Fantasy is a fickle game, more often than not the patient/savvy players weather the storm of an 0 – 3 start, remain calm, and find themselves riding the high of a 4 game win streak and right back in the thick of things. Some managers, like myself, might hit the panic button too early in the year and start trading away all of his or her picks, shuffle their fantasy roster and trade away proven players for the new shiny rookies, in hopes of getting a late season surge that propels them into the playoffs where it’s anybody’s game. With so many strategies, variables, and unknowns, there really is no ‘perfect’ strategy in fantasy. One thing is for certain, in my 20 years of playing fantasy (yes, I’m that old) the one common theme that I’ve seen from my championship seasons and other’s is this … .trades! Yes, trading can be tricky because it involves two or sometimes more parties to make a deal happen, but I’ve never won a title or seen another league member win a title without making a substantial trade that proved to be the difference maker for their season. We won’t always ‘win the deal’ but no one does and if your goal is to win every deal, I’d assume you don’t get a lot of deals done. After firing head coach Robert Saleh, the New York Jets went out and acquired Aaron Rodgers favorite receiver in Davante Adams, only to fall to 2 – 5 (Panic?). The Kansas City Chiefs, the only team to remain undefeated, in pursuit of their third consecutive super bowl appearance, went out and added a player in DeAndre Hopkins who fills a massive void in their wide receiver room (Savvy!). Whether you’re 2 – 5, 7 – 0, or somewhere in the middle, it’s never too late to shake things up and make a move. It could be for this season, it could be for the future, it could be a mixture of both. But, whatever you do … .don’t let this season pass you by and you find yourself asking ‘what if?’ We play to win the game, a wise coach once said on an epic Monday night. You can’t win the game, if you don’t play the game.
Inside/ Outside Picks
QB Kyler Murray (ARI)
Current Ranking 7th
Now this one might come back to haunt me considering Tua looks to be returning this week and this could be a high scoring affair. But, the thing is….Kyler hasn’t been scoring NFL or fantasy points like we thought he would in 2024. The same can be said for the Dolphins and offense…and defense. Miami’s defense has kept the season from being a total disaster and is the #1 fantasy defense versus quarterbacks allowing less than 10 PPG and only 3 touchdowns all season.
Who I like More
QB Russell Wilson (PIT)
Week ranking 22nd
In his first start with the Steelers Mr. Unlimited was the spark the Steelers offense was missing, at least for one week. I like his chances of building off that small sample size this week against the lowly Giants defense that is better than people realize versus the pass, however they’re a bottom 5 in rushing yards and touchdowns allowed this season. Wilson has one rushing TD already this season and I see him adding to that total on Sunday.
RB Kenneth Walker (SEA)
Current Ranking 8th
Yes, I know Kenneth Walker has been freaking awesome this season! No, I’m not blind! Do I know ball you might be asking…that’s debatable, I’ll admit. One thing I do know is the Bills run defense is not to be slept on. The Bills have given up the tenth most rushing yards (740) but allowing only 3 rushing tds is the real stat we should focus on. In 35 games played, when Walker doesn’t score a touchdown, he has ONE top 12 fantasy week.
Who I like More
RB Javonte Williams (DEN)
Week ranking 16th
He’s facing the Panthers LMAO!
WR CeeDee Lamb (DAL)
Current Ranking16th
In the McCarthy era Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers have had the upper hand when it comes to this historic rivalry and the common theme in these matchups has been a lack of offense, at least for the Cowboys. In their last regular season matchup the Cowboys offense was out of sorts and scored a measly 10 points. Heading into this matchup the Cowboys offense is out of sorts and to make matters worse Dak and Lamb don’t look to be in sync. This game could be a shoot out, sure. Until I see the Cowboys offense start to show signs of life, it’s hard to trust any players in this offense.
Who I like More
WR Jaylen Waddle (MIA)
Week Ranking 21st
If you actually read these things you’ll notice I don’t like the opposing quarterback in this matchup, Kyler Murray. But, like the Dolphins team, fans, and fantasy players, seeing the return of Tua Tagovailoa is similar to the feeling you get when you go to the fancy neighborhood on Halloween that serves the full size candy bars. Dolphins players were borderline unstartable during Tua’s absence, but if you got’em, you gotta start’em. The Cardinals defense is like taking candy from a baby if you’re a receiver, they’re bottom 10 in receptions, yards, and touchdowns!
TE Sam LaPorta (DET)
Current Ranking 22nd
The last time I wrote about LaPorta he went out and scored a 52 yard touchdown and finished as the TE9, oops! For the record, that was his only catch and his first and last touchdown since. The Titans defense got absolutely wrecked by Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills, but wanna guess which Bills skill player had a mediocre game, tight end Dalton Kincaid. Wanna guess which position tends to disappear like reese’s cups out of a candy stash on Halloween night ….tight ends. Like black licorice, starting your tight ends against the Titans defense is just gross. Only one player has scored more than 5 points against the Titans all season.
Who I like More
TE Dalton Schultz (HOU)
Week Ranking 16th
How awesome was it when you went to a house and the porch light was on, nobody was home, and there was a giant bowl of candy that was left unattended? Well, the Colts secondary and their bottom 3 defense is like that bowl. Some kids only took a few pieces, but there’s always that one kid who took the whole damn thing! I think Schultz is the other kid.
That’s gonna do it for this week’s piece. I hope you found the info useful and actionable. For all my new readers, I am an avid Dallas Cowboys fan. If you like the Cowboys or just enjoy football in general, I know you’d enjoy this podcast.
There you have it! Any questions, or want some more specific help for your league on who to drop, just reach out. Reach out on social media, you can find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Or jump into our Discord server. And checkout out rankings for each Week.
