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Colby Cavaliere | Archive | Email |
Staff Writer


The Shot Caller's Report - Quarterbacks
Your Guide To Fantasy Lineups: Week 9
11/1/18
QBs | RBs | WRs

Bye Weeks: Arizona, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, N.Y. Giants, Philadelphia

Cam Newton

We like to pick on the Buccaneers pass defense and up next on the schedule is the NFL's Superman.


Grab a Helmet

Ryan Fitzpatrick @ CAR: Wait, what’s this? Christmas came early? Yes, that’s right! Just when it seemed like the dark of winter had begun to set in, a little Fitzmagic returned last week, as Fitz entered the game for a dreadful Jameis Winston and nearly snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. Although I kid, it’s hard to deny just how fantastic Fitzpatrick has performed this season when playing a full game. The loss to the Bears a few weeks ago was ugly, and the reinsertion of Winston was probably the right call, but the return of Fitzpatrick is also the right call, both for you and the Bucs. I’ve been streaming quarterbacks all year in one of my leagues, and I’m happy to gamble on the upside of the Magic, even in a divisional road game.

Aaron Rodgers @ NE: It’s an absolute crime that Rodgers and Brady haven’t met since Week 13 of the 2014 season. In that duel, Rodgers had a masterful 368-yard, two touchdown performance in a 26-21 win over Brady and the Pats. This time around could be their final meeting, and you know Rodgers will come into this game with a chip on his shoulder after a crushing loss last week against the Rams. Green Bay desperately needs this game as they are in a midst of an incredibly difficult stretch of games that have them traveling half way across the country and back again. Listen, the Packers aren’t a good team, and it’s going to take a herculean effort from Rodgers to pick them off the mat and win on the road against the best team of the generation, but I’m betting the chip on his shoulder is big enough to equal a giant fantasy day.

Cam Newton vs TB: Newton is having a resurgent season after a down 2017. His completion percentage is way up, has 17 touchdowns to only 4 interceptions, and even more impressively is he’s making the young players around him better. Remember, he’s fantasy’s No.8 quarterback without having a pass catcher anywhere near the league lead in anything. He continues to get a significant fantasy contribution from his legs, as he leads all quarterbacks in rushing yards and touchdowns. The match-up with Tampa is one of the best of the week, as the Buc defense has absolutely hemorrhaged fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks (20 touchdowns given up, and only 1 take away) and I like Newton to be a near lock for top-5 production at the position.

Grab a Headset

Matt Ryan @ WAS: By some strange scheduling quirk, the Falcons have played only two games on the road this season prior to their bye week. That’s right, 5 of the first 7 were in the friendly confines of Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Ryan and this offense struggled mightily in those two road games, failing to reach 20 points. This week the Falcons take on the division leading Redskins who sport a suffocating defense, and an offense that plays conservative “keep-away” football. Look for Washington to play a ball-control offense to keep Atlanta’s playmakers off the field, and get after Ryan with a defensive line that can feast on Atlanta’s struggling blockers. Even with a decent floor, Ryan’s ceiling is severely capped in this one, making him an uninspiring play in Week 9.

Baker Mayfield vs KC: Well the wheels came off the Browns bandwagon in a hurry! After a promising start to the season, the Browns have regressed on offense, trading away their starting running back and firing the top-two offensive minds in the coaching staff. The direction of the offense and the development of Mayfield now fall to Freddie Kitchens, a well-traveled assistant that’s worked under some impressive head coaches. No one really knows what to expect from this team, but things won't get better for Baker until the pass protection improves. He’s facing a higher percentage of pressure than any other starter, and the receivers aren’t doing enough to take the double teams away from Jarvis Landry. The Chiefs score a ton of points and put tremendous pressure on opposing offenses to do the same. With turmoil and turnover, it’s hard to trust this offense even with the terrific on-paper matchup.

Ben Roethlisberger @ BAL:
Big Ben has been his usual lower tier QB1 this season, but his play on the road against the Ravens lately has been anything but. In his last two games at M&T Bank stadium, Roethlisberger has failed to top 300 yards or 1 touchdown. Other than last year’s freak 39-38 game where he threw for 500+ yards, the games between the Steelers and Ravens are usually 12 round heavyweight fights, with neither team able to gain much ground against the other. Baltimore was embarrassed last week against Carolina, and I think they take it out on the Steelers. Look for Big Ben to struggle at times and fail to put up QB1 worthy numbers.


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