We never stop learning. Whether you are still in high school, are a university student on reading week, or part of the workforce, there is always time to study the things that are important to us. Since you are reading this, I will assume that fantasy football means as much to you as it does to me. Every week in the NFL, there something that catches us off guard. As fantasy football players, we can use every game as a teaching moment, in order to improve our decision making. Here are 10 things that we learned in week 6.
RB Convocation
A group of Eagles is a convocation (don’t worry I had to look it up too). The backfield in Philadelphia is exactly like that. Over the last 2 seasons, there has not been one RB that dominates touches. Even after trading for Jay Ajayi last season, the Eagles never gave him more than 18 touches, and that was achieved in this year’s loss to the Titans. With Ajayi now out of the year, this committee will no doubt continue. Over the past 2 seasons, the most touches that a Philadelphia RB received in a game was 19, and one of those instances was Wendell Smallwood last week. Corey Clement was not far behind with 14 touches. If anyone thought that either player would become a bell-cow, they were wrong. Eventually, Darren Sproles will return and it also possible that the Eagles acquire another RB via trade. Because of the quality of this offense, Clement and Smallwood can be played most weeks, but as flex players, not as RB1s.
Tops in 2019?
Any fantasy player who is involved in dynasty leagues, or who watches college football, has known about Saquon Barkley for some time. In fantasy football rookie drafts, he was the consensus 1.01 (round one, pick one) even before the draft. Ezekiel Elliott was also a locked in 1.01, but only after he was drafted by the NFL team with arguably the best offensive line in football. There was no doubt that Barkley was the best RB in the 2018 class and some even speculated that he was the best receiver in the draft as well. His skills in the passing game were what made him so special. What we witnessed on Thursday Night Football, was how well Barkley can produce on the ground. Running the football, Barkley demonstrated quick lateral movements, strong balance and breakaway speed. These are all ingredients that are sought after in a top RB. Even as a first round pick in re-draft formats, Barkley might actually be playing above expectations. While no one will deny that Todd Gurley is most likely to be the #1 overall pick again in 2019, Barkley has put himself in that conversation. Along with Alvin Kamara, Barkley appears to be a top 3 re-draft pick next year, as long as he keeps it up in 2018.
Still(s) #1 … Or Not
Coming out of the bye week, many expected Ronald Jones to take hold of the Buccaneers backfield. Instead, he only got 1 carry while Peyton Barber received 13. Barber actually scored his first TD of the season on a reception from Jameis Winston. Not all is bad for Jones as he saw 3 targets. Still, until any drastic changes take place, Barber is the RB to have for fantasy football.
Another player is trending in a direction opposite of Barber. Kenny Stills only caught 1 pass in week 6. With the absence of DeVante Parker, some thought of Stills as the likely candidate to be the Dolphins #1 WR. He certainly produced out of the gate with 106 receiving yards a 2TDs in week 1. Since then, however, he has failed to hit 100 yards in any game and only has 1 other TD. A major factor is that Stills has only led Miami in targets twice this season. With the recent emergence of Albert Wilson, Stills is no longer the top receiver for the Dolphins.
Thielen > Diggs
In fantasy football drafts this year, the top two receiving options in Minnesota were closely linked together. A debate that ragged on throughout the offseason was: who should be drafted first, Stefon Diggs or Adam Thielen? Through the first 6 weeks of 2018, Thielen has gained significant ground ahead of Diggs. While both have been productive, it is Thielen who has had 6 straight 100-yard games, something that has not been done since at least the merger in 1970. Week 6 presented the biggest disparity in opportunity and production between the two. Thielen was targeted 15 times and he managed to haul in 11 of them, for 123 yards and 1 TD. Diggs meanwhile caught 3 of 5 targets for 33 yards. That was actually a season-low for Diggs and I was not entirely surprised by the production of both WRs. Thielen has outscored Diggs in all but one game this season. That is why I selected Thielen in my Yahoo DFS article for week 6. It is time to accept that he is the alpha in this offense.
Mack is Back
Marlon Mack returned for only his second appearance of 2018. In both games, Mack received double-digit touches which may be a little surprising considering he was returning from an injury. In week 6, we all saw why the Colts did not hold him back. Even though he only saw about half of the team’s carries, Mack accounted for 70% of the Indianapolis rushing yards. There probably won’t be a major uptick in Mack’s workload but he is still clearly the lead RB for the Colts. He may not be a workhorse, but Mack definitely has some flex-ability for the rest of the year.
Baldwin Breakout
Speaking of injuries, Doug Baldwin is now healthy, at least healthy enough to put up 91 yards on the Raiders. Yes, I know that Oakland has a bad defense all-around, but those were still professional athletes that Baldwin was creating separation against. He was another player that I pegged in my Yahoo DFS article for week 6. Now with a bye week at hand, Baldwin will have a good chance to rest up and get his knee as close to 100% as possible. While he does have difficult cornerback matchups (Darius Slay in week 8; Casey Hayward in week 9), Baldwin should be in line for targets. His 8 targets in week 6 were twice as much as any other Seahawks player.
Kupp Half Empty
Considering how well Todd Gurley has performed over the last two seasons, I will not say that Cooper Kupp is the most important player for the Rams. I will, however, point to his absence during portions of the Rams’ week 6 victory over the Broncos. Kupp sustained what appeared to be a serious knee injury in the first half. Although he was on the field early in the 3rd quarter, Kupp only played in 37.8% of offensive snaps in the contest. Perhaps a coincidence or perhaps not, Los Angeles scored only 23 points. Their previous season low was 33. While Denver does have difference makers on defense, they are not a better unit than the Vikings (who allowed the Rams to score 38). Kupp’s presence on the field opens up space for the other playmakers on the team. Yes, Gurley ran for a career-high 208 yards and Robert Woods had 100+ yards and a TD. But if Kupp should miss time, I could see the Los Angeles offense underwhelming on their lofty standards.
Spotty Defense
The Jacksonville Jaguars had arguably the best defense in 2017. Much was expected of this team in 2018 and they performed very well in the early going. The 20 points scored by the Patriots in week 2 were the most that the Jaguars allowed until the Chiefs game. Perhaps Patrick Mahomes broke them as the unit looked lost in week 6. They allowed the Cowboys to put up 40 points. THE COWBOYS, whose previous season high was 26 against the Lions. Did the Jaguars defense just show their spots, or was this just a blip on the radar. Either way, the Jacksonville defense is not a fantasy football matchup to automatically avoid.
Mari(uh-oh)ta
Marcus Mariota has had a 2018 season to forget. He has been plagued by an elbow injury, a lack of a run game and offensive lines woes. In week 4, Mariota had a performance that appeared to signal his return has a fantasy contributor. Other than in that victory over the Eagles, Mariota has failed to surpass 129 passing yards or score a TD in any game. The blame does not fall solely on his soldiers, as the Titans offensive line just allowed 11 sacks in week 6. Even so, as a fantasy football asset, Mariota cannot be trusted in starting positions. If there are other options out there at QB, it might be time to drop Mariota.
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Shhhhhhhhanahan
One such QB may be C.J. Beathard. He has thrown multiple TDs in three consecutive weeks and even managed a rushing TD in week 5. While the 49ers QB certainly deserves credit, his success can be attributed to the leadership of Kyle Shanahan. The San Francisco Head Coach is becoming known as a QB whisperer. As Houston Texans Offensive Coordinator, he got a career season out of Matt Schaub (4,770 passing yards 29 TDs) in 2009. Next, he was the OC in Washington during Robert Griffin III‘s phenomenal rookie season. He also managed to guide Matt Ryan to an MVP season and to the Super Bowl. While Beathard has to minimize the turnovers, he is emerging as a viable fantasy football player in 2QB or Superflex leagues.
Thank you for reading. Be sure to continue your fantasy football studies on Going for 2. There is a lot of great content available that can help your season be a success.
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