Before we look forward, we must look back. The NFL season builds upon itself each week and offers up its share of highs and lows. This is on a cumulative basis but DFS gives us a fresh start each week. The key is to take everything as a learning experience while not overreacting in either direction.
Each week we will take a look at both positive and negative situations that transpired from the week prior and what it means going forward. Let’s keep in mind that this is just the tip of the iceberg and throughout the week we will go into further detail about other players that deserve our attention for the coming slate of games. That is why you need to stick with us throughout the week.
For those who have yet to subscribe, what are you waiting for? As a preview of what you can expect, let’s try and figure out what is going on with Carson Wentz. While the Eagles are still having issues with their offensive line they do have a strong running game and a solid complement of receiving weapons but Wentz simply looks lost. There are some throws he blatantly misses, including a pick-six on Sunday, that simply makes us question everything about Wentz as a DFS option. He ended up throwing for 235 yards and two touchdowns (along with two interceptions) with the production coming mostly in garbage time. With 16 carries for 66 yards Miles Sanders continues to be underutilized and this is a situation best avoided from a DFS perspective. The Cleveland passing game is also a situation to avoid but Nick Chubb continues to have success with 20 carries for 114 yards this week.
Subscribers can now expect us to continue our trip around the league to take a closer look at some other players that stood out from a busy week of football. So, keep on going and take a look at what we have to offer.
With Drew Brees sidelined for the next few weeks at a minimum, we are going to see more of Taysom Hill and I’m not sure there’s anything wrong with that either. Hill was bailed out by Emmanuel Sanders on one underthrown deep ball but overall it was a solid passing day for the Saints new quarterback as he was 18 of 23 passing for 233 yards. Where we really see the benefit of Hill is in the running game as he carried the ball 10 times for 51 yards and two touchdowns. The most important development was that we had a Michael Thomas sighting as he caught nine passes for 104 yards while finally living up to his potential. On the contrary it was surprising to see the lack of production from Alvin Kamara in the passing game as he was only targeted once but he did rush for 45 yards and a touchdown. Matt Ryan failed to throw for a touchdown on the Falcons side as Julio Jones was limited to just two catches for 39 yards while he appeared to battling a leg injury. Calvin Ridley did pick up the slack with five receptions for 90 yards but it wasn’t a good day for the Atlanta offense as the Saints defense had another strong effort.
The offensive line has been a problem for the Bengals all season and Joe Burrow took one hit too many this week and we are likely without him for the rest of the season. Aside from Tyler Boydcatching nine passes for 85 yards there wasn’t much to talk about from a Cincinnati perspective and I would have some concern moving forward as well. Antonio Gibson continues to impress as a runner and this week he turned that into 16 carries for 94 yards and a touchdown as he becomes a running back we should target each week. With just 166 passing yards and a touchdown Alex Smithhad a rough day but it didn’t translate to Terry McLaurin as he continues to be a top receiving threat with five receptions for 84 yards and that touchdown.
If you want to talk about an offense that didn’t show up look no further than Detroit. Matthew Stafford was dealing with a thumb injury and with D’Andre Swift sidelined from a concussion there really wasn’t much to speak of. For Carolina P.J. Walker did a solid job at quarterback with 258 yards and a touchdown pass but there isn’t much to see from a DFS perspective. However it was a good sign to see D.J. Moore have a bounce back effort with seven receptions for 127 yards. Mike Davis recovered from a rough game against Tampa Bay with 19 carries for 64 yards and a touchdown and for as long as he is sitting in the starter’s seat, he is an option to target.
With Jake Luton throwing four interceptions for Jacksonville, the Steelers’ offense didn’t have to do much as Ben Roethlisberger threw for 267 yards and two touchdowns. Chase Claypool caught another touchdown in one of the least surprising things we saw today with four receptions for 59 yards while Diontae Johnson impressed with 12 receptions for 111 yards. James Conner did have a solid game with 13 yards for 89 yards but it was Benny Snell who was the vulture with touchdown. Due to Luton’s ineffectiveness the Jaguars offense was something we should keep our distance from although James Robinson did rush for 73 yards on 17 carries.
Some things really never change. Derrick Henry carried the ball 28 times for 133 yards including a game winning touchdown in overtime as he continues to be one of the top options at the position. Ryan Tannehill threw for a pedestrian 259 yards but Corey Davis (five receptions for 113 yards) and A.J. Brown (four receptions for 62 yards and a touchdown) had their usual productive efforts. From a Baltimore perspective Lamar Jackson continued to be someone I’m looking to avoid as he threw for just 186 yards and a touchdown. He did carry the ball 13 times for 51 yards but without a touchdown there really isn’t much to see here as a DFS player. There were two positive developments for Baltimore as we had a Mark Andrews sighting with five receptions for 96 yards a touchdown. More importantly it looks like J.K. Dobbins is taking a hold of the Baltimore backfield as gained 70 yards on 15 carries while scoring a touchdown. Conversely Gus Edwards and Mark Ingram combined for just five carries and eight yards.
Well it certainly was a surprise to see Cam Newton throw for 365 yards although it came in a losing effort along with just one touchdown pass and a surprising three carries. Damien Harris did have a down game with just 11 carries for 43 yards but he did find the end zone. This is a year in flux for the Patriots but it appears they do have some skill players emerging and Damiere Byrd caught eight passes for 132 yards and a touchdown. We can continue to write off Duke Johnson (10 carries for 15 yards) but Deshaun Watson had another strong performance with 344 passing yards and two touchdowns while running for a third. Watson spread the ball around through the air but with tight end being a wasteland perhaps we should pay a little extra attention to Jordan Akins and his five receptions for 83 yards.
As a reminder that Tua Tagovailoa is still a rookie Miami pulled him after completing just 11 passes for 83 yards and a touchdown. Ryan Fitzpatrick didn’t do much better but things will likely go back to the rookie next week. Aside from DeVante Parker catching six passes for 61 yards and a touchdown the Dolphins left a lot to be desired as Salvon Ahmed struggled in his encore effort with 12 carries for 43 yards. We saw perhaps Melvin Gordon’s best game with Denver as he carried the ball 15 times for 84 yards and a touchdown with Tim Patrick carrying the load from a receiving perspective with five catches for 119 yards.
In one of the best games of the day Aaron Rodgers threw for 322 yards and three touchdowns with Davante Adams leading the way as usual catching seven passes for 106 yards and a touchdown. I’m still not feeling comfortable with Aaron Jones as while he did find the end zone he gained just 41 yards on 10 carries. On the Indianapolis side it was all about the rookies. We had a Jonathan Taylorsighting once again as carried the ball 22 times for 90 yards with Michael Pittman catching his first career touchdown pass as he is someone we should keep an eye on moving forward.
Tony Pollard got the touchdown but it was Ezekiel Elliot who did break the 100-yard mark as he carried the ball 21 times for 103 yards in a reminder that he is still a legitimate option. While he threw for just 202 yards Andy Dalton did prove to be a capable option throwing for three touchdown passes. Dalvin Cook continued his standout season with 115 yards and a touchdown while Adam Thielen had his typically strong game with eight receptions for 123 yards and two touchdowns while Justin Jefferson added a touchdown and 86 receiving yards.
Yes it was the Jets but Justin Herbert certainly looked impressive this week with 366 yards and three touchdowns. While there wasn’t much going on in the running game, Kalen Ballage was the one in control with 16 carries for 44 yards. There was nothing wrong with Mike Williams’ four receptions for 72 yards and a touchdown but then there was Keenan Allen who caught 16 of his 21 targets for 145 yards and a touchdown pass. La’Mical Perine did score a touchdown but he carried the ball just eight times and the Jets simply had a rough go of things offensively and it’s best to continue looking elsewhere.
There are some things you can just count on from a DFS perspective and that includes Patrick Mahomes (348 passing yards and two touchdowns) and Travis Kelce (eight receptions for 127 yards and the game winning touchdown) but we did have a surprise for Kansas City. Clyde Edwards-Helaire carried the ball 14 times for 69 yards but most importantly he scored two touchdowns. Offense was the order of the day as even Derek Carr threw for three touchdowns with Josh Jacobs picking up another touchdown as well.
