Fantasy Football News 2015/16

HacheMan · Oct 21, 2015

Fantasy ranks: Palmer, top weapons worthy

Eric Karabell, ESPN.com Senior Writer
ESPN INSIDER

The Baltimore Ravens' secondary has become a mess, thanks to injuries and an ordinary pass rush and, as a result, it’s easy to see why Arizona Cardinalsquarterback Carson Palmer and his considerable arsenal of weapons will produce big numbers in Week 7. Palmer is my No. 1 quarterback for the week, even over the awesome Tom Brady, as he faces a difficult matchup against the rival New York Jets. Matchups matter in fantasy. Palmer is facing the defense permitting the most fantasy points to QBs and second-most to wide receivers, so now it’s about figuring out the actual hierarchy of said weapons.

Despite the fact that Michael Floyd scored the Cardinals' lone touchdown in Sunday’s dispiriting loss in Pittsburgh, against another troubled defense the Cardinals figured to ravage, I rank Floyd third among Palmer’s targets and see no reason to alter that thinking. Larry Fitzgerald is a top-10 play, still seeing myriad targets, and John Brown isn’t far from an elite option this week against cornerbacks Jimmy Smith and Shareece Wright, the latter a recent signing who struggled mightily in his team debut. Yes, the Ravens have been ravaged by injuries, but facts are facts and it’s not tough to throw on them. Floyd is more of a deep-league option for me, however. I can’t recall ranking Brown as generously as I do this week, at No. 14.

The Ravens do a considerably better job against opposing running backs, having allowed 75 rushing yards in only one of six games, and it’s not because opposing offenses aren’t trying to run. It’s a critical week for the Cardinals’ Chris Johnsonand his fantasy value. He looked awful against the Steelers and I still think he sees more volume than Andre Ellington, but … let’s just say I’m not trading for Johnson. My running back rankings look different than my colleagues' rankings; I’m the only one who left Chris Johnson out of RB2 range. I have Ellington in the top 30. I also think rookie David Johnson will see more chances, at home after a loss and especially if Chris Johnson starts slowly again. Plus, Palmer doesn’t throw much to Chris Johnson. Perhaps it’s more gut feeling than anything else, but if Ellington is healthy enough to dress, he needs more than three touches from scrimmage.

As for the Ravens, boasting one measly win, offensively this does not profile as a one-win team. This isn’t the week to rely on Joe Flacco, but I’m not worried about running back Justin Forsett. Perhaps he’s more RB2 than top 10 this week, but the Baltimore schedule gets easier after this, with games against quite a few losing squads on the horizon. Forsett is not losing the job to Buck Allen. At wide receiver, I ranked Steve Smith Sr. very well this week -- we all did, really -- but I have real concerns about his rest-of-season value. He’s got broken bones in his back and this team is 1-5. Yes, Smith is planning to retire, so you might ask why the team would shut him down early, but … he’s a risk. I like tight endCrockett Gillmore and think Kamar Aiken is generally worth a deep-league look, but again, this isn’t the week.

Quarterback: Two top-10 quarterbacks hit the bye this week in Aaron Rodgersand Andy Dalton, while I suppose some might still be relying on Peyton Manning. Anyway, you might be a Rodgers owner who didn’t draft a backup. See if Blake Bortles, Tyrod Taylor or Ryan Tannehill is available. Bortles is the No. 6 quarterback scorer in fantasy this season. It’s not a fluke. He’s got weapons and another favorable matchup. The Bills, despite the hype, allow the 10th-most fantasy points to quarterbacks. Taylor should play. Tannehill looked better after his bye week. … Don’t get too excited about what Matthew Stafford did last week, or what you believe Teddy Bridgewater can do to Detroit’s defense. He’s not Cutler. Bridgewater isn’t throwing enough. I’d rather use Josh McCown, who is. … If Ben Roethlisberger suits up, he’d be in my top 10, but I don’t see that happening. Landry Jones, despite playing the awful Chiefs secondary, barely made my top 25.

<article class="ad-300" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; overflow: hidden; position: relative; z-index: 1000026; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px; float: right; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px;">
</article>Running back: Interesting difference of opinions on Chris Ivory. I think we all like the Jets' breakout star, but the Patriots have a way of handling situations like these. I ranked Ivory top-10, despite leaving him out of the end-of-season top 10. I don’t think the Patriots will simply let Ryan Fitzpatrick throw. … I understand why most suddenly love DeMarco Murray again, but the numbers he accrued the past two weeks came after halftime in games the Eagles led. Will they be leading at unbeaten Carolina this week? … I don’t know what to do with the Dallas situation, but I know many owners are going to overrate Christine Michael. Can Michael be a star? We have no clue. Nor have the Cowboys made their plans clear. I think Michael and Joseph Randle split carries, but it could be a nice way to motivate Randle. I ranked him better, but not top-20. … Three Lions running backs made the staff top 40. I have pass-catching Theo Riddicktops there, but acknowledge a healthy Joique Bell does matter. If he’s available, add him in case.

Wide receiver: Yep, every week the five rankers seem to have a different top guy. For me this week it’s DeAndre Hopkins. He’s healthy and consistently productive, regardless of matchup. And this matchup shouldn’t be a major problem. … I hope Allen Robinson plays and the “Q” next to his name isn’t a future theme for him that he’s always questionable to play. The Jaguars can move the football. … One of us has Antonio Brown in the top 10, another has him outside the top 20. I’m at No. 11, so I still trust him. Landry Jones doesn’t have to be Joe Montana to make Brown relevant again. … We continue to rankJarvis Landry so nicely, but has anyone noticed he still boasts nary a receiving touchdown? Sometimes it’s tough for slot guys to score touchdowns. Anyway, he’s out of my top 20, barely. Where’s the upside? … Yes, Travis Benjamin is a reasonable flex choice. … Martavis Bryant gets a WR3 ranking from me. I know what he can do, but he’s still not a high-volume option and yes, that matters. … Now that Stefon Diggs is no longer a sleeper, keep an eye out for Jamison Crowder and Robert Woods. They’ll have opportunities.

HacheMan · Oct 25, 2015

[h=1]Week 7 fantasy advice: Watch out for LeSean McCoy, Gary Barnidge, Cole Beasley[/h]ESPN INSIDER

ESPN has planted spies in every NFL locker room -- OK, so they're our NFL Nation team reporters -- in order to provide fantasy owners with inside intel to help you win your league. Here's a collection of fantasy lineup advice pulled straight from the locker rooms and practice fields of every team.
Here is our NFL Nation reporters' Week 7 fantasy advice.

Arizona Cardinals: Carson Palmer must be licking his chops. TheBaltimore Ravens have one of the worst pass defenses in the league, allowing an average of 286.2 passing yards per game, including 422 yards to the Browns two weeks ago. Palmer is averaging 289.5 yards per game. And the Ravens have three interceptions to 11 passing touchdowns allowed. -- Josh Weinfuss

Atlanta Falcons: Devonta Freeman could be in for another big game against Tennessee. Sure, the Titans have some talented players on defense and two solid pass-rushers in Derrick Morgan and Brian Orakpo. But the Falcons can alleviate some of the pressure on quarterback Matt Ryan by staying committed to the run with Freeman, who has nine rushing touchdowns and leads the NFL with 10 total scores. Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan said it’s not necessarily about getting Freeman into any type of rhythm, but rather about establishing the desired offensive balance. The Titans' past four opponents have rushed for 116 yard or more, and each -- the Browns, Colts, Bills and Dolphins -- had at least one rushing touchdown. -- Vaughn McClure

Baltimore Ravens: Wide receiver Steve Smith is one of five players who is averaging 100 yards receiving per game this season, but he isn't expected to come close to that number at Arizona. The Cardinals have allowed only two receivers (Pittsburgh's Martavis Bryant and St. Louis' Tavon Austin) to produce more than 75 yards receiving this season. Smith will have a tough matchup with Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson, who has given up only 10 catches, according to Pro Football Focus. -- Jamison Hensley

Buffalo Bills: With Tyrod Taylor, Sammy Watkins and Percy Harvinalready ruled out for Sunday's game against the Jaguars, running backLeSean McCoy will have to bear the load for the Bills' offense. McCoy is a safer play Sunday after he was surprisingly effective in his first game back from an injury. Speaking in London, McCoy said he might have left some plays on the field in Week 6 because he was afraid of re-injuring his hamstring, but added that his confidence continues to rise. -- Mike Rodak

Carolina Panthers: This might sound like a broken record, but it's hard to go wrong with tight end Greg Olsen. He's Cam Newton's favorite target with 24 catches for 374 yards and three touchdowns. In last season's blowout loss at Philadelphia, Olsen hauled in six catches for 119 yards on seven targets. With no proven No. 1 wide receiver, Olsen will continue to light it up. -- David Newton

Cleveland Browns: There is no reason to jump off the Gary Barnidge bandwagon. He is the Browns' sole red zone playmaker and target, with five touchdowns in the past four games. Barnidge’s size, precise routes, hands and athleticism have allowed him to make big catch after big catch — including the circus catch in Baltimore while lying on his back. Will Barnidge keep up this pace? Probably not. But playing the Rams and their standout pass rush, getting rid of the ball in a hurry will be important. Barnidge plays into that plan. It’s worth sticking with him until teams take him away. -- Pat McManamon

Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys switched to Matt Cassel at quarterback in part because of his experience. His experience with Wes Welker in 2008 with the New England Patriots could lead to more looks for Cole Beasley. Welker caught at least six passes in 13 of Cassel’s 15 starts and he had four 100-yard games. With the struggles the Cowboys' outside receivers have had in shaking free from coverage, Beasley should be a frequent target for Cassel, who will want to get the ball down the field but who also will be aware of how difficult Beasley is to cover one-on-one underneath. Beasley has at least four catches in every game this season but just two of 20 or more yards. -- Todd Archer

Detroit Lions: Eric Ebron has missed the past two weeks with a knee injury, but it could be safe to put the tight end back in your lineup against Minnesota. Quarterback Matthew Stafford targeted Ebron 10 times in the Week 2 loss against the Vikings, with the second-year TE finishing with five catches for 43 yards and a touchdown. Ebron had been on his way to a breakout season prior to the injury. He had gained the confidence of Stafford and would be an intriguing low-end TE1/high-end TE2 this week. But make sure to pay attention to the injury designations Friday because that could give an indication on what Ebron's expected availability will be. If he’s out, pick up Tim Wright. He’ll get a bunch of snaps. -- Michael Rothstein

Houston Texans: The vast majority of the Texans' targets are going to DeAndre Hopkins, with good reason. But with injuries to the Texans’ receiving corps, you’re going to see more and more of Keith Mumphery, a rookie receiver who is outplaying his status as a fifth-round pick. Mumphery told me that with the help of veterans Hopkins and Nate Washington, he’s learning a lot, especially about what it takes to run routes with the precision necessary in the NFL. In the past two weeks, Mumphery has run the second-most routes of any Texans player and he has gotten the second-most targets among Houston receivers. He has caught only six of his 12 targets in the past two weeks, but I’d expect that to improve going forward. -- Tania Ganguli

Indianapolis Colts: T.Y. Hilton stills leads the Colts in targets, receptions and yards, but he hasn’t been the team’s go-to player when it comes to touchdowns. That honor goes to second-year receiverDonte Moncrief. He leads the Colts in touchdown receptions with four, including two on key plays in games. Moncrief’s first crucial score came on a fade during the Colts’ fourth-quarter comeback against Tennessee in Week 3. The other came on fourth down on another fade in the corner of the end zone against New England in Week 6. -- Mike Wells

Jacksonville Jaguars: Running back T.J. Yeldon returned to practice this week after missing last week with a groin injury and indications are that he should play against Buffalo on Sunday in London. However, the Jaguars want to make sure the 8½-hour flight doesn't take too great a toll. The plan is to be extra careful with the rookie because he’s the key to Jacksonville's run game, so he’s not expected to get his full workload.Toby Gerhart started in Yeldon’s place against Houston and carried nine times for 26 yards and Denard Robinson gained 19 yards on seven carries, so neither is really a viable fantasy alternative. -- Mike DiRocco

Kansas City Chiefs: After being shut out of catches in the first half with just one target, tight end Travis Kelce finished with team highs of seven targets, five catches and 88 yards in Week 6 against Minnesota. That could be a hint that Alex Smith will continue to look for Kelce this week against the Steelers. The Chiefs will be without Jamaal Charles and possiblyJeremy Maclin, who left the Vikings game early because of a concussion. -- Adam Teicher

Miami Dolphins: Fantasy owners of Dolphins rookie receiverDeVante Parker will have to remain patient. Seven weeks into the regular season, the No. 14 overall pick is still not in the team's immediate plans on offense. Interim head coach Dan Campbell recently described Parker as a "flash player," meaning there are moments of brilliance. But until Parker is able to make plays more consistently in practice, it's hard for the coaching staff to trust him in games. Don't expect Parker, who has just four catches for 49 yards, to be much of a fantasy factor until at least the second half of the season. -- James Walker

Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings have completed 13 passes to rookie receiver Stefon Diggs, who has posted 216 yards in his first two games of NFL action, but with Charles Johnson looking likely to return this week from a rib injury, Diggs might not see the same number of opportunities on Sunday in Detroit as he has enjoyed the past two weeks. Offensive coordinator Norv Turner said Thursday “we’re comfortable with all six of our receivers,” and told reporters to slow down on praising the rookie. Johnson appeared to be working ahead of Diggs in the Vikings' three-receiver set during practice this week. Considering the Vikings haven’t put four receivers on the field at the same time this season, Diggs' targets might not be as frequent Sunday. -- Ben Goessling

New England Patriots: Wide receiver Brandon LaFell still needs to be activated to the 53-man roster before he is eligible to play. The Patriots plan to see how LaFell looks in practices this week after opening the year on the physically unable to perform list before making that call leading into Sunday’s game against the Jets. Quarterback Tom Brady is one of LaFell’s biggest boosters. That decision will be known, one way or the other, by late Saturday afternoon to help those setting fantasy lineups. -- Mike Reiss

New York Giants: I always recommend staying away from Giants running backs in fantasy because the coaching staff seems to lack week-to-week consistency in the way it uses the backs. Add in the fact that the Giants haven't run the ball well this year (89.5 yards per game, 3.6 per carry), and there's no reason to jam one of these guys into your lineup. However, there is a particularly bad run of fantasy bye weeks coming up, and if you're stuck for help, Rashad Jennings isn't a bad place to look. Jennings seems to have clearly pulled ahead of Andre Williams for the early-down role, as he's averaging 3.7 yards per carry to Williams' 2.8. Jennings had 52 yards on 13 carries in Week 1 in Dallas (and would have scored a second touchdown if Eli Manning hadn't told him not to), and the Giants' next three opponents after the Cowboys on Sunday rank 30th, 25th and 22nd in run defense. It's a risk, but if you can afford to take one, Jennings might be able to help you through the bye-week wilderness. -- Dan Graziano

New York Jets: The Jets are quietly confident about their ability to run the ball against the Patriots, who are yielding 4.9 yards per rush.Chris Ivory is a strong fantasy play. He's red-hot (312 yards in the past two games) and will get the ball a lot, as the Jets' goal is to slow the game and play ball control. Beware of QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, who has struggled throughout his career against the Patriots -- a 1-6 record with 17 interceptions. -- Rich Cimini

New Orleans Saints: Don't go overboard with your expectations for Saints tight end Benjamin Watson after his career-best performance with 10 catches for 127 yards and a touchdown. It's not as if the Saints discovered a new weapon or a new way to replace Jimmy Graham. Watson, 34, just proved to be a good matchup against the Falcons' Cover 3 scheme. It did prove that Watson is a legitimate option in the passing offense, and he plays a ton of snaps as a blocker/receiver. So he could fill in for a week in your fantasy lineups in case of byes or injuries. But he doesn't have any other games with more than five targets this season, so expect some quiet days too. -- Mike Triplett

Oakland Raiders: The Raiders haven’t gotten much production from the tight ends in the passing game. Oakland’s tight ends have caught 16 passes for 130 yards. However, the Raiders are hoping rookie Clive Walford is ready to take the next step. The third-round pick had a 33-yard catch against Denver in Week 5. Walford was expected to stretch the field but two injuries in training camp stalled his development. Oakland is expected to try to get him more involved as a receiver. -- Bill Williamson

Philadelphia Eagles: With Nelson Agholor likely out and Riley Cooper and Josh Huff limited by injuries, Sam Bradford is going to have to throw to somebody. This could be a good week for tight endZach Ertz and running back Darren Sproles, but wide receiver Jordan Matthewscould be the main beneficiary. Matthews can play outside or in the slot, and provides Bradford with a big target. -- Phil Sheridan

Pittsburgh Steelers: With Landry Jones better versed in the Steelers' rhythm-heavy passing game, Le'Veon Bell expects to be more involved as a receiver. Jones knows all the checks that can get a running back out wide. He can rack up more fantasy points that way. Bell has averaged 22 rushing touches per game the past three weeks, and expect that number to stay fairly high while he adds a few catches to the mix. -- Jeremy Fowler

St. Louis Rams: Todd Gurley has a favorable matchup against Cleveland's 32nd-ranked run defense this week, but what hasn't been noted is Gurley could have a breakout receiving game against the Browns. Cleveland is allowing 11.23 yards per catch to running backs, second to last in the NFL. Gurley hasn't had much of a chance to show off his receiving skills (three catches, 20 yards) but he's a regular on the JUGS machine after practice. If the Browns stack the box to try to slow the running game, Gurley still figures to find ways to pick up yards in chunks. -- Nick Wagoner

San Diego Chargers: Stevie Johnson returned to the field after a two-week absence because of a hamstring injury. With Keenan Allen(hip) and Antonio Gates (knee) both missing practice time this week because of injuries, Johnson should see a fair number of targets from Philip Rivers. Johnson has averaged six targets a game in four games, and should get more touches if Allen and Gates don’t play Sunday against the Oakland Raiders.-- Eric Williams
<article class="ad-300" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; overflow: hidden; position: relative; z-index: 1000026; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px; float: right; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px;">
</article>

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Running back Doug Martin said he has gained more confidence in his offensive line after seeing how the group controlled the line of scrimmage during his 123-yard rushing day against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 5. Sunday's opponent, the Washington Redskins, allowed Chris Ivory to run for 146 yards in Week 6 and they're surrendering 118.2 yards per game on the ground. When speaking about his offensive line Wednesday, Martin said he "can't wait to see what they are going to do." -- Andrew Astleford

Tennessee Titans: Receiver Harry Douglas is unlikely to play after missing practice for two days with a rib cartilage injury. That will mean an increased role for rookie Dorial Green-Beckham, who has proved capable in the red zone but hasn’t had much of a chance or much success outside it. -- Paul Kuharsky

Washington Redskins: It’s best to stay away from the Redskins’ running game for the time being. With Matt Jones back, it’ll be another combination effort with him and Alfred Morris, whose inability to break tackles or make defenders miss concerns the coaches. But they expect tight end Jordan Reed to play and like the matchup, even though Tampa has allowed just 13 catches to tight ends this season. Why the optimism? Because the Bucs like using their safeties on the tight ends. “There’s not a safety or linebacker that matches up well against him,” Redskins coach Jay Gruden said. -- John Keim

HacheMan · Oct 25, 2015

[h=1]Nickel Coverage: Five fantasy questions that need answers before Week 7[/h]
Tom Carpenter, Fantasy and Insider

As we approach the midway point of the season, it's time to assess several players whose values are unclear. Is Blake Bortles for real? Will Brandin Cooks,T.Y. Hilton and Melvin Gordon make an impact soon? Is Christine Michaelgoing to ascend the Dallas Cowboys' RB depth chart? Who will you use as a fill-in with so many studs taking a Week 7 bye?
Don't worry, we have the answers for all of those questions right here.
Each week throughout the season, I will posit five of the week's most intriguing fantasy questions to a rotating panel of experts from ESPN, ESPN Fantasy and NFL Nation. Five questions for five analysts, thus, Nickel Coverage.
Responses this week come from NFL Nation Dolphins reporter James Walker, NFL Nation Lions reporter Michael Rothstein, ESPN Fantasy senior editor Keith Lipscomb and ESPN Fantasy analysts KC Joyner and yours truly.
[h=2]Blake Bortles has the second-most fantasy points the past two weeks (50) and faces a Bills defense that has allowed multiple touchdown passes in five of six games. Where do you rank Bortles among quarterbacks this week?[/h]Joyner: I have him ranked ninth this week. The biggest thing holding him back from a higher ranking is three Jacksonville wideouts are considered questionable for this matchup. If all of them end up ready to go, Bortles could be considered as high as a top-five QB this week.
Rothstein: Having covered one of the London games last season, there are differences in going over there -- from a rest standpoint to actually playing on a different type of field at Wembley Stadium. There is some familiarity this year for Bortles and Jacksonville as they've done this before, so that should help Bortles. I like him as a player, and he has shown definitive progress, but I worry about any quarterback who has to adjust to that time difference. It's just a different atmosphere over there. I wouldn't play him over a Tom Brady or Philip Rivers, but if your options don't include a top-five guy, he could be worth going with this week, if you're not worried about the time change being a factor.
Walker: Fool's gold. DO NOT BUY IT! Every starting quarterback is going to have solid fantasy numbers for a couple games this season. Bortles had his recent surge, but he is not suddenly on a run that is taking him to the Pro Bowl. I wouldn't touch Bortles as a fantasy starter unless I were desperate with injuries or maybe the bye week affected my usual starter. Despite a recent hot streak, Bortles is still a top 15-20 fantasy quarterback this week in my book, which means he wouldn't start in most leagues.
[h=2]Brandin Cooks (35th) and T.Y. Hilton (25th) are under-performing in fantasy points among wide receivers so far. What are your expectations for each player this week and going forward?[/h]
Lipscomb: No question I like Hilton more this week and for the season. On Sunday, Cooks will likely get a large dose of Vontae Davis, which limits his upside. Cooks is good enough to still make a couple plays, but the Saints haven't been able to find him downfield enough (7.5 yards at the catch this season, 58th among qualifiers) for me to expect a big day. Hilton has been targeted more consistently -- nearly 10 per game -- and is coming off his first touchdown of the season in Week 6. I think he scores again Sunday.
Rothstein: Hilton has been a much more intriguing situation than Cooks this season, mostly because he was dealing with an early-season injury and lost his starting quarterback for a couple weeks. As it is with many receivers, though, facing New Orleans can cure a lot of ills. He's also getting a bunch more targets -- nine-plus in the past three games, including 13 in Week 4 -- and is playing in the somewhat weak AFC South. Don't forget, he also had a slow start last season, waiting until Week 4 to have a 100-yard game and then going four of five weeks with 100-plus yards. So I'd expect Hilton to get it going soon. With Cooks, it's tough to say. New Orleans looked sharper last week, but he hasn't received double-digit targets yet this season. That, to me, is somewhat concerning going forward, although the Saints should be bad enough overall that they are going to throw a lot.
Walker: I like Hilton's prospects more than Cooks' going forward. I put Hilton in the same boat as Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Antonio Brown, who also is having a slow few weeks since quarterback Ben Roethlisberger got injured. I'm not worried about Hilton one bit, just as I'm not worried about Brown. Receivers of that caliber will eventually explode. I'm sure soon we will be talking about Hilton getting his first 100-yard game and finding the end zone with more regularity. I'm not as confident in Cooks, who I think was overrated because of the Saints' offensive system.
[h=2]Melvin Gordon is still seeking his first NFL touchdownand 10-point fantasy effort. Are you benching him until further notice or sticking with him as at least a flex option in Week 7 against the Raiders?[/h]
Joyner: San Diego's 37.4 percent good blocking rate (GBR, a measure of how often an offensive blocking wall gives its ball carriers good blocking) is a couple of points below the league GBR average of 39.9 percent. Add that to his fumble woes last week and it is hard to trust Gordon in a fantasy lineup.
Lipscomb: With every-week starters and flex-worthy considerations such asMatt Forte, Eddie Lacy, Jeremy Hill, Giovani Bernard, C.J. Anderson, Ronnie Hillman and James Starks all on byes, it's really thinned out the RB ranks this week. Therefore, many fantasy owners will have to, at the very least, consider Gordon as a starter. That said, Gordon has as many fumbles the past four games as he has runs of 10 yards or more, and the Chargers seem more than content giving Danny Woodhead more work, even near the goal line -- Woodhead actually has more carries inside the 10-yard line during that span, albeit in a small sample -- and Branden Oliver looms as well. While I think Gordon will still get a share of the touches, my level of confidence he gets the majority of them against the Raiders has dwindled.
Rothstein: Sorry, Melvin, I'm not bothering with you at all against Oakland. The Raiders have the No. 3 run defense in the NFL and the No. 4 yards-per-carry defense. Plus, San Diego is going to throw, throw, throw Sunday against the Raiders, so I'd look for someone else, anyone else, to play this week. Gordon could be worth sticking with on your bench, so don't drop him, but there are many, many better options right now in the NFL. Take a look at some third receivers or passing-down backs on losing teams (hello, Theo Riddick in a PPR league) before you go with Gordon at this point.
[h=2]There's been plenty of talk about Christine Michaelgetting an opportunity in Dallas, but is he worth starting this week against a Giants defense that has allowed at least 15 fantasy points to running backs in all six games?[/h]
Joyner: How many times have we heard the Cowboys say they are going to get some running back a lot of carries and then that back doesn't fully pan out? Michael could end up with 15 carries, but without a vertical passing game (something noodle-armed Matt Cassel will not give them), those rush attempts just aren't going to be highly valuable. That puts Michael in flex territory at best.
Lipscomb: He's never carried the ball more than nine times in a game in his three-year career, so I'm gonna play it like I'm from Missouri ... he's gotta show me first. I'm treating this much like Charcandrick West last week, and am completely fine with missing out on a big performance if it happens. Referencing an earlier question, I would definitely play Gordon ahead of Michael, for example. Michael still faces plenty of competition for early-down touches, between Joseph Randle and Darren McFadden, and he won't be on the field on passing downs. His best value might come as a goal-line option, should the situation arise.
Walker: At this stage in the game, I'm done with far-out projections, and that is what I've considered Michael all season. One of the many lessons I've learned covering the NFL for a decade is teams -- especially good ones -- know what they are at this point in the season. Coaches get comfortable with players around the midpoint of the season and usually don't change their opinions on them that much. Dallas hasn't been comfortable giving Michael opportunities, and I don't think that changes unless there are multiple injuries. It's time to let the hope for Michael go.
[h=2]With the Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, Cincinnati Bengals and Chicago Bears off this week, fantasy owners will be missing myriad elite players. For those looking for replacements, name a player at any position who you think will surprise this week.[/h]
Rothstein: Stevie Johnson could be your guy out in San Diego. The Chargers are coming off a massive passing performance and Oakland has one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL. The Raiders might not allow a ton of fantasy points to receivers, but that could change this week against the explosive San Diego offense. Plus, Johnson will be somewhat rested, as he hasn't played since Week 4 due to a hamstring injury. IfKeenan Allen is limited by his hamstring injury, Johnson could be an intriguing play.
<article class="ad-300" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; overflow: hidden; position: relative; z-index: 1000026; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px; float: right; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px;">
</article>Joyner: Given the injury issues the Giants have in their WR corps, Dwayne Harris could end up as a go-to option versus a weak Cowboys secondary. Harris posted a combined 18 points in Weeks 5 and 6, and he could venture into double-digit point territory here as well.
Carpenter: Michael Crabtree is owned in barely half of ESPN leagues, but he is in a good position to make some noise this weekend when his Oakland Raidersface the San Diego Chargers. This figures to be a high-scoring affair, as both teams have leaky defenses, which means Crabtree should see a quality volume of targets. And with CB Jason Verrett likely to shadow Amari Cooper, Crabtree should find himself with a plus matchup against Brandon Flowers. He should have a decent shot at a 100-yard, one-TD game.
Walker: I will go even deeper and give you a defensive sleeper. I like the Atlanta Falcons' defense as a group that will score plenty of fantasy points this weekend against the Tennessee Titans. Atlanta is coming off 10 days of preparation and its first loss of the season. The defense will be fired up, well-rested and plays a Titans offense led by backup quarterback Zach Mettenberger, who will start in place of injured rookie Marcus Mariota (knee). I watched Tennessee's offense in person last week against the Dolphins. It's not very good and easily can turn one-dimensional.

HacheMan · Oct 25, 2015

[h=1]Fantasy: Start Martavis Bryant, sit Jordan Matthews in Week 7[/h]Tristan H. Cockcroft, Fantasy
ESPN INSIDER

Matchups are often a driving force behind fantasy owners' weekly lineup decisions. When choosing between two (or more) similarly talented players, you know the first question that comes to mind: Which one has the better matchup?
Ah, but what, exactly, constitutes a favorable or unfavorable matchup?
That's where this column comes in. The Matchups Map provides a schedule-independent method to determine strength of positional matchups, using the most recent relevant data. Check back for updated numbers each week, including matchup highlights at each position, both favorable and unfavorable, based upon those statistics.<offer style="box-sizing: border-box;"></offer>
The maps include two measures: The first, "Rk," is my personal ranking of how favorable or unfavorable I consider that positional matchup; the second, "Adj. FPA," reflects how far above or below a player's average that defense held opponents at that position. Beginning this week, Week 7, we'll use the most recent five weeks of data.
Finally, a caveat: Remember that matchups are only one ingredient in my rankings formula. Not every favorable matchup should be exploited; not every unfavorable matchup should be avoided. To get the most complete recipe for whom to start and sit, consult my weekly rankings.

[h=2]Quarterbacks[/h]Favorable matchup: Carson Palmer, Arizona Cardinals (versusBaltimore Ravens). Though their numbers might belie the point -- their 18 sacks are fifth-most and they're only league-average in terms of opposing quarterbacks' average time afforded in the pocket -- the Ravens' pass rush has suffered severely since the season-ending injury to Terrell Suggs in Week 1. In truth, this team hasn't pressured passers anywhere near as much as you might think, and its secondary has significantly underperformed. Take a look at their past five foes: Derek Carr, who has averaged 13.6 fantasy points per game, had 26 against the Ravens in Week 2; Andy Dalton (22.2 average) managed 34 in Week 3; Mike Vick (5.6) had 11 in Week 4; Josh McCown (17.6) had 35 in Week 5; and Colin Kaepernick (15.2) had 22 in Week 6. And with the possible exception of Dalton, Palmer is a better passer than all of them.
Unfavorable matchup: Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions (versusMinnesota Vikings). After his 33-point Week 6 outburst, Stafford's fantasy owners might be quick to hail the return of the "Stafford of old." First, check the matchups: Stafford's matchup last week was against the Chicago Bears, 26th in terms of adjusted FPA in the chart below and worst in the league in terms of fantasy points afforded per passing attempt; this week, he faces a Vikings team that ranks ninth in adjusted FPA. While it's not so brutal a matchup that Stafford should sit on every fantasy team's bench, it is one that pushes his appeal outside the top 10 at his position in a week where he might otherwise appear to be in that group, partly due to byes for Dalton and Aaron Rodgers.
<aside class="inline inline-with-table" style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); clear: both; margin: 6px 0px 18px; padding: 15px; width: 570px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px;"><header class="inline-header" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; overflow: hidden;">[h=1]QB Matchups Map For Week 7[/h]"D to avoid" and "D to exploit" columns rank team defenses in terms of strength of matchup; "Opp.": Week 7 opponent; "Rk": Tristan's matchup ranking, where 1 is the toughest defense and 32 is the easiest defense to face; "Adj. FPA": The number of fantasy points that defense added or subtracted from its opponent.
</header>

OPP.	RK	ADJ. FPA	OPP.	RK	ADJ. FPA
@NE	1	-6.0	@ARI	32	8.2
BYE	2	-6.1	@IND	31	4.5
CLE	3	-6.5	MIN	30	3.2
BAL	4	-4.4	PIT	29	3.0
@DET	5	-2.0	@STL	28	3.4
@SF	6	-1.2	BYE	27	2.8
@CAR	7	-2.0	SEA	26	2.1
@TEN	8	-2.4	TB	25	2.2
HOU	9	-3.8	BUF	24	0.2
PHI	10	4.6	@MIA	23	0.4
@SD	11	-1.0	@WAS	22	-0.4
BYE	12	0.6	@KC	21	-1.0
NYJ	13	1.7	DAL	20	-0.7
@JAC	14	-0.4	ATL	19	-2.1
BYE	15	1.7	OAK	18	-1.1
@NYG	16	1.1	NO	17	-1.4

</aside>

[h=2]Running backs[/h]Favorable matchup: Todd Gurley, St. Louis Rams (versus Cleveland Browns). He's an extremely popular choice throughout the industry this week, with the matchup as good a reason as any. The Browns have allowed nine running backs to exceed their seasonal fantasy point averages this season while scoring at least six points in those games, and four of those occurred in the past two weeks alone: Justin Forsett (22 points, 10.0 average), Kyle Juszczyk (9 and 2.3), Ronnie Hillman (11 and 7.2) and C.J. Anderson (6 and 3.5). Gurley, meanwhile, has absorbed 49 carries the past three weeks combined, a total exceeded by only seven other running backs, all of whom have played three games to Gurley's two during that same time span. This is the dream combination of workhorse back, fresh legs off the bye and elite matchup.
Unfavorable matchup: Jonathan Stewart, Carolina Panthers (versusPhiladelphia Eagles). As with Stafford, Stewart is a player coming off a rebound game, and one against a stingy Seattle Seahawks defense at that. Still, one against-the-grain performance doesn't make a player who has disappointed for four games before that matchup-proof, and here Stewart faces another challenging opponent. The Eagles, after all, don't cede the big rushing play, with only 8.1 percent of their opponents' runs resulting in at least a 10-yard gain, the fifth-best rate in the league. They're also great in short-yardage situations, affording only one score on four carries inside their 5-yard line and a 52.4 percent first-down rate on runs within three yards, the eighth-best mark in the league.
<aside class="inline inline-with-table" style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); clear: both; margin: 6px 0px 18px; padding: 15px; width: 570px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px;"><header class="inline-header" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; overflow: hidden;">[h=1]RB Matchups Map For Week 7[/h]"D to avoid" and "D to exploit" columns rank team defenses in terms of strength of matchup; "Opp.": Week 7 opponent; "Rk": Tristan's matchup ranking, where 1 is the toughest defense and 32 is the easiest defense to face; "Adj. FPA": The number of fantasy points that defense added or subtracted from its opponent.
</header>

OPP.	RK	ADJ. FPA	OPP.	RK	ADJ. FPA
@CAR	1	-6.6	@STL	32	8.3
@KC	2	-6.6	OAK	31	5.9
@SD	3	-5.1	@TEN	30	1.9
NYJ	4	-4.4	BUF	29	6.6
@SF	5	-2.9	SEA	28	7.7
@ARI	6	-1.4	MIN	27	2.9
TB	7	-3.5	@MIA	26	2.4
@NE	8	0.8	ATL	25	5.4
BAL	9	-2.0	BYE	24	0.5
BYE	10	-1.6	@WAS	23	1.3
CLE	11	0.3	BYE	22	-0.6
NO	12	-2.6	@NYG	21	0.0
DAL	13	-1.3	PIT	20	0.1
@JAC	14	-0.2	HOU	19	-0.3
@IND	15	-3.3	@DET	18	-0.7
PHI	16	-0.9	BYE	17	-0.4

</aside>

[h=2]Wide receivers[/h]Favorable matchup: Martavis Bryant, Pittsburgh Steelers (at Kansas City Chiefs). This is less about chasing his Week 6 stats -- he had a career-best 25 fantasy points in his 2015 debut -- than it is maximizing his most favorable matchups, due to his somewhat limited role. As pointed out here, Bryant's target total pales in comparison to most of the WR2/WR3 types in fantasy, so he's best used when facing a team with a brutal secondary. After all, more than 50 percent of Bryant's targets in 2014 were on throws of at least 15 yards, and this week he'll face a Chiefs defense that, on those types of throws, has afforded the most receptions (25) and the fourth-best catch rate by opposing wide receivers (54.3 percent). Defense backs Ron Parker and Marcus Peters won't be able to contain Bryant.
Unfavorable matchup: Jordan Matthews, Philadelphia Eagles (at Carolina Panthers). While Panthers shutdown cornerback Josh Normandoesn't traditionally cover his opponent's slot receiver, he has shown a tendency to shadow his opponent's top overall wide receiver, which is why Matthews' matchup is so dicey. After all, Matthews has 30 more targets than any other Eagles wide receiver this season, and has absorbed 22 percent of Sam Bradford's targets overall. And considering Norman and the Panthers have held players likeMike Evans (3 fantasy points), DeAndre Hopkins (5), Allen Hurns (4) and Allen Robinson (2) in check, with Vincent Jackson (20) -- who was free to roam while Norman shadowed Evans -- the only one who had any degree of success against them, Matthews is a risky play indeed in Week 7.
<aside class="inline inline-with-table" style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); clear: both; margin: 6px 0px 18px; padding: 15px; width: 570px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px;"><header class="inline-header" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; overflow: hidden;">[h=1]WR Matchups Map For Week 7[/h]"D to avoid" and "D to exploit" columns rank team defenses in terms of strength of matchup; "Opp.": Week 7 opponent; "Rk": Tristan's matchup ranking, where 1 is the toughest defense and 32 is the easiest defense to face; "Adj. FPA": The number of fantasy points that defense added or subtracted from its opponent.
</header>

OPP.	RK	ADJ. FPA	OPP.	RK	ADJ. FPA
@SF	1	-10.1	@ARI	32	10.6
BYE	2	-7.2	PIT	31	9.0
PHI	3	-3.6	BYE	30	3.8
@NE	4	-5.1	@WAS	29	3.7
CLE	5	-5.7	SEA	28	5.1
BUF	6	-6.1	@CAR	27	5.7
OAK	7	-5.2	ATL	26	2.9
@SD	8	-1.0	NO	25	4.0
@DET	9	-1.1	MIN	24	-1.8
@TEN	10	-3.8	TB	23	-1.0
BYE	11	0.2	@IND	22	1.1
@NYG	12	-0.5	NYJ	21	1.5
BAL	13	-2.9	@MIA	20	1.5
@STL	14	0.4	BYE	19	1.5
DAL	15	1.6	HOU	18	-0.1
@KC	16	0.1	@JAC	17	0.2

</aside>

[h=2]Tight ends[/h]Favorable matchup: Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers (versusOakland Raiders). Despite the Denver Broncos' big fat team zero from their tight ends in Week 5, the Raiders have been an awful defense against this position so far this season. Tyler Eifert (22 fantasy points, 11.3 seasonal average),Crockett Gillmore (20 and 7.3), Gary Barnidge (16 and 11.2) and Martellus Bennett (14 and 6.3) all exceeded their seasonal averages by at least four points, the group averaging a nine-point gain those weeks. Gates, meanwhile, has the third-most targets -- and that's not only among tight ends, that's among all players -- the past two weeks combined (26).
Unfavorable matchup: Larry Donnell, New York Giants (versusDallas Cowboys). In Week 5, these Cowboys limited Rob Gronkowski to a mere six fantasy points, his worst total in any of his past 13 games. And while he's the only "elite" fantasy tight end the team has seen this season, let's not ignore that when these teams battled in Week 1, Donnell managed only two fantasy points of his own on four targets. In fact, in three games against the Cowboys since the beginning of last season, Donnell has nine fantasy points on 14 total targets. He's primarily a red zone weapon for Eli Manning, except that on 13 red zone routes run in those three games, Donnell has garnered only one target.
<aside class="inline inline-with-table" style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); clear: both; margin: 6px 0px 18px; padding: 15px; width: 570px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px;"><header class="inline-header" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; overflow: hidden;">[h=1]TE Matchups Map For Week 7[/h]"D to avoid" and "D to exploit" columns rank team defenses in terms of strength of matchup; "Opp.": Week 7 opponent; "Rk": Tristan's matchup ranking, where 1 is the toughest defense and 32 is the easiest defense to face; "Adj. FPA": The number of fantasy points that defense added or subtracted from its opponent.
</header>

OPP.	RK	ADJ. FPA	OPP.	RK	ADJ. FPA
@WAS	1	-7.6	@SD	32	3.7
@ARI	2	-2.3	@IND	31	4.0
BYE	3	-3.1	@SF	30	3.1
@NE	4	-2.2	@STL	29	2.5
@CAR	5	-2.0	@TEN	28	5.4
BAL	6	-1.6	BUF	27	2.5
@NYG	7	-3.7	SEA	26	2.3
CLE	8	-1.4	DAL	25	1.4
PIT	9	-1.0	MIN	24	1.7
ATL	10	-4.3	@KC	23	0.3
@MIA	11	-2.0	TB	22	1.1
@JAC	12	-1.9	@DET	21	2.0
BYE	13	-2.0	BYE	20	0.5
NYJ	14	0.2	OAK	19	-0.8
NO	15	0.2	HOU	18	0.3
BYE	16	1.0	PHI	17	1.1

</aside>

HacheMan · Oct 27, 2015

[h=1]Free-agent finds for Week 8: Alfred Blue, Darren McFadden, Stefon Diggs among top options[/h]
Field Yates, ESPN Insider

Week 8 is upon us, and more than half of the NFL will go on its bye in the next four weeks, including six teams getting a break in Week 9. The impending byes, plus a number of notable injuries, have many looking to the waiver wire this week to retool their lineups.
So, let's get right to it with this week's waiver adds.
Note: As usual, players must be owned in less than 50 percent of leagues to qualify for this list.
Alfred Blue, RB, Houston Texans (18.8 percent): It was so tough to seeArian Foster go down with another injury, as he's one of the game's truly great players and a joy to watch when he is on the field. He'll miss the rest of this season, leaving Blue as the most likely candidate to take over as the bell cow in Houston. Others are likely to figure into the mix, as well (e.g., Chris Polk), but if I had to advocate for one Texans back to add, it's Blue. He had a 31-carry, 139-yard, one-touchdown effort earlier this season.

Darren McFadden, RB, Dallas Cowboys (42.6 percent): There was a point last week when it seemed plausible that Christine Michaelwould make his mark in the Cowboys' backfield, but after Joseph Randleleft Sunday's game with a back strain, it became the Run-DMC show. He had 29 carries for 152 yards and a touchdown. Cowboys coach Jason Garrett conceded on Monday that McFadden has earned more touches. Even if Randle plays in Week 8, McFadden could be the starter.
Stefon Diggs, WR, Minnesota Vikings (43.8 percent): Let's make a deal, OK? Diggs not only needs to be ineligible for this list next week based on ownership percentage but also needs to be owned in all leagues! He's a stud talent who has taken on a starting role in an offense that will allow him to capitalize down the field. He's a borderline top-25 wide receiver for me for the rest of the season.
Tony Romo, QB, Dallas Cowboys (39.2 percent): Not all moves have to be made with immediate payoff in mind, so consider this: Romo can return for Week 11. Many ESPN leagues run the playoffs from Week 14 on. If Romo is free in your league and you have any doubt about your current QB, snatch up the Cowboys' signal-caller and stash him for the upside.
Jordan Reed, TE, Washington (41.7 percent): In each game he has played, Reed has at least five receptions. He's coming off of an 11-catch outing, and the only downside is that he's heading into his bye. Reed has struggled to stay on the field, but, at a shallow position, he's an upside player. He has wide receiver skills.
James Starks, RB, Green Bay Packers (45.3 percent): Simply an emphasis point that Starks should be owned in all leagues. Green Bay returns to action this Sunday against Denver.
David Cobb, RB, Tennessee Titans (7.3 percent): The fifth-round rookie isn't eligible to play until Week 9 (he's on short-term injured reserve), but getting ahead of the curve doesn't hurt. The backfield situation in Tennessee is, frankly, devoid of much production right now. Cobb seems capable of coming in and eventually earning a starting role. If you wait for that to happen before trying to add him, it could well be too late.
Two-QB league/bye-week fill-in adds: Brian Hoyer, Houston Texans (12.9 percent), Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders (33.3 percent), Ryan Fitzpatrick, New York Jets (24.4 percent), Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans (38.8 percent)
[h=2]Deeper-league adds[/h]Branden Oliver, RB, San Diego Chargers (6.0 percent): Oliver got the early touches over Melvin Gordon in Week 7, although it seems unlikely we've seen the last of Gordon as a starter. But with six catches to go along with nine rushes, Oliver is intriguing, especially in PPR leagues.
Brandon LaFell, WR, New England Patriots (37.6 percent): I'm an optimist, so let's focus on the redeeming part of LaFell's season debut: eight targets. Drops were a huge problem for him, but I chalked that up more to rust than an issue to be concerned with going forward. He felt like the No. 3 option in what has been the best offense in football. That has value.

Robert Woods, WR, Buffalo Bills (5.4 percent): A former second-round pick, Woods has never lacked talent. He had nine catches for 84 yards and a touchdown, and, withPercy Harvin not looking likely to return soon, Woods should be Buffalo's No. 2 wideout upon Sammy Watkins' return from injury. Tyrod Taylor should be back soon, too.
Ladarius Green, TE, San Diego Chargers (36.3 percent): We'll see whenAntonio Gates returns to action for the Chargers after missing Week 7 with an injury, but Green has shown himself capable of being an impact player with or without Gates on the field.
James White, RB, New England Patriots (5.5 percent): My sense is that there is a decent shot Dion Lewis will return for Week 8, but White is on the radar if he doesn't play Thursday night against Miami. The Patriots dressed just two running backs in Week 7, and White played 44 snaps compared with just eight for LeGarrette Blount. When the team goes with its spread, up-tempo attack, White is in the mix.
<article class="ad-300" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; overflow: hidden; position: relative; z-index: 1000026; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px; float: right; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; height: auto; width: auto;">
</article>Danny Amendola, WR, New England Patriots (16.1 percent): Looking for a wideout in a deep PPR league? Amendola could fit the bill. He has strung together consecutive double-digit games in standard scoring. Playing with Tom Brady is always a good thing.
Chris Conley, WR, Kansas City Chiefs (0.4 percent): A terrific athlete who was taken in the third round this year, Conley had a notable Week 7 with six catches, 63 yards and a touchdown. Some had suspected he'd emerge in Kansas City. We'll see what the role looks like with Jeremy Maclin likely back in the lineup soon, but Conley feels like the higher-upside add among the young KC wide receivers over Albert Wilson.

Orleans Darkwa, RB, New York Giants (0.0 percent): Darkwa -- just as none of us predicted -- led the Giants with eight rushes for 48 yards and a touchdown in Week 7. It was an out-of-nowhere performance that doesn't make an already-difficult-to-size-up backfield any simpler. If you're RB-needy, he's a super-deep-league add.

HacheMan · Oct 27, 2015

[h=1]Fantasy Fallout: Tom Brady joins elite group, Todd Gurley rolls along[/h]Tristan H. Cockcroft, Fantasy

With 29 fantasy points Sunday, Tom Brady is tied for the lead among quarterbacks in Week 7 entering Monday. It's the second time this season he has led his position, and not once in any of his six games has he finished lower than sixth.
Brady is also only the fourth player since 1960 to manage six consecutive games of at least 20 fantasy points to begin a season. All four players, by the way, were quarterbacks: Aaron Rodgers in 2011 (12 straight), Peyton Manning in 2014 (nine) and Steve Young in 1998 (six). Each of the previous three finished those seasons with at least 300 fantasy points: Rodgers 385, Manning 307 and Young 353.
Only 10 players, in fact, had previously managed a streak of at least six games with 20-plus fantasy points within a single season (11 instances, as Peyton Manning is on the list twice); Brady is now the 11th player to do it. Here's a look at those 12 instances, as well as how the 11 previous to do it finished those campaigns:
<aside class="inline inline-table" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: BentonSans, -apple-system, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); clear: both; margin: 6px 0px 18px; padding: 15px; width: 570px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px;">

YEAR	PLAYER	TEAM	POS.	20-PT GMS	SEASON FPTS
2011	Aaron Rodgers	GB	QB	12	385
2006	LaDainian Tomlinson	SD	RB	10	410
2014	Peyton Manning	DEN	QB	9	307
1983	Eric Dickerson	LAN	RB	8	329
2011	Drew Brees	NO	QB	7	380
2005	Larry Johnson	KC	RB	7	315
2004	Peyton Manning	IND	QB	7	350
2004	Tiki Barber	NYG	RB	7	281
2015	Tom Brady	NE	QB	6	?
1998	Steve Young	SF	QB	6	353
1994	Emmitt Smith	DAL	RB	6	303
1980	Earl Campbell	HOU	RB	6	274

<caption style="box-sizing: border-box; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-style: solid; color: rgb(39, 39, 39); font-weight: 600; height: 44px; line-height: 2.8; position: relative; text-align: left; text-transform: capitalize; z-index: 1000020; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Players With 6 Consec. Games With 20+ FPTS In A Season, Since 1960</caption><thead style="box-sizing: border-box;">
</thead><tbody style="box-sizing: border-box;">
</tbody>

</aside>To look at it from another perspective, Brady now has 153 fantasy points through his New England Patriots' first six games. That made him only the ninth player since 1960 to reach the 150-point plateau in that few team games. Here are the top 10 scorers through six team games during that time span, including their final fantasy point totals:
<aside class="inline inline-table" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: BentonSans, -apple-system, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); clear: both; margin: 6px 0px 18px; padding: 15px; width: 570px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px;">

PLAYER	POS.	YEAR/TEAM	THRU 6 GMS	FINAL FPTS
Steve Young	QB	1998 SF	181	353
Jim Brown	RB	1963 CLE	178	296
Peyton Manning	QB	2013 DEN	168	406
Daunte Culpepper	QB	2004 MIN	160	360
Marshall Faulk	RB	2000 STL	159	365
Aaron Rodgers	QB	2011 GB	157	385
Priest Holmes	RB	2002 KC	156	361
Tom Brady	QB	2015 NE	153	?
LaDainian Tomlinson	RB	2005 SD	151	299
Eric Dickerson	RB	1983 RAMS	149	329

<caption style="box-sizing: border-box; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-style: solid; color: rgb(39, 39, 39); font-weight: 600; height: 44px; line-height: 2.8; position: relative; text-align: left; text-transform: capitalize; z-index: 1000020; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Most Points In 1st 6 Team Games, Since 1960</caption><thead style="box-sizing: border-box;">
</thead><tbody style="box-sizing: border-box;">
</tbody>

</aside>Let's consider Brady's own history: He has averaged 16.5 fantasy points per game in his Patriots' final 10 scheduled regular-season team games in his career. In his best finish, in 2007, he averaged 23.4 fantasy points in his final 10 contests. Last season, meanwhile, he averaged 18.2 fantasy points during the Patriots' final 10 games, and in the past five seasons, Brady has averaged 19.6 fantasy points in his final 10.
[h=3]The era of the young wide receiver[/h]What a time to be a young wide receiver in the NFL.
Sophomore Mike Evans (22 fantasy points) of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and rookies Amari Cooper (19) of the Oakland Raiders and Stefon Diggs (16) of theMinnesota Vikings finished among the top six scorers at the position through Sunday, while sophomore Martavis Bryant (11) of the Pittsburgh Steelers put forth a second consecutive healthy fantasy point total to begin his season.
That placed all four players among the leaders at the position at similar stages of their careers. Consider:
• Evans now has 207 fantasy points through his first 20 career games. That's tied for the ninth-best fantasy point total by any wide receiver through his first 20 NFL contests since 1960.
• Cooper now has 64 fantasy points through six career games. Only 10 wide receivers since 1960 had more through that many contests.
• Diggs now has 36 fantasy points through three career games. Only 14 wide receivers since 1960 had more through as many contests.
• Bryant now has 136 fantasy points through 12 career games. Only five wide receivers since 1960 scored more through their first 12 games.
And they're not the only four rewriting the history books. Odell Beckham Jr., whose three fantasy points Sunday were tied for his second-worst single-game total of his young career, still has 270 fantasy points through 19 games, which is the most by any wide receiver through that many games. He also needs to score only two fantasy points in his next game to have the most through 20 games.
[h=3]Run, run, Rams rookie[/h]St. Louis Rams rookie running back Todd Gurley might be one of the most captivating commodities in fantasy football right now, and on Sunday he rewarded his owners handsomely with 27 points, tying him for fourth place overall (entering Monday).
Perhaps more important, that gave Gurley three consecutive games with at least 15 fantasy points, all of them accomplished at the age of 21. He is, in fact, the second-youngest player since 1960 to do that; Jamal Lewis was one day younger than Gurley when he accomplished the feat in 2000.
Two other players came close, however: The aforementioned Evans was four days older than Gurley when he did it in 2014, while Clinton Portis was nine days older when he did it in 2002.
[h=3]Miscellany[/h]• Miami Dolphins running back Lamar Miller managed Sunday's best fantasy point total, a whopping 35 to follow up his 17-point Week 6. Those 35 points tied Miller for the eighth-best single-week score in Dolphins history.
<aside class="inline inline-table" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: BentonSans, -apple-system, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); clear: both; margin: 6px 0px 18px; padding: 15px; width: 570px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px;">

PLAYER	POS.	YEAR/WEEK	OPP.	FPTS
Ronnie Brown	RB	2007 Week 3	@NYJ	40
Ronnie Brown	RB	2008 Week 3	@NE	39
Irving Fryar	WR	1994 Week 1	NE	39
Dan Marino	QB	1986 Week 3	@NYJ	37
Mercury Morris	RB	1973 Week 3	NE	37
Dan Marino	QB	1994 Week 1	NE	36
Lorenzo Hampton	RB	1986 Week 12	NYJ	36
Lamar Miller	RB	2015 Week 7	HOU	35
Mark Ingram	WR	1994 Week 13	@NYJ	35
Mark Duper	WR	1987 Week 14	WAS	35
David Woodley	QB	1980 Week 10	@LAN	35

<caption style="box-sizing: border-box; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-style: solid; color: rgb(39, 39, 39); font-weight: 600; height: 44px; line-height: 2.8; position: relative; text-align: left; text-transform: capitalize; z-index: 1000020; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Most Fantasy Points In A Single Game, Dolphins History</caption><thead style="box-sizing: border-box;">
</thead><tbody style="box-sizing: border-box;">
</tbody>

</aside><article class="ad-300" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; overflow: hidden; position: relative; z-index: 1000026; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px; float: right; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px;">
</article>Most remarkably, Miller scored all 35 of his fantasy points before halftime. That made him one of only 12 players to score that many before halftime since 2001.
• Though his string of consecutive games with at least 25 fantasy points ended at four, Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman scored a respectable 12 fantasy points Sunday. That gave him 181 through his team's first seven games, which is the most by any running back through that stage of the season since LaDainian Tomlinson scored 193 through seven San Diego Chargers games in 2006.
Tomlinson, incidentally, scored a record 410 fantasy points in that season.
• Is this the end for Arian Foster? Before tearing his Achilles on Sunday, Foster amassed 23 fantasy points, good for the third-best score among running backs in Week 7 (entering Monday). That boosted Foster's career fantasy points per game mark to 15.8, which is the second-best rate for any running back with at least 10 games played since 2001. Only Priest Holmes (19.7) had better.

HacheMan · Nov 1, 2015

[h=1]Week 8 fantasy advice: Watch out for Jonathan Stewart, Tavon Austin, Brandin Cooks[/h]ESPN INSIDER

ESPN has planted spies in every NFL locker room -- OK, so they're our NFL Nation team reporters -- in order to provide fantasy owners with inside intel to help you win your league. We call it Insider Trading, a collection of fantasy lineup advice pulled straight from the locker rooms and practice fields of every team.
Here is our NFL Nation reporters' Week 8 fantasy advice.

Arizona Cardinals: Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald leads the NFL in receiving yards (461) and receiving touchdowns (five) between the numbers. His 32 receptions between the numbers are third in the league. Fitzgerald’s role in the middle of the field could be a factor Sunday against Cleveland. The Browns have allowed six receiving touchdowns against one interception on throws in between the numbers. -- Josh Weinfuss

Atlanta Falcons: Julio Jones got back into the scoring column last week against Tennessee after a three-game drought. Now, he’ll go up against a pretty bad group of Tampa Bay defensive backs who have contributed to the Buccaneers allowing opponents to convert 75 percent of the time in the red zone, worst in the league. Three of Jones’ five touchdowns have come in the red zone, and the Falcons should find ways to move the ball as long as Bucs defensive tackle Gerald McCoy is contained. -- Vaughn McClure

Baltimore Ravens: Crockett Gillmore is the second-favorite target ofJoe Flacco, and he has fully recovered from a calf injury. There's a good chance of Gillmore reaching the end zone Sunday based on the Chargers' history. Four tight ends have scored against San Diego in seven games, including Clive Walford last week. It should be noted that Flacco was looking for Gillmore in the end zone on a critical late pass in Arizona. -- Jamison Hensley

Carolina Panthers: Panthers running back Jonathan Stewartopened some eyes with 125 yards rushing on 24 carries against Philadelphia. He should open up a few more on Monday night against an Indianapolis defense that is allowing 122.7 rushing yards per game. The biggest knock on Stewart is that quarterback Cam Newton and fullback Mike Tolbert take away touchdowns near the goal line. Newton had one and Tolbert had two last week against Philadelphia. -- David Newton

Chicago Bears: Jay Cutler has passed for 2,606 yards, 23 touchdowns and 13 interceptions (91.5 quarterback rating) in 11 games against the Vikings. Cutler’s career passer rating is 85.2. While Minnesota has a talented defense, Cutler has a full complement of healthy receivers at his disposal for the first time all year. Expect Cutler to open it up with Alshon Jeffery back to almost 100 percent. -- Jeff Dickerson

Cincinnati Bengals: Tight ends have feasted off Pittsburgh’s secondary this season, so fantasy players would be wise to make sure the Bengals’ Tyler Eifert is part of their starting lineups this week when Cincinnati travels to the Steel City on Sunday. In their games against the Steelers, Vernon Davis, Rob Gronkowski and Antonio Gates all set individual season-high marks in fantasy production, according to ESPN’s standard scoring system. Gronkowski and Gates actually gave their fantasy owners 20-plus points in their respective games against Pittsburgh. This matchup could be perfect for Eifert to have similar production. Besides, why wouldn’t you start him this week? Eifert already ranks third in tight end production with 68 points. -- Coley Harvey

Cleveland Browns: This is the week to load up on Arizona Cardinals offensive players. The Browns are dead last in the league in rushing defense, 28th overall. Pick your Cardinals player. Running back Chris Johnson, play him. Running back Andre Ellington, play him. Receiver Larry Fitzgerald facing Joe Haden coming off a concussion, a Joe Haden who has yet to be his Pro Bowl self this season — definitely play him. Michael Floyd, Carson Palmer, John Floyd — submit their names. Factor in that this is a game Bruce Arians would love to win if only to show Cleveland what it missed by not hiring him and any potential Cardinals player is a must-play. Until the Browns stop someone, that is the situation. -- Pat McManamon

Dallas Cowboys: Without Joseph Randle on Sunday, Darren McFadden will take on a bigger role against the Seattle Seahawks. He already was going to be the Cowboys’ starting running back after his 152-yard effort last week. Without Randle, he will have to serve a dual role because Christine Michael and Rod Smith don’t have experience in the Cowboys’ passing game. In last year’s meeting against the Seahawks, DeMarco Murray ran 29 times for 115 yards, but the Cowboys’ runners caught 11 passes for 80 yards. McFadden will be a busy man. -- Todd Archer

Denver Broncos: If history repeats itself, Demaryius Thomas is poised for another post-bye breakout. Last season, with five dropped passes in the team’s first three games, Thomas went to work in the Week 4 bye and the result was 226 yards receiving against the Arizona Cardinals. This year, Thomas has again been plagued with drops -- eight in Broncos’ first six games. He again went to work in the bye week with extra on-field sessions. The Packers have surrendered two 100-yard games to receivers this season -- Jeremy Maclin with 141 yards and Keenan Allen with 157 yards -- to go with three other receivers who have topped 90 yards receiving this season against the Packers’ secondary. -- Jeff Legwold

Detroit Lions: Lions players have been cagey on what the new offense will look like under Jim Bob Cooter -- although it probably won’t look much different this week because of the lack of time to change anything. So the advice this week is if a Detroit player is a must-start in your lineup, stick with him. If not, be wary this week until you get somewhat of a feel for what Cooter is going to try and call on a week-to-week basis. -- Michael Rothstein

Green Bay Packers: No one is happier than Randall Cobb about Davante Adams’ return to the lineup after missing three games with an ankle injury. Without Adams on the outside, defenses have focused their coverage in the slot on Cobb, who had just two catches for 38 yards in his last outing against the Chargers. Now, they might have to pay more attention on Adams, who according to Cobb brings “more experience, somebody that Aaron [Rodgers] has trust in, another playmaker. It's definitely going to be huge to get him back when he comes back." -- Rob Demovsky

Houston Texans: Texans coach Bill O'Brien said Alfred Bluepracticed well this week. In Arian Foster's absence, the Texans will return to a rotation similar to what they used before Foster returned from his groin injury. Blue, Jonathan Grimes and Chris Polk will all get carries. If Blue starts well, as he did against Tampa, he'll get a heavier load. -- Tania Ganguli

Indianapolis Colts: The Colts, who have abandoned the run too early in each of their past two games, may be forced to run the ball with running back Frank Gore against Carolina on Monday. There’s a 90 percent chance of rain in Charlotte the day of the game. Gore, who is averaging 4.6 yards a carry this season, averages 5.1 yards a carry on 64 rushing attempts in his career against Carolina. The Colts say they have to stick with the run longer. -- Mike Wells

Kansas City Chiefs: Charcandrick West’s 110-yard, one-touchdown game last week against the Steelers didn’t just increase the Chiefs’ confidence in him. It also increased his confidence going into Sunday’s game against the Lions. He’s taken to writing his goals for the upcoming game on a piece of paper, and asked what he would write this week, West replied, “Two hundred yards and three touchdowns.’’ -- Adam Teicher

Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings threw the ball to 11 different receivers last Sunday in a win over the Lions, and offensive coordinator Norv Turner didn’t sound terribly concerned with changing that philosophy to boost any one player’s numbers. “They know I'm too old to worry about that stuff,” Turner said. “If there's egos, or issues, they don't come to me. They get explained every day, or very regularly, that this offense is designed, it's an equal-opportunity deal. You're going to get opportunities to make plays and the ball is going to be spread around." The smartest play among the Vikings’ receivers remains rookie Stefon Diggs, who’s caught 19 passes in three games and has shown he’s able to consistently get open for Teddy Bridgewater. Beyond that, Vikings receivers carry some fantasy risk. -- Ben Goessling

New York Giants: The Giants are playing it close to the vest afterOrleans Darkwa showed up out of nowhere to lead the backfield in carries Sunday. There's been no change this week to the depth chart or the rotation of carries in practice, so there's no reason to think he's about to overtake Rashad Jennings as the nominal starter. But Darkwa did show something Sunday, and it wouldn't be a complete shock if he continued to be a part of the mix. Basically, the Giants' RB situation is one to avoid unless and until the team establishes any consistency with the way it uses its backs. -- Dan Graziano

New York Jets: The Jets expect favorable matchups on the outside against Oakland's 32nd-rated pass defense, so look for a potentially big day for Ryan Fitzpatrick, Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker. Marshall likes playing in Oakland and he'll be highly motivated after a subpar game last week. Chris Ivory always is a solid fantasy play, but keep in mind the Jets are facing the third-ranked rushing defense. -- Rich Cimini

New Orleans Saints: Facing the Giants' 30th-ranked pass defense could provide more opportunities for Saints receiver Brandin Cooks, who just caught his longest pass of the season last Sunday -- a 47-yarder in the fourth quarter at Indianapolis on a surprise shot play out of the New Orleans end zone. The Saints have had trouble getting Cooks open on those deep balls, mainly because he is drawing attention from the opponents' top cornerback or double-teams most weeks. But they have started to spread the ball around better in recent weeks and got their run game going this past week. If they keep that up, that could draw some attention away from Cooks. The Saints will definitely keep looking for ways to get him the ball. -- Mike Triplett

Oakland Raiders: Last season, in his third NFL game, Raiders quarterback Derek Carr went after Patriots star cornerback Darrelle Revis. Carr targeted Revis six times and completed five passes for 63 yards. Carr, who went after Seattle’s Richard Sherman last season, will probably challenge Revis again Sunday when the Raiders host the Jets. Raiders rookie receiver Amari Cooper is on a tear and he and Carr will certainly test Revis. -- Bill Williamson

Pittsburgh Steelers: If Steelers tight end Heath Miller has collected dust on your fantasy bench for weeks, he might be a decent tight end play this week if you have injuries. Coaches and players have spoken openly about getting Miller more involved. Miller was mostly a run-blocker withBen Roethlisberger out, but Big Ben will need quick-and-easy throws against Cincinnati while coming back from that knee injury, so he’ll be looking to Miller over the middle. -- Jeremy Fowler

St. Louis Rams: There's no doubt that running back Todd Gurley has reached must-start status in fantasy. But the Rams have been looking hard this week at how opposing defenses might start trying to take Gurley away by stacking the box and forcing St. Louis' woeful passing game to beat them. That could mean big things for Tavon Austin against San Francisco's 31st-ranked pass defense. The Niners have been gashed by smaller, speedier receivers for big plays this year, with Antonio Brown, Markus Wheaton andTyler Lockett hitting them for gains of 59, 49 and 48 yards, respectively. Gurley's rolling and will probably get his, but keep an eye out for a few big plays from Austin. -- Nick Wagoner

San Diego Chargers: Yes, Danny Woodhead has only 188 rushing yards through seven games. But he also has the most targets (37) and receiving yards (407) of any running back in the NFL. In particular, expect Woodhead to continue to receive the lion’s share of the touches in the red zone for the Chargers. Woodhead has 14 touches for four total touchdowns inside the 20-yard line so far this season, compared to Melvin Gordon’s three touches and no touchdowns in the red zone through seven games. -- Eric Williams

San Francisco 49ers: Carlos Hyde’s aching left foot will not be helped by the artificial turf in St. Louis, so with Reggie Bush saying he is “finally” healthy, expect the playmaking running back to get a lot of touches to help keep the pressure off quarterback Colin Kaepernick. The wild card here is Bush’s left calf, though the Niners will need to establish a running game to keep the Rams’ pass rush honest. -- Paul Gutierrez

Seattle Seahawks: Marshawn Lynch and the Seahawks’ running game turned in one of their best performances of the season last week against the 49ers. Lynch carried 27 times for 122 yards and a touchdown. Expect more of the same in Week 8. With backup Thomas Rawls(calf) banged up, Lynch will carry a heavy load against a Cowboys defense that is allowing 4.16 yards per carry (20th). The Seahawks have moved to more runs with Russell Wilson under center, a look that Lynch prefers to the shotgun/zone-read runs. If you have Lynch on your roster, you’re playing him every week, but he should be a nice daily option against the Cowboys. -- Sheil Kapadia
<article class="ad-300" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; overflow: hidden; position: relative; z-index: 1000026; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px; float: right; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px;">
</article>

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: There's a sense of relief within the Bucs organization that wide receiver Mike Evans broke out with a season-high eight catches for 164 yards and one touchdown in Week 7. Lovie Smith has stressed the need for Tampa Bay's stars to provide standout performances, and the coach said Evans did just that last Sunday. Evans said he's not expecting much double coverage against the Atlanta Falcons, even if wide receiver Vincent Jackson can't go Sunday. There could be chances for Evans to use his size and athleticism to do damage. -- Andrew Astleford

Tennessee Titans: In his last game against the Texans, in Houston on Nov. 30, 2014, Titans WR Kendall Wright caught seven passes for 132 yards and a touchdown. It was the most catches and yards he’s had in a game since Ken Whisenhunt took over. We don’t know the quarterback who will be throwing to him yet, but he’s the Titans’ top receiver by a wide margin and has had success against the opponent in the recent past. -- Paul Kuharsky

HacheMan · Nov 1, 2015

Nickel Coverage: Five fantasy questions that need answers before Week 8

Tom Carpenter, Fantasy and Insider

Week 8 marks the official midway point of most fantasy football leagues, at least for those who have title aspirations. As we head into the stretch run of the pre-playoff segment of the season, plenty of questions abound. How will the Detroit Lions' offensive coordinator change impact their players? Will someone step up in the Houston Texans backfield with Arian Foster done for the season? How will Week 8 matchups affect the fantasy production of players such as Eddie Lacy, Darren McFadden and Amari Cooper?
Don't worry, we have the answers for all of those questions right here.

Each week throughout the season, I will posit five of the week's most intriguing fantasy questions to a rotating panel of experts from ESPN, ESPN Fantasy and NFL Nation. Five questions for five analysts, thus, Nickel Coverage.

Responses this week come from NFL Nation Lions reporter Michael Rothstein, NFL Nation Steelers reporter Jeremy Fowler, ESPN New York's Anita Marks, ESPN Insider Matt Williamson and Tim Hasselbeck from Fantasy Football Now and NFL Live.

The Detroit Lions replaced offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi with Jim Bob Cooter and fired offensive line coaches Jeremiah Washburn and Terry Heffernan. Which player(s), if any, do you think will benefit most in Week 8 against the Chiefs and going forward?

Those involved in the Lions' passing game got the most love from our analysts.
Fowler: Give me Ameer Abdullah, who hasn't made near the impact I thought he would. The Lions' offensive line has looked unorganized, so Cooter's first priority will be reshaping that crew, and Abdullah will benefit. He has to. Mistake-prone Matthew Stafford needs a stable running game in the worst way.
Marks: The message emanating from the Lions' training facility this week is "more emphasis on the deep passing game." How great is that for those who own QB Matthew Stafford, WR Calvin Johnson and WR Golden Tate? Pretty damn great, I tell ya! The Chiefs' defense has played better against the pass the past three games, but I see Stafford as a QB1, Megatron as a WR1, and with Tate's ability to go deep, he is upgraded to a WR2 in my book.
Rothstein: Can I just check the box that says all of the above here? This might not be an immediate-dividends play for Detroit since the team is in London and hasn't been able to change too much of what will happen, there's reason to expect whatever Cooter calls, it'll be familiar to Matthew Stafford. The two of them have a great rapport, and Cooter knows what Stafford likes, so he's going to make those plays available to him. That should mean more downfield passing and more routes with quicker options. So who does that benefit? Calvin Johnson, Golden Tate and probably Theo Riddick or Ameer Abdullah. This could be a boom situation for Johnson, too, who has shown the past two weeks he still has the downfield gifts available to him.

Eddie Lacy has just three total points in his past two games, so are you benching him against the Broncos' strong D? Would you play James Starks ahead of Lacy?

Two of our analysts see Lacy as an RB2 this week, while three recommend benching him, though they stop short of pushing Starks over Lacy.
Hasselbeck: I'm definitely concerned about Lacy after Mike McCarthy's comments regarding why James Starks played so much versus the Chargers, but I do believe that will be a bit of an outlier game. Lacy is a low-end RB2 for me this week. I think he gets about 15 touches this week, but the matchup keeps things in check.
Marks: I'm actually faced with this exact dilemma in Week 8. I've decided to start Mark Ingram and Chris Ivory over Eddie Lacy on Sunday. I want to feel optimistic that a bye week was exactly what the doctor ordered for this unproductive running back, but I need to see it before I believe it. To make matters worse, Denver has allowed only one 100-yard rusher this season, Jamaal Charles in Week 2, and has given up only four rushing touchdowns.
Williamson: Lacy should be benched, especially against such a difficult opponent. It is difficult to tell if Lacy is still fighting a nagging injury or if he isn't in proper football shape, but there is no doubt that he doesn't look like himself. But Starks over Lacy? That is a tough one and a fantasy situation that I would just distance myself from this week if at all possible.

With Joseph Randle leaving early with an oblique injury,Darren McFadden totaled 162 yards and a touchdown against the New York Giants in Week 7. Randle is expected to miss Week 8 and McFadden will start. Do you see him as an RB2, a flex or unusable against the Seattle Seahawks' difficult defense?

The consensus is that McFadden should be viewed as no more than a low-end RB2 or flex play in Week 8.
Fowler: Any Cowboys back is worth consideration because of that line. Depends on what you have, but McFadden is a safe RB2 or flex play because he has looked fairly healthy this year, and even though he's not explosive anymore, he'll get a healthy workload Sunday and should get appropriate yardage as a result.
Hasselbeck: I'd recommend McFadden as a flex this week. It would be a surprise if McFadden doesn't double up all of the Cowboys' other RBs in terms of touches, but for all of Seattle's struggles this season, defending the run isn't one of them. The Seahawks are one of the few teams that have kept opposing teams to fewer than four yards per carry.
Williamson: McFadden is a flex to me. The opponent is difficult, and any defense that Dallas faces right now is going to do everything possible to eliminate the run and force their passing game to win, which seems unlikely. The Cowboys' great offensive line makes up for some of this, and McFadden certainly looks spry, so he is therefore a flex play.

A torn Achilles tendon has ended Arian Foster's season. Do you think any of the Texans' running backs (Alfred Blue, Chris Polk, Jonathan Grimes) is worthy of an RB2 or flex spot in Week 8 versus the Tennessee Titans?

Blue got the most votes from our analysts, but Polk is in the mix too.
Hasselbeck: Alfred Blue appears to be the back that will get the first opportunity to become the main back in Houston. Earlier this season he had 31 rushing attempts versus the Buccaneers. While I'm not sure that he ever matches that rush total in a game again this season, I do think he gets around 20 attempts versus the Titans who are giving up over 4.5 yards per carry. Blue is a solid RB2 this week.
Rothstein: Ab-so-lute-ly. Tennessee's run defense is one of the worst in the league, and while Houston's offense is equally terrible, there should be opportunities for backs to run. I'd probably order them like you have them -- Blue, Polk, Grimes -- but I like Blue to have a shot at a decent game. The one time he actually received a good amount of carries, he blew up. So with him likely being Houston's lead back, he might have that opportunity again.
Williamson: No, I don't. Of the group, Polk is the most attractive overall, as Blue needs the game script to be favorable for the Texans (which I doubt happens too often going forward) and Polk is the much better receiving threat and should therefore spend more time on the field late in games.

Are you concerned that New York Jets cornerbackDarrelle Revis will limit Oakland Raiders wideout Amari Cooper enough to leave Cooper on your bench this week?

The consensus is that Cooper's ceiling may be limited but you should start him unless you have quality replacement options.

Fowler: Limit, yes. Shut down, no. Revis is good enough to affect a receiver's normal yardage totals, sometimes by significant amounts. But Cooper has proven to be a skilled route-runner, and elite route-runners find ways to get open at least a few times a game. Expect Cooper to test the Jets' defense over the middle of the field, effectively leaving Revis Island and getting teammates involved on dual crossing routes or slants.
Marks: Another dilemma I'm faced with in Week 8. Welcome to the life of a 12-league fantasy freak! I'm impressed with the stats Cooper was able to put up against the Chargers secondary in Week 7, as his 133 yards was the most any receiver put up against the Bolts, plus he found the end zone on only six targets. I'd play the likes of Stefon Diggs and Jeremy Maclin before Cooper, but if you don't have better options, roll with the young Raider as a flex play.
Rothstein: Potentially, but again it really depends on who else you have on your roster. It would take a lot for me to start most receivers against Revis unless I had to. A rookie? No chance, even one as talented as Cooper. I use what Denver did as an example: Cooper had four catches for 47 yards that game. If that's strong enough production for you, then go for it. If not, search somewhere else.

HacheMan · Nov 3, 2015

[h=1]Free-agent finds for Week 9: Williams, Langford, Floyd among top options[/h]Field Yates, ESPN Insider

s will vault into a starting role. We've seen him in that capacity already this season, as he started the team's first two games while Bell served a suspension. He was terrific, following up a 127-yard rushing effort in Week 1 with a three-touchdown performance in Week 2. He racked up 71 yards on nine carries in Week 8 and has value as a top-15 running back for the rest of the season.
Jeremy Langford, RB, Chicago Bears (2.8 percent): We're less certain of the timetable for Forte's return, but Langford is the name to know if Forte's injury is serious. He had 12 carries for 46 yards in Week 8 and already has seen some goal-line duty this year. Langford certainly isn't the pass-catcher that Forte is, but he's a big-bodied back who should see a significant workload until Forte returns. Colleague Chris Mortensen reports the team also could be interested in Montee Ball (who played for Bears coach John Fox and offensive coordinator Adam Gase in Denver). We'll monitor that situation.
Stevie Johnson, WR, San Diego Chargers (28.7 percent): Head coach Mike McCoy said on Monday that Keenan Allen has a kidney issue and that he could miss some time. That leaves Johnson -- who has 24 catches, 283 yards and two touchdowns this season -- as the team's No. 1 wide receiver until Allen returns. He needs to be owned in all leagues. A top wide receiver waiver add this week.
Malcom Floyd, WR, San Diego Chargers (27.6 percent): Floyd also immediately steps into a top-two receiver role for an offense that also saw its top tight end (Antonio Gates) limited to less than 50 percent of the snaps in Week 8 and Ladarius Green leave the game due to injury. Floyd had four catches for 92 yards and a pair of scores in Week 8. He's a vertical threat now likely to see extensive work in what has been the league's No. 1 passing offense (based on yards per game).

Kamar Aiken, WR, Baltimore Ravens (20.6 percent): The Ravens leaned heavily on Smith, as he shouldered a large load while the team has dealt with injuries and lack of depth at the position. Aiken is the de facto No. 1 receiver for this team now, as he has 25 catches for 333 yards and two touchdowns through eight games. Keep this in mind, however: The Ravens are on a bye in Week 9.
Nate Washington, WR, Houston Texans (37.9 percent): Washington has had three notable games this season -- Weeks 1, 7 and 8 -- and with Cecil Shorts III banged up, Washington has emerged as the clear No. 2 target in the league's -- so far -- pass-happiest offense in terms of total attempts. It just doesn't feel like the running game will be consistent enough for Houston not to stay pass-reliant, making Washington an intriguing option when Houston returns to action in Week 10.
Kendall Gaskins, RB, San Francisco 49ers (0.1 percent): Here's the story: I don't have a ton of faith in whoever fills in for Carlos Hyde at running back until he returns. Reggie Bush was injured in Week 8, so too was Mike Davis. The team signed Shaun Draughn to a one-year deal Monday, may bring back Jarryd Hayne and promoted Gaskins from the practice squad (at the expense of waiving Hayne) this past Saturday. Gaskins can be added as the apparent next man up, but he's far from a sure thing this week.
Dwayne Harris, WR, New York Giants (3.1 percent): A deeper league add who makes this list in part because of the volume of the offense he plays in (Eli Manning threw it 41 times this past week) and also because he has been solid in the past five games: 18 catches, 221 yards, three touchdowns.
Vernon Davis, TE, Denver Broncos (15.2 percent): After being traded to Denver, we're a bit more intrigued by Davis. He managed 10 catches in his final two games as a 49er, but with just 439 yards in his past 20 games, is Davis no longer the player he used to be? Or was his output curtailed by poor QB play? I think he has top-10 to 12 tight end potential in Denver.

[h=2]Need a QB fill-in?[/h]Jay Cutler, QB, Chicago Bears (20.0 percent): Since returning from injury, Cutler has been rock steady in four games, with seven total touchdowns and just two interceptions. He has averaged 18 fantasy points per game. He has a reasonable matchup in Week 9 vs. San Diego, and has Alshon Jeffery playing lights-out football alongside him.
Jameis Winston, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (17.4 percent): When finding a fill-in for your starter, there are two schools of thought: Look for the guy who offers the most upside, or the guy who has the highest floor. Winston might fit into that latter category, as he has posted at least 12 points in every game this season and 19 apiece in the past two. The arrow is pointing up.
<article class="ad-300" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; overflow: hidden; position: relative; z-index: 1000026; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px; float: right; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; height: auto; width: auto;">
</article>Brian Hoyer, QB, Houston Texans (17.4 percent): We mentioned the passing volume for Houston earlier, and Hoyer looks likely to keep on slinging it. He has at least two touchdown passes in each of the past five games.

[h=2]Need a TE?[/h]There are so few sure things at tight end (it's essentially a party of one: Gronk), so with an allotment of byes coming up, here are some names of note with moderate upside:
Jacob Tamme, TE, Atlanta Falcons (5.7 percent): Has three games this season with more than 75 receiving yards, including a 10-catch, 103-yard, one-touchdown effort in Week 8.
Heath Miller, TE, Pittsburgh Steelers (35.8 percent): He has three games with at least eight points this year. Miller had 10 catches and 105 yards in Week 8.
Crockett Gillmore, TE, Baltimore Ravens (13.8 percent): We noted Kamar Aiken above as a player who will need to step up for Baltimore in Smith's absence; the same goes for Gillmore.

HacheMan · Nov 3, 2015

[h=1]Fantasy football: Top D/ST, IDP pickups for Week 9[/h]Jeff Ratcliffe, Pro Football Focus

With six teams on bye this week, the waters are slightly more difficult to navigate at the defense/special teams position. But some of the quarterback situations around the league open up potential opportunities for fantasy purposes. Let's get into the matchups for Week 9.
Remember, the following is a breakdown of my thoughts for the week and should not be read as an ordinary rankings column. Instead it's best to consider the following as a set of tiers each week and use them to help make decisions at team defense. I'll also point out how you can use this information to make your daily fantasy decisions and give some individual defensive players to add off the waiver wire each week.<offer style="box-sizing: border-box;"></offer>
Feel free to send me a tweet if you have any specific questions about start/sit dilemmas that I don't answer here.<offer style="box-sizing: border-box;"></offer>
[h=2]Set it and forget it[/h]The Denver Broncos (at IND) showed this past week that there's no reason to sit them ever. Broncos owners should lock this unit into their lineups every week. ... Despite a lackluster Week 8 performance against the Raiders, the New York Jets(vs. JAC) should not be faded against a Jaguars team that has yielded double-digit fantasy points in four of seven games this season. ... The St. Louis Rams (at MIN) have held both of their past two opponents to six points while racking up seven sacks and four takeaways over that stretch. ... Now owned in 71.2 percent of ESPN fantasy leagues, the Minnesota Vikings (vs. STL) rank seventh in fantasy points and face a Rams team that surrenders an average of 9.1 fantasy points per game to opposing defenses. ... The Philadelphia Eagles (at DAL) have generated 20 takeaways this season and get to face Matt Cassel.
[h=2]Still solid[/h]Though the matchup for the Carolina Panthers (vs. GB) isn't ideal, Aaron Rodgers showed last week that he is mortal. And while they aren't an elite option, the Panthers are still a top-10 play this week. ... Coming off one of their best performances of the season, the New England Patriots (vs. WAS) remain a solid play this week against a Washington offense that has turned the ball over 11 times and yielded three scores to opposing defenses.
[h=2]Streamers[/h]New Orleans Saints (vs. TEN): Over the past three games, the Titans have given up a combined 54 fantasy points. It should be noted that much of that was with Zach Mettenberger under center, and Marcus Mariota is expected back this week. Still, the Titans' arrow is pointing straight down after they fired coach Ken Whisenhunt on Tuesday. The Saints aren't a stellar unit -- as last week's shootout with the Giants showed -- but this week's matchup screams upside and makes them one of the top streamer plays of the week.
Atlanta Falcons (at SF): Speaking of seasons going down the drain, the 49ers have benched Colin Kaepernick in favor of Blaine Gabbert. And San Francisco is signing whomever they can off the street to play running back. The Falcons are neck-and-neck with the Saints as the top streamer play this week.
Cincinnati Bengals (vs. CLV): The Bengals are still available in 61.1 percent of ESPN leagues, and they have a fantastic matchup this week. The Browns yield the fifth-most fantasy points per game to opposing defenses and might have to fire up Johnny Manziel for Thursday night's contest in Cincinnati.
Jacksonville Jaguars (at NYJ): In yet another potential backup quarterback situation to take advantage of this week, the Jets could be without both Ryan Fitzpatrick and Geno Smith. That would leave rookie Bryce Petty as their starter, which bodes extremely well for a Jaguars defense that exploded for 22 fantasy points in its last game. Fantasy owners in a pinch should keep a close eye on the Jets' quarterback situation throughout the week and be prepared to pounce on Jacksonville if Petty is announced as the starter.
[h=2]Matchup downgrade[/h]The Cleveland Browns (at CIN) get a rough matchup on Thursday against a Bengals offense that has yielded just nine sacks and eight turnovers this season. ... Fantasy owners will want to downgrade the Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. OAK) this week. Only the Broncos and Bengals have topped double-digit fantasy points against a surprisingly good Raiders offense. ... With Drew Brees surging, it's impossible to endorse the Tennessee Titans (at NO) on the road. ... Don't get cute with Tampa Bay (vs. NYG). Eli Manning has thrown just four picks, and the Giants have yielded double-digit fantasy points just once this season. ... With the Broncos' offense trending upward, it's a good week to fade the Indianapolis Colts(vs. DEN).
<aside class="inline inline-photo full" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); clear: both; margin: 6px 0px 18px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; width: 570px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px;">[h=2]The rest[/h]After producing in two strong matchups against the 49ers and Rams, the Green Bay Packers (at CAR) have come back down to earth and don't make for a strong play this week against a Panthers offense that hasn't yielded more than six fantasy points to an opposing defense since Week 1. ... The Miami Dolphins (at BUF) have improved under interim head coach Dan Campbell, but they just lost their best pass-rusher, Cameron Wake, to a torn Achilles. ... Fantasy owners can likely do better than a Dallas Cowboys (vs. PHI) defense that has generated just one takeaway in its past five games. ... The Buffalo Bills (vs. MIA) return from a bye week, but their anemic pass rush hasn't produced more than two sacks in any game this season.
[h=2]Bottom of the barrel[/h]Things are really going down the tubes for the San Francisco 49ers (vs. ATL). ... The Washington Redskins (at NE) have yet to score double-digit fantasy points this season and have to face Tom Brady on the road. ... With zero takeaways since Week 5, the San Diego Chargers (vs. CHI) are well off the fantasy radar. ... Likewise, fantasy owners will want to avoid a Chicago Bears (at SD) unit that has scored the third-fewest fantasy points this season. ... The Oakland Raiders (at PIT) looked improved in Week 8 against the Jets but still managed just four fantasy points. ... Fantasy owners want no piece of the New York Giants (at TB) and their league-low nine sacks.
[h=2]DFS plays[/h]The prices are down a bit at DraftKings this week, with the St. Louis Rams ($3,500) coming in as the most expensive unit and both the Indianapolis Colts and San Francisco 49ers bringing up the rear at $2,100. For cash-game plays, Denver ($3,000) stands out as the best value. For those who don't want to eat the chalk, Minnesota ($3,100) and Philadelphia ($2,700) are intriguing cash-game pivots. DFS players who are looking to save some salary-cap space will want to take a long look at New Orleans ($2,200). The Saints are dirt-cheap and get the No. 1 fantasy matchup this week.

[h=2]IDP waivers[/h]For those who dabble in the dark arts of IDP fantasy football, here are some players to target on your waiver wire.
Vontaze Burfict, LB, Bengals (8.0 percent owned): The Bengals activated Burfict from the physically unable to perform list last week and threw him right back into action. Though he played only in the base defense, Burfict managed five total tackles and is expect to see sub-package work going forward. Fantasy owners won't want to rely on Burfict this week, but he's a strong stash for the fantasy stretch run.
<article class="ad-300" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; overflow: hidden; position: relative; z-index: 1000026; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px; float: right; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">
</article>Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, Giants (8.1 percent owned): No, he isn't back yet, but there's an outside chance Pierre-Paul gets on the field on Sunday. A Week 10 return is more likely, and Pierre-Paul could be limited to situational duties initially. But like Burfict, he's a player who has shown the ability to produce at an elite fantasy level in the past and is worth stashing.
Jared Allen, DE/LB, Panthers (8.5 percent owned): With a sack and five total tackles in both of his past two games, the veteran defensive end has shown that he still has fantasy value. More importantly, Allen has played 83.6 percent of the Panthers' defensive snaps over the past two weeks, according to Pro Football Focus. The change of scenery has Allen back in the DL2 conversation.
Byron Jones, CB, Cowboys (1.0 percent owned): While he didn't have a huge fantasy day in Week 8, the rookie defensive back started at safety and played every snap, kicking to slot corner in the sub packages. For those in CB-required leagues, Jones is now squarely on the fantasy radar and should be considered a top-20 option going forward. In leagues that don't split safeties and corners, Jones should be considered a DB3.
<figure style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 0; margin: 0px; position: relative;">
<source data-srcset="http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2014%2F1211%2Fnfl_u_haden_d1_1296x729.jpg&w=570, http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/photo/2014/1211/nfl_u_haden_d1_1296x729.jpg&w=1140 2x" media="(min-width: 376px)" srcset="http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2014%2F1211%2Fnfl_u_haden_d1_1296x729.jpg&w=570, http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/photo/2014/1211/nfl_u_haden_d1_1296x729.jpg&w=1140 2x" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><source data-srcset="http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2014%2F1211%2Fnfl_u_haden_d1_1296x729.jpg&w=375, http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/photo/2014/1211/nfl_u_haden_d1_1296x729.jpg&w=750 2x" media="(max-width: 375px)" srcset="http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2014%2F1211%2Fnfl_u_haden_d1_1296x729.jpg&w=375, http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/photo/2014/1211/nfl_u_haden_d1_1296x729.jpg&w=750 2x" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></picture></figure></aside>

HacheMan · Nov 3, 2015

[h=1]Fantasy Fallout: Drew Brees, Eli Manning combine for record day[/h]Tristan H. Cockcroft, Fantasy

Show of hands: Who had either of the two quarterbacks in the New York Giants-New Orleans Saints game?
If you did, you're probably in outstanding shape entering Monday Night Football. After all, the Saints' Drew Brees and Giants' Eli Manning combined for 13 passing scores, the most by two quarterbacks in the same game in NFL history, and their teams combined for 101 points, third-most in the game's history.
In fantasy terms, Brees' 46 points and Manning's 38 resulted in an all-time high of 84 combined between dueling quarterbacks in the same game:
<aside class="inline inline-table" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: BentonSans, -apple-system, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); clear: both; margin: 6px 0px 18px; padding: 15px; width: 570px;">

YEAR	GAME	QUARTERBACKS (PTS)	TOTAL PTS
2015	NYG at NO	Eli Manning (38), Drew Brees (46)	84
2011	DET at GB	Matthew Stafford (38), Matt Flynn (39)	77
1962	WAS at NYG	Norm Snead (29), Y.A. Tittle (48)	77
2013	DEN at DAL	Peyton Manning (36), Tony Romo (40)	76
1998	ARI at WAS	Jake Plummer (35), Trent Green (39)	74

<caption style="box-sizing: border-box; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-style: solid; color: rgb(39, 39, 39); font-weight: 600; height: 44px; line-height: 2.8; position: relative; text-align: left; text-transform: capitalize; z-index: 1000020; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Most Combined Pts By Opposing QBs, Single Game Since 1960</caption><thead style="box-sizing: border-box;">
</thead><tbody style="box-sizing: border-box;">
</tbody>

</aside>What's more, Brees' 46 fantasy points earned him a tie for the fourth-best single day by a quarterback since 1960:
<aside class="inline inline-table" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: BentonSans, -apple-system, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); clear: both; margin: 6px 0px 18px; padding: 15px; width: 570px;">

YEAR	PLAYER	TEAM	FPTS
2010	Michael Vick	PHI	49
1962	Y.A. Tittle	NYG	48
1991	Mark Rypien	WAS	47
2015	Drew Brees	NO	46
2013	Peyton Manning	DEN	46
2013	Nick Foles	PHI	45
2011	Aaron Rodgers	GB	45
2014	Ben Roethlisberger	PIT	44
1969	Joe Kapp	MIN	44
1990	Randall Cunningham	PHI	43

<caption style="box-sizing: border-box; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-style: solid; color: rgb(39, 39, 39); font-weight: 600; height: 44px; line-height: 2.8; position: relative; text-align: left; text-transform: capitalize; z-index: 1000020; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Most Fantasy Points By QB, Single Game Since 1960</caption><thead style="box-sizing: border-box;">
</thead><tbody style="box-sizing: border-box;">
</tbody>

</aside>Both quarterbacks set new career highs: Brees' 46 were nine more than the 37 he scored in Week 17 of the 2013 season, while Manning's 38 were six more than he scored in Week 4 of the 2014 season, which strangely enough was the week before Odell Beckham Jr. made his NFL debut. Since Beckham arrived, incidentally, Manning has scored 336 fantasy points in 20 games, that total sixth best among quarterbacks during that time span.
Brees also scored 28 of his 46 fantasy points before halftime, which tied him for the 10th most by halftime of any quarterback since 2001.
In addition to Brees and Manning, three of their receivers -- we'll lump wide receivers and tight ends together for this section -- also set new career highs, while three more had huge days on Sunday:
• Giants wide receiver Beckham's 31 fantasy points were a new personal best, exceeding his 30 in Week 15 of 2014. They also gave Beckham 301 fantasy points through his first 20 NFL games, which is 30 more than Bob Hayes' 271 (set in 1965-66) through that many career contests.
• Saints wide receiver Willie Snead's 17 fantasy points set a career high, albeit in his seventh NFL game. He previously had a 14-point game in Week 5.
• Giants wide receiver Dwayne Harris' 15 fantasy points represented a new personal best, set in his 60th career game. He now has three games of double-digit fantasy points in his five-year career, and all have happened in the past five weeks (also 11 in Week 4 and 10 in Week 7).
• Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks' 20 fantasy points were one shy of his previous career high of 21, set in Week 8 of 2014. He now has 48 fantasy points in his past four games, which is the most he has had in any four-game span in his career to date.
• Saints tight end Benjamin Watson's 20 fantasy points fell three short of his personal best of 23, set in Week 5 of 2007. Two of his four best single-week fantasy performances have occurred in the past three weeks (also 18 in Week 6).
• Saints wide receiver Marques Colston's 17 fantasy points represent his most since he scored 24 in Week 14 of 2013.
[h=3]A star is rising in St. Louis[/h]St. Louis Rams running back Todd Gurley continued to perform like a seasoned veteran. On Sunday, Gurley scored 20 fantasy points, the most by any running back in Week 8 (entering Monday's game) and giving him at least 15 fantasy points in each of his first four NFL starts. He joined Devonta Freeman (Weeks 3-6 of this season) as the only running backs to do that since 2001.
Gurley's 20 also gave him 77 through his first five career games. That put him in exclusive company at his position, as only 13 running backs since 1960 managed more through that many NFL games:
<aside class="inline inline-table" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: BentonSans, -apple-system, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); clear: both; margin: 6px 0px 18px; padding: 15px; width: 570px;">

SEASON	PLAYER	TEAM	FPTS
1983	Eric Dickerson	RAMS	129
1980	Billy Sims	DET	109
2007	Adrian Peterson	MIN	102
1965	Gale Sayers	CHI	100
1982	Marcus Allen	RAID	100
1994	Marshall Faulk	IND	97
1980	Joe Cribbs	BUF	94
2001	LaDainian Tomlinson	SD	89
1983	Curt Warner	SEA	87
2004	Julius Jones	DAL	85
1988	Robert Edwards	NE	82
1987	Bo Jackson	RAID	80
1985	Kevin Mack	CLE	78
2015	Todd Gurley	STL	77
2008	Matt Forte	CHI	75

<caption style="box-sizing: border-box; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-style: solid; color: rgb(39, 39, 39); font-weight: 600; height: 44px; line-height: 2.8; position: relative; text-align: left; text-transform: capitalize; z-index: 1000020; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Most Fantasy Points By RB, 1st 5 Career Games, Since 1960</caption><thead style="box-sizing: border-box;">
</thead><tbody style="box-sizing: border-box;">
</tbody>

</aside>[h=3]Thursday throwbacks[/h]With his 30 fantasy points Thursday -- that trailing only Brees and Manning among quarterbacks in Week 8 (entering Monday) -- Tom Brady now has 183 fantasy points through seven New England Patriots games. That surpassed Brady's previous best through seven team games, 182 in 2007. It's the third-best total by any quarterback through seven team games since 1960:
<aside class="inline inline-table" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: BentonSans, -apple-system, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); clear: both; margin: 6px 0px 18px; padding: 15px; width: 570px;">

SEASON	PLAYER	TEAM	1ST 7 GMS	FINAL PTS
1998	Steve Young	SF	198	353
2013	Peyton Manning	DEN	193	406
2015	Tom Brady	NE	183	?
2011	Aaron Rodgers	GB	182	385
2007	Tom Brady	NE	182	378
2004	Daunte Culpepper	MIN	170	360

<caption style="box-sizing: border-box; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-style: solid; color: rgb(39, 39, 39); font-weight: 600; height: 44px; line-height: 2.8; position: relative; text-align: left; text-transform: capitalize; z-index: 1000020; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Most Fantasy Points By QB, 1st 7 Team Games, Since 1960</caption><thead style="box-sizing: border-box;">
</thead><tbody style="box-sizing: border-box;">
</tbody>

</aside>In addition, tight end Rob Gronkowski scored 17 fantasy points Thursday, second most by any player at his position thus far in Week 8, which gave him 104 through seven Patriots games. Jimmy Graham (108 in 2013) is the only other tight end to ever have more through his team's first seven games.
[h=3]Miscellany[/h]• Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. suffered a torn right Achilleson Sunday, ending his season with 82 fantasy points (and 128 in PPR leagues) in seven games, the 11th- and 10th-best totals by a wide receiver in 2015. As Smith has said on numerous occasions that he intends to retire at season's end, his 15-year NFL career might have concluded Sunday with some outstanding fantasy numbers. Here are Smith's rankings among all wide receivers since his NFL debut in Week 1 of 2001 through Week 8 of 2015:
Total fantasy points: 1,816 (second to Reggie Wayne's 1,826).
Total PPR fantasy points: 2,777 (second to Wayne's 2,896).
Ten-point fantasy games: NFL-leading 95.
Twenty-point fantasy games: 18 (fifth, behind Terrell Owens' 31, Randy Moss' 29, Calvin Johnson's 26 and Marvin Harrison's 22).
<article class="ad-300" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; overflow: hidden; position: relative; z-index: 1000026; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px; float: right;">
</article>• Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman scored another 12 fantasy points Sunday, giving him six consecutive games with at least that many. His is the longest such streak by a running back since Arian Foster had seven in a row from Weeks 5-14 last season. Freeman also now has 159 fantasy points through eight games, putting him on pace for 318, which would be the most by any player since Chris Johnson had 329 in 2009.
What's more, with his 318-fantasy-point pace, Freeman is on track to lead all running backs in the category by 100; Chris Ivory of the New York Jets is on pace to finish second, with 218 (assuming he plays every remaining game).
• Sticking with the Falcons, wide receiver Julio Jones' 12-catch, 162-yard, one-touchdown performance Sunday gave him 32 points in standard PPR leagues, second only to Beckham's 39 in Week 8 (entering Monday's action). It also gave Jones 196 PPR fantasy points through eight games, and put him on pace for 392. That would represent the second-best total by any wide receiver since 1960, behind only Jerry Rice's 406 in 1995.

<footer class="article-footer" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px auto; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0px; max-width: 700px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: BentonSans, -apple-system, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"></footer>

HacheMan · Nov 8, 2015

[h=1]Week 9 fantasy advice: Watch out for Dez Bryant, Vernon Davis, Nelson Agholor[/h]
ESPN INSIDER

ESPN has planted spies in every NFL locker room -- OK, so they're our NFL Nation team reporters -- in order to provide fantasy owners with inside intel to help you win your leagues. Here's a collection of fantasy lineup advice pulled straight from the locker rooms and practice fields of every team.
Here is our NFL Nation reporters' Week 9 fantasy advice.

Atlanta Falcons: It might be a smart move to go with the Falcons' defense on Sunday against the 49ers. Remember, there’s a little added motivation with a report surfacing that the 49ers wanted to wait to start Blaine Gabbert over Colin Kaepernick so Gabbert could face a "weak" Falcons defense. Well, Falcons cornerback Desmond Trufant cautioned to wait and see what happens between the whistles, and wide receiver Roddy White said "good luck" to Gabbert with expectations of Atlanta's defense creating a couple turnovers. Gabbert has 24 interceptions and eight fumbles lost in 27 career starts. -- Vaughn McClure

Buffalo Bills: As the Bills' week of preparation for the Dolphins winds down, this much is certain, from a fantasy standpoint: Wide receiver Percy Harvin won't play, while quarterback Tyrod Taylor and running back Karlos Williams are expected to. More uncertain is the status ofSammy Watkins, who has been limited in practice. When asked about Watkins on Thursday, coach Rex Ryan said he "hopes" the receiver can play, but Ryan smirked as he said it -- one of his telltale signs he knows more than he's letting on. It would hardly be a shock if Watkins suits up Sunday. -- Mike Rodak

Carolina Panthers: Denver's Virgil Green and Owen Danielscombined for six catches for 105 yards against Green Bay this past week. In the Packers' previous game, San Diego's Antonio Gates had nine catches for 95 yards. Greg Olsen is playing better than any of those tight ends, and every week, the Panthers are finding new ways to get him open. He had six catches for 79 yards and a touchdown on a rainy off-night against Indianapolis. Look for him to have his third 100-yard receiving game of the season against Green Bay. -- David Newton

Chicago Bears: Fantasy owners who handcuffed Jeremy Langford toMatt Forte ought to be rewarded this week. Expect Chicago to get Langford heavily involved against a San Diego defense that ranks 27th in stopping the run. The Bears love playing the matchups. The Chargers have allowed four tailbacks to rush for at least 100 yards. Bears general manager Ryan Pace said he drafted Langford because of his breakaway speed. The rookie will have a chance to make his bosses look good Monday night. -- Jeff Dickerson

Dallas Cowboys: After catching just two passes for 12 yards in his first game back, it’s clear the Cowboys have to get Dez Bryant going for the passing game to thrive. He does not have much time on task withMatt Cassel, so the Cowboys have to come up with easy pitch-and-catch opportunities against Philadelphia. The Cowboys moved Bryant to different spots around the field versus Seattle, but he was mostly shadowed by Richard Sherman. The Eagles do not have a Richard Sherman and have allowed four 100-yard receivers this season. The most recent time Bryant played against Philadelphia, he caught six passes for 114 yards and three touchdowns. He has seven touchdowns in eight games against the Eagles in his career. -- Todd Archer

Denver Broncos: It’s just a question of when for tight end Vernon Davis. Dive in at your own risk this week, but the ball will be headed Davis’ way in this offense, especially in the red zone. Or, as quarterback Peyton Manning put it this week: “I feel like they brought him in here to play, [it's] probably safe to say.’’ Davis went through practice this week, working with the starters at times. The Broncos are expected to use their two-tight end set plenty against the Indianapolis Colts, a week after the Broncos’ tight ends had 105 yards receiving in the win over the Packers. -- Jeff Legwold

Green Bay Packers: When Randall Cobb sets his mind to something, he usually produces. Last year, he said he was putting too much pressure on himself after his slow start, and he responded with a career-best season. This week, after only 38 yards receiving in Sunday’s loss at Denver, he said he hasn’t done enough and, “I’m going to play better for this team. I’m going to do more. I’m going to be the best Randall I can be.” Look for a bounce-back performance Sunday against the Panthers. -- Rob Demovsky

Indianapolis Colts: The uncertain status of receiver T.Y. Hilton(foot) has put some of the emphasis on tight ends Dwayne Allen andCoby Fleener against Denver’s top-ranked defense. Fleener and especially Allen (14 targets) have not been major focal points of the team’s offense this season. That will likely change, given that new offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski is a big believer in using the tight ends in his system. “You try to put a plan together and utilize those guys and put them in the best position to succeed,” Chudzinski said. “Certainly, the tight ends are guys that have that ability to make a difference.” Allen had a touchdown against Denver in last season's AFC divisional playoff game. -- Mike Wells

Jacksonville Jaguars: After running Toby Gerhart four consecutive times from the 1-yard line and failing to score a touchdown against Buffalo, Jaguars coach Gus Bradley said T.J. Yeldon will be more of a factor in goal-line situations. Gerhart (235 pounds) isn’t much bigger than Yeldon (225 pounds) and has had success in short-yardage situations in other parts of the field, but Yeldon has the ability to bounce outside (if needed) and get to the edge. If the Jaguars use Yeldon on the goal line, expect to see them spread the formation out to give him more room to maneuver. Yeldon has only one rushing touchdown this season, but more goal-line work obviously will result in more TD chances. -- Mike DiRocco

Miami Dolphins: Now is a good time for fantasy owners to bench Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill. He has had good moments recently, including an NFL-record 25 straight completions in Weeks 6 and 7. But this week's opponent, Buffalo, has been his biggest nemesis. He is 2-5 against the Bills overall and 0-3 in Buffalo. Tannehill admitted this week that this is one of his toughest road environments to play in. Add in that Miami is struggling on third-down conversions (3-for-20 the past two games) and will be without starting right tackle Ja'Wuan James, and it's hard to project Tannehill earning a lot of fantasy points on Sunday. -- James Walker

Minnesota Vikings: Tight end Kyle Rudolph’s numbers have been underwhelming this season, in part because of how much the Vikings have asked the tight end to help in pass protection. That doesn’t figure to change Sunday against the Rams’ aggressive front. As much as the Vikings left a tight end to help T.J. Clemmings on Sunday in Chicago, Rudolph likely will be asked to do more of the same this week. That could lead to another day of modest catch totals for the Vikings tight end, who caught just two passes for 22 yards last week, and figures to make Rudolph a risky fantasy play. -- Ben Goessling

New York Giants: Wide receiver Dwayne Harris was targeted seven times Sunday in New Orleans, and he caught three passes, two for touchdowns. Harris is playing the slot receiver role that used to belong to Victor Cruz while Cruz continues to recover from knee and calf injuries, and it seems as though Eli Manning has confidence in him and is willing to look his way. Giants offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo mentioned Thursday that the team has been especially impressed with Harris’ work in the red zone (though the Giants call it the “green zone”). With the run game continuing to struggle in short-yardage situations, Harris could be a guy who snags a sneaky touchdown for you if you’re desperate at WR in the bye weeks. -- Dan Graziano

New York Jets: This could be another tough week for RB Chris Ivory, as the Jaguars allow a league-low 3.52 yards per rush. The Jets feel good about their matchups in the passing game. Brandon Marshalland Eric Decker are less than 100 percent, but they'll be targeted early and often by Ryan Fitzpatrick. Don't be surprised if Fitzpatrick throws for 250 yards and multiple touchdowns. -- Rich Cimini

New England Patriots: With Brandon LaFell activated from the PUP list Oct. 24 and playing two games in five days, Tom Brady gains something the team doesn’t have -- a big, physical outside receiver. LaFell’s 59 snaps against the Dolphins last week, compared to Danny Amendola’s 34, show he’s clearly a No. 2 option alongside Julian Edelman at receiver. Brady loves him, so expect LaFell’s production to grow, possibly as early as this Sunday against Washington. -- Mike Reiss

New Orleans Saints: Don't expect seven touchdowns every week, but it's safe to trust the improvement you've seen from the Saints' passing game. I expect Drew Brees to continue his midseason pace; as I wrote last week, his low TD total was a statistical anomaly -- one he corrected in the span of one week. The Saints are finally finding ways to get Brandin Cooksopen more consistently, including the use of more three-tight end sets. Willie Snead's targets aren't going away, and while I don't expect regular 100-yard games from TE Benjamin Watson, I think he has been involved consistently enough to crack the top 12 at the position. An added bonus: The Saints have the easiest remaining schedule in the NFL, per Football Outsiders, including home dates with Detroit and Jacksonville during the fantasy playoffs. -- Mike Triplett

Oakland Raiders: Raiders tailback Latavius Murray has 198 yards in the past two games, after a two-game slump in which he was off the field in key situations. Murray is getting much of his yardage on the right side of the Raiders' offensive line. He had 99 of his 113 yards on the right side in Week 8. It seems like there is a real comfort zone developing with Murray and the Oakland ground game. -- Bill Williamson

Philadelphia Eagles: Rookie wide receiver Nelson Agholor, who has just eight catches so far, is a candidate for a strong second half. The first-round pick is healthy after missing two games with a high ankle sprain, and he is beginning the second half of his rookie season. That’s when many rookies start performing to their potential. -- Phil Sheridan

Pittsburgh Steelers: Ben Roethlisberger says he feels no need to change the play calling with DeAngelo Williams in the game instead ofLe'Veon Bell. This enhances Williams' fantasy billing -- not just for rushing purposes but also in the passing game, where Bell was deadly. Depending what the Raiders show defensively, the Steelers could utilize Williams out wide. Twenty touches is a reasonable standard to set for Williams, who averaged 102 rushing yards in two games without Bell this season. Steelers players have been pumping up how Williams is a proven commodity from his Carolina days. This is by design -- they are building him up publicly, well aware of how much they need his best. -- Jeremy Fowler

St. Louis Rams: With Todd Gurley and Tavon Austin successfully working in tandem, the Rams are exploring ways the duo's efforts can open up other areas. To this point in the season, the Rams are the second-least productive team in the NFL throwing the ball between the hash marks. Perhaps this could be the week that changes. If it is, the most likely beneficiaries are tight ends Jared Cook and Lance Kendricks. Minnesota's defense is stout, but the Vikings allow 12.19 yards per catch to tight ends, 27th in the NFL. It's a bit of a risk, but Cook or Kendricks might be a good sleeper play in deeper leagues. -- Nick Wagoner

San Diego Chargers: With Keenan Allen out for the season with a lacerated kidney, the Chargers will look to slot receiver Stevie Johnsonto help fill the void. Johnson missed two games this season with a hamstring injury but is healthy and should see more targets from quarterbackPhilip Rivers. Johnson has been targeted 35 times, with 24 catches for 283 yards and two touchdowns in six games. Johnson should have an expanded role in San Diego’s offense with Allen out, particularly on third down and in the red zone. -- Eric Williams

San Francisco 49ers: The only recognizable skill position name sure to start for the Niners against the Falcons, besides recently promoted quarterback Blaine Gabbert, is receiver Torrey Smith. As such, there is a feeling in Santa Clara that for Gabbert to have any modicum of success, he needs to feed Smith, who is averaging 21.4 yards per catch, early and often. -- Paul Gutierrez
<article class="ad-300" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; overflow: hidden; position: relative; z-index: 1000026; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px; float: right;">
</article>

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Whenever tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins returns from a shoulder injury, he should be motivated. He hasn't played since a Week 2 victory over the Saints, and said he Wednesday that "it just sucks" that he has missed this much time. He has shown good movement in practice, and coach Lovie Smith said "we're getting closer" to seeing Seferian-Jenkins come back. Still, the Bucs continue to be cautious with him. -- Andrew Astleford

Tennessee Titans: There is no way Kendall Wright is playing on a sprained knee, and the Titans will be looking to get the ball out quickly as Marcus Mariota returns to the lineup in New Orleans. Harry Douglas is back from a rib injury that cost him two games. Without Wright, Douglas will be the primary slot guy. The odds seem good he’ll be a primary outlet in Mike Mularkey’s first game as head coach and Jason Michael’s first game as playcaller. -- Paul Kuharsky

Washington Redskins: The Redskins’ run game isn’t productive enough to start either Alfred Morris or Matt Jones. The big problem, according to multiple people in the organization: Neither makes anyone miss right now. Quarterback Kirk Cousins is too inconsistent and now has to face one of the best defensive minds in Bill Belichick. Redskins coaches aren’t sure what to expect Sunday, but they know the Patriots will try to take away either DeSean Jackson, in his first game since the opener, or tight endJordan Reed. Know this: Reed is Cousins’ security blanket, but receivers have hurt New England more. They’ve averaged 13.62 yards per catch and caught eight of the 11 touchdown passes allowed. -- John Keim

<footer class="article-footer" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px auto; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0px; max-width: 700px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: BentonSans, -apple-system, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"></footer>

HacheMan · Nov 8, 2015

[h=1]Nickel Coverage: Five fantasy questions that need answers before Week 9[/h]Tom Carpenter, Fantasy and Insider

Week 8 brought with it major changes in the fantasy football landscape. That includes injuries and roster moves that secured workhorse running back gigs forDeAngelo Williams and Darren McFadden to an offensive coordinator change on the Tennessee Titans that could alter the fantasy trajectory for rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota. Meanwhile, huge questions loom for the fantasy value of any player on the San Francisco 49ers and for fantasy owners dealing with six NFL teams taking byes in Week 9. And as we enter the stretch run to the fantasy playoffs, what should you do if you have a middling quarterback on your roster?
Don't worry, we have the answers for all of those questions right here.
Each week throughout the season, I will posit five of the week's most intriguing fantasy questions to a rotating panel of experts from ESPN, ESPN Fantasy and NFL Nation. Five questions for five analysts, thus Nickel Coverage.
Responses this week come from SportsCenter and Fantasy Football Now anchor Robert Flores, NFL Nation Dolphins reporter James Walker, NFL Nation Giants reporter Dan Graziano and ESPN Fantasy analysts Jim McCormick and KC Joyner.
[h=2]Following Le'Veon Bell's season-ending injury and Joseph Randle's release, Pittsburgh Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams and Dallas Cowboys running back Darren McFadden have a clear hold on the feature role in their respective backfields. Who do you rank higher this week and for the rest of the season?[/h]Four of our analysts peg Williams as the better option for the rest of the season.
Joyner: I have Williams rated higher this week due in most part to the more favorable matchup (against the Oakland Raiders) and to having more offensive weapons around him. McFadden rates higher the rest of the season, as he has four green-rated matchups (highly favorable) and zero red-rated matchups (highly unfavorable). Williams has three green-rated matchups but also has three red-rated matchups, so he will be more hit-or-miss down the road.
McCormick: Williams has a pretty sizable lead here both this week and going forward. The Raiders have allowed the second-most receptions per game (7.4) to backs on the season, opening real upside in the receiving game. McFadden is seeing rare volume on a thin running back market, so he's likely a solid RB2 option for this week, but it's just that Williams profiles as an RB1 on a far better offense with a precedent for big-play success already this season.
Walker: Williams for two reasons. He plays in a better offense and he has his starting quarterback back in the lineup. Sometimes a running back's best friend can be the threat of the pass. Opponents will be gearing up so much for Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and receiver Antonio Brown that Williams should get more running lanes and fewer defenders in the box than McFadden. That could change at the end of the month when Tony Romo returns to the Cowboys. But for now, Williams is the pick.
[h=2]The 49ers are replacing Colin Kaepernick with Blaine Gabbert, their backfield is decimated by injuries, plus Anquan Boldin (hamstring) missed Week 8 and they traded Vernon Davis. Is there anyone on the 49ers' offense who you believe is worth using this week or holding on to for later this season in 10- and 12-team leagues?[/h]<aside class="inline inline-photo float-l" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: BentonSans, -apple-system, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); clear: none; margin: 6px 18px 15px 0px; padding: 15px; width: 285px; min-height: 1px; position: relative; float: left; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px;">The only Niner who may have some hope in fantasy terms is Hyde -- later in the season.
Graziano: Wow. The short answer is "no." How can you count on anything in the passing game if it's Gabbert? They just signed Pierre Thomas, but you can't assume he takes on any kind of similar role to the one he had in New Orleans. Boldin has got a hamstring injury. I guess you have to hold on to Carlos Hyde in case he gets healthy, but that's it for me.
Joyner: There is no one on the 49ers' roster worth using this week. Hyde could be a valuable fantasy player during the playoffs, as San Francisco has green-rated rush defense matchups in three of the four playoff weeks. That could make Hyde a valuable low-cost trade option right now.
McCormick: Pierre Thomas might be worthy of ownership in a 12-team point-per-reception league, but really a prop bet on Gabbert leading the team in rushing might actually be a reasonable wager. Carlos Hyde's status remains murky at best, but likely to be out more realistically. It's just inscrutable how the usage breakdown works, especially on an offense absent of talent at every skill position.
[h=2]Alex Smith, Joe Flacco, Blake Bortles, Matt Ryan, Russell Wilson and Derek Carr rank 9-14 among fantasy quarterbacks after eight weeks. Rank them for the rest of the season and explain why your top option is first.[/h]
Ryan and Carr top most of the rankings here.
Flores: This one is really tough. I might put Alex Smith at the top. (I can't believe I just wrote that.) After Smith, it's Wilson, Bortles, Carr, Ryan and Flacco. Smith's schedule is interesting: two games against the Chargers, another against the Ravens' poor defense, and the Browns in Week 16.
Graziano: Carr, Bortles, Ryan, Wilson, Smith, Flacco. Tough call for me between the two second-year guys, but Carr is just rolling right now, with two good-looking targets in Cooper and Crabtree, an emerging tight end, a good-looking running game. It's the whole package. His only bad game (other than Week 1, when he got hurt) was against the Broncos, and even Aaron Rodgerscouldn't score on them.
Joyner: Ryan, Carr, Bortles, Wilson, Smith, Flacco. Ryan ranks first because he has two incredibly favorable matchups in Week 9 (San Francisco) and Week 13 (Tampa Bay). Wilson is the only one of those other quarterbacks to have as many highly favorable matchups, but Ryan's offensive line and surrounding talent is much superior to Wilson's, so Ryan gets the nod.
McCormick: Carr, Wilson, Bortles, Ryan, Smith, Flacco. Carr rates highest for me, based on matchups such as Detroit, Kansas City twice (suspect secondary) and home tilts with likely high implied point totals in home tilts against the Packers and Chargers in Week 15 and 16, respectively.
Walker: Here are my fantasy rankings: Ryan, Carr, Wilson, Bortles, Flacco, Smith. Keep in mind real football and fantasy football are very different. I like Ryan the best, because he is the most consistent and has the best supporting cast. He averages 300 passing yards per game. That's 15 points that you can count on in many fantasy leagues. Having receiver Julio Jones also doesn't hurt. No other quarterback in this group has a receiver as good.
[h=2]The Tennessee Titans fired coach Ken Whisenhunt and replaced him with Mike Mularkey. What are your expectations for rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota under Mularkey in Week 9 and the rest of the season?[/h]Our analysts don't expect a big jump in production.
Flores: I would hope the Titans would do a better job protecting him. Mularkey said he wants them to be more physical. Problem is, I'm not crazy about any of their running backs. If I'm a Mariota owner, I'm hoping Dorial Green-Beckhamemerges in the latter half of his rookie season. He's their most talented player but has yet to make an impact. I think Mariota will have some nice moments, but I would wait to make a move to see what Mularkey has in mind in the way of changes.
Graziano: I don't see things changing all that much for Mariota. It's possible Mularkey has a mandate to find ways to protect him better, since the stubborn failure to do that was part of what got Whisenhunt fired. But it's not as though he's going to all of a sudden have better receivers, backs or linemen. And with the Jets and Patriots on the Week 14-15 playoff schedule, I'm not eager to plug Mariota in as my 2015 starter.
Walker: I don't expect much. Mariota got off to a decent start, but teams adjusted after the first month and now it is up to the rookie to readjust. Sometimes that is a big struggle for first-year quarterbacks. Mariota doesn't have a consistent running game and, on top of that, you never know how a team responds to the chaos of a coaching change. How is Mariota supposed to thrive under these poor circumstances? I don't expect Mariota to start in most leagues this week. He is only an option if you are absolutely desperate.
[h=2]With six teams taking a bye in Week 9, fantasy owners may be scrambling to find a fill-in. Name a player you think will surprise this week.[/h]
Graziano: As someone who just watched the Giants' defense give up 505 yards and seven touchdowns toDrew Brees on Sunday in New Orleans, the first name that comes to my mind is Jameis Winston. The Bucs host the Giants on Sunday, and the Giants rank last in the league against the pass, allowing 315 yards a game. If your quarterback is on bye, Winston has a chance to put up a big number this week.
<article class="ad-300" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; overflow: hidden; position: relative; z-index: 1000026; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px; float: right; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">
</article>Joyner: C.J. Anderson. Fantasy owners still aren't convinced about him even after last week's 16-point performance, but they should be. Denver's blocking wall posted an above average good blocking rate (GBR measures how often blockers give ball carriers quality run blocking) for the second consecutive week. That's the first time the Broncos' offensive line achieved that goal, and it bodes well for Anderson's prospects not just in Week 9, but also for the rest of year. Denver has four green-rated rush defense matchups, so Anderson's upside for the rest of the season should put him into starting lineups more often than not.
McCormick: Antonio Andrews of the Titans comes to mind. The Saints allow 108 rushing yards per game, seventh most in the league, and the fourth-highest yards-per-carry rate in the league at a generous 4.83 per tote. With Coach Mularkey talking about riding Andrews with a real workhorse share of the backfield touches, he's an interesting flex play and a solid DFS value to consider.
Walker: I like Bills tight end Charles Clay as a surprise fantasy contributor this week. He's not a household name, but he actually has been Buffalo's most consistent pass-catcher. In addition, the Dolphins' defense struggled against opposing tight ends all season and Clay likely gets starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor back in the lineup this week. With more popular tight ends like Jimmy Graham (Seattle) and Travis Kelce (Kansas City) on a bye, Clay is a solid fill in.

<figure style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 0; margin: 0px; position: relative;">
<source data-srcset="http://a4.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2015%2F1029%2Fr21115_1296x729_16%2D9.jpg&w=267, http://a4.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/photo/2015/1029/r21115_1296x729_16-9.jpg&w=534 2x" media="(min-width: 376px)" srcset="http://a4.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2015%2F1029%2Fr21115_1296x729_16%2D9.jpg&w=267, http://a4.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/photo/2015/1029/r21115_1296x729_16-9.jpg&w=534 2x" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><source data-srcset="http://a4.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2015%2F1029%2Fr21115_1296x729_16%2D9.jpg&w=375, http://a4.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/photo/2015/1029/r21115_1296x729_16-9.jpg&w=750 2x" media="(max-width: 375px)" srcset="http://a4.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2015%2F1029%2Fr21115_1296x729_16%2D9.jpg&w=375, http://a4.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/photo/2015/1029/r21115_1296x729_16-9.jpg&w=750 2x" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></picture></figure></aside>

HacheMan · Nov 8, 2015

[h=1]Fantasy: Start Marcus Mariota, sit Andrew Luck in Week 9[/h]Tristan H. Cockcroft, Fantasy
ESPN INSIDER

Matchups are often a driving force behind fantasy owners' weekly lineup decisions. When choosing between two (or more) similarly talented players, you know the first question that comes to mind: Which one has the best matchup?
Ah, but what, exactly, constitutes a favorable or unfavorable matchup?
That's where this column comes in. Each week the "Matchups Map" provides a schedule-independent method to determine strength of positional matchups, using the most recent, relevant data. Check back for updated numbers each week, including matchups highlights at each position -- both favorable and unfavorable -- based upon those statistics.
The maps include two measures: The first, "Rk," is my personal ranking of how favorable/unfavorable I consider that positional matchup; the second, "Adj. FPA," reflects how far above or below a player's average that defense held opponents at that position. All data is from the past five weeks' NFL action.
Finally, a caveat: Remember that matchups are only one ingredient in my rankings formula. Not every favorable matchup should be exploited; not every unfavorable matchup should be avoided. To get the most complete recipe for whom to start and sit, consult my weekly rankings.

[h=2]Quarterbacks[/h]Favorable matchup: Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans (at New Orleans Saints). Why not take a chance on him in his first week under a new coach, Mike Mularkey, who already has said he will alter the Titans' offense to better suit Mariota's strengths? This isn't to suggest there's a quantitative advantage to using a player in his first game under a new coach -- that sample is far too small to be trustworthy -- but this is opportunistic timing for one of Mariota's best matchups all season. The Saints, after all, have afforded more fantasy points to quarterbacks on passes (106) than anyone the past five weeks. In addition, if Mularkey indeed plans to better utilize Mariota's mobility, the Saints represent a good such matchup for it. The three most mobile quarterbacks they've faced this season -- those with the highest average rushing attempts per game in 2014-15 -- have totaled 19 fantasy points on rushing plays.
Unfavorable matchup: Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts (versusDenver Broncos). There must be some validity to the report that he has been playing through a rib injury, because Luck's statistical performance this season has been awful, especially compared to his past seasons. He has been a garbage-time king: Of his 105 fantasy points, which by the way earn him a mere 12th-ranked 17.5 per-game average, 76 percent were scored after halftime and 73 percent were when his Colts were playing from at least seven points behind, both of those easily the highest rates in the league. Now, this could be another garbage-time-volume kind of game for Luck, but even then, the Broncos haven't been generous to opposing quarterbacks even in those circumstances -- 27 fantasy points allowed on 84 offensive plays when leading by seven or more in the second half -- and they're easily the most stifling defense in the league overall.
<aside class="inline inline-with-table" style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); clear: both; margin: 6px 0px 18px; padding: 15px; width: 570px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px;"><header class="inline-header" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; overflow: hidden;">[h=1]QB Matchups Map For Week 9[/h]"D to avoid" and "D to exploit" columns rank team defenses in terms of strength of matchup; "Opp.": Week 9 opponent; "Rk": Tristan's matchup ranking, where 1 is the toughest defense and 32 is the easiest defense to face; "Adj. FPA": The number of fantasy points that defense added or subtracted from its opponent.
</header>

OPP.	RK	ADJ. FPA	OPP.	RK	ADJ. FPA
@IND	1	-5.8	BYE	32	5.4
@MIN	2	-4.4	TEN	31	6.3
@DAL	3	-4.3	NYG	30	6.3
GB	4	-3.7	BYE	29	2.9
@CAR	5	-1.6	CHI	28	4.4
OAK	6	-6.1	@TB	27	4.5
BYE	7	-4.2	@NE	26	3.8
BYE	8	-0.9	BYE	25	2.6
JAC	9	0.0	@CIN	24	2.8
@SF	10	-1.6	ATL	23	2.2
@NO	11	-3.5	@SD	22	1.4
@PIT	12	-4.0	@NYJ	21	1.0
WAS	13	-0.2	BYE	20	-0.5
PHI	14	-4.1	@BUF	19	-0.4
MIA	15	-0.9	STL	18	0.7
CLE	16	1.5	DEN	17	-3.3

</aside>[h=2]Running backs[/h]Favorable matchup: Jeremy Langford, Chicago Bears (at San Diego Chargers). He absorbed 10 of the Bears' 12 rushing attempts and all of their running back snaps after Matt Forte's Week 8 exit and by all accounts is expected to absorb the vast majority of the rushing work in Forte's absence. And while Langford's 3.0 yards-per-carry average to date hardly hints at great upside, he also has accrued it on a small sample, with this the first prime opportunity of his career. Only one defense (the Detroit Lions, who have a bye) has afforded more fantasy points per rush to opposing running backs than the Chargers (0.68), and they're not especially good defending the pass against that position either, which is encouraging considering Langford is an adequate receiver, giving him an elevated Week 9 basement in the event his Bears fall behind early.
Unfavorable matchup: T.J. Yeldon, Jacksonville Jaguars (at New York Jets). He had three consecutive double-digit fantasy games before entering his Week 8 bye, but Yeldon couldn't ask for a stiffer matchup despite his "fresh legs." The Jets, after all, have afforded the fewest total fantasy points to opposing running backs this season (76), but more important, they're dominant right up the gut. Why is that relevant here? Simple: More than 40 percent of Yeldon's rushing attempts this season have been right up the middle, and the Jets have afforded a scant nine fantasy points (on 69 attempts) on such plays.
<aside class="inline inline-with-table" style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); clear: both; margin: 6px 0px 18px; padding: 15px; width: 570px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px;"><header class="inline-header" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; overflow: hidden;">[h=1]RB Matchups Map For Week 9[/h]"D to avoid" and "D to exploit" columns rank team defenses in terms of strength of matchup; "Opp.": Week 9 opponent; "Rk": Tristan's matchup ranking, where 1 is the toughest defense and 32 is the easiest defense to face; "Adj. FPA": The number of fantasy points that defense added or subtracted from its opponent.
</header>

OPP.	RK	ADJ. FPA	OPP.	RK	ADJ. FPA
JAC	1	-5.7	BYE	32	10.4
NYG	2	-7.2	BYE	31	9.2
WAS	3	-3.7	CHI	30	4.1
@MIN	4	-3.0	DEN	29	1.9
@PIT	5	-4.9	@BUF	28	4.4
OAK	6	-4.8	TEN	27	2.5
BYE	7	-2.1	@CIN	26	2.6
@DAL	8	-4.5	CLE	25	2.6
@SD	9	-0.6	BYE	24	1.6
BYE	10	-3.7	MIA	23	3.4
STL	11	-4.0	@TB	22	2.4
@NO	12	-1.7	@NYJ	21	2.7
@NE	13	-3.9	BYE	20	2.2
@IND	14	-2.3	ATL	19	1.4
@SF	15	-4.6	PHI	18	-0.5
@CAR	16	-0.5	GB	17	0.0

</aside>[h=2]Wide receivers[/h]Favorable matchup: Stevie Johnson, San Diego Chargers (versus Chicago Bears). Though the Bears don't grade as one of the very best overall wide receiver matchups in the chart below, there's an angle here. Remember, the wide receiver stats encompass the entirety of a team's wide receiver corps; and this is an individual, volume-angled play. With Keenan Allen's season concluded, Johnson's targets should enjoy a healthy bump, perhaps into double digits, and that's a plus from a per-play matchups perspective. After all, in the past five weeks alone, the Bears have afforded 1.16 fantasy points per target to opposing wide receivers (eighth worst), and for the season, they've allowed a worst-in-the-league 1.30 fantasy points per target.
Unfavorable matchup: T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts (versus Denver Broncos). The Colts tend to shuffle around their receivers in the formation, but most often in Week 9, Hilton probably will be aligned with Aqib Talib. Honestly, it doesn't matter; it's not as if any of Hilton's other potential individual matchups in this game would be any better. Teams' No. 1 wide receivers have averaged just 6.6 fantasy points against the Broncos; teams' most-targeted wide receivers in games against the Broncos have averaged just 6.8 fantasy points. Wide receivers as a whole have averaged barely better than half a fantasy point per target against this defense.
<aside class="inline inline-with-table" style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); clear: both; margin: 6px 0px 18px; padding: 15px; width: 570px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px;"><header class="inline-header" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; overflow: hidden;">[h=1]WR Matchups Map For Week 9[/h]"D to avoid" and "D to exploit" columns rank team defenses in terms of strength of matchup; "Opp.": Week 9 opponent; "Rk": Tristan's matchup ranking, where 1 is the toughest defense and 32 is the easiest defense to face; "Adj. FPA": The number of fantasy points that defense added or subtracted from its opponent.
</header>

OPP.	RK	ADJ. FPA	OPP.	RK	ADJ. FPA
BYE	1	-9.6	BYE	32	5.6
@IND	2	-5.0	TEN	31	7.9
PHI	3	-8.3	NYG	30	7.0
GB	4	-4.2	@TB	29	7.0
@MIN	5	-3.8	BYE	28	2.5
@SF	6	-5.5	@NE	27	3.1
STL	7	-7.5	BYE	26	0.7
@NYJ	8	-2.1	ATL	25	3.3
@PIT	9	-0.5	BYE	24	3.4
MIA	10	-3.6	CHI	23	3.2
CLE	11	-0.8	BYE	22	-2.1
@CAR	12	0.3	@CIN	21	2.5
JAC	13	1.4	@DAL	20	0.6
OAK	14	0.1	DEN	19	0.4
WAS	15	0.1	@SD	18	0.7
@NO	16	-2.0	@BUF	17	0.2

</aside>[h=2]Tight ends[/h]Favorable matchup: Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers(versus New York Giants). There's some injury risk here, as Seferian-Jenkins is coming off a six-week absence for a shoulder injury, but after he put in some practice time leading into Week 8, he certainly looks primed to play this week. It's an ideal matchup for his return; he's facing one of the most generous defenses in the game to opposing tight ends, regardless of the situation. The Giants have afforded the most targets to opposing tight ends (81), the eighth-most fantasy points per target (1.12), and since Seferian-Jenkins' strength is his size -- think red zone opportunities -- the Giants have allowed four touchdowns to tight ends on eight red zone targets.
Unfavorable matchup: Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys (versusPhiladelphia Eagles). The Eagles have had Witten's number in recent meetings, limiting him to 11 fantasy points (26 in standard PPR scoring) on 18 targets in three games within the past calendar year. In addition, consider how two other volume-angled tight ends have done against the Eagles this season:Jordan Reed had one fantasy point (six in PPR) on eight targets in Week 4, whileGreg Olsen had six fantasy points (nine in PPR) on five targets in Week 7. And finally, Tony Romo's absence has had a devastating effect on Witten's fantasy production: Witten has averaged 1.13 fantasy points per target from Romo (213 on 188), but only 0.82 per target from all other Cowboys quarterbacks (47 on 57) since the beginning of the 2013 season (Romo has missed seven games during that time).
<aside class="inline inline-with-table" style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); clear: both; margin: 6px 0px 18px; padding: 15px; width: 570px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px;"><header class="inline-header" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; overflow: hidden;">[h=1]TE Matchups Map For Week 9[/h]"D to avoid" and "D to exploit" columns rank team defenses in terms of strength of matchup; "Opp.": Week 9 opponent; "Rk": Tristan's matchup ranking, where 1 is the toughest defense and 32 is the easiest defense to face; "Adj. FPA": The number of fantasy points that defense added or subtracted from its opponent.
</header>

OPP.	RK	ADJ. FPA	OPP.	RK	ADJ. FPA
@DAL	1	-6.0	BYE	32	2.9
@MIN	2	-2.9	@SF	31	4.9
BYE	3	-2.6	STL	30	2.2
WAS	4	-2.6	ATL	29	2.3
MIA	5	-2.6	@TB	28	2.9
BYE	6	-2.8	CHI	27	1.2
BYE	7	-0.8	@PIT	26	3.0
@IND	8	-1.7	DEN	25	1.0
@NE	9	-1.2	@CIN	24	2.3
@SD	10	-0.9	BYE	23	0.3
CLE	11	0.5	NYG	22	0.4
BYE	12	-0.9	TEN	21	-0.4
PHI	13	-1.4	@NYJ	20	0.9
@CAR	14	0.2	@BUF	19	0.7
JAC	15	0.4	@NO	18	-1.0
OAK	16	-1.4	GB	17	0.9

</aside>

HacheMan · Nov 10, 2015

[h=1]Free-agent finds for Week 10: Karlos Williams, James Starks clearly top options[/h]Field Yates[FONT=BentonSans, -apple-system, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif], ESPN Insider[/FONT]

We're closing in on the home stretch of the fantasy regular season. As a matter of fact, many ESPN.com leagues conduct their playoffs in Weeks 14-16, meaning just four regular-season games remain for a large number of owners. With roster fine-tuning in mind, below is a look at the Week 10 waiver-wire adds.
Note: Players owned in more than 50 percent of leagues on ESPN.com are excluded from this column.
Karlos Williams, RB, Buffalo Bills (41.3 percent): Williams missed three games because of a concussion, perhaps contributing to his relatively low ownership percentage. LeSean McCoy looked terrific on Sunday, but he's now dealing with a shoulder injury that bears monitoring on a short week (the Bills play on Thursday night). Couple that with Williams' standout play -- he's scored at least one touchdown in every game he's played this season -- and you can see why he's atop this list. All McCoy owners should invest in Williams, and he should be owned in leagues of all sizes. Even if McCoy plays, Williams is a usable flex.
James Starks, RB, Green Bay Packers (40.3 percent): A frequent visitor on our waiver-wire column, Starks once again is near the top of our list. We're far enough into the season to be wary as to whether Eddie Lacy will ever get on track in 2015, as he's currently on pace for just 616 yards and four touchdowns. Starks has run better, is a more productive receiver and is seeing a significant workload. He's a must-own for all Lacy owners and should be owned in all leagues.
James White, RB, New England Patriots (1.5 percent): With news thatDion Lewis is out for the year, the Patriots' offense is in search of a replacement who offers pass catching out of the backfield and other elements of what Lewis contributed. (Disclaimer: Replacing Lewis entirely is a tall order. He was brilliant for the offense and one of the best backs in football.) When Lewis was inactive for a game earlier this season, we saw White handle that role, though the ground game struggled to get going in a tough matchup versus the Jets. It's not a guarantee that White will assume this role unto himself -- and even if he does, his production isn't likely to match Lewis' -- but I do believe he's the top Patriots back to add this week.
Brandon Bolden, RB, New England Patriots (0.2 percent): Remember: The Patriots' backfield is as unpredictable as there is in the NFL. Bolden took over for Lewis on Sunday after his injury, catching three passes for 27 yards and a touchdown. He's a core special teamer for New England who has also been a factor on offense in previous seasons. He could be due for more work as well. We'll give the slight edge to White as the top add in the backfield, but Bolden should also see some work, per Mike Reiss, the most plugged-in reporter covering an NFL team, in my estimation.

Marcel Reece, RB, Oakland Raiders (2.8 percent): Latavius Murray suffered a concussion in Week 9, putting his status for Week 10 in some doubt. I solicited insight on the running back situation from our terrific ESPN Raiders reporter, Bill Williamson: "If Murray can't play against Minnesota on Sunday,Taiwan Jones and Marcel Reece will get more carries. Roy Helu will be active. I could see Reece, who can be effective with limited carries, seeing a lead role for the short term." Reece is an add in a deeper league, but a workhorse role is no guarantee. He's probably a flex play if Murray sits on Sunday.
Rueben Randle, WR, New York Giants (41.6): The G-Men have one more game before their Week 11 bye, and it's possible at some point this season Victor Cruz will return to the field. But Randle seems to be locked into a No. 2 receiver role, with 46 targets in his past seven games. He's hauling in 69.6 percent of those targets and has five catches in four of the past five games. He's a solid add in deeper leagues who has good value in PPR formats.
Dontrelle Inman, WR, San Diego Chargers (6.8 percent): The Chargers get a bye in Week 10, but those who play in a deeper league should keep an eye on Inman. Malcom Floyd left Monday's game with a shoulder injury, and if that holds him out for an extended time, Inman is in line for a No. 2 receiver role for a top passing team.
Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Tennessee Titans (9.0 percent): When a player has as much natural talent as DGB does, he's going to hover around the fantasy football radar regardless of production. But Sunday was as positive a sign as we've seen yet, as he had a career-best five catches for 77 yards on 10 targets. His role is increasing and evolving. That's enough to intrigue me. He doesn't need to be owned in all 10-team leagues, but if I have a flexible roster spot, I'm putting in a claim. He should be owned in all 12-team leagues and larger.
Cole Beasley, WR, Dallas Cowboys (3.1 percent): The best Beasley game of the season likely came in Week 9, when he scored twice and had 112 receiving yards. But in a deeper-league, PPR format, Beasley is a reasonable add. He has four or more catches in six of eight games. However, he also had two games without a catch. Getting Tony Romo back in Week 11 will only help his value.
Devin Funchess, WR, Carolina Panthers (7.1 percent): After Kelvin Benjamin tore his ACL in the preseason, Funchess was an intriguing name because of his raw skills: He's an athletic, 6-foot-4, 225-pound former tight end. However, an injury in the preseason slowed his progress and he's hardly emerged amid a thin Panthers receiving group. But he had three catches for 71 yards and a touchdown in Week 9. He's still the No. 4 receiver on Carolina's depth chart, but if you're in a super-deep league and looking for an upside add, Funchess fits the bill.
Jamison Crowder, WR, Washington (6.7 percent): Crowder has been mentioned in this space previously and the sentiment remains the same: He's a completely viable option in a deeper PPR league. In his past six games, he averaged 11.2 points in PPR scoring despite no touchdowns. And even though I don't forecast a major spike in trips to the end zone, he's a slot option in an offense that has thrown the ball a ton this season.
Jordan Todman, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers (0.7 percent): We got news on Tuesday that DeAngelo Williams is dealing with some inflammation in his foot. It's too soon to be especially concerned about his missing Sunday's matchup with the Browns, but Todman is currently the next man up. A wise addition for people who already own Williams.

Shaun Draughn, RB, San Francisco 49ers (3.4 percent):The 49ers had to essentially reset their backfield leading into Week 9, as Carlos Hyde missed the game due to an injury and Mike Davis was placed on short-term injured reserve. Draughn, signed earlier in the week, totaled 20 touches for 96 yards. The 49ers go on a bye this week and could well have Hyde back in Week 11, but a RB-needy owner in a deep league should consider Draughn for the chance he gets at least one more start.
[h=2]Quarterback fill-in options for Week 10[/h]Kirk Cousins, QB, Washington (8.8 percent): He faces off against the Saints this Sunday. New Orleans has allowed 10 total touchdown passes and no interceptions in the past two games. It's a dreamy matchup for Cousins (no team has allowed more fantasy points to opposing QBs than the Saints), who is ninth in pass attempts this season.
Marcus Mariota, QB, Tennessee Titans (37.5 percent): Mariota was outstanding against New Orleans, adding another four-touchdown, no-interception game to his résumé. The matchup against Carolina in Week 10 isn't ideal, but Mariota is the highest-upside QB for the rest of the season to be mentioned in this list.
<article class="ad-300" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; overflow: hidden; position: relative; z-index: 1000026; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px; float: right; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; height: auto; width: auto;">
</article>Jay Cutler, QB, Chicago Bears (29.4 percent): He's been terrific since returning from an injury, scoring at least 17 points in all five of his games. The matchup in Week 10 isn't an ideal one (versus St. Louis), but Cutler-to-Alshon Jeffery is currently one of the game's most productive duos.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB, New York Jets (23.1 percent): Fitz has been very good for fantasy purposes this season, averaging close to 21 fantasy points in the past three games he has started and finished. He has a pair of terrific wide receivers to distribute the ball to.
Brian Hoyer, QB, Houston Texans (12.2 percent): Since regaining the starting role, he has averaged 19.2 fantasy points per game. The matchup isn't great against Cincinnati, but Hoyer has quietly been very good.

HacheMan · Nov 10, 2015

[h=1]Fantasy: Buy low on Stewart, sell high on Lynch based on matchups[/h]KC Joyner, NFL Insider

With the start of the fantasy football playoffs looming on the horizon in many leagues, many fantasy owners are going through the process of trying to improve their team's postseason chances.
A main element of this is reviewing schedules to find which players have the most favorable matchups (and thus should be trade targets) and which have the most difficult matchups (and thus are players to trade away).
To assist with this process, this week's Fantasy Foresight will review the relative schedule strength (SOS) of running backs for Weeks 10-17 (with an emphasis on the playoff time frame from Weeks 13-16). Red-rated matchups indicate an opponent with a tough run defense that should be avoided, while green-rated matchups indicate a highly favorable rush defense.
Here's a look at teams with the most- or least-favorable remaining SOS for running backs, followed by a list of the best buy-low and sell-high RB candidates.<offer style="box-sizing: border-box;"></offer>
[h=2]Most-favorable schedules[/h]Carolina Panthers (six green-rated matchups, two in playoffs)
Jacksonville Jaguars (five green-rated matchups, three in playoffs)
Philadelphia Eagles (five green-rated matchups, one in playoffs)
Washington Redskins (five green-rated matchups, two in playoffs)
Dallas Cowboys (four green-rated matchups, one in playoffs)
Green Bay Packers (four green-rated matchups, two in playoffs)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (four green-rated matchups, two in playoffs)
[h=2]Least-favorable schedules[/h]Cincinnati Bengals (four red-rated matchups, two in playoffs)
Cleveland Browns (four red-rated matchups, one in playoff)
Seattle Seahawks (four red-rated matchups, one in playoffs)
Minnesota Vikings (three red-rated matchups, two in playoffs)
Pittsburgh Steelers (three red-rated matchups, two in playoffs)
[h=2]Buy-low candidates[/h]

Jonathan Stewart, Carolina Panthers
Stewart's fantasy owners may be tempted to trade him away after he posted a meager six points against Green Bay in Week 9, but six green-rated matchups in the next eight weeks give Stewart the most favorable overall schedule of any back in the league over the rest of the season.

T.J. Yeldon, Jacksonville Jaguars
With fantasy playoff matchups against Tennessee, Indianapolis and New Orleans, there may not be a running back with more playoff schedule upside than Yeldon. His asking price in a buy-low trade could be quite reasonable given that he is coming off a nine-point effort against the Jets in Week 9.

Eddie Lacy, Green Bay Packers
Lacy had been arguably the biggest bust of the 2015 fantasy season even before posting minus-1 point against Carolina in Week 9 prior to leaving the game with a groin injury. That performance could drive his asking price to a season low. If that happens, Lacy could be worth trading for given that the Packers have two green-rated playoff matchups. If Lacy heals up prior to those battles, he might be able to post double-digit point totals in some of the most important games of the year.

Doug Martin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The "Dougernaut" (the nickname Martin prefers) racked up fantasy 68 points in the three games Tampa Bay played from Weeks 4-7, but he followed that up with a total of nine points in the next two contests. With green-rated matchups in two of the next three weeks, Martin should be able to help fantasy owners who need immediate help to qualify for the fantasy postseason, so they should use this production collapse to leverage a relatively low-priced turnaround.
[h=2]Sell-high candidates[/h]

Giovani Bernard, Cincinnati Bengals
It might be a bit of a misnomer to say that Bernard is a sell-high candidate since he hasn't posted a double-digit point total since Week 6, but he has racked up seven or more points in all but one week and ranked 17th in running back fantasy points coming into Week 9.
That gives him something in the neighborhood of RB2 trade value and his owners would do well to cash in on that given that the Bengals have four red-rated matchups and two red-rated playoff matchups the rest of the season.

Marshawn Lynch, Seattle Seahawks
With five home matchups over the last eight weeks and coming off of an eight-point game in Week 8, Lynch might at first glance appear to be in the buy-low category.
<article class="ad-300" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; overflow: hidden; position: relative; z-index: 1000026; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px; float: right; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px;">
</article>That potential value is offset by a schedule that has Seattle facing a red-rated rush defense matchup in three of the next five weeks and having only one green-rated matchup the rest of the season. Lynch's stock should still be high enough right now to command a RB1-caliber back in return, so the advice would be for his fantasy owners to take advantage of that and get out while the getting's good.
[h=2]Most volatile set of rush defense matchups[/h]

Todd Gurley, St. Louis Rams
A case could have been made to put the Rams in the most-favorable or least-favorable matchups category, as they have three green-rated and three red-rated matchups over the course of the rest of the season.
That may make Gurley the most volatile fantasy running back over the course of the rest of the season. Given that he set a record for being the most productive ball carrier in the first four games of his career since the 1970 AFL/NFL merger, Gurley isn't someone to trade for anything but the highest price, yet his fantasy owners should potentially consider trading him for another upper-tier back whose schedule doesn't have the same potential production valleys that Gurley's has.

HacheMan · Nov 10, 2015

[h=1]Fantasy Fallout: QB quartet combines for record day in Week 9[/h][h=1]Tristan H. Cockcroft, Fantasy[/h]
Quarterbacks only continue to set the statistical bar higher.
After a Week 8 during which three different quarterbacks scored at least 30 fantasy points, Sunday saw four do it. That made Week 9 of 2015 only the second time since 1960 that at least four quarterbacks scored 30-plus in the same week:
<aside class="inline inline-table" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: BentonSans, -apple-system, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); clear: both; margin: 6px 0px 18px; padding: 15px; width: 570px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px;">

2015 WEEK 9	2013 WEEK 14
Marcus Mariota (32)	Josh McCown (38)
Cam Newton (32)	Andrew Luck (32)
Aaron Rodgers (32)	Peyton Manning (31)
Drew Brees (31)	Andy Dalton (30)

<caption style="box-sizing: border-box; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-style: solid; color: rgb(39, 39, 39); font-weight: 600; height: 44px; line-height: 2.8; position: relative; text-align: left; text-transform: capitalize; z-index: 1000020; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Four QBs With 30+ FPTS, Single Week Since 1960</caption><thead style="box-sizing: border-box;">
</thead><tbody style="box-sizing: border-box;">
</tbody>

</aside>Week 8, incidentally, represented only the 13th time that as many as three quarterbacks reached the 30-point threshold in a single week, though seven of those weeks have been since the beginning of 2010.
From an individual standpoint, by scoring at least 30 for the second consecutive week, Drew Brees now has 17 such performances during his 15-year NFL career. That broke a tie with Steve Young (16) with the most such games by any player since 1960. Here are the top-10 quarterbacks in 30-point fantasy games during that time span:
Drew Brees 17
Steve Young 16
Tom Brady 15
Peyton Manning 13
Aaron Rodgers 13
Daunte Culpepper 11
Cam Newton 10
Dan Marino 9
Donovan McNabb 9
Jeff Garcia 7
Meanwhile, with 32 fantasy points, Marcus Mariota managed the eighth-best fantasy point total by any rookie quarterback since 1960:
<aside class="inline inline-table" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: BentonSans, -apple-system, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); clear: both; margin: 6px 0px 18px; padding: 15px; width: 570px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px;">

PLAYER	SEASON/WEEK	TEAM	FPTS
Russell Wilson	2012 Week 15	SEA	39
Cam Newton	2011 Week 13	CAR	37
David Woodley	1980 Week 10	MIA	35
Robert Griffin III	2012 Week 6	WAS	34
Marc Bulger	2002 Week 10	STL	34
Fran Tarkenton	1961 Week 1	MIN	33
Marcus Mariota	2015 Week 9	TEN	32
Robert Griffin III	2012 Week 11	WAS	32
Matthew Stafford	2009 Week 11	DET	32
Nick Foles	2012 Week 14	PHI	31
Cam Newton	2011 Week 4	CAR	31
Jeff Garcia	1999 Week 17	SF	31

<caption style="box-sizing: border-box; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-style: solid; color: rgb(39, 39, 39); font-weight: 600; height: 44px; line-height: 2.8; position: relative; text-align: left; text-transform: capitalize; z-index: 1000020; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Most FPTS By Rookie QB, Single Game Since 1960</caption><thead style="box-sizing: border-box;">
</thead><tbody style="box-sizing: border-box;">
</tbody>

</aside>Mariota's performance came in his sixth career game, which tied him for the eighth-fastest among quarterbacks to have a 30-point fantasy day. Only Fran Tarkenton (his first game, listed above), Daunte Culpepper (his second game, 30 fantasy points in 2000 Week 1), Robert Griffin III (his second, 30 fantasy points in 2012 Week 2), Marc Bulger (his fourth, listed above), Cam Newton (his fourth, listed above), Bobby Hoying (his fifth, 35 fantasy points in 1997 Week 14) and Nick Foles (his fifth, listed above) did it faster. Note: Hoying's performance in 1997 was his fifth NFL game, but it occurred in his second NFL season.
Mariota also now has 102 fantasy points through his first six NFL games, which ranks seventh among quarterbacks since 1960. Here is the top 10:
<aside class="inline inline-table" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: BentonSans, -apple-system, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); clear: both; margin: 6px 0px 18px; padding: 15px; width: 570px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px;">

PLAYER	TEAM	YEAR(S)	FPTS
Cam Newton	CAR	2011	135
Robert Griffin III	WAS	2012	135
Marc Bulger	STL	2002	115
Mark Rypien	WAS	1988	108
Kurt Warner	STL	1998-99	107
Daunte Culpepper	MIN	1999-2000	107
Marcus Mariota	TEN	2015	102
Andrew Luck	IND	2012	100
Dan Marino	MIA	1983	97
Jameis Winston	TB	2015	88

<caption style="box-sizing: border-box; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-style: solid; color: rgb(39, 39, 39); font-weight: 600; height: 44px; line-height: 2.8; position: relative; text-align: left; text-transform: capitalize; z-index: 1000020; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Most FPTS By QB In 1st 6 Career Games, Since 1960</caption><thead style="box-sizing: border-box;">
</thead><tbody style="box-sizing: border-box;">
</tbody>

</aside>[h=3]End zone-ophobia?[/h]Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown on Sunday caught 17 passes for 284 yards while rushing another two times for 22 yards, but he failed to reach the end zone. That gave him one of the odder individual games from a historical perspective: His 284 receiving yards without a touchdown were the most by any player in a game since 1960, while his 17 receptions without a score were second only to Jason Witten's 18 (2012 Week 8) during that same time span. Brown also finished 52 receiving yards short of Flipper Anderson's single-game record (336, 1989 Week 12).
In ESPN standard leagues, Brown finished with 28 fantasy points, and in PPR formats he managed 45. Those both shattered the previous best fantasy point totals in games in which the player failed to score a touchdown of any kind (passing, rushing, receiving or return); before Sunday, no player had ever scored more than 24 standard or 39 PPR fantasy points in such a game. The previous mark by a wide receiver was 23 standard and 39 PPR fantasy points, by Keenan McCardell in Week 8 of the 1998 season.
[h=3]Miscellany[/h]• Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams wasn't quite so unfortunate in the touchdown department. Thanks to two rushing scores, he managed 36 fantasy points (38 in PPR). That set a career high in his 127th game, topping the 34 he scored in Week 16 of the 2008 season.
• Though St. Louis Rams rookie running back Todd Gurley didn't have quite as good a game Sunday as he enjoyed in Weeks 7 and 8, his 16 fantasy points were nevertheless a top-10 score at the position and gave him 93 in his first six NFL contests. That ranks among the top-15 running backs through as many games since 1960:
<aside class="inline inline-table" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: BentonSans, -apple-system, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); clear: both; margin: 6px 0px 18px; padding: 15px; width: 570px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px;">

PLAYER	TEAM	YEAR	FPTS
Eric Dickerson	RAMS	1983	149
Billy Sims	DET	1980	136
Adrian Peterson	MIN	2007	113
Curt Warner	SEA	1983	110
Gale Sayers	CHI	1965	109
Joe Cribbs	BUF	1980	105
Marshall Faulk	IND	1994	104
Marcus Allen	RAID	1982	104
Herschel Walker	DAL	1986	102
Robert Edwards	NE	1998	100
Bo Jackson	RAID	1987	98
Julius Jones	DAL	2004	95
LaDainian Tomlinson	SD	2001	95
Todd Gurley	STL	2015	93
Kevin Mack	CLE	1985	93

<caption style="box-sizing: border-box; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-style: solid; color: rgb(39, 39, 39); font-weight: 600; height: 44px; line-height: 2.8; position: relative; text-align: left; text-transform: capitalize; z-index: 1000020; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Most FPTS By RB In 1st 6 Career Games, Since 1960</caption><thead style="box-sizing: border-box;">
</thead><tbody style="box-sizing: border-box;">
</tbody>

</aside>

HacheMan · Nov 10, 2015

Quarterbacks only continue to set the statistical bar higher.
After a Week 8 during which three different quarterbacks scored at least 30 fantasy points, Sunday saw four do it. That made Week 9 of 2015 only the second time since 1960 that at least four quarterbacks scored 30-plus in the same week:
<aside class="inline inline-table" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: BentonSans, -apple-system, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); clear: both; margin: 6px 0px 18px; padding: 15px; width: 570px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px;">

2015 WEEK 9	2013 WEEK 14
Marcus Mariota (32)	Josh McCown (38)
Cam Newton (32)	Andrew Luck (32)
Aaron Rodgers (32)	Peyton Manning (31)
Drew Brees (31)	Andy Dalton (30)

<caption style="box-sizing: border-box; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-style: solid; color: rgb(39, 39, 39); font-weight: 600; height: 44px; line-height: 2.8; position: relative; text-align: left; text-transform: capitalize; z-index: 1000020; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Four QBs With 30+ FPTS, Single Week Since 1960</caption><thead style="box-sizing: border-box;">
</thead><tbody style="box-sizing: border-box;">
</tbody>

</aside>Week 8, incidentally, represented only the 13th time that as many as three quarterbacks reached the 30-point threshold in a single week, though seven of those weeks have been since the beginning of 2010.
From an individual standpoint, by scoring at least 30 for the second consecutive week, Drew Brees now has 17 such performances during his 15-year NFL career. That broke a tie with Steve Young (16) with the most such games by any player since 1960. Here are the top-10 quarterbacks in 30-point fantasy games during that time span:
Drew Brees 17
Steve Young 16
Tom Brady 15
Peyton Manning 13
Aaron Rodgers 13
Daunte Culpepper 11
Cam Newton 10
Dan Marino 9
Donovan McNabb 9
Jeff Garcia 7
Meanwhile, with 32 fantasy points, Marcus Mariota managed the eighth-best fantasy point total by any rookie quarterback since 1960:
<aside class="inline inline-table" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: BentonSans, -apple-system, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); clear: both; margin: 6px 0px 18px; padding: 15px; width: 570px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px;">

PLAYER	SEASON/WEEK	TEAM	FPTS
Russell Wilson	2012 Week 15	SEA	39
Cam Newton	2011 Week 13	CAR	37
David Woodley	1980 Week 10	MIA	35
Robert Griffin III	2012 Week 6	WAS	34
Marc Bulger	2002 Week 10	STL	34
Fran Tarkenton	1961 Week 1	MIN	33
Marcus Mariota	2015 Week 9	TEN	32
Robert Griffin III	2012 Week 11	WAS	32
Matthew Stafford	2009 Week 11	DET	32
Nick Foles	2012 Week 14	PHI	31
Cam Newton	2011 Week 4	CAR	31
Jeff Garcia	1999 Week 17	SF	31

<caption style="box-sizing: border-box; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-style: solid; color: rgb(39, 39, 39); font-weight: 600; height: 44px; line-height: 2.8; position: relative; text-align: left; text-transform: capitalize; z-index: 1000020; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Most FPTS By Rookie QB, Single Game Since 1960</caption><thead style="box-sizing: border-box;">
</thead><tbody style="box-sizing: border-box;">
</tbody>

</aside>Mariota's performance came in his sixth career game, which tied him for the eighth-fastest among quarterbacks to have a 30-point fantasy day. Only Fran Tarkenton (his first game, listed above), Daunte Culpepper (his second game, 30 fantasy points in 2000 Week 1), Robert Griffin III (his second, 30 fantasy points in 2012 Week 2), Marc Bulger (his fourth, listed above), Cam Newton (his fourth, listed above), Bobby Hoying (his fifth, 35 fantasy points in 1997 Week 14) and Nick Foles (his fifth, listed above) did it faster. Note: Hoying's performance in 1997 was his fifth NFL game, but it occurred in his second NFL season.
Mariota also now has 102 fantasy points through his first six NFL games, which ranks seventh among quarterbacks since 1960. Here is the top 10:
<aside class="inline inline-table" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: BentonSans, -apple-system, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); clear: both; margin: 6px 0px 18px; padding: 15px; width: 570px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px;">

PLAYER	TEAM	YEAR(S)	FPTS
Cam Newton	CAR	2011	135
Robert Griffin III	WAS	2012	135
Marc Bulger	STL	2002	115
Mark Rypien	WAS	1988	108
Kurt Warner	STL	1998-99	107
Daunte Culpepper	MIN	1999-2000	107
Marcus Mariota	TEN	2015	102
Andrew Luck	IND	2012	100
Dan Marino	MIA	1983	97
Jameis Winston	TB	2015	88

<caption style="box-sizing: border-box; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-style: solid; color: rgb(39, 39, 39); font-weight: 600; height: 44px; line-height: 2.8; position: relative; text-align: left; text-transform: capitalize; z-index: 1000020; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Most FPTS By QB In 1st 6 Career Games, Since 1960</caption><thead style="box-sizing: border-box;">
</thead><tbody style="box-sizing: border-box;">
</tbody>

</aside>[h=3]End zone-ophobia?[/h]Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown on Sunday caught 17 passes for 284 yards while rushing another two times for 22 yards, but he failed to reach the end zone. That gave him one of the odder individual games from a historical perspective: His 284 receiving yards without a touchdown were the most by any player in a game since 1960, while his 17 receptions without a score were second only to Jason Witten's 18 (2012 Week 8) during that same time span. Brown also finished 52 receiving yards short of Flipper Anderson's single-game record (336, 1989 Week 12).
In ESPN standard leagues, Brown finished with 28 fantasy points, and in PPR formats he managed 45. Those both shattered the previous best fantasy point totals in games in which the player failed to score a touchdown of any kind (passing, rushing, receiving or return); before Sunday, no player had ever scored more than 24 standard or 39 PPR fantasy points in such a game. The previous mark by a wide receiver was 23 standard and 39 PPR fantasy points, by Keenan McCardell in Week 8 of the 1998 season.
[h=3]Miscellany[/h]• Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams wasn't quite so unfortunate in the touchdown department. Thanks to two rushing scores, he managed 36 fantasy points (38 in PPR). That set a career high in his 127th game, topping the 34 he scored in Week 16 of the 2008 season.
• Though St. Louis Rams rookie running back Todd Gurley didn't have quite as good a game Sunday as he enjoyed in Weeks 7 and 8, his 16 fantasy points were nevertheless a top-10 score at the position and gave him 93 in his first six NFL contests. That ranks among the top-15 running backs through as many games since 1960:
<aside class="inline inline-table" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: BentonSans, -apple-system, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); clear: both; margin: 6px 0px 18px; padding: 15px; width: 570px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px;">

PLAYER	TEAM	YEAR	FPTS
Eric Dickerson	RAMS	1983	149
Billy Sims	DET	1980	136
Adrian Peterson	MIN	2007	113
Curt Warner	SEA	1983	110
Gale Sayers	CHI	1965	109
Joe Cribbs	BUF	1980	105
Marshall Faulk	IND	1994	104
Marcus Allen	RAID	1982	104
Herschel Walker	DAL	1986	102
Robert Edwards	NE	1998	100
Bo Jackson	RAID	1987	98
Julius Jones	DAL	2004	95
LaDainian Tomlinson	SD	2001	95
Todd Gurley	STL	2015	93
Kevin Mack	CLE	1985	93

<caption style="box-sizing: border-box; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-style: solid; color: rgb(39, 39, 39); font-weight: 600; height: 44px; line-height: 2.8; position: relative; text-align: left; text-transform: capitalize; z-index: 1000020; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Most FPTS By RB In 1st 6 Career Games, Since 1960</caption><thead style="box-sizing: border-box;">
</thead><tbody style="box-sizing: border-box;">
</tbody>

</aside>

HacheMan · Nov 10, 2015

[h=1]Four downs: Sophomore WRs shine again[/h]Eric Karabell, ESPN.com Senior Writer
ESPN INSIDER

Five wide receivers were chosen in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft, with the Buffalo Bills’ Sammy Watkins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Mike Evans each among the first seven players selected overall. These guys were excellent as rookies, not quite like the New York Giants’ Odell Beckham Jr., who went 12th overall, but plenty valuable, although this season has been quite another story for Watkins, Evans and really all those first-round wide receivers, four of whom shined Sunday.
Watkins, battling ankle problems, entered Week 9 with all of 11 receptions this season and still available in nearly a quarter of ESPN standard leagues. Evans has certainly been more proficient but still disappointing. On Sunday, Watkins and Evans each topped 100 receiving yards to aid fantasy owners that might have forgotten just how good they are, while Beckham and the New Orleans Saints’ Brandin Cooks, first-rounders a season ago, also made fantasy owners smile.
Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor returned from his knee injury and completed 11 of 12 passes for 181 yards in the 33-17 win over the Miami Dolphins, and the talented Watkins accounted for 168 of those yards. OK, so Taylor didn’t throw much or look at others -- he didn’t need to, with both LeSean McCoy and Karlos Williams running for more than 100 yards each -- but Watkins, who complained recently about a lack of targets, saw that situation rectified Sunday. Is Watkins a definite top-20 wide receiver the rest of his sophomore season, like he was in 2014? Well, given the way Taylor has played perhaps he is, but tough road matchups beckon the next two weeks with the New York Jets and New England Patriots.
I’d still prefer Evans over Watkins, but perhaps that’s mainly because I worry about Watkins’ ankle injury affecting him the next two months, in addition to the schedule. The Buccaneers have an easier road, really. Even Bills coach Rex Ryan said postgame one of the main keys to the offense is simply keeping Watkins healthy, a risky predicament indeed. Evans couldn’t match Watkins’ 22 standard fantasy points in his team’s loss to Beckham’s Giants, but he saw an impressive 19 targets and accrued 152 yards from rookie Jameis Winston. Evans was a more popular option this week as he’s clearly over his September hamstring woes and had a big Week 7 performance.
Meanwhile, it’s hard to complain about Beckham after his 31-point outburst in Week 8, and he saw 17 targets Sunday, turning them into nine receptions for 105 yards. Yeah, it’s not like his rookie year, except for last week, but Beckham remains a top-five wide receiver the rest of the season, with the only concern really being durability. Cooks posted his third double-digit fantasy game of the season Sunday, and is back to top-20 status, and that leaves the Carolina Panthers’ Kelvin Benjamin, out until 2016 after shredding his knee. By the way, if you’re in a keeper league and this year’s playoffs aren’t looking so good, add Benjamin. He’s a potential top-20 receiver next year, again.

Second down: While it’s nice to see a healthy Watkins and Evans, injuries continue to be a major story in the fantasy world. The Pittsburgh Steelers expect to be sans quarterback Ben Roethlisberger with a mid-foot sprain for at least a week or two, and that means Landry Jones -- please, no Michael Vick -- will be slingin’ it to awesome wide receiver Antonio Brown and others. Or will he? Brown wasn’t exactly a fantasy monster when Roethlisberger missed October with a knee injury, but on Sunday Brown accounted for 17 receptions and ridiculous 284 yards on a record 23 targets, including an NFL-high (for a WR) 114 yards after the catch. The first time Roethlisberger was badly hurt I kept recommending Brown, assuming talent would overcome all, but it did not. Brown should be among my top-five receivers for Week 10 against the Cleveland Browns and then it’s a bye week. Don’t overthink this; Brown is great. Roethlisberger shouldn’t be out for long, with the bye approaching. It’ll be fine. Roethlisberger wasn’t the only major fantasy relevant option to get hurt Sunday, but we’ll likely have to wait until Monday for more info on the knee injury suffered by Patriots running back Dion Lewis.
In other quarterback news … an impressive four passers reached the 30-point threshold in the early Sunday games alone, with several surprises. The Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Rodgers was held to 77 passing yards a week earlier in Denver, but threw for 369 yards and four scores at Carolina, overcoming defensive pressure on 40 percent of his dropbacks. The Panthers are pretty good, too, but that’s consecutive weeks a top defense nursing a big lead was torched late in the game. I wouldn’t have sat Rodgers, of course, but those numbers with that matchup are a bit surprising. Cam Newton torched the Packers, not a surprise. New Orleans Saints leader Drew Brees followed his 505-yard, seven-touchdown game by taking apart the Tennessee Titans. Again, no surprise, but how about Titans rookie Marcus Mariota scoring 32 points? Yes, the Saints really can’t defend. Mariota gets the Panthers in Week 10, but after that it’s the Jacksonville Jaguars twice in three weeks. Hope for health and sign me up. … Anyone else relatively disappointed that the New England Patriots’Tom Brady scored only 17 fantasy points against Washington? His previous low this season was 22 points. … Nice game for Denver Broncos veteran Peyton Manning, as his 15 points were his most since Week 3. He’s got the Kansas City Chiefs and Chicago Bears the next two weeks, but he’s still not top-10 worthy.
Third down: Pittsburgh’s DeAngelo Williams supplied a signature performance Sunday with 170 rushing yards on 27 carries, plus a pair of touchdowns, and he did much of the damage before contact. The Raiders, for whatever you think of their defense, hadn't permitted more than 50 rushing yards before contact to a running back this season, and Williams had 102 yards that way, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. An obvious DFS must-start this week, I ranked Williams top-five for traditional fantasy as well based on the matchup, opportunity to avoid sharing touches and, most of all, for how surprisingly proficient he has looked this season when Le'Veon Bell has been out. Williams averaged 3.5 yards per tote for the Panthers last season and that can’t really be blamed on sharing touches with Jonathan Stewart. The free agent pickup sure seems motivated but hadn’t really helped fantasy owners on a consistent basis since 2009. Now he looks unstoppable, a clear top-10 running back the rest of the season -- I ranked him 17th in the latest end-of-season ranks, but it wasn’t positive enough -- and a nice building block.
In other running back news … the Dolphins’ Lamar Miller was held in check by Buffalo running the ball, with only 44 yards, but saw seven targets -- and caught them all -- as a receiver, adding 97 yards there. What a great sign for his top-10 value. … Adrian Peterson scored a touchdown. It had been a while but with so few reliable running backs, it didn’t really matter for the Minnesota Vikingsstar’s value. He’s a top-three guy. … Watch the shoulder injury to the Bills’ McCoy, because it reopens the door for touchdown machine Karlos Williams, who looks like the better player, just like he did back in September before his concussion. If both McCoy and Williams are fine for a tough Week 10 game at the Jets, McCoy still has to get the fantasy nod, reluctantly. … OK, I admit it’s just not happening for the Packers’ Eddie Lacy, and James Starks is the one to rely on. Lacy is certainly not playable. Starks won’t make my top-20 anytime soon though, but if you want to part with Lacy, go ahead. … The Jets’ Chris Ivorysalvaged a brutal game of 23 carries for 26 yards with two short touchdown runs. If you’re counting, that’s 43 rushing yards on 38 attempts in two weeks. Sell, if still possible, because you cannot rely on consistent touchdowns. … The San Francisco 49ers went with Shaun Draughn as the lead option with Carlos Hydeout, if you care, but he’s not a must-add. Just drop Kendall Gaskins. He did nothing.

Fourth down: Former 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree continues to thrive with breakout star quarterback Derek Carr, as he topped 100 receiving yards for the second consecutive week and scored two touchdowns in Sunday’s loss at Pittsburgh. Crabtree, one of the top fantasy pickups of the week, hasn’t played this well in years, and he gets overlooked because rookie colleague Amari Cooper is so good. Cooper also had a big game Sunday, but Crabtree is seeing similar targets and big-play opportunities. The Raiders are for real, at least offensively. Carr has to be considered at a top-10 quarterback level at this point, despite there being more than 10 legit options. Cooper warrants top-20 wide receiver status weekly and Crabtree is closing in on the designation as well. Plus, you have to like the Raiders’ schedule. One negative: running back Latavius Murray ran well but left prematurely Sunday with concussion symptoms.

In other wide receiver news … the Jaguars’ Allen Hurns scored another touchdown, making it six consecutive games with a score. I keep ranking him top-20 as well, but is that not enough? He and Allen Robinson might each reach 1,000 receiving yards; no Jaguars wide receiver has done this in a decade, and they might get two of them. … Speaking of touchdowns, the Jets’ Eric Deckersupplies them. His score Sunday was his sixth in eight games. He’s a top-20 receiver, too. … We have a Devin Funchess sighting! The Panthers rookie wasn’t exactly replacing Benjamin in the rotation, giving fantasy owners six standard points for the season until Sunday, when he caught a touchdown pass and separately a 52-yarder. It’s not too late for his relevance. … While the Patriots’Julian Edelman found the end zone Sunday, Brandon LaFell caught 102 yards worth of Brady passes. LaFell, when he isn’t dropping passes and because of his quarterback, is becoming a WR3. … The great Stefon Diggs had his first below-average game, but his owners had to know he wouldn’t score 15 points every week. The Vikings play at Oakland in Week 10. You’ll want Diggs active.

HacheMan · Nov 19, 2015

[h=1]Fantasy 32: Key Week 11 tips for every team[/h]Mike Clay, Fantasy Football
ESPN INSIDER

Below are 32 notes covering each of the league's 32 teams. Use these tidbits to make the best waiver-wire, trade and lineup decisions this week. Be sure to check back each week of the season for a new version of the Fantasy 32.

Arizona Cardinals -- Andre Ellington played 31 snaps Sunday, which is his highest total since he returned from injury in Week 5. Of course, the number is inflated quite a bit because Arizona ran 84 offensive plays against Seattle. Chris Johnson was still the lead back, as he carried the ball on 25 of his 48 snaps. Ellington managed five carries and four targets. Ellington is well ahead of David Johnson (eight snaps) on the depth chart, and is outplaying Chris Johnson this season, but he's simply not seeing enough volume to warrant flex consideration. Ellington should be on your bench, as he'd provide RB2 production in the event of an injury to Chris Johnson.
<offer style="box-sizing: border-box;"></offer>

Atlanta Falcons -- Following an injury in Week 7 that cost him nearly three full games, Leonard Hankerson was sent to waivers in many leagues. Considering he has a shot to return this week against Indianapolis, make sure he's on your radar when making claims. In Weeks 1-6, Hankerson caught 22 passes for 291 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He sat 36th among wide receivers in fantasy points. Hankerson isn't particularly good, but he's playing a significant role in a high-volume offense with a good quarterback. Moving forward, he'll be on the flex radar.

Baltimore Ravens -- Week 10 gave us our first look at the Ravens' offense without Steve Smith. Unsurprisingly, Kamar Aiken was the main benefactor. The team's de facto No. 1 wide receiver was targeted on 14 of his 37 pass routes. Equally unsurprisingly, he struggled to seven receptions for 73 yards and two drops. Baltimore also moved to a heavier base set when passing. After including a third wide receiver on 62 percent of pass plays during Weeks 1-8, the mark was 43 percent against Jacksonville. Chris Givens was promoted to No. 2 on the wide receiver depth chart and ran 33 of 47 possible pass routes. Jeremy Ross was third in line, but ran only 18 routes.Jeremy Butler ran 14. Marlon Brown has essentially been benched and ran only five routes. Moving forward, expect to see a lot of Crockett Gillmore, Nick Boyle,Maxx Williams and Kyle Juszczyk, but only Gillmore is on the fantasy radar.

Buffalo Bills -- Karlos Williams is arguably the most valuable handcuff in fantasy, but if you leave him in your lineup on the premise that he can sustain anything close to his current touchdown pace, you're going to be left both disappointed and without a fantasy championship trophy. Williams has racked up seven touchdowns on 64 touches in six games this season. In games LeSean McCoy was active, Williams is averaging 17.6 snaps, 8.0 carries and 0.8 targets per game. Of William's five rushing touchdowns, one came on his sole carry within 8 yards of the goal line. His other touchdown runs came on treks of 11, 26, 38 and 41 yards. His receiving scores came after post-catch runs of 2 and 11 yards. Based on usage, Williams should be closer to two touchdowns this season. He's playing second fiddle to McCoy and there's no reason to believe that will change this season. If you can sell fantasy's No. 22 scoring running back for a more reliable starter, now is the time to do so.

Carolina Panthers -- Since their bye in Week 5, the Panthers have scored three or more offensive touchdowns in five consecutive games. At 2.9 scores per game this season, they now sit sixth in the NFL in the category. The Panthers have called run an NFL-high 48 percent of the time this season and 42 percent of their aforementioned touchdowns have come on the ground, which is the league's seventh-highest mark. This all bodes well forJonathan Stewart, who sits sixth among running backs in fantasy points during the span. Stewart trails only Adrian Peterson in rushing yards and Todd Gurleyand Lamar Miller in rushing touchdowns since Week 6. Stewart is a candidate for 25 touches against Washington this week and is thus in the RB1 mix.

Chicago Bears -- In the past two weeks, the "other" Zach Miller has caught all seven of his targets for 130 yards and three touchdowns. He paces all tight ends in fantasy points. Despite the recent success of the ex-Jaguar, Miller should not be on your waiver radar this week. The 31-year-old played a season-high 81 percent of the Bears' snaps in Week 10, but did so in a game Chicago was leading and in which he ran only 18 pass routes. I've already heard comparisons to 2015 journeyman breakout of the year winner, Gary Barnidge, but the difference is that Barnidge is an every-down player and featured target near the goal line. Miller remains the backup to Martellus Bennett, who has been on the field for 96 percent of Chicago's offensive snaps this season, including 100 percent in Week 10. Miller has played 39 percent of the snaps this season and has only two end zone targets to his name. The veteran's snaps will remain up a bit as long as slot man Eddie Royal remains out, but Miller is primarily a blocking tight end and remains well off the fantasy radar.

Cincinnati Bengals -- Looking for a strong matchup-based flier this week? Check out Marvin Jones. Patrick Peterson is sure to shadow A.J. Green and has been terrific in coverage this season. Cardinals slot corner Tyrann Mathieu will be all over Mohamed Sanu in the slot. This opens the door for Jones to play a major role against weak spot Jerraud Powers. Fantasy's No. 40 scoring wide receiver and only $4,300 at DraftKings this week, Jones should be on your radar in DFS tournaments.

Cleveland Browns -- The Browns are on a bye this week, but keep them in mind as a defense you should be trying to exploit during the stretch run. Cleveland is currently allowing the fourth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks and wide receivers, and the fifth-most points to running backs. This bodes well for the Ravens and Bengals offensive skill position players in Weeks 12 and 13, respectively. Even more important for fantasy owners, the 49ers, Seahawks, and Chiefs take on the Browns during the fantasy playoffs. Keep this in mind when evaluating trades for Carlos Hyde, Anquan Boldin,Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch, Alex Smith, Charcandrick West and Jeremy Maclin.

Dallas Cowboys -- Despite a fairly-attractive matchup against Tampa Bay in Week 10, Darren McFadden managed only 58 scrimmage yards and failed to score a touchdown. That's the bad news. The good news is that Dallas' feature back was on the field for 44 of the team's 54 offensive snaps and racked up 20 touches. Dallas has averaged a pathetic 1.6 offensive touchdowns per game during the seven games missed by Tony Romo, but the team's MVP will be back under center this week against Miami. McFadden is already a workhorse back and Romo's return will add scoring opportunities to his plate. McFadden is a mid-pack RB1 and his ceiling is massive.

Denver Broncos -- With Peyton Manning reportedly dealing with a partially torn plantar fascia in his right foot, 2012 second-round pickBrock Osweiler will start against Chicago this week. The Bears' defense has been better as of late, but this is a secondary that Osweiler can put up numbers against if he can get the ball to Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sandersand even Vernon Davis. The bad news is that, even with Manning primarily under center, the Broncos are averaging a disturbing 1.8 offensive touchdowns per game. Only four teams currently sit below that mark. Osweiler is an intriguing dynasty hold, especially with Manning's career winding down, but he's nothing more than a back-end QB2 until he proves otherwise.

Detroit Lions -- The Lions have now gone six consecutive games without a rushing touchdown. A pass-heavy scheme is one reason for the deficiency, but the lack of a standout running back is an even larger issue. Attempting to generate a spark from the backfield, interim offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter has promoted Joique Bell. Bell played 39 snaps against Green Bay and his 14 carries were well ahead of both Theo Riddick(three) and Ameer Abdullah (five). Abdullah played only 11 snaps after working five in the team's previous game. He's well off the fantasy radar. Riddick was targeted on six of 37 snaps. He's horrific as a runner, but sits 28th among backs in PPR scoring thanks to 45 receptions. Your best bet is to avoid this backfield, but Bell is the best option of the three.

Green Bay Packers -- In three games since the Packers' Week 7 bye,James Jones has seen eight targets. He has become a non-factor behind Davante Adams (34), Randall Cobb (30), Richard Rodgers (18) and James Starks (15) despite running a pass route on 143 of the team's 149 pass plays during the span. Jones remains a touchdown-dependent fantasy asset, but his low target volume makes him barely worth flex consideration against Minnesota this week.

Houston Texans - The most-targeted player in the NFL this season,DeAndre Hopkins sits at 122 through nine games. An underwhelming catch rate (58 percent) has allowed him only 927 yards, but Hopkins sits third among wide receivers in fantasy points thanks to the high volume and seven touchdowns. Hopkins obviously has been an absolute workhorse, handling a hefty 33.1 percent of Houston's targets this season. Only Antonio Brown (36.0 percent) and Julio Jones (33.3 percent) enjoy a larger share of their team's targets. Arguably fantasy's top wide receiver moving forward, Hopkins will face the Colts, Titans and Patriots during the fantasy playoffs. The other contenders for that top spot -- Antonio Brown (vs. Broncos, Bengals, Ravens) and Julio Jones (vs. Panthers twice, Jaguars) -- have a tougher slate.

Indianapolis Colts -- Andrew Luck is expected to miss several games, which means Matt Hasselbeck is locked in as the team's starter until further notice. During Hasselbeck's two starts earlier this season, 22 (or 29 percent) of his 75 aimed throws were directed at T.Y. Hilton. He targeted Coby Fleener 14 times and Donte Moncrief on 12 occasions. Andre Johnson was targeted only nine times, but caught two of Hasselbeck's three touchdowns. Fleener caught the other, but note that Dwayne Allen missed one of the games. The Colts' offense won't be quite as good without Luck, but the upcoming schedule is light, with a trip to Atlanta and a home bout with Tampa Bay on the slate. Hilton, Moncrief, Fleener and Frank Gore should be in lineups. Hasselbeck is a fringe starter in 16-team leagues against Atlanta this week.

Jacksonville Jaguars -- When the Jaguars signed Julius Thomas to a hefty contract during the offseason, it was obvious that he wouldn't score nearly as often and would need to be more of a high-volume target than he was in Denver in order to sustain TE1 production. That hasn't been the case. Thomas is averaging 6.2 targets per game during his five appearances. He has converted the looks into 15 receptions, 139 yards, one touchdown and a trio of drops. He sits 20th among tight ends in fantasy points during the five weeks. Thomas will be more intriguing if Allen Hurns' abdomen injury keeps him out, but otherwise he's nothing more than a TE2.

Kansas City Chiefs -- After struggling in his first start in place of injured Jamaal Charles, Charcandrick West has been a fantasy stud since Week 7. During the past three weeks Kansas City was active, West has accrued 412 yards and four touchdowns on 75 offensive touches. No running back has more fantasy points during those three weeks. West was the ball carrier on three-quarters of the team's runs and handled 13 percent of the targets during the span. The workhorse back is certainly in the RB1 mix against San Diego this week.

Miami Dolphins -- Despite Miami's struggles and a lowly 5.8 average depth of target (aDOT), Jarvis Landry currently sits 16th among wide receivers in fantasy points in non-PPR and 11th in PPR. After a slow start in the touchdown department, Landry now has four. His possession-receiver role will limit big plays, but Landry sits 12th at the position in targets and remains busy near the goal line. He's locked in as a WR2.

Minnesota Vikings -- The Vikings have won five games in a row despite scoring the same number of offensive touchdowns (eight) as their defense has allowed. Their defense has obviously been a nightmare for opposing offenses, but their offensive struggles should be a concern for those invested in their skill position players, especially Stefon Diggs. The Vikings' 1.8 offensive touchdowns per game ranks 27th in the league. They've called pass 54 percent of the time, which ranks 30th. They've scored 56 percent of their touchdowns on the ground, which is highest in the league. They're averaging 62 offensive snaps per game, which ranks 26th. All of that adds up to a high level of concern for Diggs, who, after averaging nine targets per game in first four appearances, has seen a total of six over the past two weeks. Especially after laying an egg in a dream matchup against Oakland, Diggs can't be trusted as anything more than a WR3 against Green Bay this week. Mike Wallace and Kyle Rudolph should not be in lineups.

New England Patriots -- With Julian Edelman likely done for what's left of the fantasy football season, Danny Amendola will and should be the top add on waivers this week. Replacing Edelman on Sunday, Amendola was targeted on 11 of his 36 pass routes. Entering the week, Edelman had been averaging 10 targets per week and sat sixth among wide receivers in fantasy points. Especially with Dion Lewis also out, Amendola will pick up a majority of those looks and is a WR2 in all formats. The likes of Aaron Dobson and Keshawn Martin won't be a serious threat for targets. At $4,000, Amendola should be locked into your cash game lineups at DraftKings this week.

New Orleans Saints -- Prior to Sunday, Tim Hightower had last played an NFL snap in Week 7 of the 2011 season while a member of the Redskins. Just over four years later, Hightower stepped in and carried the ball 11 times for 46 yards against his old team. Hightower played only 16 snaps in the game, but it seems apparent that he will be picking up some of injured Khiry Robinson's snaps. That's not ideal for C.J. Spiller owners. Spiller carried the ball eight times and was targeted twice on 18 snaps Sunday. Mark Ingram remains in the RB1 mix, but Hightower and Spiller shouldn't be in starting lineups following the Saints' Week 11 bye.

New York Giants -- Victor Cruz is officially done for the season, which locks in Dwayne Harris as the team's slot receiver for the rest of the season. Since taking on a significant offensive role in Week 3, Harris has been on the field for 269 pass plays. That's not as far behind Odell Beckham (309) and Rueben Randle (299) as you might have expected, but the Giants keep their third receiver on the field on 88 percent of pass plays, which is the league's second-highest mark. Harris has been targeted 37 times during the span, which is third on the team and only 11 behind Randle. He has scored on four of the targets, which has allowed him the 36th-most fantasy points at the position. The playing time is nice, but Harris' limited upside will keep him off the flex radar following the Giants' Week 11 bye.

New York Jets -- Stevan Ridley made his Jets debut in Week 10, but he was limited to eight snaps in the game. Zac Stacy's season-ending injury means Ridley will be active on game day, but he's unlikely to play much of a role once Bilal Powell returns from injury. Powell has played only two full games with Ivory this season. In those affairs, he racked up 24 carries to Ivory's 34 and eight targets to Ivory's three. Powell certainly isn't a name to forget about in PPR formats, whereas Ridley can be left on waivers.

Oakland Raiders -- Although he's a free safety, Nate Allen's activation from injured reserve has fantasy implications for those who keep a close eye on wide receiver/cornerback matchups. Oakland's top cover corner, T.J. Carrie, was forced to fill in at safety during his absence, which caused a major void at corner. With Allen back, Carrie returned to his home as the team's top right cornerback against Minnesota. D.J. Hayden, who has been brutal in coverage, was the other "starter" and covered the slot in nickel. David Amerson was the other outside corner in nickel and Neiko Thorpe was sent to the bench. Carrie ended up on Stefon Diggs on 14 of the rookie's 25 routes, which helps explain his down week. Moving forward, this will remain a secondary to exploit, but Carrie's return to corner can't be overlooked.

Philadelphia Eagles -- Sam Bradford is dealing with a grade II AC joint sprain and a concussion, which makes it probable that Mark Sanchez will make at least a start or two in his place. Considering Sanchez's 2014 production and the Eagles' upcoming schedule (Tampa Bay, Detroit), Sanchez is worth streaming consideration. Sanchez played at least 90 percent of the team's snaps in eight games last season. Only seven quarterbacks scored more fantasy points during the span. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers and Lions are top seven in the league in terms of fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks this season. A major discount at $5,000 at DraftKings, Sanchez is a name to consider when filling out your tournament lineup this week.

Pittsburgh Steelers -- DeAngelo Williams had a bit of a letdown game against Cleveland, but don't let this scare you off of him. Williams was on the field for 53 of Pittsburgh's 59 offensive snaps and has now played 225 (or 86 percent) of 262 snaps during the four weeks Le'Veon Bell has missed. Despite Sunday's "down" effort, Williams still accrued 69 yards on 18 touches. Following the team's Week 11 bye, Williams will be a strong RB1 option during your stretch run to the playoffs.

San Diego Chargers -- Melvin Gordon holds the unfortunate distinction of pacing all players who have yet to score a touchdown this season in touches. Gordon has racked up 531 yards on 135 touches. The rookie is averaging an ugly 3.6 yards per carry, but he has caught all but one of his 22 targets. Gordon has carried the ball once within 7 yards of the goal line, which is behind Danny Woodhead's three. The duo accounts for all four of the team's carries in that range, which ranks dead last in the NFL. The Patriots are tops in the category with 24 and the NFL average is 13.8. Overall volume hasn't been an issue for Gordon, but inefficient play and a lack of scoring opportunity has. He's no more than a flex flier against the Chiefs this week.

San Francisco 49ers -- Since returning from suspension in Week 8,Jerome Simpson is the only 49ers player with more than eight targets to his name. Despite playing only 48 snaps, Simpson racked up 13 targets. Torrey Smith (112 snaps) and Quinton Patton (64) were both on the field more often. With Anquan Boldin expected back in Week 11, Simpson will be no higher than third and could be as low as fifth on the depth chart. He's safe to ignore.

Seattle Seahawks -- Prior to a three-score game against Arizona on Sunday night, the Seahawks had not eclipsed two offensive touchdowns in a game this season. They also called a season-low 12 runs in the game and are officially operating a pass-first offense this season. Even after adjusting for game flow, the Seahawks had called a run-heavy offense during each of offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell's first four seasons with the team. Put another way, this means that they relied heavily on the run even after we adjust for the fact that they led quite often. This season, the Seahawks have called pass at a rate two percentage points above expected (they sat at 4 percent below expected in 2014). The change in scheme has led to 1.7 offensive touchdowns per game, which ranks 29th in the league. Seattle scored at least 2.5 per game each of the past three seasons.

St. Louis Rams -- Wes Welker made his Rams debut Sunday and, although he racked up six targets, note that he played only nine snaps.Tavon Austin (39 snaps), Kenny Britt (36), Brian Quick (32) andBradley Marquez (26) each played a larger role. Of course, Welker still trailed only Quick in targets and his role figures to increase as he learns the playbook. At the end of the day, however, Welker is a 34-year-old situational receiver in a low-volume, low-scoring, run-heavy offense. Leave him on waivers.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- Jameis Winston has received plenty of praise for his improved play, but it hasn't led to much offensive scoring. The Buccaneers are averaging 1.9 touchdowns per game this season, which ranks 25th in the league. Even worse, the Tampa Bay offense has scored a grand total of six touchdowns over its past four games. That's despite a manageable schedule that included Washington, Atlanta, Dallas and the New York Giants. Winston sits 14th among quarterbacks in fantasy points thanks to four rushing touchdowns, but he has achieved most of that by scoring on all of his three carries within 4 yards of the end zone. Winston is a back-end QB2.

<article class="ad-300" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; overflow: hidden; position: relative; z-index: 1000026; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px; float: right; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px;">
</article>Tennessee Titans -- Over their past six games, the Titans have scored a grand total of eight offensive touchdowns. That's bad, but it's even worse when you consider that four of those touchdowns came in one game against a Saints team that just fired its defensive coordinator Monday. Tennessee's upcoming schedule (at Jacksonville, vs. Oakland, vs. Jacksonville) isn't very intimidating, but the likes of Marcus Mariota, Antonio Andrews,Kendall Wright and Dorial Green-Beckham will be risky, low-ceiling starts as long as this offense is struggling to find the end zone. Only heavily targetedDelanie Walker should be locked into your starting lineup.

Washington Redskins -- DeSean Jackson has been back for two games, but a look at the team's personnel usage suggests Jamison Crowder has emerged as Washington's No. 1 receiver. Crowder has paced the unit in snaps (97), routes (63) and targets (13) during the two games. Since taking on a significant offensive role in Week 3, Crowder sits 35th among wide receivers in PPR fantasy points despite scoring only one touchdown. He has caught 40 of 51 targets for 395 yards during the span. One of the league's sneakiest breakout players of 2015 will continue to be limited by Washington's low-scoring offense, but he's a must-own in PPR leagues and in dynasty.