Dynasty Analysis
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 […]
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.
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.
In this series, I am going to list difference makers at each position for your dynasty teams. These are the players that simply separate themselves from the rest of the pack in fantasy scoring one way or another. If your team has one of these players on it, more than likely you have been pleasantly surprised or are receiving exactly what you expected. More than likely these players are outperforming their ADP and may even be unrecognized due to the teams they are on underperforming.
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.
I look at three player props that I feel have a strong chance of paying out. This article will run the gamut and will include bets such as ‘passing yard totals’, ‘first player to score’, and even ‘total tackles’ for those who love defense.
In addition, I will also make one “Longshot Pick of the Week”. This pick will always feature a more difficult bet that has a greater than 2:1 payout. The odds may be tougher, but if you’re into some fun player props take a peek!
There are a handful of great RB plays this week, but you’ll have to be creative if you want to differentiate yourself from the pack. 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.
The push for the playoffs is upon us. In just a few weeks some of us will be sweating all Monday night to see if we snuck into the playoffs. We may end up counting on a rookie like Brandon Aiyuk or Zack Moss to carry us to victory that Monday night as the 49ers host the Bills to close out what will be the final regular-season game for many fantasy leagues. Let’s take a look at some rookie performances from Week 9 and how it affects their value moving forward.
New Orleans is celebrating a mighty defensive performance this week, as their Saints defenders held Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to only three points on Sunday Night Football. The squad also snatched three interceptions and corralled three sacks of the future HOF quarterback in the game.
The Titans are a run-first offense behind Derrick Henry. Henry somehow has 182 carries through eight games, averaging an insane 22.8 carries/game. Unfortunately, Henry has only caught 10 of 18 targets for 81 yards. Third-round pick Darrynton Evans has barely seen the field due to injuries; otherwise, he likely would’ve seen some work to spell Henry. As of now, Henry remains a workhorse RB1, although he’s not in the top echelon due to his lack of PPR upside.