For every great call a fantasy football
writer makes, there are an equal, and perhaps greater number of
misses. In the case of Deshaun Watson at home against the Titans,
I must admit that I missed when I recommended fading the rookie
in a matchup against Dick Lebeau’s complex blitz scheme. Sure,
Watson was impressive Week 3 against the Patriots, but everyone
and their mother have been able to put up points against New England,
and I predicted Watson would have a bit of a letdown against the
Titans.
I also anticipated that he would be owned by a large number of
people in GPP looking for an inexpensive play, when Philip Rivers
at home against the Chargers or Trevor Siemian at home against
the Raiders seemed like better plays. Watson, of course, was fantastic,
while Siemian was a disappointment and Rivers delivered an ok,
but not a stellar day.
I can tell you one thing, Watson looked impressive and will certainly
be on more than a few of my tickets going forward, especially
next week when the Texans take on the Browns.
The following lineup review is from a $30 winning ticket in the
Sunday Millionaire Maker contest on DraftKings.
Quarterback: Philip
Rivers DraftKings Points: 20.96
Grade: A
After a slow start, which included a sack-fumble on a comical
attempt to evade an Eagle defender, Philip Rivers bounced back
with a respectable 347-yard, two passing touchdown performance
against Philadelphia.
Initially, my Rivers/Allen stack looked like it would backfire,
but Rivers managed to settle down and pepper Allen with five catches
for 138 yards. It would have been nice for one of those two passing
TD’s to go to Allen, but overall the stack worked out well. Targeting
the injury-depleted Eagles is a smart play regardless of matchup,
as the birds have given up big games on consecutive weeks to Eli
Manning and Rivers. Carson Palmer and Jaron Brown are attractive
options this week if the Eagles continue to be limited by injuries
on defense.
I went with a stable of two relatively inexpensive rookie running
backs this week, both of whom had attractive matchups against
teams that struggle against the run, and both of who looked like
they would see a significant amount of work.
Fournette came up big with 24.5 points on 145 combined yards
and a score and was close to having a monster game with a touchdown
reception called back on a holding penalty. Mixon got the volume
we all were hoping for after starting off slow in 2017, but he
was pitiful with 29 rushing yards on 17 attempts. I expected a
huge game for Mixon against the Browns, a breakout game that would
cement his place atop the Cinci depth chart. Not so much.
My goal each week is to get at least 60 points from my three
receivers, with the hope of at least one WR breaking out with
a big game. Allen came through with a nice yardage game, but he
was somewhat of a disappointment in the fact that he only got
five receptions. You should always target volume wide receivers
in a PPR format like DraftKings, as you can still have a solid
game without catching a touchdown.
The fact that I only got 11 combined receptions from three wide
receivers I deemed to be target monsters was disappointing, especially
considering the fact that I hit on both my tight end and flex
play. This could have been a great week for me a nice payout,
but instead, I managed just 152.68 points and a $10 profit.
Tight End: Cameron
Brate DraftKings Points: 18
Grade: A
I am shocked to see that Cameron Brate had only a 6% ownership
rate because he was relatively cheap at $3,800, and the Giants
have allowed a touchdown each week to an opposing tight end.
The receiving touchdown looked like a foregone conclusion for
Brate, and the 80 yards on four catches was a nice bonus.
Another reason why I started Brate is the fact that my opponent
in my season-long league of record started him against me. Check
out my theory on hedging your bet in DFS and season-long leagues
from my Week 4 preview piece to learn why this might be a great
strategy for you.
For some reason, the salary makers at DraftKings have not bought
into the fact that Hopkins leads the league in targets and continues
to be the favorite option for Watson. At just $6,400 Hopkins was
the must start wide receiver of the week and he did not disappoint.
Defense: Broncos DraftKings Points: 9
Grade: B
The Broncos at home are always a good play. Going against a Raider
team that is struggling to move the ball makes them even more
attractive, ad a middle-tier salary of just $3000 made them a
must-start for me. Miller and the Broncos came through with three
sacks and a pick, but a defensive TD would have been nice here.
