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Chris Thompson
Washington Redskins
Thompson Flashes
Thompson only had three carries, but two of them went for scores, including a 61-yard scamper. He finished with six touches for 106 yards and two scores. Rob Kelley could miss time with the injury and Thompson is lightening in a bottle.
Fantasy Goo: Thompson is the back to own in PPR leagues, his floor is solid with the passing downs work and he will probably average five carries a game if Kelley (ribs) is out.
09/19/17, 07:08 PM CDT by Wheeler
Source: pyromaniac.com
Chris Carson
Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Backfield Jumble
Carson was the man at running back for the Seahawks, running the ball 20 times for 93 yards, and he caught one pass for 7 yards to give him 100 total yards on the day. Lacy is a non-factor, and Rawls does not look like he will be able to keep Carson from getting the Lion share of carries going forward.
Fantasy Goo: Carson will probably be the number one waiver add in your league, and if you have the number one pick you NEED to add Carson now.
09/19/17, 07:06 PM CDT by Wheeler
Source: pyromaniac.com
D'Onta Foreman
Houston Texans
The Foreman Is On The Job
The Texans want to get Foreman more involved in the offense, and this week he had 12 carries for 40 yards. He is going to be in a 60/40 split with Lamar Miller, but there is upside if Miller goes down. His workload should only increase as the season moves along.
Fantasy Goo: If he’s still available, if you have space on your roster, and if you can wait a few weeks for him to take even more of the role, then this is your guy to grab. Foreman could emerge as the Texans primary back by the end of the year.
09/19/17, 07:03 PM CDT by Wheeler
Source: pyromaniac.com
Rashard Higgins
Cleveland Browns
They Call Him "Hollywood"
Browns placed WR Corey Coleman on injured reserve with a broken hand. Coleman underwent surgery on his broken right hand Monday. Higgins played 54-of-71 snaps against the Ravens, 12 more than Kenny Britt. He also turned 11 targets into seven catches for 95 yards. He was just promoted off the practice squad on Saturday, so he could be a one hit wonder.
Fantasy Goo: Normally I would say to just put him on your watch list, but he could emerge into what we thought Kenny Britt would be. Britt is playing like he doesn’t give a crap right now, which is giving Higgins opportunity and with Coleman out for at least eight weeks there might not be anyone else to throw to.
09/19/17, 07:00 PM CDT by Wheeler
Source: www.rotoworld.com
Will Fuller
Houston Texans
Strong Out, Fuller In
Will Fuller (collarbone) returned to practice on Monday. It's a potential sign Fuller could return for Week 3. The Houston Chronicle reported in early August that Fuller would likely miss "2-3 months," but Fuller is an elite athlete in optimal condition, and he is capable of beating a lengthy timetable like that. The Texans also placed WR Jaelen Strong on waivers and the Jaguars have claimed him.
Fantasy Goo: It’s too bad the Texans still don’t have a QB. Fuller could add a valuable weapon for Watson, but I don’t see Watson being a productive QB that can maintain two WR’s with weekly fantasy value. Keep Fuller on the watch list just in case Watson proves he can produce or they shift to a free agent QB.
09/19/17, 06:57 PM CDT by Wheeler
Source: www.rotoworld.com
A.J. Green
Cincinnati Bengals
Green looking forward to Green Bay
A.J. Green has struggled to get going this season, with 10 receptions for 141 yards and no touchdowns. This week he faces a Packers defense that could be without Mike Daniels and Ahmad Brooks. Julio Jones had 108 yards against the Packers last week, and without the pass rush of Daniels Green should be able to make more plays downfield this week. The Bengals are looking for their first touchdown of the season, and Dalton wants it to be a passing touchdown to A.J.
09/19/17, 06:57 PM CDT by Houdini
Source: www.pro-football-reference.com
Le'Veon Bell
Pittsburgh Steelers
Bell looking for a breakthrough against the Bears
Le'Veon has only totaled 138 yards with no scores through the first two weeks. Owners should be feeling good about his matchup this week against the Bears. Chicago is already without LB Jerrell Freeman, and last week lost his replacement Nick Kwiatkowski. The Bears are a mess and Bell should be able to exploit those weaknesses for big gains this week.
09/19/17, 06:52 PM CDT by Houdini
Source: www.pro-football-reference.com
Carolina Panthers
Carolina In My Mind
Implied Team Totals: Panthers 25, Bills 18
Cam looked rusty last week, he was literally shaking his arm after passes like there was rust in his shoulder joint. Christian McCaffrey out-snapped Jonathan Stewart 70% to 43% in Week 1, but Stewart out-touched McCaffrey 20 to 18, and Stewart scored the backfield’s lone TD on a red-zone reception where McCaffrey served as a decoy. As Carolina is favored by a touchdown at home, this sets up as another positive-script game where Stewart can log a similar if not superior workload to his dynamic rookie counterpart, giving both Panthers backs RB2/flex appeal. I don’t like any of the receivers, Benjamin is only ranked within the startable range because of the implied opportunity and what should be a prime match-up.
09/17/17, 10:30 AM CDT by Wheeler
Source: www.rotoworld.com
Buffalo Bills
Buffalo @ Carolina
Implied Team Totals: Panthers 25, Bills 18
Tyrod is a solid sit for me on the road against a strong Carolina defense that silenced the 49ers on the road last week. McCoy will get 25 or so carries so I’m starting him in season-long, but his upside is capped so he’s a fade in DFS this week. Charles Clay led Buffalo in targets and caught his eighth TD in 29 games as a Bill. Last year’s Panthers allowed the league’s second-most fantasy points to tight ends, a position to which their Cover-3 zone can be vulnerable.
09/17/17, 10:28 AM CDT by Wheeler
Source: www.rotoworld.com
New England Patriots
New England @ New Orleans
Implied Team Totals: Patriots 31, Saints 25
Last year the Saints allowed the second-most points (454) and the most passing yards (4380), the Superdome is now known as football’s version of Coors Field for its elevation of offensive output. My top DFS plays are Brady, of course, Cooks in a revenge game, Gronk if you are ok with paying up at TE, and the way to get Gronk in a DK line-up is to play James White at RB2 or flex. White is cheap, and played the most snaps of the RB’s last week, he could have around 5 receptions for around 35-50yds and cross your fingers for a TD.
09/17/17, 10:12 AM CDT by Wheeler
Source: www.rotoworld.com
New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Hosting New England
Implied Team Totals: Patriots 31, Saints 25
The Saints, and Brees are a different animal at home than the road. Alex Smith shredded the Pats last week and even on short rest (6 days, compared to NE’s 10 days) Brees should see similar numbers. I feel good about starting Michael Thomas or Fleener, they should see the bulk of red-zone targets. The RB situation is in flux so the only RB I’m considering is Alvin Kamara, he’s obviously not a cash game play, but at $3500 he could pay-off in a big way.
09/17/17, 10:09 AM CDT by Wheeler
Source: www.rotoworld.com
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars have alot to do to bounce back to fantasy relevance in week 2
With Blake Bortles playing the role as "game manager" it certainly puts a cap on the Jags offense as a whole,sure Leonard Fournette can be counted on to get the Lions share of work but at the cost of the passing game especially after losing AR15 who is left to count on ?
Blake threw for a meager 125 and a TD in week one's victory over Houston,but went 11 for 21 pass attempts. (21 attempts yoikes)
It seems the lack of faith in Bortles has everyone wondering if you can even start any pass catcher on this team.
The improvement of the defense should help but if history tells us anything it is that the Jags will be playing from behind and will be forced to throw. So again who's catching the ball in Jacksonville week 2?
Allen Hurns caught 3 out of 4 targets for 42 yards in the Jaguars' season opener and should be the one to take on the WR1 duties. He did show some fantasy value two years ago and is most likely to be the receiver with the most upside and is currently WR 49 on pyro rankings.
Marqise Lee was off the marq week 1 and had 4 balls thrown his way and failed to haul in a single catch, but he is in line to be the WR2. Maybe the increased workload and motivation of being more involved in the game plan will be the trick for Lee who's is WR 50 on pyro rankings.
Marcedes Lewis the tight-end failed to make a single reception of his two targets vs.the Texans. He could be called on to make up some of the loss of ARob but I'm not holding my breath. He only had 169 yards and a single touchdown all of last season Lewis is currently holding down TE 47 on the current pyro rankings.
Fantasy Goo: So if your like me the approach in Jacksonville is wait and see what happens Sunday vs Tennessee and hopefully we get the answers we are looking for by end of week three.
09/17/17, 05:13 AM CDT by PK Ripper
Source: pyromaniac.com
Green Bay Packers
Packers @ Falcons
Ty Montgomery played 75 of82 snaps, he’s playing a team that struggles to cover RBs and there’s a high over under. After allowing a league-high 14.5 receiving points per game to opposing backfields in 2016, Atlanta allowed a Week 1 high 23.1 points to the Chicago backfield receiving. Aaron Rodgers has thrown 10 touchdowns with at least three in each game and averaged 29.3 points per game. Randall Cobb accounted for 32 percent of the Green Bay targets Week 1.
Fantasy Goo: Start everyone mentioned above and Jordy. I guess Adams and Bennett are solid plays too, but I usually stay away from them in general, very TD dependent. This should be a shoot-out in Atlanta’s new stadium, and I expect Ty Montgomery to have the best value at $5800 on DK.
09/16/17, 06:28 PM CDT by Wheeler
Source: www.rotoworld.com
Akeem Hunt
Houston Texans
Double Hunt in KC
“Chiefs are releasing CJ Spiller again, per sources. This makes room on the 53 for RB Akeem Hunt, who can contribute on lots of special teams.”
Fantasy: Ok, this means absolutely nothing, but if you have that guy in your league that keeps sending annoying trades, you should pick up Akeem and send the guy an offer when you know he’s been drinking. All he’ll see is Hunt KC, if you make the right offer. Ask for someone good, but don’t get greedy.
09/16/17, 06:24 PM CDT by Wheeler
Source: twitter.com
Michael Crabtree
Oakland Raiders
Crabtree is the WR1 on Oakland yet again
Crabtree is the WR1a for the Raiders against a strong Jets defense in Oakland, but it’s the first home game of the year and they’ve already shown the ability to put up points. This game should end in a blowout which means more red-zone targets for Crabby, something that he didn’t see in Week 1. Look for another seven reception performance for around 100 yards and a touchdown.
09/16/17, 04:56 PM CDT by d-Rx
Source: www.pyomaniac.com
Derek Carr
Oakland Raiders
Great matchup this week
Carr was very efficient against the Titans on the road but will break out in a major way at home against the withering Jets defense. Tyrod Taylor posted 18.7 FF points in Week 1 against NYJ and Carr has better weapons at his disposal. Carr could easily be the top QB this week and will continue to be the steal of the draft.
09/16/17, 04:54 PM CDT by d-Rx
Source: www.pyomaniac.com
Amari Cooper
Oakland Raiders
Cooper scooper
Cooper had the big fantasy day with his 62 yards and a touchdown, but he had only five receptions on 13 targets! Something to be concerned about, but Amari also worked through a small knee injury. Use the eye-test in Week 2 to see if his efficiency improves, otherwise, Crabtree might re-take the WR1 spot on this powerful offense.
09/16/17, 04:54 PM CDT by d-Rx
Source: www.pyomaniac.com
Emmanuel Sanders
Denver Broncos
2 inches short of explosion
Sanders was so close to a massive fantasy day but was overthrown by inches on two red-zone targets on Monday night. Sanders and Demaryius will mimic each other’s stat lines through the season, but ‘Manny usually sees the softer coverage. Over the course of the season, Demaryius will see a larger total FF point sum, but itll be Sanders that wins you the week.
09/16/17, 04:53 PM CDT by d-Rx
Source: www.pyomaniac.com
Demaryius Thomas
Denver Broncos
Solid WR2 in all formats
Thomas will continue to be a solid WR2 especially in PPR leagues. Dallas is a similar test to the Chargers in defending receivers, so temper expectations for a breakout week, but you can definitely expect 6-8 receptions for just under 100 yards.
09/16/17, 04:52 PM CDT by d-Rx
Source: www.pyomaniac.com
C.J. Anderson
Denver Broncos
Anderson has Charles breathing down his neck...
Anderson rushed 20 times for 81 yards but was often replaced near the goal line and in long yardage situations. It was odd to see and may be a legitimate concern with Jamaal Charles in the back-up role. All CJ owners should think about stashing Charles on the bench. Dallas only allowed 9.6 and 3.5 FF points to Giant RBs so we should expect a similar output in Week 2, making CJ a flex candidate.
09/16/17, 04:50 PM CDT by d-Rx
Source: www.pyomaniac.com
Home Heroes & Road Warriors - Tight Ends
Posted by d-Rx on 08/29/16
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by The Archer More Articals |
Looking Deeper at Tight Ends
Rob Gronkowski. Jordan Reed. Greg Olsen. We know who the best of the best are. But if you draft and value players like me, then you are not going to pay the price tag to get one of those three. Gronk is being drafted in the late 1st or early 2nd round while Reed and Olsen are being drafted as top 50 players off the board. While you may miss out one of the top tight ends in the league by waiting until the middle to late rounds to grab one, streaming those later round tight ends based on home/road splits may give your team the edge to bring home the gold. So let us take a deeper look into the top 24 tight ends based on ADP from Fantasy Pros as of August 25, 2016. We are going to dig into the home/road splits for them and also dig into how they performed against their divisional opponents so we can give you the Home Heroes and Road Warriors.
Road Warriors
We all know how successful players like Drew Brees are when they put on the pads and play in front of the home crowd. It takes a special player to perform at the highest level on the road in front of a hostile crowd. Let’s look at the tight ends and see who could be a solid streaming candidate or late round pick when their teams are on the road.
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Jimmy Graham
I know, I know. Jimmy Graham looked awful and only played in 11 games in 2015. The transition from super powered offense in New Orleans to the conservative, smash mouth style in Seattle did not translate to the red zone targets and being the obvious choice for quarterback Russell Wilson to target. But even with the drop in production and the season ending injury, Graham finished as the tight end 17. Graham was definitely the number one target last year in Seattle before his injury, averaging over 6 targets per game. With a median score of 9.45 points scored on the road over the last three seasons, Graham has shown the ability to play at a high level in hostile environments. Only Gronkowski has a better median score. Seattle showed the willingness to open up the playbook last year after a slew of injuries made them change their game plan. If Pete Carroll allows Wilson to keep throwing the ball like they did at the end of season and Graham can stay on the field, expect Graham to bounce back in 2016.
Dwayne Allen
It should be no surprise to anyone following football that Allen has the worst median score of the 24 tight ends being drafted. With a median score of 1.4 and a ceiling score of 12.4 points in standard leagues over the last three years, Allen hasn’t even been on the radar as a potential streaming option. Allen has been plagued by injuries as he has never played a full season in his career, and hasn’t played more than 12 games in a year for the past three seasons. The Colts showed their confidence in Allen this offseason when they decided to let Fleener walk, and that should open the door for Allen to produce. Andrew Luck targeted his tight ends 168 times in 2014 and Allen saw 50 of those. Even though Allen has not produced at the level that we all would like to see in our tight ends, this will be his year to show what he can do.
Divisional Road Dogs
When you play the other teams in your division twice a year, it is safe to say you need big time performances on the road to ensure victory. The pressure is doubled when those road games against division opponents could get your team playing for the championship or at home watching from the couch. Let us take a look at a couple of Divisional Road Dogs
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Antonio Gates
The San Diego Charger great is back for one more season. And it should be a historical one at that because Gates is 8 touchdowns away from breaking Tony Gonzalez’s all-time record for tight ends. He has proven over the years to be a favorite target for Philip Rivers, recording a median score of 7.85 points on the road and an impressive 7.4 points against his divisional foes on the road. In 2015, he only scored 1 touchdown against division foes on the road but starting the season healthy and being on the same page on the target for the end of season with his quarterback Gates looks to bounce back to top 10 tight end status. His current ADP at tight end 11 and 100 overall makes Gates a late round pick that will pay off with top 10 finish barring injuries.
Ladarius Green
Ladarius Green up to this point in his career was the back-up to Antonio Gates in San Diego. And it looks like his first extended chance to be the number one tight end for a team (Pittsburgh) could be put on hold with nagging injuries keeping him off the field for most of training camp. The conflicting reports of ankle injury or headaches raise an even bigger red flag. In his limited playing time, Green never showed his true potential finishing the last three years with a median score of 2.3 fantasy points scored. While he was brought to the Steelers to take over for Heath Miller, it doesn’t look like Green will produce much this season. Nothing more than a really late round flier or a waiver wire pickup once news of his health start clearing up.
Hometown Heroes
Players like to ball out for the home crowd. Nothing better than scoring that touchdown and listening to the thousands in the stands cheer your name. Some experience that rush more than others and it’s time to give those players their dues. When looking to stream a position like tight end, it is very important to look at how these tight ends perform when the lights of the local stadium are shining on their face.
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Julius Thomas
Thomas came on strong in 2013 with the Denver Broncos as the top tight end option in that high powered offense. Peyton Manning has always enjoyed a pass catching tight end and Thomas filled the role amazingly giving Thomas the chance to sign a big free agent contract to join the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2015. While his first year with Blake Bortles didn’t quite live up to expectations that most fantasy owners had (including myself), we know Thomas performs at his best when he is at home. Since his breakout year of 2013 Thomas has a median score of 9.5 fantasy points in all home games played. Thomas also saw the second most targets in a season of his career. 4 of his 5 touchdowns last year came at home and he looks to become a red zone threat for that offense. One more training camp and work out with Bortles should create that chemistry that will allow Thomas to beat out his ADP as the 9th tight end off the board and 97 player taken overall.
Gary Barnidge
I could have easily used this space to talk about Ladarius Green or Dwayne Allen again, but that is not the type of person I am. So let us talk about another tight end, one who came on strong last year on a bad team: Gary Barnidge. While Barnidge finished last year as the number 2 tight end in standard scoring leagues, he also saw an incredible increase in targets and touchdowns. 9 of his 12 career touchdowns came last year and the 125 targets seen last year is exactly 100 targets more than his next best season. Overall over the last 3 seasons, Barnidge has only averaged 2.9 fantasy points at home. He hasn’t shown the consistency to be a top tight end and his career numbers expect huge regression. His ADP of tight end 8 and 79th overall player will be hard for Barnidge to succeed with. Don’t be fooled by his one great season, let us see another year of production before we name him a Hometown Hero.
Honorable Mention: Coby Fleener
Coby Fleener served as the primary receiving TE for the Colts the last three years and that earned him a big payday in New Orleans. It is common knowledge that Drew Brees and that offense are always clicking on all cylinders when playing in the Super Dome. Fleener is a better replacement than Ben Watson was last year for Jimmy Graham and should be able to produce at a TE5 or better clip. Not many chances will be had to stream him but if you pay the price to draft Fleener, watch him early this season to see how he fits in with that offense.
Home Versus Divisional Opponents
We know the drill by now. Win all the home games and steal a couple on the road, you will more than likely be seeing the playoffs. These players play big in the biggest home games: the games against their division rivals. Let’s get a couple of names to talk about that we could exploit their matchups.
- enlarge chart -
Jason Witten
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Jason Witten has been Tony Romo’s favorite target over the time. Witten has been a staple in that Dallas offense, and with the Cowboys looking to go back to power run game, the passing attack should open back up for Witten. Witten over the last three years has compiled an average score of 11.8 fantasy points scored when playing home games against division opponents. 2015 is the perfect example of this. All three of his touchdowns last year came against division rivals Giants and Redskins while playing in the confines of AT&T Stadium. Now that the news of Romo’s back injury has been released, I expect Dak Prescott to rely heavily on Witten and a healthy Dez Bryant in the passing game. Witten has the floor you look for at a very volatile position and with a rookie quarterback or an older player looking to avoid the big hit at the helm of that offense, Witten could easily improve on his 2015 numbers that saw him end as the tight end 12. His ADP of 14th tight end of the board and the 129th overall player drafted could easily turn into the steal of the draft that gives you that consistency every single week that could give you fantasy gold. Especially when at home against the NFC East.
Eric Ebron
Calvin Johnson is no longer suiting up for the Detroit Lions. No more feeding the best wide receiver the league has seen in a long time. So what does this mean for the Lions passing game? It should mean that Ebron, Tate, and Jones are going to be asked to step up and fill those legendary shoes. And while Tate and Jones on the outside look to be a potent duo for Stafford, Ebron hasn’t shown as much. Whether it be because of health issues- having never played a full 16 game season- or concerns that his head just is not in the game Ebron has not lived up to his draft position the last couple of seasons. He scored on average a lousy 2.3 fantasy points when playing at home against divisional opponents to go with a 2.55 average in ALL home games. While the Lions are looking for him to fill the red zone role left by Johnson, he has not done much this training camp to build that rapport with Stafford, who is one of the best fantasy options at home. Being drafted as the 198th player off the board and the 19th tight end is a low risk price that could lead to some streaming capabilities if Ebron and Stafford show some chemistry.
Now while these players listed have all been highlighted for many reasons, we can't forget to be diligent in watching new trends and new information. Ebron could step up and come off this list. Graham could not show any improvements and no longer be in favor with Russell. For all the latest news and advice, reach out through Twitter. Follow me at @LouieMac8 and make sure to always check Pyromaniac for the latest information.
by Louie Mac
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