FSH NOTEBOOK: THURSDAY NIGHT MATCHUP

November 2nd, 2023

David’s Daily Digest

Thursday Afternoon Edition

Thursday Night Matchup

Tonight’s matchup between the Titans and Steelers doesn’t have too many hot takes, but it does offer some intrigue with potentially some new faces on the field. While the Steelers starting quarterback Kenny Pickett has a chance to play, the Titans will be rolling the dice with rookie quarterback Will Levis.

Levis is coming off a phenomenal debut last Sunday, when he completed 65.5% of his passes for 238 yards and touchdowns. With the short week and limited film study time available, I don’t see the Steelers defense being able to throw a lot of exotic looks or too much at the rook. We could see another strong performance against the league's 24th ranked pass defense.

MY DFS STACK PLAY

(QB-Will Levis and WR-DeAndre Hopkins)

Levis is coming off a strong performance where he hooked up with his primary receiving weapon, wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. The two were highly efficient and explosive in Week 8, connecting on 4 of 6 passes for 128 yards and three scores. This connection seems like a lock tonight against a suspect secondary that has been had by Jaguars wide receivers Calvin Ridley & Christina Kirk in Week 8 (10 receptions/129 yards receiving), Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua in week 7 (8 receptions/154 yards receiving), and Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers in Week 6 (6 receptions/50 yards receiving/1 touchdown).

I can see many entrants running with this stack tonight, so a possible change of direction to consider would be the Titans tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo. He was second on the team last week with 5 targets and could be effective tonight against the Steelers defense that surrendered 11 receptions to the tight end last week.

Looking to go against the grain, consider the Steelers Najee Harris tonight, but temper expectations. In two of their last three games the Titans defense has allowed 100 or more yards rushing..

That’s My Take!

~David G. Ortega

FSH NOTEBOOK: FANTASY FOOTBALL WINS

September 26th, 2023

David’s Daily Digest

Tuesday Afternoon Edition

Fantasy Football Wins!

(NFL Week 3)

This is always one of the fun parts following the weekend, when I can look back at my successes. There will always be those players locked-in your lineups, but I consider some of these players as those that may or may not be in lineups; and they should be and shouldn’t be.

Cousins is fantasy gold.

QB-Kirk Cousins (QB4) - Despite the team’s lack of success in the win column, as long as Cousins is the starter and he has Justin Jefferson available, he’s a must-start in fantasy. The guy has been pure fantasy gold, finishing in the top each of the first three weeks.

The Cowboys running back continues to play like a star.

RB-Tony Pollard (RB13) - The Cowboys running back has been a star thus far this season. On Sunday he turned in another solid performance rushing for 122 yards. For the season Pollard is the fantasy RB9.

As expected, another quiet day.

RB-AJ Dillon (RB52) - The Packers desperately need Aaron Jones back. In the two games without Jones, Dillon has been a dud. In the two games without Jones available, Dillon has finished outside the Top-50 fantasy running backs. He belongs on your bench for the time being.

The Jets passing game is non-existent.

WR-Allen Lazard (WR59) - The Jets wide receiver caught three balls for 39 yards on Sunday. As long as the offense struggles, Lazard is going to remain fantasy irrelevant. For the season he’s fantasy receiver No.73. He can be dropped.

The Chiefs receiver room is a mess.

WR-Kadarius Toney (WR100) - The Chiefs wideout has clearly been a disappointment thus far this season. It’s still early in the season and his quarterback is Patrick Mahomes, but sitting at fantasy WR102 with just 7 catches for 35 yards to this point, he can’t be trusted. It’s safe to drop him.

The Texans rookie continues to play well.

WR-Tank Dell (WR6) - The Texans rookie wide receiver was big on Sunday, recording 5 receptions for 145 yards, including a 68-yard touchdown reception. This was the second straight week Dell has finished as a Top-20 fantasy receiver. He's a must-start at this point.

Another quiet day for Titans tight end

TE-Chigozeim Okonkwo (TE25) - The Titans 2nd year tight end is off to a slow start this season. On Sunday was more of the same, catching three passes for 7 yards. For the season, with just 10 targets in three games Okonkwo sits at fantasy TE44. He shouldn’t be owned and not worth streaming.

That's my take!

~David G. Ortega

FSH NOTEBOOK: WEEK 3 FF SITS

September 23rd, 2023

David’s Daily Digest

Saturday Afternoon Edition

Fantasy Football Week 3

Sit’Ems

My week 3 Sits for Sunday and Monday.

Looking ahead to this weekend, I have a list of players that I am not dropping (if on my roster) ahead of Sunday, but rather going to navigate around. Whether it is the effect of weather, dealing with an injury, or just a bad matchup, I am looking to avoid the following players for Sunday and Monday of Week 3.

QB-Joe Burrow (Bengals) - The Bengals signal caller, Joe Burrow is dealing with a calf injury and his status for Monday night is not looking good. He has yet to live up to the draft capital invested in him, so it is concerning to hear he is less than 100 percent and may not play. The Bengals are in the late window, so waiting for game-time status would be tough. Unless I hear anything to the effect of remarkable improvement, I am going to avoid this situation and sit Burrow.

RB-AJ Dillon (Packers) - With the latest reports indicating running back Aaron Jones could return this week, I am looking to avoid Dillon for the time being. Even with Jones out last week, Dillon slotted in at fantasy RB33. Even if Dillon is again the lead back this week, he’s facing a tough 13th ranked Saints run defense. Through two games Dillon has 28 carries for 74 yards for a career low average of 2.6 yards per carry. Sit him.

WR-Allen Lazard (Jets) - If you were anything like me, with quarterback Aaron Rodgers under center, Lazard seemed like a nice late round pick in fantasy drafts. With the loss of Rodgers (achilles), Lazard is no longer starter worthy. He’s barely worth rostering, but for now I will hold him for another week.

WR-Kadarius Toney (Chiefs) - It’s hard to stay patient with Toney. Through two games this season he’s just been bad. Too many drops, just six catches for 36 yards on 10 carries. The Chiefs matchup this week looks favorable, but after these first two games I just don’t trust Toney. With Patrick Mahomes as his quarterback, it is likely that he’ll get this turned around at some point and sooner than later, but for now he’s on my bench.

 

TE-Chigoziem Okonkwo (Titans) - The Titans tight end is off to a rough start (No.43 fantasy tight end) with just 4 catches for 35 yards in two games this season. The Titans are not a high volume passing team, so Okonkwo’s chances will be limited and with just six targets in two games, I’ll need to see a greatly improved target share before I can trust him in my lineup.

That's my take!

~David G. Ortega