Bye Weeks: Buffalo, Cleveland, Miami, New England, N.Y. Jets, San Francisco
The Cowboys have made it a point to target
(18) their new receiver over the last two weeks.
Grab a Helmet
Amari
Cooper @ ATL: With Dak and Zeke the Cowboys will remain
a run-first team, but Cooper has come in and been the clear cut
No.1 receiver for Dallas. He’s seen 18 targets come his way since
joining the team three weeks ago, and should have a better grasp
of the playbook by now. Cooper has been a serviceable WR3 during
his brief stint in silver and blue, but this week gives him a chance
at high end WR2 numbers. The Falcons have been dreadful on defense
this season yielding a 70% completion percentage vs opposing quarterbacks,
and giving up the second most passing touchdowns on the season (21).
Dallas can’t mothball the offense and expect to win, so look for
an aggressive gameplan by the Cowboys featuring Cooper. 10-12 targets
gives the former Raider a chance to shine in Week 11.
Evan
Engram vs TB: While it’s probably safe to start most
the NYG skill players this week against the Bucs, I really like
Engram this week despite his down year. Even with stud linebacker
Lavonte David, Tampa has given up the 2nd most fantasy points to
the tight end position this season, with Zach Ertz, Vance McDonald,
Trey Burton, Austin Hooper, and Greg Olson all having monster games.
With Beckham and Barkley the focal point of the defense, I think
Engram has his best game of the season, and is worthy upside start
at tight end.
Josh
Reynolds vs KC: In what should be an absolute offensive
explosion, I’m in favor of taking a flyer on Reynolds as my WR3
this week. The Rams run a base 3-receiver offense, and Reynolds
was a part of the game plan in the two weeks he filled in for Cooper
Kupp earlier this year. While the numbers aren’t gaudy, he did have
a 3-42-2 line in a tough game against Green Bay. The Rams offense
has supported three fantasy receivers all year, and I think McVay
and Goff will keep the offense rolling as usual. At this late in
the fantasy season being able to scoop a guy off waivers and start
him with decent expectations is a pretty good deal.
Grab Some Pine
Taylor
Gabriel vs MIN: Although he had a strong two game stretch
in Weeks 4 and 6, the healthy return of Allen Robinson and the
emergence of rookie Anthony Miller have relegated Gabriel to an
afterthought in this offense. His target share dropped to 0 last
week in a thrashing of the Lions and it was trending down before
that. Sure, as a deep threat in a potent offense there is always
a chance he can shake loose for a 70-yard score, but I’m too risk
averse to trust Gabriel in my lineup this week.
Calvin
Ridley vs DAL: After a piping hot start to the season
(6 touchdowns in the first four games) Ridley has come back down
to earth, finding the endzone only once in his last five games,
and getting past 70 yards only once. Maybe he’s hit the rookie
wall, or just faced some expected negative regression, but Ridley
is no longer a lineup lock. Dallas has been particularly stingy
against opposing receivers, and it looks like Julio Jones remembered
what the endzone looks like. With a majority of the short passes
going to Hooper and the running backs, and the bombs going to
Jones, Ridley has been left the scraps. There simply hasn’t been
enough production lately to take a chance this week.
T.Y.
Hilton vs TEN: Sure injuries are partly to blame, and
the change in offensive philosophy has something to do with it
as well, but it’s been quite a down season for Hilton in
Indy. With the return of Luck I expected Hilton to reassert himself
as a WR1 in fantasy, but that just hasn’t happened. After
10+ targets in each of the first three weeks, Hilton hasn’t
seen more than 7 looks in a game since then. With the emergence
of the trio of tight ends, and a reliance on short, quick throws,
Hilton’s deep speed simply hasn’t been utilized. The
Colts move the ball via the pass rather than trying to hit home
runs and this severely caps Hilton’s upside. His 9.6 standard
points-per-game is in WR3 territory, and the matchup this week
against the Titans isn’t good. Just being a pass-catcher
for Andrew Luck is probably enough for Hilton to be a factor most
weeks, but that’s pretty underwhelming.
