"Studs & Duds" is designed to serve as a "Start/Sit" or "Love/Hate" guide. I'll try to pinpoint players, by position, that I think will have a good chance to deliver better or worse performances in comparison to their season averages. I consider "Studs" as quality starters and "Duds" as possible busts that may deserve to be on your bench, depending on the depth of your league and team. I'll also offer up a couple sneaky sleeper picks for each position. Keep in mind that I won't be including some of the "no-brainer" starting options, nor will I tell you to bench someone who isn't a realistic option. For clear-cut lineup decisions, be sure to check out my rankings and in-depth analysis on a bunch of relevant players. QuarterbacksStuds Blake Bortles (JAC) vs. SD: The Chargers run defense is inept, but their passing defense hasn't been very stout either. They have allowed 250+ passing yards in each of their past five games, and were just a defensive mess against the low-powered Chiefs offense last week, getting beat 33-3. Blake Bortles will now have a home matchup against a team traveling across the entire country. With Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns playing at high levels this year, I think the Jaguars offense is in a great position to succeed, starting with Bortles' arm. Brian Hoyer (HOU) vs. NO: By now, when an NFL Quarterback is at home, playing against the New Orleans Saints, fantasy owners should know to plug them into their lineups. The Saints are on pace to allow the highest opponents' passer rating in NFL history. They just fired DC Rob Ryan after ranking last in points per game allowed (31.5) and yards allowed per game (424.3) going into this week. Hoyer may not be a great QB, but with "Nuk" Hopkins at wideout, he should deliver solid numbers in fantasy. Duds Matt Ryan (ATL) vs. MIN: Ryan threw for 280 yards and 3 TDs last week against the Colts, but also tossed 3 INTs, one of which was a brutal pick-6 near his own end zone. The Falcons have seriously underachieved after a hot start to their season, and a lot of it has to do with Matt Ryan. Now he'll get a matchup against the 8th toughest team in terms of defending fantasy QBs in the Minnesota Vikings, who just limited Aaron Rodgers to 212 yards last week. Even with a dominant receiving threat in Julio Jones, I don't trust Ryan to finish in the top half of the fantasy QBs this week. Phillip Rivers (SD) @ JAC: For all of reasons that I like Blake Bortles as a Stud this week, many of the opposite reasons can be said about Rivers. The Chargers are in a major slump lately and were only able to muster 3 points last week in a home matchup against the Chiefs. Rivers could only throw for 178 yards to his weak receiving corps and added on an interception, making his fantasy outing pathetic. Even in a great matchup against the soft Jaguars secondary, I'm not trusting Rivers as my starting QB as he travels across the U.S. Sleepers Marcus Mariota (TEN) vs. OAK Ryan Tannehill (MIA) @ NYJ Running Backs Studs Chris Ivory (NYJ) vs. MIA: After starting the season off hot, Chris Ivory has cooled down over the past few weeks. Back in Week 4, he shredded this same Dolphins defense across the pond in London for 166 rushing yards and a touchdown. The Dolphins defense hasn't gotten much better since then and they just recently gave up 149 total yards to Darren McFadden. With Ryan Fitzpatrick struggling with accuracy lately, I look for the Jets to establish a run game early and often, making Ivory a nice RB1. T.J. Yeldon (JAC) vs. SD: I apologize if you're a Chargers fan reading this. I'm all on the Jags offense this week, and Yeldon looks ready for a big game. At home against the worst run defending team in the league, the rookie should get plenty of carries in this one. He's already been getting steady workloads all season long, but this sets up for his best yardage in a while. I see the Alabama product as a rock-solid RB2 against a Chargers defense that allows 4.9 yards per carry. Duds DeAngelo Williams (PIT) @ SEA: "D-Willy" has been very productive this season in place of injured Le'Veon Bell. This week, however, will be his toughest test of the season. He'll travel to Seattle and take on the top-ranked run defense of the Seahawks, who have yet to allow a 100-yard rusher this year. While the NFL average allows 18.2 fantasy points to opposing backfields in standard scoring leagues on ESPN, while the Seahawks have limited backfields to just 12.3 combined points each week. You might not be able to sit DeAngelo, but temper your expectations, as I expect Pittsburgh to find more success through the air. Frank Gore (IND) vs. TB: As Gore continues to get healthy workloads, the minor injuries have started to reveal themselves. He rested up with a knee injury this week, and now he'll get a home matchup versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs have been extremely tough against the run this year, and have not allowed a rushing touchdown in their last seven games. With Hasselbeck's weak arm not scaring defenses and the fact that Ahmad Bradshaw is seeing more work, I don't think Gore is primed for a very good outing. Sleepers Spencer Ware (KC) vs. BUF Tevin Coleman (ATL) vs. MIN Wide Receivers Studs Martavis Bryant (PIT) @ SEA: While it has been discussed whether or not Richard Sherman will shadow Antonio Brown, I don't see any reason he wouldn't follow the best WR in the league for most of the game. If he doesn't shadow AB, there will surely be problems for the Hawks and they'll quickly adjust. This is where I think Martavis comes up big. He's a deep threat, chunk-yardage kind of player, and the corners behind Sherman aren't that great. I think the Steelers will attack the Seattle secondary for much of the game, making the ultra-talented Bryant a high-upside WR2 this week. Brandin Cooks (NO) @ HOU: Forced to air it out on offense to keep up with their swiss cheese defense, Drew Brees has been connecting with Brandin Cooks on plenty of big plays as of late. Cooks' unique speed and quickness translate great for deep balls and running after the catch. With 70+ yards in his last four games and 5 TDs in his last three, Cooks had been playing like a WR1 in fantasy before his bye week. I can see him coming into this week with fresh legs, and paired with a rested arm of Brees, he has great upside this week. Duds Sammy Watkins (BUF) @ KC: A season of injuries and inconsistency has been the story for the playmaker out of Clemson. Watkins has combined to catch 6 balls for 53 yards over the past two weeks, struggling with drops and accuracy issues from the QB position. Now he travels to Kansas City and gets a recently rejuvenated secondary led by Safety Eric Berry and solid coverage corner Sean Smith. With Tyrod Taylor likely playing at less than 100% with an injury to the AC joint of his throwing shoulder, he might struggle to get the ball downfield, which is Sammy's specialty. Brandon LaFell (NE) @ DEN: Another injury to the Patriots receiving corps leaves Brandon LaFell as the only healthy starting option left for Brady to throw to. That bodes well for his fantasy value, but it shouldn't translate into much production this week against the Broncos. Traveling to Mile High Stadium, LaFell will be running routes on the outside against two of the NFL's premier cornerbacks in Chris Harris Jr. and Aqib Talib. The targets might be there, but I wouldn't expect a solid game from LaFell until next week. Sleepers Vincent Jackson (TB) @ IND Nate Washington (HOU) vs. NO Tight Ends Studs
Gary Barnidge (CLE) vs. BAL: The Ravens defense isn't what it used to be, but they're still top 5 against fantasy TEs this season. Regardless, Gary Barnidge is a must-start option with Josh McCown back at the helm. Earlier in the year, these two had an incredible rapport that led to the nickname "Barnkowski" being tossed around, as absurdly as that sounds. On MNF in a Browns offense that is depleted of weapons, look for Gary to be very productive. Jimmy Graham (SEA) vs. PIT: A disappointment after being a big-name acquisition for the Hawks, Jimmy Graham actually hasn't been all that bad. He's been getting a decent amount of targets, leading the team with 65 of them. More importantly, he continues to get plenty of looks in the red zone. With Lynch out for the regular season, perhaps he benefits from a few more targets inside the 20. Against the 28th ranked Steeler defense in terms of points allowed to fantasy TEs, I can see a bigger reward than risk this week. Duds Crockett Gillmore (BAL) @ CLE: It will be interesting (well, not really) to see just who the Ravens target in the passing game now that they'll be rolling with veteran QB Matt Schaub. He might look for his safety blanket TEs, but I would need to see it to believe it. I can see them sticking with a running approach and using their WRs on the outside against the Browns. Even as a top 10 fantasy TE this year, I'm not confidently using Gillmore. Charles Clay (BUF) @ KC: After a decent start to the season, Clay has been pretty bad as of late. He only earned 2 targets last week, which isn't worthy of a start in any fantasy format. This week, he'll be traveling to Kansas City to take on the top ranked defense versus fantasy TEs, making him a very unwise play. Sleepers Heath Miller (PIT) @ SEA Julius Thomas (JAC) vs. SD |
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