After a nice winning streak of
four connective weeks of finishing in the money, I failed to cash
for the second week in a row in what turned out to be one of the
more disappointing DFS weekends of the season.
Jordan Howard and Stefon Diggs, my two must-play starts of the
week, failed miserably to live up to my expectations, while Jared
Cook managed just one reception for nine yards despite playing
against the Giants at home with both Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree inactive.
On a positive note, my Jets stack of Josh McCown turned out to
be a wise play with just over half of my point total coming from
only two players.
Here is a breakdown of the entire GPP lineup, including some
thoughts on why I chose to include each player on the ticket and
how my decisions either worked or failed miserably.
Quarterback: Josh
McCown Fantasy Points: 34.14
Grade: A
To the dismay of Matt Forte and Bilal Powell owners, Josh McCown
scored two rushing touchdowns in a shootout win over the Chiefs
to go along with 331 passing yards and one passing touchdown.
Although I certainly did not anticipate the veteran quarterback
scoring two TDs on the ground, the game against Kansas City proved
to be an excellent target for inexpensive GPP plays like McCown
and Robby Anderson. At just $5,500, McCown was an underpriced
GPP option that entered the game with three 20-plus point games
in his previous five contests.
I’m not sure if I am more angry with the fact that Howard
managed just 33 total yards at home against a team that allowed
the second-most points to opposing running backs, or the fact
that Lewis was not rewarded with a touchdown by Bill Belichick
after rushing for 92 yards against Buffalo.
Of course, Howard’s turd at home against the Niners is
without a doubt the most disappointing player on this ticket,
as I wrote about how he was my must start of the week. I have
yet to watch the film on this game to fully understand why Howard
only received 13 carries or why he was unable to find success
against one of the worst rush defenses in the league.
It just goes to show you that sometimes good players fail to
produce fantasy points in what may appear to be an attractive
matchup.
For my wide receiving corps, I opted to go with what I perceived
to be two high floor guys with upside in Davante Adams and Robby
Anderson, mixed with a complete unknown in Josh Gordon as my aim
for the stars play.
After nearly three years since playing a down in the NFL, no
one knew what to expect from Gordon in his first game back from
reinstatement. The matchup against Casey Hayward and the Chargers
on the road was not attractive, as Hayward has been one of the
most impressive cornerbacks this season and the Browns struggle
on the road. But Gordon looked impressive, flashing some of the
size and speed intangibles that make him a dominant receiver.
Anderson failed to continue his touchdown scoring streak, but
did manage to give me 22.4 points on a solid 8/107/0 day. Adams,
on the other hand, turned out to be a dud after posting double-digit
points in each of his previous four games; he managed only to
log four catches for 42 yards. Perhaps I was chasing points and
bought into Hundley’s game against the Steelers, but I thought
Adams was in for a big game at home against the Bucs in the battle
of the Bays.
Tight End: Jared
Cook Fantasy Points: 1.9
Grade: F
In a must-win home game against a defense that allowed a receiving
touchdown to opposing tight ends in nine of 11 games, and with
both starting wide receivers inactive, Jared Cook managed just
one stinking catch for nine yards on Sunday. He did leave the
game for a moment to check on an injury in the blue tent but come
on man, how on Earth can you not at least get 10 points in this
matchup? I guess I should have known that under no circumstances
can you trust Jared Cook for production. Just ask Titan, Ram,
and Packer fans.
I got into a spat with a fellow owner in my season-long league
of record when I gave him grief for taking Diggs at the start
of the fourth round. I felt that despite his fantastic talent,
Diggs’ inability to stay healthy and his sporadic production
made him a reach that early in the draft. I looked like a fool
early in the season when Diggs posted two monster games in his
first three contests, but I feel somewhat vindicated in that Diggs
missed some time with injuries this season and he has not posted
a 20-point game since Week 3.
But even with my own doubts on Diggs, I could not resist his
$6,200 salary against the Falcons in a matchup against the Falcons
with Desmond Trufant injured. Diggs managed just two receptions
for 32 yards, as the Vikings and Falcons combined for just 23
total points.
To have any shot of cashing in a GPP you need to have at least
one defensive score from your D/ST. The problem is, predicting
touchdowns is a difficult task, especially special teams and defensive
TDs. I went with the Chargers at home against DeShone Kizer, as
I anticipated he would feed Gordon passes regardless of coverage,
resulting in a pick-six for the Chargers. The pick six did not
materialize, but San Diego did provide 11 fantasy points.
