The game was closer than I anticipated, but otherwise last night played out largely as expected. Jonathan Williams was the biggest surprise to me, taking over in the second half after getting mostly shut down in the first. Head coach Frank Reich saw their path to victory: pound Williams through the line, move the chains, and repeat. I discussed this likelihood yesterday, but see him hitting 8+ points. Hats off to those who started him; I didn't see it coming.
Additionally, my warnings about Jacoby Brissett (expert-consensus QB-14) panned out. He didn't show anything extra yesterday. He's a game manager on a team that hasn't needed him to do much more. And while I didn't expect much from T.Y. Hilton, I figured he's at least be startable. I expected little from Jordan Wilkins, and that's what he delivered. And Eric Ebron and Jack Doyle largely canceled each other out--no surprise.
There was a comment yesterday about Indy's depth chart--that Wilkins would start because he was listed as the #1 back. If you missed my response, it bears repeating: Don't view depth charts in a vacuum. It's usually easy to find out who's starting, and when it isn't, then it isn't for a reason. I felt Williams would get the first crack despite his #3 spot on the depth chart, since he showed well last week, and Wilkins was coming off an injury. Last night Williams put more daylight between himself and Wilkins. So if tomorrow Wilkins is still atop the depth chart, ignore it. Follow what reporters are saying, and if they don't know, follow the production: it's now Williams' job to lose 'til Marlon Mack returns.
Sticking with Indy, they're now 6-5 and realistically have to win four of their last five to reach the postseason. They'll probably lose to the Saints next month, meaning there's little room for error going forward.
For Houston, Deshaun Watson and DeAndre Hopkins came through as expected. Would've liked to see a little more from Watson, but I said 275+ and 2, and that's what he did. Meanwhile, Will Fuller was more than a "terrific dart throw," leading the team in targets and yards en route to a possible low-end WR1 evening. And while Carlos Hyde fell flat as predicted, Duke Johnson didn't get the love I expected. This was a hard-fought bounce-back performance that could have gone either way. If the Texans can somehow beat New England at home next weekend, they'll be in the driver's seat for a division title.
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I recently wrote about high-scoring position--that this year and in recent years, WRs have the most weekly breakout potential (30+ and 40+ point performances), followed by RBs, then QBs. TEs and DSTs trail significantly.
Yesterday Andrew Leduc's question prompted me to do more research, this time examining 20+ point performances. 88 times this season an RB has cleared 20 points. A QB has done it 106 times. And a WR has done it 124 times. So once again, WRs are shown to be the most reliable "great" producers among all positions. And if you're wondering, 28 TEs, 17 DSTs, and one kicker have accomplished the feat.
In the Premier League I (mistakenly) drafted Travis Kelce in the second round. Never again. I appreciate how elite TEs hold a sharp advantage over run-of-the-mill TE fantasy starters. But in general, I can't count on him for 30+ points. In most cases, he won't single-handedly win me a week or a title. I'll take the loss of 6-8 points per week at that spot in exchange for a top-8 WR with the occasional shot at domination.
Additionally, my warnings about Jacoby Brissett (expert-consensus QB-14) panned out. He didn't show anything extra yesterday. He's a game manager on a team that hasn't needed him to do much more. And while I didn't expect much from T.Y. Hilton, I figured he's at least be startable. I expected little from Jordan Wilkins, and that's what he delivered. And Eric Ebron and Jack Doyle largely canceled each other out--no surprise.
There was a comment yesterday about Indy's depth chart--that Wilkins would start because he was listed as the #1 back. If you missed my response, it bears repeating: Don't view depth charts in a vacuum. It's usually easy to find out who's starting, and when it isn't, then it isn't for a reason. I felt Williams would get the first crack despite his #3 spot on the depth chart, since he showed well last week, and Wilkins was coming off an injury. Last night Williams put more daylight between himself and Wilkins. So if tomorrow Wilkins is still atop the depth chart, ignore it. Follow what reporters are saying, and if they don't know, follow the production: it's now Williams' job to lose 'til Marlon Mack returns.
Sticking with Indy, they're now 6-5 and realistically have to win four of their last five to reach the postseason. They'll probably lose to the Saints next month, meaning there's little room for error going forward.
For Houston, Deshaun Watson and DeAndre Hopkins came through as expected. Would've liked to see a little more from Watson, but I said 275+ and 2, and that's what he did. Meanwhile, Will Fuller was more than a "terrific dart throw," leading the team in targets and yards en route to a possible low-end WR1 evening. And while Carlos Hyde fell flat as predicted, Duke Johnson didn't get the love I expected. This was a hard-fought bounce-back performance that could have gone either way. If the Texans can somehow beat New England at home next weekend, they'll be in the driver's seat for a division title.
---
I recently wrote about high-scoring position--that this year and in recent years, WRs have the most weekly breakout potential (30+ and 40+ point performances), followed by RBs, then QBs. TEs and DSTs trail significantly.
Yesterday Andrew Leduc's question prompted me to do more research, this time examining 20+ point performances. 88 times this season an RB has cleared 20 points. A QB has done it 106 times. And a WR has done it 124 times. So once again, WRs are shown to be the most reliable "great" producers among all positions. And if you're wondering, 28 TEs, 17 DSTs, and one kicker have accomplished the feat.
In the Premier League I (mistakenly) drafted Travis Kelce in the second round. Never again. I appreciate how elite TEs hold a sharp advantage over run-of-the-mill TE fantasy starters. But in general, I can't count on him for 30+ points. In most cases, he won't single-handedly win me a week or a title. I'll take the loss of 6-8 points per week at that spot in exchange for a top-8 WR with the occasional shot at domination.