Trick or Treat – Hits and Misses in the First Half of the Season

With Halloween among us, it’s time to take a look and determine which players were our fantasy football tricks and which ones were our treats now that we are half way into the fantasy football season for most leagues.  Here are some of those which I have noted after week eight of the 2019 NFL season.

 

Tricks

Quarterback:

Mitchell Trubisky – I’m not sure what happened with this guy but I thought he was going to be a top 10 quarterback this year but instead he is barely in the top 30.  I believe the problem is that he doesn’t have the weapons he needs to be successful. David Montgomery was able to gain some steam this weak so hopefully that will continue and take some pressure off of his quarterback.

 

Running Back:

Joe Mixon – Joe has to be one of the biggest disappointments this year for those who felt it necessary to draft him in the first round of seasonal leagues.  Luckily, I was not one of them but many owners were hoping he would “fall” to them in latter half of the first round.  I’m not sure there is much hope in the second half of the season for those who still have Mixon on their roster in hopes that he can be a productive asset on their roster.

 

Wide Receiver:

Odell Beckham, Jr. – Who would have thought Beckham, Jr. would not make the top twenty wide receivers heading into week eight?  Not me, I was hoping to land him in the second round of seasonal drafts but fortunately that didn’t happen because he has had just two games in which he has had 100 yards receiving and just one touchdown after 7 games.

 

I’m not sure what the problem is in Cleveland but there were high expectations prior to the start of the season with all the weapons they added and Browns fans are not seeing the results.  It’s time to question the coaching staff and the play calling.

 

Tight End:

Vance McDonald – Vance is a player I expected to be in the top ten at his position after the Steelers (and a couple others) moved on from the highly talented but drama filled Antonio Brown.  McDonald definitely tricked me into believing he was in a position to take his game to the next level.  Maybe it’s not him but whatever the case………his stats just aren’t there.  The Steelers need to get him more involved if he has the talent that I believe he has.

 

 

Treats

 

Quarterback:

Lamar Jackson – Lamar, Lamar……..Lamar.  I had several opportunities to have this guy on my roster in numerous leagues and have just one share of him today wishing I had more as he has exceeded my expectations to say the least both on the ground and through the air.

I remember when it was a big deal when John Elway would rush for 200 yards in a season, Jackson has already rushed for 576 yards after just 7 games not to mention 3 touchdowns toting the rock.  Jackson is doing things no other quarterback has done.

 

Running Back:

 

Austin Ekeler – Unfortunately I believe we have seen the ceiling for Ekeler this year with Melvin Gordon finally deciding he wants to play football again.

However, there is a rumor floating around that the Chargers could be looking to trade Gordon.  If that were to happen, then Ekeler will likely remain a top five RB.

Yes, Austin Ekeler is currently a top five running back statistically but if Gordon remains in Los Angeles then Ekeler’s value will diminish greatly as we witnessed this week.

 

Wide Receiver:

D.J. Chark – I tried to trade for this guy last year in dynasty leagues as I seen the potential that he is displaying this year.  He is on pace for 78 catches, 1300 yards and 12 touchdowns.  Not too shabby for a guy that could’ve been had in the later rounds of seasonal drafts.

 

 

Tight End:

Mark Andrews – The tight end position has delivered several treats in the first half of the season with three newcomers to the top five with Darren Waller, Austin Hooper and Mark Andrews respectively.  But Mark Andrews is one that has been the biggest treat for me personally.

After conversing with a fellow writer for Going for 2 @fntsyfbconnect , I was convinced that Andrews was going to be a hit and accepted a trade in a dynasty league which I have no regrets to say the least not to mention drafting him in a couple seasonal leagues as well.

 

It’s always entertaining to go back and evaluate the decisions we’ve made before the season and how they look now that we are half way through the season.  Some are tricks and some are treats but hopefully your fantasy football bag is full of candy when the clock strikes midnight.

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