Before jumping in today, some of you might remember a game I created for this season called Fantasy Bingo. 16 of us took the plunge to test it out. With two weeks remaining, Michael Taylor leads with Jeremy Tuckey (second) and Jason Cox (third) within striking distance:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13SZPKEL8x861lE5yy4_E8fPS5D9jVXmMf1d7BXi9Aws/edit#gid=1876655954
Hoping to bring this back next season, because it's pretty easy to compete and track. For those who play Best Ball leagues, it's similar. You pick five QBs, five RBs, five WRs, five TEs, and a combination of five kickers/DSTs and place them on a bingo card. Based on each player's regular-season fantasy points, the competitor with the most points in any row, column, or diagonal wins.
The hook is that each player has a production multiplier, depending on their positional ADP a week before the start of the season. Rhamondre Stevenson's is 1.7, so he'd earn 1.7x his fantasy-point total for whichever manager put him on their bingo card. Travis Kelce is a 1.0, so he wouldn't get any bonus. Etc.
If the resources are there, maybe someday this could be turned into a weekly online game, kind of like DFS. Or maybe it's just something niche for folks like me (and some of you). Regardless, appreciate those of you who tried it out. If there's enough interest next summer, I'll set it up again.
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Whether this is your semifinals or Championship Week, this weekend is shaping up as . . . well, unpredictable. Here are some things I'm tracking, which might be of interest to you:
Falcons vs. Cardinals -- Fourth-string QB David Blough will start, and DeAndre Hopkins is questionable. As long as James Conner gets his normal touches, he could be top 10 this week. Blough hasn't started a game in three years. There's huge dump-off potential for his #1 RB.
Lions vs. Bears -- Can we trust D'Andre Swift? Last week, he actually earned his highest snap share since Week 1, despite getting only five targets. I keep going back and forth on him. As of late Friday night, I'm comfortable starting him as a top-24 RB with big upside. Assuming the Lions maintain a positive game script (likely), Swift is a good bet for 10+ touches, including 3+ receptions.
Chiefs vs. Broncos -- Are the Chiefs the best DST play this week? There are several good options. And some might point to a few weeks ago, when K.C. almost blew a 27-0 lead to this team. But Patrick Mahomes threw three picks in that one. I think they'll play things a bit more conservatively, and the Broncos will need to earn their points with longer drives. Good luck with that, Denver.
Patriots vs. Dolphins -- 22 years ago yesterday, Miami won a playoff game. They haven't won one since. And if they lost this one, they might not even reach the postseason. While Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle remain must-starts even with Teddy Bridgewater under center, I'm all in on the Patriots winning this one. Obviously, Rhamondre Stevenson's status is a major issue, especially with Damien Harris seemingly healthy.
Giants vs. Colts -- If the Giants win, they're into the postseason. If you have Saquon Barkley (or Daniel Jones in a two-QB league), and if your league competes in Week 18, you're desperately hoping they lose. Because there's no conceivable way a playoff-bound Giants team would risk injuries to their two primary offensive weapons.
Eagles vs. Saints -- Alvin Kamara missed a couple practices for unexplained personal reasons, as well as a supposed quad injury. He's averaging something like 3.5 yards per carry in his last 8-9 games. Even David Johnson is mixing in. It's a rough week to start any Saints players. But they're not eliminated from postseason contention yet, so it's looking once again like Kamara-and-Chris-Olave (and Taysom Hill?) or bust.
Buccaneers vs. Panthers -- The game that could/should decide who wins the NFC South. If you're betting on Tom Brady, you're bolder than I am. More likely, Carolina will burn clock with their two-headed backfield, while Brady will burn clock with dump-offs to his backfield.
Commanders vs. Browns -- It'll be the Brian Robinson Show with Antonio Gibson hobbled. And with Carson Wentz under center, it's hard to know if Jahan Dotson will remain fantasy relevant, if Curtis Samuel will dominate like he did when Wentz started earlier this year, and so on.
Texans vs. Jaguars -- Will Jacksonville pull a partial Titans ploy and put their starters on a snap count? I'm struggling to understand how to value Travis Etienne, Christian Kirk, Zay Jones, and Evan Engram. A win might keep them in Wild Card contention even if they lose next week. But if any of their main guys gets hurt, there will be deserved finger-pointing if they lose to Tennessee in Week 18 and miss out on the postseason.
Raiders vs. 49ers -- Derek Carr is finished in Vegas. The Raiders now turn to Jarrett Stidham with the team's playoff hopes hanging by a threat, competing against arguably the league's top defense. I can't rationalize starting any Raiders with confidence. But with Deebo Samuel out, things seem much clearer for San Francisco's top playmakers.
Seahawks vs. Jets -- Geno Smith vs. the team that drafted him. Except heading into Year 3, when the Jets added the near-elite Brandon Marshall, they signed Ryan Fitzpatrick to replace Smith. Fitzpatrick went on to have a career year. I'd be shocked if this weren't some degree of extra motivation for Smith--to win his most important game as a starter versus the franchise that gave up on him. Oh, and he might have Tyler Lockett back, so that obviously helps.
Packers vs. Vikings -- Christian Watson is questionable. I expect Aaron Rodgers to do a lot of passing. Green Bay is on the cusp of relevance heading into Week 18. Allen Lazard and obviously Romeo Doubs would get big boosts if Watson sits, with Lazard falling inside my top 20 as a must-start WR.
Chargers vs. Rams -- The Rams are on the verge of finishing with the worst record in history for a defending Super Bowl champion. And the Chargers don't have much to play for, having secured a Wild Card spot. I'd be surprised if Austin Ekeler gets more than 11 touches, and I'd also be surprised if Baker Mayfield scores more than 12 fantasy points.
Ravens vs. Steelers -- Struggling to value J.K. Dobbins vs. Gus Edwards. Seems like a hot-hand situation. Neither is consistently involved in the passing game. I'd like to bet on both, but can't. Inside the red zone, I'm eyeing a surprisingly good game from Tyler Huntley (15+ points), while Mark Andrews is force-fed 9+ target. Because the Ravens won't go far in the postseason with the league's worst WR corps unless they figure out how to get Andrews going.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13SZPKEL8x861lE5yy4_E8fPS5D9jVXmMf1d7BXi9Aws/edit#gid=1876655954
Hoping to bring this back next season, because it's pretty easy to compete and track. For those who play Best Ball leagues, it's similar. You pick five QBs, five RBs, five WRs, five TEs, and a combination of five kickers/DSTs and place them on a bingo card. Based on each player's regular-season fantasy points, the competitor with the most points in any row, column, or diagonal wins.
The hook is that each player has a production multiplier, depending on their positional ADP a week before the start of the season. Rhamondre Stevenson's is 1.7, so he'd earn 1.7x his fantasy-point total for whichever manager put him on their bingo card. Travis Kelce is a 1.0, so he wouldn't get any bonus. Etc.
If the resources are there, maybe someday this could be turned into a weekly online game, kind of like DFS. Or maybe it's just something niche for folks like me (and some of you). Regardless, appreciate those of you who tried it out. If there's enough interest next summer, I'll set it up again.
---
Whether this is your semifinals or Championship Week, this weekend is shaping up as . . . well, unpredictable. Here are some things I'm tracking, which might be of interest to you:
Falcons vs. Cardinals -- Fourth-string QB David Blough will start, and DeAndre Hopkins is questionable. As long as James Conner gets his normal touches, he could be top 10 this week. Blough hasn't started a game in three years. There's huge dump-off potential for his #1 RB.
Lions vs. Bears -- Can we trust D'Andre Swift? Last week, he actually earned his highest snap share since Week 1, despite getting only five targets. I keep going back and forth on him. As of late Friday night, I'm comfortable starting him as a top-24 RB with big upside. Assuming the Lions maintain a positive game script (likely), Swift is a good bet for 10+ touches, including 3+ receptions.
Chiefs vs. Broncos -- Are the Chiefs the best DST play this week? There are several good options. And some might point to a few weeks ago, when K.C. almost blew a 27-0 lead to this team. But Patrick Mahomes threw three picks in that one. I think they'll play things a bit more conservatively, and the Broncos will need to earn their points with longer drives. Good luck with that, Denver.
Patriots vs. Dolphins -- 22 years ago yesterday, Miami won a playoff game. They haven't won one since. And if they lost this one, they might not even reach the postseason. While Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle remain must-starts even with Teddy Bridgewater under center, I'm all in on the Patriots winning this one. Obviously, Rhamondre Stevenson's status is a major issue, especially with Damien Harris seemingly healthy.
Giants vs. Colts -- If the Giants win, they're into the postseason. If you have Saquon Barkley (or Daniel Jones in a two-QB league), and if your league competes in Week 18, you're desperately hoping they lose. Because there's no conceivable way a playoff-bound Giants team would risk injuries to their two primary offensive weapons.
Eagles vs. Saints -- Alvin Kamara missed a couple practices for unexplained personal reasons, as well as a supposed quad injury. He's averaging something like 3.5 yards per carry in his last 8-9 games. Even David Johnson is mixing in. It's a rough week to start any Saints players. But they're not eliminated from postseason contention yet, so it's looking once again like Kamara-and-Chris-Olave (and Taysom Hill?) or bust.
Buccaneers vs. Panthers -- The game that could/should decide who wins the NFC South. If you're betting on Tom Brady, you're bolder than I am. More likely, Carolina will burn clock with their two-headed backfield, while Brady will burn clock with dump-offs to his backfield.
Commanders vs. Browns -- It'll be the Brian Robinson Show with Antonio Gibson hobbled. And with Carson Wentz under center, it's hard to know if Jahan Dotson will remain fantasy relevant, if Curtis Samuel will dominate like he did when Wentz started earlier this year, and so on.
Texans vs. Jaguars -- Will Jacksonville pull a partial Titans ploy and put their starters on a snap count? I'm struggling to understand how to value Travis Etienne, Christian Kirk, Zay Jones, and Evan Engram. A win might keep them in Wild Card contention even if they lose next week. But if any of their main guys gets hurt, there will be deserved finger-pointing if they lose to Tennessee in Week 18 and miss out on the postseason.
Raiders vs. 49ers -- Derek Carr is finished in Vegas. The Raiders now turn to Jarrett Stidham with the team's playoff hopes hanging by a threat, competing against arguably the league's top defense. I can't rationalize starting any Raiders with confidence. But with Deebo Samuel out, things seem much clearer for San Francisco's top playmakers.
Seahawks vs. Jets -- Geno Smith vs. the team that drafted him. Except heading into Year 3, when the Jets added the near-elite Brandon Marshall, they signed Ryan Fitzpatrick to replace Smith. Fitzpatrick went on to have a career year. I'd be shocked if this weren't some degree of extra motivation for Smith--to win his most important game as a starter versus the franchise that gave up on him. Oh, and he might have Tyler Lockett back, so that obviously helps.
Packers vs. Vikings -- Christian Watson is questionable. I expect Aaron Rodgers to do a lot of passing. Green Bay is on the cusp of relevance heading into Week 18. Allen Lazard and obviously Romeo Doubs would get big boosts if Watson sits, with Lazard falling inside my top 20 as a must-start WR.
Chargers vs. Rams -- The Rams are on the verge of finishing with the worst record in history for a defending Super Bowl champion. And the Chargers don't have much to play for, having secured a Wild Card spot. I'd be surprised if Austin Ekeler gets more than 11 touches, and I'd also be surprised if Baker Mayfield scores more than 12 fantasy points.
Ravens vs. Steelers -- Struggling to value J.K. Dobbins vs. Gus Edwards. Seems like a hot-hand situation. Neither is consistently involved in the passing game. I'd like to bet on both, but can't. Inside the red zone, I'm eyeing a surprisingly good game from Tyler Huntley (15+ points), while Mark Andrews is force-fed 9+ target. Because the Ravens won't go far in the postseason with the league's worst WR corps unless they figure out how to get Andrews going.