With a 9:30am start time in London and several questionable tags to key players, this morning has more concentrated intensity than most Sunday mornings. First, Rob Gronkowski didn't travel to Chicago for today's contest and is officially listed as doubtful. Now, I wouldn't put it past Bill Belichick to rent Gronk a hypersonic jet 45 minutes before kickoff to demoralize a charged-up Bears squad. But realistically, Josh Gordon, Julian Edelman, and even Chris Hogan will get some bumps. And if you don't have a top-12 TE, pick up and start the highly unpredictable Dwayne Allen; I ran some numbers this morning and found that in 2016 and 2017 he collected five TDs on only 13 red-zone targets. When you're looking for a desperation TE, always go with a proven red-zone threat.
Elsewhere, Melvin Gordon's out, making Austin Ekeler a must-start RB2. Personally this is disappointing, as one of my Week 7 opponents (14-team league) has Ekeler . . . along with Saquon Barkley, Adam Thielen, Julio Jones, and too many other dominant players. Ekeler will be his icing on the cake.
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Plenty of question marks and changes as I've worked through this week's ideal 50/50 DFS lineup. Note that as always, this is for 1:00pm / 4:05pm / 4:25pm Eastern kickoffs. So the approaching Chargers-Titans contest is off limits.
QB Mitch Trubisky ($7,500) -- In many ways, highly risky. Belichick game-plans like few other head coaches can. But with Allen Robinson healthy enough to start, and New England giving up a near-league-leading 15 passing TDs, I like Mitch's breakout potential. And worst case, he should be able to muster a top-14 output -- not bad at that price.
RB Todd Gurley ($10,200) -- Despite a continually rising price, Gurley remains a bargain as fantasy's #1 running back. His matchup is favorable, and he leads all NFL players in fantasy points inside the opposing 20 (92), 10 (67), and 5 (48). Hard to argue against numbers like those.
RB Latavius Murray ($6,500) -- I could save $1,700 and grab Nick Chubb, but he's facing an elite Tampa Bay run D. And Chubb historically has been a non-factor in the passing game. Murray is simply safer this week in what could be a 20+ touch performance.
WR Adam Thielen ($8,700) -- Will my first week choosing Thielen coincide with a down game for fantasy's #1 wideout? I'm not superstitious, so who cares. Thielen's on pace for (ready for this?) 155 receptions on 211 targets. Both would be record breaking. Outside of Gurley, there's arguably no one safer.
WR Robby Anderson ($5,400) -- This is where things get interesting. I'm betting that Sam Darnold -- now without Quincy Enunwa and the recently released Terrelle Pryor -- will lean heavily on his remaining clear-cut reliable receivers. Minnesota's been sub-par against the pass. Anderson is a boom-bust option at a good price.
WR Jermaine Kearse ($5,000) -- The Anderson call makes more sense when paired with Kearse. I firmly believe one of these two guys will go off. If one gets me 18 points and the other five, they've done enough to keep this lineup competitive in 50/50.
TE David Njoku ($5,700) -- Normally I'm not spending much on tight ends, since they rarely have the breakout potential of QBs, RBs, and WRs. But Njoku has been Baker Mayfield's go-to receiver, and today they're facing a bottom-barrel Tampa Bay pass D.
FLEX Michael Crabtree ($6,600) -- A last-minute switch gives me Crabtree over the same-priced Tarik Cohen. Both have decent scoring potential today. I prefer Crabtree's yardage upside. I also believe the Patriots have looked at Cohen's back-to-back dominating performances and will be prepared to keep him in check, removing one of Trubisky's favorite weapons.
DST Jaguars ($4,400) -- Hardly the dominating DST nearly everyone was expecting this preseason. But today will be a great day for this underrated unit vs. a mistake-prone Deshaun Watson and underwhelming running game.
Good luck today.
Elsewhere, Melvin Gordon's out, making Austin Ekeler a must-start RB2. Personally this is disappointing, as one of my Week 7 opponents (14-team league) has Ekeler . . . along with Saquon Barkley, Adam Thielen, Julio Jones, and too many other dominant players. Ekeler will be his icing on the cake.
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Plenty of question marks and changes as I've worked through this week's ideal 50/50 DFS lineup. Note that as always, this is for 1:00pm / 4:05pm / 4:25pm Eastern kickoffs. So the approaching Chargers-Titans contest is off limits.
QB Mitch Trubisky ($7,500) -- In many ways, highly risky. Belichick game-plans like few other head coaches can. But with Allen Robinson healthy enough to start, and New England giving up a near-league-leading 15 passing TDs, I like Mitch's breakout potential. And worst case, he should be able to muster a top-14 output -- not bad at that price.
RB Todd Gurley ($10,200) -- Despite a continually rising price, Gurley remains a bargain as fantasy's #1 running back. His matchup is favorable, and he leads all NFL players in fantasy points inside the opposing 20 (92), 10 (67), and 5 (48). Hard to argue against numbers like those.
RB Latavius Murray ($6,500) -- I could save $1,700 and grab Nick Chubb, but he's facing an elite Tampa Bay run D. And Chubb historically has been a non-factor in the passing game. Murray is simply safer this week in what could be a 20+ touch performance.
WR Adam Thielen ($8,700) -- Will my first week choosing Thielen coincide with a down game for fantasy's #1 wideout? I'm not superstitious, so who cares. Thielen's on pace for (ready for this?) 155 receptions on 211 targets. Both would be record breaking. Outside of Gurley, there's arguably no one safer.
WR Robby Anderson ($5,400) -- This is where things get interesting. I'm betting that Sam Darnold -- now without Quincy Enunwa and the recently released Terrelle Pryor -- will lean heavily on his remaining clear-cut reliable receivers. Minnesota's been sub-par against the pass. Anderson is a boom-bust option at a good price.
WR Jermaine Kearse ($5,000) -- The Anderson call makes more sense when paired with Kearse. I firmly believe one of these two guys will go off. If one gets me 18 points and the other five, they've done enough to keep this lineup competitive in 50/50.
TE David Njoku ($5,700) -- Normally I'm not spending much on tight ends, since they rarely have the breakout potential of QBs, RBs, and WRs. But Njoku has been Baker Mayfield's go-to receiver, and today they're facing a bottom-barrel Tampa Bay pass D.
FLEX Michael Crabtree ($6,600) -- A last-minute switch gives me Crabtree over the same-priced Tarik Cohen. Both have decent scoring potential today. I prefer Crabtree's yardage upside. I also believe the Patriots have looked at Cohen's back-to-back dominating performances and will be prepared to keep him in check, removing one of Trubisky's favorite weapons.
DST Jaguars ($4,400) -- Hardly the dominating DST nearly everyone was expecting this preseason. But today will be a great day for this underrated unit vs. a mistake-prone Deshaun Watson and underwhelming running game.
Good luck today.