FSH NOTEBOOK: DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST

October 19th 2017

Thursday Late Night Edition

My Week 7 Perfect Lineup

(NFL.com)

No need to mince words. After six weeks, we’ve seen a lot of action and we pretty much know who the studs are and who they are not. Looking ahead to Sunday, here are the studs, with the matchups I like for my Week 7 Perfect Lineup.

QB-Drew Brees

I road with Brees last week and will double-down with the Saints passer again this week. Brees and company are at home again this week and will get a Rodgers-less Packers team this Sunday. Brees is only the No.15 fantasy QB this season, so this could be a good week for him to move up the boards.

RB-LeSean McCoy

The Bills running back is coming off the bye, so he should be well rested and ready to go Sunday against the Buccaneers. McCoy hasn’t been able to break loose this season, just one 100-yard game under his belt. The Bucs were just diced up by Adrian Peterson in week 6 for 134 rushing yards, so McCoy will be hoping to bust out as well.

RB-Devonta Freeman

This has to be one of my favorite picks for the week. The Falcons get a rematch with the Patriots and one thing we’ve seen from New England, they have all kinds of issue on defense. Freeman is a versatile back and will contribute on the ground and in the air. I think he has a big night Sunday night.

WR-Julio Jones

Playing off the Patriots defensive woes, I will double-dip with wide receiver Julio Jones in this week 7 matchup. The Pats allow the 4th most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers and it’s time for Julio to break out!

WR-Dez Bryant

The Cowboys travel out West this Sunday to face the Niners. For Dez and company, they get a shot at one of the league’s worst pass defenses and a secondary that has allowed the 7th most receptions to opposing wide receivers. Dez has been heavily targeted this season, averaging more than 9 per game. He’ll be involved on Sunday and could be in line for a big day.

TE-Jimmy Graham

Graham is healthy and has a great matchup this week. With the Giants next on the slate, Graham will take his shots at a defense that allows the most fantasy points to opposing tight ends, including the most receiving yards (432) and most touchdowns (7).

PK-Ryan Succop

The Titans are on the road to face the Browns this week and while I like their matchup very much on Sunday, I expect several trips into the red-zone, but maybe settling for a few more kicks than they would like. Succop has been solid, among the leaders having made 16 of 17 field goals this season.

D/ST-Panthers

I am playing the odds here with this pick, going with the defense facing a rookie quarterback (Mitch Trubisky). The Panthers are on the road this week, but with Cam playing as well as he has been, if they can get up on the Bears that will put a lot of pressure on Trubisky.

That's My Take.

~David Ortega

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October 19th 2017

Thursday Afternoon Edition

Thursday’s Twitter Takes

It's Thursday night Football and there's nothing like it in the Black-Hole! It's the Raiders and the Chiefs tonight in a pivotal AFC West Divisional Clash. Smith, Carr, Cooper, and Hunt, the stars are out and it should be a good one, so get your pop-corn ready!

"Carr will need to do more than dink and dunk tonight, if the Raiders are to have success!" by @FantsySprtsHome

The Raiders quarterback has been banged up this season. He returned last week, but did not look like his normal self, dinking and dunking against the Chargers. Carr’s going to need a bigger game tonight for the Raiders to come out on top.

"Raiders will need to feed Lynch a heavy load of carries tonight!! by @FantsySprtsHome

Running back Marshawn Lynch has been significantly under-used thus far this season. He’s topped 13 carries just once this season back in Week 1. The Raiders need to give Lynch more carries tonight so he can switch to Beast Mode.

"Sleeper tonight could be Cooper, if he can hang on to a couple of passes!" by @FantsySprtsHome

The Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper has not been good this season, but this kid is just too talented to be bad. The Chiefs defense can be had and Cooper has the skills to have them, he just needs plays. I expect the Raiders to take a few shots with Cooper tonight.

"Crabtree should be in for a big night, especially in the Red-Zone" by @FantsySprtsHome

As I mentioned, this Chiefs secondary (25th most passing yards allowed this season) can be had. Crabtree is a Carr favorite especially close the endzone. Look for Crab to find paydirt in this one.

"Could it be another big night for the No.4 fantasy TE Kelce in Primetime?" by @FantsySprtsHome

The Chiefs tight end has played well this season on the big stage. In his last two starts in Prime Time he’s been dominant and the last time he faced the Raiders he torched them for 5 catches and 101 receiving yards. Kelce is a big part of the Chiefs passing game, so expect to see a lot of Red-87.

"Kelce has been big his last two night games; 15/209/1" by @FantsySprtsHome

It’s worth noting Kelce’s last two games under the lights, he’s been targeted 19 times. In these high profile scenarios it seems Andy Reid likes to utilize his big pass catching tight end.

That's My Take.

~David Ortega

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October 18th 2017

Wednesday Evening Edition

Week 7 Diamonds in the Rough

I’m pretty sure if Titan’s wide receiver Eric Decker was available this week on Waiver wires, he was a popular choice of the consensus. Afterall, Decker is coming off a nice Monday night performance; he was targeted 9 times and caught 7 passes for 88 yards. These were very nice numbers in PPR for Week 6.

For a couple of names that may have been overlooked this week, I give you my Week 7 Diamonds in the rough;

Over the past three weeks, Vikings running back Latavius Murray has yet to take advantage of the opportunity that has been presented. He’s carried the ball 34 times for only 80 rushing yards and zero touchdowns. Right now he’s being outplayed by running back Jerick McKinnon and it’s not close. This week Murray will get his second opportunity facing a Ravens defense that allows better than 4 yards per carry and nearly 125 yards on the ground per game. In two of their last three games the Ravens have allowed a 100-yard rusher (Le’Veon Bell 144 yards in week 4 and Jordan Howard 167 yards this past Sunday). This could be the matchup Murray needs to get going.

Digging a little deeper on the Waiver Wire, the Jaguars wide receiver Marquise Lee has an interesting matchup this week. Last Sunday many figured facing a tough Rams defense, in a run-heavy offense Lee would have little value. With the loss of Allen Robinson back in week one, Lee has emerged as the team’s best receiver. In 6 games Lee leads the team in targets (40), yards receiving (291), and is 2nd in receptions (20). Last Sunday Lee dominated the action in the pass game with 10 targets (good enough for 5 catches and 83 yards), nearest to him was only 3. It’s not a great matchup this week for Lee, but it’s not bad. The Jags will face the Colts in week 7 and over the past 4 weeks, the Colts secondary has surrendered the 5th most receiving yards to opposing wide receivers. If you’re digging, you’ll probably find Lee out there this week.

That's My Take.

~David Ortega

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October 18th 2017

Wednesday Evening Edition

What I Learned from Week 6

Carson Wentz is the real deal in Philly.

We are only six weeks in, but we are six weeks in and the Eagles are 5-1. One of the big reasons has been the play of quarterback Carson Wentz. Through six weeks, Wentz is completing 61 percent of his passes, has thrown for 1,584 yards, and tossed 13 touchdowns. He is currently the No.4 fantasy quarterback this season and has his team at 5-1, in first place of the NFC East. Yep folks, Wentz is the real deal.

Jordan Howard is a Beast Baller.

I’ve had a chance to watch Howard a few times this season and surprisingly to me, he has more quickness and speed than what I remember from last season. Currently the 5th leading rusher this season, what I also remember about Howard he is a bull. At 6-feet tall and 230 pounds the kid is a load. Through six weeks he rushed for 495 yards, averaging over 4 yards per carry, and he’s added 4 rushing touchdowns. In week 6 Howard steamrolled his way through a Ravens defense for 167 yards. With rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky under center, I expect the Bears to feed the beast.

  

Peterson is still All-day and Twice on Sunday!

Many of thought that Adrian Peterson looked like a fish out of water in New Orleans and at the same time, some still questioned whether he had anything left in his tank. Well, once he found a new home where from all appearance, the fit looked right; it did not take long for Peterson to answer all questions and any doubters. Peterson proved once again he is All-Day, carrying the rock 26 times for 134 rushing yards and two scores, including a welcome to my world, I own this B&#%$! 27 yard touchdown scamper in the first quarter on Sunday. It was nice to see Peterson back out there doing what he does, and twice (two touchdowns) on Sunday!

That's My Take.

~David Ortega

FSH NOTEBOOK: DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST

October 18th 2017

Wednesday Evening Edition

Week 6 Fantasy Fallout

More Luck Needed.

This may not be what fantasy owners and Colts fans want to hear, but we are now heading into the 7th week of the season and quarterback Andrew Luck is still weeks away for seeing the field. At what point do you get into the season where you have to think about the long term and shut Luck down? At 2-4 through 6 weeks and a tough week 7 showdown with the Jaguars, the Colts season with Luck is getting farther and farther away. Fantasy owners will have to start facing the awful truth; they’re going to need lots more luck if Luck doesn’t return this season.

Chiefs Defense: Not What You Think?

After 6 weeks of action, there are no more undefeated teams left in the NFL as the Chiefs fell Sunday to the Steelers. And how did this happen? Maybe it’s because the Chiefs defense is not what you think. When they were 5-0 and getting ready to hit cruise control with the Steelers coming to town, what we saw on Sunday and found out, this team is not so formidable. In reality, their weakest link could be their defense, ranked 29th in total yards allowed. Did the Steelers 13th ranked offense in total yards expose them or am I just over-reacting?

Broncos Offense: A Fantasy Mess.

Being the Broncos fan that I am, after watching this offense seemingly struggle week after week a trend starts to emerge; their offense is a fantasy mess with Siemian under center. Is it the play-calling or the execution, hard to tell, maybe it’s both. One thing for sure is, the offense has produced just 10, 16, and 16, since their week 2 explosion for 42 points. Averaging just 14 points the past three weeks is not going to get it done for Broncos fans and fantasy owners. Something needs to be fixed (in the pass game or the run game) or this funk could continue and fantasy owners will be forced to start looking at sitting or trading players like Demaryius Thomas and CJ Anderson.

Packers Offense Facing A Big Change.

Everyone knows about the injury and most who follow football understand the importance of the starting quarterback to his offense. But when you are talking about the Packers starter Aaron Rodgers and his offense, there may not be anyone more important. Rodgers is definitely the engine that makes the Packers offense run. The first reaction is with Aaron OUT, all Packers players fantasy value across the board takes a huge hit. This may make sense, also the run game could become prominent (enter Aaron Jones and Ty Montgomery), but the other wild-card to consider is backup quarterback Brett Hundley is no stranger to the offense and his supporting cast. On Sunday he was thrown to the wolves and one week is not going to be enough time to make a 180 degree difference, but as he gets in sync with the offense and the game slows down for him (and it will), we’ll have to see what he can do. So, no need to panic yet.

That's My Take.

~David Ortega

FSH NOTEBOOK: DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST

October 18th 2017

Wednesday Evening Edition

Sunday At A Glance 

(Week 6)

Watson continues to Own it on Sundays

The Texans rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson is having a season to remember. Against the Browns the rookie was superb once again completing 17 of 29 passes for 225 yards and three more touchdown passes. His numbers had him ranked as the No.2 fantasy QB for the week and it was his fourth straight game with at least 20 fantasy points.

Cousins is rolling now.

After a slow this season, it seems Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins is rolling now. On Sunday Cousins completed 25 of 37 passes for 330 yards, adding three touchdowns; 2 pass, 1 run. This was Cousins third consecutive game with at least 20 fantasy points; during the stretch he has 915 passing yards and 8 total touchdowns. Yeah, he’s rolling now.

Dion Lewis Provides a spark.

With normal starting running back Mike Gillislee seemingly stuck in neutral on Sunday, the Patriots turned to Dion Lewis (who started on Sunday). Gillislee was running well gaining 44 yards on the ground before a first half fumble sent him to the sidelines for an early stretch. Enter Lewis and the spark the Patriots offense needed. Down by 14 points early, Lewis took handle of the run game reigns and total 52 yards on 11 carries, including a one-yard plunge in the 2nd quarter to get the Patriots on the board. With Gillislee in a touchdown drought (since week 2), fantasy owners may see Lewis role in the offense continue to grow.

Steelers find a hole in Chiefs defense.

And just when you thought they were formidable, the struggling Steelers show up and crash the Chiefs home celebration and spoil their undefeated start. Steelers Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger bounced back from an ugly week 5 showing to dice up the Chiefs defense for 250 yards passing and nearly 200 yards rushing. It was the Steelers best offensive output of the season, although they could only muster 19 points. Running back Le’Veon Bell led the way with 179 yards rushing, while Antonio Brown was a huge factor as well with 8 receptions for 155 receiving yards and a score. They looked formidable when the week started, but the Steelers may have just found some cracks in the Chief’s armor.

Fitz and Peterson; The Newest Dynamic Duo

With the arrival of running back Adrian Peterson, the Cardinals rushing offense received a huge and badly needed injection. The Cards entered the week as one of the worst rushing offenses in the league, but finished as the 6th leading rushing team for the week. Coincidently with Peterson in the backfield, wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald decided to take a dip in the fountain of youth turning in a stat line of 10/138/1; good enough for the No.2 fantasy WR for the week (in PPR). And oh yeah, that Peterson fella just managed 134 yards rushing on 26 carries with 2 touchdowns; he was the No.4 fantasy RB in PPR (No.2 in standard).

That's My Take.

~David Ortega

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October 17th 2017

Tuesday Late-Night Edition

The Weekly Waiver Wire

Week 7

As fantasy leagues push deeper into the fantasy season, owners will continue to go to the waiver wire well each week to drink. Fortunately as we enter week 7 of the NFL season and fantasy season, the well has not gone dry; well at least in redraft leagues it hasn’t.

If you are streaming your quarterback position through the bye week, the Jets quarterback Josh McCown has been steady this season. He’s averaging over 13 fantasy points per week and checks in as the No.19 fantasy QB this season. McCown is coming off a strong Week 6 performance with 20.26 fantasy points and has thrown 2 touchdowns in each of his last 2 starts. Back in week 3 McCown totaled 14.66 fantasy points against the Dolphins (the Jets week 7 opponent) and he looks poised to do as much this week.

In the backfield, it looks like the Giants have found a running game behind the efforts of running back Orleans Darkwa. In his last two games Darkwa has gained 186 yards on 29 carries with a rushing touchdown. He’s a nice week 7 grab with the potential of a feature back workload, based on his Sunday night performance against the Broncos (21 carries). His next opponent is the Eagles who have been good against the run, but so were the Broncos.

At the wideout spot, the Titans wide receiver Eric Decker looks to be falling in rhythms with his quarterback and is coming off a solid Monday night game. Based on his numbers entering Week 6, Decker is sure to be lingering on the waiver wire. This is a good time to grab Decker with a week 7 matchup against a Browns defense that just surrendered 3 touchdowns to wide receivers this past Sunday.

One of the reasons for McCown’s steady play is the emergence of his tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins. After serving his two-game suspension to start the season, Seferian-Jenkins has been steadily coming on. In his past two games the Jets tight end has totaled 19 targets, turning in 14 receptions for 75 yards and two scores. He’s a red-zone gem and has now become one of the featured targets in the passing game. He’s a must grab this week off the waiver wires.

Drop of the Week

In PPR formats, Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart has fallen outside the Top-40 (39 in standard). In his last two games Stewart has totaled just 17 rushing yards on 26 carries. He’s coming off not only his worst performance of the season, but of his career. It’s time to let him go, there are plenty of better options available at this point.

That's My Take.

~David Ortega

FSH NOTEBOOK: DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST

October 17th 2017

Tuesday Late-Night Edition

On The Cover This Week

Ladies & Gentlemen, He’s Back!

Okay, maybe it’s not time just yet to throw a ticker-tape parade, but after Sunday’s dominant performance against the Buccaneers, it becomes very difficult to doubt the Cardinal’s new running back Adrian Peterson. Peterson looked like his old self, breaking tackles and gashing the opposing defense. Unlike his arrival in New Orleans, he appears to be a great fit for the Cardinals offense.

On a day when quarterback Carson Palmer passed for 283 yards and tossed three scores, Peterson toted the rock 26 times for 134 yards rushing and two scores. If the offense can find this kind of balance and production on a weekly basis, Peterson is going to be a fantasy monster in the second half of the season.

After 6 games this season Peterson is the 49th ranked fantasy RB in PPR (38 in standard format) with 215 yards rushing on 53 carries and two touchdowns (both came on Sunday). Against the Buccaneers he tallied 25.40 fantasy points (in standard & PPR); folks he’s just getting started.

In case you missed the announcement on Sunday following his 27-yard touchdown run in the first quarter of the Bucs-Cards game, Ladies and Gentlemen All-Day is back!

That's My Take.

~David Ortega

FSH NOTEBOOK: DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST

October 17th 2017

Tuesday Evening Edition

Sunday Lineup Killers

FANTASY DUDS 

If you owned any of these fantasy duds, it wasn’t pretty on Sunday. These are the players that are supposed to carry your squad on Sunday, but it’s likely if you had them, they killed any chance for a win in Week 6.

The Raiders quarterback Derek Carr returned to action in Week 6 after missing a week with a back injury. After his dismal performance on Sunday, just 171 passing yards with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions (the No.26 fantasy QB for week 6), fantasy owners may have wished Carr sat out another week.

The Lions had to turn to a heavy pass game on Sunday to play catch up and keep up with the Saints. Unfortunately for fantasy owners running back Ameer Abdullah only carried the ball 14 times for 54 yards and only saw two targets in the passing game (resulting in zero catches). Not a good day if you were a Lions fan or Abdullah owner.

It was another long Sunday for Patriots running back Mike Gillislee and fantasy owners. Gillislee finished outside the Top-50 fantasy RB (in PPR) failing to find the end-zone for 4 consecutive game. With just 44 rushing yards and a fumble, Gillislee was a lineup killer on Sunday.

The Rams wide receiver Sammy Watkins has virtually become the invisible man the past several weeks and on Sunday he continued the trend. Against the Jaguars Watkins was targeted 4 times and caught all of one ball for 11 yards.

The Raiders have a Houdini of their own in the passing game, wide receiver Amari Cooper. Fantasy owners have not heard much from Cooper the past several weeks and on Sunday he made little noise catching 5 balls for a mere 28 yards; not exactly what fantasy owners were looking for.

On Sunday the Green Bay Packers lost their starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers (broken collarbone) and it seems that tight end Martellus Bennett was also lost. Bennett has not been a focal point in the Packers pass game this season and on Sunday with just 2 receptions for 22 yards, it seems that role has not changed.

That's My Take.

~David Ortega

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October 17th 2017

Tuesday Evening Edition

Week 6 Sunday Heroes

Not the Usual Suspects

In week 6 there were a lot of big names like Le’Veon Bell, Melvin Gordon, and Antonio Brown on the board scoring well for fantasy owners, but these were your not The Usual Suspects putting up numbers on Sunday as well.

He’s not been the best each week, but it seems every week Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer is in the fold. Palmer, the No.8 fantasy QB through week 6 posted a solid line of 18 of 22 passing for 283 passing yards with 3 touchdowns and a pick; he was the No.4 fantasy QB for the week.

In a back-up role Jaguars running back Chris Ivory got a lot of play in the passing game on Sunday. Ivory was targeted 10 times, catching 9 balls for 74 receiving yards and a touchdown; good enough for the No.7 fantasy RB in PPR for week 6.

The Giants running back Orleans Darkwa had a Sunday night breakout performance against the league’s number one run defense (Broncos). Darkwa carried the pigskin 21 times for 117 rushing yards finishing the week as the No.17 fantasy RB in PPR (he was even better in standard at No.11).

The Lions passing game got a boost from wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. He’s been relatively quiet this season, but on Sunday he erupted for 21.6 fantasy points in PPR with a stat line of 6/96/1. He was the No.4 fantasy WR in week 6 (PPR format).

In the Sunday night Mile High Meltdown by the Broncos, the Giants rookie tight end Evan Engram provided plenty of heat. The rookie pass catcher hauled in 5 passes for 71 yards with a touchdown on 7 targets, good enough for the No.3 fantasy TE for Week 6 (in PPR).

That's My Take.

~David Ortega

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October 15th 2017

Sunday Morning Edition

Sunday Morning Game-Time

(Week 6)

You had me at Elijah.

Elijah McGuire is one of my flavors of the day. I love his matchup today against the Patriots and with Powell out, he should be heavily involved. Forte is not 100 percent, so I don’t consider him a real threat to dominate the touches today. Just ask Jerry, I like McGuire.

A sneaky sleeper or gut feeling

I read the same reports earlier in the week and I am not buying the kool-aid; Steelers considering giving Martavis a break. He and Big Ben have been just off on several deep throws this early going. If they had connected on even two of those, there would be different tunes being sung. The Steelers owned the Chiefs last season, and this is just the type of game the Killer Bees (Big Ben, Brown, Bell and Bryant) need to bounce back.

Love the move.

Peterson to Arizona made all the sense in the world to me. All-Day was buried on the bench is New Orleans, but in Arizona he’ll get a chance to be the workhorse in the ground game. I do love this move for both teams, but I’m not ready to jump off the deep end. Peterson will get work, but we’ll have to wait to see how it all shakes out; is he looking at 14-18 touches per game or can he be a 20+ plus touch ball carrier in a pass-first offense?

That's My Take.

~David Ortega