September 25th 2017
Monday Afternoon Edition
Monday
Night Takes
It’s time for some Monday night football
and tonight’s matchup between the Cowboys and Cardinals will have plenty of
fantasy implications with players like Dez Bryant, Larry Fitzgerald, Ezekiel
Elliott, and Jason Witten.
We’ve seen a lot of improved play this
weekend on the offensive side of the ball and tonight I’d expect to see the
trend continue. Players like JJ Nelson, Carson Palmer, and Chris Johnson may
arrive tonight on the big stage.
Quarterback Dak Prescott;
it was tough sledding for the young quarterback last, but tonight he’ll get
back to his usual form taking care of the ball and making good decisions. He’s
a mid-QB2 this week and is in line to tally his normal 16-20 fantasy points
against a Card’s defense that allows the 9th most fantasy points to opposing
quarterbacks.
Running Back Ezekiel Elliott;
the Cards defense has been pretty solid through two weeks against the run, but
they have yet to face any running backs of Elliott’s caliber. Elliott should
see his normal workload tonight as this matchup should remain close throughout.
He won’t run wild tonight, but his production should be worthy of starting as
your RB1.
Wide Receiver Dez Bryant;
some speculate a tough matchup for the Cowboys receiver this week. Bryant is a
big physical receiver that has the trust of his quarterback; 25 targets through
2 games. Tonight Bryant will matchup with a secondary that was torched back in
week one by the Lions; Cards surrendered 18 receptions for 245 yards and three
scores. Bryant has only secured 9 passes this season for 102 yards and a
touchdown; he’ll make a run at those numbers tonight.
Tight End Jason Witten;
the Cowboys veteran tight end has been his quarterback’s security blanket (17
of 22 receptions to targets) through the first two weeks of the season (keeping
Witten very relevant in fantasy). He’ll continue to be his go to tonight
against the Cardinals and is easily a TE1.
Quarterback Carson Palmer;
the Cardinals quarterback has had his struggles in this early season, perhaps
is just rust from lack of playing time and practice during training camp and
preseason. Some will argue his age has caught up to him, but I think we could
see the same weekend trend. I don’t think you are starting Palmer this week,
but I think he has a decent outing (good for his receivers) against a secondary
that Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian shredded pretty good last week.
Running Back Chris Johnson;
the Cardinal’s newest Johnson had few carries last week, but didn’t look bad.
He’s sure to get a more sustained look tonight (provided Palmer doesn’t throw
this one to the other side early). Johnson will be interesting to watch
tonight; not looking for a huge game from him, but rather his usage. If he runs
well and still has a little of that great speed, he could become a viable flex
option in the short future.
Wide Receiver JJ Nelson;
the Cardinals number three receiver in the absence of John Brown (and
disappearance of Fitz) has emerged as their best receiver and big play threat.
But we saw some of this last season, so we should not be surprised. What has raised
eye-brows is his sudden rise in fantasy land. Nelson is the current No.27
fantasy receiver in PPR (No.12 standard) entering tonight’s contest. With a
current stat line of 10/163/2, if he’s healthy to go, expect his ranking to
rise inside the Top-20 and Top-10 respectively.
Wide Receiver Larry Fitzgerald;
the 14 year veteran leads the Cards receivers with 19 targets through two games
this season, it just hasn’t translated into any kind of production fantasy owners
can trust. He’s typically regarded as a borderline WR/WR3, but given his
current state coming off a 3-catch 21-yard performance, owners may want to tap
the brakes a bit when it comes to Fitz. He may be down in PPR leagues this
week, but he should still hold some value as a flex in standard leagues as a
viable red-zone threat
That’s My Take.
~David Ortega
