FSH NOTEBOOK: DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST

October 28th 2017

Saturday Night Edition

Week 8 QB Rankings

Topping the charts this week, to be expected is Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz, as he should be facing the lowly Niners defense. Wentz has been solid this season the Niners are coming off a week 7 throttling by the Cowboys Dak Prescott.

After falling flat last week against the Bears, a week 8 meeting with the Buccaneers is just what Cam Newton may need to bounce back. Newton has been solid this season and last week may have just been an anomaly. Fantasy owners can look for Newton to have much greater success this Sunday against a defense that allows the 3rd most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks.

The Falcons defense has been trending the wrong direction of late, enter Jets quarterback Josh McCown. It’s not a prime week for big numbers, but with so many teams on Bye, McCown (the No.13 fantasy QB) could still be in play as a streaming option. He has posted back-to-back 20-plus fantasy point games.

QB Rankings

1. Carson Wentz

2. Tom Brady

3. Drew Brees

4. Dak Prescott

5. Cam Newton

6. Matt Ryan

7. Kirk Cousins

8. Philip Rivers

9. Russell Wilson

10. Tyrod Taylor

11. Deshaun Watson

12. Alex Smith

13. Andy Dalton

14. Ben Roethlisberger

15. Derek Carr

16. Jameis Winston

17. Matthew Stafford

18. Josh McCown

19. Case Keenum

20. Trevor Siemian

That's My Take.

~David Ortega

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October 27th 2017

Friday Evening Edition

Friday’s Fantasy Five 

What to Expect on Sunday Week 8

Could be a Boltz Blitz on Sunday

I know the recent numbers against the Patriots may be saying one thing, but I’ve been watching the Chargers this season and weapons they have. Philip Rivers has been steady this season and with Hunter Henry (No.9 fantasy TE) once again emerging along with wide receiver Keenan Allen the Chargers offense is quite potent. Running back Melvin Gordon (No.4 fantasy RB) is having a strong 2017 campaign, but how he’s doing it is a bit surprising; 29 receptions for 228 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns. As well as the Patriots have been playing recently, they’ll have their hands full trying to slow down the Boltz.

Wentz Looking to Soar Higher

After a magnificent Monday night performance against the Redskins, Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz is primed and poised to have another big week. Wentz is currently the No.2 fantasy QB and he’s having a terrific season. Last Monday he looked unstoppable and this week he gets the Niners who have allowed the 3rd most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks the past four weeks. With Wentz playing at such a high level, everyone on the offense should benefit and be played; Agholor, Ertz, and Smallwood.

Cousins Ready for a Rodeo

And just like that, the Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins has elevated himself to the No.7 fantasy QB this season. After a slow start, Cousins has really come on of late with 11 total touchdowns (10 pass/ 1 run) and three 300-yard passing games in his last 4 starts. He’s really been playing well for fantasy owners scoring better than 20 fantasy points in four straight starts. Cousins faces the Cowboys have allowed over 20 fantasy points to the following quarterbacks; Carson Palmer, Aaron Rodgers, and Trevor Siemian. I like Cousins chances at a big Sunday.

And His Name is Dalton

It has not been the best year for Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton (No.27 fantasy QB), but some of that could change on Sunday. Dalton and company will play host to the Colts this week and face a defense that has allowed the 7th most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks, including 321 passing yards per game with 6 touchdowns. Wide receiver AJ Green could be looking at a big day as well matched up against a secondary that has allowed the most receiving yards to opposing wide receivers.

Wham, Bam, Time for Cam

The Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (No.8 fantasy QB) has been a little up and down this season. He’s coming off a poor performance last week against the Bears passing for just 211 yards and throwing two picks. This should be his up week with a favorable matchup on Sunday against the Buccaneers who have allowed the 3rd most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. Not only should Cam be looking at a good day on Sunday, but owners should be looking to play both wide receivers Kelvin Benjamin and Devin Funchess; the Bucs allow the 2nd most fantasy points and receptions to opposing wide receivers.

That's My Take.

~David Ortega

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October 23rd 2017

Monday Evening Edition

Sunday’s Lineup Killers

(Week 7)

There is always going to be those weeks when players don't perform, when they get shut down, or when they tank big time. Those are the weeks and the games fantasy owners can only hope to safely navigate their way through, because when you don't these fantasy duds can kill a Sunday lineup. These are the week 7 Lineup Killers;

QB-Cam Newton; the Panthers quarterback looked much better in his postgame, then he did on the field Sunday (at least to most fantasy owners). Newton passed for only 211 yards with no touchdowns and two picks; not the numbers of a QB1.

QB-Eli Manning; the Giants signal caller was just awful on Sunday against the Seahawks. Manning completed just 19 of 39 passes for a mere 134 yards, throwing one touchdown. Without OBJ, Manning has quickly fallen off the QB1 big board and will likely continue to fall.

QB-Marcus Mariota; it was an off week for the Titans starter. It was just one of those games where Mariota could not get his offense out of first; he passed for 203 yards with no touchdowns. Fantasy owners are hoping Mariota can get things turned around soon; he's currently the No.21 fantasy QB.

RB-CJ Anderson; with the struggles of the Broncos offense, go the struggles of the run game and Anderson. It was another subpar week with just 11 touches for 61 total yards. As long as this offense struggles as it has, Anderson is not a great RB2/3 option.

RB-Melvin Gordon; it was another tough matchup against the Broncos defense, and in this case the Broncos won the matchup. Gordon was bottled up most of the day totaling just 44 yards on 19 touches. The good news here, 19 touches and the Chargers won't see the Broncos again this season.

RB-Jordan Howard; the Bears running back found little room to run against a tough Panthers run defense on Sunday. Howard totaled just 65 rushing yards on 21 carries. The good news here, Howard once again dominated the touches in the backfield with 21; his 5th straight game with at least 19 touches or more.

WR-AJ Green; the Bengals star receiver was held in check on Sunday with just 3 catches for 41 yards. Green only had 6 targets on the day and could never really get going in a matchup pretty much dominated by the Steelers. His 6 targets were a season-low and probably something that won't be repeated any time soon.

WR-Keenan Allen; like his teammate Melvin Gordon, Allen was just a victim of a tough matchup against the Broncos. Allen caught 3 passes for 41 yards on 7 targets. Two things here, the 7 targets by far a season low and like Gordon, he won't face the Broncos again.

TE-Martellus Bennett; with the change at quarterback, there's going to be a lot of growing pains for the Packers tight end; just  2 catches for 17 yards on 3 targets. Bennett is off the fantasy radar for now.

That's My Take.

~David Ortega

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October 12th 2017

Thursday Evening Edition

Thursday's Twitter Takes

"Newton is rolling, no stopping the Cam train!" by @FantsySprtshome

Not much to say about this. Cam Newton appears to have rediscovered his MVP and over the past two weeks he has again looked like Superman.

"Funchess and Benjamin should find the endzone" by @FantsySprtshome

Both of Cam's targets (Funchess & Benjamin) are huge receivers with solid hands and will be in play in the red-zone.

"Wentz has been good, but a tough road match could slow his roll" by @FantsySprtshome

The Panthers have been tough against the pass and allow the 9th fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. Wentz is too good to be shut down, but the Panthers D is more than capable enough to slow him down.

"I'm looking for Agholor to again be the not-so-sneaky play tonight." @FantsySprtshome

The Eagles receiver broke out last week with a big performance. On the year he has three touchdowns and his 12 yards per targets ranks among the receiving leaders in the league. He's not a heavy volume receiver, but he's effective.

Tonight's matchup should be a pretty good one. According to the numbers this one could be lining up to be a defensive struggle, but I have a feeling we are going to see some fireworks from Cam and Carson. Both bring a nice compliment of weapons and too much talent on offense to be held in check. The running attacks will be modest tonight, look for most of the damage to come from the air.

That's My Take.

~David Ortega

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October 11th 2017

Wednesday Late Night Edition

Sunday at a Glance

After taking a look back at Sunday Week 5, there were a lot of fantasy football storylines, but these caught my attention the most;

Rams live up to the hype, offense doesn't.

It was a typical grueling divisional matchup with the Seahawks and it gave us what we pretty much expected when two teams know each other well; limited offense and lots of defense. The Rams made a lot of mistakes in the game, but despite their 5 turnovers the Rams had a chance to win this one at the end of the game. The overall numbers on offense weren't great all-around, but Goff and company lived up to the hype and will have better Sundays ahead.

Cam is Back!

We should have got the hint two weeks ago when Cam completed 22 of 29 passes for 316 yards and 3 touchdowns, but I believe many thought we might see a meltdown after the ridiculous controversy started from Cam's comments following his week 4 performance. To the contrary, there was no meltdown, just Cam rising up once again with another prolific game in Week 5. On the road against the Lions, Cam Newton resembled his MVP like form passing for 355 yards, completing 79 percent of his passes and tossing 3 touchdowns again. Cam looks healthy and Cam looks back! He's an every week must start.

Carson Wentz has arrived

His name is not Cam, but the Eagles 2nd year quarterback Carson Wentz played like Cam on Sunday and to be more specific, he played great. This season the Eagles are one of the hotter teams in the league at 4-1, and Wentz has been a big reason for this. On Sunday Wentz completed 70 percent of his passes for 304 yards passing, and 4 touchdowns. After 5 games Wentz has thrown for 1,573 yards, tossed 10 touchdowns and currently is the No.6 fantasy QB. He's a fantasy QB1 and it's safe to say he's arrived.

Get ready for the Mack Attack

The Colts rookie running back finally had a breakout game last Sunday rushing for 91 yards and a touchdown on 9 carries after missing two games. Mack's 2017 campaign was off to a slow start and slightly derailed with a shoulder injury. He had been sidelined for a couple of weeks, but now that he's healthy and coming off a strong performance, according to head coach Chuck Pagano the team needs to find ways to get Mack more involved. Mack is worth rostering right now and fantasy owners should keep close watch of the Indy backfield, changes could be coming.

That's My Take.

~David Ortega

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September 27th 2017

Wednesday Late Night Edition

What I Learned from Week 3

(Quick Takes)

It’s late Wednesday night, the morning will come early tomorrow, so I am not going to spend too much time on my rants here, but here’s what I learned from last week;

Too early to anoint Siemian! Yup, first road test was a fail. Maybe it wasn’t a complete failure, but the inability to put the ball in the endzone (3 FGs last week) won’t get it done.

Broncos defense has some holes. After their two week scintillating start, the defense comes back to earth getting toasted by, of all quarterback Tyrod Taylor. And I’m not knocking Taylor, actually thought his mobility would play into the Broncos pass rush, wrong. Taylor’s got a lot more than that.

Brady-to-Cooks, dinner is served! Fantasy owners finally got a taste at what could be. Now will they see what will be going forward. Well right now the Pats defense is not going to stop anyone, so maybe we will.

Patriots are powered by the Pass. After three weeks fantasy owners can see how this engine runs in New England. Brady may have a lot of miles on his arm, but that baby is still running smooth. Play away.

Is Jaguars defense for real? This may be a tough question to answer given the offenses they’ve had to face in the early going. Good news is, we won’t have to answer this week either. Jags will face Jets on Sunday, so I feel good about their chances with continued success.

Keenum equipped to handle reins. Whether he remains the starter for the long term (see Bradford’s health) or the short term, what we’ve seen over the past two weeks should give fantasy owners plenty of confidence to roll with their studs (Diggs, Cook, Thielen). Maybe this week will be TE Rudolph’s turn.

Falcons defense could be a problem. Thus far the Falcons are undefeated, but no thanks to their average defense (ranked 17th in total yards). The Falcons have dodged bullets in week one to Chicago and last week against the Lions. Their 3-0 record could be misleading.

Bucs defense needs work. After a strong opening week performance, the Bucs defense got a rude awakening courtesy of Keenum and the Vikings. The Bucs play in a tough division loaded with some pretty good arms and receivers. Defense needs work, fast!

Colts a work in progress. Well surprise, surprise. The Colts proved Any Given Sunday is true. We won’t get ahead of ourselves here. They are a work in progress, but after quarterback Jacoby Brissett’s impressive week 3 play there is light at the end of the tunnel. And quarterback Andrew Luck could be back in a few weeks.

Manning and group finally show up. It tooks three weeks for the offense to finally click, but then again they only managed 24 points and still lost. Eli Manning and the G-men haven’t got it all figured out yet, but last week certainly looked like they got the passing game somewhat figured out. Now work on the run.

Steel Curtain made of aluminum. Week 3 was not an impressive day for the Steelers defense. Maybe the team left them back in the tunnel; they didn’t know the game started since they missed the national anthem. Either way, 220 yards rushing allowed, that curtain couldn’t have been made out of steel.

Panthers offense in trouble? This was not big test, but it was not a good sign for Cam and company to struggle against a Saints defense that had been treated like a doormat for the two previous weeks. You have to ask, is there something wrong with Cam? How do the Panthers play so poorly at home against the Saints. Hmmm?

Brees not done yet. Just when it looks like the Saints were toast, Brees and the boys show they still have a lot of fight left. The Saints marched into Carolina and strolled right out with an easy win. They get the Dolphins next in London looking to make it two in a row.

The Dalton Gang shows heart. And his name is Dalton. That never gets old. Andy Dalton and company put up the good fight in week 3, but came up short. It’s a long season and heart only gets you so far. If the Bengals don’t get a W real quick, this season is going to be even longer.

That’s My Take.

~David Ortega

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September 22nd 2017

Friday Evening Edition

Friday Fantasy Five

5 Things to Watch this Week

It’s another week of the NFL and after the fantastic Thursday Night game between the Rams and Niners we just witnessed, I can hardly wait for the Sunday action. It’s only week 3, so there’s still a full slate of 14 games on Sunday to be played.

This Sunday will get started a little earlier than usual with the London game between the Jaguars and Ravens. With things set to kick off at 3:30 am EST, make sure you set those alarms early and don’t forget to watch these 5 things this week;

#1 Quarterback Trevor Siemian versus the Bills defense

This will be the first real test for Siemian this season, on the road this week after what looked two cush home games. Siemian has been brilliant through two weeks completing 65 percent of his passing and throwing 6 touchdowns. He’s earned his way onto fantasy rosters, but is he worthy of a starting slot? The Bills defense is the 8th stingiest against opposing quarterbacks, so Siemian will be tested. Owners keep your eye on this one, if Siemian passes this test we may have to consider starting him on a weekly basis.

#2 Quarterback Cam Newton against the Saints

The Panthers offense does not yet look quite in sync, but they have managed to dispose of the Niners and Bills in consecutive weeks. Through 2 games the Panthers have only mustered two touchdowns. It makes you wonder how healthy is Cam. This week the Saints and their 32nd ranked defense will roll into town; Saints allow 32.5 points per game (worst in league) and over 500 yards of offense per game (worst in league). This should be a good measuring stick for how healthy Cam really is and how good this offense is. Right now everyone is steamrolling the Saints, if we don’t see the same from Cam and company, there may good cause to wonder, if not worry.

#3 Running back Leonard Fournette in London

Since you’re going to be up early anyway, pay attention to the Jaguars rookie running back Leonard Fournette. After his strong out of the gate week one performance against the Texans, Fournette was quieter in week 2 against the Titans. Fournette is averaging just 3.5 yards per carry, but through two weeks he’s also averaging 22.5 touches per games. As long as he continues to see that kind of volume, owners can relax. He faces a tough test this week across the pond facing the Ravens stout run defense. Ravens have allowed the 8th fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs and have not surrendered a rushing touchdown yet. The Jags passing offense was subpar last week to say the least, so they should be leaning heavily on ground game with Fournette; this should be fun to watch.

#4 Big Ben and the Steelers offense

In a nutshell, it’s time to rev the engine. The Steelers boast some of the most dynamic and explosive skill players on offense. It’s time for Big Ben and company to break out. Through two weeks we’ve seen some signs that this offense is getting ready to heat up; week one it was Antonio Brown, in week two Martavis Bryant turned it up and Le’Veon Bell logged 27 carries. Could this be the week all the pieces fall into place and the offense goes nuts? Fantasy owners certainly hope so. Even though this matchup is on the road, there’s a good chance it happens. The Bears defense ranks 24th in the league, allowing 26 points and 340 yards of offense per game. Let’s keep a watch on this one, it could get entertaining.

#5 The Raiders secondary against the Redskins passing offense

In other words, let’s see how quarterback Kirk Cousins performs this week. Cousins and the offense have now had several weeks to shake the rust, it’s time to show us who they are; relevant or bust. Let’s put it this way, the Rams quarterback Jared Goff had more fantasy points entering his week 3 matchup. Through two weeks Cousins is the No.24 fantasy QB and his numbers in both weeks have been quiet. The Raiders secondary is leaky and we’ve seen this. Through two weeks their numbers haven’t been all bad, but they are allowing the 7th most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks and a 63.1 completion percentage. It’s go big or go home for the Redskins passing game.

That’s My Take.

~David Ortega

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September 18th 2017

Monday Evening Edition

Sunday Lineup Killers

Here is my Week 2 rundown of those players that may have sunk your week 2 matchup in your redraft league and didn’t score you some mean green in the weekly DFS;

Quarterbacks Cam Newton (11.82 fpts) and Kirk Cousins (11.86 fpts) were drafted as starters in most fantasy formats, but on Sunday neither played to that potential, as far as fantasy owners are concerned.

QB-Tyrod Taylor (BUF) 125 pass yds, 55 ru yds

QB-Cam Newton (CAR) 228 pass yds, 27 ru yds

QB-Kirk Cousins (WAS) 179 pass yds, 1 Td

Running back LeSean McCoy was anything but Shady on Sunday, totaling just 43 yards for the day. If not for his six catches his day would have been a major bust, but considering where he was taken in most fantasy drafts (even PPR) it still was.

RB-Ezekiel Elliott (DAL) 8 ru yds, 14 rec yds

RB-Rob Kelley (WAS) 78 ru yds

RB-Dalvin Cook (MIN) 64 ru yds

RB-LeSean McCoy (BUF) 9 ru yds, 34 rec yds

Wide receivers Jamison Crowder (WR2) & TY Hilton (WR1) likely drafted as starting receivers in most formats are not living up to their promise. Hilton has a built in excuse with the absence of starter Andrew Luck, while it seems Crowders quarterback (Kirk Cousins) has been playing possum himself in this early season. Neither look like great prospects in the short future.

WR-Jamison Crowder (WAS) 47 rec yds

WR-TY Hilton (IND) 49 rec yds

WR-Tyreek Hill (KC) 43 rec yds

WR-Doug Baldwin (Sea) 44 rec yds

WR-Devin Funchess (CAR) 68 rec yds

WR-Antonio Brown (PIT) 62 rec yds

WR-Jordy Nelson (GB) left game w/injury. Zero catches

Tight end Greg Olsen was injured in week 2 and his departure hurt fantasy owners as he had just one catch at the time. Unlike Olsen, Clay was not hurt during week 2, but his fantasy performance on Sunday was hurtful. Clay finished week 2 with just 23 receiving yards.

TE-Greg Olsen (CAR) 1 catch, 10 rec yds

TE-Charles Clay (BUF) 3 catches, 23 rec yds

TE-Jimmy Graham (SEA) 1 catch, 1 rec yard

TE-Martellus Bennett (GB) 5 catches, 47 rec yds

These are the players that if you were lucky enough to avoid, you might have survived week 2, otherwise my condolences.

That’s My Take.

~David Ortega

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September 10th 2017

Sunday Morning Edition

Sunday Morning Gametime

This is one of the most exciting times of the year, right up there with March Madness and Christmas; it’s the first Sunday of the NFL, week 1 and a full slate of games. This is what fantasy owners have been waiting for since camps opened back in July and the time has arrived.

Now that kick-off is just about 75 minutes away how about a couple of “Hot Takes” for week 1;

I’ve not heard anything definitive, but as long as quarterback Cam Newton starts, I am big on wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin. A huge red-zone target in the passing offense, look for two scoreS today from Benjamin.

I may not be starting Niners quarterback Brian Hoyer today, but I think he’ll draw some fantasy owner attention today with a solid performance. He’s not goinig to be a sexy play any week, but he’s going to be a quarterback you can stream throughout the season.

One reason for Hoyer’s success will be his connection with wide receiver Pierre Garcon. He’s the number receiver in a system he’s familiar with he could see double digit targets today and post WR1 numbers against the Panthers.

The Bills running back LeSean McCoy is going to see plenty of carries today and could top the 150 total yards mark. The Jets defense has been picked apart this offseason and they could really struggle this season against opposing running backs, especially in the pass game.

And finally for Week 1, look for the old man (sorry Carson) in Arizona, quarterback Carson Palmer to find a little fountain of youth in Detroit today. He and the legend wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald could pull out some old tricks and post some big numbers today; 300 yards passing, 100 yards receiving, and at least one scoring connection.

That’s My Hot Takes for Today.

~David Ortega