Good Afternoon, loyal followers! Yes, I’m talking to you! All four of you! If you feel a little déjà vu reading this article, it’s totally fine. You’re not tripping from all the hallucinogens you dropped following The Grateful Dead tour around the country… You’re just re-reading a few names you’ve read here already. Since I’m sure you’ve all been absorbing these stat-filled riddles like sponges, I’m going to attempt to give you some opinions based on personnel and personal (not a stutter!) observations I’ve noticed over the first third of the season. However, I can’t completely avoid the numbers, so just bear with me. On a positive note, the last three weeks have been quite a resurgence for the Streamer Department. We’ve nailed three Top-10 QB’s, three Top-10 TE’s, a Top-10 DST, and 2 Top-10 Kickers in that time span. Let’s get after it!
Quarterbacks
Kirk Cousins (47%) @ ARI: The Arizona Cardinals aren’t boasting the type of defensive abilities we thought we’d see coming into 2014. Save Antonio Cromartie, the Cards secondary has looked weak in coverage. Additionally, any pass rush they once had could be completely neutralized this week with the loss of Calais Campbell on the defensive line. So what I’m saying is… I don’t think the perception of the Cardinals’ defense is in line with what they’re actually capable of. Now, Cousins looked awful against the Giants two weeks ago, but he pulled it together against the best defense in the league. Going up against a far weaker opponent, it leaves gives Cousins ample opportunity to succeed.
Jake Locker (10%) @ JAX: *NOTE: If Locker doesn’t start, I can’t confidently endorse Charlie Whitehurst this week. I follow my own recommendations, and I would not pick him up, so I wouldn’t feel good telling all four of you to pick him up either.* Anywho… I’m not big believer in the Titans offense, but it’s evident that the Jacksonville defense is struggling, especially in the cover game. Tennessee strung together a solid first half against Cleveland on Sunday before completely imploding in the second and used its two receiving weapons nicely. Overall, using the Titans’ players in fantasy is like walking through a minefield. You never know when one will go off! All things considered, Locker couldn’t be given a better chance to succeed. Let’s hope Whisenhunt learned from his extremely poor 2nd half coaching last week.
Cousins vs. Locker | FindTheBest
Since he was the focus last week, and he’s over 50% owned, Eli Manning will be an honorable mention in this week’s edition. He has a great matchup at Philly. If he’s available, stream him!
Tight Ends
Niles Paul (36%) @ ARI: Paul’s perception is a little down after being so quiet on Monday against Seattle. The truth of the matter is, Paul was limited to less than 25% of the Washington’s snaps on MNF. It looked like they were just trying to get him into the game without causing too much damage. We all know what he’s capable of. Also, as mentioned above, Arizona has some defensive problems, so this matchup works to Paul’s favor. He can physically matchup with any corner in the league, and he will be able to navigate his way through a leaky Arizona secondary. Take advantage of the short-sighted owners who dropped him in your league!
Tim Wright (18%) v BUF: Welcome to relevance, Mr. Wright! Tim Wright is another tough tight end to match up against. Even against an experienced corner last week (Leon Hall), Wright was able to work up the seam from the slot and make a catch for 30 yards. He finished with a 5/85/1 stat line on 5 targets. The Patriots knew this guy was a physical specimen, and it appears that they will be incorporating him into the fold a bit more after last week. If what “they” say is true, and the Patriots up his workload from about one-quarter of the snaps, Wright can be dangerous against a slumping slot corner in Buffalo.
Defense & Special Teams
Minnesota Vikings (8%) v DET: Tough week for defense streamers, but I like what Minnesota is up against this week. Calvin Johnson is banged up, and Reggie Bush, if he sees the field, won’t be playing at 100%. Missing two key offensive contributors will make life a little tougher for Matt Stafford, and the game plan will have to change. Minnesota’s defense hasn’t looked great, but they’ve also played some talented offensive teams, including the Patriots, Saints, Falcons and Packers. With that in mind, this is a complete upside play that pretty much defines the word Streamer.
Kicker
Shawn Suisham (49%) @ CLE: As usual, I like to analyze how teams perform from 30 yards and in on offense, and compare it to how the opposing team’s defense performs in the same situation. Pittsburgh hasn’t been the best at converting within 30 yards this season, which makes them tied for 3rd in FG’s made in this area. That said, they face a Cleveland defense that’s middle of the pack right now. These AFC North match ups usually result in a quite a few FG’s back and forth, so while I’d like to say stream Cundiff too, he’s just too hard to watch.
Matt Bryant (52%) v CHI: In that stat mentioned above, Chicago’s defense is 5th on the list. I think the combination of PAT’s and XP’s will put Bryant over the top this week. Now That’s What I Call Analysis Vol. 2.
Week 5 Recap:
RCL/Yahoo Standard 0.5 PPR Scoring
Eli Manning: 200 yds, 2 TD, 0 INT, 2 rush, -3 yds = 15.70 pts (17th QB)
Austin Davis: 375 yds, 3 TD, 3 rush, 30 yds, 2 FL = 26.00 pts (3rd QB)
Owen Daniels: 7 tgt, 5 rec, 70 yds = 9.50 pts (8th TE)
Clay Harbor: 4 tgt, 3 rec, 22 yds = 3.70 pts (26th TE)
NYG: 20 PA, 1 sack, 1 INT = 4.00 pts (T-18th DST)
Josh Brown: 1 50+, 1 40-49, 1 20-29, 3 PATs = 15.00 pts (3rd K)
Greg Zuerlein: 4 PATs = 4.00 pts (T-26th K)
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