Hey everyone! I hope you accomplished nothing at work this week because you were rehashing your epic Week 1 fantasy victories! Don’t forget, everyone cares, so keep on telling your cube-mates about your MNF comeback (Yahoo gives away medals for that)! That said, let’s maximize your time to reach your weekly deadlines and get down to business. As a reminder, ownership percentages are taken from Yahoo:
Quarterbacks
Jake Locker (24%) v DAL: I’m going to hit you with some in-depth fantasy knowledge. The Dallas defense isn’t really that good… And by not good I mean awful… And that’s in part due to injury, and in part due to Jerruh’s late night gallivanting with younger ladies in bathrooms. He wants him some glory hole… And that brings me to Locker. Against the KC defense on Sunday, Locker logged 266 yds and 2 TDs. Locker gets a better matchup here, and he looks solid in the pocket right now (the other pocket). He didn’t attempt one throw from outside the pocket last week, and it worked… So stream him this week, and maybe keep him around for a bit.
Alex Smith (43%) v DEN: I die a little bit inside any time I need to recommend a game manager, but here goes. With Vegas pinning this as the highest scoring contest for the weekend, I have to expect that KC will be down in this one and will need Smith’s arm (insert laugh here) to catch up. Andy Reid regretfully admitted to not utilizing Charles enough on Sunday, so dump passes to JC against a defense protecting the lead could result in some big chunks. Also, Bowe is returning, which I hate to use toward my argument, but he’s the best receiver they have… and the guy listed below can draw some coverage…
Tight Ends
Travis Kelce (36%) v DEN: Too many Chiefs, not enough Indians, amiright? Here’s to hoping we don’t get flagged by any of these organizations! I’ll tell you a story. Fasano scored a touchdown last week, but Smith targeted Kelce one play before on 2nd and 10. Andy Reid wants Kelce more involved, possibly because Kelce sounds like a delicious treat, but involved nonetheless. Also, Denver’s defense is susceptible to the tight end, as evidenced last week when Dwayne Allen had 4 receptions for 64 yds and a TD!
Brandon Myers (2%) v STL: This isn’t a flashback to 2012! Myers led the Bucs in receptions and yards last week against Carolina, and he only took his first snap in the second quarter. Myers relieved Austin Seferian-Jenkins when he came out of the game with a knee injury and went on to become McCown’s go-to receiver for the day. With that in mind, the Rams defense is struggling, and they allowed Kyle Rudolph to slip into the endzone last week against Minnesota. My recommendation here would be to keep an eye on Seferian-Jenkins’ status going into the weekend to determine Myers ceiling. Go with Kelce as your first TE streaming option.
Defense & Special Teams
Miami (17%) v BUF: The Miami defensive line was very effective against Tom Brady last week, sacking him 4 times. The defense also shut out the NE offense in the second half. Buffalo’s OL is inferior to NE’s line, and obviously, there’s some QB experience differences between those two teams. While Manuel may be a bit more mobile, DL pressure usually results in mistakes.
Tampa Bay (40%) v STL: Doubling down on the Bucs as well here. The matchup is too good, and the Rams are too bad. So sad. Sorry Rams. Vegas has this as the lowest scoring game as well. This is purely a matchup play where we have an above average defense going up against a struggling offense. I expect that St. Louis will struggle to score 17 points and will be somewhat generous with giveaways and sacks on Sunday.
Kickers
Shaun Suisham (25%) v BAL: I’ve owned this guy before, and he’s never exciting, but he could be valuable this week. The Ravens and Steelers always play close games, and playing on the road at a very loud M&T Bank Stadium could cause the PIT offense to slow down in the red zone. I like Suisham here because I think he’s going to get the chances.
Mike Nugent (10%) v ATL: The Bengals had a little trouble converting from 30 yards and in last week, leading to 4 of the 5 field goals within that portion of the field. While they might be more successful this week, I expect more scoring, which will lead to more points for Nugent by default.
Week 1 Recap:
I’m going to use Yahoo 0.5 PPR scoring here, since that is the default RCL scoring.
Carson Palmer: 304 yds, 2 TDs, 1 FL, 4 rush, 29 yds = 21.06 pts (5th QB)
Geno Smith: 221 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT, 1 FL, 10 rush, 38 yds = 13.62 pts (22nd QB)
Garret Graham: N/A (Didn’t play Sunday due to injury)
Coby Fleener: 8 tgt, 3 rec, 21 yds = 3.60 pts (32nd TE) – Targets were there, but Dwayne Allen got the TD
PIT: 27 PA, 3 sacks = 3.00 pts (T-20th DST)
NYJ: 14 PA, 2 sacks = 3.00 pts (T-20th DST)
Cody Parkey: 1 20-29, 1 50+, 4 PATs = 12.00 pts (8th K)
Chandler Catanzaro: 1 20-29, 1 40-49 = 7.00 pts (18th K)
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