Nobody needs to be told starting Patrick
Mahomes, Christian
McCaffrey, or DeAndre
Hopkins is a good idea. Duh, right? You can’t have studs at
every position, though, unless you’re in the shallowest of leagues.
This is where the Shot Caller comes in. Need help deciding which
bargain basement QB to use and which to ignore on Mahomes’ bye
week? Let’s talk. Looking for solutions at running back because
McAffrey is a game-time decision? Look no further. Need to know
which of your unproven targets to start and which to sit since
you ignored Hopkins and went RB-RB-Kelce in your first three rounds?
You get the idea. Past results may not guarantee future success,
but ignoring them entirely can ruin your Sundays in a hurry (maybe
even your Mondays and Thursdays). Read on for a little history
and, hopefully, a little sage advice.
Note: Fantasy points
based on FF Today’s standard scoring system.
Bye Weeks: Denver, New England, Houston, Philadelphia, Washington, Jacksonville
There are quite a few reasons not to consider Rivers in Week 10:
He’s scoring 20.1 FPts/G, his lowest mark since the 2012
season; he hasn’t topped 15 points since Week 7; it’s
a roadie on Thursday night; the Chargers just canned their offensive
coordinator; Melvin Gordon’s alive! But there is one really
good reason TO plug him in: The Raiders’ pass defense. Oakland’s
yielding 28.5 FPts/G to the position this season and even more
(32.7) in the last five weeks. Also, Coach Chucky’s squad
has already allowed three opposing triggermen to surpass the 400-yd
mark. The names wouldn’t surprise—Mahomes, Rodgers,
and Stafford—but even on the downslope of his career, Rivers
can hang with that crew. The Bolts got their mojo back last Sunday,
pounding the Pack, and I think Rivers will parlay this into a
strong primetime performance. Start him.
I’m an avowed Fitzpatrick advocate, most definitely, but
I think even his detractors, who probably number many, would admit
he got too quick a hook after a poor Week 2 performance vs. New
England (89 yards and three picks). The Dolphins seemed eager
to see what they had in former first rounder Josh Rosen and now
they know: not a whole lot. The Rosen regime was predictably disastrous
and predictably brief, spanning just two and a half games, and
the break seems to have done Fitz wonders. Since being inserted
back under center, he’s averaged 23.7 FPts/G and even led
this Miami wreck to its first W of the year in Week 9. This isn’t
a terrific matchup but the Fish are down to Kalen Ballage and
not much else at RB, so I expect some serious slinging Sunday.
Roll those dice if you’re stuck.
The Niners possess the league’s last unblemished record,
though you wouldn’t necessarily know it if you dropped in
from outer space and took a gander at Garoppolo’s digits.
Even including that stellar four-TD performance against the Cards
last Thursday night, he’s currently QB22, barely worth a
mention outside of superflex leagues. San Fran’s been winning
with defense and a stable of hard-charging backs, but that isn’t
going to suffice against QB1 Monday night. Russell Wilson is slaying
all comers and isn’t the sitting duck type DeFo Buckner
(GO DUCKS!), Nick Bosa, and Dee Ford typically feast upon. I’m
expecting fireworks for this showdown and that might be good news
for Jimmy G. owners. He’ll be facing a Seattle defense that
has held only two opposing QBs to fewer than 20 points (Roethlisberger/Rudolph
in Week 2 and Bridgewater in Week 3). Start Handsome JG Monday.
I told you two weeks ago the Browns’ schedule lightens up
starting in Week 11. Pssst! It’s only Week 10. If a brutal
loss in Denver to a QB making his first NFL start isn’t
enough to affect some Cleveland soul-searching, there may not
be much hope left for this team. The pre-season AFC North faves
are sitting at 2-6 with half the campaign left to play and now
face a game Buffalo bunch. They haven’t won in over a month
and haven’t looked good not doing that, Mayfield especially.
He’s averaging barely over 16.5 FPts/G since Week 5 and
managed a clean sheet (no picks) for just the first time all season
in that loss to the Broncos. I don’t think he does it again
as the Bills table slam him and his reeling Browns mates Sunday
at FirstEnergy Stadium. Sit him again.
Only 26 QBs take the field in Week 10, meaning in 12-team, two-QB
leagues, only two of them will be sitting. Mitch Trubisky seems
like an obvious candidate, so that leaves just one other starting
signal caller riding pine. Doesn’t it have to be the one
who’s seeing his first NFL action? Finley looked pretty
solid in the pre-season and is older than most rookie quarterbacks
at 25, but it seems like a major gamble to roll out a first-timer
playing for an awful team, and against a tough divisional opponent,
in Week 10 when so much is at stake. OK, maybe not if you’re
having to consider Finley. It worked out pretty swell for those
who were forced to start Brandon Allen last Sunday, but these
debuts seem to either go very well or very poorly, and rarely
somewhere in between. My money’s on poorly.
I’ve seldom been right about Cousins through the years,
so you should definitely take this recommendation with a grain
of salt, but if any QB1 will be facing stiff headwinds this week,
it’s him. He’ll very likely be without the services
of Adam Thielen again and will be facing a Dallas D that’s
only allowed a single wingman to top 20 points in a game this
season. Inexplicably, it was Sam Darnold in Week 6. To be fair,
Cousins didn’t have Thielen last week, only connected with
Stefon Diggs one time, and still managed to notch 23.5 points
against Kansas City. He’s been a true feast of famine option
this year—four games over 23 points and five games under
18—so a Monday nighter on the road without a key weapon
sounds more like famine to me. But what the heck do I know, right?
Punt.
