Dynasty Analysis
Of course, Jonathan Taylor dominated the running back touches this week, just as the Colts claimed that Nyheim Hines would see the most touches. Taylor had 22 carries for 90 yards, and he caught four passes for 24 yards. I also know that Taylor had multiple plays called back for holding, including a touchdown. Overall, I’m happy with what we saw from Taylor this week, and I hope he can build on this momentum moving forward to regain his status as a high-end dynasty RB1.
A second consecutive negative week, but at least we bounced back with our in-depth picks. We went 2-1 and were a half-point away from going 3-0 on the week. We’ll look to bounce back this week in force. I’m admittedly taking some risks this week on my in-depth picks, siding with two teams that are tied for the second-worst ATS record in the league. Still, I think there’s great value to be had in this full slate on NFL action, so let’s get to it!
This weekly article is focused on identifying players who are owned in less than 40% of redraft leagues. These players are going to help your team win this week and every week to come! We are looking for guys you should be able to plug into your starting lineup without hesitation. I’m honestly not sure how many times Frank Gore has made his way on my waiver wire article but much like his long and unending career, he simply won’t go away. Gore scored his first rushing touchdown of the season in the loss to the Chargers, finally pushing him over double-digit fantasy points in a single week. He’s received 10+ carries all but twice this year and is a must-own at this point with the considerable number of injuries and COVID related absences league-wide.
Our luck with injuries among fantasy-relevant IDPs could not last. The grim reality of NFL football conspired with the worsening pandemic to thin out the pool of impact players for our lineups. These factors together with a season-low 13 games this past weekend make this a particularly challenging week to mine the waiver wire for quality options for the rest of the season.
In this streaming article, I will provide you the best weekly options to stream quarterback, tight end, and D/ST. In each section, I’ll break down two streamers in detail, both of which will be under 50% owned, according to ESPN’s ownership percentage at the time of writing. Playing the matchups is a crucial feature of redraft fantasy football, and especially in a crazy 2020 season, active fantasy owners will have a massive advantage.
This week and every week going forward we’ll bring you several recommendations for players you should add to your dynasty rosters. We’ll mainly be targeting lower-owned guys who should be available in all but the deepest leagues.
Rogers has been waiver wire surfing the last few weeks after putting up a goose egg in Week 8 and going on bye the following week. But, dropping him was clearly a mistake. He’s scored 14+ fantasy points in three of the last five weeks (one being a bye week) and continues to feast on a high target share and opportunity while the team lacks pass-catching talent.
Alright, Jonathan Taylor, this is your last chance to impress me. Unlike some of the situations I discussed in the early games article, I don’t blame the coaching staff for Taylor’s struggles. Taylor is playing poorly, and Nyheim Hines looks like the better running back. The Packers are weak against the run but strong against the pass, so I hope Taylor can finally break out.
I love writing these storyline pieces. I will go through the games and discuss one dynasty-relevant storyline per team that I’m excited to see. Usually, I’ll split the games into two sets, covering the early games in one story and the later games in another. Also, I’ll do a special spotlight on the Thursday night game from time to time, as that’s a midweek contest. I like to go into more detail for that game, just for a change of pace.
What a fun story, I almost have to latch on! Following the injury to Drew Brees, Taysom Hill was named the starting quarterback for the Saints’ Week 11 game against the Falcons. Even before Hill was named the starting quarterback, he was garnering significant red zone looks. He is fourth on the team with 14 and has had six in the past two weeks. Now that he’s taking a majority of the snaps, it stands to reason that he’ll see even more action in the red zone. You’re getting plus money on this one too, making it an attractive player prop for this week.
Most of the games this week project to be low-scoring, but some of them will undoubtedly become shootouts. In this article, I’ll be breaking down all eleven matchups on the main slate, sharing my thoughts on player prices* and stacking opportunities. As you read, please note that the player names in bold are what I consider my “core” players or guys that I’m sliding into a large percentage of my lineups. Oh, and if you’re new to DFS, you should check out my DFS Tips and Tricks article here.
*All player prices referenced are from FanDuel.
In this weekly article, I’m going to look ahead to the following week. I’ll point out a few players below 40% owned on ESPN who have strong matchups next week that you can pick up ahead of time to beat the waiver run. I’ll also try and get ahead of breakouts that could happen in the current week, as predicting breakouts is the best way to save your FAAB budget. Since most of these additions will occur on the weekend, I’ll exclude any players from the Thursday night game, as you won’t be able to add them to your rosters. This season more than any other, it’s essential to remain active and stay ahead of your league mates.
Shooters shoot and I’ve taken my fair share, and today I will admit to an airball I took. Giving dynasty advice is essentially just making an educated guess, but we still need to admit when we’re wrong. I still like my process and trust my rookie evaluation process, but I’m ready to admit I have swung and missed. I’ll dive right into my miss and touch on some other rookies below.
WHAT WE LEARNED THIS WEEK Vegas baby! After relinquishing an average of 32 points per game through their first six games, the Raiders’ defense has tightened up significantly over their last three showings. Since the start of November, Las Vegas has given up less than 15 points per game. On Sunday, the unit intercepted Drew …
IDP Wrap Up: Week 10 Read More »
Russell Wilson was on fire through the Seahawks’ first five games. He had thrown 19 touchdowns compared to three interceptions, and he was on pace for 4,800 passing yards. The Seahawks had also won all five of those contests, placing them as one of the league’s best teams. However, since the Seahawks’ Week 6 bye, Wilson hasn’t been the same player over the last four games. The Seahawks have lost three of those four games, and Wilson has suddenly become a turnover machine. He’s lost three fumbles and thrown seven interceptions, including three interceptions in his last game versus the Cardinals. I would love to see Wilson right the ship this week, but I might have to drop him slightly in my dynasty quarterback rankings if he doesn’t.
In this weekly piece, I will bring you some risers and fallers from a dynasty lens. Whether it’s injuries, performance, or value, I want to discuss how players have moved around. Based on the week’s events, I’ll give some advice on how to act on the market’s movement, whether it’s buying, selling, or holding. I won’t limit myself to talking about any specific players or teams because I want to have the freedom to discuss whatever is most relevant. Also, of course, there are more risers and fallers than those I’m listing. However, it’s impossible to cover every single one of them, as dynasty values change weekly for many players. With that said, let’s jump into the risers first, followed by the fallers.
Each and every week, I’ll be covering a handful of players that I believe will either exceed expectations or let your team down in a major way. Here’s who you should be looking at for Week 11.
Jameis Winston is expected to start for the Saints while Drew Brees recovers from fractured ribs. Despite his propensity for interceptions, Winston has been an incredibly relevant fantasy option in recent years. He’s stepping into an ideal matchup against the Falcons, who have allowed 300 passing yards in eight of nine games this season. He’s at least a low-end QB1 this week.
You know who’s fun? Kyler Murray. He’s just amazing to watch. I have no idea how his legs move so quickly. He’s also smart. He gets slides to avoid hits better than any NFL player I’ve ever seen. What a fun player to watch. You know who is also fun? DeAndre Hopkins. Zach and I have friends who are Texans’ fans and it’s just ridiculously fun to dunk on the trade that sent Hopkins to Arizona. Nuk is an absolute baller and that trade was a travesty. Now… you know what’s not fun? When Kyler threw up what is now being called the Hail Murray to Hopkins to win on Sunday. Why was it not fun? Because it allowed Zach to beat me by six points. Yeah… not fun. So let’s talk about something that is fun. How about some trade targets!
Welcome back! Last week’s call of Devontae Booker paid off, as he had his best game as a Raider, putting up 81 yards and two touchdowns. I still love his value going forward. This week I wanted to hit running back again, as it is an extremely valuable position in fantasy football. This player is so far off the radar it isn’t funny, and he’s definitely not someone you will be starting anytime soon. Trayveon Williams is this week’s pick. The Cincinnati Bengals running back made a short appearance this week but was very popular among the draft pundits in 2019. Let’s get into it.
Hey everyone! Time again for another NFC North breakdown. If you’re interested in catching up on last edition’s NFC North nuggets check it out here! There is not a ton to unpack since our last edition, so I’ll give you the quick hitters of who has had notable increases and decreases in their dynasty stock since Week 6… the rest is still chalk.
Every week, I’m going to break down an entire division, focusing on their play on the field that week. Specifically, I’ll go through each team and focus on their dynasty assets, especially anybody who suffered injuries or a massive value change. I won’t look at any player or team in too much detail. This article is more of a summary piece. I also included links to all my previous divisional nuggets articles at the bottom of the page. With that said, let’s jump right in!
Well…that was unfortunate. Even though the past few weeks have not been kind to our overall record, our in-depth picks were chugging along nicely. Unfortunately, even our in-depth picks were unsafe from the bad juju this week as we went an abysmal 0-3. Yuck. What’s even worse is that even Biscuits was not immune to our bad luck as she suffered her first loss since Week 3. Sorry girl.
This weekly article is focused on identifying players who are owned in less than 40% of redraft leagues. These players are going to help your team win this week and every week to come! We are looking for guys you should be able to plug into your starting lineup without hesitation. The Las Vegas Raiders are fifth in the league in rushing attempts and while Josh Jacobs has been productive, he can’t handle all the carries. Jacobs’ backup, Devontae Booker, has been incredibly successful over the last two weeks. He’s received at least eight carries and scored a touchdown in each of the last two games. He took 16 carries for 81 yards and scored two total touchdowns. I’m not sure Booker can keep this kind of production up but his offensive snap share has increased to over 20% for the first time this year over the last four games. He’s also a great insurance policy if Jacobs were to suffer an unfortunate injury.
The rate of injuries was yet again merciful to IDP fantasy gamers. Rams safety Taylor Rapp was one of very few players rostered in more than a third of IDP leagues on MyFantasyLeague.com who exited early. Rapp doesn’t belong on a redraft roster in 2020 anyway. Fantasy gamers browsing box scores, meanwhile, will have a tougher time discerning oasis from mirage on the waiver wire in Week 11. Seattle’s DJ Reed, for instance, piled up tackles and carries the position designation of “safety” on multiple platforms. Due to injuries, Reed has been pressed into service at cornerback, where he’s been an attractive target for opposing quarterbacks.
Yes, we’ve gotten to this point in 2020. I believe that Smith is the best streaming option for Week 11 in a gruesome streaming week. Smith threw for 390 yards in his first start against the Lions, although he didn’t score any touchdowns. He did complete 69.1% of his passes, though. Smith also had 325 yards and a 75% completion rate relieving Kyle Allen in Week 9 against the Giants. Quarterbacks have torn the Bengals apart in 2020, averaging 260.5 passing yards against them through eight weeks. Then, in Week 10, Ben Roethlisberger carved them up for 333 yards and four touchdowns. While Washington doesn’t nearly have the same offensive weapons as the Steelers, the matchup is strong enough to make Smith a mid-QB2.
This week and every week going forward we’ll bring you several recommendations for players you should add to your dynasty rosters. We’ll mainly be targeting lower-owned guys who should be available in all but the deepest leagues. Are we sure the Baltimore Ravens roster more than two receivers? The Ravens seriously lack talent at the receiver position but that leaves Willie Snead, ol’ reliable, to hold it down for the group. He’s received at least seven targets two of the last three games and scored 15+ fantasy points in each of those games. Snead’s two-touchdown game against the Patriots certainly isn’t sustainable but he appears to be the number one option at wide receiver for the time being.