Dynasty Analysis
Clyde Edwards-Helaire has underwhelmed as have all the rookie running backs in 2020. Add into that the issue of one Le’Veon Bell being present and teams that are relying on CEH for a run at a title may be forgiven for being concerned. The question that teams in first through third have to decide is: what matters more… shiny assets for the future or winning a chip?
The Seahawks came into this game with multiple injuries at the running back position. Chris Carson and Carlos Hyde missed the game, Rashaad Penny remained on the PUP list, and Travis Homer had a minor injury. While Homer managed to participate, the Seahawks leaned on rookie DeeJay Dallas in his place. However, the Seahawks still won over the 49ers, 37-27.
Wow. That’s all I have to say about the absolute disaster of a season for the reigning NFC champions. While the Packers are dealing with some COVID-related absences of their own, their issues seem largely relegated to their running back room. Even though the team will miss Aaron Jones, Jamaal Williams, and AJ Dillon, those absences pale in comparison to the mess that is the 49ers. Provided that the virus does not spread further (and the game actually goes ahead as scheduled) give me the Packers with confidence.
Wilkins’ offensive snap share spiked to 51% in Week 8 as he led the team in rushing attempts over Nyheim Hines and rookie darling Jonathan Taylor. He took 20 carries for 89 yards. Wilkins didn’t have a breakout game or anything but proved he could be more effective than Taylor who everyone expected to overtake the lead role at some point this season. That simply hasn’t happened and Wilkins could be in line for a whole bunch of work going forward.
If you follow this column, then you know I didn’t have my best week weeding out pretenders in the box scores of Week 7. In Week 8, Chiefs safety Daniel Sorensen played more snaps than fellow safety Juan Thornhill for the first time since opening day when Thornhill was returning from injury. Is 30-year-old Sorensen just now turning into a good player? He now has nine tackles and a turnover in each of his last two games. More importantly, he tied for the team lead in snaps.
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. I also want to provide added value for each type of streamer this season. I’ll highlight any players from 50-60% owned in each section if they’re superior options to both of my streaming candidates at that specific position. Those players are “probably owned,” but they could be out there in 10-team or shallower formats. I won’t offer analysis on these players, just the names and matchups.
If neither of my two suggested streamers is under 25% ownership percentage, I will give a “super-deep” option. That feature should help those owners playing in deeper leagues with few waiver-wire options. Like the “probably owned” players, I’ll list the players without analysis. I realize that all leagues are different, and I want to accommodate all of my readers.
I had to make sure someone didn’t spike my drink when I witnessed Foreman running the ball for an NFL franchise this past weekend. Foreman was a fantasy darling years ago before suffering a devastating knee injury as a Houston Texan. He’s now back up to Derrick Henry but got some run in Week 8 against the Bengals. He took five carries for 37 yards and looked healthy for the first time in years. This is the longest of shots but a guy with a pedigree on a run-first team.
Of course, I have to focus on the return of one of my favorite rookie receivers, Jalen Reagor. Reagor will play in this game after missing multiple weeks with a UCL injury, and I expect him to immediately assume a starting role as the Eagles’ Z receiver. The Eagles have no receiving options outside of Reagor, Travis Fulgham, and Greg Ward, so Reagor could see significant work. Even if he doesn’t, I think Reagor has a WR1 future in the NFL, and I want to see him develop.
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.
This piece will give you something specific to look for in each contest, which I hope helps you enjoy the games even more. We all play fantasy football to enhance our enjoyment of football, and I’m trying to add to that sense of happiness here. Fun is the most essential part of this hobby for all of us, including me.
I’ve listed the home team first for each game to keep things organized. I won’t waste any more time, so let’s jump straight in!
As always, part one of this publication is my weekly picks against the spread, with a deep dive into three picks that I feel will provide a nice payout to bettors. In part two, 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!
In this article, I’ll be breaking down all eleven matchups* from Week 8, 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.
*At the time of this writing, there are still a number of injury situations that have yet to be resolved.
**All player prices referenced are from FanDuel.
In this weekly article, JKarp looks ahead to the following week. He’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. He also helps you get ahead of breakouts that could happen in the current week, as predicting breakouts is the best way to save your FAAB budget.
With Drake sidelined, what happens to Chase Edmonds’s dynasty value? What is the future of the Arizona backfield? Come in for all the answers!
I’m sure some of you are still wondering. Who is Ben DiNucci, and why is Tyler talking about him? He’s not a household name, and even I had never heard of him before this week. Well, let’s get into DiNucci’s story and why he’s become relevant.
Mr. Bryant, my pre-draft TE1, has found himself in a pretty good situation, at least for the next couple of weeks. Before Week 7, Bryant was operating as the Browns’ TE2. Although not a flashy title, it still allowed Bryant to see around 50% of the offensive snaps. However, last Friday, October 23 it was announced that the Browns starting TE Austin Hooper would miss Sunday’s game after having his appendix surgically removed that Friday. The Browns later named Harrison Bryant the starting TE and he did not let them down. In Bryant’s first NFL start he eclipsed Hooper’s single-game high for touchdowns with two and nearly passed his single-game yardage high of 57 with 56 of his own.
On a cold, snow-filled, blustery day in Denver, the Kansas City defense and special teams took over the game against the Broncos. When finished with their day, the Chiefs DST had compiled three sacks, two fumbles, two interceptions, and had scored two touchdowns. With the Jets next on the schedule, it’s highly likely you’ll see more of the same next week. Players of IDP consequence this week were Daniel Sorensen, Charvarius Ward, Tyrann Mathieu, and Willie Gay.
In this article, I’ll give a complete dynasty breakdown of the upcoming Panthers-Falcons Thursday night contest. I want to make sure you all know what to focus on for your dynasty teams. Being prepared before the game will allow you to react quickly and to become a better dynasty owner.
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 8.
If Miles Sanders is forced to miss another week, Boston Scott is a must-start. He handled 70% of the Eagles’ RB opportunities against the Giants in Week 7, racking up over 90 total yards and scoring the game-winning TD. The Cowboys’ defense has been abused at every turn this season, and Scott has a three-down skillset. Don’t overthink this one.
It seems like Brady has hit his stride with the Bucs’ weapons, and is producing nicely over the last few weeks while he bridges your team to your next quarterback. Through the last three games, he has jumped up the charts in yards per game from 20th to sixth and has the fourth most pass attempts. Brady has been his usual self in finding the open receiver and best option on most plays while distributing the ball evenly. For the rest of the season expect him to be a QB1 from week to week with how the Buccaneers are playing, but look for other options for the future while he is still doing well.
I should have trusted my gut. I needed to stream a tight end on Sunday and I had a sneaky good feeling about one of them. My starter, Tyler Higbee, was in danger of missing out on Monday Night Football due to injury. Anytime you have a starter with an injury designation playing on Monday, you know you need a backup plan. I checked every ranking I could, and they all told me that my best available options were Dalton Schultz and Darren Fells. I had a feeling about a different guy, but it’s tough to make that call when the best people in the industry have him ranked seven or eight spots below. I picked Darren Fells, who had scored in two straight games and saw seven targets last week.
The guy I had a gut feeling about? He went out and scored two touchdowns. Trust your gut, people. I could’ve had Harrison Bryant. If only I had a friend who writes this column with me and has been talking up Bryant since the draft. If only…
What a week for this column! We saw some of my previous sleepers come to life in Week Seven. Nelson Agholor looked like the wide receiver one for the Raiders. Deonte Harris caught a touchdown for the Saints. Even Jakobi Meyers looked like the best WR on an abysmal Patriots offense. While all these situations can be a bit tenuous, especially this year and beyond, hopefully, we can keep it going by adding value to the end of your rosters. This week we have a guy that was one of my honorable mentions a couple of weeks back. He flashed again, and this kid is a big-play threat. Jalen Guyton, an undrafted FA from 2019, has made quite a bit of noise this year with limited opportunities. He is currently owned in 15% of leagues according to MyFantasyLeague data, and that will surely creep up, even more, this week after his 84 yards and a touchdown game against the Jaguars.
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, all good things must come to an end. The Jets did it. They finally covered a spread this season bringing an end to a 0-6 record against the spread. I would like to say I’m proud of them, but really this was simply an exercise in the Bills’ ineptitude more than anything. Overall, we went positive on the week again and 2-1 in our in-depth picks! Full disclosure, I have a lot of favorites picked this week which may not bode well as favorites have only covered 44.8% of the time this year. But I’m feeling confident in these picks so, without further ado, let’s roll!
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.
If you’re in any deeper leagues and need a wide receiver target, Guyton is your guy. He’s owned in very few leagues due to his low target share but he’s scored 14+ PPR fantasy points in two of the last three weeks. Rookie star quarterback, Justin Herbert, has built a connection with Guyton on deep balls and provides that upside many fantasy teams need.