X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Join the Best Live Fantasy Chat Community!

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Forgot Password


LINEUP RESOURCES

Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
Fantasy Updates
24x7 News and Alerts

Second-Half Surgers - Upcoming Favorable Schedules

The general gist of this entire article is that matchups matter and there are several teams that have faced either a gauntlet of defenses through the first half of the season and will see a much lighter second half or have dealt with touchdown variance that will regress. Sometimes players/teams get unlucky and that is okay. It does not take the savviest player out there to know that someone has just dealt with some brutal luck early on and it is not incorrigible to be concerned about those that do struggle.

All that matters is that you take it all in as part of the process and instead of panicking, think/read about why things have gone wrong and then evaluate what to do. More often than not, the best move is to do nothing at all and trust your guys, particularly your studs.

Let's look at a few players whose early-season struggles should bloom into second-half surgers.

 

The Jets

Brighter days are ahead for the Jets! Not all is dim for the gang green. Sam Darnold is healthy and Robby Anderson is still in town. Their schedule also opens up in the second half and as long as they stay healthy/mono-free, there is hope for their notable fantasy-relevant players. Sam Darnold, Le'Veon Bell, Robby Anderson, Chris Herndon, and Jamison Crowder are all set up for resurgent second-halves. Their opponents until Week 15 are all in the bottom half of the league in defense by all metrics, and for the most part, are bottom-of-the-barrel. They face the Dolphins, Giants, Redskins, Raiders, Bengals, and then the Dolphins again. Every Jets player is startable going forward, even in shallower leagues. Crowder is more of a PPR option but that is neither here, nor there.

There is a lot to like about the skill players on this Jets' offense along with the man supplying the targets. Darnold is a capable, young QB who has a lot to prove after these last two weeks. We saw him show out in the last month of 2018 (when he had graded out as PFF's best QB that stretch) and during the Cowboys game just a few weeks back. He has the ability and will not be under as much duress going forward. The Jets' OL is the biggest hole on their roster, as it is arguably the worst unit in the league. If their stink is negated by the opposing defenses' incompetence, that bodes well for everyone else involved. Le'Veon Bell is still Le'Veon Bell, do not give up on him. He has had some amazing runs over the past few weeks as he continues to stand around the top of the league in broken tackles. Robby Anderson has shown the ability to supply high-end WR value on occasion on even limited opportunities. Chris Herndon is ready for a breakout campaign if he can just stay on the field.

 

David Montgomery

This is not much of a take after his dominant performance against the Chargers this past Sunday but Montgomery is still someone a lot of owners are hesitant on halfway through the year. Montgomery's usage fluctuation, Trubisky's dismal play, Nagy's abominable play-calling, and the Bears' poor game-scripts are all interrelated and have resulted in a rough year for the rookie running back that Chicago traded up for in round three of the 2019 NFL Draft. Montgomery faces a tough test against an impenetrable Philadelphia run defense on Sunday but has a clear road afterward.

From Week 10 on, the Bears will face just one defense that is above-average, by DVOA, in stopping the run (the Rams). Although game-scripts may deter Montgomery's usage, he has a chance to build on his Week 8 performance and prove that he was worthy of reaching up for. For owners, it is unfortunate that Tarik Cohen gets as many snaps as he does but Montgomery's targets are promising, however, he has not produced much, if at all, with them. He will remain second fiddle to Cohen on passing downs unless something unfortunate occurs.

If Chicago takes a somewhat of a commanding lead in games going forward, they will feed Montgomery and allow him to create with his dynamic, multiple-cut run style.

 

George Kittle

George Kittle is getting the short-end of the stick on a lot of reversed touchdowns.

Getting unlucky is not a knock on a player whatsoever. He is firmly in the buy/hold category given his incredible ability after the catch along with this target share. Although the 49ers are run-heavy, they will be forced to throw in games down the line. Five of their seven matchups thus far have been against teams below .500. As things currently stand, they are scheduled to face a team above .500 every week going forward, aside from their matchup against the Falcons. The matchups will be more competitive going forward. There will be more instances where they have to throw the ball to score in the red zone rather than nonchalantly pounding it in with a massive lead.

Kittle has the targets/receptions, he has the yards, he just needs the touchdowns to be a full-fledged stud for this season. Kittle will lineup against some of the worst defenses against TEs through these next few weeks. With the returns of Mike McGlinchey and Joe Staley on tap, this 49ers offense could perform almost as good as its defense going forward.

 

Zach Ertz

The above tweet is also applicable to Kittle's case on this list but for the sake of Zach Ertz, we will keep the attention on him. Ertz is having a doozy of a year. He is still a favorite target of Carson Wentz and has been targeted heavily in the endzone (nine thus far). Somehow, he has fallen flat and been an uninspiring fantasy option, especially for someone drafted around the third round. Ertz's value has always been his floor. The target share he commands, his rapport with Wentz, and consistent health are all positives that have not mattered in 2019.

Dallas Goedert has become the shiny new toy that is producing real fantasy value of late, however, I expect that to flip. Goedert is awesome but still plays fewer snaps, runs fewer routes, and is targeted less than Ertz. Goedert has just had the luxury of converting his targets into touchdowns more recently. Defenses will key in on Ertz less and shift some attention to Goedert with this recent surge and that should open up opportunities to thrive. The matchups going forward are a mixed bag but more bad than good. The New England matchup is clearly rough and so is the fact that they have an upcoming bye. Hopefully, Ertz performs this coming week to cushion the blow of what is to come the two weeks after.

Ertz's luck will change in the second half but it might be closer to the fantasy playoffs. This is still the perfect time to buy after a three-game stretch in tough road environments where Ertz only saw two targets in the most recent outing. Do not overpay but definitely sniff around if your league mate has soured on him and hold if you have him.

More Fantasy Football Analysis




LINEUP RESOURCES

Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
Fantasy Updates
24x7 News and Alerts

WIN MORE IN 2024

Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
Fantasy Updates
24x7 News and Alerts

ROTOBALLER PLAYER NEWS

RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Alexis Diaz fantasy baseball closers rankings draft sleepers waiver wire pickups

MLB Closers and Saves: Fantasy Baseball Depth Charts

Saves are an important component for many fantasy baseball leagues. Closers are one of the most volatile positions in fantasy baseball, and one of the highest turnover positions in MLB. Each year, closers drop like flies and many MLB teams make in-season changes due to injuries or poor performance. In addition to closers and saves, relief... Read More


Do These Prospects Matter for Fantasy Baseball?

The 2023 fantasy baseball season has been highlighted by the promotion of nearly two-dozen top prospects to the major leagues to impact fantasy rosters. This week's edition features one player who was called up as the piece was being written. Will these strong performers join the ranks of those who have moved to the majors... Read More


clayton kershaw fantasy baseball rankings draft sleepers MLB injury news

articles report test

this is a test


Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Fantasy Baseball - Week 24

Welcome back! It's Week 24 of our fantasy baseball Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups series! There are just two precious weeks left, and every start is becoming more and more important as most of the fantasy baseball world is in playoff matchups. If you've made it this far, there's a good chance you don't really... Read More


Aaron Nola - Fantasy Baseball Rankings, MLB Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Starts & Sits for MLB Week 23 - All Starting Pitcher Matchups for Fantasy Baseball

Welcome back RotoBallers! Big week in fantasy leagues as we approach the end of the season and playoffs! As always, we are here with our starting pitcher starts and sits series to help you set those winning lineups for the week ahead! For those who are not familiar, RotoBaller puts out a weekly grid of... Read More


Gunnar Henderson - Fantasy Baseball Rankings, MLB Prospects, Draft Sleepers

Points League Hitters: Waiver Wire Pickups for Fantasy Baseball - Week 24

Welcome to Week 24 and our fantasy baseball waiver wire hitters. We'll be doing this roundup of points leagues every week here at RotoBaller, with waiver wire targets and streaming pitchers being evaluated in terms of the different scoring systems of ESPN, Yahoo!, CBS, and Fantrax. Player values can vary wildly from platform to platform,... Read More


Brayan Bello - Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Two-Start Pitcher Streamers for Fantasy Baseball - Week 24

Yo, it's Jon Anderson, continuing to run the show here in terms of late-summer fantasy baseball writing. There are just two weeks left of streaming pitchers, so let's make it count! This weekly fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups column aims to identify starting pitchers expected to make two starts in the upcoming fantasy baseball week,... Read More


Fantasy Baseball Week 24 Injury News and Updates: Tyler Glasnow, Ozzie Albies, Starling Marte, Anthony Rizzo, Zack Wheeler

September is now more than half over. The baseball season is slowly coming to a close. At this point, fantasy players are pushing for their league titles or just playing for pride. Major League Baseball teams continue to do the same and injuries continue to happen, now with the dreaded term "done for the season"... Read More


Joe Musgrove - Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Draft Sleepers, MLB Injury News

Free MLB Betting Picks - Today's Best Bets, Expert Predictions, Odds (9/17/22)

Happy Saturday, RotoBallers, we're back for another weekend of MLB betting picks! Make sure you're following my Twitter, as I can't guarantee that I'll always be able to get the added plays written here in the article, but I will typically add whatever else I'm playing throughout the day. The entire RotoBaller team has been... Read More


DraftKings, FanDuel Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (9/17/22): Today's Top MLB DFS Lineups

Today's MLB slates are split up as is the norm for September baseball. Half the guys I think will play will not, so you have to be as flexible as Gumby to play MLB DFS in September, but that also means that there is a lot of money out there should you dare to dive... Read More


Max Fried - Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Draft Sleepers, MLB Injury News

Free MLB Betting Picks - Today's Best Bets, Expert Predictions, Odds (9/15/22)

Happy Friday, RotoBallers, we're back for another weekend of MLB betting picks! Make sure you're following my Twitter, as I can't guarantee that I'll always be able to get the added plays written here in the article, but I will typically add whatever else I'm playing throughout the day. The entire RotoBaller team has been... Read More


Robbie Ray - Fantasy Baseball Rankings, MLB Injury News, Draft Sleepers

DraftKings, FanDuel Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (9/16/22): Today's Top MLB DFS Lineups

Fridays are big MLB DFS days and offer a nice respite from the NFL, who command our attention on Thursdays, Sundays, and Mondays. This slate, like most Friday slates, is a big one as all MLB teams are in action today and 28 of those teams are on tonight's 14-game DFS slate. This was a... Read More


kyle farmer fantasy baseball rankings draft sleepers MLB injury news

Top Hitter Streamers and Starts for Fantasy Baseball - Week 24

There are only two weeks left of fantasy baseball! It's going to be very sad when the season comes to an end, but the impending end of the season means that these are the most important, and therefore most fun weeks of the year – for those of you still competing, at least. I have... Read More


TODAY’S MOST VIEWED PLAYERS

rotating JS ad test

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 

PrizePicks NFL DFS Picks - Monday Night Football

Hello everybody and welcome! The 2022 NFL season is finally underway and that means our friends over at PrizePicks have a TON of great props we can look to take advantage of. PrizePicks is a great DFS picks site where you can choose to select plays in terms of fantasy points or single stats. The... Read More


derrick henry fantasy football rankings news NFL DFS lineup picks

test publish 5 mins in future

Hello everybody and welcome! The 2022 NFL season is finally underway and that means our friends over at PrizePicks have a TON of great props we can look to take advantage of. PrizePicks is a great DFS picks site where you can choose to select plays in terms of fantasy points or single stats. The... Read More


D'Andre Swift - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL DFS Lineup Picks

Fantasy Football Injury Reports For NFL RBs: Updates for Aaron Rodgers

Warning: Undefined array key "amp_post_template_footer" in /var/www/rotoballer.com/wp-content/plugins/php-code-for-posts/Classes/Shortcode.php(91) : eval()'d code on line 6 Warning: foreach() argument must be of type array|object, null given in /var/www/rotoballer.com/wp-content/plugins/php-code-for-posts/Classes/Shortcode.php(91) : eval()'d code on line 6 Featured Promo: Get any full-season NFL Premium Pass for 50% off and win big in 2022. Exclusive access to our Premium articles, 15 lineup... Read More


derrick henry fantasy football rankings news NFL DFS lineup picks

PrizePicks NFL DFS Picks - Monday Night Football

Hello everybody and welcome! The 2022 NFL season is finally underway and that means our friends over at PrizePicks have a TON of great props we can look to take advantage of. PrizePicks is a great DFS picks site where you can choose to select plays in terms of fantasy points or single stats. The... Read More


Justin Jefferson - Fantasy Football Rankings, DFS Lineup Picks, NFL Injury News

NFL DFS Prop Picks for Monkey Knife Fight - Monday Night Football

Welcome to NFL Monday Night Football, where we have two games scheduled between the Minnesota Vikings vs. Philadelphia Eagles and the Tennessee Titans vs. Buffalo Bills.  Monday's games mean our friends at Monkey Knife Fight are offering some fantastic props for us to play once again! The good people at Monkey Knife Fight offer some... Read More


D'Andre Swift - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL DFS Lineup Picks

Fantasy Football Injury Reports For NFL RBs: Week 2 Updates for Najee Harris, J.K. Dobbins, D'Andre Swift, Alvin Kamara, Mark Ingram

Below you will find our fantasy football injuries report for running backs in Week 2, as of September 17. The injury statuses for various NFL running backs are up in the air for Week 2 including D'Andre Swift, Najee Harris, Alvin Kamara, J.K. Dobbins, and more. The fantasy football season may be just getting underway,... Read More


michael pittman jr. fantasy football rankings NFL DFS lineup picks

Fantasy Football Injury Reports For NFL WRs: Week 2 Updates for Michael Pittman Jr., Mike Evans, Tee Higgins, Allen Lazard, Julio Jones

Welcome to Week 2 of the fantasy football season and the Saturday edition of our WR injury reports! Below you will find our fantasy football injuries report for wide receivers in Week 2 as of September 16th. The injury statuses for various NFL wide receivers are up in the air for Week 2, including Michael... Read More


justin herbert fantasy football rankings NFL DFS lineup picks

Fantasy Football Injury Reports for QBs: Week 2 Updates for Dak Prescott, Justin Herbert, Jameis Winston, Mac Jones

Below you will find our updated fantasy football injuries report for quarterbacks in the days before Week 2 of the 2022 NFL season as of Friday, September 16. There are a few NFL QBs dealing with injuries, including Dak Prescott, Justin Herbert, Jameis Winston, and Mac Jones. Being up-to-date on NFL injury news can give... Read More


Trey Lance - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Key Starters and Tough Calls - Lineup Spotlights for Fantasy Football Week 2

Every week, I share some of my favored choices and players to go with when dealing with challenging lineup decisions. These selections are based on my Premium Weekly Lineup Rankings, available as part of the RotoBaller NFL Premium Pass. Enter promo code KING at checkout for a discount and get access to my ranks in all formats, plus... Read More


Saquon Barkley - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, Draft Sleepers

Week 2 NFL Pick Em Selections for No House Advantage

Hello everybody and welcome! The 2022 NFL season is underway and that means our friends over at No House Advantage have a TON of great DFS plays we can look to take advantage of. No House Advantage is a unique DFS prop picks site where you do not have to play against the house to... Read More


Wide Receiver Matchups to Target in Week 2: Greg Dortch, Terry McLaurin, Christian Kirk

Week 1 made some things come to light as we got some clarity on some murky situations. Unfortunately, many of our WR targets for DFS last week were victims of this. Robert Woods finished the game with one reception for 13 yards, as the Titans used the rookie receivers much more than him. Brandon Aiyuk... Read More


Carson Wentz - Fantasy Football Rankings, Waiver Wire Pickups, Draft Sleepers

Thunder Dan's NFL Betting Picks for Week 2: Top NFL Player Props Bets

Football season is back! Whether you like to bet game totals, sides, or player props, I have something in here for you, and try to cover a little bit of everything! This year, I started my own free sports betting newsletter, and the good people here at RotoBaller are allowing me to share my picks... Read More


Fantasy Football IDP Injury Reports For NFL Defensive Players: Week 2 Updates for T.J. Watt, Jamal Adams, Jalen Thompson, Ed Oliver

T.J. Watt owners, you know the feeling... I had T.J. Watt in my home league last season. He was constantly checking out of games early with nagging minor injuries, but he must have led every IDP manager who started him to the playoffs. I went back to the well and drafted him early this year.... Read More