After a 3 month hiatus, The Piffcast is back!
During that time…
TJ got MARRIED, the Cubs won the pennant, The Walking Dead returned, and a whole lot more happened. We talk about TJ’s wedding reception playlist, why Cubs fans hate Joe Buck (and Mike doesn’t), what made TJ quit Walking Dead BEFORE the Season 7 premiere, where Luke Cage ranks among the Marvel Netflix shows, and the totally off-the-rails tangents you come to expect from us.
Can we talk about LeSean McCoy for a minute?
McCoy is 150 yards from scrimmage away from surpassing both Shaun Alexander and Marshawn Lynch for 39th on the all-time list. Among backs with 10,000 career yards total, McCoy ranks 7th all-time with 4.7 yards per carry. When many (me included) thought he was close to being done, he proved to us that he is still an elite back in the league after scoring 7 touchdowns this season(2nd in the NFL).
He is set to face a Miami defense that is allowing the 4th most rush yards to opposing RBs. He left practice early this week with hamstring tightness and should be worth monitoring before kickoff though. If healthy, McCoy will be a great play this week. If not, be ready to pick up Mike Gillislee.
It’s never comfortable to play someone on Thursday Night, but Cameron Meredith is legitimate play this week against a Packers defense that is missing its TOP 3 defensive backs. He ranks 3rd in receiving yards and 1st in receptions over the last 2 weeks. Meredith is also a favorite of Brian Hoyers when in the red zone. While I DO believe in Kenny Britt, you have to play Meredith.
If Jordan Reed sits, you should go with Vernon Davis. If he doesn’t, Charles Clay is your next best play against a Dolphins defense that has allowed touchdowns to tight ends in 2 of their last 4 games.
TE: Anyone who had Coby Fleener a week ago (*raises hand*) finally got to unleash the power of an athletic tight end in Sean Payton’s system. This week, however, I would recommend going with Kyle Rudolph. He is second among TEs in touchdowns and is averaging 7.4 targets per game. He is also getting 40% of the Vikings red zone targets and it’s hard to pass on that consistency.
WR: Demaryius Targaryen and Brandin ‘Too Many’ Cooks’
WR: I feel bad about this because I do really like Kenny Britt going forward, but Julian Edelman is healthier and on the Tom Brady Revenge tour. If it doesn’t all come together this weekend against a Steeler’s defense that will be too busy with the tight ends, then bench him.
DEF: Seattle is the better defense but I like Cincinnati’s matchup WAY MORE.
QB: It’s time to unleash #HoyerTheDestroyer.
The highest scoring non-quarterback in Fantasy Football right now is David Johnson (aka #DJ2K). He added two touchdowns and 157 rush yards to his total last week against San Francisco.
Johnson has gained over 100 yards from scrimmage in every game, so far this season, and faces a Jets defense that has allowed 16 receptions, 125 yards and two touchdowns to running backs in the last two weeks. He may not see as many carries as he got against the 49ers (27) because Carson Palmer is set to return, but you can count on his receiving skills to do some heavy damage against the J-E-T-S…blah blah blah.
TE: The perennially slow starting Seahawks offense seems to have found a connection between Russell Wilson and Jimmy Graham. Graham has recorded back-to-back 100-yard performances for the first time since 2003. The Falcons are also the second worst (to the Browns) at giving up TDs to the position.
Flex: Jordan Howard recorded the 9th most yards from scrimmage by a rookie in Bears franchise history. Names like Anthony Thomas, James Allen, and yes…Walter Payton…produced better games in their first year, and just by up to 30 yards. In terms of matchups, Howard doesn’t have an easy one in Jacksonville. They have allowed 104 rush yards per game and only 2 touchdowns on the ground. Based on the volume Howard gets in the Bears offense (running and receiving) you can’t let him sit.
DEF: I’m not sure about the Panthers in the long-term, due to their young secondary being taken advantage of nearly every weekend and having one takeaway in their last 3 games. Short term, their matchup with the Saints has shootout potential, and that’s bad for any defense. I like your Titans pick against Cody Kessler and the Browns. The Titans are making a lot of noise with back-to-back multi-interception games and ranking 6th in sacks.
Steve Sr. is (1) not a tight end and (2) dealing with an ankle injury that knocked him out of last week’s game. Go with James White.
If I learned anything last week, it’s not to doubt Devonta Freeman. Against the best defense in football, Freeman totaled 123 yards and a touchdown. You can look at the yards per carry as a negative, but 26 touches is proof he is Atlanta’s every down back (with Coleman getting his work receiving). The upside is in Freeman’s favor, while Frank Gore will give you either 75+ yards or a touchdown…like he has in every game so far this season. Up to you.
TE: In the Brian Hoyer era for Chicago, Zach Miller is averaging 6 catches, 61 yards and a touchdown. While Hoyer is spreading the ball around, he does seem to have favorite targets in 3rd down situations and Miller is one of them. Keep riding that train as Zach Ertz is facing a defense that gave up less than 60 yards to both Gary Barnidge and Dennis Pitta.
Flex: Matt Forte is that guy we all want to love (with good reason) but we really shouldn’t. He hasn’t done anything close to his monster Week 2 and Bilal Powell is taking more and more pass targets away from him. I also don’t think this will be a good week to play Travis Benjamin. As you know, Broncos are probably looking for blood on Thursday Night Football this evening. Jordan Matthews is your best call.
Well, Quincy Enunwa would’ve been a pretty great pickup. Sammie Coates would be outstanding, if you can find him. Outside of those two? Chris Hogan, Jeremy Kerley and Devante Adams are decent week-to-week fill-ins, but I would try to make a trade if you are looking for a dependable solution for the rest of the season.
Melvin Gordon is going to get the touches against a Broncos D (that has given up the 10th most points to RBs) and has averaged a score in every game. If I’m looking for a safer play though, it’s Kelvin Benjamin against the Saints. They have allowed 86+ yards to 6 different receivers in 4 games and are letting quarterbacks just CHUCK IT on them. Love the shootout potential at the Superdome this weekend, Cam Newton or not.
Did you have either Julio Jones or Matt Ryan in your lineup last week? Both? Or did you leave one on your bench because you underestimated how good they are paired together?
It’s hard to doubt these two again for a while, right? They (the unstoppable force) take on Denver (an immovable object). Ryan is the the highest scoring quarterback in Fantasy Football. The Denver defense leads the league in sacks, have only allowed 1 touchdown reception (to Kelvin Benjamin) and have allowed just 3 receptions on 7 targets in the red zone.
X-Factor? Julio being Julio. He’s a Mutant and likely future X-Men, so there’s that.
TE: You have a strong predicament there, considering both TEs are facing really terrible defenses. With Tom Brady returning and Rob Gronkowski back to 100%, I feel more comfortable with Zach Miller’s targets this weekend than Martysaurus Rex. Miller is definitely going to be depended on more with the loss of Kevin White and he is going up against The Replacements…being the Colts linebackers.
QB: Neither matchup looks pretty for your quarterbacks but there are two things to consider:
The Falcons run game helps setup Ryan and his receivers better, even against the Broncos defense.
TE: Martysaurus.
RB: I like Giovani Bernard’s ability in open space against Dallas much more than Tevin Coleman having to play second fiddle against the Broncos.
WR: Sammy Coates was one of the best WR pickups you could snag on the waiver-wire this week but I like Quincy Enunwa much more in this matchup, with Eric Decker likely to sit out. Steeler’s are ranked 30th in defending #2 WRs.
QB: I’m shocked Philip Rivers is available in your league. If you can get him, play him. The Raiders are THE WORST at defending pass yards and are in the bottom 3rd in allowing pass touchdowns.
DEF: The Rams will be your best bet this weekend, as they are SMOTHERING quarterbacks this year and not even Tyrod Taylor can out run Aaron Donald.
TE: Ertz. Carson Wentz loves throwing to his tight end and the Lions haven’t figured out how to defend the position in the past season and a half.
WR: For the reasons I like Philip Rivers above, I REALLY like Travis Benjamin. You don’t have a bad play though, considering Jordan Matthews plays out of the slot and will do so in a very good matchup. The Lions allow the 6th most fantasy points against receivers.
I also don’t feel good about Stafford this week, but if you can stream a QB…go with #HoyerTheDestroyer. He has 300+ yards and 2 TDs in each of his past 2 starts and it should continue this weekend against a Colts defense that has 3 TDs to 2 of the 4 QBs they have played against this year.
QB: I feel better about Wentz against the Lions than I do Jameis repeating Matt Ryan’s murderous work. I don’t think you’ll be particularly wrong with either though.
RB: GAH…it pains me to say it because I’m not a big fan of his Fantasy prowess (love him as a person though) but you have to go with Frank Gore in this matchup. Davonta Freeman is facing the best defense in football. Gore is not.
We don’t normally do Keeper League things on here, but I do want to talk about Kevin White. White was getting better every week before he was placed on IR. He had more receptions than any Bears receiver in their first 4 games. I think it depends on how desperate you are for an extra roster spot, what’s available, who will emerge to pickup for your draft next year…I haven’t given up on White’s potential and I like the prospects of him playing with a new quarterback in 2017.
Ben.
I hope you didn’t go with Michael Floyd…
The best thing in this trade appears to be Michael Crabtree. Problem is…Kelce has all the ability to be a top end Tight End and could be elite paired with a Top 10 quarterback. You don’t seem to be needy for a major trade but Crabtree would help you in the short run…Kelce would help you in the long run. I’ll let you decide.
Bears safety Chris Prosinski was just minding his own business, serving as a backup on defense and contributing on special teams. Next thing you know, he’s forced into the game because of injuries and is immortalized on posters for years to come…because Ezekiel Elliott did this to him.
Aside from the shame that Prosinski has to harbor, in film sessions and highlight shows for years to come, the Cowboys have something special on their hands. Elliott had his coming out party against Chicago on Sunday Night Football last week, rushing for 140 yards and adding 20 more receiving. He was a workhorse down the stretch. Gashing a beat up Bears defense, but running harder on every down. He is currently the league’s 3rd leading rusher, with 2 touchdowns, and should only impress more behind the NFL’s best offensive line.
The Cowboys are also led by another rookie at quarterback, who is making a lot of us wonder how he fell to the 4th round in this year’s draft. Dak Prescott doesn’t have gaudy numbers, yet, but he appears to be looking better by the week. He threw his first career touchdown pass in Week 3, averages 33 attempts per game, and goes up against the 28th ranked pass defense on Sunday (San Francisco). He won’t necessarily carry your team, but a spot start by Prescott doesn’t appear shabby in Week 4 if you need one.
If Dez Bryant plays, he’ll be doing so with a fractured knee…So, I’ll let you decide on that one.
For PPR’s sake, you’ll for sure want to start Mark Ingram. The Chargers are allowing NINE CATCHES PER GAME to running backs, so far this season. Being without Manti Teo (who is still without his imaginary girlfriend. Sorry too easy), makes the Chargers way more susceptible to the run.
Carlos Hyde may have gone off on the Seahawks, but they didn’t allow Arian Foster or Todd Gurley to go over 51 yards the weeks prior. Travis Benjamin will continue to get is targets and shoot EAT against the Saints secondary.
The Giants have done some impressive things rushing the passer and against the run, but they are THE WORST against the pass through 3 weeks this season. Stefon Diggs should be in for a solid day of receiving yards on Sunday.
Despite facing his toughest matchup of the season, I have to recommend Mike Evans over Emmanuel Sanders because he is 2nd in targets this season to Antonio Brown. Jameis Winston may not play particularly well, but you can count on him at least throwing it Evans’ way.
This one will be quick:
League leader in receiving yards Marvin Jones against the depleted Bears secondary. Then Brandin Cooks, for the real potential of a shootout with San Diego.
You have to play Julio Jones if you have him. Last week was a bit of an enigma with him. Look for Julio to take advantage of a young Panthers secondary that has only faced Trevor Siemian, Blaine Gabbert, and Sam Bradford so far this season and Matt Ryan has all of a sudden shown up as a top quarterback again. I get the temptation for Marvin Jones, but Julio is far more proven and that deal needs to be sweetened much more for me to trade him.
Hey man, I just give advice. I don’t lock your lineup for you.
Week 1 is in the books and man…did football get off the bus running or what?
A few new names made quite an impression on Fantasy Football enthusiasts, like Jalen Richard above. Or Eli Rogers and his ricochet touchdown catches.
However, the Week 2 edition of Thursday Night Football featured much of the opposite. The key offensive players on the Jets are all 30 and over: Ryan Fitzpatrick (33), Brandon Marshall (32) and Matt Forte (30). Forte ran the ball 30 times to rush for 100 yards and 3 touchdowns. FitzMagic threw for 374 yards and 1 touchdown in a 37-31 Jets victory.
I love the repertoire Willie Snead and Drew Brees have. Snead had the best game of his young career in Week 1 (9 catches, 172 yards, 1 TD) in a shootout with Oakland. A game with the Giants has potential for similar results, but I still lean toward Spencer Ware while you can still use him. The Saints have a heck of a wide receiver group and anyone can be in-store for a big day. Ware is guaranteed to get touches against a Texans defense that allowed 57 rush yards and a touchdown to Jeremy Langford a week ago. Alex Smith is also bound to continue dumping the ball off to Ware over the pass rush.
Going back to the potential shootout between the Giants and Saints, I would go with Snead in this case…mostly because I think Eli Manning will be targeting Odell Beckham Jr. more than Victor Cruz after just 4 catches a week ago. OBJ is 9 catches away from becoming the youngest receiver to 200.
Remember the 52-49 game a year ago? Round 2 has a lot of hype to live up to.
Flex: Safest play would be Golden Tate, who will be a target machine in his hometown of Nashville. Boom would be Demaryius Targaryen against a weak Indy secondary, but he’s dealing with a bad hip. Melvin Gordon may be taking a step back, as his team should be playing a lot of catchup against the high-powered (that’s right) Jaguars offense.
QB: I’m not particularly high on a less-mobile Russell Wilson against one of the best pass rushing front-7’s in football. Wilson has proved me wrong in the past, but I see the Seahawks attacking St. Louis better by handing off to the Rawls-Michael tandem. Trust the Jim Bob Cooter offense and Matthew Stafford this weekend.
Einhorn. Sean Young, FTW.
I do like Houston better, you’re right…but way more because of Whitney Mercilus than JJ Watt. The pass rush that they hoped to get from Jadeveon Clowney has arrived in the form of a man with a great football name, from the University of Illinois. While Cincy-Pittsburgh always lives up to its “rock’em, sock’em” reputation, but the Steelers offense is too good (even without Martavis Bryant and Le’Veon Bell) to bet against.
I hope you didn’t go with McCoy…
A tandem of DJ2K (David Johnson) and Williams is a tough one to beat. They are also two of the most reliable backs you can find, with schemes that will always put the ball in their hands. Have fun.
I like Stefon Diggs the most, as a receiver, but I don’t like the quarterback situation throwing him the ball. It will either be an under-prepared Sam Bradford or Shaun Hill against the Packers 3-4 pass rush. Does that inspire confidence in you? I didn’t think so…
Emmanuel Sanders may be the best option for the sole reason that he is the healthier than Thomas and he’s going against one of the worst secondaries in football.
Jay Cutler and I think you should go with Will Fuller.
It’s Thursday, there’s football tonight, and you have a lineup (or 3) that you need to set.
Thank goodness, Fantasy Football is back.
Look at the NFL, starting the new season where they left off last year. NBC’s Thursday Night Football will premiere with a Super Bowl 50 rematch between the Panthers and defending champion Broncos. Both teams return with stout defenses. One will have Cam Newton under center. The other will have…
Trevor Siemian.
The Broncos make Siemian the first Northwestern quarterback to start the regular season since Otto Graham. Siemian beat out Mark Sanchez and 2016 first-round pick Paxton Lynch. He also inherits an offense from sure-fire Hall of Famer Peyton Manning that includes Pro Bowlers Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders on the outside, and CJ Anderson at tailback.
It’s hard to tell how the wide receivers will fair with the 7th rounder at quarterback. He won the job by not turning the ball over and managing the preseason games fairly well. Key term: Managed. Anderson and rookie backup running back Devontae Booker will likely get plenty of touches, but you can’t expect Siemian to beat the Panthers defense with his arm. Carolina can still fly to the ball, even without Josh Norman.
You know Jared Goff is inactive this week, right? He ended the preseason 3rd on the Rams’ depth chart. I hope you didn’t draft him. So Dak Prescott…Yeah. Dak.
It seems like a lot of people forget that Carson Palmer is coming off the best season of his career, throwing 4,671 yards, 35 touchdowns and only 11 interceptions. The 4 interceptions and 2 fumbles in the NFC title game against the Panthers may have something to do with that, but he isn’t playing against Carolina this weekend. I understand the temptation to go with Matt Stafford but his set of weapons aren’t nearly as proven as Larry Fitzgerald, John Brown, Michael Floyd and David Johnson combined. Go with Palmer against New England. Arizona will hope to capitalize on the mistakes of young Jimmy Garoppolo.
This is a fun one, and I’m surprised you were so trusting of so many rookies. Michael Thomas is realistically the 3rd option in New Orleans against a pretty decent Raiders defense. I like Sterling Shepard a lot and the opportunities he can get while Odell Beckham Jr. is double covered, but I don’t see him being the star against Dallas. Then that leaves us with Will Fuller, who is facing an already banged up Bears secondary. The Houston Texans have opportunity to feast on an ariel assault this Sunday, with Kyle Fuller likely out and Tracey Porter returning from injury in the preseason. Go with the the Notre Dame burner, Fuller, who can take the top off most NFL defenses.
Matt Ryan has too much he needs to show before I start him over Palmer. I already went into depth, regarding Palmer’s weapons so plan on starting him. Julio Jones will get his numbers, but I still need to see more from his new complimentary receivers. Vernon Hargreaves could also pose a threat, as the rookie had allowed a QB Rating of ZERO in the preseason.
I know, people LOVE Marvin Jones paired with Matt Stafford. I just don’t understand why. Jones never topped 100 yards in 2015 and scored just 4 touchdowns. Meanwhile, Golden Tate has proven to be a target machine (sans Calvin Johnson as well) and Michael Crabtree actually had a statistically better year than Amari Cooper last season. There is shootout potential between the Saints and Raiders, and you’ll benefit greatly from starting Crabtree in that scenario.
This may sound crazy…
I have trouble picking Cam Newton against the Denver defense. I know he has a chip on his shoulder after last year’s Super Bowl, but Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips is going to throw the kitchen sink at him. Newton will still score some, either by air or ground. You should feel more comfortable with Ben Roethlisberger against a Washington defense that ranked in the bottom 3rd against passing yards and touchdowns a year ago.
And now for #DancingWade…
After a nice long break, the Piffcast is back! It’s been a month, so Mike and TJ had some catching up to do…
– Developing a Kris Bryant’s up-to-bat Alert App
– Comic-Con Trailer Roundup
– TJ’s movie homework (including some Mark Ruffalo recommendations)
– What we’re watching on TV (Stranger Things, The Night Of)
– The Pokemon around Mike’s house (don’t go looking)
– Coldplay at Soldier Field and K-Pop ‘farms’
– A special thank you to awesome people
…and much more!
Comic-Con San Diego was a blast to follow this weekend. Big casting news, epic first-looks, crazy cosplay costumes…
And trailers that made you feel like we’re in for a great rest of 2016 and 2017. Here is a collection of the best trailers to come out of Comic-Con San Diego and what you should be looking forward to…coming soon.
While you’re taking trips down memory lane watching Netflix’s new original, Stranger Things, you make mixtapes again as well…of movies and TV shows.
Say hello to Flixtape, a feature that allows users to create quick and easily accessible playlists of their favorites on the streaming service that can also be shared with friends via Facebook, Twitter, email and text.
Netflix can either recommend selections for you or you can simply let it know what you’re in the mood for. Just type in a genre, title or keyword of any sort and you can add it to your list of up to 6 moves, shows, standup specials or documentaries.
Once you’ve created your Flixtape, you can share it with that friend who keeps asking for recommendations in your Facebook newsfeed. Or you can show your crush what you’re into, and see if they dig it too…If not, I’m sorry. I’m sure someone out there likes that thing that you like too.
michaelpiff 