Andrew Garda
Moderator
NFL Week 9 has kicked off and it’s time to take a look at what the Footballguys.com staff is doing with their FantasyScore cash lineups this week. As always there are a few sleeper picks, a few studs and a lot in between. We’ve got a few selections we thought were worth talking about.
To see all the staff picks subscribers can head here.
Staff Trends
Enter Jeremy Langford
With the injury to Matt Forte, rookie Jeremy Langford is poised to get a full complement of carries against a beat up Chargers defense. Our staff has been on Langford for a while, and San Diego [SIZE=10pt]averages 124.6 yards allowed per game (27th in the NFL) with eight rushing scores handed out over eight games played to date. This is a good combination, and at $5000 it’s no wonder half the staff setting lineups is going with him.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Stevie Styles[/SIZE]
With Keenan Allen done for the season, Stevie Johnson is getting some love from everyone. I didn’t fly his way because I wanted a running back in my flex spot and love Jonathan Stewart, but I have him in a lot of other lineups across the DFS universe. Johnson should get a lot of targets after Antonio Gates gets his, while we know the Chicago defense isn’t really adept at stopping any offenses. Like Langford, the $5000 price tag is an attractive bonus for this much upside.
Glaring Omissions
There’s actually a few heavy hitters in these lineups this week, including Tom Brady against a poor Washington defense and Devonta Freeman in line for big carries against San Francisco but no Julio Jones, no Antonio Brown, no Odell Beckham Jr. and no Dez Bryant. A combination of good WR depth value, high prices and in Bryant’s case, continuing recovery with a bad quarterback have likely kept these guys out of lineups.
There’s no Rob Gronkowski either, meaning his cost has finally overshadowed his production and value.
Diamonds in the Rough
Aside from Langford, Darren McFadden ended up in some lineups. The matchup isn’t great against the Eagles, but it’s not terrible and he will get a ton of carries behind a great offensive line. At $5900, he’s a nice value.
Tyrod Taylor ($7100), Ryan Fitzpatrick ($5700) and Jameis Winston ($6300) all ended up as starting quarterbacks. All are reasonably priced and have upside. I went with Winston because, while he has injured receivers like the other two, he still has Mike Evans and I know the Giants can be thrown on. My hesitancy with Fitzpatrick is mainly a banged up Eric Decker and a banged up hand which could be re-aggravated, while my issue with Taylor is a lack of almost all of his passing weapons and a run-first offense. All three have risks though—the offensive line in from of Winston is not great at pass-blocking—but their value makes the risk worth it.
To see all the staff picks subscribers can head here.
Staff Trends
Enter Jeremy Langford
With the injury to Matt Forte, rookie Jeremy Langford is poised to get a full complement of carries against a beat up Chargers defense. Our staff has been on Langford for a while, and San Diego [SIZE=10pt]averages 124.6 yards allowed per game (27th in the NFL) with eight rushing scores handed out over eight games played to date. This is a good combination, and at $5000 it’s no wonder half the staff setting lineups is going with him.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Stevie Styles[/SIZE]
With Keenan Allen done for the season, Stevie Johnson is getting some love from everyone. I didn’t fly his way because I wanted a running back in my flex spot and love Jonathan Stewart, but I have him in a lot of other lineups across the DFS universe. Johnson should get a lot of targets after Antonio Gates gets his, while we know the Chicago defense isn’t really adept at stopping any offenses. Like Langford, the $5000 price tag is an attractive bonus for this much upside.
Glaring Omissions
There’s actually a few heavy hitters in these lineups this week, including Tom Brady against a poor Washington defense and Devonta Freeman in line for big carries against San Francisco but no Julio Jones, no Antonio Brown, no Odell Beckham Jr. and no Dez Bryant. A combination of good WR depth value, high prices and in Bryant’s case, continuing recovery with a bad quarterback have likely kept these guys out of lineups.
There’s no Rob Gronkowski either, meaning his cost has finally overshadowed his production and value.
Diamonds in the Rough
Aside from Langford, Darren McFadden ended up in some lineups. The matchup isn’t great against the Eagles, but it’s not terrible and he will get a ton of carries behind a great offensive line. At $5900, he’s a nice value.
Tyrod Taylor ($7100), Ryan Fitzpatrick ($5700) and Jameis Winston ($6300) all ended up as starting quarterbacks. All are reasonably priced and have upside. I went with Winston because, while he has injured receivers like the other two, he still has Mike Evans and I know the Giants can be thrown on. My hesitancy with Fitzpatrick is mainly a banged up Eric Decker and a banged up hand which could be re-aggravated, while my issue with Taylor is a lack of almost all of his passing weapons and a run-first offense. All three have risks though—the offensive line in from of Winston is not great at pass-blocking—but their value makes the risk worth it.