Hello sports fans, hope you’re enjoying the new, freshly out of beta No Limit Fantasy Sports user interface. Below is this week’s strategy guide:
QB:
Expensive Play: Matthew Stafford (vs Browns) $6,800
-Matthew Stafford looks for his fourth straight week with over 300 passing yards. The Cleveland Browns are ranked 25th against opposing QBs so I expect this to happen effortlessly. The Lions run game is horrendous so you can expect consistency in the passing game. This week is pretty tough at the quarterback position so I expect Stafford to be a popular choice, and rightfully so, as he may be the highest scorer this week.
Expensive Play: Ben Roethlisberger (@ Colts) $6,600
-The only player I can see outscoring Matthew Stafford this week is Ben Roethlisberger. Big Ben may not be what he used to be but he doesn’t have much to worry about this week as the Steelers, coming off of a bye, will face a struggling Colts defense. The Colts rank 23rd in giving up points to opposing QBs this season and Roethlisberger has not thrown for less than 200 yards in any of his 8 games this year.
Mid-Price Play: Tyrod Taylor (vs Saints) $6,300
-Tyrod Taylor is a guy that makes a lot of plays with his legs, which makes him a safe play with high upside. This week he pulls a matchup with a good Saints defense that ranks near the middle of the league. The good news is that the Bills will probably be trailing for a majority of the game which will force Tyrod to throw the ball a lot. With a total over/under of 46.5 points, the Saints vs Bills game is projected to be one of the highest scoring of the week. I’m not sure I would expect Taylor to throw for 300 yards, as he hasn’t all year, but he has a great opportunity to build off last week’s 27 point performance.
Mid-Price Play: Josh McCown (@Buccaneers) $6,100
-Josh McCown has three scores on the ground this year, which makes him tied for first place among quarterbacks. I was equally surprised by that as I was when I found out McCown is a top 10 QB this year. McCown has thrown for 10 touchdowns and ran for 2 more in his last five games, and this week he’ll look to add to his stat line against a Buccaneers defense that has given up 26th most points to QBs. I expect McCown to keep it rolling this week. My guess is 250 yards and 2 TDs, possibly a third rushing TD to give him the NFL lead.
Value Play: Eli Manning (@ 49ers) $5,100
-I don’t love Eli this week, but you can consider him a good play against a 49ers defense that is ranked 30th against opposing QBs. Eli has only had a bad 2 week skid (vs Seattle and Denver) where he didn’t throw for at least 200 yards. The Giants coach has talked about Geno Smith getting some playing time soon, so if Manning doesn’t start this game strong, he could get benched. So be wary of that.
Value Play: Ryan Fitzpatrick (vs Jets) $4,900
-If you’re looking for a cheap quarterback this week, look no further than Ryan FItzpatrick. He gets the nod this week in place of the injured Jameis Winston. The down side, he has to move the ball down the field without the aid of their star receiver Mike Evans. But the potential is still there. I will be making most of my lineups with Fitzpatrick this week. That $4,900 price tag is just too cheap to pass up at home against the Jets who have given up an average of 18.5 points to quarterbacks this season.
RB:
Expensive Play: Le’Veon Bell (@ Colts) $9,800
-Le’Veon Bell is a lock this week. Find a way to afford him because he might go off for 35 points against an awful Colts run defense. Bell has averaged 123 yards per game from scrimmage this season. Le’veon has at least 25 touches per game in his last 5 and has gotten as many as 38 (twice) in that span. There’s no much more I need to say about Le’veon Bell this week. As sure of a thing as Bell is this week, Antonio Brown limits his upside. But even if this game gets out of hand early, they’ll still be feeding Bell to eat away at the clock.
Expensive Play: Melvin Gordon (@ Jags) $7,200
-This is my second favorite RB play this week. If you want to beat the Jacksonville defense, you have to beat them on the ground as RBs have averaged almost 23 points a game on the Jags. Think back to week 4 when the Jets rushed for 253 yards and 2 scores on this stout defense. I believe a lot of people will stay away from Gordon this week, too, because of how well the Jaguar defense has been playing. Not only will Melvin be racking up rushing yards but he has caught at least 5 receptions in four games this year, including one game with 9. Play Gordon with confidence.
Mid-Price Play: Carlos Hyde (vs Giants) $6,200
-Carlos Hyde pulls a matchup with the Giants this week who does average against RBs. I like hyde a lot for this price because he’s so involved in this 49ers offense that his floor is high. Their offense may not be very efficient and that limits Hyde’s ceiling, but I think he’s a safe 15-20 point play this week at a price that won’t break your bank. Hyde has only eclipsed 100 rushing yards once this season, but he has 40 receptions on the year which puts him in 3rd place overall among RBs. Hyde is a PPR beast and this week I think he finishes near the top.
Mid-Price Play: Jordan Howard (vs Packers) $6,100
-I like Jordan Howard in a game that the Bears know they can win. The Packers run defense is ranked 25th and when you combine that with Howard getting consistent touches, it makes this matchup very appealing. Howard is ranked just outside of the top 10 this week but I can see him finishing within it after he logs 30+ touches. There’s not much risk with playing Howard, roll him out with confidence as well.
Value Play: Ameer Abdullah (vs Browns) $4,500
-For the value plays at RB this week I’ve decided to list both of the Lions backs. I think they both provide a chance at some good numbers for a cheap price. Abdullah has had double digit carries every single game this season and has logged 14 receptions on top of that. Theo Riddick doesn’t carry the ball much but he’s 3rd on the Lions in targets. You’ll need a TD from these guys for them to make any real waves, but I can see each of them getting one Sunday. Play these RBs carefully.
Value Play: Theo Riddick (vs Browns) $4,000
-See above ^
WR:
Expensive Play: Antonio Brown (@ Colts) $9,500
-Antonio Brown doesn’t come cheap this week, but he’s worth every penny. He’s projected 4 more points than the #2 receiver this week (AJ Green). The Colts 26th ranked passing defense have given up an average of 35.2 points to receivers this season. The only downside to AB this week is that this game could get out of hand and the Steelers might move their focus on running the ball with Le’veon Bell during the 2nd half.
Expensive Play: AJ Green (vs Titans) $7,700
-I was surprised Green didn’t get suspended this week for throwing some punches and suplexing Jalen Rose last week, but here he is projected the 2nd highest points among wide receivers. Green hasn’t had more than 3 catches or 50 yards since week 5 vs the Bills so he’s long overdue. Cash in cheap on AJ this week and watch him rack up the catches against the 20th ranked Titans this week.
Mid-Price Play: Marvin Jones Jr. (vs Browns) $6,200
-After a slow start to the season, Marvin Jones has 25 receptions, almost 400 yards, and 3 TDs in his last four games. I expect Matthew Stafford to throw for north of 300 yards against the Browns and they can’t all go to Golden Tate. I think Jones might be a little overpriced but you can’t argue that he’s been hitting that value. You could also spend an extra $600 for Golden Tate for the same reasons I like Jones this week, but I think Jones will finish the day with the most fantasy points on the field.
Mid-Price Play: Keenan Allen (@ Jags) $5,400
-Keenan Allen draws a tough matchup this week against the #1 pass defense in the league, but still has a favorable matchup vs cornerback Tyler Colvin. Allen has his work cutout for him this week but he’s a $7,500 receiver you’re getting on sale. Buy low while you can.
Value Play: Jordy Nelson (@ Bears) $5,300
-I’m not big on wide receivers that have bad QBs, but when the receiver is as good as Jordy Nelson, sometimes I choose to look past a bad QB. Due to the efficiency of that bad QB, Jordy’s price has plummeted so here’s another $7,500 receiver that you’re getting on sale. The Bears D is a lot better than you’d expect, so this isn’t about the matchup, it’s simply just about Jordy having big play ability. Buy low but be warned, Jordy could put up 3 just as easily as he could put up 23. This is my boom or bust candidate of the week.
Value Play: Adam Humphries (vs Jets) $3,100
-Adam Humphries is my favorite play of the week. With Evans out, Humphries expects to see a significant increase in volume and they haven’t adjusted his price accordingly. He’s probably not going to put up 30 points, but he could get you a modest 15, and for $3,100 that’s some really good value per dollar. The Jets defense has been getting torched by wide receivers all year and I don’t expect anything different this week even against a Buccaneers offense missing its two most explosive players.
TE:
Expensive Play: Rob Gronkowski (@ Broncos) $7,000
-Rob Gronkowski is probably the best receiving TE to ever play football. The only thing I don’t love about Gronk is his proneness to injury, and if you spend $7,000 on a TE who gets injured in the first quarter, you might be in some serious trouble. But assuming Gronkowski doesn't get injured, at least for this week, I expect him to score upwards of 20 points this week against a Broncos team that ranks 30th in defending against tight ends. This is an elite matchup for an elite player.
Mid-Price Play: Austin Seferian-Jenkins (@ Buccaneers) $4,800
-The Buccaneers are really good against tight ends but I still like ASJ this week as the mid-priced guy. Mainly because Josh McCown has been doing so well. I like when players face their former teams like ASJ this week, and every week ASJ has scored a touchdown this year he has scored double digit points. I think he finds the end zone this weekend and finishes with another week of double digit points.
Value Play: Garrett Celek (vs Giants) $2,500
-This week Garrett Celek is facing the Giants who have given up an average of 19.5 points per game to opposing tight ends, which ranks dead last in the NFL. Celek hasn’t put up any numbers this year, but that’s because he’s been George Kittle’s backup, and Kittle is ruled out this week. So I expect Celek to step in and be C.J. Beathard’s safety blanket. For the minimum price of $2,500, it’s hard to ask for a better scenario.
D/ST:
Expensive Play: Lions D (vs Browns) $3,800
-The Lions D is a top 5 defense this year and the Browns offense is as bad as the Lions are good, ranking 31st. The Lions are projected the 3rd highest score this week and I expect that to be accurate. Play the Lions with confidence.
Mid-Price Play: Rams D (vs Texans) $3,600
-Any defense against Tom Savage is a good play. The Texans looked like a completely different team with Deshaun Watson under center last week as they basically got shutout by a very bad Colts defense. Even if the Rams weren’t a top 3 defense this season, I would still play them vs the Texans. $3,600 is underpriced.
Value Play: Bears D (vs Packers) $3,000
-It’s suppose to be a cold day in the windy city this Sunday so I like the turnover potential here. Chicago has a really good defense this year and the Packers have a bad offense. The Bears have the most projected points this week (11.1) among defenses. They’re coming off of a bye week so they had extra time to prepare for their division rivals. Expect this defense to lead the Bears to a win.
Hope you found this guide useful, see you next week!
Peace, Love, Anarchy,
-BitcoinBastard