Welcome to week 8 of the Cyclone tracker!
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 9 Cyclones Tracker:
————————————-
Name: Jayden Higgins
Position: WR
Projected week 9 storm path: 3 targets, 1.7 receptions, 20.3 yards, 0.1 TD’s, 2.9 fantasy points
Actual week 9 path: 1 targets, 1 reception, 4 yards, 0 TD’s, 1.4 fantasy pts
Total stats through week 9: 22 targets, 14 receptions, 159 yards (11.4 avg.), 2 TD, 33.1 fantasy pts
Assessment: With quarterback C.J. Stroud knocked out of Sunday’s contest vs. Denver with a concussion, backup Davis Mills was inserted into action to attempt to guide the ship to a victory.
Mills went 17/30, 137 yards, zero interceptions and zero touchdowns. Unfortunately, only one of those targets and a measly four yards went Higgins’ way. It’s completely understandable that the offense would shift after Stroud went out, but at this point it’s no excuse.
The fact that Higgins is now up to 157 routes run and only 21 targets, 14 receptions, 159 yards and two touchdowns through eight games defeats the entire purpose of drafting him with their first pick in the second round. Even with concerns about whether or not a rookie could transition that easily into the pros, offensive coordinator Nick Caley has done everything possible on Sundays to undermine the maximum utilization of a player like Higgins.
It’s no wonder however, considering their top target in receiver Nico Collins has only eclipsed 100 receiving yards once this season (week 3 vs. Jacksonville), whereas he had four such games last year under former coordinator Bobby Slowik (Collins began the season with 117 and 135 yards in weeks one and two).
With nine games left, there’s still a lot of runway for Higgins to have an explosive back half of the season. However, with the current offense being as abysmal as it is every other Sunday, one would be wise not to hold their breath on that notion.
Week 10 Projections: 2.5 targets, 2.0 receptions, 20.5 yards, 0.1 TD’s, 2.7-4.5 fantasy points
——————————-
Name: Jaylin Noel
Position: WR/PR & KR
Projected week 9 storm path: 4 targets, 1.3 receptions, 15.6 yards, 0.1 TD, 2.3 fantasy points
Actual week 9 path: 0 targets, 0 receptions, 0 yards, 0 TD’s, 62 return yards (15.5 yd avg.), -0.3 fantasy pts
Total stats through week 9: 20 targets, 14 receptions, 162 yards (11.6 yd avg.), 360 return yards, 1 TD, 21.5 fantasy pts
Assessment: If you thought the outlook for Higgins was tough, get a load of this one. Christian Kirk returned yet again from a hamstring injury that sidelined him for the last two games (Seahawks, 49ers). In total, that now makes four games out of eight missed due to this repeated injury.
In his return against Denver, he had four receptions (eight targets), 26 yards and zero scores. He has yet to find the endzone in Caley’s scheme, nor has he been reliable as an every Sunday presence.
Yet, as soon as he’s healthy enough to play, Caley decided to effectively shutdown Noel in favor of reintegrating Kirk and remove him from the offensive game plan entirely. Whether he meant to or not is irrelevant. Intentional game management to feature the most dynamic players should be the priority.
This is what makes Noel’s assessment this week more insulting than anything before, due to the fact that he has thoroughly outplayed Kirk every time he’s been able to touch the football during live game reps.
Head coach DeMeco Ryans says the right things over and over about how important it is to get guys like Noel the ball, however Caley finds every opportunity to undermine and/or don’t ignore that notion.
In weeks five, seven and eight combined, Noel hauled in a stat line of 11 receptions (16 targets), 153 yards (13.9 avg.) and one touchdown. Kirk has played in more games than Noel, yet has been surpassed in various statistical categories.
There’s no real reason for Kirk for get reps over Noel outside of the possibility that someone is trying to look smarter than everyone else either from the front office or on the sideline.
Regardless, Sunday’s output against Denver was a clear example of talent being wasted on the bench while an ineffective system was being forced in the name of “execution” (or whatever word of the day the coaching staff want to use now).
Week 10 Projections: 2 targets, 1.3 receptions, 8.5 yards, 0.1 TD, 1.3 fantasy points
All stats and projections provided courtesy of ESPN, RotoBaller, FantasyPros and PFF.
