FSH NOTEBOOK: DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST

November 5th 2017

Sunday Morning Edition

Sunday Morning Gametime

(Week 9)

Last Minute Updates

No Jeremy Hill today for the Bengals, which means we’ll see even more of Joe Mixon today against the Jaguars. Giovani Bernard could see more field time, but he’s not

Leonard Fournette is inactive today and Chris Ivory will start. Going up against the Bengals today, look for TJ Yeldon to get plenty of play.

Wide receiver Pierre Garcon was added to the Injured Reserve this week. With his absence, specifically this weekend, with Jamison Crowder also OUT receivers Ryan Grant and Terrelle Pryor will see a bundle of targets. Grant is the favorite today playing out of the slot.

Trending this morning

In DFS, running back Lamar Miller is trending upwards with my start selections. I like his matchup and with the loss of Watson under center, I believe the offense may lean with the run today.

A sleeper play this week, that shouldn’t really be a sleeper play if you’ve been awake over the past several weeks is Saints receiver Ted Ginn Jr. Ginn has made some big plays this season and recently has put up nice numbers; last 3 weeks, 13 catches, 275 yards receiving, and a touchdown.

Final Thoughts

I have the Colts offense flying under the radar this week, but I like Brissett with Mack, Doyle, and Hilton in a stack for DFS, or at least a couple of these guys sprinkled in your lineups. The Texans defense is full of leaks and this is a matchup that could reap many rewards.

That's My Take.

~David Ortega

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November 3rd 2017

Friday evening Edition

Diamonds in the Rough

Looking ahead to Sunday, although we are in week 9, we are still only in week 9 and options do exist for fantasy owners looking for help and trying to find those weekly gems.

As the bye weeks continue here a couple of Week 9 hidden gems that could be interesting plays on Sunday;

QB-Tom Savage; the loss of rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson is devastating, but it doesn't have to be the end of the Texans or fantasy owners. The offense is still loaded with some talent and playing with confidence. It's a long shot, but with players like Fuller, Hopkins, and Miller still available this week Savage could be a diamond in the rough this week. He has a favorable matchup against a defense that has allowed 12 passing touchdowns (5th most), 290.4 yards passing per game (2nd most), and the 5th most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks.

RB-Marlon Mack; after a week 6 setback (in usage), the Colts rookie runner has seen his involvement in the offense trend upward with 9 touches in week 7 and 14 touches in week 8. Mack has also seen snap count increase with 48 in week 7 and 39 in week 8 (led the backfield both weeks). In 3 of his last 4 games, he's also scored in double-digit fantasy points. While the Texans have been lock down against the run this season, one stat worth noting, rookies this season have had success; Fournette in Week 1 and Hunt in Week 5.

WR-Devin Funchess; with the departure of Benjamin, the time is now for Funchess to arrive. The Panthers receiver has been fine thus far this season, although over his last three games he's managed only single digits in fantasy scoring. Through 8 weeks, Funchess leads the team in targets and receptions, but was outscored by Benjamin (his primary hurdle to more opportunity). Funchess should see a big uptick in targets and scoring opportunities going forward and with the potential for increased production he's got a great shot at moving from the No.30 fantasy receiver (PPR) to Top 20.

That's My Take.

~David Ortega

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October 29th 2017

Sunday Morning Edition

Sunday Morning Gametime

Week 8 has begun with two games in the books. I am just running down, my thoughts for Sunday morning, sprinkling a little bit of this and that for fantasy consideration. I don't have a crystal ball or hot-line to Matt Berry for info, so tread with caution;

Stud of the Week

I am all-in with Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen. The great thing here is the matchup against the Patriots and the fact the quarterback Philip Rivers has plenty of other options that should keep the defense honest. Allen has been a target monster at times this season, today could be another double-digit look and big production.

Dud of the Week

I am staying away for Niners running back Carlos Hyde. This is an ugly matchup for the Niners, over-matched on the defensive side facing the Eagles offense and likely to be overwhelmed this week on the offense side matching up against the league's number one rushing defense.

DFS favorites today

Joe Mixon; I like the rookie running back's matchup today. Mixon has been getting the bulk of the workload in the backfield and with today's matchup against the Colts, owners should see significant production in what I predict to be a breakout performance.

Kelvin Benjamin; the Panthers and quarterback Cam Newton look to rebound from the ambush at Soldier Field a week ago. Benjamin is going to be a primary target and should get a couple of scoring opportunities today. I like him a lot against the Bucs today.

Diamonds in the Rough

Mack Hollins; the explosive Eagles rookie receiver had one catch last week, but it was a big one; a 64 yard touchdown strike. A risky play in redraft leagues yes (maybe a flier in big DFS tournaments), but I like his chances today to get behind the Niners secondary for another big score.

Marlon Mack; the Colts rookie running back has been trending in the right direction with his snap count. He's a preferred option in the pass game and could potentially see significant play today in a game where the Colts could be playing catch-up most of the way.

That's My Take.

~David Ortega

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October 13th 2017

Friday Evening Edition

Friday’s Fantasy Five

Another exciting Sunday approaches as we are already underway with week 6, following Thursday night’s exciting finish between the Eagles and Panthers. And like the great game we watched Thursday, I am looking for a lot of great and a lot of exciting on Sunday. Here are five things I will be following on Sunday;

#1. The Giants are a mess, time to strike.

Injuries and in-house feuding has the G-men in turmoil. The offense has been decimated with injuries and the defense is a mess with players being suspended. If there was ever a time for the Broncos offense to strike, this Sunday night could be it. Coming off the bye quarterback Trevor Siemian will be looking to kickstart the passing game, while the Jamaal Charles and CJ Anderson will be looking to lead the running game against a 29th ranked Giants run defense.

#2. Steelers Offense needs a Spark.

After a horrid week 5 performance at home against the Jaguars, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and the offense are in dire need of a spark. Running back Le’Veon Bell has been anchoring the run game, but what the offense has been missing are the big plays from the passing game. There’s been talk about giving wide receiver Martavis Bryant a break, I don’t buy it. He’s unquestionably your most explosive offensive player, he’s got to be involved this Sunday against the Chiefs. I’ve watched a number of Steelers games this season, and there have been numerous close misses between Big Ben and Martavis. I look for the two to take a number of shots this week and finally dial in a couple for the spark they need.

#3. Watch John Brown on Sunday.

The Cardinals speedy playmaking receiver John Brown has been practicing and getting healthier each week. Last Sunday Brown was targeted 7 times, snagging two balls for 26 yards and a score. Not big numbers in week 5, but his 7 targets equaled the number of targets he saw in week 4. As long as Brown continues to see a steady diet of looks, he’s going to have fantasy value; and this week adds an appetizing matchup against the Buccaneers 26th ranked pass defense.

#4. Deshaun a Stud; It’s Elementary my Dear Watson.

After back-to-back brilliant performances, the Texans rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson is educating the rest of the league as to how good this stud really is. Through five weeks Watson has cemented himself as a Top-10 fantasy QB. With a date against the Browns this Sunday and a defense that allows the 4th most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks, Watson will once again be putting his theory to the test.

#5. Mack’s time is coming, maybe sooner than later.

Father time has a way of calling when you least expect it and don’t want to listen. While Colts running back Frank Gore has been actively involved in the passing game the past couple of weeks, his rushing numbers have not been impressive; just 151 yards rushing on 51 carries in his last three starts. Rookie running back Marlon Mack had his first breakout game last week totaling 91 yards on 9 carries. The dominant running performance will surely earn him more time on the field and while we’re not ready to retire Gore just yet, you can bet Mack’s time is coming and he should be owned in fantasy leagues.

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

FSH NOTEBOOK: DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST

October 10th 2017

Tuesday Evening Edition

Week 5 Sunday's Heroes

Not-the-Usual Suspects 

It's been a bit of an off year for Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers, but it was nice to see him among the weekly passing leaders. This week comes just 7 days after a strong performance in Week 4. Against the Giants on Sunday Rivers passed for only 258 yards (3rd best passing yard total this season), but he added three touchdowns. Although it was not his best passing day (only 21 of 44 passing) it was his day in fantasy (20.82 fantasy points). The Chargers signal caller is tough and gritty and as we saw on Sunday very capable. He's got the weapons, so there will be better passing days and more scoring on Sundays like this ahead. Rivers, currently the No.11 fantasy QB is making his case as a fantasy QB1.

After watching the Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz light up the Cardinals secondary, can anyone argue how good this kid has become and leap he's taken from his first year. Wentz finished Sunday completing 70 percent of his passes for 304 yards and 4 touchdowns. On the year the Eagles 2nd year quarterback has 10 passing touchdowns and is averaging 272 yards passing per game. He's the No.6 fantasy QB and a legitimate QB1 that needs to be started every Sunday.

It was not a quiet return on Sunday for running back Marlon Mack. The Colts rookie ball carrier was returning from injury after missing action in week 4. Mack was the No.8 fantasy RB for week 5, finishing his day with 91 yards rushing on 9 carries and adding a touchdown. The performance was enough for his head coach to acknowledge that he's earned a bigger role in the offense, putting Mack in play as a weekly flex.

In Green bay the Packers may have just found their next feature back in rookie Aaron Jones. Against the Cowboys on Sunday Jones was solid with 125 rushing yards on 19 carries (6.5 yards per carry average) and a rushing touchdown. Jones found a way onto the field in Week with Ty Montgomery going down, but his 32 carries for 174 yards rushing have earned his way to staying. Even when Montgomery returns Jones is going to be a factor. But while Montgomery is out, Jones has back-end RB2 value.

With his quarterback quickly rising up the fantasy ranks, Eagles wide receiver Nelson Agholor has quietly moved up the fantasy tree himself. On Sunday Agholor finished the day with 4 grabs for 93 yards and a score, good enough to push his season totals to 16/266/3. Agholor has been one of the more efficient receivers in the NFL and is currently the No.24 fantasy WR; he should be considered a starter in most formats.

With Greg Olsen on the shelf for the next six weeks, tight end Ed Dickson has emerged as a reliable weapon in Carolina. On Sunday Dickson was huge with 5 catches for 175 yards. It was his second consecutive game with at least three catches and 60 receiving yards. With only a total of 9 targets over the past two weeks, it may be too early to be pushing for Dickson as a reliable TE1. But if he can string his third game in row with good numbers, he's going to get the call.

The second best fantasy tight end (in PPR) on Sunday was the Niners rookie George Kittle. The rookie pass catcher is quickly making an impression in the fantasy world. On Sunday he posted a stat line of 7/78/1, good enough to elevate him to the No.16 fantasy tight end spot after 5 weeks. It was a breakout game for Kittle, but not necessarily a breakthrough. We'll need a larger sample size before we can trust George as a weekly play.

That's My Take

~David Ortega