Ask Coach Anything with Scott Turner! (07/21 Fantasy Football Podcast)

Scott Turner mentions AJ Brown as an example of a high-investment player (similar to DJ Moore's move to Buffalo) where the team will naturally want to get the ball to him, though Turner notes this is not a forced mandate but rather a natural desire to feature premium talent.

Scott Turner expects AJ Brown to help the Patriots offense take a significant step forward; Turner notes that replacing Stefon Diggs with AJ Brown and Romeo Doubs will open things up for the rest of the offense and result in a very productive unit under Josh McDaniels' coordination.

Scott Turner notes that in a key fourth-quarter play against Jacksonville in Week 1, 2022, Carson Wentz underthrew a double-move pass to Johan Thompson, but Thompson made an unbelievable catch for a touchdown anyway, giving Jacksonville the lead and the win.

Turner references McCaffrey's 2019 season as a benchmark for dual-threat running back production: 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in a single season, demonstrating the upside of a pass-catching back in a productive offense.

Scott Turner, who coached DJ Moore, believes Moore is not done and will be great in Buffalo; Turner notes Moore is 29 years old, fits well with Josh Allen, never lets the first guy tackle him, gets yards after catch, and is a smooth route runner. Turner attributes his reduced targets in Chicago to a mutual parting of ways rather than decline, and thinks the move benefits both parties.

Scott Turner notes that Achane is a pass-catcher in a different personnel situation than his previous backfield mates Derek Henry and Josh Jacobs; Turner expects the Dolphins to target Achane despite Miami having the lowest percentage of passes to running backs in the NFL, based on the strength of the personnel around him and the need to feature his skill set.

Debo Samuel led the NFL in screen pass catches last year, demonstrating his elite ability to create yards after catch on short-area targets.

With A.J. Brown now on the Patriots, Smith is positioned to be Philadelphia's number one target in the passing game. Turner expects Smith to see an explosion of productivity and targets, especially given Jalen Hurts' preference for playing shotgun and the wide zone system.

McCarthy is in a quarterback competition with Kyler Murray for the Vikings starting job. Turner notes that delaying the decision through training camp and preseason is detrimental to the team because it takes reps away from whoever wins the job, and every practice rep is valuable for a young quarterback.

Jamar Chase consistently gets a lot of screen pass targets, which Turner notes helps his fantasy value; Chase ranked among the league leaders in screen catches last year despite his elite downfield ability.

Brissett's training camp holdout for a new contract is a significant concern for the Cardinals' offense. As a new staff implementing a new offense, Brissett missing reps in the huddle and not getting live practice time with the young rookie running back creates a notable disadvantage, though his veteran status mitigates some risk.

Love is positioned as a running back who will catch the ball a lot for the Vikings. Turner references Christian McCaffrey's 2019 record-breaking season (1,000 rushing yards, 1,000 receiving yards) as a comparable model for how Love could be utilized in the offense.

Taylor is cited as an example of a recent holdout/hold-in player who experienced slow starts or injury struggles. Turner acknowledges the correlation between holdouts and performance issues is natural, though he hasn't done a deep dive into the specific data.

Jacobs is cited as a recent example of a player who held out and subsequently experienced slow starts or injury struggles, though Turner notes he hasn't done a deep dive into the correlation.

With Kyler Murray as the Vikings' quarterback, Jefferson will be the primary target. Turner notes that Murray will feed Jefferson consistently and that Jefferson's role as a pass-catcher will be central to the offense.

Justin Jefferson consistently gets a lot of screen pass targets, which Turner notes helps his fantasy value despite his elite downfield ability; Jefferson ranked among the league leaders in screen catches last year.

Khalil Shakir ranked fourth in screen pass catches last year, indicating a consistent role in the Bills' short-area passing game.

Turner expects Murray to win the Vikings' quarterback competition and be productive in Kevin O'Connell's system. Murray's legs will extend plays and create opportunities, and he will feed Justin Jefferson consistently. Turner believes Murray will be their quarterback despite the public competition narrative.

Luther Burden had 17 screen pass catches despite not having that many total targets, demonstrating his ability to create yards after catch on short-area targets; Turner is excited to watch him this season.

Scott Turner notes the Bears feel good about Luther Burden as they move forward, suggesting Burden is the team's preferred young receiver option going forward.

Malik Washington had 21 screen pass catches last year and Turner notes this could be a huge chunk of what he does this year based on what he saw at minicamp, suggesting the Commanders plan to continue featuring him in short-area passing plays.

Turner likes Willis as a player and notes his ability to run will help the Titans' run game. However, early in the season, opposing teams will force Willis to beat them with his arm rather than relying on the run game. His target percentage to running backs has been the lowest in the NFL over the last two years, which is a concern when transitioning to a situation with Devon Henry, a pass-catching back.

Malik Willis had an 8.6% running back target rate in his previous role, which is unbelievably low—even lower than Matthew Stafford's 10.7%, the lowest among qualified NFL passers. Turner acknowledges this is a concern but expects Willis to improve his RB targeting in Green Bay, though he doesn't expect Willis to go from last to first.

Despite being drafted 4th overall, Harrison Jr. has not become the Cardinals' number one target as expected. Turner suggests the evaluation may have been wrong—he's a good player but perhaps wasn't supposed to be a top-4 pick. The pressure of being drafted that high to a struggling franchise like Arizona, combined with the possibility he isn't the type of player scouts thought, has compounded the issue.

Rice has off-field issues that create organizational complications for his team. While Turner notes that players and coaches are professionals who can move past such issues once back in the building, possible suspension and limited reps in games early in the season are real concerns that affect his fantasy value.

Rasheed Rice had 25 screen pass catches despite playing basically half a season, which Turner and Scott Turner find amazing and suggest could be a huge chunk of what he does this year based on minicamp observations.

Scott Turner views Romeo Doubs as a really good player who will have a big year with the Patriots; Turner notes Doubs will get favorable matchups with a very good young quarterback (Mac Jones) who will keep improving, plus Josh McDaniels as coordinator who knows how to distribute the football. Turner expects the offense to take a step forward after losing Stefon Diggs but replacing him with AJ Brown and Doubs, which will open things up for the rest of the offense and result in a very productive unit.

Scott Turner worked with McLaurin for three years in Washington and notes that while McLaurin is exceptionally hardworking and prepared, holding out creates a gap between individual training and true football conditioning. When McLaurin returns to camp, he may push too hard too early to catch up with the starting offense, risking injury similar to last year's experience.

Scott Turner notes that when he signed Terry McLaurin to a new contract in Washington, he always wanted to throw him the ball anyway because McLaurin was their best player, illustrating that premium talent naturally gets featured without forced mandates.

Scott Turner expresses concern about the Jaguars potentially forcing Travis Hunter into offensive situations to justify his second-overall draft pick, noting this could create negative effects for the offense and resentment from other players. Turner worries that if Hunter plays limited snaps on offense, every target becomes predictable, and questions whether the human body can handle playing both offense and defense extensively.

Trey McBride ranked third in screen pass catches last year, reflecting his role as a receiver-friendly tight end in the Cardinals offense.

Wandale Robinson ranked fifth in screen pass catches last year, reflecting his role in the Bills' short-area passing attack.

Turner notes that Worthy is a smaller receiver who needs to gain weight, which is not something that excites him about Worthy's future prospects. The implication is that his frame and lack of size are concerns for his development.