FSH NOTEBOOK: DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST

November 13th 2017

Monday Evening Edition

Sunday’s Lineup Killers (Week 10)

There are weeks when your fantasy studs perform big and there are weeks where they give you what you need to survive, then there are the weeks, where you wish that Sunday could start all over. Those are the days, your studs become lineup killers and these were some from Week 10;

QB-Tyrod Taylor; The Bills starter had a rough outing on Sunday completing just 9 of 18 passes for 56 yards with a pick before being benched. Taylor had just completed a nice three game run before his struggles on Sunday. Going forward he’s still a QB2 in most formats, until further notice.

RB-Doug Martin; The Buccaneers running back struggled to find any openings on Sunday rushing for just 51 yards on 20 carries (2.55 yards per carry). The good news for owners, Martin saw 20 carries and hopefully there won’t be too many more of these games ahead.

RB-Jordan Howard; The Bears running back finished as the No.47 fantasy RB for the week totaling just 54 yards rushing on 15 carries. It was not a good day for Jordan, but his 15 carries were a low number since week 2. Fantasy owners can expect that to change going forward with better results.

WR-Marvin Jones Jr; The Lions wide receiver was held to just one catch for 22 yards receiving on 2 targets. All were season lows for Jones and coming after a three game run where he averaged better than 6 catches and over 100 receiving yards per game. Look for Jones a solid WR2 to bounce back next week against the Bears.

TE-Jack Doyle; After four straight weeks with at least 6 receptions and 44 yards receiving and averaging double-digit fantasy points, the Colts tight end laid an egg on Sunday. Doyle finished with just 2 catches for 9 yards. It was a tough day for owners, but it was just one game.

That's My Take.

~David Ortega

FSH NOTEBOOK: DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST

October 30th 2017

Monday Evening Edition

Sunday’s Lineup Killers

(Week 8)

The Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston was having a solid 2017 campaign heading into week 8. Back in week 6 against the Cardinals he suffered a shoulder injury which forced him from the game early. After aggravating his shoulder injury last week against the Bills, Winston started the Week 8 against the Panthers. 

After struggling all day and posting less than 4 fantasy points and throwing two interceptions, you have to wonder how much the injury affected him. Nonetheless, his poor outing on Sunday was your lineup’s demise (if you started him).

Here are a few others from Week 8 that took down fantasy owners lineups;

QB-Dak Prescott; the Cowboys did not need much from Prescott relying heavily on their running game and fantasy owners didn’t get much. Prescott only threw 22 passes passing for 143 yards with zero touchdowns. Owners can relax, there will be better days ahead for Prescott, as the Cowboys will need bigger games from him down the stretch.

RB-Devonta Freeman; the Falcons stud running back was off on Sunday, not able to break loose gaining just 41 yards rushing. This was a disappointing effort against a defense ranked 28th versus the run.

WR-Dez Bryant; with Prescott only throwing 22 passes, there were only few opportunities for Bryant on Sunday. Dez finished with just 4 catches for 39 yards on 6 targets. With Elliott likely returning to suspension, Bryant’s role could grow even more over the next several weeks.

WR-Stefon Diggs; the Vikings stud receiver returned to the lineup on Sunday, but it may take him another week to get back to his old self. Diggs was targeted 6 times, but could only turn that into 4 catches for 27 yards.

WR-Hunter Henry; the Chargers tight end continues his up and down scoring cycle for the season, with another dud on Sunday. Henry caught just 2 passes for 11 yards. He’s the No.10 fantasy tight end in PPR, but his volatile production can make him awful risky at times.

That's My Take.

~David Ortega

FSH NOTEBOOK: DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST

October 17th 2017

Tuesday Evening Edition

Sunday Lineup Killers

FANTASY DUDS 

If you owned any of these fantasy duds, it wasn’t pretty on Sunday. These are the players that are supposed to carry your squad on Sunday, but it’s likely if you had them, they killed any chance for a win in Week 6.

The Raiders quarterback Derek Carr returned to action in Week 6 after missing a week with a back injury. After his dismal performance on Sunday, just 171 passing yards with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions (the No.26 fantasy QB for week 6), fantasy owners may have wished Carr sat out another week.

The Lions had to turn to a heavy pass game on Sunday to play catch up and keep up with the Saints. Unfortunately for fantasy owners running back Ameer Abdullah only carried the ball 14 times for 54 yards and only saw two targets in the passing game (resulting in zero catches). Not a good day if you were a Lions fan or Abdullah owner.

It was another long Sunday for Patriots running back Mike Gillislee and fantasy owners. Gillislee finished outside the Top-50 fantasy RB (in PPR) failing to find the end-zone for 4 consecutive game. With just 44 rushing yards and a fumble, Gillislee was a lineup killer on Sunday.

The Rams wide receiver Sammy Watkins has virtually become the invisible man the past several weeks and on Sunday he continued the trend. Against the Jaguars Watkins was targeted 4 times and caught all of one ball for 11 yards.

The Raiders have a Houdini of their own in the passing game, wide receiver Amari Cooper. Fantasy owners have not heard much from Cooper the past several weeks and on Sunday he made little noise catching 5 balls for a mere 28 yards; not exactly what fantasy owners were looking for.

On Sunday the Green Bay Packers lost their starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers (broken collarbone) and it seems that tight end Martellus Bennett was also lost. Bennett has not been a focal point in the Packers pass game this season and on Sunday with just 2 receptions for 22 yards, it seems that role has not changed.

That's My Take.

~David Ortega

FSH NOTEBOOK: DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST

October 10th 2017

Tuesday Late Evening Edition

Week 5 Sunday Lineup Killers

There are just some days you can't avoid that pot hole in the road and there are some Sundays where you wish you had avoided that lineup killer. And I'm pretty sure there were some of you that really wished you had avoided starting Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Apparently Big Ben wasn't feeling it on Sunday throwing 5 interceptions with zero touchdowns. Big Ben has been a tough read this season with no strong fantasy performances this season and after Sunday's disaster, you'll be regulating the Steelers quarterback to your bench for the time being.

The Rams running back Todd Gurley was as bad as 5 turnovers, but his low production in Week 5 (50 total yards) definitely hurt fantasy owner's chances for a win. Unlike last season's struggles, fantasy owners can chalk this one up to divisional matchup, Seahawks defense, etc, etc. Gurley has been brilliant this season, so there's no need to panic. This will happen with some of these divisional matchups, but Gurley will bounce back and he'll have those big Sunday's owners drafted him for.

And like Gurley, the Lions running back Ameer Abdullah was disappointing in week 5. At home, Abdullah and the Lions were ambushed by the visiting Panthers. Abdullah was completely shut down, limited to just 31 yards rushing and 3 yards receiving. His performance can be attributed to a good Panthers defense and game flow. The Lions fell behind big and in the 4th quarter became one dimensional going with running back Theo Riddick down the stretch. This was just a bad game for the Lions and not the norm, when the offense is operating Abdullah is going to see the Lion's share. No need to worry, he should bounce back strong next Sunday against the Saints.

One concerning trend in the Lions offense this season has been wide receiver Golden Tate. In a game where the Lions trailed big and had to play catchup, fantasy owners would expect to see a heavy dose of Tate in the pass game. Such was not the case, on Sunday Tate caught all of 5 balls for 48 yards receiving; good enough for the No.39 WR in week 5. In three of his last four starts Tate has scored in single digit fantasy points, a trend that needs to change or fantasy owners may need to start looking for more reliable options.

After 5 weeks it's official, time for fantasy owners to put their Steelers toy wide receiver Martavis Bryant away for a while. With the struggles of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, Bryant has not been able to put together a solid Sunday since week 2. He has continued to fall down the fantasy tree (just 5 catches for 21 yards in week 5) and landed at the No.46 fantasy WR spot. He can't be trusted for now, it's time to sit Bryant.

Through 5 weeks of the season, the Lions tight end Eric Ebron (currently the No.48 fantasy TE in PPR) has been collecting dust on your fantasy bench. If you didn't start him back in week one, you probably haven't started him all season and every Sunday he keeps giving you reason to sit him. With the exception of week 2, Ebron has been irrelevant every Sunday. In weeks 1, 3, 4, and 5 he has a total of 7 receptions for 51 yards; that averages to 1.7 catches and 13 yards per game. He's off the fantasy radar for now.

That's My Take

~David Ortega

FSH NOTEBOOK: DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST

October 4th, 2017

Wednesday Evening Edition

Week 4 Sunday Lineup Killers

Week 4 was more like Black Sunday for many fantasy owners, as a lot of big names just didn't show up. Leading the way of the demise was the Falcons Matt Ryan. This was his second consecutive sub-par performance. In Week 3 he threw three picks and here in week 4 Ryan finished as the No.27 fantasy QB; not what owners signed up for when they drafted him as the No.4/5 QB.

Quarterbacks

Matt Ryan: 242 pa yds, 1 td, 2 int

Derek Carr: 143 pa yds, 1 td

Matthew Stafford: 209 pa yds, 0 tds

Ben Roethlisberger: 216 pa yds, 1 td, 1 int

It's simple in New England, if running back Mike Gillislee doesn't find the endzone he's going to crush your fantasy lineup. Since his big breakout Week 1 three-touchdown performance, he's only scored in double digits once, back in week 2. The Patriots have been caught up in some high scoring matchups, but they do most of their damage through the air. Gillislee's totals for Week 4, 49 rushing yards. That's not going to help too many fantasy owners going forward

Running backs

Jonathan Stewart: 68 ru yds, 1 Fum

Mike Gillislee: 49 ru yds

DeMarco Murray: 31 ru yds, 2 rec, 4 rec yds

Jay Ajayi: 46 ru yds, 8-yd rec

This is the second consecutive sub-par week and the third in four games for wide receiver Martavis Bryant. He's only topped 50 yards once this season and has had no more than 3 receptions in any game this season. I'm sure Martavis, along with fantasy owners hope he'll break this trend soon, but don't look for it this week. Next up for Bryant is Jacksonville and their No.1 passing defense.

Wide Receivers

Martavis Bryant: 3 rec, 48 rec yds

Rishard Matthews: 3 rec, 49 rec yds

Adam Thielen:5 rec, 59 rec yds, 1 Fum

It's time to put the Chargers tight end Antonio Gates on the shelf. He's definitely fallen down the pecking order behind the trio of Chargers receivers; Keenan Allen, Tyrell Williams, and Travis Benjamin. Gates may bounce back here and there , but with just 3 catches for 18 yards in Week 4 (the No.28 fantasy TE) he can no longer be trusted as a fantasy starter.

Tight Ends

Delanie Walker: 3 rec, 51 rec yds

Coby Fleener: 2 rec, 21 rec yds

Jack Doyle: 5 rec, 27 rec yds

Antonio Gates: 3 rec, 18 rec yds

That’s My Take

~David Ortega

FSH NOTEBOOK: DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST

September 25th 2017

Monday Evening Edition

Week 3 Sunday Lineup Killers

If you were counting on your big guns to deliver on Sunday, boy were you disappointed in a big way. Fantasy championships are lost this way. Well that may be over-dramatizing things a bit, but if your guys played like this it definitely didn’t help your cause;

The biggest egg laid yesterday in fantasy had to come in the days finale; the Sunday night game between the Raiders and the Redskins. The Raiders did have to travel across the country for this meeting and it looked like quarterback Derek Carr never left the plane; he only passed for 118 yards and threw two interceptions killing most DFS lineups. Fantasy owners can count on Carr bouncing back and he’ll have to quick; up next is the Denver defense.

Like Carr, Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers (what I considered a borderline QB1/QB2 in Week 3) killed any DFS lineup you played him in. Rivers was the mad bomber on Sunday, but the only problem was several of his long darts went to the other side. Rivers was turnover happy last season, so fantasy owners may want to slow their roll with him for the time being.

Derek Carr: 19 of 31, 118 pa yds, 1 Td, 2 Int

Philip Rivers: 20 of 40, 237 pa yds, 3 Int

Well, we thought he would be the featured back in New England and with 12 carries (most on the team) on Sunday he may be; he’s just part of an offense that features the pass. Without a rushing touchdown on Sunday Gillislee was a big flop finishing with just 31 rushing yards. In this offense, with Gillislee there are going to be Sundays like this. He’s a boom or bust better suited for standard leagues.

And just like Gillislee, Broncos running back CJ Anderson is better suited for the ground game. Anderson has never been a heavy volume pass catcher, just 4 catches leading into the contest, so when he’s held in check on the ground (as he was on Sunday) his numbers will disappoint. Fortunately for owners, the Broncos line has improved, so we should see this turn of event too often.

For those of us that expected a heavy workload for Titans running back Derrick Henry, not only did that not come to fruition (just 13 carries), but it you say DeMarco Murray too you were equally disappointed.

Mike Gillislee: 31 ru yds

CJ Anderson: 36 ru yds, 2 rec, 7 rec yds

Derrick Henry: 54 ru yds, 10 rec yds

There were a couple of big disappointments at the receiver spot in week 3 and amongst the notables were a couple of Raiders Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree. The pair combined for just 2 catches and 13 receiving yards; not exactly what the fantasy doctor ordered. These two should get things turned around, but fantasy owners may have to be patient with a week 4 meeting against the Broncos coming up.

Jamison Crowder: 6 rec, 52 rec yds, 1 Fum

Alshon Jeffery: 4 rec, 56 rec yds

Amari Cooper: 1 catch, 6 rec yds

Michael Crabtree: 1 catch, 7 rec yds

Sunday week 3 was not a good day for tight ends, several starters came up short in disappointing fashion including the Packers Martellus Bennett; just 3 catches for 12 yards. Bennett has been targeted 21 times in three games, but the majority of his routes are short patterns and safety valves not producing much for owners. He may have been considered a bottom half TE1, but until the Packers move him downfield more,he’s just a TE2 with a low ceiling.

Martellus Bennett: 3 catches, 12 rec yds

Kyle Rudolph: 1 catch, 4 rec yds

Jack Doyle: 2 rec, 16 rec yds, 1 Fum

Coby Fleener: 1 catch, 21 rec yds

Hunter Henry: 0 catches, 0 targets

That’s My Take.

~David Ortega