A quick fantasy recap of yesterday's games: The Ravens beat the Colts, but it was too close. Even in bad weather--or maybe because of it--Baltimore's DST should have had more than two sacks in a big-plus matchup. As it stands, they were the third highest scoring DST of the day. Out of four teams, that's not good for the season's second-highest-scoring fantasy unit.
Credit Jacoby Brissett, Frank Gore, and T.Y. Hilton for making this a game. Gore and Hilton did better than I expected. All three were top-5 fantasy scorers on the day. Meanwhile, Mike Wallace simply didn't get the job done, catching only one ball in the second half and falling short of my lofty expectations.
Injuries knocked out Chris Moore, Jordy Nelson, and Aaron Jones. I expected all three to do better than they did. Speaking of the Packers, Jamaal Williams was a bust as anticipated, and strangely Lance Kendricks led Green Bay in receiving with 36 yards.
On the other side of the ball, after being a near-elite fantasy wideout for much of the season, Adam Thielen has tanked in two straight games. It shouldn't have happened, but it did, and it's a reminder that these days virtually no receiver is an automatic start, even in the fantasy playoffs. Stefon Diggs came through as expected, and is averaging high-end WR2 production in each game played. Kyle Rudolph fell flat as expected--a reminder that highly TD-dependent TEs are always risky in the fantasy playoffs. Case Keenum's two-TD streak surprisingly came to an end, and Latavius Murray barely outperformed Jerick McKinnon. But all fantasy managers care about is that neither RB stepped up when it counted.
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Because it's the holidays and I'm knee-deep in wonderful family bonding, there's been no time to produce the bargains/bust podcast. I made 326 unconventional predictions on this podcast this season, hitting on 193, or 59%. That's how this podcast season will end. If you took calculated risks based on these weekly bargains and busts, you certainly came out better than if you'd flipped a coin.
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That said, I'm not ready to stop running my 50/50 Lineup of the Week. My picks last week finished strong, pushing my record to 9-5. This week's "ideal" lineup:
QB Cam Newton ($8,300) -- Fantastic floor. Fantastic matchup. Healthy receivers. Must-win game for the Panthers.
RB Mark Ingram ($8,300) -- See below.
RB Alvin Kamara ($8,500) -- See above.
WR A.J. Green ($7,800) -- Fantasy irrelevance in his past two games. Fantasy disappointment in seven of his last nine. Yet I'm urging everyone to start him not only in the fantasy playoffs, but also in DFS? Crazy! (But just watch.)
WR Larry Fitzgerald ($7,500) -- In what could be the final home game of his Hall-of-Fame career (he's still considering retirement), Fitz will go off against the league's worst pass defense.
WR Kendall Wright ($5,100) -- A cheap receiver option to help make space for the five high-priced DFS starters. The veteran Wright has been Mitch Trubisky's #1 target in two straight games.
TE Eric Ebron ($5,200) -- While I'd like to find more cap space for Greg Olsen or Travis Kelce, I think Ebron will be good enough to warrant the start--and again, this is all to ensure I have five high-probability high-ceiling starters.
K Dustin Hopkins ($4,500) -- Vastly underrated for a dirt cheap kicker.
DST Patriots ($4,600) -- One of the cheapest DSTs out there. And as many of you know, I've been putting a lot on the line claiming they'll be a near-elite option this week.
To those in title games, kick butt today.
Credit Jacoby Brissett, Frank Gore, and T.Y. Hilton for making this a game. Gore and Hilton did better than I expected. All three were top-5 fantasy scorers on the day. Meanwhile, Mike Wallace simply didn't get the job done, catching only one ball in the second half and falling short of my lofty expectations.
Injuries knocked out Chris Moore, Jordy Nelson, and Aaron Jones. I expected all three to do better than they did. Speaking of the Packers, Jamaal Williams was a bust as anticipated, and strangely Lance Kendricks led Green Bay in receiving with 36 yards.
On the other side of the ball, after being a near-elite fantasy wideout for much of the season, Adam Thielen has tanked in two straight games. It shouldn't have happened, but it did, and it's a reminder that these days virtually no receiver is an automatic start, even in the fantasy playoffs. Stefon Diggs came through as expected, and is averaging high-end WR2 production in each game played. Kyle Rudolph fell flat as expected--a reminder that highly TD-dependent TEs are always risky in the fantasy playoffs. Case Keenum's two-TD streak surprisingly came to an end, and Latavius Murray barely outperformed Jerick McKinnon. But all fantasy managers care about is that neither RB stepped up when it counted.
---
Because it's the holidays and I'm knee-deep in wonderful family bonding, there's been no time to produce the bargains/bust podcast. I made 326 unconventional predictions on this podcast this season, hitting on 193, or 59%. That's how this podcast season will end. If you took calculated risks based on these weekly bargains and busts, you certainly came out better than if you'd flipped a coin.
---
That said, I'm not ready to stop running my 50/50 Lineup of the Week. My picks last week finished strong, pushing my record to 9-5. This week's "ideal" lineup:
QB Cam Newton ($8,300) -- Fantastic floor. Fantastic matchup. Healthy receivers. Must-win game for the Panthers.
RB Mark Ingram ($8,300) -- See below.
RB Alvin Kamara ($8,500) -- See above.
WR A.J. Green ($7,800) -- Fantasy irrelevance in his past two games. Fantasy disappointment in seven of his last nine. Yet I'm urging everyone to start him not only in the fantasy playoffs, but also in DFS? Crazy! (But just watch.)
WR Larry Fitzgerald ($7,500) -- In what could be the final home game of his Hall-of-Fame career (he's still considering retirement), Fitz will go off against the league's worst pass defense.
WR Kendall Wright ($5,100) -- A cheap receiver option to help make space for the five high-priced DFS starters. The veteran Wright has been Mitch Trubisky's #1 target in two straight games.
TE Eric Ebron ($5,200) -- While I'd like to find more cap space for Greg Olsen or Travis Kelce, I think Ebron will be good enough to warrant the start--and again, this is all to ensure I have five high-probability high-ceiling starters.
K Dustin Hopkins ($4,500) -- Vastly underrated for a dirt cheap kicker.
DST Patriots ($4,600) -- One of the cheapest DSTs out there. And as many of you know, I've been putting a lot on the line claiming they'll be a near-elite option this week.
To those in title games, kick butt today.