Raiders @ Chargers
Will the Raiders get so many favourable calls this week? Who will the Chargers lose to injury this week? This is a matchup with many questions and not many answers.
The Raiders showed last week against the Browns that they do indeed have an offence that isn’t on life support. Derek Carr probably had the best game he will have all year but he is shaping up to surprise a few people; me included. Korey Nelson rolled back the years, Amari Cooper learned how to catch and Martavious Bryant wasn’t on drugs so it came together. Jared Cook has ended up being the main man and the top TE in fantasy with 26 catches for 370 yards and 2 TDs. The Chargers offer a stiff test and I wouldn’t want to gamble on Nelson, Cooper or Bryant but Cook is a week in week out play now.
The running game in Oakland has ended up being the Beast Mode show and he has quietly been putting on a show this season. He has 300 rushing yards and 60 more in the passing game and 3 TDs to be RB8. Doug Martin and the rest of the cast have been non-starters.
The defence is improving but still far from great. They rank 26th and have conceded the 3rd most points of any team...
This plays nicely into the hands of Phillip Rivers and co. Rivers has had a great start to the season with 3 games throwing 3TDs and scoring over 20. He has the chance to be even better this week with a bit more health in his receiving corps. Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and Tyrell Williams should all be good to go, Antonio Gates has found the end zone again the pass catching at running back will continue to be strong.
Speaking of running backs, the tandem of Gordon and Ekeler have been reminiscent of Ingram and Kamara last year although they will struggle to quite reach those heights. I’ve bashed Gordon for years saying he’s an injury waiting to happen but I’ve had to change my viewpoint now. He’s not a great player but he’s just super effective in fantasy and gets it done. Ekeler meanwhile has been a perfect compliment and even though many drafted him as a handcuff, he’s now a starter in his own right in the way that Tevin Coleman is even when Freeman is fit.
The defence had all the hype for the Chargers but injuries to Joey Bosa and so many other pieces have left them without so much of an edge but they are still effective. This isn’t a matchup where you would expect big numbers but they should be serviceable.
Play:
Carr, Lynch, Cook
Rivers, Gordon, Ekeler, Allen
Pass:
Nelson, Bryant, Raiders DST
T.Williams, Gates
Cardinals @ 49ers
One team has the rushing yards leader, the other has David Johnson... Both have young quarterbacks and neither have a wide receiver able to excel. It doesn’t sound like a classic.
Arizona has been so disappointing this year and with the Sam Bradford spell ending early Josh Rosen has been steady but not spectacular in his 1 and a bit games so far. Larry Fitzgerald is seeing the ball but not as much as we’re used to and his years are catching up with him and he seems to be on the injury report on a weekly basis. There isn’t much of a supporting cast though to help as Kirk, Nelson, Seals-Jones and DJ have all been ineffective.
DJ has had 187 yards on the ground, 104 in the air and 3TDs which isn’t as elite compared to 2 years ago and the changes within the team through the offseason haven’t helped him. He is still an elite player and last week against Seattle he showed signs of returning to life, but he’s not going to live up to the top 4 pick people took him with. That being said apart from week 2 he has scored 16-18 points and is RB13 so don’t hit the panic button yet.
The Cardinals defence hasn’t been great either, ranked in the bottom 10 after 4 games. The player turnover has hurt them and injuries have only made it worse.
The 49ers had so much promise in pre-season but after losing McKinnon and then Jimmy G they’re up against it. CJ Beathard isn’t a player you want to play in fantasy unless you really have to but he’s not been terrible. Marquise Goodwin appears to have fallen off the map after so much hype and Pierre Garçon has proven that the lack of buzz he created was justified. Dante Pettis was injured in week 2 and so you’re left with George Kittle who has turned into an elite option at tight end. If there’s a guy to play in this matchup he is the one.
The running game will all come down to how Matt Breida and Alfred Morris deal with their various injuries. Breida has a shoulder injury and Morris has knee issues. I’d like to think that both will play and if so the rushing leader Matt Breida is hard to ignore. Especially with the RB landscape looking as bare as it does right now. Breida so far has 313 rushing yards and 85 receiving yards on 10 catches to be RB16, which is only so low due to his lack of touchdowns (1).
The 49ers defence isn’t spectacular but they’ve not been noticeably bad like they used to be. The Cardinals will need to click into gear to do any damage but this is possibly a matchup that will allow Arizona to do just that.
Play:
DJ, Fitz
Breida, Kittle
Pass:
Kirk, Nelson
Bethard, Garçon, Goodwin
Vikings @ Eagles
This is a rematch of the NFC Championship game and also a contest between two teams off to very indifferent starts after such high expectations.
The Vikings looked to have everything in place but after 4 weeks they sit at 1-3 after being demolished by the Bills, outscored by the Rams and looking like a defence that’s totally lost its way. The defence were world beaters and allowed Case Keenum to take them to the NFL Championship game. This year they rank 22nd which should explain a lot of their struggles.
What also hasn’t helped is Dalvin Cook being injured or carrying something other than the ball. Latavious Murray has done nothing when subbing in for Cook so either Cook is in and firing or the run game does not exist. Currently, the latter is happing more often. Some of that may be due to the game script with the defence being so porous but they need Cook to have a clean bill of health. This week he’s still questionable and I’d monitor that very closely and last week he was set to play and then saw 10 touches and made only 20 yards.
Adam Thielen has thankfully lived up to his ADP and Stefan Diggs isn’t far behind either which is good for those who drafted them. They remain every week plays after Kirk Cousins eradicated he Bills game from memory with a great performance against the Rams. They still lost but he was a top 5 scorer that week. Kyle Rudolph hasn’t yet hit he heights many expected but he remains serviceable and a top 10 options and this week he should be pretty handy.
The Eagles meanwhile struggled with Nick Foles at the helm and now Carson Wentz is back there is hope but still a long way to go. Wentz returning has been a big boost and Alshon Jeffrey put up some good numbers on his return last week so the passing game might just come together at last. Agholor was one of my most drafted players but has disappointed so far. Maybe having another top WR with him will allow him to break loose more like last season. Zach Ertz remains a top tight end and if you own him you play him, it’s pretty simple.
The running game has been as messy as their passing game has looked but when Jay Ajayi is fit to play he seems to put up numbers to make him a decent RB2. Corey Clement was probably my most drafted player across 37 leagues but right now he’s my main drop candidate as he’s had opportunities and not made the most of them. With Smallwood also sprinkled in Ajayi is the only RB you feel safe enough to play.
The defence has been mediocre so far. They rank 15th but its been a weird year so far for defences so things could change at any time.
Play:
Cousins, Diggs, Thielin, Rudolph
Wentz, Ajayi, Jeffrey, Ertz
Pass:
L.Murray, Vikings DST
Clement, Eagles DST
Rams @ Seahawks
The undefeated Rams go to visit the Legion of Bust in a game which only a few years ago would have been seen as an elite team against an unfancied team, only the other way around to what it will be this weekend.
The Rams are heavy favourites to continue their unbeaten run and Jared Goff has been quietly mentioned as an MVP candidate. Last weeks monster game was a gift from fantasy heaven for those who played him and that form may well carry on now that the Seahawks have lost Earl Thomas. Brandin Cooks, Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods are arguably the best triple threat out there which does often lead to one being a bust each week but the team is so powerful they can support all three and you have to brave if you want to bench one of them.
Told Gurley meanwhile continues to justify his #1 overall pick status (or #2 in some leagues). He has 338 rushing yards, 15 receptions for 194 receiving yards and 6 TDs. It’s frightening and no other RB gets a look in which of course is a fantasy players dream.
The defence has been strong to go with the offensive power game although the Vikings found a way through last week. Seattle don’t have a lot of weapons to damage the Rams so they are an easy play.
Even with Doug Baldwin back the Seahawks are always going to struggle on offence. The O-Line still isn’t good, Wilson has had to be more extravagant in finding people to target and while Tyler Lockett was playable for a few weeks, Baldwin’s return decreases his value and pretty much finished off Brandon Marshall. Will Dissley going on IR was a shame after he started red hot and it appears Nick Vannett is going to struggle to continue what Dissley started.
The running game is as much of a mess as always, even if they drafted Rashaad Penny in the 1st round to try and fix it. Penny, Davis and Carson have so far managed 373 rushing yards and 3 TDs but most of that game from one big game in week 3 for Carson and a big week 4 for Davis, barring those two displays the three have managed a total of 31.1 points in 4 games. Without a lot of protecting from the offensive line they just aren’t going to be effective enough for people to want to start (even if some will have to start them due to a lack of better options).
The defence took a big hit losing Earl Thomas and if Bradley McDougald also misses the game it only further boosts the receivers cause. It’s a sad fall from grace but there is some hope with Bobby Wagner still there and the Griffins not doing a bad job, especially as they sit in the top 10 DSTs after 4 weeks.
Play:
Goff, Gurley, Cooks, Kupp, Woods, Rams DST
Wilson, Baldwin
Pass:
Higbee
Carson, Penny, Lockett, Marshall, Vannett, Seahawks DST
Cowboys @ Texans (Prime Time)
The late game this week is the battle of Texas with Houston and Dallas squaring up for a late night rodeo.
The Cowboys really do miss Travis Fredericks at centre. Zeke finally broke free last week but before then he seemed to have been well bottled up. The Cowboys offence is a little bit Zeke or nothing right now and he’s going to struggle to carry the team all season.
Dak Prescott is also struggling with the depleted O-Line. His production and suffered and only 4TDs coupled with 2INTs does not make for great reading. It would help if he had some receivers able to provide some production since right now their top receiver is Cole Beasley with 185 yards and no TDs. Geoff Swaim is the 3rd highest in receiving yards and has one touchdown (the other 2 receiving TDs belong to Tavon Austin). Swaim is a desperation play with TD upside but there are leagues where that’s what you have to play.
I can’t say much about the Cowboys defence beyond the feeling that they are a bit Vanilla. Not bad but not great and very much middle of the road. They have the pieces like Demarcus Lawrence but don’t really have the full package just yet.
The Texans have an offence that can trouble that defence, especially with Will Fuller and Deandre Hopkins both fit to play. The pair are both limited at practice but I’d expect both to play which usually causes all sorts of headaches on opposing teams. The lack of a 3rd option at WR or TE does stop them from being more deadly in my opinion but it makes the 2 mentioned above absolute gold in fantasy. Deshaun Watson so far is QBx and slowly returning to being a decent option again but it’s far from where his ADO suggested he would be.
The Texans run game doesn’t have quite the same level of optimism. With Lamar Miller struggling with a chest problem, Deonta Foreman still not eligible to come off IR until week 7 it leaves Alfred Blue as their back this week barring a Miller recovery. Even if Miller does play he’s probably going to be limited which makes the offence a bit predictable.
Houston are going to have to rely on their defence but so far they’ve been pretty decent. JJ Watt was AFC defensive player of the month and is getting back some of the power the injuries have taken out of him.
Play:
Zeke, Swaim
Watson, Hopkins, Fuller, Texans DST
Pass:
Prescott, Any wide receiver
Any running back or tight end.
Redskins @ Saints (MNF)
I’ll go into this more on Monday Maybes but realistically Brees, Kamara, Michael Thomas and at a push, Alex Smith, Jordan Reed and maybe Paul Richardson (as a deep play) are the playable pieces. Adrian Peterson hadn’t been practicing until he was limited on Thursday but I imagine he will be good to go although I struggle to see him having a big game. Mark Ingram returns from suspension but will be a risky play on his first week back. He will get into the game since the Saints are on bye next week but if you think you have a better option earlier I’d advise going that way. Brees, Kamara and Michael Thomas are in their usual “Must Start” category but any other options such as Ginn or Meredith are probably not worth choosing over your other options.
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