On Monday Night Football (the second one, not the first one), Todd Gurley finally broke out for fantasy owners (kind of). By "broke out," I mean that he found the end zone not once, but twice -- despite averaging just 3.5 yards per carry. That's as hot as a lukewarm cup of coffee -- as sexy as assless chaps with patches sewn in. It was the kind of performance that you had to be pleased with if you had him in your lineup, but at the same time, you were probably also clapping slowly while shooting those around you sneaky glares out the corner of your eyes to see if they were equally excited. On the plus side, Gurley out-touched Brian Hill 17-to-six, one week after Hill appeared to be the much more explosive back even as Gurley rushed for 80 yards and a touchdown. On the down side, Gurley caught just one pass for the second consecutive week (Ito Smith and Hill combined for five grabs), bringing his season total to a measly four receptions. Gurley clearly isn't the back he once was, however, he did show some elusiveness inside the green zone on his first rushing touchdown, even shaking a second would-be tackler for the score. This is the point we're at with running backs in 2020, as both Austin Ekeler and Nick Chubb went down in Week 4 with significant injuries. I am actually, tentatively, kind-of excited about Gurley. This is not good.
On the opposing sideline, Aaron Jones enjoyed yet another strong week, rushing 15 times for 71 yards (4.7 YPC) and hauling in five passes for 40 yards and a touchdown. The Packers look like the cream of the crop in the NFC (right alongside Seattle), as the Super Bowl could (I said could) potentially pit two State Farm figureheads against one another in Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes. Can you imagine the marketing potential for State Farm!? Let's all buy stock now! *does quick Google search* It's already up 4.2% since Sept. 23 -- people must really be catching on. Unfortunately, my popularity stock over on Reddit -- and in life -- is doing the exact opposite. My parents visited last week, and somehow, my father locked himself in the stairwell three different times. Again, this is 2020. This is real. And this is not good.
Before I lose everyone's attention, let's get into the Week 5 rest of season top 60 running back rankings. But first -- a quick trip around the league.
Monthly Archives: October 2020
Week 5 Waiver Sherpa
October 6, 2020 | Fantasy Football Strategy, Waiver Wire | 20 Commentsby: al_FF_red
Week 4 saw our path get rocky and full of pitfalls as multiple players tested positive for COVID-19 and some games were postponed with tentative rescheduling. The waiver landscape became even more crucial than ever with not only injuries to deal with but also alternates for postponed games. There isn't a lot to splurge on this week, but as we have seen bench depth may be more important in 2020 than any other season.
I group the adds by position and then within the position, rank them in order of preference. The sherpa will only advise players who are rostered in less than 50% of ESPN leagues.
I'm finally out of the closet. I was hoping to come out on my own one day, but Everywhere Blair spilt the beans in his Sunday Fantasy Football Roundup this weekend. It's all true, I'm a former Kart Across America Champion. But the days of cruising to victory in my Princess Peace costume are long gone. Now I'm left sipping Pabst Blue Ribbon at the Black Jack Inn in Tahoe, donning a soiled Wario costume while reminiscing on the golden years. Fortunately, the Black Jack Inn's one black and white TV was playing Monday night's Falcons vs. Packers game so I was able to catch a glimpse of Packers tight end Robert Tonyan hitting the Falcons defense over the head with a Tonyan of bricks. This got me to thinking about the changing of the guard. Five years ago I never thought that little person in a Toad costume with all the bananas would overtake me as Kart Across America Champion. Could Tonyan be the chosen one to dethrone Travis Kelce (3 catches for 70 yards) as the top tight end? You're right, I've had waaaay too many of these PBRs. But the Packers big man did explode for 6 catches for 98 yards and his 3rd, 4th and 5th touchdowns in Monday night's win. With Aaron Rodgers (27/33 for 327 yards and 4 touchdowns--he now has 13 on the year) playing arguably the best football of his life, Allen Lazard (core injury) out for the foreseeable future and Davante Adams (hamstring) hobbled, Tonyan might end up being more Donkey Kong than Bowser--that's a good thing, obviously. Consider the big man a top 10 fantasy tight end, at least in the short term. Anyway, here's what else I saw yesterday for fantasy football:
Fantasy Football Podcast: B_Don and JB Barry To Fill In For Bill O’Brien?
October 5, 2020 | Razzball Podcast |by: B_Don
I'm not saying I heard that B_Don and JB Barry were going to be given a shot to run the Texans after Bill O'Brien was fired, but I'm also not saying I didn't hear that. Fine I didn't hear that, but ding dong, BoB is gone.Â
While Donkey Teeth is off with a bunch of guys playing with sticks and balls....he's playing golf, get your mind out of the gutter, Razzball's own, JB Barry, join the podcast. Together, B_Don and JB Barry break down the injuries, the RB situations, and replacement options for Austin Ekeler, Nick Chubb, and Kenyan Drake.Â
Chubb Went Limp So Johnson Elevated
October 5, 2020 | Fantasy Football Strategy | 9 Commentsby: Son
Urban Dictionary is the best, as no word is left without a home. They are all so colorful with vivid descriptions. Plus, I acquire some street cred when I tell the young kids to get off my lawn. So when I typed in "Chubb" into the site, I was proud of our youth that they gave it the proper utilization. Drafting Nick Chubb for fantasy football gave all who selected him....not a full erection, but a chubb. The offensive line was bolstered and Kevin Stefanski brought his run-dominant ways, but Kareem Hunt was there to siphon off both carries and pass targets. But yesterday, that chubb turned limp as Chubb exited the game with a right knee injury. In his place, Hunt showed off his talents and scored two touchdowns, but it was D'Ernest Johnson who elevated and led the team in carries. Will this Johnson be a one-night stand or a consistent booty call?
What's up everybody? Your usual Sunday roundup author, Donkey Teeth, is in a bit of a predicament, so I'm stepping in to help you catch up on the Sunday games. What predicament is DT in, you ask? Glad to spill the secrets! See, DT is a member of an elite club of adventurers who, upon the release of pumpkin spice lattes in the fall, gather in Los Angeles for their annual Kart Across America race. Donning the costumes of their favorite Mario Kart character, the group hops on actual go karts to race across the great American highways at 20 MPH. This year, our beloved DT -- dressed as his hero Wario -- took a banana to the face and crashed into an In-N-Out just outside of El Segundo. Of course, he lost his wallet in the crash. He's also slightly blinded from the animal sauce that got in his eyes. Yet, he wants to finish the race, so he got back on the kart, took some mushroom power, and was last seen drifting by Lake Tahoe.Â
ENYWHEY, let's take a look at some of the highlights for Sunday's NFL games for your fantasy football teams.Â
Oh wow, what a week. Tennessee Titans players continue to test positive for COVID-19 and now Cam Newton and a scout QB for the Kansas City Chiefs have also tested positive. The NFL has tentatively scheduled the Chiefs-Patriots for this Tuesday, which would count towards week 4 fantasy scores. The likelihood of this game actually happening this week seems bleak at best based on reactions from insiders’ reports of player reactions that would be involved. Some players simply don’t feel comfortable. Crippling the spread of this infectious illness throughout the NFL should be the first priority. I’m not an expert, but complete postponement of this game seems like a no-brainer. The NFL should also take into account that if the Kansas City Chiefs are forced to play on Tuesday, they have to play 3 games in 10 days. That seems... dangerous.
Under The Hood: Emergency Ward
October 3, 2020 | 2020 Fantasy Football, Under The Hood | 7 Commentsby: Roto-Wan
Do you have a viable lineup to use this week in fantasy football? Then congratulations, you're ahead of the pack. Stay a step ahead with these tasty rippers, as Johnny Rose would say.Â
- Greg Wards is coming off of an 11 target game. It's hard not to see him duplicating that as he was the only Eagles WR to practice fully this week. Even with some good news on the injury front he's the only one in the huddle Carson Wentz trusts to throw to right now.Â
- The Browns RB usage is a hoot right now. To keep two RBs averaging 18 and 16 touches per game they're taking those opportunities from two amazing WR talents. At least they know what they want. Now trade one or both starting WRs so we can enjoy them again.Â
- One early season surprise is the Packers early down pass rate. They're second only to Seattle. Maybe Aaron Rodgers secretly ate real meat. Maybe he's just 100% healthy for a change. Whatever it is, Cheese is strong this year.Â
The Shadow Coverage Report – Week 4
October 3, 2020 | 2020 Fantasy Football, Fantasy Football Strategy | 1 Commentby: Bobby LaMarco
| Shadow Coverage Tracker | |
|---|---|
| WR Finish | Total |
| 1 | 4 |
| 2 | 3 |
| 3 | 3 |
| 4+ | 7 |
| Grand Total | 17 |
Team: Detroit Lions
Opponent: New Orleans Saints
WR1: Kenny Golladay
Shadow Coverage Match-up: Marshon Lattimore
Below is an exclusive profile of our Week 3 Razzbowl leader, Joey Wright, who has worn many hats outside of the awkward wool sombrero we make the Razzbowl leaders wear. Joey has been a therapist for goldfish, a ferret groomer, and he holds the movie Frozen 2 in high regard. As we got to know each other on Twitter, I conducted this completely accurate and real interview with him wherein he revealed some of his deepest fantasies...FANTASY FOOTBALL! Come on!
Week 4 NFL Value Spreads, Moneylines, and Team Futures
October 2, 2020 | NFL Gambling |by: Sam Shefrin
Week three has given us a lot to soak in. However, the early days of the week often give us some great lines to bet on. Whether it be spreads, over/unders, moneylines, or even a juicy future bet, scrolling through your preferred sportsbook Tuesday morning is never a terrible idea. Get the odds while you can!
Chargers +7.5 @ Buccaneers
There are a couple of spreads that jump out at me right away as favorable for bettors. The first one is the chargers at +7.5 against the Buccaneers. The Chargers, after playing amazingly against the Super Bowl Champion Chiefs, lost to the pathetic Carolina Panthers. However, it was a tougher matchup than perceived, the Panthers have a savvy new head coach and Justin Herbert is a rookie who is bound to make some mistakes. However, the biggest reason for the loss was 3 fumbles. Fumbles are often a metric that is rather random and can drastically sway a game without it reflecting on how each team truly played.
This line seems way too large for how talented the Chargers’ defense is. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers have gotten to play two teams in the Panthers and Broncos who are simply not good football teams. Yes, it is that same Panthers team that the Chargers lost to, but if the Bucs got 3 unlucky fumbles their game would have been just as close. The Buccaneers are currently overrated and the Chargers underrated due to the Carolina game. Give me the Chargers +7.5 all day.
Gordon > Gore + Darn
October 2, 2020 | 2020 Fantasy Football, Fantasy Football Daily Notes | 70 Commentsby: Donkey Teeth
Thursday's thrilling Broncos/Jets matchup was overshadowed by the unfortunate COVID developments in Tennessee which have resulted in the postponement of Sunday's Titans' game against the Steelers. This Titans fiasco got me thinking about a picture I snapped during the NFL Draft back in April:
Take your time, there's a lot to digest in this shot. Someone in this picture has to be responsible for the viral outbreak in Tennessee this week, right? Vrabel's spandex-hooded son and Joe-Dirt-mullet son are solid candidates, just look at those two goons. And Vrabel himself can't be counted out either based on the offspring he produced. But the odds on favorite has to be the dude on the crapper in the back left corner—that guy's up to no good. Where is he pooping? Is that even a toilet? Alas, one player who didn't take a dump during Thursday night's game was Melvin Gordon who handled 23 carries for 107 yards, 2 catches for 11 yards and his 3rd and 4th touchdowns. Pigskinonator was all over this one, ranking Gordon as it's #9 RB this week. Now might be a decent time to sell Gordon since Phillip Lindsay (toe) may be ready to swoop in and steal half the carries in week 5. Don't forget, we have a free trade analyzer to help you brainstorm deals and dominate your league. Anyway, here's what else I saw yesterday for fantasy football:
