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Scheduled Departures – Week 12

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By James Fotheringham @NFLHypeTrain

The final bye week but with the Chargers, Chiefs, Vikings and Cardinals all taking the week off there’s going to be a lot of fantasy players scrambling for streamers. A lot of benches are reading like an NSYNC song so you’re going to want to keep your eyes peeled for who other players drop as you could grab a steal for the fantasy playoffs if you get ahead of the game.

For this week, here’s a run down of the Sunday games and a small nudge towards some viable options.

Broncos @ Bills

Two decent defences and two hardly potent offences. Josh Allen still has value due to his legs, Singletary should continue to build on his role and John Brown is usually good for points even in a tough matchup.

The Broncos haven’t been much worse under Allen than they were under Flacco, in many ways they are actually better. The lack of potent receivers hurts them and with Phillip Lindsey questionable, Royce Freeman may not be a bad call in a pinch.

Both defences are very good options.

Giants @ Bears

Bad offence vs mediocre defence compared to a mediocre offence against a decent defence. The Bears DST are the best play here and if Saquon is playing he’s obviously a starter.

I can’t decide if the Giants receivers are worth playing since with Shepard back, Tate in the mix and Slayton there’s a lot of uncertainty. Engram and Ellison are out so they have no real TE which means they would all be playable if it wasn’t the Bears.

The Bears themselves are stuck with Trubisky which means only Allen Robinson has receiving value. David Montgomery and Tarik Cohen are startable but not at the top of the pecking order.

The Giants DST is still a legitimate option this week.

Steelers @ Bengals

I get the sense that last week may light a fire under Mason Rudolph. If only he had some receivers to benefit from it. Juju is out so the load falls on Washington, Johnson and MacDonald. They may well all be relevant, or one could get peppered so it’s a risk, but against the Bengals, I’d be fine with playing any of them and obviously Jaylon Samuels with James Conner out.

The Bengals will struggle against the Steelers defence and I’m even struggling to advise playing Mixon and Boyd unless you really are hamstrung by bye weeks. Steelers DST are a candidate for the #1 DST this week and while many will be advising Cincinnati are a good option, I’m not so sure.

Dolphins @ Browns

The Browns remembered how to win last week, but with their top defenceman missing, their offence still not fully in sync and competition for touches, I can’t say I have high hopes. There’s talent, but it’s not being realised.

The defence isn’t a sure fire thing against the Dolphins who have resurged a bit under FitzMagic and he should have some relevance once more. There are enough pieces missing for Kalen Ballage to be relevant and Devante Parker should be the main receiving threat.

Those struggling at Tight end might have David Njoku as an option but will definitely have Mike Gesicki as a streaming candidate.

Bucs @ Falcons

If Jameis Winston didn’t turn the ball over so often I’d advise avoiding both defences and playing plenty of offence.

Now that Freeman is doubtful and while Winston is throwing his chance at a future starting spot away, I can’t advise using Brian Hill, but I can give the Atlanta defence some love. They’ve picked it up since beating the Saints and they’re on a little bit of a run. Be aware that Matt Ryan is questionable but if he’s good to go again then Julio and Ridley are musts.

The Bucs may have finally figured out how to use RoJo in the run game and keep Evans and Godwin happy. Outside of those 3 and Jameis, it’s hard to see there being enough production.

Panthers @ Saints

Value to be had on both offences and possible the Saints defence. I like Kyle Allen and his receivers this week as well for the obvious CMC.

The Saints should have Brees, Kamara and Thomas all firing, Jared Cook is starting to get more targets and Ted Ginn is a TD dice throw. This might also be a good game to watch.

Seahawks @ Eagles

Now it gets difficult.

Russell Wilson and Chris Carson are locks for starting places (although the Eagles run defence means if you are stacked at RB, he’s not so critical). After that it depends on how you feel. Metcalf, Hollister, Agholor, Jeffrey and even Ertz aren’t sure fire things. Goedert is eating into Ertz share, Jeffrey still isn’t 100% and Agholor is, well, Agholor. Jordan Howard could be back, but the Seahawks aren’t pushovers and he still has to share with Miles Sanders and potentially Jay Ajayi.

It’s a mess which may have points somewhere but good luck predicting who it will be.

Lions @ Redskins

If Matt Stafford was in at QB I’d be enjoying the idea of Marvin Jones, Kenny Golladay and Danny Amendola. As it stands with Jeff Driskel, I like them, but not as much. The RB situation with McKissic and Scarborough will dominate a lot of bye week ruined teams this week and hopefully Scarborough can pull off a similar feat to what Jonathan Williams did for Indy on Thursday night.

The Redskins now have an offensive piece you can consider in Derrius Guice and he and AP are playable against the Lions. McLaurin has got some overhyped projections on some platforms so be careful.

Raiders @ Jets

Oakland are threating a playoff run now. Derek Carr is looking solid, despite the lack of receivers, Darren Waller is a league winner and Josh Jacobs is odds on for ROTY. It’s a mix that will serve them well in Vegas when the move happens, but they may leave Oakland in some style. All of the above are playable, as is Tyrell Williams.

The Jets are a bit of a mess but seem to be on a slight elevation in terms of altitude. The Oakland pass defence is very porous, so the likes of Anderson, Crowder, Griffin and Lev Bell are in the frame. Darnold and Carr are actually good streams this week for those in a pinch.

Jaguars @ Titans

Nick Foles will step up his return this week which could be good news for Dede Westbrook and DJ Chark. Since they have lost 3 starting tight ends the offence has dipped and teams have zeroed in on Fournette and Chark. They are still playable against the Titans but don’t expect a huge haul.

The Titans are better under Tannehill, but Derrick Henry is the only player I’d have confidence in. He does usually dominate the Jags so he could be a very handy DFS option, but beyond that, I quite like both defences here.

Cowboys @ Patriots

Daks back and this time he faces the Patriots defence which has been stellar, although this is the toughest test, they’ve faced not named the Ravens. Dak, Cooper and Gallup are a force, Zeke is Zeke and Jason Witten can pop in when he needs to. It’s potent and it’s effective, the Patriots may struggle to find an answer, much like when they faced Lamar.

The Patriots themselves need Edelman to recover from his shoulder injury otherwise it could be tough sledding.

The Cowboys aren’t the greatest defence, but they are solid enough and the Patriots are not at full strength. They tend to find a way, but Bill doesn’t usually care about your fantasy team anyway.

Packers @ 49ers

The final game sees the Packers and 49ers square off in a matchup between teams who are doing well, but you’re not quite sure how.

Aaron Rodgers is doing enough to win games, despite the lack of receiving talent outside of Davante Adams. Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams have picked up the slack but face a tough test in the 49ers defence. If Adams is covered and Jones is prevented from running, it’s going to be a long day.

The 49ers defence is stout, but the offence is not so stable. If Kittle is fit to play then he also improves the prospects for Deebo Samuel, Jimmy Garoppolo and the running backs. As it stands, Tevin Coleman is a strong starting choice, although the Packers defence isn’t one to write off.

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Proceed

QB – Derek Carr (OAK @ NYJ) – I like both QBs in this matchup but again, the Hype Train is advocating using a Carr… scandalous.

RB – Derrick Henry (TEN vs JAX) – Henry tends to hoover up the Jags, I can’t see him sucking this week.

WR – DJ Moore (CAR @ NO) – It’s a tough week for receivers. I tried not to go obvious so I had to think a bit Moore.

TE – Ryan Griffin (NYJ vs OAK) – Again, I like both TE’s in this game, but with Carr at QB in this list I thought I’d put Griffin to the TE slot.

DST – Steelers (PIT @ CIN) – The Bengals are going to caught up against something as hard as Iron and tough as Steel.

Caution

QB – Tom Brady (NE vs DAL) – He will probably find a way to win the game, but Tom terrific isn’t going to be so good for fantasy.

RB – Brian Hill (ATL vs TB) – Freeman may be missing but I don’t think Brian will take them over the Hill this week.

WR – Terry McLaurin (WAS vs DET) – Haskins still isn’t ready, and McLaurin may be fast but he’s more and F1 choice than an A1 choice.

TE – Zach Ertz (PHI vs SEA) – Goedert is eating into his share and it Ertz for his owners.

DST – Panthers (CAR vs NO) – They’ve been good this season and the Saints have been inconsistent, but this is not a week to be cute.

Danger

QB – Daniel Jones (NYG @ CHI) – The Bears might just smother Jones in this one. Danny Dimes may lack a few cents here.

RB – Jordan Howard (PHI vs SEA) – A crowded backfield, a return from injury and a decent opposition. Howard you like that? Not very much.

WR – Courtland Sutton (DEN @ BUF) – Tough sledding, especially with an inexperienced QB. I’d not fancy having him Sutt-on my starting line-up.

TE – Jimmy Graham (GB @ SF) – The 49ers defence should crunch the packers. Graham won’t be a cracker.

DST – Jets (NYJ vs OAK) – IF I like the offensive pieces then it’s obvious I’ll hate on the defensive ones. The Jets DST will likely remain grounded.

That’s it for another week. Apologies for the pun level at the end, some of those were terrible. More of the same next week!

Start ’em, Sit ’em – Week 10

blog, Dave, Fantasy, Start 'em / Sit 'em

By Dave Moore (@davieremixed)

The fantasy playoffs are just about in the distance, but a loss this week could see you stumble and fall leading to you not even participating in the last few weeks of the fantasy season. Make sure you keep putting one foot in front of the other and successfully negotiate week 10.

Here are some hints on who you should be starting and sitting this week…

Quarterback – Kyler Murray (Cardinals @ Bucs)

It’s hard to see past any other selection this week as the Cardinals face the worst-ranked fantasy defense against QBs and they’ve come off a game against the potent 49ers D where they put up 25 points. They’ve given up the fourth most points in the league and have forced just four turnovers since their big performance against the Rams in Week 4.

Admittedly, prior to that 88 yard play to Isabella last week, Murray was on for a third straight week of pretty average fantasy scoring but against a weak Bucs D, I fancy him to pull of some big chunk plays and maybe even rush for a score.

Running Back – Devin Singletary (Bills @ Browns)

I think we’re finally seeing the decision on who the #1 running back in Buffalo is after Singletary saw more action than Frank Gore (not so great news for one of my fantasy teams!).

The Browns are all over the place and after seeing their season ended by the Broncos last week it would not surprise me if Buffalo ran all over them in the Dawg Pound. Cleveland give up 141 yards per game on the ground, most of those should now go to Singletary after last weeks performances from the Buffalo backfield.

Singletary has made five appearances this season and score double digit points in four out of five with a 23 point barrage coming last week. Expect more from this run-first team.

Wide Receiver – Christian Kirk (Cardinals @ Bucs)

Two Cardinals offensive players in a Start ‘Em?! You’d better believe.

Leave aside Kirk’s performance last week, he was targeted more than any other Cardinals player and was coming off a three week spell out of the side with an ankle injury which seems to have healed.

For the above reasons why you should be starting Murray, this Arizona wide-out has a huge upside this week and I fancy him to get his first score of the season with at least 60+ reception yards.

Tight End – Jonnu Smith – (Titans vs Chiefs)

Slim pickings on the bye week as Ertz, Fells and Fant are all on bye weeks so aside from your usual superstars it’s tough to find the value.

Smith seems like a reasonable shout for a Titans team that has seen an upswing in offensive performance since Ryan Tannehill was brought into the side under center.

Whilst he had a quiet game against Carolina he did finish joint second for targets (five) on the Titans that day and is worth a look if you’ve got some awkward bye week timings.

Quarterback – Jared Goff (Rams @ Steelers)

Occasions Jared Goff has scored over 20 fantasy points this season? A shootout against a defensively indefensible Bucs, a visit to the terrible Falcons and a Wembley walkover against the winless Bengals.

He’s now lost Brandin Cooks to a concussion for an indefinite period of time and faces a Steelers D that has improved so much since the trade for Minkah Fitzpatrick.

The Steelers are turnover hungry and not even double strength Covonia can help Goff from not coughing the ball up – the only two occasions he hasn’t turned the ball over this season were against the aforementioned Falcons and Bengals so I refuse to believe that Goff is righting the ship and more the opposition were something of an aberration.

Sit. Him. Down.

Running Back – LeSean McCoy (Chiefs @ Titans)

Shady’s going to struggle to get touches for the foreseeable as Damien Williams had a monster game against the Vikings and Mahomes is potentially returning this week. As such it makes him a low value player until he can prove otherwise.

He’s not hit double digit fantasy points since the Week 4 matchup against the Lions and has lost two fumbles since then.

Wide Receiver – Odell Beckham Jr (Browns vs Bills)

A 13-point game against the Broncos doesn’t disguise the fact that OBJ has limited value as a WR1, only one score this season back in Week 2 and facing up against a superb Bills D that will likely double him? It’s a hard pass from me and it should be from you. Even jarvis Landry is out-targeting him at the moment.

Tight End – Jacob Hollister (Seahawks @ 49ers)

This isn’t a slight on Hollister who came up with the game winning catch against the Bucs in OT last week but the 49ers are stingy against Tight Ends as well as in general offense. In my opinion, there are enough streamers out there that will have a better chance of picking up a score than Hollister. Go and find them instead of trying on what Hollister has to offer.

Start ‘Em Sit, ‘Em – Week 7

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By Andy Goddard (@Godsy1985)

Quarterback

Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers) vs Oakland Raiders

Rodgers is coming off of a good performance against the Detroit Lions where he led the team back from a nine point deficit in the fourth quarter. His performance against the Lions could actually have been even better had it not been for his wide receivers dropping the ball far too often. He completed 24 of his 39 passes for 283 yards, resulting in 2 touchdowns and 1 interception.

This week he is up against an Oakland Raiders defense that has been performing well against the run but has given up at least 21 points in every game so far this season. They have struggled against the pass, allowing an average of 8 YPA and 11 passing touchdowns, which is tied 24th in the league despite them already having their bye week. Rodgers could also have Davante Adams back.

Jared Goff (LA Rams) at Atlanta Falcons

Goff had a nightmare against the San Francisco 49ers gaining just 2.1 fantasy points! He completed just 13-24 passes for a total of 78 yards and lost a fumble but he worth the start this week against a Falcons secondary that is pretty bad (to be kind).

The Falcons defence gave up 442 total yards and 34 points against the cardinals in their week 6 loss. This comes after another awful showing the week prior and the Rams have the firepower on offense to rack up the yards.

Notable Mentions: Kyler Murray (Cardinals) @ NY Giants, Jimmy Garoppolo (49ers) @ Washington Redskins, Gardiner Minshew (Jaguars) @ Cincinnati Bengals.

Running back

Phillip Lindsay (Denver Broncos) vs Kansas City Chiefs

Image credit: Matthew Stockman – Getty Images

The blueprint for beating the Chiefs has been found and executed the past two weeks. During last years AFC Championship game the Patriots showed everyone how to beat Mahomes. Run the ball and control time of possession!

In essence, keep Mahomes off the field. The Colts and Texans followed this blueprint and solidified that the once feared Chiefs, are beatable with a good run game. Keep the time of possession away from Mahomes and teams stand a good chance. The Chiefs defence is also still a major concern.

Lindsay will look to be the key piece in the Broncos arsenal this week. He will surely be run early and often and will be involved in the passing game. Lindsay has scored 4 times in the past 4 games and had two 100 yard games during this spell. He ran for 70 yards against the Titans and will need to have a big day against the Chiefs.

Tevin Coleman (San Francisco 49ers) vs Washington Redskins

Coleman didn’t have the best outing against the Rams carrying the ball just 18 times for 45 yards and catching 2 passes for 16 yards. His fantasy day was saved by a two yard touchdown run in the first quarter. He does have to share the load with Matt Breida and you could actually pick either of the two this week as starters but it appears that Coleman is the lead back on the teams depth chart so will get more opportunities.

The Redskins defence is giving up an average of 407.8 YPG and 30.2 PPG so there should be plenty of chances for Coleman as the Redskins struggle to stop this type of running back.

Notable Mentions – Devonte Freeman (Falcons) vs LA Rams, Carlos Hyde (Texans) at Indianapolis Colts, James White (Patriots) at NY Jets.

Wide receiver

Larry Fitzgerald (Arizona Cardinals) at NY Giants

Image credit: Mark J. Rebilas – USA Today Sports

Larry Fitzgerald is the most reliable target for Kyler Murray and the Giants can’t seem to cover anyone. Janoris Jenkins isn’t a worry anymore so look for Fitzgerald to get plenty of targets this week.

Fitzgerald has caught at least 5 passes in every game in 2019 and he caught 6 of 8 targets against the Falcons for 69 yards. He has posted modest fantasy numbers in all but one game this season but this should change against the Giants who gave up 427 yards and 28 points to the Patriots.

They ranked bottom 6 in total defense and scoring but are middle of the road in sacks. Murray has the ability to avoid pressure and his first look should be the way of Fitzgerald.

Julian Edelman (New England Patriots) at New York Jets

Let’s not sugarcoat things. The Patriots may by 6-0 but the offense looks pretty bad. Luckily for them, their defense and special teams are picking up the slack.

One thing we do know about the Pats is that they improve over the season and we don’t really see their complete team until around Thanksgiving. With Josh Gordon struggling with a knee injury and the tight ends being ineffective, Edelman should see plenty of targets during their Monday primetime game.

Against the Giants, Edelman caught 9 of 15 targets for 113 yards, his second straight 100 yard game. That led the team in yards and targets so expect to see a similar situation this week.

The Jets have struggled to slow down passing attacks and the Pats running game is still questionable. Edelman could eclipse last weeks numbers.

Notable Mentions – Golden Tate (Giants) vs Arizona Cardinals, Calvin Ridley (Falcons) vs LA Rams, John Brown (Bills) vs Miami Dolphins.

Tight End

Hunter Henry (LA Chargers) at Tennessee Titans

Image credit: Jake Roth – USA Today Sports

Heading into the game against the Steelers, there were concerns that Henry would be on a limited snap count but that didn’t materialise as he caught 8 of 9 targets for 100 yards and 2 touchdowns, resulting in Henry leading all tight ends for week 6 with 30 fantasy points.

Having Keenan Allen line up alongside you will shift the focus of the defense elsewhere and that is what allowed Henry to rack up the targets. He undoubtably has talent and, if he stays healthy, should be a producing top 10 tight end numbers on a weekly basis.

The Titans defense is solid but they have allowed the ninth most points to tight ends.

Evan Engram (NY Giants) vs Arizona Cardinals

Before missing last weeks game with a knee injury, Engram was 2nd in fantasy scoring for tight ends.

Early indications are that he will be good to go against the Cardinals this week with Engram himself stating he is ‘pretty optimistic’ and so he is a definite starter. The cardinals have given up seven receiving touchdowns to tight ends.

To put that number in context, 10 teams have given up less touchdowns in total so far this season.

Notable Mentions: Mark Andrews (Ravens) at Seattle Seahawks, Austin Hooper (Falcons) vs LA Rams.

QB – Sam Darnold (New York Jets) vs New England Patriots

Darnold could be a trap this week. He brought the Jets offense to life with a great performance against the Cowboys but this week is a different animal against a Patriots defence that is beating up everyone right now. He will have value is future games, just not this one.

QB – Teddy Bridgewater (New Orleans Saints) at Chicago Bears

Bridgewater has been brilliant since coming back in, but this week he is facing a Chicago Bears defence who have allowed an average of 7.64 fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks.

RB – Adrian Peterson (Washington Redskins) vs San Francisco 49ers

Running backs have had a torrid time against the 49ers averaging just 5.2 fantasy points per game. That won’t change this week.

RB – Austin Ekeler (LA Chargers) at Tennessee Titans

Ekeler has been great for fantasy owners so far this season but his run is coming to an end. With Melvin Gordon back, look for Ekeler’s snap count to start to diminish. Even without Gordon’s return I would be sceptical to start Ekeler against a Titans defence that has surrendered the eighth fewest fantasy points to running backs this season.

WR – Robby Anderson (New York Jets) vs New England Patriots

The Patriots defence and Stephon Gilmore! The Pats have given up the second fewest fantasy points to wide receivers so far this season.

WR – Terry McLaurin (Washington Redskins) vs San Francisco 49ers

McLaurin has been a fantasy stud, no doubting this! But on the flip side, the 49ers have stopped other top wide receivers. OBJ, Jarvis Landry, Brandin Cooks, Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp have combined for an average of just 6.3 fantasy points against the 49ers. You might be hesitant to sit McLaurin but you may regret it if you don’t!

TE – Trey Burton (Chicago Bears) vs New Orleans Saints

In the past, Burton was a viable fantasy option, now he isn’t even worth a roster spot! The Saints have allowed just one tight end to score more than 6.4 fantasy points all season. Sit, drop but don’t start!

TE – Jared Cook (New Orleans Saints) at Chicago Bears

In fact, just don’t start any of the tight ends in this game! The Bears have only allowed an average of 3.8 fantasy points to opposing tight ends.

Start ’em, Sit ’em – Week 6

blog, Fantasy, Jake

By Jake Linley-Brown @JakeLB12)

Week 5 was seriously wild. Serious points were put on the board, contenders we thought were serious showed chinks in the armour, and the ball was fumbled a seriously ridiculous amount of times.

In all seriousness (I’ll stop now), what we are left with is two un-beaten teams – the 49ers and the Patriots. For the rest of the league, it’s a case of making the adjustments and right decisions going forward to make sure they stay with them. For people like you and me, we care about who starts and who sits on our fantasy team(s), continuing with this week’s slate of games; Week 6, to be precise.

This week’s bye teams are the Bills, the Bears, the Colts and the Raiders. Vamonos!

QUARTERBACK

Kyler Murray (ARI) vs Falcons

Arizona picked up their first win of the season last week (ignore that it came against the Bengals and roll with me here), so spirits are reasonably high. The biggest takeaway from the game, however, is the encouraging progress Kyler Murray is making. The modest stat line of 253 yards with no TD’s or INT’s doesn’t tell the whole story. With QB’s, the eye test rarely lets you down, and Murray is showing better pocket presence every week, culminating in his highest rushing total in the pros to date (10 carries, 93 yards, 1 TD vs Bengals).

His reward for last Sunday is a potential barn burner at home to the Falcons. Atlanta’s D is showing more holes than a colander, with Deshaun Watson dropping a 53 burger on them in week 5. As I’m not able to think of any more food/kitchen related puns, I’ll just leave you with the fact that the Atlanta defence is allowing the 2nd most points to opposing QB’s (23.3 PPG). I’d say that’s a strong enough case to roll out the rookie.

Honourable Mentions: Dak Prescott (DAL) @ NYJ, Gardner Minshew (JAX) vs NO

RUNNING BACK

Kerryon Johnson (DET) @ Packers

Do you remember when people lost their mind over C.J. Anderson cutting into Kerryon Johnson’s workload? I remember, because I was one of those people. Thankfully, those days are long gone. The 2nd year running back out of Auburn has been let loose, breaking free of those metaphorical shackles against the Chiefs in week 4 (26 carries for 125 yards, 2 catches for 35 yards), and now cementing his place as the true bell cow of this offense.

A trip up to Lambeau Field on Monday Night Football awaits Kerryon and his Lions. The Packers are sitting pretty at 4-1, but the rushing defence is anything but. The Cheeseheads are allowing an average of 32 points a game to opposing backs. They’ve also allowed a rushing TD in each of the last 4 games. Keeping to the theme of food related humour, in my head I’m dying to compare this Packers rushing defence to Swiss Cheese, but that wouldn’t be very mature (I’m sorry).

I anticipate this game to be close. I also anticipate Kerryon Johnson to show up for prime time this Monday. Start this man.

Honourable Mentions: Matt Breida (SF) @ LAR, Sony Michel (NE) vs NYG

WIDE RECEIVER

D.J. Moore (CAR) @ Buccaneers

Week 6 is full of candidates at the WR position who could step up and surprise a few people. For my selection, I’m looking at D.J. Moore to turn the tables on the Buccaneers defence. Granted, D.J. and the rest of Carolina offense (minus Christian McCaffrey, obviously) have struggled to really get going in the wake of Cam Newton’s absence. Moore has 1 TD for the season, which was 3 weeks ago, and has yet to build a strong bromance with Kyle Allen.

That being said, breakout game potential is bubbling for Tottenham Hotspur stadium on Sunday. Moore and his Carolina Panthers have taken London’s call to meet up with the ‘home team’ Tampa Bay Buccaneers for an NFC South rematch. Tampa won the 1st game back in week 2, which ironically was D.J.’s highest fantasy points total of the season (17.9 points).

Weird stuff usually happens in these London games, but something pretty weird would have to happen for Tampa’s defence, which allows the 3rd highest fantasy points to WR’s, to suddenly come good. If all the attention is on McCaffrey, Moore can make the most of his trip to the nation’s capital.

Honourable Mentions: DJ Chark (JAX) vs NO, Michael Gallup (DAL) @ NYJ

TIGHT END

Austin Hooper (ATL) @ Cardinals

To conclude the starts for this week, it’s back to the game where we started. Only this time, we’re looking at the other team. Austin Hooper is not only becoming the man for the Falcons, leading target share percentage in a team that has Julio Jones, but he actually is the man in the TE rankings this year. Kittle, Kelce, Ertz – all below our man, Austin.

Hooper is averaging 16.9 points in fantasy this season, despite only scoring 2 TD’s which came in the same game, back in week 2. The volume is there and for a position that is so wafer thin across the league, players such as Hooper are a godsend.

My spidey senses are telling me Hooper isn’t going to have to wait much longer for his next TD of the season. The Cardinals, this week’s opponent, allow more fantasy points to Tight End’s than ANYBODY. You’re welcome.

Honourable Mentions: Gerald Everett (LAR) vs SF, Will Dissly (SEA) @ CLE

QB – Matt Stafford (DET) @ Packers – You can beat the Packers on the ground, as discussed earlier, but through the air is proving to be difficult to say the least. Green Bay is allowing only 13 points to QB’s on average so far, so give Matt the cold shoulder in week 6.

RB – Jordan Howard (PHI) @ Vikings – The Vikings D has allowed only one rushing TD all year. Combine that with the fact Howard and Miles Sanders are still splitting carries, I think it’s easy to ignore Howard’s recent scoring spree and bench him.

WR – Mike Evans (TB) vs Panthers – I’m absolutely prepared to die on my sword for this one. In his last 5 games against the Panthers, big Mike has only 20 catches for 292 yards and zero TD’s. He’s also now playing second fiddle to Chris Godwin in the air attack. Me no likey.

TE – Tyler Eifert (CIN) @ Ravens – Up until last week, every team had scored a TD from their TE against the Cardinals. Guess who bucked the trend?

Good luck this with all your matchups this week. Let’s go get the win!

Start ’em, Sit ’em – Week 5

blog, Fantasy, Paul

By Paul Maughan (@morny7)

Over a quarter of the (Fantasy) regular season is done and dusted, and we’re at point where most of us know whether we’re “definitely pretty class at this game”, or if it’s time to insist that “we weren’t that bothered anyway, we just gambled on high-upside picks”.

After last week was the “week of the backup” (seriously, who on earth are Trevor Davis and Chester Rogers), it’ll be interesting to see if we see a swing back to more established players getting in amongst the touchdowns this week.

Unfortunately there’s no Dolphins this week, meaning we can’t just back everything against them. Even the Dolphins 2.0 (hey Washington) are up against the famously Fantasy un-friendly Patriots. However, there are some fantastic games with high-scoring potential, so let’s get right to it.

-Start ’em-

QuarterBack

Andy Dalton (CIN) vs Cardinals

Image Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

Yes, the Bengals were dreadful on Monday and yes, their offence was hopeless. But they’re up against the Cardinals defence, which is beyond bad. Even with John Ross missing, he should have plenty opportunity to rack up points against a defence which is comically obliging.

There’s also the added bonus that the Cardinals are a quick-fire team on offence, against a Bengals defence which is also pretty poor, meaning that Dalton should get plenty of opportunities to rack up points. Your instincts may scream at you not to pick an average quarterback, of a malfunctioning team, who sits behind a leaky o-line……but ignore that inner-voice and believe in the Red Rifle

Honourable Mentions: Deshaun Watson (HOU) vs Falcons, Phillip Rivers (LAC) vs Broncos

Running BAck

David Johnson (ARI) @ Bengals

It’s a tricky week for running backs (aside from the obvious stars you aren’t sitting no matter what). Not wanting to focus in on just one game, but David Johnson looks like an unmissable play here, especially in PPR leagues. His rushing stats aren’t great – he’s only rushed a total of 173 yards this season, average less than 6 fantasy points a game rushing.

However, you ain’t taking him for his rushing. It’s his pass-catching you’re all about. So far this year he is number one in the NFL for routes-run by a running-back, and is averaging 12.8 points a game in the receiving game. This is against four decent defences (Lions, Ravens, Panthers and Seahawks). He’s playing the Bengals this week, and will basically step up even further in the absence of Christian Kirk in the Cardinals passing game. It wouldn’t surprise me if he is, in effect a WR2 for the Cardinals this week (behind Larry) and in what should be a high-scoring game, it would be astonishing if Johnson isn’t rolling in points by Sunday night.

Honourable Mentions: James White (NE) @ Redskins, Marlon Mack (IND) @ Chiefs

Wide receiver

Alshon Jeffrey (PHI) vs Jets

Basically, the Jets don’t have any outside cornerbacks. Trumaine Johnson is $70m of utter horror and Daryl Roberts is a guy you’ve likely never heard of (and never will). Nate Hairston has been alright, but they’re still giving up 45 points a game to WR groups each week. Further, they have a passable run defence, which will encourage Wentz and Pederson to attack increasingly through the air (not that they need much encouragement to begin with).

At this stage, it’s really about choosing who to go with, and I wouldn’t put you off Nelson Aghalor or even Whiteside if you want to take a flyer. But Jeffrey is a good safe shout – he should pick up plenty of receptions, plenty of yards and at least a touchdown in what I expect to be a high-scoring Eagles win.

Honourable Mentions: Josh Gordon (NE) @Redskins, Adam Thielen (MIN) @Giants

Tight End

Greg Olsen (CAR) vs Jaguars

Aside from a quiet week last week Greg Olsen has been back with a bang this year, averaging 13 fantasy points a week. He’s looking a lot more like the Greg Olsen from a few years ago, and hopefully his injuries problems are behind him now.

The Jags defence is generally sound, but have struggled somewhat against Tight-Ends this year, giving up 12.6 points a game in fantasy. At home, and riding the crest of the Kyle Allen wave, Olsen should be safe for at least 10 points this week and if things fall right should get a few more.

Honourable Mentions: Tyler Eifert (CIN) vs Cardinals, Zach Ertz (PHI) vs Jets

Sit ‘em

QB – Jameis Winston (TB) @ Saints – Jameis has put up bucketloads of points the last two weeks, but the Saints defence has clicked into ‘carry Teddy’ mode, and should handle him comfortable. In fact, there’s every chance we see a classic “bad Jameis” day.

RB – Josh Jacobs (OAK) vs Bears – the kid is good, but he’s not being used often enough, is in a terrible matchup here (why take anyone against the Bears defence), and the Raiders lose any neglible advantage from being at home. Steer well clear.

WR – Sterling Shepherd (NYG) vs Vikings – he may have gone off under “Danny Dimes” (vomit incessantly) the last two weeks,but he’s up against a top-class defence and got Golden Tate fighting for his targets this week. Expect his numbers to half, at the very best.

TE – Delanie Walker (TEN) vs Bills – The Bills defence is pretty much the best in the league at this point, they give up nothing to Tight-Ends and Marcus Mariota will likely get about 0.01 seconds to throw before feeling pressure. Would personally advise fading any receiving players in this game – will be a trench battle.

Podcast 52 – Week 8 Preview

Podcast

Slightly earlier podcast due to Tim heading down to London for the International Series game (come say hi!) but he joins Lee and goes through every game in Week 8 including sits and starts and some starts of the week. Before that we give you the latest news in the NFL and some injury updates and Adam also joins us to keep the profit rolling in for our best bets.

Podcast 44 – Week 4 Preview

Podcast

Fore! We steamroll into the Week 4 Sunday games and we have your angles covered!
Tim and Lee review the crazy Thursday Night Football game in LA and look ahead to all the Sunday games, giving you the injury news, starts and sits and the betting lines.
Tim and Adam then go through the best bets for week 4.
(No Kickers Corner this week, unfortunately).
Thanks for all your support and thanks for listening!

Podcast 40 – Week 3 Match Preview

Podcast

Lee Wakefield (our NEW co-host) joins us to preview EVERY week 3 matchup giving you everything from sit/start decisions to what the betting lines are.

We review the Thursday Night Football game where the Browns finally got the Bud Light fridge open and the takeaways from that game (there were many!).

This is the 1st part of 2 podcasts this weekend. Check out part 2 for Kickers Corner with the boys fro the Kickers Matter Podcast, Punting with Adam Walford (@touchdowntips) and Roger Goodgroves joins us to talk about the officiating in the first few weeks including his very special trip to Florida to meet a GOAT.