The hardest columns I write are the ones that post Sunday mornings. This is even more true now that I'm publishing at 6:00am rather than 9:30am on weekends. I second- and triple-guess myself on each DFS 50/50 Lineup of the Week. And by Saturday night I need to say, "Yep, that's good enough."
All questionable players are off the table. And in most cases, players impacted by those questionable players are off the table. For example, Gio Bernard was in my tentative 50/50 all week. But last night, with Joe Mixon's status still up in the air, I couldn't risk keeping him in. Depending on when you're reading this, Mixon's status might be well known. That doesn't do me any good: the lineup I set last Saturday night is the final lineup.
So if you're like me and can't always wait 'til an hour before the opening kickoffs to set your lineup, hopefully this one pays off.
Last week's did, thanks to one of the most balanced lineups I've ever done on this page, with four guys (Philip Rivers, Dalvin Cook, Chris Carson, and Amari Cooper) scoring 19-25 points, and four more (Chris Godwin, Adam Thielen, Jason Witten, and Nick Chubb) collecting 9-13. The only dud was the Eagles DST. This week my DST should do a lot better. We'll see about the rest.
As always, the following's based on FanDuel pricing. If you use DraftKings are something else, it should be fairly easy to swap out one player to make it work.
QB Jared Goff ($7,600) -- This week I made my first Premier League trade, giving away A.J. Green and Chase Edmonds for Goff and Mark Walton (I then dumped Walton for Darrell Henderson, just in case things change in that backfield). On paper, my kindly opponent got the better end of the deal. Green was a perennial WR1 before 2018's lost season, and he should be back in the coming weeks. Goff, on the other hand, is coming off a pretty bad game, following a pretty bad string of 6-7 games. But I'm all in on Goff's proven near-elite capabilities and nearly unrivaled supporting cost. His season of redemption officially begins today; he's a threat for four scores.
RB Saquon Barkley ($9,200) -- No Sterling Shepherd, and underutilized in Week 1. Barkley has a higher floor and higher ceiling than any running back. Although I hate the price, he's worth it.
RB Chris Thompson ($5,300) -- Tried to make things work using a $6,500 Josh Jacobs, but concerned Kansas City could break that game open, pushing Jacobs to the sidelines. Instead, I'm banking on Thompson to be even more valuable now that Adrian Peterson has replaced the perpetually injured Derrius Guice. AP is almost non-existent in the passing game, opening the door for an RB3+ day for Thompson--a guy I promoted as undervalued in July, and unfortunately didn't continue promoting in August.
WR Keenan Allen ($7,700) -- Despite Mike Williams' questionable tag as I'm writing this, Allen is a safe WR2+ with elite upside against a beatable Lions D.
WR Sammy Watkins ($7,400) -- Hate chasing points. That said, I'd be foolish to ignore Watkins' talent and opportunity. With Tyreek Hill out, the often-injured receiver gets a plus matchup and a co-#1 role with Travis Kelce.
WR Tyrell Williams ($5,900) -- When analyzing players' future production, I ignore their past touchdowns. Am more concerned with targets and receptions. After catching six of seven balls last week, Williams is in the interesting position of facing an easier defense, and needing to do more to keep up with the Chiefs' inevitable offensive barrage.
TE Evan Engram ($6,400) -- Normally use the tight end slot to conserve money for the higher-upside position players. But Engram should lead the Giants in targets, receptions, and receiving yards today. So it appears to be a no-brainer.
FLEX A.J. Brown ($5,400) -- Is A.J. Brown legit? Of course. Is he fantasy legit? At this price, I'll roll the dice.
DST Ravens ($5,000) -- A tough defense at home against a rookie QB who looked awful most of last week. Baltimore has 20-point potential if things break right.
Good luck today.
All questionable players are off the table. And in most cases, players impacted by those questionable players are off the table. For example, Gio Bernard was in my tentative 50/50 all week. But last night, with Joe Mixon's status still up in the air, I couldn't risk keeping him in. Depending on when you're reading this, Mixon's status might be well known. That doesn't do me any good: the lineup I set last Saturday night is the final lineup.
So if you're like me and can't always wait 'til an hour before the opening kickoffs to set your lineup, hopefully this one pays off.
Last week's did, thanks to one of the most balanced lineups I've ever done on this page, with four guys (Philip Rivers, Dalvin Cook, Chris Carson, and Amari Cooper) scoring 19-25 points, and four more (Chris Godwin, Adam Thielen, Jason Witten, and Nick Chubb) collecting 9-13. The only dud was the Eagles DST. This week my DST should do a lot better. We'll see about the rest.
As always, the following's based on FanDuel pricing. If you use DraftKings are something else, it should be fairly easy to swap out one player to make it work.
QB Jared Goff ($7,600) -- This week I made my first Premier League trade, giving away A.J. Green and Chase Edmonds for Goff and Mark Walton (I then dumped Walton for Darrell Henderson, just in case things change in that backfield). On paper, my kindly opponent got the better end of the deal. Green was a perennial WR1 before 2018's lost season, and he should be back in the coming weeks. Goff, on the other hand, is coming off a pretty bad game, following a pretty bad string of 6-7 games. But I'm all in on Goff's proven near-elite capabilities and nearly unrivaled supporting cost. His season of redemption officially begins today; he's a threat for four scores.
RB Saquon Barkley ($9,200) -- No Sterling Shepherd, and underutilized in Week 1. Barkley has a higher floor and higher ceiling than any running back. Although I hate the price, he's worth it.
RB Chris Thompson ($5,300) -- Tried to make things work using a $6,500 Josh Jacobs, but concerned Kansas City could break that game open, pushing Jacobs to the sidelines. Instead, I'm banking on Thompson to be even more valuable now that Adrian Peterson has replaced the perpetually injured Derrius Guice. AP is almost non-existent in the passing game, opening the door for an RB3+ day for Thompson--a guy I promoted as undervalued in July, and unfortunately didn't continue promoting in August.
WR Keenan Allen ($7,700) -- Despite Mike Williams' questionable tag as I'm writing this, Allen is a safe WR2+ with elite upside against a beatable Lions D.
WR Sammy Watkins ($7,400) -- Hate chasing points. That said, I'd be foolish to ignore Watkins' talent and opportunity. With Tyreek Hill out, the often-injured receiver gets a plus matchup and a co-#1 role with Travis Kelce.
WR Tyrell Williams ($5,900) -- When analyzing players' future production, I ignore their past touchdowns. Am more concerned with targets and receptions. After catching six of seven balls last week, Williams is in the interesting position of facing an easier defense, and needing to do more to keep up with the Chiefs' inevitable offensive barrage.
TE Evan Engram ($6,400) -- Normally use the tight end slot to conserve money for the higher-upside position players. But Engram should lead the Giants in targets, receptions, and receiving yards today. So it appears to be a no-brainer.
FLEX A.J. Brown ($5,400) -- Is A.J. Brown legit? Of course. Is he fantasy legit? At this price, I'll roll the dice.
DST Ravens ($5,000) -- A tough defense at home against a rookie QB who looked awful most of last week. Baltimore has 20-point potential if things break right.
Good luck today.