Dalvin Cook and Chris Carson have been must-start fantasy RBs all season. Carson's had less than 9.7 fantasy points only once and has been a fairly consistent top 8-10 RB. Cook, meanwhile, has been the best RB not named McCaffrey.
Heading into the fantasy playoffs, both guys have lost some invincibility. Carson out-touched the ascending Rashaad Penny by only five: 24-19. While the veteran made most managers happy (including FF4W friend Jon Betcher, who got what he needed to advance with barely two minutes remaining), Penny obviously is no longer the distant #2. As for Cook, whose first two NFL seasons were cut short by injuries, all eyes will be on his shoulder this week.
The Vikings have two or three very winnable games remaining: Lions, Chargers, and Bears. If Cook's questionable in Week 14, do they play it safe and roll with elite RB handcuff Alexander Mattison? And if Mattison thrives (as he should against Detroit), will that mean Cook returns not as a 23-touch-per-game workhorse, but as a 16-18 touch option alongside a 10-14 touch Mattison? Not a demotion, but rather a "keep him fresher for the playoffs" approach?
This is what makes fantasy football uniquely challenging. LeBron James's minutes won't be cut to 25 with four weeks to go in the regular season. A healthy Mike Trout won't get pulled in the sixth inning every day of September. Connor McDavid (for you hockey fans) won't be taken off power plays to rest up for the postseason.
Yet in the NFL, December is a month of hard decisions for coaching staffs. Each week is precious. You can rest LeBron in the second of back-to-back road games, or sit Trout in one half of a doubleheader. But in football, unless there's nothing on the line, it's tough to justify sidelining your best offensive weapon if he's healthy enough to play.
For now, let's wait and see how about Cook's injury is, and let's also assume Carson and Penny will form a fairly even split going forward. It's a chaotic situation that clearly benefits those with Mattison and/or Penny, and clearly should worry those leaning on Cook and/or Carson.
Elsewhere, remember Kirk Cousins' brutal opening month? He was averaging 10-11 fantasy points per game. Then he went on a tear with six 19+ point efforts in seven tries. Last night he gutted out a 17-point performance despite continuing to be without Adam Thielen. For several years he refused middling longer-term contracts, preferring to bet on himself with one-year deals. Each time, he won. It's unusual for someone to elevate his game *after* securing a huge payday. Yet in nearly two seasons in Minnesota, Cousins now has 55 touchdowns and only 14 interceptions while completing more than 70% of his pass attempts each year.
Also, several Seattle players were sick this week, and Tyler Lockett looked far from 100%. Don't panic. Barring some new news, he should be fine for the fantasy postseason.
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And a quick note on the FF4W Premier Fantasy Football League. We have 84 teams this year--each person a part of this FF4W community. It's a fun, intense, highly competitive league. The best teams move up after each season, and the worst teams move down. I'm strongly considering expanding it next season to 112 (eight 14-team leagues).
If you're a dedicated fantasy footballer and want to compete against similarly dedicated fantasy footballers, let me know.
Heading into the fantasy playoffs, both guys have lost some invincibility. Carson out-touched the ascending Rashaad Penny by only five: 24-19. While the veteran made most managers happy (including FF4W friend Jon Betcher, who got what he needed to advance with barely two minutes remaining), Penny obviously is no longer the distant #2. As for Cook, whose first two NFL seasons were cut short by injuries, all eyes will be on his shoulder this week.
The Vikings have two or three very winnable games remaining: Lions, Chargers, and Bears. If Cook's questionable in Week 14, do they play it safe and roll with elite RB handcuff Alexander Mattison? And if Mattison thrives (as he should against Detroit), will that mean Cook returns not as a 23-touch-per-game workhorse, but as a 16-18 touch option alongside a 10-14 touch Mattison? Not a demotion, but rather a "keep him fresher for the playoffs" approach?
This is what makes fantasy football uniquely challenging. LeBron James's minutes won't be cut to 25 with four weeks to go in the regular season. A healthy Mike Trout won't get pulled in the sixth inning every day of September. Connor McDavid (for you hockey fans) won't be taken off power plays to rest up for the postseason.
Yet in the NFL, December is a month of hard decisions for coaching staffs. Each week is precious. You can rest LeBron in the second of back-to-back road games, or sit Trout in one half of a doubleheader. But in football, unless there's nothing on the line, it's tough to justify sidelining your best offensive weapon if he's healthy enough to play.
For now, let's wait and see how about Cook's injury is, and let's also assume Carson and Penny will form a fairly even split going forward. It's a chaotic situation that clearly benefits those with Mattison and/or Penny, and clearly should worry those leaning on Cook and/or Carson.
Elsewhere, remember Kirk Cousins' brutal opening month? He was averaging 10-11 fantasy points per game. Then he went on a tear with six 19+ point efforts in seven tries. Last night he gutted out a 17-point performance despite continuing to be without Adam Thielen. For several years he refused middling longer-term contracts, preferring to bet on himself with one-year deals. Each time, he won. It's unusual for someone to elevate his game *after* securing a huge payday. Yet in nearly two seasons in Minnesota, Cousins now has 55 touchdowns and only 14 interceptions while completing more than 70% of his pass attempts each year.
Also, several Seattle players were sick this week, and Tyler Lockett looked far from 100%. Don't panic. Barring some new news, he should be fine for the fantasy postseason.
---
And a quick note on the FF4W Premier Fantasy Football League. We have 84 teams this year--each person a part of this FF4W community. It's a fun, intense, highly competitive league. The best teams move up after each season, and the worst teams move down. I'm strongly considering expanding it next season to 112 (eight 14-team leagues).
If you're a dedicated fantasy footballer and want to compete against similarly dedicated fantasy footballers, let me know.