If you've been holding onto Miami players all season, yesterday was vindication for your patience. Ryan Tannehill finally lived up to the preseason hype, connecting on 18-for-19 for 282 yards and four TDs. Jarvis Landry gave us his best game of the year (83 yards and two scores), and Rishard Matthews continued to shock the fantasy world (75 yards and a score). Meanwhile, Lamar Miller had over 200 total yards and two scores--in the first half.
Their production is likely to suffer somewhat Thursday in New England. But it's another example of how the Fins' recent coaching change has had (so far) a nearly 180-degree fantasy impact on Miami's key players.
In other news, Kirk Cousins is the third QB in three weeks whose back was against the wall--who was one bad game away from potentially getting benched--and who came through in a big way (Matthew Stafford and Colin Kaepernick were the others). I hyped up each of these guys heading into their big games because I'm often big on players who play with everything to lose.
Eric Ebron and Ladarius Green came through big. I recently discussed TEs with great fantasy playoff schedules. Ebron is clearly a must-own TE going forward. Until Detroit figures out its running game, the rookie TE might be the #2 option in the red zone, making him far more the exception than the rule among NFL tight ends.
Some people overcommitted to Branden Oliver this weekend. Many more will pick him up off waivers. I suggest holding off. With everyone except Antonio Gates healthy, with San Diego's defense in shambles, and with Melvin Gordon and Danny Woodhead playing moderate-to-significant roles in the backfield, Oliver is unlikely to be a useful starter. Desperate? Sure, take a flier. But he'll be an RB3/4/5 nearly every week.
Finally, with Arian Foster out for the year, attention turns to Alfred Blue, Chris Polk, and Jonathan Grimes. This is an RB group to avoid. Houston's given up more points than all but two NFL teams. Beyond DeAndre Hopkins--and Nate Washington every two or three weeks--this is a team that conceivably might not win another game. Blue's YPC is 4.0, and he's been largely ineffective except vs. porous defenses. Polk (3.7) and Grimes (3.9) are not featured-RB material.
As always, if you're desperate, sure, why not. But it's a roll of the dice, where the result of starting, say, Blue will lead to 3-6 points most weeks. I'd rather pick up a handcuff like Jerrick McKinnon or, as mentioned a couple weeks ago, Charcandrick West.
To win big, you need to play big. Houston's collection of backup RBs likely won't cut it.
Their production is likely to suffer somewhat Thursday in New England. But it's another example of how the Fins' recent coaching change has had (so far) a nearly 180-degree fantasy impact on Miami's key players.
In other news, Kirk Cousins is the third QB in three weeks whose back was against the wall--who was one bad game away from potentially getting benched--and who came through in a big way (Matthew Stafford and Colin Kaepernick were the others). I hyped up each of these guys heading into their big games because I'm often big on players who play with everything to lose.
Eric Ebron and Ladarius Green came through big. I recently discussed TEs with great fantasy playoff schedules. Ebron is clearly a must-own TE going forward. Until Detroit figures out its running game, the rookie TE might be the #2 option in the red zone, making him far more the exception than the rule among NFL tight ends.
Some people overcommitted to Branden Oliver this weekend. Many more will pick him up off waivers. I suggest holding off. With everyone except Antonio Gates healthy, with San Diego's defense in shambles, and with Melvin Gordon and Danny Woodhead playing moderate-to-significant roles in the backfield, Oliver is unlikely to be a useful starter. Desperate? Sure, take a flier. But he'll be an RB3/4/5 nearly every week.
Finally, with Arian Foster out for the year, attention turns to Alfred Blue, Chris Polk, and Jonathan Grimes. This is an RB group to avoid. Houston's given up more points than all but two NFL teams. Beyond DeAndre Hopkins--and Nate Washington every two or three weeks--this is a team that conceivably might not win another game. Blue's YPC is 4.0, and he's been largely ineffective except vs. porous defenses. Polk (3.7) and Grimes (3.9) are not featured-RB material.
As always, if you're desperate, sure, why not. But it's a roll of the dice, where the result of starting, say, Blue will lead to 3-6 points most weeks. I'd rather pick up a handcuff like Jerrick McKinnon or, as mentioned a couple weeks ago, Charcandrick West.
To win big, you need to play big. Houston's collection of backup RBs likely won't cut it.