A pair of Pittsburgh Steelers offer the path to enlightenment this week, with both Jaylen Samuels and Diontae Johnson getting stamped with $5,000 price tags. Rostering Samuels and Johnson provides spending flexibility which allows gamers to pay up for a stud at quarterback, running back and wide receiver. Samuels figures to see a full workload with James Conner (AC joint) looking doubtful after not practicing this week and Benny Snell (knee) out for the near term.
QB
Russell Wilson (SEA) $8,600: I’m going right back to Wilson despite his underwhelming Week 8 outing against the Falcons. In hindsight, Wilson should have been faded when news broke that Matt Ryan’s injury would keep him sidelined. Simply put, the Seahawks jumped out to an early lead and didn’t need to lean on Wilson. He attempted only 20 passes, which tied for a season-low, and failed to reach 20 FD points despite throwing two TDs. But against the Bucs pass funnel defense he needs to get reinserted into cash lineups. Tampa Bay’s rush defense ranks No. 1 in DVOA per Football Outsiders and holds opponents to an average of 68.6 yards per game, the best mark in the league. However, the Bucs yield the second-most passing yards per game (285.9). With a tantalizing over/under of 52 – the highest on the slate – this game is a smash spot for Wilson.
RB
Christian McCaffrey (CAR) $9,700: It’s hard to imagine fading CMC, even at his current price. In an awesome display of stability, McCaffrey registered just two games with fewer than 20 FD points this season and both of them game against Tampa Bay’s top-ranked rush defense. He also scored 25.5 FD points last week against San Francisco’s second-ranked rush defense. Don’t let the matchup intimidate; McCaffrey’s a lock for 20-plus touches and has scored at least one TD in all but one game this season. On the other side of the field, Derrick Henry ($6,800) also offers a strong RB play.
WR
Mike Evans (TB) $8,100: With this game projected as the highest over/under on the slate I’m rolling with Evans to get more exposure. He exploded last week for 198 yards and two TDs, and out-targeted teammate Chris Godwin 29-20 the past two weeks. Evans ranks in the top-10 for receiving yards (662), YPR (17.4) and is tied for the league lead with six TDs. The Seahawks field a strong secondary with Tre Flowers returning and Shaquill Griffin playing at a high level, but they also haven’t faced a receiving corps like Tampa Bay’s. Lock Evans into lineups this week.
TE
Jonnu Smith (TEN) $5,500: The Titans ruled out Delanie Walker (ankle) for the second straight game, paving the way for Smith to continue his recent hot streak. Since Walker injured his ankle early in Week 7, Smith picked up the slack by catching 9-of-10 targets for 142 yards and one TD. That’s more production than Corey Davis (8-89-1) or A.J. Brown (8-75-1) in the same span. It’s clear the Titans will lean on the hyper-athletic Smith, who at 6-3, 248 pounds runs a 4.62 (88th-percentile) 40-yard dash.
D/ST
Miami Dolphins $3,600: The price is right for the Dolphins near the bottom of the barrel for D/ST, and while it might seem like a terrible idea to use them in any fantasy football capacity, I’m willing to let it ride this week. The Jets – whose only win against the Cowboys in Week 5 now seems like an outlier – rank No. 3 in giveaways with 16. In the kind of irony only stats can provide, the Jets’ 78 points this season are the second-fewest in the league ahead of, you guessed it, Miami (77). This shapes up to be an ugly game and I think Miami provides a couple of turnovers against the flushable Jets.
Week 9 Sample Lineup
QB: Russell Wilson (SEA) $8,600
RB: Christian McCaffrey (CAR) $9,700
RB: Derrick Henry (TEN) $6,800
WR: Kenny Golladay (DET) $7,600
WR: Mike Evans (TB) $8,100
WR: Diontae Johnson (PIT) $5,000
FLEX: Jaylen Samuels (PIT) $5,000
TE: Jonnu Smith (TEN) $5,500
D/ST: Miami Dolphins $3,600
Week 8 Rewind
The Russell Wilson-Tyler Lockett stack didn’t deliver near enough points last week, and their underwhelming performance ultimately doomed me in all three of my 50/50s. Corey Davis didn’t pan out in the FLEX spot despite a plus matchup with the Bucs, falling flat with two catches for nine yards. Between Davis and Larry Fitzgerald (1.8 FD points), my value plays amounted to a hill of beans. And to add insult to injury the Panthers D/ST allowed 51 points to the Niners and finished with three points.
QB: Russell Wilson (SEA) $8,600 [15.68, 1.8x value] RB: Saquon Barkley (NYG) $8,600 [24.3, 2.8x value] RB: Todd Gurley (LAR) $7,400 [10.4, 1.4x value] WR: Tyler Lockett (SEA) $7,200 [13, 1.8x value] WR: Michael Thomas (NO) $8,500 [21.8, 2.6x value] WR: Larry Fitzgerald (ARI) $5,400 [1.8, 0.3x value] FLEX: Corey Davis (TEN) $5,500 [1.9, 0.3x value] TE: Cameron Brate (TB) $5,200 [4.7, 0.9x value] D/ST: Carolina Panthers $3,500 [3, 0.9x value]
ATTN Dynasty Commissioners: Do you want to do something cool for your league? How about a 1-hour live show dedicated to YOUR league? Team-by-team breakdowns, rankings, and more. For details and to book a show, visit: GoingFor2.com/plp.
