Rumblin', Bumblin', Stumblin', Fantasy Football

As we roll into week three, two surprise quarterbacks have set themselves apart from the rest of the pack. Pat Mahomes has come out guns blazing in his first two games as the starting quarterback for the Chiefs. Through the first two games he as thrown for 600 yards, 10 touchdowns, and had weeks of 38 and 28 fantasy points. This is an above average stat line for a quarterback, so obviously we should be expecting him to fall back to earth some what soon. At some point defenses will find a way to stop the Chiefs potent offense. But, when that does happen Mahomes is still a valuable quarterback to have on your roster. Mahomes has on of the best sets of weapons in the league at his disposal. Kareem Hunt, Tyreke Hill, Travis Kelce, and Sammy Watkins. Those four names are the reason to keep Mahomes on your roster and expect him to perfrom like a top 10 quarterback. Its hard to completely shut down one player, let alone four of this caliber. Combine that with the raw talent Mahomes has and your set up with the perfect equation for success on the field and in fantasy.

Ryan Fitzpatrick also finds himself in a unique situation. Fitzpatrick has been known during his career as a guy who goes on incredible hot steaks. If he’s on, theirs no one who can stop him. But the streak always ends and he becomes the coldest quarterback in the NFL. So, its easy to expect the same from Fitzpatrick this time around. But, there is one major difference in his current situation that leads me to believe he can overcome his reputation and be a consistent quarterback all season. That difference is his weapons. In Fitzpatrick’s past stops with the Jets and Bills, he has had no one to throw to and virtually no run came to help balance the offense out. But,this Buc’s team has Mike Evans, DeSean Jackson, and O.J. Howard. Fitzpatrick is a field general. He’s a Harvard grad who can dissect the game like no one else. And his arm talent is to shabby either. Once Fitzpatrick cools off, he can still run an offense effective with short routes and screens, that allow his receivers to make plays for him. He’s a smart quarterback who wont turn the ball over and at minimum deserves a spot on your bench as your backup fantasy QB. And if your worried about Jameis Winston coming back and taking his QB spot back, he is not guaranteed the job, as many in the Buc’s organization feel it might be time to move on from him. Also, look at this man. How can you tell this guy he’s not your starter anymore. He has more swag in his pinky than Jameis has in his whole body.

 

Suspended players to add to your Roster:

 

One of the more overlooked aspects of week 3 is the fact that many players on suspension are either reinstated or just weeks away from reinstatement. So, if your looking for value free agents in week 3, here’s your best bet. If you need a running back, Aaron Jones, who is expected to take over as the starter in Green Bay, will be active this week. And, Mark Ingram only has two weeks left of his suspension, so if he’s still available in your league, snatch him up. If wide receiver is more your need, then Julian Edelman is your man. Even with the addition of Josh Gordon, Edelman is still Brady’s favorite target, and he will be active in week five. And finally, and flurry of defensive players will be coming back in the next few weeks. These players include Reuben Foster, Corey Liuget, Jimmy Smith, and Thomas Davis. All of these players play a lot of snaps for there defenses and look to help there units substantially once they return.

Another week is in the books for the 2018 NFL season. The Cowboys looked much better in week 2 while the Giants and Bills still looked, putting it lightly, terrible. The Pittsburgh Steelers are slowly falling apart and somehow Ryan Fitzpatrick is the best quarterback in the league through the first two weeks. It’s already been a wild start to the NFL season and we’re just getting started. If you listened to either me or Nate from last weeks posts then congratulations on your week 2 fantasy football domination and you’re welcome. So if you’re back here reading on what to do for week 3 then you came to the right place. Today I’m going to talk about the five best defenses to start for week 3.

1.)The Chicago Bears

  via Giphy

The Chicago Bears defense has been one of the biggest stories of the 2018 season so far. With arguably one of the best defensive players in Khalil Mack joining the team before week 1, the Bears defense is a Super Bowl contender defense. Now the offense is a completely different story so don’t get too far ahead of yourselves Bears fans but you can definitely thank Jon Gruden for putting an absolute beast of a player on your defense. The Bears in fantasy are ranked the number 2 defense and I could see them easily taking the top spot if Khalil Mack and the rest of the loaded defense keep doing what they’re doing. They have put up a total of 19 points so far this season with 1 interception, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 touchdown each week. Facing a struggling Arizona Cardinals offense, expect Khalil Mack to have a feast on David Johnson and Sam Bradford.

2.) The New York Jets

 via tenor.com

Yes. The New York Jets are a must start defense. I guarantee you just a month ago if I or anyone else had said this people would have just laughed at it. But it’s true. The New York Jets are the number 1 defense in fantasy football putting up a total of 35 points. This week they face the Cleveland Browns and even though the Browns are much better all around than they have been in years, expect the Jets defense to add to their already 7 forced turnovers this season and maybe even a defensive touchdown.

3.) The Los Angeles Rams

 via Turf Show Times

On paper, the Rams have one of the best defenses in the league. With huge defensive names on there like Ndamukong Suh and Aaron Donald, the potential is through the roof. They are currently the 3rd ranked defense in fantasy football with 26 points so far this season. They have had 4 forced turnovers and 1 touchdown. This week may face some challenges facing a solid Los Angeles Chargers offense but they are still a must start as they can make huge defensive plays at any point.

4.) The Jacksonville Jaguars

 via Giphy

Jacksonville has some serious talent on their defense. With stars Jalen Ramsey and Calais Campbell headlining the defense, any team that faces this defense is in for a long fight the whole game. Although the Jaguars only finished with 4 points last week against the Patriots and are ranked the 10th best fantasy football defense, they face a division rival with the Tennessee Titans visiting town so you can expect a high intensity game and expect Ramsey and others to sound off and prove that they are the best defense in the league.

5.) The Minnesota Vikings

   via ClutchPoints

Posting 20 points through the first two weeks, the Vikings are bound to have a huge week as they face the no doubt worst team in the league: the Buffalo Bills. They were the number one overall defense a year ago and it is still very possible they could finish in the same position. Keep an eye on the amount of turnovers they could force against the Bills as I predict at least 3 or more being forced.

Week 1 Surprises:

Per usual, the first official week of pro football was filled with a lot of surprises, by not only the players but the teams as well. The Cleveland Browns look to have taken a massive step forward overall, much to my displeasure. As a Steelers fan, seeing the Browns finally play a competitive football game was quite shocking. I know I was waiting the entire OT for the Browns to make a Browns Type of play and lose the game, but that never happened. In all seriousness the Browns defense looks legit, being anchored by Myles Garrett. And the new weapons on offense, Jarvis Landy, Nick Chubb, and Carlos Hyde, combined with David Njoku and a decent o-line has the browns looking like a real, competitive NFL team.

That being said the star of that game was James Conner, our first surprise of week 1. James Conner burst onto the scene in his first career start for 135 rushing yards and 2 rushing score. Add to that 5 catches for 57 yards, and Conner finished the day with 34.2 fantasy points. As a James Conner owner, his ceiling wasn’t all that high, given how inexperienced he was. But, Conner shined as Leveon Bell’s replacement and looks to keep up the pace as long a Bell is out. Another surprise running back from in week 1 was the ageless Adrian Peterson. Peterson signed with the Redskins one week into the preseason and wasn’t expected to contribute much at his age. But, Peterson ran wild over Arizona for 96 rushing yards and a TD for a total of 22.6 fantasy points. Eagles receiver Nelson Agholor was the biggest surprise from the receiving corps. Agholor pulled in 8 catches for 33, witch seems low but in ppr leagues was good for 13.5 fantasy points. Agholor stepped up in the absence of Alshon Jeffery and showed some of the talent that made him a first round pick in 2015. My final surprise comes from a position that doesn’t get much love in fantasy. The New York Jets defense and special teams pounced all over the Lions with 5 INT’s and 2 defensive TD’s scored and put up 25 fantasy points. A young Jets defense that has no lived up to expectations in the past has finally put it all together, and looks to be a scary unit for years to come.

Week 2 Sleepers:

The list of sleepers for week 2 starts with 2 tight ends. George Kittle of San Francisco and Jared Cook of Oakland both had above average games in week 1 with 14 and 27 points respectively. While Cook will likely come back down to earth, both tight ends served as security blankets for there QB’s and are poised for breakout years. Kittle should have a field day against a weak Lions defense this week and should be a starting caliber TE as long as Garoppolo is throwing to him. A strong secondary in Denver means Cook will likely be Derek Carr’s main weapon this week, and likely for weeks to come will the Raiders try to figure out whats wrong with Amari Cooper. Your best bet for a steal at WR is Quincy Enunwa of the New York Jets. Sam Darnold looked like a future star Monday night in Detroit, and Enunwa seems to be the biggest beneficiary of his addition to the Jets. Enunwa snagged 6 catches for 63 yards and a TD, and looks to be a favorite target for Darnold. Expect Enunwa to be the main target this week against a weak Dolphins defense and in the future on a Jets team with very few weapons at there disposal. Our final sleeper has an asterisks next to him. Leonard Fournette went down in week 1 and TJ Yeldon stepped in with a 16 point performance. Yeldon is a solid RB2 or flex option for while he starts in Fournette’s place. But, with Fournette’s relatively minor injury, Yeldon is at best a 2-3 weeks starter.

For readers looking for players to stash on there rosters to make an impact later, I have two players who could pay big dividends. Aaron Jones of the Green Bay Packer is suspend for 1 more week. But, once reinstated Jones look likely to receive the bulk of the carries in a crowded but weak Green Bay backfield. Baker Mayfield is also and intriguing option to stash. Tyrod Taylor looked wildly inconsistent in week 1 and looks to eventually lose the starting job to the rookie Mayfield should his play stay the same.

 

 

 

 

 

Week 1 Review

What a first week in the NFL season it was. For all the Bills fans,  I feel your pain. It is going to be a long season for you guys. As a fellow Cowboys fan I cannot do much talking, by the  looks of it we are also in for another long, average/below average season. All the Cowboys have is Ezekiel Elliott and it is frustrating to watch as a fan. But anyways we aren’t here to discuss how bad the Bills and the Cowboys are, let’s get to fantasy talk.

First, I just want to address the top 5 fantasy performers in my opinion from this past week. And I would like to start by saying RYAN FITZMAGIC ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Ryan Fitzpatrick, not even the usual starter for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, put up an insane 42.3 points with 4 touchdown passes and 417 passing yards. Speechless. The next man I’d like to acknowledge is one of my personal favorite fantasy players over the last couple years and that is my man Tyreek Hill. Having absolute freakish speed gave Hill (and my fantasy team who by the way, in total, scored a whopping 172.3 points) also 42.3 points. So if you magically had Hill and Fitzpatrick on the same team then maybe you should be running this blog, not me or Nate. Saints running back Alvin Kamara also did not disappoint as he put up 43.1 points. Another Saints player who cracked the top 5 fantasy performers from week 1 was my favorite receiver in the NFL, Michael Thomas. Thomas put up a total score of 38 points thanks to his 16 receptions (yes, 16, that is not a typo) and 180 yards along with a touchdown. James Conner, who is filling in for Steelers star running back Le’veon Bell, had himself a day as well with 2 touchdowns and 192 total yards which gave him a total 34.2 points.

There were many more players who had great games but to me these 5 guys were easily the ones that stuck out and gave eye popping numbers. If only I could have seen into the future so I could have put these guys into a lineup on Draft Kings. These student loans won’t pay for themselves.

Via: Giphy

Week 2 Preview:

So now that I gave my top 5 fantasy performers from week 1, it’s time to give my insight on who can lead your fantasy team to a fast and easy 2-0 start. Guys like Kamara, Hill, and Thomas should obviously stay in your lineups as they can explode at any moment. One sleeper but also not so much of a sleeper to have in your lineup is Juju Smith-Schuster, wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Yes, Antonio Brown is the man in Pitt. But frankly, Juju is the future. He may have had only 5 receptions against a much improved Cleveland Brown defense but those 5 receptions were good for 119 yards and a score of 16.9 points. Facing a below average Kansas City defense, I see Juju benefiting the most as they will have to key in on Antonio Brown and I could see a 20+ point performance from Juju.

Another guy who is due for a big week in my book is Jarvis Landry. Landry had a decent game against the Steelers with 7 receptions and 106 yards good for 17.6 points, but going against a Saints defense who clearly has a ton of work to do as Fitzpatrick and the Bucs lit them up with 48 points, I could see Landry exploding in this game. Also keep an eye on Eagles running back Jay Ajayi and Redskins running back Chris Thompson. Ajayi had over 20 points in the Eagles opener and could see a potential repeat facing a weak Buccaneers defense. Thompson is one of the most underrated dual threat backs in the league. His ability as a receiving back on top of just rushing makes him easily a fantasy sleeper and a good flex spot. One last player you can expect to breakout this week is Chiefs quarterback Pat Mahomes. Mahomes threw for 4 touchdowns against an (on paper) solid Chargers defense. The Steelers always have at least a decent defense but with that cannon of an arm that Mahomes possesses, I could see Mahomes connecting with Hill and tight end Travis Kelce multiple times for a 3 or 4 touchdown performance.

Keep an eye out for any of these players and if it just so happens that all the guys I just listed have terrible weeks then I will take the blame. But just take my word, and put these guys in your lineups. Good luck!

 

Welcome all fantasy football users. We know how important fantasy football is to everyone. Everyone wants to be the champion of their league, but there can only be one. Good thing you happened to stumble onto this blog page. The purpose of this blog page is to provide the necessary information to our viewers/readers in order to dominate their fantasy league. But before the page really kicks off, let’s discuss a little about who we are.

We are Tyler Straka and Nate Johnson but we’re better well known as SUNY Cortland’s fantasy football experts. In actuality, we are both Sport Management majors at the State University of New York at Cortland. However, we live and breath fantasy football and have participated in fantasy football for years. Although we’ve hit some rough patches over the years (i.e. David Johnson getting sidelined for the year in 2017 for Nate and Adrian Peterson doing the same for Tyler in 2016), we have learned from these unexpected instances and can provide our learning experiences to benefit others.

Expect every week our top fantasy booms and busts along with reviews from the past week in the National Football League and provide you with sleeper picks that can boost your team into the top spot. But for now, keep Rumblin’, Bumblin’, Stumblin’!