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Bye Weeks: Miami, Oakland
Travis Kelce had a breakout game Monday
night with 8 catches, 93 yards and 1 TD against the Patriots.
Grab a Helmet
Davante
Adams v. MIN (Thursday): I’ll be giving the ol’ remote
control quite the workout on Thursday night as I attempt to watch
my beloved Pack and my #2-ranked Oregon Ducks at basically the same
time. Then again, if Aaron Rodgers et al. play like they did last
Sunday in Chicago, they could very well turn the divisional showdown
with Minnesota into a laugher and “undivide” my attention pretty
quickly. Here’s my hunch: they will. Rodgers looked extremely relaxed
against the hated Bears and has pretty much had his way with the
Vikings over the course of his career, as well (a sterling 117.9
rating). Though he clearly favors the dynamic duo of Jordy Nelson
and Randall Cobb, he’s going to find a way to involve everyone.
That’s what the best ones do. Adams is right on the verge, it seems,
and so I’ve got another hunch: He finally arrives.
Travis
Kelce @ SF: God, I love fantasy football. It’s just so
gratifying to watch a sneaky draft pick (no career receptions prior
to 2014) blossom into the kind of player you envisioned he could
be, especially when his coming-out party occurs on the biggest of
NFL stages, Monday Night Football. If Kelce had hauled in even one
more pass against New England – say, the one Alex Smith sailed five
yards over his head on KC’s first possession – he’d have helped
complete a furious Sunday night/Monday night comeback by yours truly
in our FFToday staff league. As it turned out, I ended up suffering
an excruciating one-point loss, 145.1 to 144.1, to fellow staffer
Sal Marcoccio and have now dropped three out of four to start the
year. That means I’ve scored the fourth most points but am tied
for the worst record overall. God, I hate fantasy football.
Kelvin
Benjamin v. CHI: Steve Smith wears his football heart
right on his jersey, so that revenge-fueled fantasy explosion in
Week 4 should have taken nobody by surprise. Now that the unpleasantness
of that grudge match is behind them, Carolina can get down to the
business of figuring out what’s wrong with its offense aside from
the obvious (it no longer includes Steve Smith). There’s not a lot
to like about the Panthers O right now, frankly, but Smith’s ostensible
replacement is certainly a glaring exception. He stands 6’5”, weighs
about 230, and has commanded no fewer than eight targets in each
of his first four professional contests. Moreover, he’s turned those
copious targets into 329 yards, three scores, and almost 13 fantasy
points per game, pretty heady stuff for the fifth wideout selected
in April’s draft. He might be the only Panther I’d start right now.
Do it already.
Grab Some Wood
Sammy
Watkins @ DET: I wasn’t able to hit the sports bar
last Sunday, so I settled for “watching” games on my laptop, gamecast-style.
One of the highlights of that experience was reading the stream
of tweets about the Buffalo v. Houston pillow fight at NRG Stadium.
Let’s just say most of them were less than complimentary (read:
brutal and hilarious) about the quarterback play in the game.
Hey, at least my boy Ryan Fitzpatrick got the win, right? Not
so for E.J. Manuel and now he’s lost his job to Kyle Orton. You
know things are bad when the Twittersphere is CLAMORING for the
Bills to give Kyle Orton a shot at quarterback. Unless you know
something about Mr. Orton I don’t, starting Watkins (a player
he’s never played with) against a Detroit defense that’s yielding
the second fewest passing yards per game seems like an exceedingly
bad idea.
Nate
Washington @ DAL: If I’ve made one gigantic misstep
to start the 2014 season, it’s investing more than I should have
in a Tennessee offense that’s resembled a dumpster fire through
four weeks. Not only was I convinced Kendall Wright would be one
of the most valuable under-the-radar PPR league producers. I also
thought, as others did, that Justin Hunter would break out and
become a primo red zone terror, specializing in jump ball TD grabs.
What I didn’t expect was Nate Washington to matter and, for a
change, I was right (19 targets, six receptions, 80 yards). I
may have ignored the obvious (Jake Locker makes E.J. Manuel look
accurate), but at least I didn’t make matters worse by snagging
Washington in any of my leagues. Hold onto Wright in the event
Locker shows a pulse but I think it’s safe to cut bait with those
other two.
Percy
Harvin / Doug
Baldwin @ WAS (Monday): It seems almost impossible
in this day and age, when footballs are flying all over NFL stadiums,
that the Seahawks could win a championship without employing a
must-start fantasy option at the wide receiver position. Maybe
you consider Percy Harvin such a guy, but the numbers tell me
he’s, at best, a WR3 in 10 and 12-team leagues (ranked #29
on a PPG basis). The next best Seattle option at the position
through four weeks? His name’s Ricardo Lockette and he’s
snagged exactly three passes this year. THREE TOTAL! Of course,
two of them went for touchdowns but I think you see my point.
If you’re going to roll with Seahawks, you’d do best
to stick with Russell Wilson, Beast Mode, and that vaunted defense.
Don’t forget that only Andy Dalton, amongst QBs who have
started every game, has attempted fewer passes than Wilson.
Good luck, folks!
Quarterbacks 
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