For Eli Manning, these are the "good times." Back-to-back contests against the Niners' and Bucs' defenses, which have combined for only three interceptions all year (the league's two worst teams in this category). Eli has thrown the 13th most picks of any QB in history, and his 3% interception rate is only 20th best among all of this year's Week 1 starters. In other words, if you want to see the best Eli has to offer in 2018, it doesn't get much easier than these two games, where some of his biggest weaknesses are neutralized.
It's amazing to think what would have happened if fourth rounder Kyle Lauletta hadn't been arrested two weeks ago. He could have looked like Week 9's version of Nick Mullens vs. the hapless Raiders, slinging passes to OBJ and Sterling Shepard and playing no worse than Eli has and forcing the veteran into an early retirement. "This Kyle kid can really throw the ball," supposed experts would have said.
But it wasn't meant to be. Lauletta's season ended before it began when he almost ran over that cop. And Eli gets to looks half-decent before returning to his now-normal bottom-10 self starting Week 12, with four straight games against the Eagles, Bears, Redskins, and Titans.
Speaking of Mullens, this is why context matters. As I wrote last week, his dominance of Oakland was not surprising. Yesterday he faced the second-worst defense with respect to interceptions (tied) and sacks. So while he vanquished arguably the NFL's worst pass D last week, he fell well short against a bottom-3 pass defense last night. If he's still starting after the bye, in one of those strange scheduling happenstances, he'll get the other bottom-3 pass defense: the Bucs. If he's still starting come Week 13, he'll face the Broncos, Seahawks (twice), and Bears before wrapping up at the Rams. In other words, while Mullens was a wonderful Week 9 story, he'll probably be no better than some team's third-string QB next season.
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Looking at the waiver wire: At QB, the Lamar Jackson (93% Available in ESPN Leagues) Era might begin this week. He probably won't do any worse than Joe Flacco, and his relevance in the running game should make him a two-QB-league mainstay for the rest of the season.
At RB, the Panthers have cut C.J. Anderson and signed Cameron Artis-Payne (100% Available), who will replace C.J. as Christian McCaffrey's handcuff. Josh Adams (94% Available) further solidified his 1A RB role in Philly on Sunday. Rashaad Penny (87% Available) finally showed us what all the preseason fuss was about, putting him on the fantasy map as a "hold" until we see how that three-headed backfield shakes out. Meanwhile, I'm begrudgingly acknowledging that Elijah McGuire (77% Available) could see more run as the tanking Jets tank further. That said, I'm having a tough time seeing him as anything more than an RB3, even as a starter.
At WR, Marquez Valdez-Scantling (35% Available) almost certainly will be Aaron Rodgers' #2 target the rest of the way, making him a must-roster in just about every league. This past week I started Maurice Harris (90% Available) over T.Y. Hilton, which might say more about what I thought of Harris's favorable matchup than about what I thought of Hilton going against Jalen Ramsey (they finished with almost identical points). With Jamison Crowder needing another MRI on his ankle, Harris will remain a solid streamer in deeper leagues. And remember Ted Ginn (97% Available)? Cam Meredith wasn't the answer, and then he got hurt. Then Dez. And now the past-past-past-prime Brandon Marshall. If Ginn returns in Week 15 (his earliest possible return date), he could slide back into the #2 role in New Orleans, making him a must-add in leagues where, say, you're still stashing over-rostered guys like Alfred Morris or Jordy Nelson.
At TE, Jonnu Smith (99% Available) has two straight TE1 performances. If you've been reading my columns, you know how much I've hyped him since Delanie Walker was knocked out for the year. It's taken a long time for Tennessee's offense to get going. So I'll say this for what I hope will be the last time: Jonnu Smith is a legit NFL talent. Like, TE1-legit. The only question has been whether the Titans use him properly. This is a team where, through the first half of the season, no receiver had more than one TD. Think about that. There is a gaping hole of potential in a squad that averaged only 14.5 points in its first seven games -- and 27 in its last three. Smith is a terrific add in 14+ team leagues and a must-stream if you're not carrying a top-10 TE.
It's amazing to think what would have happened if fourth rounder Kyle Lauletta hadn't been arrested two weeks ago. He could have looked like Week 9's version of Nick Mullens vs. the hapless Raiders, slinging passes to OBJ and Sterling Shepard and playing no worse than Eli has and forcing the veteran into an early retirement. "This Kyle kid can really throw the ball," supposed experts would have said.
But it wasn't meant to be. Lauletta's season ended before it began when he almost ran over that cop. And Eli gets to looks half-decent before returning to his now-normal bottom-10 self starting Week 12, with four straight games against the Eagles, Bears, Redskins, and Titans.
Speaking of Mullens, this is why context matters. As I wrote last week, his dominance of Oakland was not surprising. Yesterday he faced the second-worst defense with respect to interceptions (tied) and sacks. So while he vanquished arguably the NFL's worst pass D last week, he fell well short against a bottom-3 pass defense last night. If he's still starting after the bye, in one of those strange scheduling happenstances, he'll get the other bottom-3 pass defense: the Bucs. If he's still starting come Week 13, he'll face the Broncos, Seahawks (twice), and Bears before wrapping up at the Rams. In other words, while Mullens was a wonderful Week 9 story, he'll probably be no better than some team's third-string QB next season.
---
Looking at the waiver wire: At QB, the Lamar Jackson (93% Available in ESPN Leagues) Era might begin this week. He probably won't do any worse than Joe Flacco, and his relevance in the running game should make him a two-QB-league mainstay for the rest of the season.
At RB, the Panthers have cut C.J. Anderson and signed Cameron Artis-Payne (100% Available), who will replace C.J. as Christian McCaffrey's handcuff. Josh Adams (94% Available) further solidified his 1A RB role in Philly on Sunday. Rashaad Penny (87% Available) finally showed us what all the preseason fuss was about, putting him on the fantasy map as a "hold" until we see how that three-headed backfield shakes out. Meanwhile, I'm begrudgingly acknowledging that Elijah McGuire (77% Available) could see more run as the tanking Jets tank further. That said, I'm having a tough time seeing him as anything more than an RB3, even as a starter.
At WR, Marquez Valdez-Scantling (35% Available) almost certainly will be Aaron Rodgers' #2 target the rest of the way, making him a must-roster in just about every league. This past week I started Maurice Harris (90% Available) over T.Y. Hilton, which might say more about what I thought of Harris's favorable matchup than about what I thought of Hilton going against Jalen Ramsey (they finished with almost identical points). With Jamison Crowder needing another MRI on his ankle, Harris will remain a solid streamer in deeper leagues. And remember Ted Ginn (97% Available)? Cam Meredith wasn't the answer, and then he got hurt. Then Dez. And now the past-past-past-prime Brandon Marshall. If Ginn returns in Week 15 (his earliest possible return date), he could slide back into the #2 role in New Orleans, making him a must-add in leagues where, say, you're still stashing over-rostered guys like Alfred Morris or Jordy Nelson.
At TE, Jonnu Smith (99% Available) has two straight TE1 performances. If you've been reading my columns, you know how much I've hyped him since Delanie Walker was knocked out for the year. It's taken a long time for Tennessee's offense to get going. So I'll say this for what I hope will be the last time: Jonnu Smith is a legit NFL talent. Like, TE1-legit. The only question has been whether the Titans use him properly. This is a team where, through the first half of the season, no receiver had more than one TD. Think about that. There is a gaping hole of potential in a squad that averaged only 14.5 points in its first seven games -- and 27 in its last three. Smith is a terrific add in 14+ team leagues and a must-stream if you're not carrying a top-10 TE.