Week 3 Recap & Week 4 Preview

King Mustafa (3-0) 130.8 vs. Brad (2-1) 100.2

Amari Cooper lead Moose’s team with 23.2 points.  Lamar Jackson had to play against an actual defense and scored 21.2 points.  Moose’s outbidding Brad for Packers D/ST proved to be highly effective as they scored 17 against Joe Flacco’s Broncos.  Brad got 24.9 from Dalvin Cook and 24.7 from Evan Engram, but started the wrong Qb as Russell Wilson went off on his bench.  Winston decided to target Mike Evans early and often, leaving Chris Godwin as an afterthought and Brad had 6 players in single digits.

Trey (1-2) 130.3 vs. Mike (1-2) 133.5

What turned out to be the best game of the week was a close one!  Trey got an incredible 43.2 from Mike Evans to the tune of 8 catches, 190 yards and 3 touchdowns.  Marlon Mack was serviceable with 15.6 points and free agent acquisition Will Dissly continued to impress with 14.6.  Mike was lead by Deshaun Watson’s and Tyler Lockett’s 28.8 points each.  Joe Mixon showed up for Mike with his best game of the season, scoring 16.3 points against a formidable Bills Defense.  Bitter loss for Trey, potential season-saving win for Mike.

Chase (1-2) 116.6 vs. Joe (1-2) 141.2

Chase seemed to have a shot going into SNF with Odell Beckham Jr. squaring off against Cooper Kupp and Greg Zuerlein.  Patrick Mahomes “regression” from 50 touchdowns has him on pace for 6,384 yards and 58 touchdowns through 3 weeks of the NFL season.  He scored a cool 30.7 for Chase.  Julio continued to Julio with 25.  O.J. Howard showed up for 7.8 fantasy points.  Joe was lead by Jameis Winston with 28.5, Christian McCaffrey’s 31 (who ripped off a 76 yard touchdown run), and Cooper Kupp’s 29.6.  Kupp looks fully recovered from the ACL tear that ended his 2018 season.  Shouldn’t have come across as a surprise considering the Browns Defense was without their starting SS, FS, CB, and LB.  Joe gets his first win of the season.

Kenny (2-1) 90.4 vs. Scotty (2-1) 113.7

Kenny didn’t just lose this game against Scotty, he lost #1 Overall Pick Saquon Barkley for 4-8 weeks due to a high ankle sprain.  This absolutely sucks as Barkley is a lot of fun to watch and things were looking for the G-Men with Daniel Jones taking over.  He got a surprising 26.6 from Phillip Lindsay who scored a pair of touchdowns and 18.8 from Adam Thielen.  Scotty was led by an inspirational performance from Alvin Kamara who scored 31.7 fantasy points.  Brady got 23.1 and #1 Patriots D/ST got 15.

Katon (1-2) 150.3 vs. Jen (0-3) 68.7

At one point in this match it looked like Katon had a chance to beat Jen by 100 points.  Keenan Allen went off for 38.8, Chicago D/ST got 25 and Matt Ryan got 25.3 for Katon.  Jen’s highest scorer was “Scary” Terry McLaurin with 15.4.  7 players scored in single digits.  But not sure what we expect after she lost her 2nd, 5th, 6th and 14th round picks to injury so far.

JD (3-0) 136.8 vs. Tommy (1-2) 115.3

Tommy was in trouble since TNF when Henry put up a modest 11 points.  Greg Olsen led his team in scoring with 21.9 points.  Hilton and Edelman both got knocked out of their games, but put up serviceable 15 and 15.7 fantasy points, respectively, before exited their contests.  JD moved to 3-0 on the season with 22.5 from Dak Prescott, 36.1 from Mark Ingram who is Rb#3 to start the year, and 22.3 from Darren Waller acquired via the 3-way trade.  Had this been a kicker bowl it would have been an epic 1-2 final score with Tommy taking it.

Week 4 Preview

***Game of the Week***

JD (3-0) vs. Mike (1-2)

JD and Moose are the only undefeated teams remaining, but JD will be tested this week by Mike’s group.  Jd has Dak Prescott facing the Saints in New Orleans on SNF.  Saints have given up rushing touchdowns to Watson, Goff, and 2 to Russell Wilson last week.  Prescott is a must start in this one.  Mike features Deshaun Watson going up against Carolina.  Kyle Allen is starting for Carolina, so should be a competitive game.  Mark Ingram faces Cleveland for JD and #5 TE Darren Waller faces Indianapolis.  Mike has Justin Jackson vs. Miami, Michael Thomas against Dallas, and Tyler Lockett vs. Arizona’s lack of a secondary that just got torched by Curtis Samuel and DJ Moore.  Brandin Cooks faces TB who gave up a lot of points to Sterling Shepherd and Evan Engram last week.  This game will come down to Monday Night Football with JD having JuJu Smith-Schuster and Tyler Boyd and Mike will have Joe Mixon and Vance McDonald.  I just feel bad that these two will be glued to their televisions and having to listen to Booger McFarland say the stupidest shit imaginable.  Look for JD to come out swinging with Davante Adams against Philly on TNF.

King Mustafa (3-0) vs. Joe (1-2)

Both teams coming off big wins in Week 3 setting up a nice Week 4 matchup.  Lamar Jackson faces Cleveland, who has a good pass rush, but has a myriad of injuries to their secondary.  Nick Chubb faces Baltimore in that same game who just surrendered a pair of touchdowns to LeSean McCoy last week.  Amari Cooper will be matched up against Marshon Lattimore on SNF at the Dome.  Austin Ekeler is in a smash spot @ Miami.  Packers D/ST on TNF should continue to have success against a Philly team minus a lot of weapons.  Joe will have someone at Quarterback versus whoever they play.  Christian McCaffrey is @ Houston.  Cooper Kupp, Joe’s hero and namesake faces Tampa Bay’s defense who just got torched by Danny Dimes.  From Josh Gordon down this lineup is gross and Moose should win.

Scotty (2-1) vs. Jen (0-3)

It doesn’t look good John.  It does. Not. Look. Good.  Jen is predicted a paltry 80.2 points and George Kittle has his bye week.  Scotty has Kamara vs. Dallas on SNF and Aaron Jones vs. Philly on TNF.  Spread out his players like butter on toast.  Mhmmmmm.

Brad (2-1) vs. Trey (1-2)

Brad coming off his worst game of the season vs. Trey coming off his best, despite him not coming away with the W.  Brad will have Russell Wilson @ Arizona, #1 Fantasy Rb Dalvin Cook against a tough Bears D/ST, #1 Fantasy TE Evan Engram vs. Washington.  Trey has A-Rod on TNF, Marlon Mack and Josh Jacobs facing one another, DeAndre Hopkins against Carolina, and Will Dissly @ Arizona.  Brad is hoping James Conner can prove to be a first round pick this week against a Bengals Defense that has been gouged by the run every week.  Brad will have to wait until MNF to see if that happens.  The real story of this matchup is Chris Godwin vs. Mike Evans.  Godwin outscored Evans in Weeks 1 and 2, but Evans exploded last week, leading to Evans being ranked 9th fantasy wideout and Godwin being ranked 21st.  They face a tough Rams Defense led by Wade Phillips.  The Bruce Arians offensive mind vs. the Wade Phillips defensive mind will be an good watch this weekend.

Kenny (2-1) vs. Chase (1-2)

K-Dub loses Saquon, which definitely is a huge hit for his squad.  Despite me giving him crap for having Wayne Gallman on his bench, Kenny proves the wiser as Daniel Jones makes Gallman relevant.  Lindsay will hope to have a repeat performance vs. Jacksonville.  Kenny Golladay faces KC.  Detroit is a slow-paced team and KC is a fast-paced team, so it’ll be interesting to see if the game slows down or if Detroit speeds up.  Kenny has two good defenses to choose from, Charges @ Miami or Rams against a turnover prone Jameis Winston.  Chase has Patrick Mahomes, the God of Wind, @ Detroit.  Dome game?  Yes please.  Chase has *checks notes* two Top 20 running backs in LeSean McCoy and *checks notes again* Rex Burkhead.  Julio Jones faces Tennessee and Odell Beckham Jr. faces Baltimore.  This should be a close game.

Katon (1-2) vs. Tommy (1-2)

Katon coming in hot gets Tommy minus Le’Veon Bell due to bye week.  Tommy will have to monitor Julian Edelman and TY Hilton this week as both were banged up last week.  Todd Gurley sucks, Greg Olsen is a God and Derrick Henry faces Atlanta.  Katon has Zeke @ Saints, who are okay at stopping the run right now as long as you aren’t a Qb.  #1 Fantasy Wideout Keenan Allen is @ Miami, Robert Woods is a sneaky DFS play against Tampa Bay with all the attention on Brandin Cooks and Cooper Kupp.  Larry Fitzgerald faces Seattle’s garbage ass secondary.  Katon is going to win this one.  Big.

Thanks and Good Luck this Week!

-Commish

 

Fantasy Football Brad’s QB Rankings

Hello all. We are less 10 weeks away from the 2015 NFL Season and I couldn’t be more excited. Here is a list of my Qb rankings for the upcoming season. I will go more in depth in some cases than others and I use the traditional system of 1 pt per 25 yards passing, 4 pts per touchdown, -2 pts per interception, 1 pt per 10 yards rushing, 6 pts per rushing touchdown, and -2 pts per fumble.

1. Andrew Luck (Indianapolis Colts)- I drafted Andrew Luck last year in the 5th round in a league that gives bonuses for 300 yard games. 40 td’s, 10 300 yard games, and a #1 Fantasy Qb ranking later… Luck has arrived. Last year Luck threw A LOT mainly due to lack of running game. In comes Frank Gore and Andre Johnson, which should only help Luck. I think he reduces his interceptions quite a bit and still finishes on top this year. The only tricky thing is where to draft him? Most mock drafts point to him going in the 2nd Round. If you want him, get him. I wouldn’t argue with anybody that drafted Luck with the first pick of the 2nd round. Solidifying fantasy’s top scoring position is one less thing you have to worry about. But keep in mind in Player Value Rankings(PVR)-type rankings they don’t give as much value to Qb’s and they’ll say getting Russell Wilson in Round 3 is a much better deal and I’ll discuss later.

2. Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers)- Rodgers finished #1 in standard ESPN scoring averaging 21.4 points per game to Luck’s 21.0. He’s got all the weapons back in Lacy, Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, D. Adams, etc.  I gave Luck the slight edge due to the fact I think he has room to grow. Rodgers is at his peak and cruising. Another factor is Week 15 and 16 Rodgers faces @ Oakland and then @Arizona. I think Oakland’s defense is under appreciated and the Cardinals had the 4th best passing defense last season. Still, if Rodgers is on your team, you don’t have to worry about the Qb position.

3. Russell Wilson (Seattle Seahawks)- Wilson didn’t have a single game last season where he threw for more than 2 touchdowns. Yet he still had 3 games with over 30 points. He’s got the wheels. 6 rushing touchdowns and 3-100 yard rushing games. Bring in Jimmy Graham and that can only help. It’s tough to think of all the wideouts and Jimmy going long, Wilson moving in the pocket, Lynch rolling out on for a screen pass. Who do you defend? Plus he could be a value as he is being drafted towards the end of the 3rd round right now.

***Drop Off***

4. Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons)- I hate Matt Ryan. To me he’s a little weanie… sitting back in the pocket ready to be pushed over with a faint breeze of a blitzing linebacker, but alas he had a great year last year and this year he looks to keep it going. Kyle Shanahan is going to make Ryan to Julio sound sickening to Saints fans by seasons end. If you’re a PVR enthusiast getting Matt Ryan in Round 7 and Julio in Round 2 sounds a lot better than Luck in Round 2 and Andre Johnson in Round 6. Definitely something to think about.

5. Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints)- He’s short, he’s older, and they are focused on the run this year. How could he possibly finish as a Top 5 Fantasy Qb? Brees has always done better when he’s had the run to set up the pass. Last couple of seasons he was so obsessed with finding Jimmy Graham that he lost that distribution that made him so effective in the past. This season with an improved rushing attack and Jimmy gone, Brees can spread the ball between Spiller, Cooks, Hill, Colston, and some young wideouts with a lot of potential. Brees is currently getting drafted in the 4th Round.

6. Teddy Bridgewater (Minnesota Vikings)- Say what now? His average draft position is 126.1 right now. Adrian Peterson is going to solidify the rushing attack. C. Patterson will have a much better season this year and Charles Johnson will take the DeSean Jackson role and make some huge plays. Bridgewater can make plays with his feet too. Last season the coaches held him back a little bit, but this season if playoffs are within grasp they are going to open the gates and let Bridgewater fly.

7. Ryan Tannehill (Miami Dolphins)- It’s time. Tannehill has steadily improved each of his last three seasons. Compared to 2013, last season he completed 6% more passes (66.4 vs. 60.4), threw for 132 more yards, 3 more touchdowns, and 5 less interceptions. It’s this progression that makes him a Top 10 Fantasy Qb that you can draft in later rounds. Imagine if you are able to draft Bridgewater and Tannehill in later rounds and use your 2nd or 3rd round picks to rack up on the quality Wideouts that are available.

8. Eli Manning (New York Giants)- ODB. Eli was on a tear at the end of last season and you could tell he became more and more comfortable in Ben McAdoo’s system. Sprinkle in Victor Cruz coming back and Shane Vereen catching balls out of the backfield and Eli is poised to have a Top 10 Fantasy Season.

9. Peyton Manning (Denver Broncos)- Yes he has a new coach, yes he lost Julius Thomas, and yes his offensive line woes are extremely terrifying. With that being said, last season Peyton was playing great until he got injured, lost faith in his offensive line, and played scared over the last 5 games of the season. He still finished 4th amongst Fantasy Qb’s. He still has Demaryius and Kubiak will find the running backs room to catch balls out of the backfield, so he can still get the job done at age 39.

10. Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh Steelers)- Last season he finished 5th amongst fantasy Qb’s and has all the same weapons returning. So why the drop off? Well he had 11 weeks under 20 fantasy points last season, but what drove up his stats were two weeks in the middle of the season when he had back to back games with 6 touchdown passes. In most leagues his owners didn’t start him.  And even if they started him in the first game he surely wasn’t going to do that the following week against the Ravens… yeah. Most Big Ben owners didn’t get rewarded for those two huge games and I’d choose others before settling for him this season.

11. Cam Newton (Carolina Panthers)- Cam Newton had a weird season last season. Rib injuries and his SUV flipping on a bridge… so he played conservatively and let his defense carry the team. He should be healthy this season and will be looking Kelvin Benjamin and Greg Olsen’s way quite often. Sprinkling in youngster Devin Funchess should only help and he finished 15th last season.

12. Tony Romo (Dallas Cowboys)- If they are able to get the running game going and keep the pressure off of Romo then he’ll turn out his average season (3700 yards and 27 td’s), but if they can’t duplicate what they did last season sans Demarco Murray then Romo will struggle to stay healthy and back injuries/concerns are quite worrisome in this sport.

13. Colin Kaepernick (San Fransisco 49ers)- My thought here is that he can only get better. Last season was a rough one, but he still was a Top 20 Fantasy Qb and did okay averaging 14.6 points per game. I think the addition of Reggie Bush and Torrey Smith and a defense that will struggle, Kaepernick will be slinging it and running it late in ball games, which is good for fantasy.

14. Matt Stafford (Detroit Lions)- He’s just so inconsistent. He also struggled in 5 of his 6 divisional games with his best game coming against Chicago where he scored 21 points.

15. Joe Flacco (Baltimore Ravens)- He’ll win you some games, but with 5 games with 10 or less points, he’s going to lose you some too.

16. Carson Palmer (Arizona Cardinals)- When healthy he was good for 250 yards and 2 td’s like clockwork. Expect more of the same this season. Averaging 15-18 points could get him in the Top 10.

17. Tom Brady (New England Patriots)- He finished 8th last season and he pretty much missed the first four weeks of the season any way because the Pats sucked to start the year. This is probably too low of a ranking, but even when he comes back from suspension, averaging 17 points per game will barely be top 10.

18. Eagles Starter (Philadelphia Eagles)- Whoever the Eagles start will get similar stats. 12-15 points per game.

19. Jameis Winston (Tampa Bay Bucs)- Don’t expect the Luck and RGIII emergence of a few years ago. I’m thinking Winston will have more of a Teddy Bridgewater type of rookie season.

20. Philip Rivers (San Diego Chargers)- He had a really good year last year, but man some of those games were UGLY. Missing Antonio Gates for 4 games doesn’t help.

21. Derek Carr (Oakland Raiders)- I’m very intrigued by this Raiders team. He averaged 11 points per game as a rookie and I think he got better and the Raiders got better in the offseason. Intrigued.

22. Geno Smith (New York Jets)- In Week 17 last season he showed poise, accuracy, a big arm, and found Eric Decker for both of their best performances of the season. Geno might be worth a flier as a backup or QB2 just to see what happens. New Head coach, new Red Zone threat in Brandon Marshall… this might just be crazy enough to work!

23. Everyone else- Not relevant.

Hope you enjoyed and I’ll be posting my Running Backs Rankings next week!