Welcome to week 7 of the Cyclone tracker! (*Note: This week’s report has been modified to reflect the bye week and singular focus on the Seattle Seahawks.*)
This is where we follow our resident weather themed duo in rookie receivers Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, both out of Iowa State (hence, the “Cyclone” twins).
As always, there will be analysis, projections, commentary, and relevant updates that happen in real time.
Week 7 Cyclones Predictor:
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Name: Jayden Higgins
Position: WR
Projected
week 5 storm path: 2.7 targets, 1.8 receptions, 21.9 yards, 0.1 TD’s, 7.2 fantasy pts
Actual week 5 path: 4 targets, 4 receptions, 32 yards, 0 TD’s, 8.4 fantasy pts
Total stats through week 5: 10 targets, 9 receptions, 121 yards (13.4 avg.), 1 TD, 22.3 fantasy pts
Assessment:
ESPN’s Matt Bowen recently penned a piece that focused on 10 players to target for the rest of the season for Fantasy Football leagues. Higgins landed at number five on the list with this initial inquiry about his season trajectory,
“ I’m still waiting on Higgins to break out, which isn’t uncommon for rookie wide receivers. It’s a different game on Sundays than playing in the Big 12.”
Bowen continued by wondering,
“Can Higgins make that jump soon? In Week 5 against a banged-up Ravens defense, he caught all four of his targets for 32 yards. And in the Week 4 game versus the Titans, Higgins found the end zone for the first time as a pro on a 24-yard grab. Higgins averaged 13.5 routes run over those two games, so we still need to see a bump in usage. And we also need more consistency from the Houston pass game.”
He sounds like he knows ball. The Seahawks’ secondary is currently ranked 24th in the NFL in pass yards given up per game at 235.5. If there was ever a time for Higgins to have a Titans-esque repeat performance, it would be now.
This is especially considering they’re facing a defensive unit that played against Jacksonville without defensive backs Julian Love, Devon Witherspoon and Tariq Woolen.
Week 7 Projections: 5 targets, 4.9 receptions, 44.7 yards, 1 TD, 10.4 fantasy points
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Name: Jaylin Noel
Position: WR/PR & KR
Projected week 5 storm path: 1.4 targets, 1 reception, 9.7 yards, 0.1 TD’s, 2.9 fantasy pts
Actual week 5 path: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 13 yards, 1 TD, 43 return yards (21.5 yd avg.), 7.8 fantasy pts
Total stats through week 4: 7 targets, 5 receptions, 22 yards (4.4 yd avg.), 287 return yards, 1 TD, 11.9 fantasy pts
Assessment:
Jared Koch of SI.com published an article that focused on the Texans and the emphasis on expanded roles for their rookies in Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. In considering Noel’s involvement, or the lack thereof, on Sundays, Koch assessed,
“As for Noel, he’s primarily remained a component of special teams for the first quarter of the year. But he’s been a potent returner and wound up hauling in his first receiving touchdown vs. the Ravens last weekend.“
Switching focus to post-bye production, Koch remarked,
“Coming out of the bye, the Texans could be motivated to get the numbers of both Higgins and Noel on an upwards trend. Houston’s offense as a whole has taken a major step forward through two weeks and two wins, and to continue making those strides, an increased workload to their rookie playmakers seems to be the approach first-year coordinator Nick Caley is confident in taking.“
His final line essentially drives home the main point. Which is, what is the focus of offensive coordinator Nick Caley as it relates to prioritizing Noel? It’s been stated ad nauseum on this site how Noel has been criminally under utilized considering his similarities in skill set to fellow-receiver Tank Dell.
Going up against a highly vulnerable Seahawks secondary, Noel could have a chance to have a larger breakout game than he did before the bye against Baltimore.
Week 7 Projections: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 17 yards, 0 TDs (fantasy projection currently unavailable)
All stats and projections provided courtesy of ESPN, FantasyPros and PFF.
