WEEK 3 - PART 1

WEEK 3 RECAPS – STAY POSITIVE:

Welcome back for the Week 3 installment of GWBL entertainment. Another thrilling week of NFL action is in the books and we have plenty to discuss.

I’ve received a few critiques for my writeups this season and most of them follow a common theme – that I’m too negative about certain teams/players/owners. If I’ve offended anyone I apologize. If I’ve motivated you then you’re welcome. When writing these I’m just giving my personal opinion and I’d be saying the same things about player XYZ if they were on my team. Once in a while I throw out a jynx or reverse jynx, but for the most part I’m just spit-balling here. While I try to make things even and talk positively and negatively in an equal manner about all teams, I of course can’t keep track of the score.

Long story short, I’m going to stay positive this week. I’ll look at each team and take away some positives from this past week. It’ll be anything from players and position groups, to matchups and future outlook. Regardless, we’re going to stay positive.

Tell Sloan I said What Up defeats HOW’S HOOTERS? KiTTLES? 106.5 to 101.2

Normally I would start with the Saquon Barkley injury and talk about how the sky is falling and DBD is getting Karma for ruining my season last year and yada yada yada, but not today. Today we’re staying positive. If any team is capable of overcoming the loss of Saquon Barkley, it’s this team. But how?

First, Dylan has Dalvin Cook. He’s leading the NFL in rushing and is RB1 through 3 weeks. He’s an absolute stud and would be the best RB on every team that doesn’t own McCaffrey or Kamara. Second, he has Leonard Fournette. While it’s been a somewhat slow start for him (0 TDs), he’s still averaging almost 14 points per game. The Jags offense seems to be finding its way with Minshew and better days are ahead.

Moving to the bench – we have Miles Sanders and Matt Breida. Sanders is on the verge of taking the Eagles starting job and Breida is a dangerous weapon out of the FLEX spot. While you can’t exactly replace a talent like Saquon Barkley, Dylan’s team is still in decent shape without him.

HOW’S HOOTERS? KiTTLES? Loses to Tell Sloan I said What Up 101.2 to 106.5

It’s been a rough start to the season for Lamone, but let’s dig through the rubble and find some positives. The first is that he plays my team and Keetz’ team in back to back weeks. We’re both currently 3-0, while Lamone is 0-3. The simple law of averages indicates that he’ll beat one of us.

Second, Lamone just traded for Michael Thomas and only had to give up Carlos Hyde. Lamone took a $0 free agent and turned him into a first-round pick which is a win-win-win. While Thomas’ upside is lower without Brees, he still scored 14 points this week and was 2nd on his team with 7 targets. The Saints game was odd so they didn’t have to throw very much and I expect Thomas to have higher volume going forward.

Lastly, Lamone still has a really good team. LeVeon, James White, Ekeler, Odell, Edelman, Michael Thomas, Chris Godwin and George Kittle. Chris Godwin as his 4th receiver! (Currently WR21). Things will turn around for Kittles, just have to stay the course.

Makamaraca Great Again defeats Daddy’s Little Gurl 170.3 to 126.9

Kev got the high score this week so he has to be thrilled with that. It was also the highest score anyone has put up this week, so touche there. It’s pretty easy to find positives here and I’ll go with two.

One: Patrick Mahomes. He had a tough road matchup against the Ravens, but proved that he’s matchup proof by going 27/37 for 374 yards, 3 TDs and 35 fantasy points. He’s now scored 33.7 or more points in every single game this season and he’s done it all without his #1 receiver. He’s the best player in fantasy football regardless of position and he may be the best fantasy QB ever. Prime Michael Vick and 2007 TB12 may have something to say about that, but it’s hard to argue otherwise. Regardless of the matchup Kev starts with a 30+ point lead every week thanks to Mahomes.

The other positive is of course Mike Evans. Evans had a really slow start to the season and combined for 6 catches, 89 yards and 0 TDs through the first two weeks. In Week 3 he exploded for 190 yards on 8 catches and scored 3 TDs for 43 fantasy points. He doesn’t get to play the Giants every week, but this is very reassuring for Evans owners.

Daddy’s Little Gurl loses to Makamaraca Great Again 126.9 to 170.3

Tough Loss for Kenny as 126.9 is an admirable score, an aphrodisiac and a solid Gronk-joke. While his team performed well, he ran into Patrick Mahomes this week and didn’t stand a chance. Fear not, there are plenty of good vibes available here.

Number 1 is Evan Engram. No one was truly sure how Daniel Jones would impact the Giants offense, but this couldn’t have gone better. With a competent QB throwing him passes for the first time in his career, Engram put up 22 fantasy points on 6 catches for 113 yards and a TD. He showed his speed on a 75 yard TD and he had an outrageous one handed catch on a ball that was thrown behind him. Daniel Jones looks to be a major upgrade for Engram owners.  

Next is LeSean McCoy. McCoy seemed to be a throw in on the Aaron Rodgers deal, but Ken plugged him into his FLEX and was rewarded with 23 points. Any RB on the Chiefs will put up numbers and McCoy seems to be THE guy there for now. He got a little banged up (ankle) this week, but he expects to play in Week 4.

Butt Kicker Dot Com defeats Return of The Mack 158.5 to 146.5

The fact Keetz is 3-0 and in first place would be a good place to start, so.. yeah, he’s 3-0 and in first place. In particular let’s discuss Russel Wilson and Mark Ingram.

Wilson is arguably the 2nd best QB in fantasy and as of right now – he actually is the 2nd best QB in fantasy. Keetz played it smart during the draft and waited until the 10th round to grab a QB. He was able to get Wilson that late and it’s looking like one of the better picks in the draft. He’s gotten better each week this season, scoring 19, 33 and then 50 points in his first three games. The best part? He’s finally running again, averaging 6 carries and about 30 yards per game with 2 total rushing TDs. It’s easy to forget he was QB1 in fantasy in 2017.

Now to Mark Ingram – RB3 on the year behind McCaffrey and Dalvin Cook. I was curious how this pick (5th round) would work out and it’s been huge for Keetz so far. Ingram already has 5 rushing TDs on the season and is on pace for over 1,300 rushing yards. With Lamar Jackson taking most of the attention from opposing defenses, Ingram has run wild.

Return of The Mack loses to Butt Kicker Dot Com 146.5 to 158.5

Tough loss for Frader, but he’s still 2-1 and in great shape heading into the middle part of the fantasy season. The first positive thing that sticks out to me is his WR group. I was admittedly down on his WRs heading out of the draft and said it was the weakness of his team. Just 3 weeks in and it’s looking like a strength. Tyler Lockett broke out this week with 31 points and is a top 5 WR at press time. He’s going to put up numbers any time the Seahawks are forced to throw. Next is DJ Moore and while he’s been somewhat quiet to start the year, he’s also averaging 6 catches for 72 yards per game. Cam’s injury actually helps the Carolina receivers so Moore should continue to be productive going forward.

On the bench is where things get really exciting. Remember what I said about Evan Engram? The same goes for Sterling Shepard and the 26 points he put up with Daniel Jones at QB. Remember what I said about Mahomes? Frader has Mecole Hardman (18 this week). Last but not least is an OSU alum Terry Mclaurin who’s been unstoppable so far. That’s some really good WR depth.

Speaking of depth, Phillip Lindsay is Frader’s 4th RB right now. His 31 fantasy points were the 4th most of any RB this week behind Ingram/Kamara/McCaffrey (ahead of Dalvin Cook). Lindsay has put up 11 or more points each week this season and is locked in as Denvers RB1.