First of all, what is up with Thursday night games lately? Most
Thursday contests in recent years have been offensively challenged,
but not so this year. I’m sure Miami-Baltimore will set things
straight here in a few days. We’ll talk about that further
this week at the Buzz, but first we’ll start with a Cowboy
gone wild…
Ezekiel Elliott posted the top running
back score of the week with 219 total yards and 3 touchdowns.
Zeke’s Revenge: A Never-Ending
Saga
Every week seems to hold different pieces of information about Dallas
running back Ezekiel Elliott. One minute, he’s suspended for
six games and the next, he’s back to playing again. It wouldn’t
be that big of a deal, honestly, if he wasn’t so dang good.
As is, it has been fantasy football’s most confusing saga
of 2017. And, Sunday was Elliott’s best performance of the
year. Elliott exploded against an overmatched San Francisco defense
for 219 total yards and a hat trick of trips into the end zone.
It was a reminder of what Elliott can be come fantasy playoff time…if
he is allowed to play. I do not recall a more fluid situation throughout
a season with respect to such a dynamic skill position player. The
bottom line is that many teams are going to win championships if
Elliott plays all year as they got him for a bargain price on Draft
Day due to his disciplinary difficulties. In contrast, many teams
could implode who are currently counting on his production should
the suspension be upheld. For now, all eyes are on October 30th,
six days from today.
Amari Cooper: Alive and Well
The other explosive scoring performance from Week 7 came from a
very unexpected source given how the first six weeks of the season
had gone. Amari Cooper doubled his TD count for the year prior to
last Thursday night and more than doubled his yardage total. All
in all, it was the most points scored by a WR in fantasy football
all season after Cooper had been held to 12 yards receiving per
game in weeks 2-6. The Raiders used Cooper in the slot position
in Week 7 and apparently it was a good fit. The Chiefs were also
clearly shading coverage to Michael Crabtree, creating better matchups
for Cooper. Still, if you put Cooper in your lineup on Thursday
just hoping for some improvement, you got a whole lot more than
that. I fear, however, that many finally got the courage to sit
Cooper and were left watching in horror as he had the best game
of his career to date. What’s next for Carr, Cooper, and the
Raiders? Hard to say, but clearly when Carr is healthy and throwing
downfield, better things are possible.
A Bad Week for Offenses
This may be the most incredible thing I’ve ever typed here
at the Buzz…on Sunday, the Broncos, Falcons, Colts, Panthers,
and Cardinals combined for 10 points. That’s an average of
2 points scored per team. That’s dumbfounding. Those are five
teams that in past years were known for offensive production and
firepower. Players like C.J. Anderson, Demaryius Thomas, Matt Ryan,
Tevin Coleman, T.Y. Hilton, Larry Fitzgerald, and Adrian Peterson
were all caught up in this wave of futility. So, which team is going
to bounce back and which team is becoming a place to avoid? The
Broncos are trending down until they can find a QB who can throw
the ball downfield. Their offense is too predictable and thus easy
to defend. The Falcons need to quit trying to force the ball to
Julio Jones and start doing what they do best - run it down people’s
throats. Look for adjustments to be made and some big games from
Devonta Freeman in the near future. Finally, the Cardinals and Colts
don’t have their usual starters at QB (more on that later)
and that will keep their offenses very unpredictable for weeks to
come. The Panthers and Falcons are thus the most likely to get things
working again. Stick with them. Be wary, however, of continuing
to depend on a Bronco, Colt, or Cardinal until further notice.
A New Reality In Green Bay Becomes Evident…
Speaking of teams without their usual quarterback, the Packers emerged
from Sunday a much different team than they were just two weeks
ago. Packer receivers have taken a huge tumble in value while rookie
running back Aaron Jones (17 carries, 131 yards, 1 TD) has assumed
the role of offensive centerpiece. Ty Montgomery is now an afterthought…or
so it would appear. One needs to look no further than Minnesota
(see below) to see how things can literally change from week to
week. I doubt Brett Hundley will be appearing in any starting lineups
anytime soon. If not for his rushing stats, Hundley would have been
a complete disaster on Sunday. Obviously, Jones is now a must start
from this offense, but Jordy Nelson and Davante Adams are now WR3s.
And, you can officially move on from TE Martellus Bennett. His season
never got off the ground and it won’t be getting better anytime
soon. Sad times in Wisconsin.
So, I Thought Winston Was Going to be
“Limited”?
If you’re like me, you probably pulled Jameis
Winston from your lineup(s) this weekend in anticipation that
he might not make it through a full game or would be “limited” in
terms of overall participation. I guess in the long run, it’s encouraging
that Winston threw for nearly 400 yards and 3 TDs, but in the short
term, it’s very frustrating to base a decision on “information”
only to see it go up in smoke. On the opposite side of the spectrum,
there’s Sterling
Shepard who was “good to go” on Sunday according to several
sources, but ended up being an inactive for the afternoon contest
with Seattle. As fate would have it, I did start Shepard and could
not pull him from my lineup due to not having any other options.
Bottom line? Digging for information leading up to Sunday’s games
is a good thing, but sometimes it borders on pure speculation. The
good news, With O.J.
Howard (two TDs on Sunday) emerging alongside Cameron
Brate, Winston is a man with many, many weapons moving forward.
Room For Two: A Saints Backfield Update
Over the years, there have been multiple starting options from the
same NFL backfield. Think Fred Taylor and James Stewart for you
old-timers. More recently, Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman both
became good starting options at RB in 2016. This year’s dynamic
duo out of the same backfield is Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara, particularly
in PPR leagues where Kamara excels. Using standard PPR scoring,
Ingram notched 27 points on Sunday while Kamara added 15.7 on 5
receptions and over 100 total yards. A lot of people thought the
Saints would just be the same pass-happy team they’ve always
been in 2017, but with the defense playing light years better during
the past month, it’s a ball control offense that is emerging.
Sure, there are other teams (Panthers, Falcons, Bears) that have
two potential starters coming from the same place…but none
are better right now than the duo from New Orleans. There’s
plenty of room for both guys to remain fantasy effective and plenty
of room for both in weekly lineups as well.
More Quarterback Injuries (Unfortunately)
I won’t spend much time here this week, but you can’t
refer to your article as fantasy “headlines” without
pointing out the injuries that matter most. Lately, it’s been
quarterbacks taking the fall, and this week Carson Palmer (broken
arm) and Jay Cutler (ribs) were the latest casualties. As was noted
above, the Palmer loss will likely have the bigger impact as Matt Moore is probably as effective as Jay Cutler (maybe more?) at running
Adam Gase’s offense. Here’s hoping we get through the
rest of October with no more signal callers getting KO’d.
Goal Line Follies
It's one thing to check on stats once a game has concluded. It's
quite another to be following your players literally play-by-play
every week. Nothing is more frustrating than your RB getting a carry
from the 1-yard line and not being able to punch it in. Or, your
RB not getting a chance to punch it in because the offensive coordinator
does something stupid. The former was evidenced in Cleveland on
Sunday when the Titans turned the ball over on downs after having
it first and goal at the Browns 1-yard line. Two empty carries by
DeMarco Murray combined with a Derrick Henry carry for no gain likely
had Murray and Henry owners pulling their hair out. But, at least
they did the sensible thing and tried to run it in. The Falcons
refused to use Devonta Freeman at the goal line on two consecutive
plays and ended up turning it over on downs vs. the Patriots on
Sunday night.
Minnesota Madness
Another frustrating aspect of fantasy football is when you think
you've got a RB rotation figured out and then that team does an
about face the following week. Cue the Minnesota Vikings as Jerick McKinnon was coming off three weeks in a row with 14+ carries for
an average of 70+ yards and 3 touchdowns. Latavius Murray had carried
the ball slightly less, and with far less success - specifically,
26 rushing yards per game over that span and no trips across the
goal line. So, McKinnon is clearly the man in the Twin Cities, correct?
Nope. Murray out-touched McKinnon 18-to-14 in terms of actual rushes
and gained nearly 70 yards more in Week 7. And to boot, Murray scored
the only Vikings touchdown of the day. So, what lies ahead? Your
guess is probably as good as mine, but Murray should be more involved
when Minnesota plays from ahead. McKinnon is still the better flex
play, though, especially in PPR. It truly is maddening trying to
figure out this hobby from week to week.
Carson's Masterpiece
Finally, this week a nod to Carson Wentz for his Monday night performance
against Washington. With 4 minutes to go in the second quarter,
Wentz had 34 yards passing, no touchdowns, and 1 interception. Less
than two quarters later, Wentz had thrown 4 touchdowns and coupled
260+ passing yards with 60+ rushing yards. Need any more proof that
Wentz is going to be a top-five fantasy QB going forward and in
the years to come? It certainly was Wentz's night, but Kirk Cousins
and Jordan Reed won some fantasy games, too. Reed owners have to
be especially excited to see their guy finally be healthy enough
to be the player they need him to be. Hats off to the NFC trio of
Wentz, Cousins, and Dak Prescott at QB. All three guys are top-6
in fantasy points scored at the position through 7 weeks.
That's a wrap. For the next two weeks, six teams will be on bye
which will make for some odd lineups. Hope you thrive in the midst
of it all. See you right here next Tuesday morning!
