FSH NOTEBOOK: DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST

November 22nd 2017

Wednesday Night Edition

On the Cover This Week

Pittsburgh is Steel Rolling 

with Big Ben

The Pittsburgh Steelers are sitting atop of their division at 8-2 and tied with the Patriots for the best record in the AFC. They have done all of this with something noticeably missing until just recently.

Heading into their Week 10 matchup with the Indy Colts, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers offense had yet to really fully display their talents and expectations as a unit. In what should have been a great matchup the Steelers offense was not all it could have been. But it was enough for the win and from that game a much-needed big play spark.

Fast forward to Week 11 and suddenly the Steelers offense led by Big Ben and his Killer Juju-Bees found gold again and struck big on Thursday night. With another toy in his arsenal and an old favorite, Big Ben turned in easily his best performance of the season last Thursday passing for 299 yards and throwing 4 touchdowns against the Titans defense. He finished as the league’s No.2 fantasy QB for Week 11.

It was a statement to the rest of the league to take heed, Big Ben and Company are back and Steelers offense is just heating up. With Antonio Brown playing lights out, the emergence of JuJu Smith-Schuster, the deep threat of Martavis Bryant, and the smooth Le’Veon Bell, Big Ben is well equipped to do some serious damage to opposing defenses.

Big Ben is only the No.16 fantasy QB through 11 weeks, but his stock is on the rise and he is trending in the right direction. With matchups against defenses like the Packers, Patriots, Texans, and the Ravens at home, Big Ben and the Steelers passing game could be ready to make a run and get a on sweet roll.

That's My Take.

~David Ortega

FSH NOTEBOOK: DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST

October 28th 2017

Saturday Night Edition

Week 8 RB Rankings

With a week 8 matchup against the Patriots this Sunday, Chargers running back Melvin Gordon is slotted at the number two spot. Gordon, the No.4 fantasy RB (PPR format) has been a dual threat this season and should heavily involved in the offense on Sunday; he’s a favorite this week.

He’s the lead back in the Bengals running game and this week’s meeting against the Colts could finally be breakout week for rookie running back Joe Mixon. The Colts have allowed the 2nd most fantasy points and most rushing touchdowns (8) to opposing running backs. This could be the week Mixon tops his season high 62 rushing yards set back in week 3 and finds the end zone (for the second time this season).

The Niners allow the most fantasy points to opposing running backs and have surrendered the most receptions and receiving yards making Wendell Smallwood a week 8 flex favorite. Smallwood hasn’t done much this season, but this Sunday could be very different.

RB Rankings

1. Le’Veon Bell

2. Melvin Gordon

3. LeSean McCoy

4. Kareem Hunt

5. Ezekiel Elliott

6. Mark Ingram

7. Jordan Howard

8. Devonta Freeman

9. Alvin Kamara

10. Christian McCaffrey

11. Joe Mixon

12. Jerick McKinnon

13. Doug Martin

14. Chris Thompson

15. Ameer Abdullah

16. Lamar Miller

17. Carlos Hyde

18. James White

19. Duke Johnson

20. Latavius Murray

21. CJ Anderson

22. Tevin Coleman

23. Jalen Richard

24. Dion Lewis

25. Wendell Smallwood

26. Matt Forte

27. LeGarrette Blount

28. Bilal Powell

29. Tarik Cohen

30. Theo Riddick

That's My Take.

~David Ortega

FSH NOTEBOOK: DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST

October 28th 2017

Saturday Afternoon Edition

My Perfect Lineup Week 8

(NFL.com)

Just a quick week 7 review, Brees was my quarterback last week and he finished No.10, my running backs were McCoy and Freeman, both finished No.2 and No.19 respectively; not bad, but certainly not great. My receivers were Julio and Dez, No.4 and No.9 a vast improvement, and Jimmy Graham (No.6 fantasy TE) wasn’t far off.

For a perfect lineup (standard scoring), a bit off the pace no doubt, but not a bad DFS play (if the salaries work). My Kicker and D/ST were both decent, finishing 7th for Week 7. Final results for week 7, probably not too bad, but we are certainly looking for more from my Week 8 picks;

QB-Carson Wentz; the Eagles quarterback has been on fire of late and with a golden matchup with the Niners at home, he has to be this week’s favorite at QB. Wentz is currently the No.2 fantasy QB with 17 touchdowns and 260 yards passing per game.

RB-Le’Veon Bell; the Steelers running back has been the focal point of the offense all season and that’s not changing this week. Bell is averaging nearly 29 touches per game and the Lions

RB-Jordan Howard; the Bears running back has been running like thunder through opposing defenses this season with 560 rushing yards (ranks 5th in the league). He’s only the No.14 fantasy RB (in PPR), but I feel good about his matchup against the Saints this week. Remember, last week the Saints allowed 131 yards rushing to Packers running back Aaron Jones.

WR-AJ Green; the Bengals passing game starts and finishes with Green. He’s the No.6 fantasy WR (in PPR) this season and looks to improve his ranking this week against the Colts. Colts allow the 5th most fantasy points to opposing receivers and the 6th most over the past 4 weeks; looking good for AJ on Sunday.

WR-Keenan Allen; the Chargers receiver is one of the most targeted receivers in the league with 68 this season (3rd most). The Patriots have played well this season, but they will have all they can handle trying to cover Allen and the rest of the Chargers receivers. Allen is the go-to, so I expect to see him post numbers on Sunday.

TE-Rob Gronkowski; Gronk has been quiet of late and regardless of the matchup, he’s always has a chance to blow up. I am just taking a shot here and playing the odds. Gronk is still the No.2 fantasy TE this season, but has only scored in double-digit fantasy points in 3 of 6 games and last week he only posted 8.10 fantasy points (in PPR).

PK-Jake Elliott; let’s face it the Eagles are going to score a lot on Sunday against the Niners. I like Elliott’s chances to hit a couple of chip shots and posting double digit points on Sunday.

D/ST-Bengals defense; just playing the numbers with this matchup. The Bengals have a sound defense and they are at home this week. The Bengals will matchup against a Colts offense that ranks 28th in the league in Total Offense and they in turn are the No.2 defense this season. Something’s gotta give, so rolling with Cincy.

That's My Take.

~David Ortega

FSH NOTEBOOK: DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST

October 21st 2017

Saturday Evening Edition

Week 7 RB Rankings

In a matchup that should be filled with plenty of fireworks, I really like Falcons running back Devonta Freeman this week. Despite this being a road game for the Falcons, it’s a great matchup for Freeman against a struggling Patriots defense.

RB Rankings

1. Le’Veon Bell

2. Ezekiel Elliott

3. Devonta Freeman

4. LeSean McCoy

5. Todd Gurley

6. Jay Ajayi

7. Melvin Gordon

8. Mark Ingram

9. Jordan Howard

10. Carlos Hyde

11. Alvin Kamara

12. Jerick McKinnon

13. Christian McCaffrey

14. Leonard Fournette

15. Doug Martin

16. Chris Thompson

17. Adrian Peterson

18. CJ Anderson

19. Tevin Coleman

20. James White

21. Duke Johnson

22. Javorius Allen

23. Joe Mixon

24. Dion Lewis

25. Derrick Henry

26. Ty Montgomery

27. LeGarrette Blount

28. DeMarco Murray

29. Aaron Jones

30. Orleans Darkwa

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 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

FSH NOTEBOOK: DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST

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

FSH NOTEBOOK: DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST

October 14th 2017

Saturday Evening Edition

Week 6 RB Rankings

This has to be PPR Week in the NFL. All the way up to No.14 this week is the Browns running back Duke Johnson Jr, solely on his receiving prowess. Through five weeks Johnson has powered his way up to the No.8 fantasy RB spot in PPR with 23 receptions on 31 targets. With only 16 carries, Duke is basically used as another receiver and stays heavily involved. Last week his touches and targets dipped a bit, but this week against a battered Texans defense he’ll likely take advantage.

Another PPR specialist that should make a lot of noise this week is Patriots running back James White. The Patriots ball carrier comes in at No.20 and that’s right where he is on the season; the No.20 fantasy RB in PPR. Through the team’s first five games White has been targeted 35 times and snagged 29 balls. He’s at home this week and will take his shots at a jets defense that allows the 5th most fantasy points to opposing running backs; he may not be high enough in this week’s rankings.

RB Rankings

1. Kareem Hunt

2. Todd Gurley

3. Le’Veon Bell

4. Melvin Gordon

5. Devonta Freeman

6. Leonard Fournette

7. Jordan Howard

8. Doug Martin

9. DeMarco Murray

10. Lamar Miller

11. CJ Anderson

12. Mark Ingram

13. Jay Ajayi

14. Duke Johnson

15. Ameer Abdullah

16. Carlos Hyde

17. Jerick McKinnon

18. Alvin Kamara

19. Javorius Allen

20. James White

21. Marshawn Lynch

22. Aaron Jones

23. Tevin Coleman

24. Chris Thompson

25. Andre Ellington

26. Tarik Cohen

27. Elijah McGuire

28. Mike Gillislee

29. Samaje Perine

30. Jamaal Charles

That's My Take.

~David Ortega