Cincy Clocks Big Ben & The Steelers

There’s a common occurrence in golf which all avid golfers are familiar with. Here’s how it goes down: a golfer plays a horrific round of golf that they’d like to burn out of their memory like that time you caught your parents in a threesome with your neighbor Randy. Then, on the 18th hole, the golfer hits one of the purest, most beautiful shots of their life. The golf gods always keep you coming back for more. Monday night’s Steelers vs. Bengals game was the complete opposite of this golf phenomenon for many fantasy football owners who played a great season only to fall flat on their face on the next to last hole as Ben Roethlisberger forgot how to play football going 20/38 for 170 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception. Big Barf tried to drag the rest of the Steelers’ fantasy weapons down with him, but Diontae Johnson (8 catches for 59 yards and his 6th touchdown) and Benny Snell (18 carries for 84 yards, 3 catches for 23 yards and his 4th touchdown) were impervious as they mopped up the barf. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday for fantasy football:

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WAY too early Top 80 WR for 2021

December 18, 2020 | Fantasy Football Strategy | 2 Comments

by: al_FF_red

The fantasy regular season is in the books and I already laid out rankings for the playoffs. So what else is there to do but look ahead into the crystal ball and see what 2021 could have in store. As always, this is not format specific but a general ranking based simply on who I’d rather see on my roster in 2021. I am happy to talk specifics in the comments, as the note section is not meant to be a thesis explaining the position of each ranking.

I have included some choice rookies for 2021, although in all likelihood there will be more that make their way into the top 80 by season’s end. This year there are currently 5 rookies in the top 50 WR in fantasy points per game. With offenses using more 3 and 4 wide formations, rookies can get on the field early and often. Earning snaps is the biggest hurdle for most rookies but that is not as hard as it used to be when only 2 WRs were featured. Rookie receivers should continue to be assets even in redraft leagues, so I have been generous in my rankings with 2 rookies already in the top 36.

Read all of the QB, RB and TE Razzball Rest of Season Positional Rankings now!

And without further ado…

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Rest of Season Top 80 Wide Receiver Rankings: Playoff Edition

December 9, 2020 | 2020 Fantasy Football, Rest of Season Rankings, Top 80 WR Rankings |

by: al_FF_red

Your WR top 80 14.0 is here! This is a playoff specific edition of the WR ranks, with extra weight given to the next 3 matchups specifically. Nothing matters but the path ahead so a few players jumped up because of their schedule. Additionally guys who are currently injured might as well be off the list, although some are straggling around like Kenny Golladay, but there is no guarantee he’ll suit up for our fantasy teams.

This list is not league or format specific, but it is based on 2020 rest-of-season projection only. When thinking through tiers and rankings I asked myself simply – “all things considered who would I rather have on my roster?”

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Rest of Season Top 80 WRs Week 13

December 2, 2020 | 2020 Fantasy Football, Rest of Season Rankings, Top 80 WR Rankings | 8 Comments

by: al_FF_red

Your WR top 80 13.0 is here! Even though week 12 hasn’t ended yet, we’re on to the final countdown. If you’re 7-5 or better you can probably coast but a playoff seed may be on the line. If you’re rolling at 6-6 or in some leagues maybe even 5-7 this is do or die. Obviously “rest of season” doesn’t really mean much with one game left in the regular season but this is still a relative ranking of the best WRs in our game. As a rule, injuries will always bump guys down. I am generally pessimistic that players will return on time at full strength without a setback.

Read all of the QB, RB and TE Razzball Rest of Season Positional Rankings now!

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The Shadow Coverage Report – Week 12

November 28, 2020 | 2020 Fantasy Football, Fantasy Football Strategy |

by: Bobby LaMarco

Shadow Coverage Tracker
WR Finish	Total
1	15
2	8
3	8
4+	25
Grand Total	56

Team: Arizona Cardinals

Opponent: New England

WR1: DeAndre Hopkins

WR2: Christian Kirk

Shadow Coverage Matchup: Stephon Gilmore

J.C. Jackson

DeAndre Hopkins vs. Shadow Coverage
Opponent	Games	Rec	Yards	TDs	PPG
All Other Opponents	27	7.4	96.3	0.4	16
Vs. Shadow Coverage	17	6.5	76.2	0.6	14.4
vs. Stephon Gilmore	3	6.7	72.7	0	10.6

Historical Production vs. Shadow Coverage

According to PFF this season DeAndre Hopkins has yet to face any shadow coverage in 2020. This comes after back to back seasons where he saw shadow coverage in 50% of his games. This “softer” cornerback schedule has led to a solid season so far in 2020 as Hopkins is the WR7 in PPG. Overall, throughout his career Hopkins has been solid vs. shadow coverage as his 14.4 PPG is still borderline WR1 numbers.

As for Christian Kirk he has never seen shadow coverage in his career, but that doesn’t stop the Patriots from using shadow coverage on multiple players. In weeks 9 and 11 of 2020 the Patriots used multiple CBs to shadow the opposing teams WRs and in 2019 used Stephon Gilmore and J.C. Jackson in similar roles down the stretch.

Week 12 Recommendation DeAndre Hopkins – WR3/Flex

Christian Kirk – SIT

Hopkins’ 10.6 vs. Stephon Gilmore doesn’t make him a sit, but tempering expectations on the road vs. the Patriots isn’t a bad idea. Hopkins has yet to score a TD or top 80 yards receiving in any of the games vs. Gilmore since he joined the Patriots back in 2017. These numbers leave Hopkins as solid WR2/flex in week 12.

As for Christian Kirk J.C. Jackson has been playing at a very high level slowing down a white-hot Will Fuller (6-80) while leading the NFL in interceptions so far in 2020. This season the Patriots have yet to allow a team to have multiple WRs hit double digit fantasy points in .5 PPR at home in 2020.

DFS Recommendation – DeAndre Hopkins Price FD $8,500 / DK $8,100

Christian Kirk Price FD $6,100 / DK $5,800

Hopkins vs. Gilmore doesn’t equal DFS success as his 10 PPG will not justify his cost on both sites. At this price point you can pay up for Tyreek Hill in a game which should be a shootout in TB. As for Christian Kirk his price point on both sites is between WR 24-30, and with not a lot of WR success overall when the Patriots play at home its best to pivot. Players I would use over Kirk include DeVante Parker vs. NYJ and Curtis Samuel vs. MIN.

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Rest of Season Top 80 WR: Week 12

November 25, 2020 | 2020 Fantasy Football, Rest of Season Rankings, Top 80 WR Rankings | 8 Comments

by: al_FF_red

Your WR top 80 13.0 is here! As a rule, injuries will always bump guys down. I am generally pessimistic that players will return on time at full strength without a setback.

Read all of the QB, RB and TE Razzball Rest of Season Positional Rankings now!

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Rest of Season Top 80 WRs: Week 11

November 18, 2020 | 2020 Fantasy Football, Rest of Season Rankings, Top 80 WR Rankings | 14 Comments

by: al_FF_red

Your WR top 80 12.0 is here! Despite DeAndre Hopkins’ heroics, Davante Adams remains in a tier all his own. Don’t worry, there are still plenty of fantastic options to choose from in tier 2. As a rule, injuries will always bump guys down. I am generally pessimistic that players will return on time at full strength without a setback.

Read all of the QB, RB and TE Razzball Rest of Season Positional Rankings now!

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Rest of Season Top 80 WR: Week 10

November 12, 2020 | 2020 Fantasy Football, Rest of Season Rankings, Top 80 WR Rankings | 16 Comments

by: al_FF_red

Your WR top 80 11.0 is here! I am now saying Davante Adams is in a tier all his own. There is a nice second tier of elites but what Adams is doing is out of this world, a Moss-ian 16 game pace of 141-1800-21. As a rule, injuries will always bump guys down. I am generally pessimistic that players will return on time at full strength without a setback.

Read all of the QB, RB and TE Razzball Rest of Season Positional Rankings now!

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Rest of Season Top 80 WRs: Week 9

November 4, 2020 | 2020 Fantasy Football, Rest of Season Rankings, Top 80 WR Rankings | 10 Comments

by: al_FF_red

Your WR top 80 10.0 is here! Not many changes at the top, but this year more than any other is showing that high volume passing offenses can fuel multiple fantasy relevant players with Atlanta, Seattle and Cincinnati supplying 2 or more quality fantasy options. As a rule, injuries will always bump guys down. I am generally pessimistic that players will return on time at full strength without a setback.

Read all of the QB, RB and TE Razzball Rest of Season Positional Rankings now!

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The Shadow Coverage Report – Week 8

October 30, 2020 | Fantasy Football Strategy | 3 Comments

by: Bobby LaMarco

Team: Minnesota Vikings

Opponent: Green Bay Packers

WR1: Adam Thielen

Shadow Coverage Matchup: Jaire Alexander

Adam Thielen vs. Shadow Coverage
Opponent	Games	Rec	Yards	TDs	PPG
All Other Opponents	26	5.4	66.4	0.6	12.8
Vs. Shadow Coverage	8	5.8	82.4	0.9	16.4
Vs. Jaire Alexander	2	7	117.5	1.5	24.3

Historical Production vs. Shadow Coverage

Adam Thielen has been one of the best WRs when facing shadow coverage throughout his career. This includes three great performances in 2020 vs. Jaire Alexander in week 1 (6-110-2), Bradley Roby in week 4 (8-114-1) and A.J. Terrell (3-51-1). Now I am not going to sit here and say this is the murderers row of cornerbacks, but even before 2020 Thielen has been very consistent when facing shadow coverage which is reflected in his 16.4 PPG.

Season Long Recommendation – Start

To say Adam Thielen has Jaire Alexander’s number is an understatement. In 2 career games in his coverage Thielen has dominated him securing 7 – 117.5 – 1.5 while averaging a robust 24.3 PPG. This game will be in Lambeau and early indication is it will be cold and windy. This will be the first time Thielen will face Alexander in shadow coverage on the road so maybe another 20 point performance is out of the question. That being said, with Green Bay 6-point favorites the expectation is the Vikings will need to throw early and often to keep up. That is why Thielen is a must start season long player.

DFS – Price FD $7,700 / DK $7,200

Adam Thielen is rated as a top 5 WR on both sites meaning he will need to have another monster game to return value for you in week 8. His historical production vs. Alexander suggests that he could do it again, but in 2/3 games in Green Bay he has been held under 100 yards and had zero touchdowns. Call it a hunch but Thielen might be a DFS fade this week on the road. Players I would pivot to include A.J Brown vs. CIN and Tyreek Hill vs. NYJ.

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