"Return to Earth" syndrome occurs in at least 90% of upstart fantasy players. And for 99.9% of all players, record-breaking projections cannot be maintained.
Last night was interesting on a lot of levels. First, the predictable:
Steve Smith was on pace for 1,861 yards and 11 TDs thru three games. We saw a similar shot out of the gate last season. I urged a lot of people this week on this blog and on Twitter to sell high on Smith. Sure, he got hurt, but is that so surprising for a 15-year veteran receiver? If you haven't sold high, there's still time. He's not headed for a 1,500-yard, 8-TD season.
Michael Vick was barely adequate, with 11 fantasy points in standard leagues. Had Antonio Brown caught that touchdown pass, his day would have been significantly better. But "What-Ifs" are for before the games, not after. Points are points, and Pittsburgh's receivers will have a lot of trouble meeting expectations while Big Ben's sidelined.
Antonio Brown had a chance to continue his 5-catch, 50-yard streak, but failed to come down with a TD-pass he'd usually grab. Today's game was a big reason why last Sunday afternoon I packaged him, Jordan Reed, and Tevin Coleman for DJax, Gronk, and LeGarrette Blount. It'll be like this for most of the next 3-5 weeks with Ben out: 5-10 fantasy points with the occasional 14-pointer.
Headlining the unpredictable was Justin Forsett, who I actually traded for earlier this week in my 20-team league, when I was desperate for a QB thanks to Romo's injury, and thanks to Matt Hasselbeck being the best QB available on waivers (not good). My borderline trade of Matt Forte, Kendall Wright, and Branden Wheeden for Forsett, A.J. Green, and Kirk Cousins looks tangibly better this morning. I'll now set to work dangling Forsett to some RB-needy owners to see if his market value has shifted enough.
Also, TE Maxx Williams was primed for a bigger role with Crockett Gilmore out and the running game ineffective. But Forsett and Kamar Aiken carried the load, mitigating Joe Flacco's need to involve his relatively high upside rookie tight end.
And Le'Veon Bell proved that it doesn't matter who's quarterbacking. Baltimore's D had no answer, despite it being clear from the outset that Pittsburgh would lean heavily on their third-year star, to the tune of 29 touches. The Ravens won, so the strategy worked. But while Brown, Markus Wheaton, the soon-to-return Martavis Bryant, and Heath Miller all take huge hits with Big Ben out, Bell is likely to be an RB1 every time he steps on the field.
Last night was interesting on a lot of levels. First, the predictable:
Steve Smith was on pace for 1,861 yards and 11 TDs thru three games. We saw a similar shot out of the gate last season. I urged a lot of people this week on this blog and on Twitter to sell high on Smith. Sure, he got hurt, but is that so surprising for a 15-year veteran receiver? If you haven't sold high, there's still time. He's not headed for a 1,500-yard, 8-TD season.
Michael Vick was barely adequate, with 11 fantasy points in standard leagues. Had Antonio Brown caught that touchdown pass, his day would have been significantly better. But "What-Ifs" are for before the games, not after. Points are points, and Pittsburgh's receivers will have a lot of trouble meeting expectations while Big Ben's sidelined.
Antonio Brown had a chance to continue his 5-catch, 50-yard streak, but failed to come down with a TD-pass he'd usually grab. Today's game was a big reason why last Sunday afternoon I packaged him, Jordan Reed, and Tevin Coleman for DJax, Gronk, and LeGarrette Blount. It'll be like this for most of the next 3-5 weeks with Ben out: 5-10 fantasy points with the occasional 14-pointer.
Headlining the unpredictable was Justin Forsett, who I actually traded for earlier this week in my 20-team league, when I was desperate for a QB thanks to Romo's injury, and thanks to Matt Hasselbeck being the best QB available on waivers (not good). My borderline trade of Matt Forte, Kendall Wright, and Branden Wheeden for Forsett, A.J. Green, and Kirk Cousins looks tangibly better this morning. I'll now set to work dangling Forsett to some RB-needy owners to see if his market value has shifted enough.
Also, TE Maxx Williams was primed for a bigger role with Crockett Gilmore out and the running game ineffective. But Forsett and Kamar Aiken carried the load, mitigating Joe Flacco's need to involve his relatively high upside rookie tight end.
And Le'Veon Bell proved that it doesn't matter who's quarterbacking. Baltimore's D had no answer, despite it being clear from the outset that Pittsburgh would lean heavily on their third-year star, to the tune of 29 touches. The Ravens won, so the strategy worked. But while Brown, Markus Wheaton, the soon-to-return Martavis Bryant, and Heath Miller all take huge hits with Big Ben out, Bell is likely to be an RB1 every time he steps on the field.