Fantasy football strategy, rankings, and podcasts

As we all know, the fantasy playoffs are where you really need to crack down and do the research. How badly do you want to get those few extra points that could help you squeak past your opponent in a really close match? Well, here at drinkfive we're looking for every last possible bit of information that you can use to your advantage and below you'll find some of the best matchups of the week to exploit for those few extra fantasy points. Enjoy!

Fantasy Points based on Yahoo! Standard Scoring Leagues

1. Cleveland Browns 

@Bills: The Browns are having a historically bad year and give up the 2nd most fantasy points (20.19) to QBs (Tyrod Taylor this week). They also give up the 9th most points (25.06) to WRs (Sammy Watkins is back, jack), 2nd most (23.59) to RBs (LeSean McCoy), and 2nd most (11.62) to TEs (Charles Clay). In other words, The entire Buffalo offense has a great shot of being in the top 10 of their respective positions this week. Start 'em!

2. San Francisco 49ers

@Falcons: The 49ers give up the most fantasy points (28.05) to RBs and they go up against the tandem of Freeman and Coleman in Week 15. Both should have a good game this go-around. San Francisco also gives up the 5th most points (18.9) to QBs (Matt Ryan) and the 3rd most (26.41) to WRs (Julio Jones, Taylor Gabriel, Mohamed Sanu). Sounds like we're in for a bloodbath, although who the Falcons have playing at WR this week depends on the health of Jones and Sanu, so make sure to watch whether or not they're practicing later this week.

3. Philadelphia Eagles

@Ravens: The Eagles have given up the 2nd most fantasy points (26.65) to WRs and go up against Mike Wallace and Steve Smith, who underperformed last week against the Patriots. I'd expect their numbers to bounce back up dramatically after this matchup. The Eagles do have a pretty good track record against the rest of the offensive positions, however, limiting their chances for more yardage and touchdowns elsewhere.

4. Carolina Panthers

@Redskins: The team that nearly won that Super Bowl last year has fallen apart this season. The Panthers are now giving up the 7th most points (18.58) to QBs (Kirk Cousins) as well as the 7th most points (25.55) to WRs (DeSean Jackson, Jamison Crowder). They also give up the most points (11.63) per game to TEs (Jordan Reed, Vernon Davis) - although Reed will need to be healthy to prove productive. The Panthers are much better against the run, though, allowing the 7th least points (15.28) to RBs, which may make Rob Kelley a tough play considering that he doesn't have the benefit of catching passes in that offense to bolster his fantasy value.

5. Oakland Raiders

@Chargers: The Raiders are offering up the 6th most points (20.85) to RBs (Kenneth Farrow, Ronnie Hillman) - but this is a crazy situation to prognosticate on, considering that none of the aforementioned players were on the Chargers at the beginning of the season. The current situation is shaping up to have Farrow running as the main back in the offense, but my inclination is that Ronnie Hillman will also suit up here and help out in passing down situations. Still, it's likely that Farrow hits paydirt for the first time this week, against the Raiders. Oakland allows the 12th most points (24.38) to WRs (Tyrell Williams, Dontrelle Inman) which should allow for good games from the Chargers' top guys (Travis Benjamin needs to take a seat on the bench based on his recent performances). The Raiders also give up the 10th most points (18.29) to opposing QBs (Philip Rivers) and the 11th most points (8.45) to TEs (Antonio Gates, Hunter Henry) - though it's tough to choose the right TE on the Chargers on a week-to-week basis!

Relatively safe slate of games last week, with only Carolina claiming 4 victims, bringing my big pool down to 58 survivors. The Bears might be up for spoiler of the year award this season by only showing up for games they have no business winning.

Congratulations if you went with my pick last week. Dallas delivered in a big way winning 40-10 against the 49ers.

This week's pick is the Minnesota Vikings in their match-up against the Cleveland Browns. There is so much I love about this game. First, it has been proven through repeated testing that only half the teams scheduled ever show up in London for the game. Next, this is a great spot to use your Vikings pick. They are normally a tough team to be confident in since they are lacking their starting quarterback, Sam Bradford, and have been borderline inept on offense since.

It's tough to have faith in a team that is usually in close games, but this week they get the Cleveland Shit Browns and will roll to a double digit victory. Fortunately for west coast fans this game will be on at 6:30 am and can be completely ignored.

Week 4 was certainly a bumpy ride as one game was postponed and another was nearly canceled as well. But we got through it! Here's the tough part of the season as all of the injuries and player issues pile up - depth at the important positions of running back and wide receiver. Use the next few weeks to build up a roster that can weather the storm that is midseason fantasy football! Listen to the Fantasy Finish Line podcast to stay on top of the latest news and analysis - we broadcast live on YouTube weekly on Wednesdays at 9pm CT.

Guys that jump out to me this week to overperform expectations: Ben Roethsliberger, Devin Singletary, Justin Jefferson, Jonnu Smith, and Cleveland Browns (DST).

Pay attention to these rankings throughout the season, as they will continue to evolve based on the latest injury updates, news, and player analysis. Have any specific lineup questions? Feel free to tweet us @drinkfive with any of your questions or comments!

Welcome to Statistically (in)Significant, the place to find great stats that probably only matter at the water cooler (or bar). Each week I'll dig through the stats of the week gone by and deliver you some choice conversation starters. All fantasy stats are half PPR scoring unless otherwise noted.

0 Wins at MetLife Stadium

Well, it’s 2020 and for football fans in the vicinity of New York City, there’s still no victories to speak of. In fact, the last team to win a home game at Metlife stadium is….the New York Guardians of the currently defunct XFL league – though that may return in 2022. If the Giants and Jets can’t get their shit together, it might be the Guardians who manage the next home victory at MetLife Stadium. As predicted, between the Jets and Giants, Frank Gore leads the way in rushing yards with a whopping 174 over 4 games. The only other rushers over 100 yards on the season are both of the team’s starting QBs. Combined, the teams only have 5 passing and 3 rushing TDs. That’s an average of one offensive TD, per team, per game. Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones have combined for 9 INTs, so that’s slightly more than one per game. It’s going to be a rough 2020 in NYC.

28+ Points in the First Half

The Cleveland Browns achieved something yesterday in Dallas that they haven’t done since 1991. They scored at least 28 points in the first half. Now, this isn’t a minor achievement to make fun of, but it is fun to point out that only 4 of the Browns who played in the game are 30 or older and were alive to see the last time they reached that milestone. This year’s Browns, however, seem to be a force to be reckoned with. After getting trounced in Week 1 by the Ravens, they have averaged 39 points per game, albeit against some weaker competition. But hey, you can only play the team that is on the opposite sideline. This year, the Browns are getting the job done on the ground. They lead the league in rushing yards and yards per attempt and have the 2^nd most rushing attempts in the league. The Browns are averaging over 200 rushing yards per game and are also 2^nd in the league with 8 rushing scores. Nick Chubb heading to the IR will hurt them, but in true next man up mentality, D’Ernest Johnson managed 95 yards on only 13 carries Sunday.

1,690 Passing Yards

Dak Prescott, mostly by necessity of his team allowing 146 points through 4 games, has aired the ball out like nobody ever before. His 1,690 passing yards through 4 games is the most in NFL history, and he’s also the first player to throw for 450+ yards in three straight games. Sunday’s performance brings him ahead of Russell Wilson as the #1 fantasy player this season. His 31.3 point per game average and ADP of 48 means that he’s likely on a lot of teams that are doing quite well this season. I will freely admit that I thought he was overhyped going into the season, but I was definitely wrong. He has to throw the ball to someone, and he has gotten 3 of his WRs in the top 30 for fantasy points on the season. If you just go by yardage, those three guys, Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, and Michael Gallup are all in the top 18.

183 Receiving Yards

Your Week 4 receiving yards leader through Sunday is not a wide receiver, though he sometimes pretends to be one. George Kittle caught all 15 of his targets for 183 yards, a TD, and even tacked on an 8-yard rush for good measure. The 49ers are stumbling without solid QB play and couldn’t manage very much against the previously winless Philadelphia Eagles. Elsewhere in the strange receiving fantasy stats, 5 players caught 2 TDs each and none of them went over 100 receiving yards. Only Odell Beckham Jr managed to go over 100 yards from scrimmage, courtesy of his third TD, a 50-yard run on a 4^th quarter end-around. Meanwhile, only 4 players topped the 100 rushing yard mark, and 3 of them found the end zone twice. Way to let the rest of the group down, Ronald Jones.

18 Fantasy Points

Finally, we have a look at the D/ST spot for the first time this year. This was a bad week for them, as only 2 teams cracked double digits. The Eagles scored a TD and only gave up 20 points on their way to an impressive 18-point performance. Meanwhile, the Browns – currently a turnover machine with 10 on the season, could only manage 5 points from 3 turnovers and 3 sacks against the Cowboys. The early season leaders at the D/ST position are the Colts (52), Ravens (43), and Buccaneers (37). All still have the ability to just be a crapshoot on a weekly basis. The Colts are in their position courtesy of last week’s 26-point performance, the Bucs put up a 0 in week 1 and the Ravens have only 2 INTs and 9 sacks on the season. Coming up they play Cincy and Philly, so that’s a couple of good matchups to ride with until they hit their bye in Week 7.