Playoff Preparation: Quarterbacks

by: MB

In my regular Monday post, I paid extra attention to some wide receiver adds that will be beneficial for weeks 14-16. There are a few out there, but for the most part, the 'start your studs' theory is the way that I like to go about things. Quarterback is an entirely different beast. I've written in the past about quarterback scoring being very bunched up near the middle of the position. So it a good idea to discover weekly outliers in the most important three weeks of the fantasy football season.

The benefit in preparing for the playoffs around Thanksgiving is that these players that you are stashing likely wouldn't be available in weeks 13 or 14. Staying ahead of your league-mates is half of the battle. People say fantasy football is luck driven and they are wrong for the most part. Luck has nothing to do with positioning yourself for success through studying probabilities. Believe it or not, there are some quarterbacks that still have low ownership that have very easy playoff schedules and you should adding them this week.

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Points Are A Brees

by: MB

The New Orleans Saints' offense was the story of this week. In a season of juiced up score boards, they are an even bigger exception to the standard over the past three weeks. Having pieces of this offense may be essential to a fantasy football playoff run if you don't have Todd Gurley or Kareem Hunt. At this point, your trade deadline is probably a thing of the past, but you can most likely add Tre'quan Smith. Tre'quan is 13% owned in ESPN Leagues and 26% owned in Yahoo leagues.

Fantasy Football Week 11 Primer

November 18, 2018 | 2018 Fantasy Football, 2018 Fantasy Football News & Notes | 40 Comments

by: MB

We are two weeks away from the fantasy playoffs. I looked outside and saw snow on the ground this morning and it's insane how time flies. Hopefully it slows down a little this week because I'm on vacation from my day job. Three vacation days for 9 straight days off? Talk about a steal. Anyways, this only affects you because my Monday column will come out around lunch time this week. I'll be writing on Monday morning instead of Sunday night this week.

Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em, Week 11: Woods You Rather?

November 17, 2018 | 2018 Fantasy Football, 2018 Fantasy Football Start & Sit | 8 Comments

by: Zach

What’s going on everyone, and welcome back to another “Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em” post here at Razzball. Today I’ll be dissecting some great Week 11 matchups, and some not-so-great matchups. Let’s get to it!

Dynasty Deep Dive: Fraud or Applaud?

November 17, 2018 | 2018 Fantasy Football, 2018 Fantasy Football Dynasty Leagues | 2 Comments

by: The Scrant Dog

Sorry about missing last week! I highly doubt anyone was refreshing their browsers to see the week's fantasy deep dive, but, nonetheless I am back. As we move toward fantasy playoffs and the seeding starts to shake out, this is a critical point for your fantasy teams. Fantasy Trade deadlines are fast approaching, while some may have already passed. Let’s take a look at some studs and duds you can take advantage of in your trade negotiations.

Daily Fantasy Strategy, Week 11: 5 Wide

November 17, 2018 | 2018 Fantasy Football, 2018 Fantasy Football DFS | 3 Comments

by: cinthree

For this week’s article I am going to try something new. Let’s get a conversation going on a topic that’s DFS-related but not particularly substantive (and thus probably won’t be the topic of discussion anywhere else). Is it a good thing that the Rams/Chiefs game won’t be on the main slate? I’m not talking about the general point about the value of having the MNF game on the slate (as they used to do a few years ago), rather, just specifically the Rams/Chiefs game, which has the highest total since 1986 and would have had numerous guys who would have been main cogs of your lineup had the game been on the slate (Gurley, at his slightly lowered price of $10,600, and Tyreek Hill at $7,900 would have been two monster plays, Kelce at $7,800, Woods at $7,500, and Cooks at $7,800 would have been expensive pieces but reasonable plays, Josh Reynolds at $5,000 would have been an interesting punt, and while Patrick Mahomes at $9,500 may have been priced out of viability, Jared Goff at $8,300 would certainly be in the conversation). So, what say you, my loyal readers? Feel free to post as to whether you think it’s a good thing or a bad thing that the Rams/Chiefs game isn’t on the slate (or if you think it’s good for cash games, bad for GPPs, or vice versa, that’s certainly an interesting take too). I’d love to hear everyone’s opinion on this...

Handcuff Report: Bad Boyz of Week 11

November 16, 2018 | 2018 Fantasy Football, 2018 Fantasy Football Roster Strategy | 9 Comments

by: Nic Romero

Week 11 is upon us and another heavy bye week for us to manage with 6 teams on bye. Luckily, week-12 is the last of the byes with just two teams off. Only one new name to talk about this week, but we'll touch on a couple of repeat offenders that are worth updating. Since it is a light week, I start you with a few nuggets heading in to your playoffs. Let's win you a championship or at least some money if your league pays more than first place. All of you fall in to one of the following buckets: playoff spot locked up, fighting/jockeying for a final spot, or no chance at all. If you are fighting to lock up a playoff spot, you need to win now and dominate your weekly matchups. The focus is on finding every extra fantasy point you can grab. Is there a better defensive matchup for you to stream? What about a kicker? Maybe even a better QB matchup if you are juggling middle tier QBs on your roster. I've seen players like Marcus Mariota, Carson Wentz, Russel Wilson and somehow Mitchel Trubisky pop on waivers as league-mates manage byes. Dak Prescott has a couple of nice matchups down the stretch. If you have a bench warmer that has not or will not hit your starting lineup this season then you should not hesitate dropping him. If it means getting better for a one week matchup then make the move. This needs to be your mentality as we head down the stretch. Scratching and crawling for every point to lock up your final playoff spot. If you are lucky enough to have a playoff spot locked up then you need to take advantage of the luxuries that come along with it. Do not fall asleep at the wheel. You have worked your tail off to get to this point. My nuggets for you-- grab your handcuff now and pick up a defense with a juicy week 14, 15, or 16 matchup. If you know you are getting a bye then only focus on the weeks you will be playing. Even if it is just a nice one week matchup. Don't worry about having a defense that has a sweet matchup this week. Does it really matter if you finish 3 or 4th seed if you know you are going to make it either way? Here are a couple of defenses that have plus matchups: Steelers vs Oak (WK14,) Texans vs Jets (WK15), Bills vs NYJ & DET (WK14,15), Titans vs NYJ, JAX, NYG, & WSH (WK13-14-15-16). I really like the Titans D heading down the stretch and they are on waivers this week with a matchup against Andrew Luck and the Colts. If you fall in the last bucket and have no chance, don't give up. It is your goal to ruin someones playoff hopes. Is anything more demoralizing than finishing last in your fantasy league? Do you have an embarrassing punishment for finishing last? Don't let that be you. I will wrap this up and get to your names. As noted before, reviewing your leagues transaction history is crucial. Look ahead to your playoff schedule and defensive matchups. Can you leverage a trade to bolster a weak spot on your roster come playoff time. This is the last week for trades in most leagues. Drop dead weight and pick up your handcuff. Boom, let's go! Here are your week 11 Bad Boyz...

Fantasy Football Weekly Rankings, Week 11: Brought to You by the Letter “J”

November 15, 2018 | 2018 Fantasy Football, 2018 Fantasy Football Weekly Rankings | 12 Comments

by: Jay

Accuracy	Overall	QB	RB	WR	TE	K	DST
Week 10	58	72	58	64	78	67	85
Week 9	53	73	44	100	21	31	24
Week 8	5	7	25	44	48	74	74
Week 7	43	50	62	28	79	18	13
Week 6	99	23	106	100	129	49	30
Week 5	55	86	40	80	48	22	82
Week 4	70	36	96	27	62	27	7
Week 3	68	40	60	70	121	33	37
Week 2	53	60	6	88	137	48	29
Week 1	12	6	50	47	30	78	78
2018	33	9	42	73	83	29	23

What are my rankings bona fidas? Well, there’s finishing in the FantasyPros Top-10 Draft Accuracy (7th Place) in 2017, Top-25 Weekly Accuracy (23rd Place) in 2017, Top-5 Draft Accuracy (3rd place) in 2016, Top-10 Weekly Accuracy (10th Place) in 2016, Top-25 Weekly Accuracy in 2015 (21st Place) and on average we’ve finished in the Top-10 Draft Accuracy (9th Overall) and the Top-20 Weekly Accuracy (18th Overall) for the past three years. I’d like to think we’re pretty good at this stuff…

What does the word bona fidas mean? According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, bo·na fi·des \ ˌbō-nə-ˈfī-ˌdēz , ÷ˈbō-nə-ˌfīdz \ means 1 : good faith : sincerity, 2 : the fact of being genuine —often plural in construction, 3 : evidence of one’s good faith or genuineness —often plural in construction, 4 : evidence of one’s qualifications or achievements —often plural in construction. On a separate note, I think it would make a great name for a cat.

What’s my ranking process? I’ve actually written about this in the past, and instead of working hard for new and enlightening content, I have chosen the more efficient (lazy, ahem) method and dropping in a link to that post here. Honestly, my process hasn’t changed much at all (the ole “don’t fix what ain’t broke” proverb comes to mind) and so my “A Day in the Life of a Fantasy Football Ranker” story still remains relevant to this day. (The TL;DR is: I’m ghetto as fudge. Well, I mean the other “f” word, but I’m hungry.)

How should I use your rankings? The same way your mother does. Which actually makes no sense. (Unless your mother is in the running to always finish top-3 in your Fantasy Football league. And if that’s the case, say hello to her for me.)

We’re Going Streaming!, Week 11: Recommendations From FootballFlix

November 15, 2018 | 2018 Fantasy Football, 2018 Fantasy Football Streaming |

by: B_Don

As we approach the end of bye weeks, it is time to begin preparing your team for the playoffs. It is during bye weeks and injuries that league size and roster size matter.

If you’re in shallow leagues with shallow benches, you likely are streaming these options each week and the tough decision is who to drop from your strong roster. In deeper leagues, you may not like your streaming options as it is likely the absolute bottom of the barrel.

I bring up the playoffs because it is during this time, in these last couple of bye weeks and the last few weeks of the fantasy football regular season, that you can set your team up for the playoffs. If your league still uses defenses, it can be worthwhile to look ahead at match-ups and see what defenses can be streamed in tandem to cover you for the rest of the season. Same with quarterbacks. If you’ve been streaming QBs all year, it may be time to find 2 that you can swap in and out given their match-ups the rest of the season.

Ambulance Chasers, Week 11: Noe Flacco, Noe Problem

November 15, 2018 | 2018 Fantasy Football, 2018 Fantasy Football Injury Report | 4 Comments

by: Kerry Klug

The one injury I’m watching most closely this week is Joe Flacco’s. I know he’s only owned in around 20% of leagues, but it’s not him I’m concerned about -- it’s Lamar Jackson. The 2016 Heisman winner actually had an even better 2017 than his 2016 and would’ve won the award back to back if it weren’t for the crazy breakout of Baker Mayfield. If you’re a Tom Brady owner looking for a good bye week replacement -- keep an eye on the Ravens QB situation. Either way Flacco goes I think a Ravens QB is due for a big game.

Fantasy Football Weekly Rankings, Week 11: Zach’s Rankings

November 14, 2018 | 2018 Fantasy Football, 2018 Fantasy Football Weekly Rankings | 16 Comments

by: Zach

What’s going on everyone, and welcome to the tenth week of the 2018 NFL season! I hope you guys all had a great Week 9 thanks to some awesome performances from Mitch Trubisky, Ben Roethlisberger, Nick Chubb, David Johnson, Tyreek Hill, Zach Ertz, Eric Ebron and Matt Breida! Below are my rankings for Week 11, for all scoring systems, so enjoy! And like always, be sure to check out Rudy’s fantastic premium tools here, and follow myself, MB, and Jay on Twitter. In the meantime, I’ll be back on Saturday for the eleventh edition of my 2018 Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em series!

Too Much Ditka & Sausage Pod, Week 11: Aaron Jones and John Ross

November 14, 2018 | 2018 Fantasy Football, 2018 Fantasy Football Podcast, Fantasy Football Podcast | 3 Comments

by: B_Don

Get your sausage, juicy sausage, right here! On this week’s Ditka affair, Donkey Teeth and B_Don chat about the LeVeon Bell aftermath, AFC/NFC favorites, and then dive into some film review of Aaron Jones and John Ross.

Later in the spectacle, the fellas tell you whether to hold the Ditka on Alshon Jeffery, Allen Robinson, Josh Gordon, and Donte Moncrief. And guess who might be the A-hole of the week and possibly the year! Hint: his name rhymes with Flaveon Snell. Sniff the free sausage fumes below: