FSH NOTEBOOK: FRIDAY'S FANTASY FIXX

September 29th, 2023

David’s Daily 

Friday Evening Edition

Friday’s Fantasy Fixx

(Week 4: Best Matchups)

We’ve entered another weekend slate of games, still trying to recover from the week that was and looking forward to the week that could be. Could there be any monster games lurking in the shadows of the week 4 schedule?

Just like the previous week there are plenty of tasty matchups and a ton of data to dissect and figure out how to take advantage. The fantasy world can be cruel and she can be kind, looking ahead to the games of Week 4, these are some matchups we are hoping she smiles;

QB-Daniel Jones (Giants) - It’s been a tumultuous season for the Giants and quarterback Daniel Jones to this point. A comeback win and two blowout losses have fantasy owners holding their breath and hoping for the best. Well some of the best could arrive this Monday in the form of the Seahawks secondary, ranked 31st versus the pass and allowing the 2nd most completions to opposing quarterbacks. Another big key for Jones will be his tight end, a position of weakness for the Seahawks defense, that ranks 27th against in yards allowed. Daniel Jones finishes as a Top-12 fantasy QB this week.

QB-Joe Burrow (Bengals) - The Bengals passing game has yet to find its wings in this young season, but week 4 could offer hope for Burrow and company to air it out. In week 4 Burrow faces a Titan’s secondary that has allowed the 3rd most passing yards (899-yards passing) and a 72% completion rate to opposing quarterbacks. This game sets up as a get right matchup for Burrow and company. Sunday will be Burrow’s first 300-yard passing effort in 2023.

RB-Dameon Pierce (Texans) - It has been a very slow start for Pierce this season, currently the fantasy RB34, he has totaled just 100 yards rushing in three games averaging a paltry 2.5 yards per carry. This week Pierce and the Texans will take on the Steelers and have a shot to finally get the running game out of first gear. The Steelers defense is ranked 31st against the run (entering week 4), allowing around 5.5 yards per carry, so if there was ever a time for Pierce to break out this week should be it. I say he does it.

RB-James Cook (Bills) - Through the first three weeks of the season, Cook is the league's third leading rusher with 267 yards on the ground, averaging an impressive 6.1 yards per tote. He’ll have a great chance to continue his success this Sunday facing a Dolphins defense that has allowed 337 yards rushing (ranked 27th entering week 4) at a 4.7 yards per carry clip. In his only game at home this season, Cook posted a 100-yard rushing effort and will look to continue this trend on Sunday. I like his chances.

WR-Tee Higgins (Bengals) - Higgins has had an up and down season through the first three weeks and this weekend sets up as a great chance to finish on the upside. The Bengals receiver will get a shot at a Titans secondary that has surrendered 57 receptions (3rd most) and 690 yards (4th most) to opposing receivers. Look for the Bengals offense to take advantage and Higgins to put up solid WR-2 numbers for the week.

WR-Nico Collins (Texans) - Through the first two weeks of the season, Collins was well inside the Top-10 of fantasy receivers with 226 yards receiving and 13 receptions. Last week he was targeted just three times and had a quiet afternoon. The Steelers secondary has allowed the 5th most fantasy points and 6th most receptions to opposing wide receivers. Fantasy owners can expect Collins to return to the form he displayed the first two weeks.

TE-Evan Engram (Jaguars) - Engram is the No.4 fantasy tight end through the first three weeks and he has been steady all season. The Jaguars tight end ranks third among tight ends with 21 targets, entering week 4 he ranked tied for 2nd with 18 receptions, and his 173 yards receiving ranks third. The Jaguars are in London this weekend to square off against the Falcons and Engram will get a chance to face a defense that allows the 6th most fantasy points to opposing tight ends. Entering week 4 the Falcons have surrendered 18 receptions (tied for the 6th most) and two touchdown receptions to opposing tight ends. Engram has been solid this season and hasn’t finished lower than fantasy TE7. This won’t be the week he does, expect more of the same.

TE-Kyle Pitts (Falcons) - The Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts enjoyed his most productive week this season, catching 5 balls for 41 yards receiving on 9 targets. The targets are trending in the right direction and the matchup this week is good versus the Jaguars. The Jags defense has allowed the 4th highest fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends and through three games they’ve surrendered two touchdowns. Expect Pitts to continue to trend in the right direction. This weekend he enters the Top-12 fantasy tight end discussion for the week.

These players may already be locked into your lineup and they may not, but if they are sitting on your bench and you are facing a start’em dilemma consider these plays for Week 4. I guarantee nothing and offer even less, these are just my forecasts about their respective week 4 matchups and outcomes for this weekend. 

Strong plays to consider for DFS as well.

That's my take!

~David G. Ortega

FSH NOTEBOOK: SUNDAY'S HEROES WEEK 2

September 18th, 2023

David’s Daily Digest

Monday Evening Edition

NFL Sunday Week 2:

Sunday’s Heroes

A big day of production on Sunday for these fantasy heroes and studs. If you had any of these performers in your lineup this week, you are likely in a good spot to secure a week two win. But it is fantasy football, so there are no guarantee.

QB, Daniel Jones (Giants) - The Giants quarterback Daniel Jones used his legs as well as his arm to dig his team out of a 21 point hole in week 2. Down 28-7 in the 3rd quarter, Jones went to work. Jones passed for 321 yards on the day, completing 26 of 37 passes (70.3), tossing two scores and rushing for a third, leading the Giants all the way back for the win. Jones finished the day as the No.1 fantasy QB.

RB, Brian Robinson (Commanders) - Robinson played a big role in his teams come-from-behind win on Sunday. Trailing by 18 points late in the 1st half, Robinson and company jumped into high gear. Robinson led the way on the ground rushing for 87 yards on 18 carries, with two rushing touchdowns, and a critical 2-point conversion. He would also contribute in the passing game with a couple of grabs for 42 yards receiving. The Commanders ball carrier was the RB1 fantasy running back on Sunday.

WR, Keenan Allen (Chargers) - The Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen was targeted often in week 2 (10 times) and produced big numbers. Allen pulled in 8 balls for 111 yards receiving and two touchdown receptions to pace the Chargers receiving game. Allen finished the day as the No.1 fantasy wide receiver.

TE, Hunter Henry (Patriots) - The Patriots tight end was once again big in the pass game on Sunday night. Henry was targeted six times and caught six passes for 52 yards and his second receiving touchdown for the season. Henry finished as the top fantasy tight end on Sunday and after two weeks he is currently the number two fantasy tight end overall through two weeks.

IDP, Micah Parsons (Cowboys) - The Cowboys young linebacker was special on Sunday, causing chaos and wrecking havoc in the Jets backfield. Parsons collected 4 solo tackles, including three tackles for a loss, two sacks, 4 quarterback hits, one pass defense, one forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. He finished as the number one fantasy IDP player on Sunday.

That's my take!

~David G. Ortega

FSH NOTEBOOK: DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST

August 31st, 2023

Thursday Evening Edition

My Top 10 Fantasy Football 

QB Rankings for 2023

The NFL kicks off in less than one week and this coming weekend promises to be the biggest draft weekend of the season. So with no time to lose here is my Top-10 Quarterbacks for the start of the 2023 season.

The Top-10

1. Patrick Mahomes

2. Josh Allen

3. Jalen Hurts

4. Joe Burrow

5. Lamar Jackson

6. Justin Fields

7. Justin Herbert

8. Trevor Lawrence

9. Deshaun Watson

10. Dak Prescott

Last season, quarterback Patrick Mahomes was sensational passing for over 5,000 yards for the 2022 regular season. But do you know who was better on a fantasy points-per-game basis? No, not Josh Allen, but Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. 

While the top three could be considered interchangeable, in 2022 Hurts broke out with a fantastic campaign, tossing 22 touchdowns, while completing 66.5% of his passes, and adding 13 rushing touchdowns. With that type of prolific production, I have Hurts ranked as number three, but he could easily vault to the top spot.

Last season, the Bears 2nd year quarterback Justin Fields took over the reins and went on an exceptional run of his own from weeks 7 through 15 (missing only week 12). During this stretch Fields posted 7 straight games with 19 or more fantasy points, including two games over 39. Fields finished as the No.6 fantasy quarterback in 2022 and has a good chance at repeating or improving in 2023.

The Browns starting quarterback Deshaun Watson, after missing the full 2021 season, played in less than half of the 2022 season, 6 games. The rust from his layoff showed last season, as Watson finished as the No.25 fantasy (points-per-game) scoring quarterback. This coming after finishing as the No.5 fantasy QB in 2020, his last full season played. With a full training camp under his belt and a full complement of weapons, Watson is poised for the Top-10 and could push for a Top-5 spot in 2023..

Just missing the Top-10, but still start-worthy in 12-team leagues are quarterbacks, (Dolphins) Tua Tagovailoa and (Giants) Daniel Jones. With the Dolphins passer, his health will be the biggest concern. As long as Tua stays healthy, he’s a Top-10 all day.

With the Giants signal caller, Jones just needs to build off his 2022 season (finished as the No.10 fantasy scoring QB). Six of his final eight games Jones scored no fewer than 17 fantasy points, eclipsing 20 points three times. Like Tua, Jones is a borderline Top-10.

That's my take!

~David G. Ortega

FSH NOTEBOOK: DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST

August 28th, 2023

Monday Evening Edition

On My Radar: Draft Day Targets

Now that the draft season has heated up, it’s time to talk about my Draft Day targets. These are the players that I will be looking to take at the right time during my several upcoming drafts. I want value, but I am also looking for opportunity with upside.

Diving in deep, let’s start with the early rounds.

I’ve only participated in a couple of drafts thus far this season. But as I read some of the latest news and watch all of the preseason action, the word on the Fantasy Football Street is wide receivers are going early. It’s not hard to make this argument when you consider the top two consensus receivers are the Vikings Justin Jefferson (128 receptions in 2022) and the Bengals Ja’Marr Chase (over 20 FPG in 2022).

In most of my drafts, I am slotted beyond the 6th spot, so with the receiving landscape being so rich in talent the receiver I am most interested in taking as a last first or early 2nd round pick is Davante Adams. Over the past three seasons Adams has averaged 1,481 yards receiving, 14.3 receiving touchdowns, and 112.6 receptions each season. In his first year in Las Vegas his production level was on par with these averages. In 2022 his finished as the third highest scoring fantasy wide receiver playing in all 17 games. Even with a new quarterback (Jimmy Garappolo) this season, I don’t see a big fall off for Adams. Even with a 5-8% regression he finishes as a top 5 wideout. He’s a safe pick with great value.

Still in the early rounds, two running backs that I have been seeing around the 3rd and 4th round turn are (Packers) Aaron Jones and (Cardinals) James Conner. Both backs offer RB1 value, each finishing in the top 12 last season in fantasy points per game. Jones registered over 1,500 yards from scrimmage in 2022, while Conner finished as a top 10 fantasy running back. Both are going late enough you can bypass in the first two rounds pick up Jones in the late 3rd or grab Conner a little later in the 4th.

As we skate along into the mid-rounds, this about the time to start looking for my tight end and this season my sights are set on the Giants Darren Waller. Listening to a lot of Training camp talk on the radio and TV, there’s a buzz around Waller in New York. Looking back at his 2019 and 2020 seasons with the Raiders, Waller stormed onto the fantasy scene posting TE1 numbers, finishing as the No.5 fantasy tight end in 2019 and No.2 in 2020. Last season was a bust playing in the shadow of (Davante) Adams, but now that he’s in New York, Waller absolutely has the talent to be the number one option for quarterback Daniel Jones.

Finally, this Draft Day target is not a late round flyer, but in my opinion possibly a steal in the 7th round or later, Steelers wide receiver George Pickens. In my opinion, Pickens is dynamic and showed a lot of flash last season when given the opportunity. Last season compared to other receivers with at least 80 targets, Pickens finished 6th in yards per reception with 15.4 yards per catch. His quarterback has been looking good this preseason and figures to take a few steps forward, so I am expecting good things from Pickens. Last season he finished as the No.52 fantasy wideout, this season I believe he could make a leap to a borderline WR2/WR3 (12 team leagues). 

That's my take!

~David G. Ortega

FSH NOTEBOOK: DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST

Friday Late Night Edition
October 18th 2019

Week 7 Fantasy Fixx

Week 7 Fantasy Football

Start
QB-Daniel Jones, NYG; The Giants rookie quarterback has shown flashes this season and on sunday facing the Cardinals he could shine even more. The Cardinals defense is ranked 30th against opposing quarterbacks, allowing 296 yards passing per game and 16 passing touchdowns. Jones will have his starting tailback and tight end back this week, so he should be all systems go; start him.

Sit
QB-Teddy Bridgewater, NO; While the Saints back-up quarterback has been great in the win-loss column since taking over for the injured Drew Brees, Bridgewater will have some tough sledding ahead of him this Sunday against a stout Bears defense. The Bears’ defense ranks 5th against opposing quarterbacks, having allowed just four passing touchdowns (3rd fewest). Bridgewater is a tough start, look for better options.

Start
RB-Tevin Coleman, SF; The Niners have been flexing their ground game muscle all season, ranked 2nd in the league averaging nearly 180 yards per contest with 8 rushing touchdowns this season. Coleman should see his fare share of work this week and could get some goal line opportunities against a 28th ranked Redskins run defense. Coleman’s a safe play this week, start him.

Sit
RB-Adrian Peterson, WAS; After recording his first 100-yard rushing game of the season last week with 118 yards on the ground against the Dolphins, Peterson could struggle to find yards this week against the Niners. The Redskins offense ranks 28th overall and the Niners defense ranks 2nd; the numbers suggest a long day for Peterson and the Washington offense. Avoid Peterson and start

Start
WR-John Brown, Buf; The Bills leading receiver has been steady this season, but far from great. This week with Phins in town with their 26th ranked pass defense, Brown has a chance to reach paydirt and shine. The Dolphins have allowed 9 receiving touchdowns to opposing receivers this season; Brown is a safe play, insert him in your lineup.

That’s My Take
~David G. Ortega