The Gameplan for Preseason Week 3
Fine readers of the Going For 2 fanbase my name is @TheBLeagueSays and I am 100% loving vacation in my hometown of Sydney this week. This week’s new article I will present for @GoingFor_2 is called ‘The Gameplan of the Preseason’. Each week I will give to you some plays to make in regards to your Fantasy teams weekly roster construction, DFS selections or Dynasty evaluations.
So before we get started, Thank you, and enjoy!
Slant Route
Who is trending up this week:
Duke Johnson Jr**, clearly, is the talk of the town as he finally looks to be free of the (in his eyes, probably) mismanagement of his career in Cleveland to date. He has been hanging about in some brutal Running Back committees in his young career, and now sees, maybe, the clearest path to more work now in Houston behind Lamar Miller. Let’s not disrespect the current lead back for the Texans, Lamar Miller is an incredible pro who gets the job done for his team, and that generally comes at the expense of your fantasy rosters construct. Duke Johnson Jr offers, however, incredible athleticism coupled with fantastic hands. If the Texans figure out how potent he can be, he may well be a late-round Running Back that can win you your league.
** Editor’s note: This was written before the Lamar Miller injury, but the “slant route” designation still applies
Flat Route
The hate has tapered off:
On Eric Ebron and the regression conversations that have been/were so brutal this offseason. And if you don’t believe me, then I’m calling you (yes, you!) a liar. But we know what he is with and without Jack Doyle and how that now meshes is Parris Campbell and Devin Funchess is another thing. But on the back on 2018’s red zone dominance, he can still be that guy and that option for you should he fall, but as the masses come back over the next few weeks I’d suggest it is likely that he will probably jump back up in A.D.P. It’s buyer beware for me – but you knew that already.
Comeback Route
Who will recover after a poor performance in the previous season:
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Devonta Freeman has had a frustrating body of work in recent years. But I think with Dirk Koetter returning to call the plays, an improved Offensive Line and the lack of competition in the backfield – I think it is more than fair to say that Freeman – given the workload could be a monster this year. Health is an issue but we know this already, but provided he clears that hurdle each week he is an automatic must start who you can get in the 3rd or 4th rounds depending on the size of your league.
Screen Route
The contrarian play of the year:
Ian Thomas for me is a great dynasty hold, as the wheels on the Greg Olsen bus seem to not go round-and-round as well as they used to. I hope Olsen has a fantastic, healthy season and rekindles his old form, because selfishly if he does, it’s probably giving you one more opportunity to buy low on Ian Thomas. We currently have Thomas ranked as the TE23 in our Dynasty rankings, but he flashed enough last year to prove he deserves more snaps. Unless something happens to the detriment of Greg Olsen he is to be avoided in redraft, but get him now in Dynasty while you can!
Out Route
Who am I completely off this year:
Marcus Mariota had the world at his feet (umm, hands) and over the past four seasons, we have seen a decline in performance. The only way you are taking him is if you are in a deep 2QB league, and even still he would be the last resort at this point, or as a cheap option in weekly DFS or a late Best Ball Quarterback option if you punted the position early.
The 9 Route
A straight forward confidence play of the season:
Alvin Kamara could literally be the Top Running Back in all versions of Fantasy Football this year with the removal of Mark Ingram this year. I’m not worried about the Latavius Murray arrival, I think he has a lesser role than the one that Ingram had – leaving more for Kamara going forward. I wouldn’t argue the case for Kamara being the 1.01 of that’s the route you take.
And finally…
Hail Mary Plays Of The Year
The best Quarterback that the Philadelphia Eagles has had in their history, Nick Foles, walked into the Florida franchise as a free agent hoping to guide a team with a stellar Defense and a (when healthy) run game that can be dominant. If the Line in front of him can buy him time he may well do some good work. I recognize that you can shuffle the deck on anyone from the QB15-32 range up and how they land wouldn’t be that much of a surprise – so don’t be surprised if he does better than expected. (Also don’t be surprised if he stinks too, but it’s a hail mary play right?)
Justin Watson could be the third man up in Tampa, a team who has zero run game (probably) and a Defense who pose to be one of the worst in the league again. Provided that Bruce Arians can get Jameis Winston to hone his craft in a smarter fashion, Watson could be a beneficiary as their slot receiver that most have never heard of. He is a deep league, deep roster play, but with how the Buccaneers may fare this year you would think that ball will go through the air more than on the ground: so Watson is as good of a dart throw as anyone and likely the cheapest you can get from this team.
And there you have it!
I want to thank you for getting this far and taking in everything I have presented. You can as always follow and find me at @TheBLeagueSays and offer any view or conversation about this. Don’t forget to check out the #GF2 weekly rankings which you can find https://goingfor2.com/2019-fantasy-football-redraft-rankings-gf2-consensus/ and to subscribe, rate, review, and share and listen to The Armchair Fantasy Show podcast.
Let’s all get better together!
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