"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. Quarterbacks Studs Jay Cutler (CHI) @ SD: In a week with a bunch of teams on bye, streaming quarterbacks is a common theme. One guy I like as a possible QB1 option this week is Smokin' Jay Cutler. Over his last four games in ESPN standard scoring, Cutler has scores of 17.2, 17.5, 19.2, and 19.5, showing consistency that he usually doesn't display. This week against the pass-happy Chargers, I'm thinking Jay chucks the ball about 40 times, with almost half of those targets going to superstar WR Alshon Jeffery. If he can keep his turnovers in check, I wouldn't be surprised if Cutler has his best game of the year. Tyrod Taylor (BUF) vs. MIA: Three weeks removed from injuring his knee, Tyrod Taylor will look to regain his early season form this weekend against the Dolphins. He'll get a home matchup and likely have more weapons than he did early in the season without Shady and Watkins. Before being injured, he was playing like a QB1 in all leagues, and now he'll get a Miami defense that has allowed QBs to score 25 points on average the past two weeks. With his knee completely healthy, he should provide a nice rushing floor even if things don't go well through the air. Duds Ryan Tannehill (MIA) @ BUF: I have never been a fan of Tannehill's dink-and-dunk passing style, which doesn't bode well for fantasy purposes unless his playmakers take a short pass for a long gain. Of course, we saw that happen two weeks ago when Tannehill scored 27.5 points for his fantasy owners. However, last week he was brought back down to earth, and he'll have another tough task this week on the road in Buffalo. I look for the Bills to bounce back after a tough loss in London before their bye week, making Ryan Tannehill a prime Dud candidate. Andrew Luck (IND) vs. DEN: You won't see many QBs play as awful as Luck did for most of last week's game against the Panthers. It was three and a half quarters of abysmal decision making, resulting in fumbles, interceptions, and inaccurate passes. Yet, with the fourth quarter halfway over, he flipped the switch. Luck brought his team down the field on consecutive drives, scoring three times and sending the game into OT. Clearly the potential is still there, but this week he'll play the Broncos and their stacked defense, and he might be without a healthy T.Y. Hilton. I'm staying away. Sleepers Peyton Manning (DEN) @ IND: There were serious signs of life from Peyton last week, and now he gets a leaky Colts secondary. Jameis Winston (TB) vs. NYG: The Giants' secondary just got shredded by the Saints. Winston gets a home matchup and will need to score points. Running Backs Studs Jeremy Hill (CIN) vs. CLE: A second round pick in most fantasy leagues this year, Hill has been mainly disappointed this year, with his 5 TDs accounting for over 40% of his total fantasy points. However, if you were a savvy enough owner to be patient with Hill, your reward should be on the horizon. Jeremy Hill will be facing the pitiful Browns run defense on Thursday night at home, making this week a great time to plug him into your lineup. He has out-touched and out-snapped Gio Bernard lately, while also receiving praise from his offensive coordinator, Hue Jackson. He says that "The arrow is pointing up" for Hill, and I look for him to resume his workhorse ways that we were so accustomed to seeing last season. DeAngelo Williams (PIT) vs. OAK: Same position, different reason: D-Willy started the season off as the Steelers starting RB while Le'Veon Bell sat out two games for a suspension. Now, he'll be the starter for the remainder of the season after Bell went down with a torn MCL last week. The Raiders have been tough on the run, but a trip across the country to Heinz field should be enough of a reason to open a few holes for Williams to hit. The goal line work will certainly be there for DeAngelo, plus he ripped off a 55 yard rush last week, showing that he still obtains playmaking ability. Jeremy Langford (CHI) @ SD: Another waiver-wire darling for this week is Bears rookie Jeremy Langford. He comes out of Michigan State with a 4.4 time for his 40-yard dash, showing his speed off even while being a solid 6'0" & 208 lbs. Langford will fill Matt Forte's every-down role until the veteran is healthy enough to return, making him well worth your RB2 slot until then. Along with the volume he'll receive is a great opportunity to rush against the last-placed defense versus fantasy RBs this year. The Chargers can't defend the run at all this year, and I look for this rookie to play solid on MNF. Duds Eddie Lacy (GB) @ CAR: On this list for the second time in as many weeks is "Fat Eddie". Lacy just doesn't look as explosive as he did in years past, while also looking bigger than he has before. He should get better as the season progresses, but it doesn't look great right now. Being on Rodgers' offense certainly keeps Lacy in the starter discussion for fantasy, but James Starks will continue to siphon work away from him. Lacy got a TD last week, but only added 38 yards. He'll have a tough test in Carolina this week, who has a very stout D-line and linebacking corps, so temper your expectations. Frank Gore (IND) vs. DEN: Indy's offense is a mess right now. Luck is playing terrible football, and now they're getting a new offensive coordinator installed during a short week. They'll be up against the Broncos fierce defense this week, and Denver certainly seemed capable of putting plenty of points on the board as long as Peyton plays smart QB. This means that the Colts could very well be playing from behind (like usual) against the Broncos, limiting Gore to early-down and early-game work, while ceding snaps to Ahmad Bradshaw late in the game. Gore is a decent fantasy option based on volume and possible goal line work, but he seems poised for a Dud outing. T.J. Yeldon (JAC) @ NYJ: Coming off the bye week, Yeldon will have a very difficult matchup on the road versus the Jets. Although he ran well against the Bills before the bye week, the Jets should be hungry to rebound from an embarrassing loss to the Raiders last week. This tough D-line playing motivated at home will be capable of shutting any running back down. The Jags might be playing from behind too, forcing Bortles into a pass-happy attack. Yeldon is still an RB3 since he's the lone ball carrier in Jacksonville, but I'm sitting him this week if I can. Sleepers C.J. Anderson (DEN) @ IND: All the hype is around Hillman right now, but Anderson actually looked better than Hillman last week. Melvin Gordon (SD) vs. CHI: The touch distribution out of the backfield is starting to swing into the rookie's favor, making him a breakout candidate. Ahmad Bradshaw: It is clear that Bradshaw comes onto the field not only to spell Frank Gore, but in late game action and passing downs as well. Wide Receivers Studs Emmanuel Sanders (DEN) @ IND: After watching Demaryius Thomas dominate last week versus the Packers, Sanders owners are probably a bit down on him this week. Don't be. I see Emmanuel Sanders bouncing back nicely this week, as DT will be covered by Vontae Davis all game. This means Sanders can be freed up and available for Manning to throw to. The Colts defense ranks 26th against fantasy WRs this year, and with Peyton seemlingly finding his groove, I look for Sanders to be a rock-solid fantasy WR option this week. Martavis Bryant (PIT) vs. OAK: Last week was the first game of Bryant's short season that he did not come down with a touchdown grab. However, the Steelers were stymied on offense as Ben was shaking off the rust from his injury leave, and Martavis was still targeted 9 times. If he received that much attention in a 16-10 loss, I believe he'll be looking at double digit targets on most occasions, beginning with a home matchup against the Raiders' leaky secondary. While AB draws attention to his side, I look for Bryant to remain a major offensive weapon for the Steelers, especially in the red zone. Brandin Cooks (NO) vs. TEN: As the season progresses, Cooks seems to be getting more comfortable with Brees and the Saints offense. Last week, he truly looked spectacular, making a variety of skilled receptions, two of which went for touchdowns. He looked fast and jump high for his small height. Now Drew Brees gets a home matchup against the Titans, who just fired their head coach, and I look for him to continue his high scoring ways. Cooks could disappoint if the Saints get up big and decide to run, but I'm pegging him as a solid WR2 with upside this week. Duds James Jones (GB) @ CAR: Last week I had Jones on the Dud list while he played the Broncos. He proceeded to catch one ball for 2 yards last week, rendering him useless in all fantasy leagues. This should be the last week I have him as a Dud, but I can see this being another poor outing. Unlike Randall Cobb, he won't be playing in the slot and avoiding outside CBs Josh Norman and Charles Tillman, making this a very tough matchup in Carolina. I look for Rodgers to perform much better than last week, but I wouldn't be surprised if Jones had another bench-worthy score. T.Y. Hilton and Donte Moncrief (IND) vs. DEN: This Broncos secondary is downright nasty. They limited Aaron Rodgers to a pathetic 77 yards last week, showing their ability to completely shut down an elite QB. Furthermore, an elite QB is something that Andrew Luck has forgotten how to be this year. Hilton has a sprained foot and is either going to sit out or likely be less than 100%, making him a shaky WR3 at best. Regardless of his status, Moncrief will be getting either Talib or Harris Jr. for man-to-man coverage, making it very tough to trust either one of these Colts WRs. Allen Robinson (JAC) @ NYJ: Coming off a bye week, this top 10 WR should be poised for a solid game, right? Wrong. He's traveling to Revis Island, and that place is a wide receiver's nightmare. Amari Cooper just got held under 50 yards there last week, and a similar outcome could be in the near future for ARob. While he has the speed and talent to make a splash play, mainly near the end zone, I simply cannot start a WR who will be shadowed by Revis. You likely don't have two or three better starting options, but I would advise being cautious before plugging him into your lineup. Sleepers Stevie Johnson (SD) vs. CHI: Keenan Allen's targets have to go somewhere, and I'm thinking most will be given to Johnson on Monday night. Brandon LaFell (NE) vs. WAS: I have a feeling that LaFell will have a breakout game soon, making him a viable WR2. This could be the week. DeSean Jackson (WAS) @ NE: The Redskins have sorely missed a deep threat, and the Pats are already clamoring about what a threat DJax is. Tight Ends Studs
Jordan Reed (WAS) @ NE: Always solid when healthy, Reed won his team the game two weeks ago with a last minute TD score. He'll be up against the Pats this week, who are very stingy against TEs. However, the Redskins will certainly need to be passing all game if they want to stand a chance, and Jordan Reed is the safest option across the middle of the field. I think the volume will be enough for Reed to have a solid TE1 game. Heath Miller (PIT) vs. OAK: The Raiders struggle immensely against opposing tight ends in real life and fantasy football alike. Heath Miller had a great game last week in Big Ben's return to action, and I think he can be a sneaky safe TE streaming option in Week 9. With the Steelers' run game taking a hit, I look for Ben to attempt 40+ passes this weekend, with the chance of Heath receiving about 1/4 of his targets. I think he gets a safe amount of yardage to provide a reasonable floor, and there's always a chance of a short red zone TD. Duds Vernon Davis (DEN) @ IND: One of the very few meaningful trades in the NFL sent Vernon Davis to the Denver Broncos. Davis immediately goes from irrelevant to relevant in terms of fantasy potential, but I don't see it happening right away. He still needs to learn a playbook and acclimate himself with Peyton Manning's schemes on offense. He has TE1 potential in the near future, but I would hold off this week, as he'll likely be on a snap count. Jordan Cameron (MIA) @ BUF: For a second week in a row, I am not a fan of starting Jordan Cameron at your TE slot. He's big and fast, but this offense isn't finding him deep on many instances this season, instead preferring to dump the ball of short. He has all the attributes of a playmaking tight end, but on the road in Buffalo this week, I think the stout Bills D holds him in check again. Sleepers Austin Seferian-Jenkins (TB) vs. NYG: I'm very interested to see what this mammoth can do after sitting out for multiple weeks. He started off the year very nicely, scoring 23 fantasy points in Week 1. Julius Thomas (JAC) @ NYJ: Getting 18 targets in the last two games is impressive, and with Revis and company covering the edges, look for Thomas to rule the middle of the field. |
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