The Pros And Cons Of Week 3 (#FantasyFootball)

Can I kick it? Yes, you can! Can I kick it? Yes, you can! Can I kick it? Yes, you can, although Daniel Carlson and Zane Gonzalez this week, unfortunately, can not kick it…

Fine readers of the Going For 2 fanbase my name is @TheBLeagueSays and I am 100% kind of happy for Cleveland winning a game. Not so much for the Browns Organization (they seem somewhat incompetent) but for nearly two years their fans in all terrains turned up and breathe that Franchise I think they all deserve a light beer – only one though! And thank you for the awesome feedback and conversations following last weeks Pros and Cons – we know that The Pros won out last week and The Cowboys Defense is no joke; who this week come up against Seattle and Russell Wilson who were collectively mauled by a pack of Bears named Khalil Mack – start your Cowboys DST once more! Once again please remember that the articles I bring to you will be based on the Pros and Cons of players or scenarios that the Fantasy Football Community has split ideas on heading into future fixtures for your matchups.

So before we get started – Thank you, and enjoy!

Kicking a Kicker when he is down is not fair although sometimes a tap-in (pun number one for the day, bam!) but neither is not winning a game for nearly two years (‘sup Cleveland; Congrats again), who, while losing in overtime which followed a draw in Week 1 – I gotta say it must be hard for the players who are getting knocked around only to lose the following week – in overtime again no less – because of another shanked shot in Week 2. Zane Gonzalez, meet the pine! And Hue Jackson was such a sweetheart about how he canned him too. Very nurturing. Very caring. There is a man that knows how to deliver bad news!

Daniel Carlson, however, got that ‘Dez Bryant’ treatment from Mike Zimmer though didn’t he! Man, that was cold and Zimmer was just smiling the whole time too! Talk about cutting to the chase… Carlson blew three field goal opportunities against Green Bay at Lambeau Field and again (Packers fans R-E-L-A-X), Rodgers and co scraped by with a draw after narrowly beating Chicago a week (also at home) earlier. How many times do you get the opportunity to step on the throat of the most dominant team in recent NFC North history and still manage to choke? One miss? Sure I get it. Two misses? Ok not that unreasonable it’s happened before. Three misses and a game ‘lost’ via a draw? Sorry pal but a team who can make a claim right now to be one of the teams in the NFC Championship picture is Minnesota and fine details like kicking a ball straight can be the difference between being the number one seed or not.

Good god two paragraphs about Kickers… How am I going to get out of this? I’m going to just muster through I think and see what I can come up with…

Well, what actually happened this week around the NFL? Let’s see… Josh Gordon got ‘cut’ but not really. The Browns psyched everyone (including themselves it seems in the process) out and traded him instead. I guess that’s news considering his journey. The New England Patriots Receivers could be affected by Gordon’s arrival right? But that has been punted (pun number two and I am officially on fire, bam!) around every website and news outlet too much already it feels like I would be repeating everything again – still, it was nice of Gordon to allow Tom Brady to keep his number 12 jersey! Who does this help in Cleveland though? Antonio Callaway? Rashard Higgins? Jarvis Landry? I guess they could all score more points due to Gordon being traded. Probably good for Zane Gonzalez? Dammit! A Kicker, not again! 

For me, the margin of error between the teams who struggle as ‘the cellar dwellers’ and those who can get by as .500 teams is so small. And to lose at the foot of a Kicker can be as feeble as it is deadly. Just ask the LA Chargers in 2017. It genuinely cost them a Finals run and who knows; once you make the Playoffs it’s anyone’s to take. But you gotta get there first – and putting a point-blank opportunity away is mandatory for success as much as making sure that the ‘laces are in’ is as fundamental exercise like catching a ball. Isn’t that right Ray Finkle?

Wait. 

Ray Finkle isn’t a real person? Just a character from the first Ace Ventura: Pet Detective movie? Hang on… Ray Finkle does not exist. I just checked www.pro-footbal-reference.com. And he is clearly a fictional character. But Snowflake is ok, right? Ok good, I’ll sleep well tonight…

Awkward… however that footage of Ray Finkle missing the kick was from an actual game in 1984 game with Dolphins kicker Uwe von Schamann (hell of a mustache though right?). The more you know!

So. Enter Dan Bailey into Minnesota. The former Cowboys legend and at times a weekly hero; who heralds the second highest Field Goal completion percentage behind Baltimore’s Justin Tucker (Bailey with an 88.2% completion rate and Tucker with a 90.3% completion rate). Bailey saw career lows from the snap last season but suffered groin and back and hamstring issues throughout the year for the first time in his career. Now fully healthy, we could see the next step in the Vikings Offense move forward once again. Unless Blair Walsh for whatever reason happens to turn up again…

Six paragraphs about Kickers, and one of them was a made up character from a movie? The struggle is real three rounds into the season friends! I reckon we can keep kicking on here (there it is, the 3rd pun. It’s been a good day!). 

While we are at it, did you know…

• That kickers are responsible for more than 30 percent of the points scored in any given NFL season?
• That currently, Mason Crosby (26.0) has more (Standard Scoring, fantasypros.com) Fantasy points than Jimmy Garoppolo (25.6) Brandin Cooks (25.2), Lamar Miller (17.9) and Odell Beckham Jr (16.1)? But did you also know that Tight End that no one ever heard of until two weeks ago Will Dissly (26.7) has outscored them all?
• That Ndamukong Suh has one attempt at a Field Goal when Kicker Jason Hanson went down during warmups. Suh, unfortunately, did not score that Field Goal. Makes you think why they weren’t #goingfor2 – company endorsement, how about that! But really, they probably should have gone for two there…

Ok, ok. You have been amazing. And you got this far. So right now I am going to get into some more traditional Fantasy Football nuggets for you! So, @TheBLeagueSays, what are…

THE PROS

Backup Running Backs as far as the eye can see –

Fire Up Corey Clement, Latavius Murray, Jordan Wilkins, and Giovani Bernard! Darren Sproles and Jay Ajayi are out and Corey Clement is the last man standing. Joe Mixon went down with a knee injury in last weeks Thursday Night Football and we all know how good Bernard can be when given the lead role. Latavius Murray will take the limelight but if he is activated listen up for Roc Thomas (shout-out to my man @FootballNuke for this one); who went for 11 carries for 34 yards with 3 catches for 102 yards and 2 TouchDowns in a preseason hit out against Denver – just something to Keep an eye on in DFS (a sneaky flier in Tournament play only)! And sure, Jordon Wilkins, (again) suits up against Philadelphia with Marlon Mack missing (again), so yeah if you want to go down that route (again)… Have at it!

Tight Ends vs Kansas – 

In Week 2, Jesse James went ham on Kansas last week with a 5-5-128 yards-1 TouchDown week with a delightful 24.75 Yards Per Reception output. He was a matchup nightmare! Well, how about Week 1? Well, Antonio Gates slumped off of the couch and laced up – and still managed a score for a 2-point conversion. How about this week? George Kittle makes his way down to Arrowhead with the 49ers and just missed on a 15-yard end zone target from Jimmy Garoppolo last week, although in Week 1 he went 9-5-90 yards and had himself a respectable day. If he is out there on your Waiver Wire (for the life of me, why?) go and get him and stream him this week. Unless you have Rob Gronkowski, Zach Ertz or Travis Kelce. Other than that, fire him up!

Carson Wentz is back –

I’m not going to lie to you – as a New York Giants fan, I was dreading this day. However, that dread softened after watching them play (well, they turned up – not sure if they played really) last week at Dallas last week so to be honest what do I care! Jokes and hidden emotional pain and suffering aside, we now see the complete return of Quarterbacks from the 2017 injury list (unless the Cardinals faithful are hoping for a Carson Palmer return) and that’s fantastic. Better players making players better is what great leaders do and Wentz is certainly that. I hope the Eagles are certain this is the right thing to do for their Franchise Player, but if he is good to go then officially the NFC East is back on notice!

Geez man, you spent nearly 1500 words on Kickers and now you’re telling us it’s great to see Carson Wentz back? No kidding! Get to the good stuff, what are…

THE CONS

Mr. Dink-and-Dunk is back – 

Alex Smith is back to throwing for less than 10 Yards Per Reception which is fantastic if you own Jordan Reed or Chris Thompson. But ‘speedster’ Paul Richardson looks dinged up already and Josh Doctson either can’t get separation or can’t catch the ball or isn’t a priority… Which is bad news for a team that is seeing their former Quarterback – who the Redskins refused to buy lunch for (or so I hear), let alone talk about a new deal – in Kirk Cousins sling the life out of it to Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen on the regular and looking phenomenal. Alternatively (depending on your scoring settings), don’t be afraid to pick up who they are playing against’s DST. If they can’t move the chains – and if the Colts (Yeah! Those Colts!) of all people can knock them off in Washington – then I wouldn’t be overly concerned with matchup issues. Unless they’re playing Buffalo… Then you know, don’t pick the Bills DST up. I shouldn’t have to tell you that. But just in case, don’t pick up the Bills DST.

Eli Manning. No really, he’s an actual con – 

If you have a team that has Odell Beckham, Evan Engram, Sterling Shepard yet your mantra is to run the ball first behind an Offensive Line that makes your 37-year-old Quarterback play like Fred Astaire (who also can’t outrun a sloth) then I don’t know what to tell you. Other than sloths can’t run. But neither can Eli Manning which makes the comparison fairly apt. A 68-yard run has saved Saquon Barkley‘s stats, otherwise, we would be looking at an average 2.39 Yards Per Carry – which is behind an ‘upgraded front five’. Spare me. There were times when Manning wasn’t looking at Beckham and that is a mystery in itself. The bigger question for me is; how much did Pat Shurmur really have to do with Case Keenum‘s stellar 2017 or did Shurmur just get lucky? The reality is that Manning sulked his way to the offseason getting Ben McAdoo (I mean McAdoo didn’t help himself either) fired, Geno Smith let go and Davis Webb was ultimately cut. All that is left is Kyle Lauletta and the hunt for his successor is out off – probably – for another season.

Don’t call it a comeback –

Really this could be seen as a ‘Pro’ but returning players – to me – seem to disrupt current flow to a team then improve straight away. Julian Edelman, Mark Ingram, Alshon Jeffrey, Jameis Winston, and Aaron Jones return to their respective teams over the course of the next few weeks, from either injuries or suspension (or both in Edelman’s case) and all that does is take away from players already in full motion. Aaron Jones (who I am a massive fan of) absolutely makes the Running Back Committee in Green Bay so much harder to predict unless he can blow them all away. Jameis Winston really should have walked back into the Starters role in Tampa but Ryan Fitzpatrick has re-ignited DeSean Jackson‘s career, made Mike Evans a bigger threat than we thought he might have been with a backup Quarterback and got great payback from second-year Receiver Chris Godwin with two Touchdowns in two games. If Winston comes back from suspension do we sell high or hold on to our Buccaneers players? Tough call after only two weeks! Edelman now has to combat a resurgent Phillip Dorsett, the ever-improving Chris Hogan, and new recruit Josh Gordon, on top of James White, Sony Michel and Rex Burkhead catching passes out of the backfield. Ingram… I mean does Sean Payton even like him? Ingram has missed games before and walked back into the team and pumped out top-20 Running Back numbers but Alvin Kamara is showing he can do the job himself.

So many players coming back, so many more scoring potential outcomes to be had! More confusion for the rest of us!

Julio Jones ‘End Zone Watch’ – 

Last week we saw Calvin Ridley grab his first career Touchdown and Austin Hooper scored too while Matt Ryan also rushed for two Touchdowns to boot (pun number four? Nah it seems a bit of a reach, I’ll stick with the three and call it a day!). Seems like everyone is getting in on the action except Jones. Ok, ok in Week 1 the yards were there for Jones but in Week 2? A 9-5-65 stat line is something in recent times we have seen too much of, and without a Touchdown, on top, it feels like – at times – you are being short-changed for the oft-late-first-early-second-round selection. This week the Falcons are at home to the Saints in another Divisional matchup. Now Matt Ryan had himself a day and does alright against New Orleans and that form needs to carry over towards Jones whose last four outings at home against their rivals are fairly great:

2017; 11-5-98 yards / 2016; 9-7-96-1 TD / 2015; 11-9-145 yards / 2014; 9-8-116 yards

Julio Jones seems to perform extremely well in this matchup, but just the one touchdown against them at home? And to be fair the Saints have been had in the past two weeks giving up a long Touchdown to Antonio Callaway last week and a handful of scores against Tampa in the opening game to just about everyone – including two scores to DeSean Jackson and one apiece to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. I would love to see that change and with how the Saints have defended against the pass then maybe this week, but I am not holding my breath for it to happen.

PROJECTIONS

All projections are for the respective Players ceiling

Corey Clement – Carries: 11 / YPR: 5.1 / Yards: 56.1 / Targets: 10 / Catch Rate: 77.3% / Receptions: 7 / YPR: 9.47 / Yards: 66.29 / TDS: 1 

George Kittle – Targets: 10 /  Catch Rate: 68.5% / Receptions: 7 / YPC: 15.8 / Yards: 110.6 / TDS: 1 

Julio Jones – Targets: 11 / Catch Rate: 72.5% / Receptions: 8 / YPC: 16.38 / Yards: 131.04 / TDS: 1

SUMMARY

So here we are looking down the road of Week 3 and there is so much to play for. Now I get the Kicker talk was a lot to take in but my viewpoint still stands. If Kickers really are responsible for 30% of a teams scoring over the course of the year and they continually miss; that is a fair chunk of pie that can cause a team enough indigestion to miss the Playoffs when it comes to the end of season standings. The reality is with better execution the Cleveland Browns – yes, the same winless 2017 Cleveland Browns could be undefeated right now instead of 1-1-1. The reality of this is also that Pittsburgh could also be 1-1 but instead, poor execution sees them still without a win. Well, poor kicking and Le’Veon Bell still not showing up but that’s not the point right now.

Minnesota could be undefeated (I get that they are still are due to a draw) and have the upper hand with a win over a Division rival and that could mean so much more when it comes to seeding for the Playoffs – which both can make claims to. Would you rather play at home in a dome in December or in snowy, cold Wisconsin? Missed opportunities like the ones Daniel Carlson blew could ultimately shape the Vikings Playoff future.

The reality is Kickers (or Kicking) matters.

Outside of that, what else am I looking for this week?

I’m quietly thinking this could be a huge Julio Jones week. But that statement alone says something, doesn’t it? We are all shying away from Julio’s output because of the poor playcalling and execution in the end zone areas – which is great to be conscious of don’t get me wrong. But it seems to be the only thing we are now focussing on in regards to Julio’s play of late. That doesn’t mean Jones won’t find the mismatch and bomb-on for a 60-yard Touchdown. That is absolutely within his range of outcomes and I feel like I was generous with just the one score.

Corey Clement and George Kittle have great matchup opportunities and I hope Eli Manning can release the ball quicker and get his studs involved sooner than later. I don’t think I have the guts to predict anything to do with Carson Wentz or Aaron Jones but I wish them all the best in their returns this week.

Do I have the gumption to predict the outcome of a Kicker? No.Not at all. Don’t be silly. That’s beyond my pay grade!

I want to thank you for getting this far and taking in everything I have presented. It’s Round 3 and I couldn’t be more amped up. Set your lineups accordingly and check out the DFS and Weekly Content all the hard-working staff is pumping out to get you best prepared. Also – download the Going For 2 app, then and rate, review and share with your loved ones. You all deserve it!

You can as always follow and find me at @TheBLeagueSays and offer any view or conversation about this. Let’s all get better together!

Once again, Thank you and Enjoy!

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.