In nearly every season since
joining the league in 2011, Julio Jones has delivered at least
one monster week that is a matchup-winning performance for fantasy
owners.
His first NFL touchdown came as part of a two-TD, 131-yard game
against the Colts Week 6 of the 2011 season. Four years later
he posted his first 200-plus yard game against the Packers Week
13, with 259 yards and one touchdown on 11 catches, only to be
outdone two years later with his first 300-yard game in a shootout
against the Panthers as part of a 12-catch day.
Jones’ latest monster game came on Sunday against the Buccaneers
with 12 catches for 253 yards and two touchdowns, for a whopping
53.8 fantasy points on DraftKings. With a single-game total that
equaled nearly a quarter of the average points needed to win a
GPP contest, it is safe to say that if you had Jones in a lineup,
you walked away with money. And if you were like me, and did not
play Julio, you were left out in the dark, wondering where you
went wrong.
The following lineup review is from a losing ticket in a $10
multiplier on DraftKings.
Quarterback: Andy Dalton Fantasy Points: 19.16
Grade: C+
I chose to go with Dalton and a Bengals stack based on the fact
that the Red Rifle finished as a top-12 QB in each of his last
five games against the Browns. Initially, I planned on pairing
him with A.J. Green but changed to a triple stack of tight end
Tyler Croft and the less expensive WR Brandon LaFell. Dalton did
throw two touchdown passes, and as I anticipated, one went to
Kroft, and one went to a secondary wide receiver instead of Green.
But instead of finding LaFell in the end zone, Dalton hooked up
with Tyler Boyd on a skinny post for a TD.
Two touchdowns were nice for a head-to-head game, but I needed
a big game to get me into the top 10 in this mini-tournament.
The best-combined performance by two running backs on any of
my tickets this season was not enough to get me over not having
Julio Jones. With Devonta Freeman out and the surging Falcons
offense taking on the Bucs at home, Coleman seemed like the no-brainer
sub-7k running back play of the week.
Kamara continues to be the most dynamic play-making running back
in the league, with 39.8 fantasy points on just 11 touches. Even
at a pricey salary of $7900, Kamara continues to deliver monster
numbers with very limited touches.
I anticipated that this would be the biggest game of the year
for Marcus Mariota; a game in which he would finally get the passing
game going against a sub-par defense like the Colts. With Rashard
Matthews out with an injury, it seemed possible that this would
be the breakout performance for highly touted rookie Corey Davis.
Neither assumption proved to be true, and the Titans barely squeaked
out a win in a game they should have dominated. The poor play
of Mariota this season is one of the more surprising developments
of 2017, as many felt he was primed to take that next step.
Although Hilton struggled against the Titans when the two teams
played Week 6, I thought he would be able to come through with
a big game against a team that allows the 7th-most points to opposing
wide receivers. When you play Hilton in DFS you a flirting with
wide extremes of production, and unfortunately for me, I got the
inferior end of the spectrum.
In all honesty, I didn’t have a shot cashing even with
a good game from Hilton, but it is disappointing to waste 61 points
from my running backs with a collection of three turd games at
wide receiver.
Tight End: Tyler
Kroft Fantasy Points: 10.4
Grade: B
Kroft caught only three passes for 14 yards, but he salvaged
his fantasy day with one goal line reception from Dalton. At just
$3,900, I can’t complain about getting double-digit points
from my tight end, but it would have been nice to see him more
involved in the game plan considering Cleveland’s struggles
against opposing tight ends.
With a touchdown in each of his last four games, including a
two-touchdown performance against the Broncos Week 9, Jeffery
has been a steady sub-7k wide receiver over the past month. The
yardage is surprisingly low for a guy who entered 2017 with a
career YPR average of 15, but you can’t complain about the
touchdown volume he is receiving from Carson Wentz.
D/ST: Philadelphia Fantasy Points: 13
Grade: B
The Eagles held Mitchell Trubisky and the Bears to just one field
goal while firing two sacks and two interceptions. The points
allowed by this impressive defense were precisely what I anticipated,
but the lack of a defensive score was a disappointment.
