Bi-Weekly Fantasy Football Recap - Tuesday 8/29
TLDR:
Don’t have time to read the entire newsletter? Check out the bullet points below for a quick recap of everything going on today.
Main Recaps:
Josh Jacobs ends his holdout and agrees to a one year deal with the Raiders worth up to $12 million
People are worried about the Patriots, Jets, and Eagles split backfields
Giants have released RB James Robinson
Texans name C.J. Stroud as their starting QB
Jonathan Taylor trade talks intensify
Jordan Addison, Nico Collins, Brandon Aiyuk, and a couple more are this years dark horse wide receivers
Christian McCaffrey or Ja’Marr Chase with the 2nd overall pick? Majority are saying to take McCaffrey
Cardinals are not activating QB Kyler Murray off the PUP list making him ineligible to play the first 4 games of this season
Outside of Kelce or Andrews, waiting to draft a tight end until the end of the draft actually might not be a bad strategy
Redditors think Dionte Johnson, David Montgomery, and Christin Kirk are some of this year’s hidden gems in the draft
Garrett Wilson might actually be worth a first round draft pick
Alvin Kamara still has it and can be a sneaky middle round pick
Buc’s start center Ryan Jensen will miss the entire season with a knee injury
Ravens’ head coach expects TE Mark Andrews to play in week 1
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Breaking Player News:
Josh Jacobs and Raiders Agree To A 1 Year Deal Ending His Holdout
After creating uncertainty with fantasy players these last couple of weeks, Josh Jacobs finally agrees to a one year deal with the Raiders worth up to $12 million. This ends his holdout and everyone can now rejoice that the leading rusher last year is coming back to play. Now that Jacobs is back, expect him to be drafted high once again. Jacobs is definitely worth an early round pick.
The Giants Have Released RB James Robinson
The New York Giants have officially parted ways with running back James Robinson. This comes as a surprise to some football fans as he looked good this preseason. After his breakout year a few seasons ago, Robinson looked like he was going to be the next star RB in the league, but unfortunately was plagued by a bad achilles injury. The former fantasy star will have to look for a fresh start on another team.
Cardinals Are Releasing Veteran QB Colt McCoy
The New York Giants have officially parted ways with running back James Robinson. This comes as a surprise to some football fans as he looked good this preseason. After his breakout year a few seasons ago, Robinson looked like he was going to be the next star RB in the league, but unfortunately was plagued by a bad achilles injury. The former fantasy star will have to look for a fresh start on another team.
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Breaking Team News:
Texans Name C.J. Stroud Their Starting Quarterback
The Houston Texans officially announced today that rookie QB C.J. Stroud will be their starter this season. This comes as no surprise as Stroud has been getting most of the work with the first-string offense this preseason.
Ravens’ Coach John Harbaugh Said No Need To Worry About TE Mark Andrews And That He Expects Him To Play In Week 1
John Harbaugh told the press that there is no need to panic of TE Mark Andrews. Harbaugh expects their star tight end to start practicing by next week and also said that he should be ready to suit up by week 1. If Andrews is not ready by week 1, expect backup TE Isiah Likely to fill in nicely.
Jonathan Taylor Trade Talks Intensify
At this point everyone knows that Jonathan Taylor wants a trade away from the Colts. The Colts are engaged with the Dolphins and now a second team regarding a possible trade for the star RB. Nothing is final yet and it looks like all trade talk will go down to the wire this week. Taylor has until this Tuesday 8/29 to make a trade happen, if not he will be staying put with the Colts.
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Reddit Recap:
Each week we read every Reddit post on r/fantasyfootball and all the comments. We then summarize the most important threads and discussions below.
Who Should You Take: Christian McCaffrey Or Ja’Marr Chase With The 2nd Pick?
With Justin Jefferson looking like the clear first overall pick this year, a lot of people are wondering who should go #2 overall in the draft. Most people are either drafting McCaffrey or Chase and here is why:
Argument For Chase:
WRs outperformed RBs in general during the 2022 season, with most of the highest scoring fantasy players being a WR
Chase is in an elite pass-first offense in Cincinnati. Last year Joe Burrow threw for 4,475 yards and 35 TDs
Chase led WRs in red-zone targets last season, with 28 targets in the 14 games he played
The Bengals have a relatively easy schedule in 2023
Chase still ended up as the WR11 in 2022 despite missing four games
Argument For McCaffrey:
He finished as the RB2 in PPR in 2022
He is the main part of the 49ers’ offense and Brock Purdy also loves short throws
CMC's production significantly increased throughout the season, and he averaged 24.2 points in PPR across the final 6 games of the 2022 season
His only competition is Elijah Mitchell, who has only started 11 games in the past two seasons due to injury
With all things considered, most of Reddit came to the conclusion that Christian McCaffrey should be taken with the #2 overall pick. There are a lot of other good WRs you can draft later but not as many RBs that are that valuable.
Split Backfield Concerns
A lot of Redditors are concerned about certain backfields splitting their workload this year. Running back by committee is nothing new, however people are worried about these backfields specifically:
Patriots (Stevenson and Elliot): Ezekiel Elliot has recently joined the Patriots and will now support their running game. Last year, Stevenson did a great job carrying the weight on his own shoulders but now that Zeke has joined the team expect less carries from Stevenson.
Eagles (Swift, Penny, Scott, and Gainwell): Eagles honestly just have too many weapons to work with. Don’t be surprised if they are always switching who gets the ball every couple downs.
Jets (Hall and Cook): Breece Hall was a stud last year and will be looking to pick up right where he left off. Only issue is that Dalvin Cook has since joined the Jets and will most likely take some of Hall’s workload from him. Cook is being speculated as the Jets goal line RB so he will probably vulture some TDs from Hall.
Redditors Predict Their Dark Horse Wide Receivers
So far Calvin Ridley and Garret Wilson have been this year’s most hyped wide receivers. Outside of those two and the already existing star wide receivers, which receivers do people think will make a splash this year? These are the WRs that Redditors believe in:
Jordan Addison (Vikings): The Vikings no longer have Adam Thielen so Addison should fill his role nicely. Last year Thielen had 110 targets so now that he is out of town Addison believers can expect something similar to that target share.
Nico Collins (Texans): Collins has looked good so far this preseason and now has rookie QB Bryce Young throwing to him which could boost his level of play.
Mike Williams (Chargers): You can never go wrong with this veteran. Each year people seem to doubt him and he always stays relevant. Williams is getting more work out of the slot this year and Kellen Moore’s offense is going to try to use Herbert’s passing game more.
Brandon Aiyuk (49ers): So far he has looked like the best WR at the 49ers training camp. He also has a few seasons under his belt now so he should be more comfortable with the pace of the league and ready to strike on the explosive 49ers offense this year.
Drake London (Falcons): London looks like the only viable receiver on the Falcons this year and it seems like QB Desmond Ridder looks for him on every single drop back. Expect the Falcons passing game to go through London.
Hidden Gems In The Draft
One Redditor asked the community who are some people that are being overlooked in the draft. These are the players that are currently being overlooked but should still be targeted in this year’s draft:
Dionte Johnson (Steelers): Last year he almost hit 1000 receiving yards. His only downside was that he didn’t score a single touchdown all of last year which was a total anomaly for the talented receiver. Expect him to score some touchdowns this year once again making him viable for fantasy.
David Montgomery (Lions): Montgomery has always proven to be a hard runner. Now that he is on a new team expect him to have a chip on his shoulder. The Lions also traded away their two running backs from last season, one of which led the league in touchdowns (Jamaal Williams). Now that the Lions drafted Jahmyr Gibbs and announced that he is their starter, can we see David Montgomery taking Williams spot as the new Detroit goal line running back? Only time will tell.
Christian Kirk (Jaguars): All the attention this preseason has been about the return of Calvin Ridley so far. Fans are somewhat forgetting just how good Christian Kirk was last year. If Ridley is the Jaguars true WR1, then expect him to get all the best CBs covering him leaving Kirk to have easier matchups this year.
The Strategy Of Drafting Tight Ends Last
Outside of Travis Kelce or Mark Andrews, is taking a tight end in the middle of the draft worth it? A lot of Redditors would argue no, and one person even suggested that you either completely punt the position, or invest in it. But never half-invest in it. People agreed that taking a mediocre tight end between rounds 5-10 usually does more harm than good. Those rounds should be used to load up on RBs and WRs from which you can trade for a decent tight end during the season if need be. It seems like a lot of decent tight ends also come off waivers each year so you can always snag one there as well.
Does Alvin Kamara Still Have It?
Most people would agree yes he does. Last year he rushed for 897 yards and caught for another 490 receiving yards. The only thing holding him back was lack of TDs but that was not fully his fault. The Saints’ head coach Dennis Allen loved to take out Kamara in the red zone and use Taysom Hill instead. Kamara’s talent is still there, he just needs more chances from his coach. He is dropping in a lot of people’s drafts so if you can get him in the later rounds he is definitely worth snagging. At the end of the day, he is still Alvin Kamara and don’t be surprised if he has a big year.
Sleeper Tight Ends This Year
Outside of Kelce, Andrews, Kittle, and Hockenson the TE selection is very hit or miss this year. Having a reliable tight end you can start all year is a huge advantage and can win you leagues. Redditors guessed who they think will be the sleeper tight ends this year, here is who people said:
Juwaun Johnson (Saints): He had a handful of big weeks last year and now that Derek Carr is in town Johnson might get more action. Johnson has looked like Carr’s go-to-guy so far in practice.
Jake Ferguson (Cowboys): Now that Dalton Schultz has left it's fair to assume that Ferguson will fill his shoes and become one of Prescott’s favorite targets.
Sam Laporta (Lions): Laporta is the #1 TE on the Lions who were a huge passing team last year. The Lions are reportedly already loving his play and said he will play a key role in Detroit’s offense this year.
Tyler Conklin (Jets): Anytime you have Aaron Rodgers throwing to you that is a huge advantage. Conklin has received the second highest number of targets in Jets practice this preseason behind Garret Wilson. Expect Conklin to be Rodger’s guy for when Wilson isn’t open.
Why Is Drake London Being Ranked So High?
The Falcons were a run heavy team last year and also just drafted a star running back who they will use even more. There is some uncertainty around their pass game this year, especially with Desmond Ridder leading the way. However, Drake London’s target share last year was still too good to pass up. These are his stats the last 5 games of last season:
12 targets 6 catches 95 yards
11 targets 7 catches 70 yards
9 targets 7 catches 96 yards
8 targets 5 catches 47 yards
8 targets 6 catches 120 yards
If Drake London was to score a TD in any of those weeks he would’ve been hyped even more this year. Although the Falcons are a run heavy team, fantasy players can expect London to be at least a solid WR2/WR3 option. Don’t forget, recently a lot of wide receivers have exploded their sophomore year so will London do the same?
Is Garrett Wilson Worth A First Round Pick?
Last year he had some of the worst QBs in the league throwing to him and he still managed to go over 1,100 receiving yards. Now that Aaron Rodgers is in town, his production should go up even more. Wilson has looked great so far this preseason and fans are now considering him a borderline late 1st round / early second round talent. Wilson should be targeted early in the second round to get the most value from him.
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Injury Updates:
Buccaneers’ Star Center Ryan Jensen Will Miss The Entire Season Due To A Knee Injury
The Bucs are placing center Ryan Jensen on season-ending injury reserve due to complications from his knee injury. This is a huge loss to the already thin Buccaneers offensive line. Jensen’s injury will add even more concern to anyone looking to draft a part of the Bucs offense this year. Most people seem to be avoiding drafting any Bucs players unless they fall late in the draft.
Cardinals Are Not Activating QB Kyler Murray Off The PUP List, Making Him Ineligible To Play The First 4 Games Of This Season
The Arizona Cardinals do not plan to activate Kyler Murray off the PUP (physically unable to perform) list by Tuesday which now makes him ineligible to play the first games of the season. A lot of people are thinking that the Cardinals are going to tank hard this year and are hesitant about taking players from their offense. The Cardinals have no reason to rush Murray back so don’t be surprised if he misses even longer than originally expected.