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Well, here we are, the week with the game that everyone circled as soon as the schedule was announced back in the spring…The Return! I think we are all looking forward to see the reception the scorned city will give. Cheers? Boos? Tears? We’ll all find out in prime time…on Monday when the Raiders return to Los Angeles after playing nearly 15 season there a few decades ago.

 

What? … … … is there a more relevant and timely return this week?

 

Week 4 – HERE WE GO!!!!

 

(HOME TEAM IN CAPS)

 

16 – BUFFALO over Houston – Deshaun Watson isn’t walking through that door anytime soon…and it probably wouldn’t help anyway.

 

15 – CINCINNATI over Jacksonville – After this week, Trevor Lawrence will have lost as many games in four weeks  in the NFL as he did in his entire time in college…AND high school! 

 

14 – Tennessee over NEW YORK JETS – No AJ Brown, possibly no Julio Jones…but if you still have Derrick Henry, the Jets won’t be a problem.

 

13 – GREEN BAY over Pittsburgh – Safe to say the Steelers front office is realizing that this era is coming to an end. My BOLD PREDICTION for this week is that THE STEELERS WILL FINISH UNDER .500.

 

12 – Baltimore over DENVER – Can’t play the bottom of the league’s barrel every week, Denver.

 

11 – Tampa Bay over NEW ENGLAND – I wonder if Gronk is sad that no one outside of his family is talking about HIS return to Gillette Stadium.

 

10 – NEW ORLEANS over New York Giants –  I really want to think that this will be a good game…but then I remember…the Giants.

 

9 – DALLAS over Carolina – This will definitely be a game where the Panthers miss Christian McCaffrey.

 

8 – MIAMI over Indianapolis -  The Colts should be better than they are. If they turn it around this year, it won’t start this week.

 

7 – Seattle over SAN FRANCISCO –  It’s hard for me to think Seattle will lose three games in a row. After last week, it’s pretty easy for me to think that the 9ers can blow a game again.

 

6 – LOS ANGELES RAMS over Arizona – These two teams are just going to be fun to watch! If you are a bettor, take the over! 

 

5 – Las Vegas over LOS ANGELES CHARGERS – Yes it’s a “road” game, but SoFi Stadium is expected to be 75% Raiders fans on Monday Night. 

 

4 – Kansas City over PHILADELPHIA – It might sound crazy, but then again maybe it doesn’t. If you wanted to pick the Eagles to win this game, I wouldn’t be mad at you! 

 

3 – MINNESOTA over Cleveland – If Dalvin Cook is ready to go, you can bump this up a few lines if you want.

 

2 – Washington over ATLANTA – I have nothing entertaining to say here…which is pretty fitting for this matchup I think. 

 

1 – CHICAGO over Detroit – It’s a no-lose situation for Bears fans. If you win, hey you won a football game! If not, then it’s hard to see Matt Nagy on the sidelines for Week 5 let alone a new Arlington Heights stadium!

 

It's the end of another exciting week of football which means it's time to put your claims in for available free agents in your fantasy league to strengthen your team. I'll be going over who I think are the top five picks for you to target this week so don't miss out on them. Good luck! 

 

Note: %owned is based on Yahoo! leagues at the time of publication. 

 

5) Khalil Herbert (CHI) - 19% owned – The sixth round rookie got a lot more playing time than expected rushing 18 times for 75 yards.  This still looks to be a timeshare situation with Damien Williams until starter David Montgomery returns but worth the pickup if you are desperate for a running back play for the next couple weeks. 

 

4) Green Bay (GB) - 25% owned – The Packers go up against a weak Bears offense giving up the 8th most fantasy points to opposing defenses.  Look for turnovers from rookie Justin Fields later in the game when trying to catch up in points. 

 

3) Kadarius Toney (NYG) - 18% owned – The first round rookie is coming off a breakout performance against the Cowboys catching 10 of 13 passes for 189 yards.  May be pause to plug and play in week 6 given he injured his ankle and may be without a concussed Daniel Jones, but worth the bench stash regardless. 

 

2) Devontae Booker (NYG) - 7% owned – Booker will be the lead back for the Giants after Saquon Barkley suffered an ankle injury that put him in a walking boot and crutches.  Look for Booker to build upon the 58 yard two touchdown performance he put up coming off the bench in week 5. 

 

1) Darrel Williams (KC) - 18% owned – Clyde Edwards-Helaire will be out for a few weeks with a sprained MCL giving Williams opportunity to be the starting running back on a high powered offense.  He should be the number 1 waiver add this week. 

It's the end of another exciting week of football which means it's time to put your claims in for available free agents in your fantasy league to strengthen your team. I'll be going over who I think are the top five picks for you to target this week so don't miss out on them. Good luck! 

 

Note: %owned is based on Yahoo! leagues at the time of publication. 

 

5) Green Bay (GB) - 36% owned – The Packers have a Sunday night matchup against a Bears offense giving up the 6th most fantasy points to opposing defenses. Andy Dalton is coming off a 4 interception performance so look for some turnovers in this one assuming he will continue to be the starter while Justin Fields is injured. 

 

4) Tyler Conklin (MIN) - 30% owned – Conklin operated as the number 2 receiving option for the Vikings after Adam Theilen went down with an ankle injury. Look for him to continue to get a high target share for the next 2-3 weeks. 

 

3) D’Onta Foreman (TEN) - 41% owned – The Titans look to split carries between D’Onta Foreman and Dontre Hilliard going forward. Both backs should get double digit touches in a prime matchup against the Jaguars but I give Foreman the slight edge. 

   

2) Marquez Valdes-Scantling (GB) - 20% owned – MVS now has 19 targets over his last 2 games catching 8 for 173 and a touchdown. Aaron Rodgers is giving him a lot of deep ball opportunities giving him high upside. 

 

1) Russell Gage (ATL) - 35% owned – Gage has been the clear number 1 receiving option for the Falcons over the recent few weeks with Calvin Ridley continuing to be away from the team. This should translate into a strong volume of targets since Atlanta throws the ball at the 8th highest clip of all teams. 

With the league extending to 17 games and 18 weeks this season, bye weeks have also been extended.

 

 

Normally we are done with teams taking a week off and are back to a full slate of 16 games a week by this time. We still have a little time before we are able to score more points for our season long pool, so every game still counts…even the Jets games!

 

 

Week 14 – HERE WE GO!!!!

 

 

(HOME TEAM IN CAPS)

 

14 – GREEN BAY over Chicago – Have no fear Bears fans, this MIGHT be the last time you have to play Aaron Rodgers!

 

13 – KANSAS CITY over Las Vegas – The Chiefs embarrassed the Raiders in Vegas just a couple weeks ago – hard to think moving the 

game to KC will help the Raiders any.

 

12 – TENNESSEE over Jacksonville – Yes the Titans have been riddled with injuries…but this is still a home game against the Jaguars.

 

11 – LOS ANGELES CHARGERS over New York Giants – If you’re a Giants fan on the west coast, stay close to your phone, you may be asked to play quarterback. 

 

10 – New Orleans over NEW YORK JETS – It’s been a while since the Saints have played a game that you just assumed was going to be incredibly boring. 

 

9 – DENVER over Detroit – It was amazing that the Lions actually won a game last week – two in a row would downright be a miracle.

 

8 – TAMPA BAY over Buffalo – I told a friend shortly before their last game that I thought the Bills could make the Super Bowl…which was apparently their kiss of death. 

 

7 – CINCINNATI over San Francisco – Is it weird to think of this as an outside-the-box Super Bowl preview? 

 

6 – Baltimore over CLEVELAND – Old Browns continue to make Cleveland upset that the current Browns are, well, the current Browns.

 

5 – Seattle over HOUSTON – It’s still odd to me that Seattle is, deservedly, this low against Houston.

 

4 – MINNESOTA over Pittsburgh – The week starts out with a “they’ll win because they’re the home team” matchup.

 

3 – ARIZONA over Los Angeles Rams – Bet the over…just…just bet the over! 

 

2 – WASHINGTON over Dallas – This may just be the start of what we’ll see the rest of the season. My BOLD PREDICTION is that WASHINGTON WILL WIN THE NFC EAST.

 

1 – CAROLINA over Atlanta – This just may be the week the thrill and excitement of Cam Newton starting for the Panthers again leads to a win!