RADIO
Anyone who play fantasy football, knows who the elite talents are. Tom Brady has been the best quarterback in football, and Rob Gronkowski has been the best tight end for fantasy owners. We all know they are must-starts, so there isn't a big need to discuss them in detail.
You're starting these studs every week, but what about everyone else involved? Let's take a look at the matchups and starts/sits for Week 11's Monday Night Football game:
Monday Night Football Analysis - Bills @ Patriots
Matchups We Love
LeGarrette Blount, RB, Patriots - Over the last three weeks, Blount has averaged 21 carries for 89 yards rushing and has two rushing touchdowns. Outside of two bad games where Blount did absolutely nothing, he has been a consistent and productive part of the Patriot's juggernaut offense. Blount's production comes from the fact that he is the clear number one in New England.
During the last three weeks, he has gotten 112 snaps while the combination of James White, Branden Bolden, and Dion Lewis has gotten 115 snaps. The Bills are a middle-of-the-pack run defense that shut down Blount in his first game from suspension in Week Two. He should have a personal revenge game against them, and the Patriots should be looking to put up 40 points again on this Bills defense.
Karlos Williams, RB, Bills - Williams has only played in six games during his rookie campaign as he dealt with concussions and other injuries. During those six games, he's averaging 10.5 touches per game but he's still managed to score in every game while averaging 60 yards rushing. He might be the most efficient player in football, and has an incredibly defined role as the guy who gives Shady McCoy a breather every now and then.
Even though he's stuck behind a genuine superstar back, and he's only a rookie, Williams has so far been a top 25 fantasy back this season. In the rematch of a game that ended 40-32 in week two, Williams should have plenty of opportunities to find the end zone again and he's already shown he doesn't need that many. If you own McCoy, you are of course starting him every week that he's playing.
Tyrod Taylor, QB, Bills - Since throwing three interceptions against the Patriots week two, Taylor has only coughed up a pick one time. In the five games he's played since then, he's completing 69% of his passes while also averaging 32 yards on the ground.
Taylor has been wildly efficient in the limited offense the Bills allow him to run. After two weeks of what you would expect from him coming off an injury, Taylor should be ready to have another big game during primetime.
Matchups We Hate
Robert Woods, WR, Bills - Sammy Watkins, LeSean McCoy, and Charles Clay are all healthy heading into tonight. The Bills already don't pass the ball too much, so when they do expect those three to see the ball before Woods does.
The Bills have won the last two weeks while putting up some points, but Woods has only had three catches during that time. He is a talented receiver that shows flashes when given the opportunity, but just isn't part of the offensive scheme right now with everyone healthy.
James White / Brandon Bolden, RB, Patriots - Both of these two are useless right now because the Patriots just don't trust them to do much. Bill Belichick is the ultimate "switch it up" coach, he will go from heavy run to nothing but short passes to all deep balls just depending on what matchups are favorable. One of these two may get hot one week because of an enticing matchup but none are worth the trouble because of the unpredictable nature of their playing time.
Prove It To Me Matchups
Brandon LaFell / Danny Amendola, WR, Patriots - In the four weeks that LaFell has been back from injury, he's taken 226 snaps to Amendola's 182. Over the course of the entire season, where Amendola has played in all nine games so far, Danny only has 18 more targets than Brandon has in just four games.
Some of this has to do with run blocking, but it just seems clear that the Patriots prefer LaFell on the field to Amendola. That being said, over the last four weeks Amendola has more catches, yards, and touchdowns than LaFell. Separating these two seems impossible as they both are basically guaranteed to get their chances in this high flying Patriots offense.
The only determination of who will be better in the upcoming week can't be figured out until game day, because whomever of the two has the hotter hands will see the ball more.
Sammy Watkins, WR, Bills - There's no doubt the Bills want to get Sammy the ball as much as possible. The only problem is that they just don't do it and as a result Watkins is one of the most inconsistent special talents this league has. Watkins is worth the start every week because of his explosiveness, and the team's willingness to look for him - but the team's lack of passing attempts and passes down the field will always hold him back.
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