It is very rare for me to end up on Reddit. In fact, other than upvoting one Rocket League highlight my friend had (with me setting him up), I don’t go onto Reddit.
After listening to some members of my league gush about the fantasy football subreddit, I checked it out this week. In short, good discussion, but I don’t trust all of the advice.
However, there was one thread about the craziest week of fantasy football ever, and that reminded me of a story. It is a good pick-me-up for those who are sitting in the cellar currently.
Last year, the league I played in was a 10-team, standard scoring league. Most of the league members were college sophomores, outside of one guy who graduated the year prior. He was in since his brother was also in, but due to the lack of internet where he got a job, I became the co-owner of his team.
My job was simple, just make sure he had a complete lineup. I didn’t really do much with the team, and it showed the second week when the team scored 56 points.
Week 3 saw the brothers’ teams collide, and I made a few adjustments, mainly with the pieces already on the team.
It did not start well for “my” team, as the opponent jumped out early. Thirty-two points from Marvin Jones, 26 from Aaron Rodgers and 22 from David Johnson led his team to a total of 144 points, the largest total our young league had seen.
And then, “my” lineup went off. Jones’ 32 mark was equaled by the Chiefs defense of all things. T.Y. Hilton put up 23 and Justin Tucker kicked through 17.
Monday night came, and it was just an eight-point game, and I had Tevin Coleman left against the Saints. He blows off 26 points. The final score ends up 162-144, with “my” team taking the win.
You see, even the worse teams can magically get better on the right week. Now onto the terrible advice per usual.
Quarterbacks
As of writing this on Tuesday, there is exactly one person who knows who will start at quarterback for the Vikings. That person, Mike Zimmer, won’t tell us who before this goes to print. With that said, it is reasonable to assume that Case Keenum keeps the starting job against the Rams. After his four-touchdown performance last week, there is no rush to make the change. That said, just imagine Teddy Bridgewater making his return from injury at home. No, I’m not crying; you are crying. Both can slide into a fantasy roster, but that is about all that can be said.
You were going to start Alex Smith anyway. But just a reminder that he needs to come off the bench following his bye, since he is the next quarterback who gets to pick on the Giants. The G-Men just gave up 288 yards and two touchdowns to C.J. Beathard. Yes, C.J. Beathard. The Giants seem to have no passion right now, and that will be the case until Ben McAdoo is out.
Running backs
In standard scoring, only six running backs scored over 15 points last week. One of those was Austin Ekeler. You are likely asking a question, so let me answer it. Who is he? He is the third running back on the Chargers’ depth chart, but was the second option due to Branden Oliver being inactive. He proceeded to go off for 15 touches, over 100 total yards and two touchdown catches. The sample size is not large enough to warrant a start, but Melvin Gordon owners would be apt to stash him as a handcuff, especially in PPR leagues.
To the 30 percent of ESPN leagues that saw DeMarco Murray sit on the bench last week, you are likely plugging him back in this week. It was the first week he really showed life, but here’s just a reminder of the Tennessee situation this week. Thursday night at Pittsburgh, a short week can be tough, and Murray sits as a flex option.
Historically, the two must starts for the Saints in fantasy have been Drew Brees and whoever was the top wide receiver. Now, it is both Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara. The pair made up one third of the 15-plus point running backs last week. With how the Saints have been playing, both are good to go until they start revisiting divisional foes.
Wide receivers
In the last four games, Antonio Brown has not been the top receiver in Pittsburgh. That title goes to column favorite JuJu Smith-Schuster. He is still available in over a quarter of ESPN leagues, and there is no reason for that. With Brown occupying top corners, Smith-Schuster is a top WR2 for the rest of the year.
If there is a hard place to bounce back from a poor performance, it is Seattle. Julio Jones is coming off a poor performance last week, putting up just 57 yards against Dallas. The game was not helped by game flow, as Atlanta thrashed the Cowboys. But the banged-up Seahawks’ secondary will offer a good opportunity for a bounce back. Jones can start with confidence.
Tight ends
To finish off the discussion of how bad the Giants are, I bring up a question. What do Dallas, Detroit, Philadelphia, Denver, Seattle, both Los Angeles teams and San Francisco have in common? All have had a tight end score a touchdown against New York. That is every opponent but Tampa Bay, and the Buccaneers scored two. The Giants play the Chiefs this week, and one of the best tight ends in the NFL, Travis Kelce.