Farrell’s Five Bold Fantasy Predictions Week 10

Man, the life of a bold fantasy predictor is stressful.  So stressful that I had to take last week off.  But really, who cares about week 9?  Week 10 is clearly the key, like seven-minute abs.  It’s brie time baby!  Here’s a quick recap of how I did week 8, which was actually a pretty solid week:

The good:  I predicted Brandin Cooks would have a big game, and even prognosticated 90 yards and two scores.  He ended up with 88 yards and two scores, BOOM!  After an up and down start to the season, I called a monster game for AJ Green, and he responded with 11 receptions, 118 yards and a score, BOOM (Note:  I further predicted he’d be a top-three fantasy options over the next three weeks, and will need a big game Sunday to fulfill that bonus prediction).

The medium:  I predicted a bust game for Darren McFadden against Seattle, and although he had no scores and rushed for just over three yards per carry, he scrapped together just over 100 yards from scrimmage boosted largely by six catches for 49 yards.  The amount of touches he’s getting now especially with Joseph Randle booted make him a pretty sweet option moving forward, so believe in him more than I did two years ago.

The bad:  Not my fault, but I predicted Ryan Fitzpatrick would be a top-five fantasy QB but he was injured in the game and gave way to Geno Smith, such is life.  Fade alert:  I strangely predicted that the Broncos, Bengals, and Carolina would all lose that week, and not a single one did.  This is similar to earlier this season when I proclaimed the Browns, Jacksonville, and Oakland were the worst teams in football, and they all went on to win the following week.  So, if I make any more bold game predictions, put your money on the other side of such claims.

Now for the good stuff, week 10 suckers….

Kirk Cousins is a great start in DFS:  This isn’t just about how bad the Saints defense is, although either Kirk Cousins or Uncle Rico could put up numbers on this embattled secondary.  It’s also about value, injuries, and tough matchups for a bunch of other normal value starts at QB.   Plus, Cousins will have a healthy cadre of pass catchers for once, a rare occasion this year, with DeSean Jackson making just his second start since week 1 and Jordan Reed at full speed.  Cousins will easily finish as a top-ten QB this week and he’s still priced at the very bottom of league starters in most DFS formats.  Bonus:  If you’re willing to go mid-price for a QB, snag Eli Manning or Joe Flacco this week.

Cheap WRs will win the day this week:  Another DFS special, especially if you’d rather not take my advice on Cousins and are willing to pay the price for Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers… going off of current FanDuel pricing, you can put together a week 10 winning line up of WRs without spending more than $6600 on any single player.  Here are a couple possible combos that will let you load up at other positions and still win some cash: Stefon Diggs, Davante Adams, DeSean Jackson or Willie Snead, Brandon LaFell, and Jordan Matthews.  My lineup:  Matthews, Adams, and LaFell will be a top-five trio this week.

Welcome to the party, James Starks:  Anyone who has watched a Packers game this year had to be wondering why it took so long for this change to happen.  Sorry Eddie Lacy owners, but if you were looking for him on Craigslist personals he’d be under BSB (big, slow, and banged up).  He hasn’t looked right all season.  When Sparks has been on the field, he’s made things happen, both on the ground and through the ar.  Last week he only rushed for 39 yards but had six catches for 83 yards and a score.  Starks has the potential to be that late season free agent find that wins folks season long fantasy championships, but for now expect over 100 total yards and a score this week against the weak Lions defense.

Percy Harvin left and returned as Tavon Austin:  Anyone else notice this?  I have no idea what happened to Harvin other than I’m convinced he shape shifted into the explosive, long time fantasy tease Tavon Austin.  He does it on the ground, through the air, and on special teams.  Austin is a boom or bust guy, so I didn’t list him above as one of my strong DFS WR value plays, but he sure has been more boom than bust lately.  As noted by ESPN.com, he’s on pace for over 1,000 total yards and 12 touchdowns this season.  Pick up Austin if you still can in season long leagues, and he’s an interesting play in DFS tournaments this week against a porous Bears defense.  I’m predicting at least 80 total yards and another touchdown for Tavon “Percy” Austin.

Buy low on Travis Kelce:  The darling of the fantasy preseason, Kelce was certainly overvalued at draft time– due more to the Chiefs offense than his talent– but is now undervalued in what is admittedly a deep pool of point producing fantasy tight ends.  I was actually able to pick him up as a free agent add in one of my leagues this week after he was dropped, much to my delight.  He has a tough match up this week against Denver, but has great match ups in three of the Chiefs last five games against San Diego twice (giving up seventh most fantasy points to TEs) and Oakland (most points to TEs).  Trade away some spare parts and stash Kelce for the stretch run, as he’ll finish as a top five tight end for weeks 11-15.

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