RADIO
One of the greatest criticisms of the NFL, besides anything that happened in the commissioners office in 2015, is that the Pro Bowl game is virtually meaningless. As we are in the throws of the baseball playoffs, which thankfully do not take place within a month of the game meant to honor the league's best players, I find myself thinking of the game.
It's a fun event because the fans are begged to participate in the form of voting, and nearly every healthy player voted for runs to the host city to play. NFL players? You will maybe get the sixth or seventh best quarterback representing each league, given that he is not in the playoffs, didn't just exit the playoffs, doesn't "need a break". In a season where we are encouraged to vote in a way that is more billed as a "civil duty" and not "manically clicking an internet button every day to get your 3B to a game solely because he's on your team," I think about what would an All-Star fantasy team look like. Yeah, ok, just go click the first and second guy per position. But what about factoring in bias? Does it cause us to overlook people?
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The Fantasy Season To Date
Running Back
Matt Jones will either be on my bench or will ruin my week.
I love Matt Jones in general, and will be forced to play him, but he doesn't have anything working in his favor this week. Jones was seeing a bit of a split in carries in the first half of Week 6, and some extra work in the second half took a bad performance to a good one. Jones may be losing a bit of time to Kelley again in Week 7, and the Detroit Lions defense has yet to allow a rushing touchdown all season.
Dear Todd Gurley, do you like like me? I like like you this week.
I've always been very anti-Gurley, as I didn't buy into the offensive line. But it's undeniable that the Rams offense runs through the young RB, and the New York Giants have allowed four RB touchdowns over the last three weeks. The London game is always one of the flukey ones, so no one enjoys any home field advantage here, but Gurley fans will be relieved that he is a virtual lock for a hundred rushing yards and hopefully a TD.
Am I going to really start Mike Davis in Week 7?
Shoutout to the reader who sent me a chat in the middle of my writing this column (whose name I am unfortunately forgetting, feel free to tweet me) asking me if he should be starting Gilislee or Mike Davis in Week 7. I like Gilislee, but as I told him, it's high-risk, high-reward play that I don't love if I'm looking for a fill-in RB2. Mike Davis is facing a running back defense that isn't as great as advertised, and the 49ers will still lean on a rushing attack as they find their feet in the passing game. I don't love the option, but if you are one of the many, many players looking for some relief, Davis is the lead back for San Francisco, and will be bailing you out whether you want to be bailed or not.
Wide Receiver
Don't hand me my money back, I'm going double-or-nothing on Demaryius Thomas
Hear me out; Demaryius Thomas and the Denver Broncos offense haven't been exceptional most weeks. Thomas is a double digit fantasy producer in nearly all leagues, and we have yet to see if the Texans can succeed consistently on the road. Thomas is a red zone target for Denver, after over a week to gameplan. I expect Houston to struggle this week and Denver to do work on the ground, but don't be afraid to start Thomas as a WR2.
I will be discarding my Jordan Matthews and replacing him with two cards from the deck
For anyone excited over the full-fledged injury-free return of Matthews into a bustling Eagles offense, temper your expectations. Any flame of desire is extinguished by the fact that Matthews is not factoring in for more than four receptions a game in his last three match-ups. Matthews is either falling out of favor with his QB, or his knee injury somehow limited his targets.
I am out of options, and will be swiping left on Marqise Lee (owned in less than 2% of leagues)
No one is enthusiastic about starting the wide receiver out of USC who never quite got going in Florida, but Lee has seen only eight targets less than Allen Hurns and is the solid WR3 for this team. They face a cushy home matchup vs the Raiders secondary, and a shootout is all but assured for nearly every Raiders game so far this season. Lee shouldn't be started with a ton of confidence, but if you just now realizing Eddie Lacy is injured and you need a FLEX, go forward.
Tight End
Parachute? I don't need no parachute, I have Tyler Eifert.
I refuse to change my great caption fill-ins because I'm hilarious, but if you need a TE or aren't thrilled with your options, Eifert is available in almost 30% of leagues. The leading touchdown scorer in the position last season, and he's freely available in quite a few leagues. A cushy matchup, and a talented TE finally practicing fully and looking healthy; the Bengals offense will look different with Eifert back in the mix.
Don't cry kids! We will bury Jacob Tamme in the yard
In two of his last three games, Tamme hasn't hit double digit yards, let alone receptions. Most everyone has let Tamme go, but don't forget to let his go free.
