Nov 3, 2017

By:@SMich_5

Another week gone by and we have a new leader in the clubhouse for game of the year. The Texans/Seahawks game was an instant classic and a great showcase for the next generation of QBs in the NFL. Russell Wilson and DeShaun Watson’s back and forth elevated a non-conference between two teams with no real rivalry to speak of to the pinnacle of football performance. The best part for me was watching Wilson, who was the QB target for week 8, go off for a huge game. Here’s how everyone we singled out last week performed.

Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks

As stated above, Wilson went off in a big way. Priced at $6500 heading into the game against Houston, Wilson was in a nice home matchup against a decent offense and a defense minus two of it’s best pass rushers. Wilson looked like an MVP candidate throwing for 452 yards and 4 TDs, and rushing for another 30, while leading Seattle to an exciting win. He hit right around 6 times his salary, scoring 39.1 points against his $6500 price. Wilson’s been the big focus of the Seattle offense this year, as their O-line and running backs have combined to form one of the worst rushing units in the league. For Seattle to win in these type of games, the scoring has to happen through the air, and Russ has been up to the challenge.

Chris Thompson, Washington Redskins

Thompson and the Redskins had a home matchup against the Dallas Cowboys that would move the winner into second place in the division behind the NFC-leading Philadelphia Eagles. On paper it looked like a game that would turn into a bit of a shootout, with both teams better on offense than defense. Maybe it would have turned out that way too, if Washington hadn’t repeatedly shot themselves in the foot with costly turnovers and mistakes. Thompson still managed to almost hit value, scoring 16.4 points on 18 yards rushing, 76 yards receiving on 8 catches and would have been right at the triple up point if not for a lost fumble. He still was Washington’s most dynamic and effective running back on offense, and his day could have been a lot nicer if Rob Kelley hadn’t taken a one yard rushing TD away, so there is still a lot to like about Thompson moving forward. Scoring 16.4 points with no real rushing output and no TD shows you the kind of high floor someone like Thompson has, and he has the talent to turn in a huge day against anyone if given a couple of breaks in coverage. He’s someone you should look to again in the future if his price stays around or below the $6000 mark.

Matt Forte, New York Jets

Since his return from injury, Forte had been getting the majority of the work in the Jets backfield. With a home game against the reeling Atlanta Falcons, who were looking to avoid being swept by the AFC East in this game, controlling the ball via rushing the ball seemed like a good idea. Then, the weather reports started to come in, calling for a lot of rain and some windy conditions too, which just made the matchup look even better for Forte. Then the game started. New York wasn’t able to muster much of a ground game against a mediocre Atlanta defense, and Bilal Powell took the majority of the carries. Forte only had 7 rushing yards on 4 carries, but was the second leading receiver with 45 yards on 6 catches. His $4200 salary meant he finished under value, but he still gave a decent stat line on a play that not many people used. Forte should have good days ahead if he can get back to being the main runner for the Jets, and will continue to see good usage in the pass game.

Alshon Jeffery

Jeffery had one of his better matchups this year against the San Francisco 49ers. He had faced a brutal stretch of defensive backs that had made his first season with the Eagles a bit underwhelming. There had been a lot of talk about Jeffery’s role in the offense and concern from the media after another middling performance in week 7. So when the 49ers showed up in week 8, it looked like a great “get right” game for Jeffery. He did end up as the leading receiver for the Eagles, but didn’t have the volume to really have the great day many were hoping for. Priced at $6700 he had some work to do to hit value. He gave an efficient effort in the game, with only two catches, but one was a 53 yard touchdown late in the game, and he had another catch (that he wasn’t given points for) that went for a two point conversion. Jeffery finished the day with 16.2 points, which was useful in most lineups, but was a little short of the day many were hoping for. There were many other deep shots that QB Carson Wentz took with Jeffery in mind, but unfortunately, was unable to connect for most of the day. In the end, the opportunity was there, as Jeffery finished with 8 targets, but the final results left many wanting more.

Hunter Henry, Los Angeles Chargers

This was the biggest miss of the week, and it certainly affected many fantasy players in both season long and daily formats. New England’s defense had been giving away yardage to anyone who wanted it through most of the season. They had managed to slow Atlanta and Matt Ryan the week before, but that seemed to have just as much to do with Atlanta’s issues with execution and play calling as it did with anything the Patriots were doing. Still, Ryan was the first QB the Pats had played to not throw for 300+ yards, and Philip Rivers seemed ready to resume the march down the field most NE opponents have enjoyed this year. Henry had emerged from Antonio Gates’ formidable shadow to become the main weapon for Rivers at the TE position. He was coming off of 13.2, 14.0, and 11.3 point days his last three weeks and many were expecting at least double digit points from him in week 8. Instead, it seemed like Henry was still jet lagged from the cross country travel for the early East coast start. His snap count slipped to its lowest point since week 4 and he also had his worst game since the zero he put up in week 3. Not needing to do much to hit value with his low price of $4800, he still finished well below most predictions with only 2 catches for 11 yards. It was ugly and the game was never really out of hand for Los Angeles so it was odd that Henry was such a non-factor in this game. Better days are ahead for Henry, and hopefully it’s while his price stays low.

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