ravens on Christmas Day.
“It’s Christmas and all that, but we can’t worry about that. All we can do is focus on Miami,” Caserio said. “And then when we get through the Miami game, then we kind of turn the page to the next. ... We’re either going to earn it or we’re not. Not to oversimplify it, but that’s the truth.”
The Texans will play those game without starting linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair after he received a three-game suspension for his violent hit to the head of Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence, which led to a concussion.
Al-Shaair will be eligible to return for Houston’s regular-season finale against Tennessee.