Last week was a brutal fantasy football week. We lost Le’Veon Bell, Matt Forte, Keenan Allen, and Steve Smith all in the matter of minutes. While that really opened up the waiver wire, it also means we drop down one level of talent from what was out there originally. Add in the six teams on bye this week and your lineup options this week could look rather putrid. Thankfully we’re here to help.
Below is a list of guys I’m focused on for one reason or another this week. They’re especially important in daily fantasy sports (DFS) leagues like DraftKings. If you’re curious about guys you don’t see listed here, you can always find me on Twitter (@MrT_BroBible) to ask questions, but remember to mention league specifics like PPR. You can always ask about trades as well.
You Know Who You Should Start?
Jameis Winston (QB – Tampa Bay)
Injuries have decimated the Giants’ passing defense thus year. It was no more evident than in last week’s game against New Orleans in which they gave up 505 passing yards. The Giants are last in the league in sacks per game, which means Winston won’t be rushed and should have plenty of time to find open receivers. Clearly this game sets up well for Winston as he gets Austin Sefarian-Jenkins back into the lineup to add to his weapons. He has a nice floor since the Giants have given up at least one passing touchdown in every game this year and Winston can run a little bit.
Jeremy Hill (RB – Cincinnati)
It’s been a rough year for Jeremy Hill owners. Hill, either drafted in the first two rounds or with a large dollar auction bid, has disappointed this season with underperformance and a loss of work. Things seem to be pointing back in the right direction now as Hill had 15 carries to Gio Bernard’s 1 last week. Now he gets a ripe match-up against a Cleveland team that has given up 100 yards to a running back in four straight games. As an 11 point favorite, Cincinnati should be able to take an early lead and pound Hill through the Browns’ defense in the second half. Redemption is near for Mr. Hill.
Jeremy Langford (RB – Chicago)
It’s a good weekend to be a running back named Jeremy. Matt Forte’s MCL injury has opened up the door for Langford. The rookie RB from Michigan State ran a 4.42 40-yard dash at the NFL combine so he clearly has wheels. He also played all the snaps after Forte got injured last week. San Diego has given up the most points per game to RBs so far this season including six games of 100 yards rushing to RBs. This could be the unveiling for Langford as he tries to cement his place for next year’s job if Forte leaves in free agency.
Stevie Johnson (WR – San Diego)
The loss of Keenan Allen is a rough one for San Diego, but thankfully they have a built-in replacement. Stevie Johnson was very impressive in the preseason and has had a couple of good games when healthy thus year. Allen’s injury opens up the door for Johnson to absorb more targets and there are always plenty of targets in the San Diego passing offense. His opportunity comes at a perfect time as Chicago, the Chargers’ opponent this week, is ranked 24th in Football Outsiders DVOA for passing defense efficiency. San Diego’s team total this week is 27 and Stevie should be a big part of it.
Marquess Wilson (WR – Chicago)
If you’re looking hard for a receiver because of the bye weeks then look no further than Wilson. Wilson has performed well when called upon due to injury this year. He put up 80 yards in each of the two games the Bears were undermanned at wide receiver. It looks like Eddie Royal will miss the expected shootout in San Diego and Wilson is ready to shoulder the load. The Bears’ team total is 23 and they just lost their start running back, so expect them to be pass-heavy this weekend against the 25th most efficient passing defense in the league according to DVOA.
Heath Miller (TE – Pittsburgh)
Austin Sefarian-Jenkins is the tight end to play this week if he suits up because of how bad the Giants are against TEs. Since he’s not 100% to play, I’ll offer up Mr. Miller. Heath takes on Oakland this week who has given up touchdowns to TEs in all but one game and 50 or more yards to TEs in five of seven games. The two times it didn’t happen were when Oakland played the Broncos with an aging Owen Daniels in miserable passing offense and the Jets with no talent at the position. Miller has some ability despite his age and should be able to get open across the middle.
You Know Who You Should Sit?
Andrew Luck (QB – Indianapolis)
If you’ve watched the Denver Broncos play defense this year then it’s no surprise that Andrew Luck finds his name on this list. This isn’t just an overreaction to Aaron Rodgers being completely shut down last week. Look at all the quarterbacks who played Denver this year. Only one of them scored more than 11points. Besides it’s not as if Luck has played like a must start player this year. It’s best to look away from Luck with other quarterbacks have better situations this week.
T.J. Yeldon (RB – Jacksonville)
It’s actually a pretty good week for running backs as most of the top dogs have good match-ups and the ones you wouldn’t ever sit have the less favorable ones. It also doesn’t help that we have all the byes. The Jets have done pretty well against RBs this year despite getting beat up by Latavius Murray last week. Things fell apart quickly for the Jets due to turnovers and Oakland mounting an early lead. The Jets D should bounce back after getting its pride hurt. They only allowed more than 69 rushing yards in one of their other six games and have only given up one rushing touchdown all season. If you’re deep at running back then sit Yeldon here.
Giovanni Bernard (RB – Cincinnati)
In the same way that this game sets up nicely for Jeremy Hill, it sets up poorly for Bernard. The Bengals didn’t use Bernard heavily out of the bye in a close game, so it doesn’t bode well for Bernard’s use early against such a bad Browns’ run defense because Bernard is their passing down back. If the Bengals get the big early lead as expected then it’ll be all Hill and no Bernard in the second half.
Allen Robinson (WR – Jacksonville)
You won’t find a bigger Robinson backer than yours truly, but this is not his week. Darrell Revis has shut down Amari Cooper, Julian Edelman, and Pierre Garcon in the last three weeks. You should only start Robinson if you’re desperate and six points is a target you can accept from your wide receiver position.
James Jones (WR – Green Bay)
Jones has been great for his fantasy owners this year because he’s a touchdown machine. Look closely at his stats, however, and you’ll see he doesn’t offer much more than that. He’s only had more than 2 catches in three of his seven games. Now he’s likely to get locked up on Josh Norman, the best young cornerback in football. Norman doesn’t shadow receivers in the slot, so Jones will get stuck with him instead of Randall Cobb. Carolina’s defense is also only giving up 19.4 points per game, so Green won’t Bay to be scoring many touchdowns.
Jordan Reed (TE – Washington)
Reed has been a beast for Washington when healthy this season, but his health issues and a bye last week have left his owners often looking for alternatives. Reed goes against the Patriots and while it’s seen that Washington is a large underdog and should be chasing points in the second half, New England doesn’t give that up to TEs. They’ve only allowed more than 50 yards once in seven games and have only given up two touchdowns to TEs this season. If you’re a Reed owner, it’s possible you have someone better to play this week on your bench.