It’s been a month. We know what most of these teams are. At least we have a good sense of what they’ll be for another month. So let’s palate cleanse, forget about everything we thought coming into the season, and whiparound the league real quick.
Arizona
Not a joke! Josh Dobbs is running and gunning, James Conner is as good as he’s ever been, and the WR room looks at least middle-of-the-road, including Zach Ertz coming back from an ACL injury, like, insanely fast for an old guy. Sean is building the plane out of the Cardinals’ offense, and it’s a viable strategy. The defense is total garbage, which makes the passing offense even better for fantasy.
Atlanta
Kind of a joke! On paper, they have three exceptional talents at the main three positions. Bijan is a dude. London is a dude. Pitts is a dude. Jonnu Smith was paid a top-five TE contract last summer before the Patriots cut bait and traded him to Atlanta this summer. And yet, the offense has scored 13 points over the last two weeks. Desmond Ridder is hopeless, so the whole plane is falling apart. Atlanta either has to trade for a QB or tank. They are young enough to tank. But the defense has been pretty good. The offense is one QB away from a top-five offense. The Falcons should have traded for Josh Dobbs!
Baltimore
Best team in just a disintegrating division, and the roster is starting to resemble the same garbage we’ve seen every year of Lamar’s career, and it does not matter because the offensive design is elite. Like, Hollywood Brown would have been doing the Zay Flowers stuff, and we can talk about the potential of OBJ and Bateman, but those dudes aren’t playing. Consolidated offenses, i.e., knowing where the ball is going, is beautiful for fantasy. It’s Lamar, it’s Andrews, it’s Zay, and it’s Gus. That’s all you need, and you have no chance getting any of them. The defense has dudes, most notably Kyle Hamilton playing joker on defense, getting sacks and picks and still wallowing in our free agent pool for some reason. Justin Tucker has not been worth a high pick, but not having to think about kicker is a win. The rub: if Beckham and Bateman come back, this offense is going to spread the ball around, and you can kiss the consolidation goodbye.
Buffalo
The Bills are just going to crush the league this year. The AFC is suddenly super weak, and Buffalo just dominated Miami on both sides of the ball. Allen is dropping 40s, Diggs is the main beneficiary, and James Cook is breaking out. Everything else on this offense is suspect because everyone is good, and nobody commands touches outside of that top three. Gabe Davis is boom-bust, there are two backup RBs cannibalizing each other, two TEs cannibalizing each other, and Deonte Harty is getting designed touches. But the Bills should be Super Bowl favorites now. On defense, they’re too deep at pass-rush. Rousseau, Oliver, Floyd, and Epenesa have each had huge fantasy weeks, and Von Miller is coming back. Can’t trust any single Bills’ pass-rusher unless you’re willing to ride the wave.
Carolina
Real bad. Real, real bad. The Bryce Young pick looks bad. The report that they’re trading to trade for a top receiver midseason is bad. But if they get the top receiver, I’m intrigued. Bryce Young is a very skilled player. He’s smart and tough. He’s just too small to do everything. But if the Panthers trade for, like, Davante Adams, I’d bet on Young to be good for fantasy. But with Adams and Thielen getting old, they would just have to figure something out again next year, so Young’s not really a keeper. And you can’t do anything with this defense for fantasy. Just nothing at all. Maybe you pick up a LB on a bye week just for tackles. Disgusting. Ugh, and they’re using a RB committee behind a mediocre line. And this team already traded a likely top-3 overall pick. Awful stuff.
Chicago
Woof. Is there any clearer signal of tanking than a defensive head coach blowing a 21-point lead in the second half? Like, how hard is it to run the clock out when you have three great runners who win in different ways? And that’s not including using DJ Moore on a jet sweep. You have Fields and Herbert able to run a dynamic read-option game, you have Roschon the battering ram… I do not understand what happened in that game unless the team decided to give up on Fields ahead of time. Even the plays Fields made were completely out of structure. The Falcons need to trade for Justin Fields. The Jets need to trade for Justin Fields. Get DJ Moore out of here. Reset everything again. This is so, so bad.
Cincinnati
Joe Burrow can’t move. Tee Higgins is hurt. Everything else is great, absolutely great. But the Titans gave the league the blueprint. Blitz like hell, press at the line, and the Bengals’ offense doesn’t have room to run, Burrow doesn’t have time to find an open receiver. Ja’Marr Chase complained about being open all day. Yeah dude, you’re open because the QB is already getting hit and the DB is running toward the fumbled ball. The Bengals’ IDPs are gold: Logan Wilson and Dax Hill are the best, and Hendrickson is always worth a flier. Evan McPherson can’t score FP if the offense can’t get into field goal range.
Cleveland
Hmmm… Big Perv has been scoring fantasy points, but he hasn’t looked good. He hurt his shoulder. Chubb is out. The other RBs look terrible. They got embarrassed by the Ravens. Amari Cooper is great, but what is that worth when the offense is depressed in every meaning of the word? Do we care that Elijah Moore is electric if they can’t find the balance that makes his gimmick plays explosive? What do we do here? Unlike other bad offenses, they have a good line. So Perv will keep scoring for fantasy, so the receivers must also score, yes? To quote Perv’s alibi, I’m not touching it. Obviously the defense is awesome. It didn’t show against the Ravens, but that’s credit to the Ravens. The Browns have a bunch of exciting players playing really well. I feel great starting Myles Garrett every week, and DB Grant Delpit is having a breakout season. Because the line is good, the LBs don’t get enough tackles. Delpit is thriving off of money stats, which is something we should try to target if we can.
Dallas
Weird season for Dallas. Every game they’ve played has been against a team we don’t quite understand. They dominated the Giants and Patriots. They outlasted the Jets. They got creamed by the Cardinals. What Dallas does against San Fran means everything. The Cowboys’ offensive line has been banged up. We can probably chalk the Cardinals’ game up to Dallas starting two-fifths of the line in that one. If Dallas can just make it a game with the 49ers, they’re probably okay. For fantasy, Tony Pollard and CeeDee Lamb and Jake Ferguson are the only reliable options. Cooks and Gallup are neutralizing each other. Dak is good, just good. Nothing crazy. I doubt the offensive design is anything special. The defense has been everything for this team, and when you see a rookie kicker leading in fantasy points, you just know that offense is in scoring position and repeatedly blowing TD opportunites.
Denver
I… I don’t know. It really feels like the tank is on, and the only reason they won a game is because the Bears’ tank is stronger. Russell Wilson is playing for a new team next year, which would explain why Denver has been able to almost win two other games this year, too. His contract is untradeable right now, like it would not be allowed because of what it does to Denver’s cap this season. But they should be able to wiggle out of it in the offseason before drafting a QB. So they will play their young players except for their good young players. They’re keeping Marvin Mims under wraps, and the only explanation is that they are sparing his body the punishment. He can get some experience, add a little size over the next year, and come into next season a bonafide stud. Jeudy is getting traded, Sutton is staying. The quandary is Javonte. He is their best RB by a mile, but the first year back from an ACL is tough. You don’t run as fast, and you start getting compensation injuries. They won’t shut him down, but they won’t play him hurt. They will see if McLaughlin can become a quality backup RB for next season, and they’ve likely thrown in the towel on Perine already. This is one of the worst defenses in the league, so awful that Patrick Surtain Sr. is on social media basically asking for the team to trade his son away. The team released Randy Gregory, who is a legit starter. They couldn’t trade him because nobody can afford him. So they’ll try to build up some young players, acquire some draft capital, and probably be competitive next season. For what it’s worth, Russell Wilson is the QB5 in Mortydome, with two 30-pt weeks and a floor of 18, and he is a free agent.
Detroit
The Lions look like Super Bowl contenders. Jared Goff looks good, not great. The return of Jameson Williams and the ramp-up of Jahmyr Gibbs signal that as good as this offense has been, we have yet to see its final form. David Montgomery is a revelation. Not only are we gaining more appreciation for the Lions’ chimera run-game; we’re learning just how hopeless the Bears’ offensive design has been under OC Luke Getsy. Montgomery, for those who don’t know, was supposed to be this good. He was just so hopeless in Chicago that most of us gave up. Aidan Hutchinson is a Watt. There are other IDPs putting up numbers but not every week. Rookie Brian Branch is probably the most worth it in fantasy, but rookie Jack Campbell should come on strong soon.
Green Bay
Jordan Love has returned to Earth. He’s not bad, but he’s hitting the downslope of a growth curve. He’s good. He’s probably the QB in Green Bay for a while. They’re going to win too many games to be in on a franchise-type guy in this year’s draft. He is a younger version of what the Seahawks have in Geno Smith. He’s going to get a reasonable deal for a QB that allows the Packers to keep paying other great players. The RB room is becoming a problem. Aaron Jones is all they have. AJ Dillon can no longer do anything of value without insane volume (which is why he will be good in December again this year). The receivers are super legit, and because of the design of the offense, they’re watering each other down. You still have to keep all these Packers on rosters. That’s how good the offense is and how good any single player can do any given week. But starting any of them without need is difficult. The defense is, as has been the case, better on paper than in reality. But I think Gary, Walker, and Campbell are good IDPs.
Houston
CJ Stroud is the truth. He looks good playing QB. He says the right things in press conferences, and not, like, boring say-nothing right things. He inspires people. The offensive design is elite. That Shanahan coaching tree keeps putting out bangers. Devin Singletary threw a TD this week. Nico Collins scored 35 FP. Tank Dell did jack-shit and still I believe he will have a handful of 100-yard games this season. I don’t know much about the IDPs, honestly. It’s similar to San Francisco the last couple season under DeMeco Ryans. You should take stabs at the guy getting tackles because the defensive design will put them in position to make big plays. And, maybe most exciting of all, I think Ka’imi Fairbairn is back in play! He’s fifth in FP!
Indianapolis
Man, what a headache for Evan. I mean, kind of. He’s winning, so who cares. But Anthony Richardson has outscored Tua in two of three games, and teams have a better chance of solving the Dolphins than they do of stopping AR. RPO offenses are weird for fantasy. Eventually the offense will open up and it’ll be the 2022 Eagles all over again. But right now it’s the 2021 Eagles. Behind AR, the best Colts for fantasy are Zack Moss and Zaire Franklin. Michael Pittman is the only other player in double digits on a per-week basis. Moss is either an insane value or on the verge of becoming totally unplayable. We have to see what happens with Jonathan Taylor, who might play this week, might get traded, we don’t know. Taylor holds no cards. He has to play in order for his contract to toll. He has to play for the Colts because they won’t trade him for anything less than an elite player. So my guess is Moss becomes irrelevant and Taylor plays lights-out. DL Kwity Paye is having a breakout season, and the only reason I dropped him this week is that he is in concussion protocol and likely won’t play (and I go back to Myles Garrett next week).
Jacksonville
Spencer is probably regretting going all-in. Calvin Ridley is fine. He’s not a gamebreaker. Maybe he will be soon. Maybe the offense is being called poorly by first-year playcaller Press Taylor, and maybe something changes. Christian Kirk is outscoring Ridley, and Evan Engram is nipping at Ridley’s heels. Travis Etienne is outscoring everyone but Trevor. The offense will look better when Zay Jones comes back, but it’s too many players worth spreading the ball to for a QB who can spread the ball well. I’m regretting drafting Kirk, yet he’s my best bench WR. DL Josh Allen as had nice stats, but the actual plays where he got most of the stats were suspect. Still, I am deeply disappointed Oliver got to him literally seconds before me this week. The worst part is that I was looking at a list of DLs for a few minutes before it happened. All of the sudden, the page refreshed and Allen was gone. I checked the chat and there Allen was, added by Oliver. It’s starting to not feel like my year, even as I lead the league in points.
Kansas City
I hate it. It’s basically Mahomes, Kelce, Pacheco getting their points and then two random dudes scoring TDs every week. I don’t think anything can happen that would convince me to start another Chief. Maybe a Pacheco injury gives me confidence in McKinnon. On defense, it’s the usual suspects: Nick Bolton and whoever starts in the slot. Right now, it’s Trent McDuffie, but it’s also kind of L’Jarius Sneed? So that’s a headache. Chris Jones always feels inevitable, but something about starting a DT just feels like there’s a zero-point floor there.
Las Vegas
Ew.
Los Angeles Chargers
This offense is very good. The Mike Williams injury was sad, but it’s easy to see Palmer and Johnston stepping up. To me, Williams was never good at anything but going deep, and maybe blocking? But I only say that because of his size. Palmer is slower than Williams, but he has good size and wins contested catches. Main difference is a little bit of speed. Johnston is fast but can’t catch. Put it all together and you get enough to keep Keenan Allen in single coverage. The main competiton for Allen is Ekeler, who should be back next week, at which point I think the whole offense takes a dip in fantasy while becoming more efficient in reality. I say that after Herbert just completed like 85% of his throws without Ekeler, but I’m talking about the whole offense. Shelby can relay how woeful the running game has been. On defense, Khalil Mack just scored 48 FP, and friends, I am tempted to bet he doesn’t have 48 total for the rest of the year. It was a perfect storm: terrible Raiders line, rookie QB holding the ball too long. With Derwin out, and the JC Jackson trade, I don’t know what this defense even is. Bosa and Mack are not nearly enough to make a defense work.
Los Angeles Rams
I’m not going to pretend I know what’s happening here. The two best players on this offense are Kyren and Puka, neither of whom really looks like much of anything. The offensive defense, specifically the usage of what Kyle Shanahan calls a “cheat” motion (in his own words, “because it’s cheating,” though he admits the 49ers use it, too), is getting Tutu Atwell a running headstart on every play and creating havoc. Like every McVay gimmick, this one is likely to be figured out. But it takes time. It takes defenses taking chances and committing to their own gimmicks. This is, in my opinion, what’s opening Puka up so much. It kind of serves as explanation for why the Rams can’t manufacture TDs despite all the yardage. The “cheat” needs open space to work. I say this every year: teams need to start onside kicking against the Dolphins and Rams of the world. Challenge their ability to operate within smaller boundaries. On defense, the Rams are terrible. I enjoy the little Ernest Jones flier from Evan. But other than Aaron Donald, I’m out. Hey, Brett Maher is kind of back.
Miami
One week ago this was a revolutionary offense. Turns out the revolution can be quelled by clogging the middle of the field. So I still feel like the Dolphins’ main players are good for fantasy, but I think their pace to break fantasy will be slowed to just being a good offense against all but the best defenses. I mean, we’ve already seen New England and Buffalo handle them. The Jets will handle them. That’s at least four more games of them being handled. It seems like the main victim is Tua. It also seems like Mostert is losing ground to Achane. On defense, I’m only interested in Holland and Phillips, and Phillips is injured. Bradley Chubb stopped being a thing, right? Oh I guess Wilkins is doable. He gets tackles and TFLs. And Jason Sanders can still kick bombs. People seem to think Miami will trade for a playmaker at the deadline. If you can guess who that is, you can probably get a value on someone who will be a big deal in our playoffs.
Minnesota
Has there ever been a worse great offense? They are constantly losing the football, yet they are scoring a shit-ton of points. Kirk finally Kirk’d one, though. That’s why he’s a free agent every year. The inevitable single-digit game in a good matchup, emphasized with a 99-yd pick-six. Time for Cameron to dip back into free agency for a backup. And the carousel, she spins. I don’t know what is up with Jordan Addison. Makes zero sense he wouldn’t see close to ten targets per game, but the Vikings were concentrated on winning by running the ball, so I think it’s a blip. I don’t think they’ll have the luxury of playing with a lead many more times. Again, Week 4 was a blip. I’m expecting 35 attempts from Cousins most weeks and a shit-ton of FP for his receivers. On defense, it’s Hunter and apparently it’s Cam Bynum? Jordan Hicks is the only LB capable of tackling people, but he can’t catch anyone. So tackles naturally fall to the safeties. Harrison Smith had a great game against Carolina, and the heavy blitzing feels like it would lead to more money stats going forward. Smith has lost a lot of juice, but he went to Notre Dame, so…
New England
Worst offense in the league? They’re in contention. The offensive line has been trash since Dante Scarnecchia retired. Without a line, you just can’t operate. Maybe if Mac Jones had some mobility, but he is among the least mobile starters. So it’s kind of over, isn’t it? The thing about the Patriots under Belichick is they tend to adjust. They improve over the course of the season. What does it look like for fantasy? Well, I hope it means they manufacture a run game using heavier alignments, potentially bring back the fullback position. The Dallas game really isn’t a big deal. Dallas has been terrorizing everybody. The Pats’ schedule lightens up a lot, especially the defensive lines they’ll see. So it’s going to start with a better run game and expand to better shot plays. I’m only comfortable with Hunter Henry right now. The WRs are not fast, and until one of them is fast, I don’t know how anything opens up. And even when it does, none of them commands targets. So for fantasy, it’s not an offense to target, unless you want to trade for Rhamondre (please). Defense: Judon is out, Uche feels like the next man up. Kyle Dugger is crushing. Not sure why Kennedy let him go. Obviously we don’t want a rookie kicker on a bad offense.
New Orleans
They were so bad against the Bucs after being so bad for the second half against the Packers after barely beating the Panthers and Titans. They had no business playing Carr with an injured shoulder. It didn’t work at all. They’re about to face the Pats and Texans, whose defenses will probably destroy them. Then the 2-4 Saints have a cake schedule, which is what had everyone predicting the Saints to win 11 games this year. I think we’re still buying whatever we bought in preseason: Olave is becoming an elite receiver. Michael Thomas is becoming a reliable possession guy underneath. They have a bunch of exciting playmakers in Taysom, Kamara, Shaheed, Juwan. Jimmy Graham already has a post-up TD, will probably get five more. The question is Derek Carr’s shoulder and the unwillingness to start Jameis. The coaches lose credibility with that decision. The path to winning is through the defense, which is as old and weak as it’s ever been. So I’m not optimistic about their real season, but for fantasy, I’m still all-in on Kamara, Olave, Thomas, and Shaheed every week. I’m never starting anyone from the old, weak defense, though. I really can see this team fucking up their cake schedule and going 6-11.
New York Giants
This offense rivals the Pats for worst in the league. Daniel Jones is getting the shit kicked out of him, and then people criticize him for making the wrong read under pressure. Okay. If the line can’t block, the QB can’t play well. It has never happened in the history of the league that the line has played like absolute ass and the QB has played well. Look at Mahomes’ play with garbage offensive tackles. He’s only playing well because he has the literal best interior line in the league. I’m looking at Week 6 maybe 7 for the Giants. I think Andrew Thomas and Saquon coming back will restore balance and make this an average-to-above-average offense. My Darren Waller stock depends on it. It’s time to add Wan’Dale Robinson and Jalin Hyatt. I would do it, but I’m already underwater with Waller and have all the what-if WRs I can handle. On defense, it’s Okereke and Thibodeaux, and that’s it. For what it’s worth, Daniel Jones does lead this team in fantasy points despite scoring negative-2, 2, and 5 FP in three of four weeks.
New York Jets
Following the media coverage of the Jets, you might as well just hit yourself in the head with a hammer until colors change. A week ago, Zack Wilson was the worst QB in the history of the NFL. After the Chiefs game, he’s growing and becoming a leader and is even possibly turning things around. Stop it. He’s so terribly inaccurate on what should be easy throws. He was only even slightly in this game because Mahomes kept turning the ball over and the Jets were able to keep playing a balanced game. You have to start Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall, but you don’t want to. In fact, if you’re Spencer, you actually don’t have to, so you probably don’t. Now that Breece Hall is on Evan’s roster, I suppose he can go to the bench, too. So we’re starting zero Jets and missing nothing. On defense, they’ve got dudes. Three IDPs are outscoring everyone on offense except Zack Wilson. Sadly, they’re all rostered. Quinnen Williams is available and doing well for a DT, scoring 9, 9, 5, and 6 in four games. He’s due for a big game soon, probably against Denver this week.
Philadelphia
This is not what we expected. That’s about as simple as I can put it. Best offensive line, better RB than last year, same great receivers. People are blaming the playcalling. The OC isn’t stringing together plays that create the right rhythm. That could improve, or it could persist. Either way, you start your Eagles every week. Even Dallas Goedert, unless you have something better (or, like Sepncer, you just love Dalton Kincaid). On the whole, the FP has been good. DeVonta Smith is regressing. His output last season never made sense anyway. But he’s still scoring 13 FP per game, and that’s sustainable. The revelation is D’Andre Swift, so kudos to Evan for believing when nobody else did. That was a steal. On defense, Nick Morrow had 30 FP last week thanks to six tackles behind the line of scrimmage against maybe the worst o-line in the league combined with the QB who holds the ball the longest, so I’m still a believer that LBs behind great lines don’t do numbers. But I’ve got an eye on Morrow, who has been thrust into a role he never had before. Could be something.
Pittsburgh
Another awful offense thanks to bad blocking but moreso, worst offensive design in the league. Kenny Pickett is hurt. Mister Biscuit is starting. It’s over. The pivot in fantasy is to buy Steelers’ IDPs, granted the best three are on rosters already. I checked the numbers, and I was wrong. There is no pivot. Abandon ship.
San Francisco
Best offense in the league? And it’s not close? McCaffrey leads all players in FP, all players. ALL. PLAYERS. The next nine are QBs. McCaffrey has outscored #2 overall player Josh Allen by 13 FP, and he has outscored #2 flex STA (MIA) by 32 and #3 flex Justin Jefferson by 34. Okay, beyond my gloating, the other pieces of this offense are rolling, too. Aiyuk is on pace for 1900 yards, Deebo is a top-20 WR, and Kittle is a TE so nobody expects anything but eventually he will drop 30 in a week and Shelby will win a game. We’re sleeping on Brock Purdy, who is QB14, ahead of Fields, Lawrence, and Dak, to name a few. Definitely ahead of Burrow and the Perv, as well. This team is arguably the Super Bowl favorite at this point, and they have three solid IDPs no one has tapped yet: Char Ward, Dre Greenlaw, and Javon Hargrave. Rookie kicker Jake Moody is doing what rookie kickers on good offenses do. He’s 6th in FP at the position.
Seattle
Seattle has lost four starting linemen this season, not for the season but for some time. That’s why Geno Smith and the receivers aren’t living up to their preseason hype. If the line gets healthy, these guys are fully back. Even JSN becomes relevant. But for now, Seattle is going to lean on the running game and pretty much only Ken Walker at that. And it’s not gamescript. If the Seahawks are losing, and they have to pass, it’s gonna be bad. On defense, take a good look at Devon Witherspoon, fifth overall pick in the draft. He’s played three games, scoring 6, 15, and 35 FP. He plays a hybrid role as both Seattle’s best outside corner and their best slot. He’s legit. Seattle is on bye, but this dude needs to be on one of our rosters next week.
Tampa Bay
Yeah baby! We are winning the division! All the other teams suck, and we are decent! We have the best QB, the best WR, the best LT, the best secondary (when healthy)… it’s going so well, it doesn’t feel like any type of Bucs football I can remember. I hate to say it, but it kind of feels like that first Lovie year, when the defense was bend-don’t-break and the offense was meh with potential. We’re not a Super Bowl team. San Francisco would bury us. But oh shit, baby, we are dominating the trash pile! Of course all the good players are on rosters, but Chase McLaughlin is a good streamer K, and Christian Izien is an interesting flier. I don’t know that Barrett or JTS are anything. They’ve combined for three sacks in four weeks. I’m not seeing pass-rush excellence, which will really hurt us against good teams (hello, Philly). But we’re not the joke everyone made us out to be!
Tennessee
Ryan Tannehill shouldn’t start for this team anymore, but neither should either of his backups. So the Titans are going to be pretty bad for fantasy, especially since their defense is apparently going to keep them in contention in their division. The top three fantasy scorers for this team are Derrick Henry, Nick Folk, and Hillsborough (you know) alum Azeez Al-Shaair, who has 40 FP. For context, that is 25th among LBs. The Titans’ second best offensive player (DeAndre Hopkins, available for trade, save me) is worse than the 25th best LB in all of fantasy. It’s bleak! Don’t buy! (Except Hopkins, who you should definitely buy in exchange for, like, a solid starting RB)
Washington
If I could take back one pick in this year’s draft, it would be Jahan Dotson, who is awesome. I ignored the details, the situation around Dotson, which are often more important to a fantasy WR than his individual profile. The ‘Ders have a garbage line, basically a rookie QB, and a new OC. This doesn’t mean they should have a lost season or anything; it simply means the soonest they were ever going to be any good was November, and so now I hold Dotson through two months of the season on my bench waiting for the breakout that might never come AFTER DRAFTING HIM IN THE FOURTH ROUND. I picked him ahead of TJ Watt, Keenan Allen, Micah Parsons, all of the rookie WRs, and his own teammate Terry McLaurin, to name a few. I am a fool. This offense is so, so bad right now. But they will get better. In November. The defense is good, and in Mortydome, Emmanuel Forbes is good enough to start, posting between 5 and 14 FP every week, with an average of almost 10.
Tag-Man 178 – 173 F’d Up
Let’s get it out of the way. It was the most competitive matchup of the week, start to finish. We were the two highest scoring teams. Christian McCaffrey had 52 FP, Lamar outscored Mahomes by 10, Antoine Winfield had 24 FP, and Oliver benched Pacheco’s 28 FP. Going into Monday night, I had somehow survived Nico Collins’ 35 FP, Kyren Williams’ 28, even Quincy Williams’ 22 to neutralize Winfield. I was leading by two and had Waller left. Oliver had Julian Love, who was good starting in place of Jamal Adams, but Adams was returning, granted the Seahawks were always going to employ Adams as a third safety, sort of a nickel LB/CB hybrid crazy thing, but what it should have done was keep Love away from the line of scrimmage and thus be in line for fewer tackles. Adams got hurt after nine plays. Now, rookie Devon Whiterspoon played Adams’ role and got most of the points. Love only finished with 9.5. I only needed 7.5 FP from Waller. 50 yards and a couple first downs. Hell, 15 yards and one TD would have been enough. Oh let’s talk about it. The biggest play of the game happened when the Giants’ offense was near the goal line. Daniel Jones threw a pick-six. But then the broadcast crew twisted the knife by highlighting the fact that Waller, who was not the target on the play, was open in the corner of the end zone. Even Brian Daboll was surprised Jones didn’t hit Waller for the TD. This is what it is to care about Giants’ football. But as much as Waller let me down, get this: Evan and I made a trade right after the games started. Evan made the trade hoping he would get to start Lavonte right away, but I’m a stickler for the rules. Because the trade was made after the start of the involved players’ games, Sleeper kicks the trade to the following week. So Evan was cool about it; he was just glad he still had someone starting in that spot. And it worked out for him. Matt Milano had 12 FP to David 2.5. Hmm. What’s 12 – 2.5? It’s 9.5, the same amount of points Julian Love scored. It’s also greater than 5.63, the amount of points I lost by. And now I want to sleep until the Earth is born anew.
Credit to Oliver: great decision to get new IDPs. Great decision to ride with Nico Collins after a rough Week 3. I assume Oliver chose to start Marvin Mims over Javonte Williams. I assume that was the choice he made. Pacheco against the Jets wouldn’t be tempting enough to bench Javonte against the Bears. Oliver was just being cheeky, chasing upside with Mims (who I traded to Oliver for an injured WR who hasn’t played yet), who outscored Javonte by… 6.05 FP—also larger than 5.63 for those keeping score at home. Fuck. My. Life.
I am 2-2 despite having 15 more points than the second-highest scoring team, depsite having 150 more FP than one of the 3-1 teams. Are you kidding? Is this how Cameron feels every year around this time?
Jacobsfuscation 124 – 109 K-Bop
Let’s do Cameron’s game, I guess. Nice win. 124 is certainly more points than 109. Did I mention that 15 FP is my scoring lead over EVERYONE IN THE LEAGUE?! It’s fine. I’m fine.
Kirk Cousins threw two interceptions and fumbled. Brandon Aubrey outscored him. Aubrey also outscored Tony Pollard, Tee Higgins, DeVonta Smith, TJ Hockenson, and Some Trash Asshole, and Cameron won. And it’s not like Aubrey had a monster Matt Gay day. He scored fucking 12.
Maybe Coleman should be more upset about this loss than I am about mine. I mean, there’s no way Coleman can rival me in potential bitterness about anything, but let’s imagine. The team you’re playing scores 124. Let’s say you know that going in. You watch Herbert score 25. Nice. Bijan with 20, excellent, we are rolling. Olave with 0.4. Dafuq? Deebo with 1.6. Huh? Freiermuth with 0.7. Well, the Steelers suck. Harrison Butker outscores Brandon Aubrey, but it’s not enough. Tyler Allgeier: 2.2. Coleman’s IDPs combined score fewer points than Josh Jacobs. Horrible L. Coleman’s whole bench scored less than half of what De’Von Achane did on Cameron’s bench. Fantasy football isn’t fair. Cameron is 3-1, Coleman is 1-3, and it’s starting to feel like one of those teams is going to the playoffs and the other is not.
You Don’t Pay 168 – 159 Dave
This looks like it was a competitive game, but Kennedy was out of it the moment the Thursday night game started. You watch a guy score 39 on your bench while the guy you started over him goes from questionable to doubtful, and baby, just hit the pumpkin patch Sunday. Go for a walk in the rain. Clip your geriatric neighbor’s toenails. But don’t watch football. Don’t give yourself hope. But wait, Justin Fields is kind of dealing, and Jalen Hurts barely scored in the first half. Zack Moss and Travis Etienne are getting all the carries. Dax Hill has an interception. But… no, wait. Derrick Henry threw a fadeaway TD pass. The Eagles are storming back. Hurts is throwing bomb TDs. Puka Nacua can’t be stopped. Despite the workhorse of it all, Moss and Etienne are outscored by the likes of Brett Maher and Alexander Mattison, the latter of which was definitely beginning to cede his starting role to Cam Akers. And, ope, Puka scores in OT. Hurts ends up with as many points as Fields. Micah Parsons is hurt. The refs blew a Davante Adams TD and the Raiders didn’t challenge. It’s 168 to 120 heading into Monday night, and Kennedy has two LBs left to go. Sean has nobody, but he has 48 points. No chance, right? Even the Monday intrigue note of Bobby Time combining for 48 feels tongue-in-cheek. But they did their damnedest. It was honestly pretty cool. Wagner and Okereke combined for 39 FP on Monday night, and it was glorious. It was almost as much as David Montgomery scored by himself, just to give context to how glorious.
So nobody is undefeated anymore. Kennedy is in a four-way tie for first, and Sean is fourth in scoring despite being 2-2. These might be ships passing in the night.
Seminole Smackdown 140 – How To Play Fantasy 112
I need to note that Brian is 2-2 despite using high, high picks on Cooper Kupp and Jonathan Taylor, who have not played yet. It’s been all Josh Allen, who had 46 this week. Brian got 22 from Mark Andrews and 23 from Khalil Herbert. Nobody else hit double digits. Spencer’s highest scorer was Trevor with 21 and then a tie between James Cook and Brandon McManus at 15. It’s getting dark in Spencersville. But on the bench, Spencer had Godwin, who scored 17 and attempted a pass, so there was a little meat on the bone. In fact, had Spencer started Godwin and Doubs over Tank Dell and snap-count Aaron Jones, he would have added 26 FP to his lineup and only lost by 2. Goedert over Kincaid adds another 0.8. Man, that’s crazy close. Considering Christian Gonzalez left early with an injury, this one could have swung the other way.
I don’t know what to make of Spencer’s 1-3 start. It feels like things are going to turn themselves around, but it starts with starting the right players.
Chasin a Win 120 – 106 Piss Master
Lowest points in a win for the second straight week for Corey. Maybe Max’s team is only good when Keenan Allen scores 40. I don’t know. I’m just thinking about how drafting Terry McLaurin over Jahan Dotson would have won me my matchup this week.
Lamb of SunGod 155 – 101 Ghostface
I kid about Evan always starting the wrong QB, but it’s pretty fun. Richardson doubled up Tua this week, and it’s starting to look like you have to start Richardson every time Tua plays a good defense, which will happen pretty often. Evan got a big day from Dameon Pierce on the bench, so it’s probably time to start Pierce over Pickens again (which is another dichotomy of the bench player always outscoring the starter).
Stefon Diggs dropped 34, but the rest of Shelby’s team dropped straight diarrhea. Rachaad White and Jordan Love were the only other players in double digits. Shelby had 25 from DJ Moore on the bench, but as I said last week, the silver lining of getting blown out is that you are absolved from your lineup decisions.
At 0-4, it has to feel like tank time, right? I mean, I know that’s not something Shelby typically does, but trading Diggs to Brian feels like the move right now. I just don’t see how this team saves itself. The Bucs’ o-line has to get really good right now. Gibbs has to start playing more. Addison can’t disappear again. Kittle, what the fuck? The Watt and White IDP combo is fire, but obviously they can’t stay hot every week. I don’t know. I know if I were 0-4 and didn’t have a superstar waiting in the wings, I would be selling players for picks before anyone gets hurt.
Now that I know someone is keeping track, I guess I have to try to get these right, which means I’ll actually look at entire lineups before picking winners, as opposed to looking at the top three players and then retrofitting my pick as I go down the line.
Evan vs. Max
QB: Tua vs. Stafford
Tua vs. NYG is the right pick over Richardson vs. TEN. Both QBs are going to get blitzed like crazy. Tennessee is going to blow up Indy’s RPO game, probably leading to Richardson’s worst fantasy game to date. The Giants blitzing Tua is just such a bad strategy, but it’s all they have. The Bills gave us the blueprint to beat Miami: take away the middle of the field. It is very difficult to blitz and cover the middle of the field at the same time. Tua has the quickest time to throw in the league, so blitzing from out wide isn’t an option. The one thing this might accomplish is neutralizing Miami’s run game, but I don’t think that will hurt Tua’s chance of hitting 30 FP.
Stafford vs. PHI is interesting. Philly has a terrifying line but the LBs and DBs have been pretty weak outside of Darius Slay, granted a lot of that is due to injury. They bad against the Pats and Vikings, good against the Bucs, and not great against the ‘Ders. Stafford has been slinging for yards but not for TDs, and he’s been throwing picks. But if Kupp plays, I’m more confident. If Kupp is out, I’d pivot and pick up Goff vs. CAR.
Evan is up 30 – 20
RB: Swift vs. Edwards
Swift @LAR is a good matchup, and Swift is has been good in bad matchups. He’s dominated the one good matchup he’s had.
Gus @PIT is a bad matchup, and Gus doesn’t do anything special. You’re hoping for a TD.
Evan is up 50 – 27
WR: Lamb & AJB vs. Thielen & Pittman
Lamb @SF looks tough but the 49ers don’t have a shutdown corner. To keep up, Dak needs to lean on Lamb. AJB @LAR is cake but how much will the Eagles need to use him?
Thielen @DET, I don’t know that the matchup matters. They scheme Thielen open and target him often. He feels like a threat for 100 yards every week. Pittman vs. TEN is rough because of Richardson will be under fire, but they like using Pittman on screens, so maybe he breaks one.
Evan is up 75 – 49
TE: Engram vs. LaPorta
TE is a crapshoot. These are two of the fastest guys at the position. Both have been scoring FP, both have been getting a lot of targets. I feel like LaPorta wants revenge against Evan for trading him away. Evan should probably start Njoku for the narrative.
Evan is up 80 – 62
FX: SunGod & Pierce vs. Dillon & Mooney
Okay so this gets a little wonky. First, if Barkley plays, he’s technically the RB and evens the paying field with Swift. Evan should probably start Breece over Pierce to get the revenge game narrative against Max. I forgot Gus Edwards had revenge game narrative but he doesn’t have that dog in him anyway. Breece does. Plus, Pierce plays Atlanta, who actually have a solid run D. Breece plays Denver, and we know now to target that defense every week. Obviously Sun God eats, not confident in Mooney or Dillon, but I’d start Barkley over Dillon specifically and straight up drop Dillon.
Evan is up 115 – 89
K: Elliot vs. Bass
Both have been exceptional. Wash.
Evan is up 125 – 99
DL: Bosa vs. Wilkins
Bosa will be fired up for the Cowboys game, have just an epic performance. Wilkins could harnass the power of the sun and still max out at 15 FP.
Evan is up 142 – 108
LB: Quay vs. Zaire
Both are tackle-monsters playing against run-heavy teams. Wash
Evan is up 152 – 118
DB: Whitehead vs. Jenkins
Don’t love either of these guys. Whitehead was racking up INTs in Week 1 and then tackles in Weeks 2 and 3, then did basically nothing against the Chiefs. Jenkins is a joke (not as a person, but for fantasy, except for that crazy 35-pt week last year).
Evan is up 157 – 120
DX: Ernie Jones vs. Highsmith
Jones will rack up tackles against Philly. Highsmith will bounceback with the entire Pittsburgh defense in a division game against Baltimore.
Evan wins 167 – 133
Max can tilt the game more in his favor with a better QB, FLX, and DB, making it more like 167 – 150.
Corey vs. Shelby
QB: Burrow vs. Love
Burrow @ AZ is actually a decent matchup, even for a QB that can’t move. The Cardinals can try to bring pressure, but there’s no one winning reps. So Burrow should have cleaner pockets and grind his way to 20 FP.
Love @ LV on Monday night is exactly what Shelby needs to get her first win of the season. The Packers’ line will be better, especially against a worse defensive line. One more full week of practices for Aaron Jones and Christian Watson. Luke Musgrave should be back. Love should reign.
Shelby leads 30 - 20
RB: Najee vs. Gibbs
(Spiderman meme)
Shelby leads 40 – 30
WR: Jefferson & Waddle vs. Diggs & Addison
Vikings play the Chiefs, so Jefferson might actually be locked down for once. The Chiefs have Sneed and McDuffie capable of moving inside or outside, and they are physically stronger than most corners. Addison should be back to winning deep balls as the Vikings play from behind all day, assuming the Chiefs offensive tackles can actually do their jobs this week.
Waddle vs. NYG is basically guaranteed ten points, and we hope for a TD because we wanna see the dance, dammit.
Diggs is Diggs. But it’s London. Weird shit happens over there. Still, the Jags’ secondary is terrible.
Shelby leads 75 – 57
TE: Pitts vs. Kittle
Despite way different PR, these two have basically the same amount of FP this year. Kittle plays the Cowboys, whose one weakness might be LB pass coverage. Pitts plays Houston, who will hound Ridder all day and make that pass offense worthless.
Shelby leads 90 – 60
FX: McLaurin & Boyd vs. Tutu & DJ
I’m filling in the blanks since these two haven’t set their lineups yet. McLaurin vs. CHI is going to be his best game of the year. Boyd gets a bump with Tee Higgins probably out, and we already talked about how bad the Cardinals’ defense is. Tutu should be Stafford’s best friend using that cheat motion against a slow Eagles’ secondary with Stafford getting pressured quickly all day. DJ Moore is better when he’s on your bench, but you have to play him with all your byes.
Shelby leads 110 – 99
K: Ka’imi vs. Sanders
Ka’imi will make more FGs, Sanders will make more XPs, Sanders has more range… it’s kickers.
Shelby leads 120 – 109
DL: Donald vs. Watt
Donald vs. PHI is a bad matchup. The Eagles will double him and take him out of the game. Watt vs. BAL is a division game where the Steelers are heavy underdogs and thus likely to pull off the upset, and it won’t be because of their offense.
Shelby leads 136 – 112
LB: Warner vs. Anzalone
Warner is an elite off-ball LB. Anzalone is fine; I would pivot to a free agent LB, like Hillsborough’s own Azeez Al-Shaair.
Shelby leads 143 – 123
DB: Minkah vs. Hooker
Minkah is an elite DB in a matchup where the Steelers’ defense will pull out all the stops. It’s also going to rain in that game, which has been an Achilles heel for Lamar. Hooker has been scoring points, so I guess you just ride it.
Shelby leads 150 – 135
DX: Jordan Hicks vs. Sauce
Shelby has Devin White on bye so might pick someone else up. Maybe you keep Anzalone at LB and throw Al-Shaair in at DX. Or play Sauce, but Russ hasn’t been throwing many picks and doesn’t need to target Sauce’s side of the field to move the ball.
Shelby wins 155 – 145
It’s a little tight. Shelby probably adds ten or so points by making some moves on defense. Corey probably adds to his overall happiness at home by throwing this game.
Oliver vs. Brian
QB: Mahomes vs. Allen
Both have great matchups, but Mahomes plays @ MIN in a dome, while Allen plays in London. The Vikings’ pass defense has been among the worst in the league. The Jags have been bad, but they’ve been in London for two weeks, while this might be Josh Allen’s first time out of the country. I think he poops his pants.
Oliver leads 35 – 15
RB: Kyren/Mixon/Pacheco vs. Taylor/Akers/Sanders
They’re both starting three RBs, so I’ll just hit them all here. Kyren, Pacheco, Taylor, and Sanders have terrible matchups. Sanders splits time with Hubbard, so it’s TD or bust. Kyren is too small to break through the Philly line, but he’s dynamic in the passing game and Philly’s LBs are not. The Chiefs won’t need Pacheco, but Pacheco has the highest floor of Oliver’s flex options. Taylor probably gets 25 carries. Akers splits time with Mattison and the Vikings will be throwing all game anyway. The X-factor is Mixon, who has a great matchup and the Bengals need to run to spare Burrow. Brian should start Khalil Herbert over Akers or Sanders. He should probably start Gibson over Akers or Sanders.
Oliver leads 72 – 60
WR: Nico & Aiyuk vs. Kupp & London
Kupp’s first game back could be huge, as the Rams need their best game against Philly. London is no longer in London, so he probably sucks again. Aiyuk has a terrible matchup, and I think the 49ers know it and will pivot off of him for a game. Nico doesn’t have a great matchup, and the hype-narrative re: Texans and Falcons is such that this is the kind of game where Stroud suddenly struggles and the Falcons stop being a laughing stock.
Brian leads 90 – 84
TE: Musgrave vs. Andrews
Again, rain is bad for Lamar. Musgrave has a great matchup, and the team wants to use him deep.
We’re tied at 93 – 93
K: Prater vs. Moody
I think Cincinnati can legitimately shutout the Cardinals. I think Dallas will bend-don’t-break against the 49ers.
Brian leads 105 – 98 (Prater hits a 50)
DL: Josh Allen vs. Brian Burns
The Josh Allen Bowl is taking place in London and in Mortydome. I wanted DL Josh Allen for the JA Bowl specifically. He’s going to show up. Brian Burns is up-and-down and due to be up again this week, but he’s up against Penei Sewell, so yikes.
Oliver leads 112 – 108
LB: Queen vs. Luvu
Brian going all-in on Panthers is odd and bad. Queen has been money every week.
Oliver leads 122 – 111
DB: Branch vs. Hufanga
All-time battle of cool-ass dudes, but Branch has been way more consistent.
Oliver leads 130 – 119
DX: Quincy vs. TBD
Brian needs to add somebody, story of Brian’s season so far. Make him an offer for one of his bench guys on bye. Buy low on JSN while you can, and free up a roster spot so Brian can grab L’Jarius Sneed or Jalen Pitre.
Oliver wins 138 – 128
Note: this matchup flips if I’m wrong about the Josh Allen Bowl.
Sean vs. Coleman
QB: Hurts vs. TBD
Oh shit, Herbert is on bye at a terrible time for Coleman. Go get Jared Goff.
Sean leads 30 – 25
RB: Henry vs. Bijan
Henry has 100 yards basically every time he faces a division opponent. He faces Indy. Bijan has 20 FP every week. He plays this week.
Sean leads 50 – 45
WR: Hollywood & Puka vs. Olave & Deebo
Not a good week to ride the red-hot Cardinals. That is the trappiest of trap games against a Cincinnati team that got absolutely embarrassed last week. Start Zay Flowers for seven points instead. Puka also takes a hit with Kupp’s return. Tough look.
Olave and Deebo combined for 2 FP last week, so this is by default a 30 FP week.
Coleman leads 80 – 63
TE: TBD vs. Hunter Henry
Sean doesn’t need to start a TE after getting about 2 FP per week at the position this year. But dude, Zach Ertz is right there. Build the plane out of the Cardinals!
Hunter Henry has been pretty good. Better than Darren Waller. Sigh.
Coleman leads 88 – 70
FX: Conner & BRJ vs. Mostert & Thomas
I don’t know how to shorten Brian Robinson Jr. in a cool way, so he’s BRJ now, I guess. Um, okay. James Conner is getting 15 FP a week unless he plays an elite defense. He plays Cincinnati, who are just very good. BRJ plays the Bears, who are just very bad.
Mostert had two fumbles last week and has seemingly lost the starting job, so of course this is the week Coleman has to play him. Mostert will not bounceback against the blitz-heavy Giants. Michael Thomas was a solid waiver add, but he was on waivers because his ceiling is low. You’re praying for TDs.
Sean leads 104 – 101
K: Maher vs. Butker
Rams can move the ball but will have trouble finding the endzone again. Chiefs might not get stopped once. So it’s FGs for Maher and XPs for Butker
Sean leads 115 – 106
DL: Hunter vs. Hutch
Just a couple of studs going against teams that allow pressure. Hunter faces the Chiefs. Hutch gets the Panthers. Mahomes is better at avoiding sacks than Bryce Young, and Bryce Young is a tiny man with tiny hands.
Sean leads 121 – 120
LB: TJ Edwards vs. Nick Bolton
Bolton is an animal. Edwards is a Chicago Bear.
Coleman leads 133 – 129
DB: Reed Blankenship vs. Donovan Wilson
When you have to type a guy’s full name, you’re in trouble.
Coleman leads 140 – 135
DX: Kyzir White vs. Alex Singleton
Please stop starting no-name players on bad defenses. Please just go get cool dudes.
Coleman wins 147 – 144
Suck it, Sean.
Cameron vs. Kennedy
QB: Cousins vs. Fields
I don’t know to which of you this question applies more: “You went back to the carpet store?!” Cameron leads 24 – 12
RB: Jacobs vs. Montgomery
Both guys coming off their best games. Both get tough matchups this week. Detroit likely gets a lead on Carolina and holds it all game while LV and GB have an absolutely wild Monday night tilt where nothing is predictable.
Cam leads 35 – 33
WR: STA & DeVonta vs. Davante & Jerry
STA feasts on a weak Giants D. DeVonta probably bounces back after a couple tough weeks.
Davante Adams revenge game narrative in Lambeau on Monday night. 800 FP? Kennedy, please get Jerry Jeudy out of your lineup. Please respect the waiver claim you won for Wilson and give him a shot.
Cam leads 67 – 66 (all Adams)
TE: Hock vs. Kelce
These are two of three good TEs in fantasy, playing against each other in real life in network television’s game of the week. All systems go.
Kennedy leads 90 – 81
FX: Pollard & Achane vs. ETN & Watson
Pollard gets a brutal matchup and probably sucks. Achane finally gets the starting nod and probably sucks. Etienne gets 20 touches in a brutal matchup but maybe catches a TD. Watson is off the snap-count and gets an amazing matchup in a game the Packers desperately need to win.
Kennedy leads 118 – 93
K: Aubrey vs. Folk
Maybe the two highest scoring kickers this week.
Kennedy leads 135 – 113
DL: Maxx vs. Micah
Love this matchup. Don’t love the Packers offensive tackles going against Maxx. Don’t love Micah nursing an ankle injury against an offensive line that will look to neutralize him.
Kennedy leads 140 – 131
LB: Mosley & Logan vs. Bobby Time
Whether you live on the west coast or the midwest or the southeast or in fucking Amsterdam, it’s always Bobby Time.
Kennedy leads 160 - 148
DB: Kam Curl vs. Dax Hill
Curl picks off Fields but Dax racks up tax.
Kennedy wins 168 – 162
And that’s with Kennedy getting nothing from Jerry Jeudy. Throw Michael Wilson in, and this could be a blowout (says the guy who predicted the Cardinals would get shutout earlier in this note).
Doak vs. Spencer
QB: Lamar vs. Trevor
Lamar @ PIT in the wind and rain is so bad that if I wasn’t already in bye week hell, I’d have picked up Goff for this week.
Trevor plays in London, where the Jags will probably relocate in a year or two. Buffalo is a tough matchup, especially with Von Miller coming back. However, Cam Robinson returns at LT for a struggling Jags o-line, which only means Trevor won’t get killed on foreign soil.
Spencer leads 15 – 10
RB: Kamara vs. Cook
Kamara @ NE is a brutal matchup for his running, but clearly the Saints want to throw him the ball a ton, so maybe it evens out to a normal game.
Cook in London and the weird shit that happens there, he might have his worst game.
Doak leads 29 – 15
WR: Dotson & Hopkins vs. Chase & Ridley
On paper, I’m getting smoked. But I have weird faith in Dotson. I have even weirder faith that Hopkins is due for a multi-TD game. Even with Chase getting 150 yards and a TD, I think I can keep up when Calvin Ridley fails to find the endzone again.
Tie game 49-all.
TE: Waller vs. Goedert
Waller has 150 yards and no TDs. Goedert has 80 yards and no TDs. So I have an egde, right? Doak leads 55 – 52
FX: Rhamondre & CMC vs. GW & Aaron Jones
I’m not settled yet on whether I’ll start Rhamondre or Christian Kirk. I’m benching Kirk mostly to put that much more energy into rooting against Trevor. But there’s a school of thought that I should start Kirk to neutralize Trevor to some effect. Kirk leads the team in targets. So idk. I don’t think either significantly outperforms the other, really, but I also think the Patriots got embarrassed last week and will lead hard into the run to win at home. I buried CMC in the second flex to give Spencer false confidence when he glances at the matchup. CMC also doesn’t play until Sunday night, so I’m just lulling Spencer bit by bit and then crushing him at the 11th hour.
Garrett Wilson and Aaron Jones are two players you must start every week for their potential to score 30 points. Maybe this is the week. Wilson plays a terrible Denver defense, and Jones plays a terrible Raiders defense. Jones gives Spencer a psychological advantage as I have no Monday night action unless I flex Reed over Rhamondre or Kirk, which, hey, I’m up for antics.
Doak leads 80 – 75
K: Tucker vs. McManus
Wind and rain in Baltimore, dome (I think) in London. McManus has been excellent.
Spencer leads 87 – 86
DL: Chase Young vs. Montez Sweat
Who can sack Justin Fields more often? Young is stronger and more selfish, Sweat is faster but more of a team player.
Doak leads 99 – 93
LB: Roquan & Milano vs. Oluokun & Edmunds
Four of the best LBs in the league squaring off here. I enjoy playing a Bill against Spencer. Really puts him in extra conflict with him counting on the Jags to do well against the Bills. Roquan and Oluokun are vying for the overall LB lead every week. These guys will probably outscore our QBs. Roquan and Milano get more money stats. Olu and Edmunds mostly rack up tackles.
Doak leads 122 – 113
DB: Holland vs. TBD
I can’t recommend a DB because I want the win too desperately. Holland is better than anyone Spencer can get, but I’m well aware than Reed Blankenship doubled up Holland last week, so it’s all made up. Ten points for Gryffindor.
Doak wins 132 - 123
This would be my lowest score all year by more than ten points, and it would be the first week in which I failed to exceed my previous week’s score. But again, Lamar and the rain likely doom me. It’s just that Jags-Bills dooms Spencer worse.
Am I earning my money now?
