Rumblin', Bumblin', Stumblin', Fantasy Football

Week 8 has a lot of intriguing match up. And with that comes the opportunity for some players to light up the fantasy boards and put together an above average week for there owners. Here are my 3 best bets to have monster fantasy weeks.

QB Mitchell Trubisky vs NY Jets

Mitch Trubisky has been on a tear for the last three weeks putting up 44, 28, and 31 points respectively. Matt Nagy seems to have finally put all the pieces together and found a system that Trubisky will flourish in. With a matchup against a banged up Jets secondary that will be without Trumaine Johnson, Trubisky should throw all over the Jets in route to a top 3 performance at QB in week 8.

 VIA Pro Football Focus

 

RB Alvin Kamara and RB Mark Ingram vs Minnesota

Since Mark Ingram’s return in week 5, both backs in New Orleans have struggled to rekindle the magic they had in 2017. Last season both backs could be counted on to each put up at least 15 points per game. But, there seems to some issue getting the right amount of touches to each guy. A match up against the Vikings is the prefect receipt to fix this issue. Minnesota is not the same defense it was last season, and there run defense has regressed dramatically. Look for Kamara and Ingram to put up solid weeks, with each finding the end zone at least once this week .

VIA NOLA.com

 

Arizona Cardinals D/ST vs San Francisco

Arizona has a been a terrible team his season. With a rookie QB at the helm, the Cardinals have limped into the halfway point with a record of 1-6. But, the Cardinals defense has been a bright spot. The Cardinals defense has been surprisingly good and sits at the 12th best defense overall. With a match up against the Jimmy Garoppolo less 49ers, the Cardinals defense should have a huge week. Consider, in the week 5 match up between these two teams, Arizona had 2 picks, 3 forced fumbles, and a defensive touchdown. This match up provides a chance to get a huge return from a position that normally provides little fantasy benefit.

 VIA USA Today

 

 

 

 Via Pro Football Spot

HOW ‘BOUT THEM COWBOYS?! No seriously. How did the league’s most dominant offensive line over the last few years fall out of the top 10 and have a passing game completely diminish? There is more than one person to blame but the Cowboys coaching staff seems to be a mess right now. Now they acquired Amari Cooper to help out the passing game but for a first round pick? Eh, not sure about that being a smart move. But we’re here to talk fantasy, not why America’s team is not playing like America’s team. To get straight to the point, there are only two fantasy starters currently on the Dallas Cowboys. And they are Ezekiel Elliott and surprisingly, the Dallas Cowboys defense.

Let’s start with Zeke. Look, let’s put something to rest right here, right now. Ezekiel Elliott is a top 5 back with potential to be top 3 in the league when the Cowboys offense is playing well. Common sayings from people who do not know football or just simply do not like Zeke or the Cowboys are “he is only good because of his line”. Do the Cowboys look like they have the best line in the league? No. Not even close. They’re barely in the top 15 currently and last week were at the bottom of the league. With that being said, Zeke is SECOND in the NFL in rushing yards. Even with how bad the O-line has been. So to say Elliott is only good because of his line is ignorant. They have not been the best offensive line in the league since 2016. That is just one of my pet peeves as a football guy in general, anybody who has watched Zeke knows he is a stud. Even Stephen A. Smith who is the world’s biggest Cowboy hater agrees. So do not be that person no matter how much you hate him or the Cowboys. Zeke is still a must start player on fantasy teams. He came off the second worst game of his career, yes. But he still ranks as a top 10 fantasy back and by the end of the season will be within the top 5.

The surprising group for the Cowboys this season has been their defense. Right now, they are a top 15 defense in fantasy and they seem to be playing better and better. Frankly, if it was not for the defense, the Cowboys would not have even won 3 games up to this point. On top of that, they are a young and hungry defense. There are still kinks to workout in the group, but time should workout those kinks and the Cowboys should start forcing more turnovers as the season goes. But beyond Zeke and the defense, it’s risky to start anybody from the Cowboys. Cole Beasley and Amari Cooper may have potential to be a flex option but both have not proven consistency. So for now stick with Zeke in the defense.

VIA Sporting News

 

Many fantasy owners are wondering if Le’veon Bell will actually play a down of football this season. It’s a fair question considering Bell was supposed to report at the end of training camp. Then Bell was supposed to sit out 3 weeks and report in week 4, and then it became a possible season long holdout. We have finally landed on Bell reporting to the Steelers at the beginning of week 8. While there is still a bit of mystery around his arrival, it seems that Bell will in fact report Monday morning, ending a 7 week long standoff with the Steelers.

With Bell’s assumed arrival, many questions arise surrounding him and the Steelers offense. First off, will he play against the Browns in week 8. In short, yes he will. While Bell won’t see his usual number of touches in his first week back, he most certainly will see the field. A good guess for Bell’s workload would be somewhere between 10-20 touches against the Browns. Bell has a good track record of keeping himself in football shape while holding out so I see no reason to believe he won’t play as soon as he returns. After week 8 his usage by the Steelers will be determined by his conditioning and familiarity with the offense given the Steelers have a new offensive coordinator in Randy Fitchner. By week 10, with 3 weeks to acclimate back to NFL life and the new offense, Bell should return to the full time lead back roll in Pittsburgh.

With Bell back in the mix, there is one last question to answer. What happens to James Conner. Conner has filled in quite well in Bell’s absence. Conner has put up 453 rushing yards, 7 rushing touchdowns, and 257 receiving yards in through the first 6 weeks. These numbers are similar to what Bell put up last season through the first 6 weeks. To say Conner has played well during Bell’s absence would be an understatement. Conner has exceeded all expectations. But, at the end of the day James Conner is not Le’veon Bell. Le’veon Bell is the best running back in the league. He brings something to the Steelers offense that can’t be matched by any other running back in the NFL. While James Conner will not fall completely out of the offense, his work load will decrease significantly. Once Bell has settled back into the Steelers offense, Conner will most likely fall into a roll similar to that of Tevin Coleman. The Falcons use Coleman as a change of pace back, as he is paired with Devonta Freeman. Is see Pittsburgh doing the same with Conner and Bell. Will he will not put up the same numbers as he did in the early part of the season, but James Conner may provided you with a steady Flex position worthy performance every week.

When it comes to fantasy football, there are always let downs. There is always that one (or two or three) player who you think is going to make your team that unstoppable force and next thing you know they are battling injuries, facing suspensions, or are just not producing on the field. The problem when this happens is people give up on these players too easily. Today, we are going to discuss three players that have been having below average fantasy seasons that could hit a turn around as we continue the rest of the 2018-2019 season.

1.) David Johnson

 Via CBS Sports

Coming into this season fresh off of a season ending injury from last year, Johnson was predicted to be a fantasy monster like he was two seasons before. However, he has been just average, if that. As of right now he is just barely reaching RB2 numbers and in some leagues is only considered a flex option. However, I truly believe Johnson should and will find his groove and can get back to being a respectable RB1. I understand how bad the Arizona Cardinals offense is. But there is no doubt the guy is talented and he’s bound to make at least a handful of big plays as the rest of the season goes on.

2.) Leonard Fournette

 Via Black and Teal

Fournette is coming off a tremendous rookie season. Many people put him the top 5 running back conversation prior to the start of the season. Personally, I think that is a little bit of a reach but there’s no doubt Fournette is at 6 or 7 trying to poke his way into the top 5 category. However, that cannot happen for Fournette if he does not become healthy. Fournette has been dealing with a hamstring injury the entire season and TJ Yeldon has taken his spot in the mean time. His injury is week to week but I see him coming back within the next 2-3 weeks and when he does, you’ll be thanking me that you have him on your team. I think the Jaguars offense will be thankful when he comes back too.

3.) Dalvin Cook

 via USA Today

Dalvin Cook is basically in the same category as Fournette. Battling injury all year has been hindering his ability to break through as a top fantasy back. Along with Fournette, Cook’s injury is also week to week but when he comes back, he has the explosive power to help anyones roster that is in need of a solid running back.

This week i’m going to give you another set of DraftKings lineups. Being right in the middle of bye weeks makes it that much harder to fill your lineups, but I’ll help you find the diamonds hiding at the bottom of rosters that will push you over the edge. This week I’ll give you a classic lineup for all games and a captain mode lineup for Kansas City vs New England.
Classic Mode:

QB: Jared Goff vs Denver $6,000

RB1: Tarik Cohen vs Miami $4,600

RB2: Melvin Gordon vs Cleveland $8,200

WR1: John Brown vs Tennessee $5,500

WR2: Calvin Ridley vs Tampa Bay $6,300

WR3: Adam Thielen vs Arizona $8,500

TE: Austin Hooper vs Tampa Bay $3,500

FLEX: Ryan Grant vs New York Jets $4,600

DST: Ravens vs Tennessee $2,800

 

Captain Mode:

Captain: K Harrison Butker $4,800

FLEX: WR Julian Edelman $7,800

FLEX: RB Kareem Hunt $8,000

FLEX: TE Travis Kelce $8,600

FLEX: QB Pat Mahomes $11,400

FLEX: James White $9,200

Saints fans rejoice, you have another fantasy stud running back playing regularly again as the Saints have now pushed to a fantastic 4-1 start heading into their Week 6 bye. Mark Ingram was a fantasy beast this past Monday night against the Washington Redskins, finding the end zone twice in his season debut. Alvin Kamara on the other hand, for the first time this season, was the exact opposite. So while Ingram owners are celebrating on their gamble of drafting him in the middle or upper rounds, Kamara owners may be chewing their nails a bit. So here’s the question of the week and most likely of the next coming weeks, who holds higher fantasy value, Mark Ingram or Alvin Kamara? Let’s investigate.

 via Canal Streets Chronicles

Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara may be, without a doubt, the best running back duo in the entire league. But both are special because of the different skills they bring to the table for the high scoring Saints offense. Mark Ingram falls more into the Ezekiel Elliott category when it comes to running backs: a mean, leg churning, downhill runner. Although he does have some involvement in the passing game, Ingram is considered to be their main back in running situations. Kamara on the other hand can do it ALL. He might not be quite as hard of a runner as Ingram but he has tendencies to break open huge plays with his legs and is known to get open quite often in the passing game. Kamara may be the most balanced running back besides maybe Le’veon Bell and Todd Gurley we see in the league today.

Comparing the two side by side is like comparing apples and oranges. They both provide something of value to the offense and are something the NFL has never seen before they came along. But based on our understandings of tendencies and skills of both, Kamara is still the leading guy. Sure, Mark Ingram is a solid RB2 and he is bound to get the ball on 3rd and goal situations but Kamara will do a lot of the heavy workload to get there as well. Having either one on your team is a fantasy blessing and both are must starts. But do not worry Kamara owners, he is still the top fantasy back on that team regardless of what happened Monday night.

As we cross the quarter way mark in the season, we start to see a clear picture of who is producing, who are the rising stars, and who are the fantasy busts for the season. The dame can be said for your fantasy team as. Maybe your team is rolling to start the year like mine, 4-0, or maybe your team started slow like Tyler, 1-3. Either way your probably looking for some help to either keep up the pace and stay at the top or  looking for the guy to turn your team around. One of the best potions to find that guy is at wide receiver. Top guys go down and the second tier players have to step in, and this provides a great market to find game changers for your team. Here are four of the best bets to boost your squad.

Calvin Ridley:

Ridley was a wild card going into the year. He was stuck behind Julio Jones and Mohammed Sanu and there wasn’t a clear path for him to get catches. But, Julio has had a slow start and combined with an injury and Ridley has reaped the benefits. Ridley stepped into the spot light in week 2, and put up weeks of 17, 40, and 21. That is top calliber numbers at the position and even when Julio gets back to form, Ridley is the sure number two on the falcons and should produce all season long.

 Via Giphy

 

Tyler Boyd:

Tyler Boyd has been on the bengals for a few years now and had very little to show for it. It looked as if Boyd was heading toward a release, and then boom, he burst onto the scene this year. Boyd has finnaly gotten on the same page as Andy Dalton and he has shined as the right hand man to AJ Green. Boyd has had weeks of 21, 25, and 21, and looks to be the number two guy in Cincy.

 Via Giphy

 

Geronimo Allison:

Allison has come out of no where to fill the void a wide receiver in Green Bay. When the Packers let Jordy Nelson go, there was a massive whole left in the Green Bay receiving core, and more important, leaving Aaron Rodgers without a security blanket or a receiver he can trust to always bring in any pass he throws there way. Well, Allison has formed a great boned with Rodgers and is putting up pretty decent numbers because of it. With weeks of 18, 13, 16, and 14, Allison looks to be a consistent wr and a favorite of Rodgers.

 Via Giphy

 

Taylor Gabriel: 

Taylor Gabriel was an after thought to the additions to the Bears receiving core in the off season. Allen Robinson and Trey Burton were the big pick ups, but Gabriel has made a big impact as the 2nd receiver in the Bears. Teams are starting to zero in on Robinson now that Mitch Trubisky has shown he is a competent QB, and that leaves a lot of catches for Gabriel to pick up. Gabriel capitalized on the extra catches with a 30 point outing going into the Bears bye week. Gabriel is a receiver trending upward that could pay big dividends down the stretch.

 Via Giphy

 

 

 

This week were going to change gears a bit. Instead of my normal bit about season long leagues Im going to give you my best bets for lineups to win you money in one day leagues. My preferred site is Draft Kings, so that will be the platform that my lineups fit into. Draft Kings has different types of leagues to choose from, so i will give you a line up for a Classic league, and a Showdown Captain Mode league.

Classic:

This lineup is for the full slat of games Sunday -Monday

QB- Drew Brees

RB1- Alvin Kamara

RB2- Kenyan Drake

WR1-Davantae Adams

WR2- Tyler Boyd

WR3-Calvin Ridley

TE- OJ Howard

Flex- Peyton Barber

DST- Chargers

Showdown Captain Mode:

This lineup is for the Baltimore Ravens vs Pittsburgh Steelers

Captain- Juju Smith-Schuster

Flex- Chris Boswell

Flex- Alex Collins

Flex- James Conner

Flex- Ben Roethlisberger

Flex- Justin Tucker

 

 

Week three of the NFL season is in the books. At this point you’re probably either really excited or really disappointed with with your fantasy team. Same may be true for your favorite team. But do not worry, we have a long way to go still.

Wide receivers are essential to the success of any fantasy team. Today, we’re going to take a look at the top 5 receivers in regards to fantasy. These are the guys that you should either keep in your lineups as long as they are playing or you should trade to acquire ASAP.

1.) Michael Thomas

What would a post about the top receivers for fantasy football be without mentioning the name Michael Thomas? Thomas has hauled in an insane 38 catches in the first 3 games. Want to make that statistic even more insane? He’s been thrown to 40 times. He’s caught 38 of those balls thrown his way. That’s good for a 98% catch rate, by far the best in the league. Ranked #81 in the NFL Top 100 players, that rank is going to rise quickly after this season.

Keep Thomas in your lineup, no receiver is doing what he’s doing (sorry Antonio Brown and Julio Jones fans). He may not be the flashiest receiver but he gets the job done and can get your fantasy team into the top spot. Trade your best player for him because chances are, he’s better than your best player.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9MXpqeosqo

2.) Mike Evans

He’s back people. After a disappointing and injury prone 2017 season, Mike Evans is back in the elite receiver conversation. Right now he is the second best fantasy receiver behind Michael Thomas. Thanks to Ryan Fitzpatrick tearing the league to shreds, Mike Evans has been one Fitzpatrick’s favorite targets. As long as Evans stays healthy, this will not change. Keep the man in your lineup.

 via Giphy

3.) Adam Thielen

YOU LIKE THAT? Adam Thielen does. Having new quarterback Kirk Cousins has benefited Thielen well. He is currently the third best fantasy receiver in all leagues. He has put over a hundred yards over every game yet this season. With the amount of times he is targeted by Cousins, these numbers will not be depleted. The truth is Thielen is a stud and is an underrated receiver. I would rank him in the top 10 best receivers in the league easily. Keep him in your lineups or find a package deal to maybe get him on your team.

4.) Tyreek Hill

*Peace sign*. That’s Tyreek Hill blowing past your favorite teams defenders as he runs into the end zone. The supposed fastest player in the NFL had a slow week in week three. He only hauled in 2 catches for 51 yards. However, he is the fourth best receiver yet this season and why did the Chiefs need him to do well last game? They dominated and it was a nice break for Hill as their schedule continues to get tougher as the season goes on. Expect the explosive cheetah to put up numbers for your squad.

5.) Juju Smith-Schuster

Surprise surprise, a Steelers receiver made the list. Wait, it’s not Antonio Brown though? That’s right. Juju has been a pleasant surprise to fantasy owners coming in at number five in the best fantasy receivers to start the season. He and Antonio Brown are like Batman and Robin. Except so far, they’ve both been Batman. With over 110 yards in each game he’s played in, expect the young receiver to keep putting up big numbers.

 via Giphy