It’s Monday morning, so a quick rundown of each Sunday team’s most
notable fantasy storyline:
Cardinals – The most interesting storyline is the recent collapse of
J.J. Nelson, who two weeks ago looked like a locked-in WR3 for the rest of the
season. Carson Palmer’s sub-par play and
David Johnson’s dominance leaves room for only one—and only occasionally two—productive
receivers each week. If you’re rostering
an Arizona WR not named Larry, looks elsewhere for the fantasy playoffs.
Vikings – I’ve been waiting for Jerick McKinnon to get more attention
in Minnesota’s backfield. While his
44-yard rushing performance yesterday was fantasy irrelevant, his 16 carries
suggest he’s the Viking RB to roster if you’re desperate at that position.
Bears – Zach Miller is lost for the season, elevating Cameron Meredith
to must-own status—a WR3/4 with terrific upside.
Giants – I hyped up Will Tye in yesterday’s column. A volume receiver, he is not. A solid red zone target with a favorable ROS
schedule, he is.
Bills – Whether or not LeSean McCoy misses time, RB handcuff Mike
Gillislee should get more touches than usual even if McCoy returns next
week. I’ve been pushing him since Karlos
Williams was cut. He’s an RB3 if McCoy
starts and an RB1/2 if McCoy is sidelined.
Bengals – Gio Bernard is expected to miss the rest of the season,
paving the way for Jeremy Hill to eat up 20+ touches a game. Push him up a couple notches when weighing
his potential production.
Buccaneers – Doug Martin’s 10 fantasy points ignore the fact that he
rushed for 2.6 YPC yesterday. For the
fifth week in a row, trade him while you can.
Chiefs – Spencer Ware was solid again.
No other running back earned a carry.
Titans – One of my favorite preseason bargains, Tajae Sharpe, is on a
roll. It’s no fluke. He and Rishard Matthews could form an even
better 1-2 tandem next season.
Colts – It’s odd to say that the 33-year-old Frank Gore is slowing
down. But his 2.8 YPC performance Sunday
was his worst of the season, barely behind his previous start in Week 9 (3.2
YPC). Beware high-volume usage for aging
RBs.
Ravens – I didn’t see those Steve Smith numbers coming. Hats off to those who started him. Suppose he’ll remain relevant as long as he’s
getting heaps of targets. But injury
risks and a run-friendly offense limits his ability to have more WR2+ games.
Cowboys – Don’t mess with Dez.
Don’t underestimate Dez. As I
wrote last week, he’s an elite receiver who’s simply had some bad luck in the injury
department. The Cowboys were scary good
without him, which make them simply scary with him.
Jaguars – Marqise Lee has officially overtaken Allen Hurns as the Jags’
#2 WR. Next year he could be #1.
Lions – Matthew Stafford has four TDs in his last four games. It’s not a permanent lull. Not even close.
Steelers – Big Ben won’t have another bad game this season. But wow, this one hurt for a lot of people.
Browns – I’ve mentioned this before and will say it again: Isaiah Crowell
is a name, not a fantasy starter. Forget
about the guy who was a locked-in WR1 his first four games. He’s been out of his element (sub 2.7 YPC) in
six of his past seven games.
Dolphins – I’ll keep hyping DeVante Parker until he gets the attention
he deserves. Parker is arguably Miami’s
most talented receiver. His long-awaited
health is a key reason why the team is making a playoff run.
Rams – Not many NFL quarterbacks can be called “downgrades from Case
Keenum.” Jared Goff lowers every Ram’s
fantasy prospects except Todd Gurley’s.
Patriots – Regular readers know how hard I pushed Julian Edelman this
past week. Without Gronk and Chris
Hogan, Tom Brady fed him 17 times.
Edelman will be a must-start WR anytime Gronk is missing and/or the team
faces an anemic defense.
49ers – Once again, Colin Kaepernick proved his adequateness. And that’s enough to make fantasy owners
pleasantly surprised.
Eagles – Wendell Smallwood will be one of the biggest waiver pickups
this week. But he should have been
picked up earlier. This site has been
pushing Ryan Mathews as a uniquely probably injury risk since the summer. If he starts, Smallwood would be an RB2.
Seahawks – What goes around, comes around. Thomas Rawls suddenly finds himself at the
top of the Seattle backfield food chain.
This is why fantasy football favors patient fantasy managers.
Packers – It’s hard to ignore Jared Cook’s annual outburst. Don’t rush out and grab him like so many
others will. Cook won’t clear 30 yards
next week. Or the week after.
Redskins – I kept turning a blind eye to Pierre Garcon this
season. In recent weeks he’s kept
proving me wrong. But I’m still
not buying him.