Fantasy Football / NFL
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- Written by Matt Cochrane
So far, if you have picked against the Browns every week, you have won every time in your survivor pool. Last week I had the Cowboys who smoked the Browns 35-10, easily covering the spread. This week should be no different with the Ravens being 10.5 point favorites over the pathetic Browns tonight on Thursday Night Football. However, I have peeped the remainder of Cleveland's schedule and I can't find another opponent as weak as Baltimore. For this reason I will shy away from picking this game. I cannot deny the Lions greatness in achieving the only 0-16 record in NFL history. Thursday games are funny so pick at your own risk.
My pick for this week will be the Arizona Cardinals. I had them earlier in the year in a loss to the Rams, so I tossed them back in my available teams. They are the largest favorite of the week at 13.5 points over the San Francisco 49ers. With the extra preparation Arizona has coming off the bye week, I see no way they drop this one at home vs a team battling for the 1st pick in next year’s draft.
Cheers! Drink Five!
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- Written by Tad Bukowski
We are now at double digit weeks in the 2016 season. Now we should have a strong idea as to what these teams are really made of.
The Raiders are legit this year and apparently the Panthers are not. The Lions are always still in the game and the Browns, well, at least they are able to make it to the stadium to play the game.
Week 10 – HERE WE GO!!!!!!!!!
(HOME TEAM IN ALL CAPS)
14 – ARIZONA over San Francisco – This is a lot more of having no confidence in the 9ers on the road than having confidence in the Cardinals. That will be the theme for a lot of games this week.
13 – NEW ENGLAND over Seattle – A rematch from the Super Bowl of a few years ago and the Seahawks don’t even have Marshawn Lynch to not hand the ball off to this time.
12 – BALTIMORE over Cleveland – The Ravens showed signs of life against the Steelers last week. Now they get an extra bye week.
11 – TAMPA BAY over Chicago – The Ex-Lovie Bowl will go to the home team.
10 – NEW YORK JETS over Los Angeles – Having no confidence in the Rams rather than confidence in the Jets.
9 – Green Bay over TENNESSEE – Aaron Rodgers’ post-game rant last week had a bit of a R-E-L-A-X feel to it.
8 – WASHINGTON over Minnesota – Minnesota has hit a big wall. The way they lost last week to the Lions may have been too deflating to come back from.
7 – NEW YORK GIANTS over Cincinnati – The Giants have looked impressive as of late. I don’t think the Bengals have enough to stop their momentum on Monday Night.
6 – Atlanta over PHILADELPHIA – Carson Wentz could be a Matt Ryan at some point. But Matt Ryan is a Matt Ryan right now.
5 – Kansas City over CAROLINA – Carolina won’t get to play the Rams every week. My BOLD PREDICTION for this week is that AFTER MAKING THE SUPER BOWL, THE PANTHERS WILL FINISH LAST IN THE NFC SOUTH.
4 – Denver over NEW ORLEANS – The Broncos need this road win to keep up with the Raiders and Chiefs.
3 – SAN DIEGO over Miami – The AFC West’s “other” team hasn’t really played like an “other” team as of late.
2 – PITTSBURGH over Dallas – This could be the game of the week. The Cowboys streak could come to an end in the Steel City.
1 – JACKSONVILLE over Houston – After being one of the off-season winners, the Jags find themselves back in the “put them on the one-point line if you think they will win” category.
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- Written by Jason Evans
Week 10 is here, and if you're in one of my fantasy leagues, this means Rivalry Week! This probably doesn't mean much to most of you, but for me it's 3 opportunities to beat Dave. Now you're excited, right? Here are our consensus rankings, basically the mid-point of our fantasy football rankings.
This week, make sure you get Carson Palmer into your lineup against the 49ers. On the other side in that game, put DuJuan Harris in if Carlos Hyde sits out again. At receiver, Stefon Diggs and Mike Wallace are both guys that need to be starting for you. Finally, Jason Witten is having a little renaissance right now, get in on it before it goes away.
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- Written by Jim Hutchins
Only four more games left in the fantasy regular season before playoffs! This is the time to either make that final push for the fantasy postseason or if you're sitting pretty that final push first-round bye week. There will also be some managers that have given up on their teams at this point; hopefully, you're lucky enough to play against them. FOUR teams are on bye this week; Colts, Raiders, Bills and Lions. Good luck!
Note: all waiver picks listed here will have only been owned in 50% or less of Yahoo! leagues at the time of publication.
Quarterback
Trevor Siemian (DEN) - 14% owned - Siemian has not been great this year, but if you're in a pinch he does get to play against the New Orleans Saints this week. The Saints are allowing a league worst 300 yards per game to opposing passers.
Honorable mention: Joe Flacco (BAL) - 25% owned
Running Back
Dion Lewis (NE) - 39% owned - Lewis has resumed practicing and is eligible to return off PUP this week. It still remains to be seen if he will immediately replace James White as the passing back or not, but he's worth an add this week to see how it shakes out due to his high upside.
Rob Kelley (WAS) - 30% owned - The Redskins are coming off their bye week and Jay Gruden has already announced that Kelley will be the lead back after his impressive week 8 performance. I still think there will be some kind of time share with Matt Jones returning, but Jones looks to be one bad play away from being benched in favor of Kelley.
Honorable mentions: James Starks (GB) - 19% owned, Kapri Bibbs (DEN) - 6% owned
Wide Receiver
J.J. Nelson (ARZ) - 15% owned - Nelson was a recommended add and stash last week through the Cardinals week 9 bye after he posted 79 yards and two touchdowns on 8 catches in week 8. Bruce Arians has gone as far to say that Nelson will be a starting wide receiver in their offense moving forward.
Steve Smith SR (BAL) - 50% owned - Smith is officially off the injury report and draws a great matchup against a terrible Browns passing defense. Expect the Ravens to be throwing a lot in this game which means Smith should be grabbed and played if available.
Honorable mentions: Kenny Britt (LA) - 50% owned, Rishard Matthews (TEN) - 30% owned
Tight End
There are a lot of TEs all just above 50% owned in Yahoo! leagues that I would consider decent plays this week so I'll just list them in order of how I like them and one should be available for you!
Dennis Pitta (BAL) - 55% owned
Zach Miller (CHI) - 53% owned
Zach Ertz (PHI) - 56% owned
Cameron Brate (TB) - 54% owned
Defense/Special Teams
San Diego Chargers (SD) - 39% owned - The Chargers are up against the Dolphins in week 10. The Dolphins strength lately has been their running game, but the Chargers are only allowing an average of 85 yards per game to opposing rushers and have forced 5 fumbles over their past 4 games.
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- Written by Jason Evans
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.
398 Passing Yards
Kaepernick lead the league in passing yards this week, stopping just shy of 400 yards. As usual, we see the same patterns with the leading quarterbacks - their teams went 2-6. Meanwhile, rushing leaders went 6-2. So sure, Kaepernick looks better than Blaine Gabbert, but he still isn't winning any games. The 49ers haven't won since their opening game against the Rams. They've given up at least 33 points in all but one of those losses, so maybe the QB wasn't exactly the problem in the first place.
261 Yards from Scrimmage
Melvin Gordon is now the leading fantasy RB on the year after having a monster game against the Titans. Gordon had 196 rushing yards and 65 receiving yards against the team that is still the 7th best against opposing RBs. With 11 total touchdowns this year, Gordon has redeemed himself from his disappointing rookie season.
8 Touchdowns
Mike Evans leads all receivers with 8 TDs after grabbing two more on Thursday night. He's the only real threat on offense right now for Jameis Winston, and has 103 targets on the year already, on track for over 200 on the season. He's only got 55 receptions, mostly because he's always getting creamed by the other team, as also seen on Thursday night. Evans is practicing again on Monday, so he's on track to play, but needs to clear the concussion process first.
2 Defensive Touchdowns
San Diego needed a pair of return touchdowns on defense to beat the Titans. They still only managed 14 fantasy points for their DST (each score netted them 8 points each). Giving up 35 points can be rough on anyone's performance. To put that in perspective, other teams that have scored two defensive TDs this year: Week 1, Vikings, 21 pts. Week 2 Broncos, 22 pts. Week 3 Chiefs 35 pts.
5 Fourth Quarter Comebacks
Matt Stafford and the Lions have 5 wins this year, all of them fourth-quarter comebacks. Every loss that they've had has been by one score, so I suppose he's just slacking off. Stafford is the 6th highest scoring QB this season, but the Lions just have not been able to put a good game together from start to finish. They get a bye this week and will ride high on this past win, but the Vikings get a rematch on Thanksgiving, so that should be a fun one to watch.
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- Written by Tad Bukowski
Thank you to the Bengals and Redskins for teaching us another valuable confidence pool lesson last week! While neither of the team lost, everyone else does! With the tie, since no team won, nobody gets any points for that game.
Sure we had to sit through 75 minutes of two field goals apiece to receive this lesson – but a lesson nonetheless!
Sound familiar? It was the exact same thing that I said last week. Consecutive weeks with a tie (with almost a second tie last week) don’t deserve new material!
Week 9 – HERE WE GO!!!!!!!!!
(HOME TEAM IN ALL CAPS)
13 – KANSAS CITY over Jacksonville – Remember how we all said that the Jaguars were ready to make a run after their off-season? Well, maybe next year.
12 – Dallas over CLEVELAND – Last week’s home game against the Jets was the Browns chance. My BOLD PREDICTION for this week is that THE BROWNS WILL FINISH THE SEASON WINLESS.
11 – MINNESOTA over Detroit – The Vikings have shown some vulnerability after their undefeated start. They could use a home game against the struggling Lions.
10 – GREEN BAY over Indianapolis – Even in defeat the Packers are showing us that they are still NFC contenders.
9 – SEATTLE over Buffalo – New England exposed so much about the Bills last week. Seattle should be able to take advantage of that as well.
8 – NEW YORK GIANTS over Philadelphia – Remember when the Eagles were undefeated and a certain writer predicted that the league was about to figure out Carson Wentz? Well I do!
7 – New Orleans over SAN FRANCISCO – Remember when this was an exciting playoff game? Now, not so much.
6 – Carolina over LOS ANGELES – Remember when…ok, can’t really do a “remember when” with a team in a new city.
5 – Atlanta over TAMPA BAY – The week starts off with a solid NFC South matchup. The Falcons could put a strangle hold on the division with a road win here.
4 – MIAMI over New York Jets – Miami is the home team so they get to win this one.
3 – OAKLAND over Denver – The last game the Broncos lost last season before winning the Super Bowl was against the Raiders…just saying.
2 – BALTIMORE over Pittsburgh – If Roethlisberger ends up playing, keep this game on the 2-point line but switch to a Steelers win.
1 – Tennessee over SAN DIEGO – The Titans may end up being what divisional foe Jacksonville was supposed to be this year – and they didn’t have to waste a ton of money in the off-season to do it.
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- Written by Shawn Foss
Welcome back to the Rookie Report! Hopefully the byes weren't an issue for you in week 8, but chances are if they weren't they likely are this week with another 6 teams off. There have been a lot of injuries piling up too, so you may be digging a little deep to find fill-ins to get by. Guys like Jacquizz Rodgers, Cordarrelle Patterson, Jamison Crowder, and Devontae Booker have proven useful in recent weeks, and believe me...there will be more unexpected contributors before the season is out. Let's take a look at this week's rookie matchups, and see if there might be a few of them who could fit that bill in week 9...
Rookies to Start:
QB Dak Prescott, DAL (Wk. 9: @Cle.): Dak's been rolling and faces one of the best matchups he'll see all year. The Jets were the first team all season to throw for fewer than 2 TDs against the Browns, and Dak has scored at least 17 points (all scores are ESPN standard scoring) every week after the opener. Dak should be a low-end QB1 at worst in a great matchup.
RB Ezekiel Elliott, DAL (Wk. 9: @Cle.): Zeke didn't quite extend his streak of 130-yard rushing performances to 5 in week 8, but he tallied 158 yards from scrimmage and now has 14 or more points in 5 straight. The Browns have allowed 75 fantasy points in the past 2 weeks to opposing RBs. Start-sit decisions don't get much easier than this one. Fire up Zeke as an RB1 again.
RB Devontae Booker, DEN (Wk. 9: @Oak.): Booker failed to hit his ceiling in a plus matchup with the Chargers last weekend, but he was still the RB16 on the week. The matchup is good again in week 9. The Raiders rank 25th in Football Outsiders' run defense DVOA stat which measures defensive efficiency and have allowed the 11th-most fantasy points to opposing RBs. Booker is likely to be at least a top-16 RB again. You should feel comfortable starting him this week.
WR Michael Thomas, NO (Wk. 9: @SF): Thomas has been on a really nice roll of late. He put up his lowest fantasy output of the past 5 weeks in week 8, but that still meant a 6-63 line against the stingy Seahawks' secondary. He also led the Saints WRs in snaps played for the 2nd time this year. The 49ers aren't nearly as stingy vs WRs. San Francisco has allowed multiple WR touchdowns in each of their last 4 games, and Thomas's recent usage likely puts his floor right around that line he put up a week ago. With so many top WRs out on bye this week, that makes Thomas an upside WR3.
Borderline Rookies:
QB Carson Wentz, PHI (Wk. 9: @NYG): The Giants have been solid against quarterbacks, allowing the 7th-fewest QB points per game, and Wentz is coming off of 3 straight down games. With all that said, Wentz's short passing game might pay off this week and help him to a bounce-back game. Wentz has the fewest average air yards per pass attempt in the league according to Football Outsiders, and the Giants are allowing 132.4 yards after catch per game, the 8th-most in the NFL. It's still not a great matchup, but not as bleak as it might appear. With just 26 active QBs this week, Wentz should be a low-end QB2.
RB Peyton Barber, TB (Wk. 9: vs. Atl.): Jacquizz Rodgers is questionable this week, and with the game being on Thursday, he seems more and more unlikely to play. Head coach Dirk Koetter has already said he sees the team using a committee approach against the Falcons, and that means Barber and Antone Smith are likely to split the work. There is some risk here with Barber since he was out-snapped and out-touched by Smith last week, but I'd expect Barber to get a good chunk of the early down work. Atlanta has been vulnerable against the run, ranking 21st in run defense DVOA and allowing 23 points per game to opposing backs if you throw out their 2 outlier games (One vs GB where FB Aaron Ripkowski led the team in backfield snaps, and one vs Carolina where they dominated the game and time of possession). As I mentioned, there's risk here without knowing the work split with Smith, but there is RB2 upside.
WR Sterling Shepard, NYG (Wk. 9: vs. Phi.): With a lot of top WRs on bye this week, Shep is at least in consideration as a deep-league WR3. His production was less than stellar in the few weeks before the Giants' bye, but he's seen 7 or 8 targets in each of the past 7 games and the Giants had the bye week to get their passing game straightened out. This is more of a hunch than anything, but I like the Giants to get it together this week and for Shepard to have his best game since week 3. I still wouldn't recommend him as anything more than a WR3 in deeper leagues.
TE Austin Hooper, ATL (Wk. 9: @TB): I'd probably prefer to start Hooper over fellow borderline rookie TE Hunter Henry this week despite having a tougher matchup. The Bucs have been stingy to the position, allowing fewer than 7 fantasy points to the position in 5 of their 7 games and ranking 5th in pass defense DVOA on throws to opposing TEs. They are coming off allowing 6-67-1 to the Oakland Raiders' TEs, however, and Hooper is likely to see more targets than Henry as the Falcons’ clear lead TE with Jacob Tamme out. It also helps Hooper that Tamme was leading all tight ends in red zone targets. Hooper should have a decent shot at finding the end zone. He's a low-end TE1 in 12- or 14-team leagues this week.
TE Hunter Henry, SD (Wk. 9: vs. Ten.): Henry is a streaming option this week rather than a locked-in TE1. Antonio Gates seems to be back to full strength, running nearly twice as many routes as Henry in week 8. Henry has just 3 catches in the past 2 weeks, but there is a little upside with a soft matchup against the Titans on tap. Travis Benjamin is likely to miss the game, which could get the Chargers into more 2-TE sets and get Henry more snaps. Tennessee has allowed the 9th-most points per game to opposing TEs, so any increase in snaps and routes should give Henry some upside. Like Hooper, he's on the radar as a low-end streamer in 12- and 14-team leagues or deeper.
Rookies to Sit:
QB Cody Kessler, CLE (Wk. 9: vs. Dal.): As I mentioned earlier with Wentz, there are only 26 QBs playing this week, so pretty much all of them should be considered in 2QB leagues, but the matchup isn't great for Kessler and he's coming off an injury. The Cowboys have allowed just 11 or 12 fantasy points to 3 of the past 4 QBs they've faced. Cody may get a boost from the return of Corey Coleman, but I would avoid rolling with him unless you are desperate in a 2-QB league. There is still an outside shot Josh McCown gets the start.
RB Dwayne Washington, DET (Wk. 9: @Min.): Washington should return this week after seeming to be due back last week, but Minnesota probably isn't the best matchup to try him out in. The Vikings had their worst game of the season vs. running backs last Monday against the Bears and Jordan Howard, but I don't expect a repeat this weekend. Washington's role still isn't fully defined after Theo Riddick operated as the clear lead back in week 8. It's best to take a wait-and-see approach with Washington in this one.
RB Don Jackson, GB (Wk. 9: vs. Ind.): Even with surprise RB fill-ins Ty Montgomery and Randall Cobb both out with injury last week, Jackson couldn't manage to play ahead of FB Aaron Ripkowski. Knile Davis was cut this week, but Jackson is best left on the wire despite a plus matchup with the Colts. Look for Montgomery to operate as the lead RB again this week.
RBs DeAndre Washington & Jalen Richard, OAK (Wk. 9: vs. Den.): The split between the two of the backup role continues to sap the usefulness of both backs. With Latavius back on the field, neither one is seeing enough work to be startable. Steer clear of both.
RB CJ Prosise, SEA (Wk. 9: vs. Buf.): Prosise made good on my 'Sleeper' prediction last week, cashing in for 103 scrimmage yards on just 8 touches. I wouldn't expect him to duplicate that production this week against the Bills if the workload stays the same. The Bills are a little stingier than New Orleans. It'll be interesting to see if his passing down role continues once Thomas Rawls finally returns.
RB Paul Perkins, NYG (Wk. 9: vs. Phi.): Much like their passing game, the Giants need to get their run game fixed as well. While giving Paul Perkins more work could help, there's no evidence that they'll do it anytime soon. It's worth watching to see if there is any change to the work split, but not worth putting Perkins in any lineups.
WR Ricardo Louis, CLE (Wk. 9: vs. Dal.): Louis is only worth consideration if Corey Coleman is still out this week, or if Pryor surprisingly sits with his hamstring issue, and only as a desperation WR4 even in that case. He's averaging 5.6 targets per game over his past 6 games, but he's failed to catch even 50% of them and has topped 40 yards just once. His volume will drop if Coleman returns and Pryor plays.
WR Tajae Sharpe, TEN (Wk. 9: @SD): Sharpe just can't seem to put any production together despite a prominent role in the offense. He's seen 5.8 targets per game for the season but is putting up just 5.7 yards per target. Until one or both of those numbers come up, there is no reason to consider starting Sharpe.
Rookies on Byes: RB Jordan Howard, CHI, RB Rob Kelley, WAS, RB Tyler Ervin, HOU, WR Will Fuller, HOU, WR Tyler Boyd, CIN, WR Malcolm Mitchell, NE
Deep League Sleepers, Stashes, and Cheap DFS Options:
RB Derrick Henry, TEN (Wk. 9: @SD): Henry finally got some extended run last week due to an injury to DeMarco Murray, and he produced in a big way. Henry finished as the RB7 for the week. Murry is still dealing with the toe injury he suffered, but he seems likely to play. Still, he may cede some extra work to Henry as he plays through it against a Chargers team allowing the 6th-most RB fantasy points per game. I'd have a hard time starting Derrick in any season long leagues, but he'd be an interesting cheaper option in DFS tournaments. His price has spiked a little this week with the thin slate and his strong game last week, but there is upside if the Titans give him an extended role again.
WR Corey Coleman, CLE (Wk. 9: vs. Dal.): Coleman looks likely to finally return this week. It’ll be hard to trust him in season-long leagues coming off such a long layoff. The Cowboys allow the 20th-most WR points per game and don’t give up the deep ball, allowing just 2 passes of 40+ yards on the year. With that said, it’s a hand injury that has kept Corey out, so his conditioning should be fine. Terrelle Pryor has been dealing with a hamstring tweak in practice this week as well. Coleman should be close to an every down player, and he’d be a great cheap DFS option and a desperation WR3 option in deeper leagues.
WR Tyreek Hill, KC (Wk. 9: vs. Jax.): It’s hard to call a guy coming off a 5-98-1 line last week and 2 straight double-digit point games a sleeper, but Hill fits that bill this week. He’s more of a gadget player than a regular starter, but he should factor into the short passing game more heavily if Spencer Ware is unable to play. Nick Foles is getting the start Sunday, so there is also the 2nd-string connection between Hill and Foles that can help him as well. We’ve already seen that be a factor for Cameron Meredith and Brian Hoyer as well as Geno Smith and Charone Peake to a lesser extent. 2nd string QBs tend to have a better rapport with 2nd string WRs who they throw to in practice. 4 of Hill’s week 8 catches, 88 of his yards, and the one TD were thrown by Foles. Add in that the Jaguars rank 28th in pass defense DVOA on throws to WRs that aren’t the opposing #1 or #2, and Hill could have another nice game this week.
WR Robby Anderson, NYJ (Wk. 9: @Mia.): The Dolphins have allowed 22 or more WR points in 6 of their 7 games so far, and Anderson has been playing more snaps than Quincy Enunwa of late. He’s seen 6 targets twice in the past 3 weeks. I think he’s due for a breakout game, and I have a hunch it comes this week. He’s only an option in the deepest of leagues since he’s shown a floor of about 3-30, but I like him to have possibly his best game of the season.
That's all I've got for this week. Hopefully, it helps you navigate some of the tougher lineup decisions this week. Keep a close eye on the injury report throughout the week and make sure all of your guys are active on game day. If you want to yell at me about this info or have any specific questions, feel free to hit me up on twitter (@Shawn_Foss). As always...good luck, trust your gut, and have fun. It's just a game.
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- Written by Jim Hutchins
Another week of football in the books and another week of injuries/benchings/breakout performances that give you the opportunity for some helpful waiver wire adds. Oh, and my Bears somehow beat the Vikings... with Cutler as the starting QB? Sometimes this league doesn't make any sense. Anyways, SIX teams are on bye this week; Cardinals, Bears, Bengals, Texans, Patriots and Redskins. Good luck!
Note: all waiver picks listed here will have only been owned in 50% or less of Yahoo leagues at the time of publication.
Quarterback
Joe Flacco (BAL) - 23% owned - The Ravens are coming off their bye week and face off against the Steelers who are giving up a close to bottom of the league 283 yards per game to opposing passers so far this season. Flacco's volume makes him a great floor play this week if you need a bye week fill in as he is currently tied with Drew Brees for most pass attempts per game at 44.
Honorable mention: Ryan Tannehill (MIA) - 22% owned
Running Back
Tim Hightower (NO) - 5% owned - Hightower was thrown into a lead role last week after Mark Ingram gave up a fumble for the second week in a row. With this opportunity Hightower managed to put up 102 yards on 26 carries against the Seahawks and it appears there will now be a timeshare situation in the New Orleans backfield for the time being. I'd normally say he would be a risky play for week 9 until the timeshare situation is clearer, but the Saints draw the 49ers who are giving up 185 yards per game on the ground so there should be plenty of fantasy points for the entire Saints backfield in this one.
Charcandrick West (KC) - 9% owned - With Spencer Ware in concussion protocol and Jamaal Charles still not healthy, Charcandrick West has a decent shot at being the starter for KC in week 9. It would be a great matchup against the 6th worst rush defense of the Jaguars who are allowing 125 yards per game on the ground.
Honorable mentions: Antone Smith (TB) - 1% owned, Rob Kelley (WAS) - 35% owned
Wide Receiver
J.J. Nelson (ARZ) - 3% owned - After Nelson posted 79 yards and two touchdowns on 8 catches last week Bruce Arians has gone on record to say he will be a starting wide receiver going forward. The Cardinals do have a bye in week 9 so he would be an upside stash for at least a week.
Jamison Crowder (WAS) - 49% owned - Hopefully this will be the last week Crowder will be allowed on here as he should really be owned in all leagues. He is the 13th ranked WR in standard scoring and is coming off another monster game of 9 catches on 13 targets for 107 yards and a touchdown. Redskins also have a bye in week 9 so if you're desperate for a play next week then look to the honorable mentions!
Honorable mentions: Kenny Britt (LA) - 39% owned, Quincy Enunwa (NYJ) - 45% owned
Tight End
Dennis Pitta (BAL) - 44% owned - Pitta will be a serviceable volume play this week against the Steelers as he is averaging just over 8 targets per game. Look his way if you need a bye week replacement.
Honorable mention: Cameron Brate (TB) - 41% owned
Defense/Special Teams
Atlanta Falcons (ATL) - 10% owned - My streaming defense of the week goes to the Falcons up against Tampa Bay. They seem to have found a pass rush lately getting 14 sacks over their last 4 games compared to the 4 they tallied in their first 4 games.
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- Written by Jason Evans
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.
23 Penalties
The Raiders set a record on Sunday, committing 23 penalties for 200 yards. It took a herculean effort by Derek Carr (and almost all of OT) to put up such numbers. Carr put up a stellar 513 passing yards and 4 TDs, an amazing 35.82 points in a standard league. The Raiders are now 6-2 and in first place in the AFC West and are getting excellent fantasy play from their wideouts, in addition to their QB. Now if only their running back committee could get some kind of clarity.
12% Owned
Three of the top six wideouts in week 8 are a combined 12% owned, just showing that it really can be anyone on any given Sunday. J.J. Nelson, Tyreek Hill and Kendall Wright are these three - all owned in less than 6% of Yahoo leagues. This doesn't even include Andrew Hawkins, who found the end zone twice and is owned in 0% of leagues, though he won't be a waiver option like the others. Wide Receiver points were also spread out this week, with only Amari Cooper topping 20 points, but 23 total players reaching the double digit mark.
3 Overtime Games
Sunday saw three games go in to overtime, two of them being "island" games, so everyone could experience extra football. This was fun, in the case of Dak Prescott and the Cowboys managing a drive on the opening possession that resulting in a game winning TD. It was exciting, in the case of the Raiders and Bucs, mixing penalties and passing yards and giving us a long TD to win the game with under 2 minutes remaining. Finally, it was bad - and we exported a tied football game to England, something that only they were able to manage until now.
60 Rush Yards
Aaron Rodgers lead his team in rushing on Sunday, in both attempts, 6, and yards, 60 - a career high. With Lacy out for the season, he's easily the leading active rusher on the squad for the season with 156 yards. The recent moves that the Pack have made indicate that James Starks should be close to coming back, but he was averaging just 1.8 YPC this season. Rodgers is currently averaging 45 pass attempts per game, and this isn't likely to change much this week against Indy's poor passing defense.
4 Games
It took 4 games for Patriots Tom Brady to throw a touchdown completion to a wide receiver this season. Clearly struggling, Brady is only on pace for 36 touchdowns in 12 games this season. OK, OK, maybe his 73.1 completion percentage, zero INTs and 4-0 record don't say struggling per se. What can I say, the Patriots are the only truly dominant team this season and this is just nitpicking. Brady is also leading the league in yards per attempt and QB rating - the Tom Brady middle finger tour is in full effect.
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- Written by Matt Cochrane
Some of the shittiest teams in the league are on bye this week, resulting in a lot of unpredictable match-ups on the schedule for week 8. The largest point spread this week opened at just 5.5 points for New England over Buffalo, the first time in weeks there wasn't a double digit spread. This would be my pick if the Patriots were still available to me, as I have my highest points on them in the confidence pool as well. Without a healthy McCoy I see no way the Bills can hang with the Pats.
The next big favorites are the Broncos, Vikings, and Cowboys. I think the Broncos and Cowboys will probably take care of business in these games, but I am shying away from both of them. The Cowboys are at home vs an impressive looking Eagles team coming off an upset victory over the previously undefeated Vikings. In doing so I think they may have given teams the formula to dismantle Sam Bradford, bring the pressure! Maybe they are able to do the same thing to Dak and take control of that division.
I think a fired up Bears team with a returning Jay Cutler upset the Vikings at home on Monday night. The Bears season is essentially over, this will be one of their only opportunities to feel good about themselves this year. Like him or hate him, Jay Cutler possesses physical abilities that Brian Hoyer does not. If the Bears can come out focused and get an early lead I like their chances. Minnesota is a team that thrives on playing from ahead.
The Broncos are similar to the Vikings in their need for early leads in games. When these teams met 2 weeks ago the Chargers got an early lead and dismantled the Broncos. If it wasn't for some special teams mishaps for San Diego, the final score would have been embarrassing. Maybe Denver does much better at home with a normal NFL week to work with, but for that reason, I am not picking them either.
Last week I had the Bengals over the Browns in the battle of Ohio. The Bengals knocked the Browns 3rd starting quarterback of the year out of the game and cruised to a two touchdown victory.
Starting their fourth quarterback of the year this week I felt like the Jets were a slam dunk pick. My confidence was reduced slightly when it was announced that Josh McCown may return for this game. At the very least he is an NFL quarterback. Ryan Fitzpatrick has a chip on his shoulder after being benched for lousy Geno Smith. Baltimore beat Cleveland, New York just beat Baltimore equals a Jets win, that's just math. Expect big numbers from him and his receivers in this one as the Browns get one loss closer to that number 1 pick in next year's draft.
Cheers! Drink Five!!
Week Pick
1 Seattle
2 Carolina
3 Miami
4 New England
5 Arizona
6 Tennessee
7 Cincinnati