FSH NOTEBOOK: DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST

September 29th 2017

Friday Evening Edition

Friday’s Fantasy Five

5 Things to Watch this Week

We are three weeks in and we’ve seen some football, but is it still too early to call it; who the best team is, who the best studs are, and what we can expect the rest of the way? I’d have to say hold that thought. Remember “Any Given Sunday” anything can happen, which leads me to my week 4 “Fantasy Five”...

Can Raiders and Carr bounce back?

Normally I would say that’s a given. Quarterback Derek Carr has that Rodgers like swag, lots of talent and plenty of weapons to go around. The only exception here is the Raiders next opponent; the Denver Broncos. But which Broncos team will show up? Last week the Bills had an fairly easy go. The Broncos have remained stout against the run, so keep Lynch in the stall this week, but I would hang with Carr on Sunday. but don’t expect his greatest success this week. The

Is it time to turn Charles loose?

Last week we saw flashes and throughout these early weeks of the season we’ve seen hints. The Broncos running back Jamaal Charles looks healthy, he’s been running well, it’s time. Last week an ineffective run game for the most part submarined there hopes of winning on the road. I think you have to commit to Charles now if you are ever going to. Turn him loose and see what he can do. You have the luxury of a 1A-1B option in CJ, so you can use him to close games to save the thoroughbred. For now, Charles is still a risky flex, but my gut senses say he’s getting closer to cracking the starting lineup.

Do you trust Eli and the Giants offense?

I for one did not draft too many Giants this season, but I do have Odell Beckham Jr in a couple of leagues, along with running backs Paul Perkins and Shane Vereen. Needless to say after the first few weeks of seeing the mess this offense is, I’ve dropped Vereen and Perkins in a number. OBJ is still in my lineups for the 2-3 leagues I have him in, but it’s painful considering where I drafted him and what I’ve gotten in return. I think you have to wait it out with OBJ, but (Evan) Engram, Perkins, Vereen, and Marshall I am avoiding for the time being.

How good are the Rams and how good is Sean McVay?

It’s too early to be making such grand and bold statements, suggesting the Rams and quarterback Jared Goff are a great offense. But I’ll tell you, through the first three weeks I like what I see and I am buying into what McVay is selling. He’s put some nice pieces together and Goff is night and day from a year ago. I don’t believe we are at the point where you are starting everyone on this offense (just Gurley at the moment, Watkins is a flex), but we are moving closer and closer to seeing others become more prominent as fantasy fixtures. Stay patient.

Can Cousins repeat against Chiefs?

Week 3 was a wake up call for the Redskins offense last week and they were wide awake taking it to the Raiders. They will follow last week’s call with a big road test on Monday night against the Chiefs. Can Cousins repeat his scintillating Sunday night performance, it will be tough. Arrowhead Stadium is one of the loudest places to play in the NFL, but my belief is Cousins is starting to warm up this season and like Alex Smith (who will be on the other side), he’ll have company. Running back Chris Thompson is going to a matchup problem, tight end Jordan Reed (if healthy) will present some issues in the secondary, and the emergence of Josh Doctson who should be on fantasy radars. Cousins should be well equipped and fine on Monday night. He’ll present plenty of problems for the Chiefs defense that before Thursday night have allowed the 7th most passing yards this season.

That’s My Take.

~David Ortega

FSH NOTEBOOK: DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST

September 28th 2017

Thursday Morning Edition

Thursday’s Twitter Takes

Well I took a real beating with my takes on the two quarterbacks last week. Most likely neither was on your roster, but if they were and you sat them, MAN! That’s a lot of points to leave on the floor. Hopefully this week is an easier read. With Aaron Rodgers always a must and Mike on the other side of the field, who will you be starting?

“Rodgers or Glennon? The tough choices of fantasy football lineup conundrums” - by @FantsySprtsHome

Last week Randall Cobb was sidelined and Jordy Nelson was coming off an injury that had him sidelined. Talk about your lineup dilemmas, who to start. Packers receiver Geronimo Allison rose with the cream last week and with Cobb and Nelson back on the field, to the bench I do not think he goes. He’s a risk yes, but I am hanging onto Allison and if I need flex help this week he may be inserted.

“Don’t quit on Allison so soon. We’ve seen this kid before and last week he showed something. He’s go flex appeal!” - by @FantsySprtsHome

Running back Ty Montgomery has yet to disappoint and as fantasy’s No.4 running back (in PPR) I don’t suspect he’ll start this week, but owners should pull in the reins a bit. He’s healthy (removed from injury report), but he’s not invincible. Montgomery was slowed in the trenches last week and limited to 50 total yards. He’ll keep owners smiling with his receiving contributions and I would expect to see the Packers try to get him the ball more in space this week.

“Montgomery is catching everything in site (18 catches in 17), but A-rod needs to get him ball in space. He will” - by @FantsySprtsHome

Through the first 3 weeks this season Martellus Bennett has being seeing targets regularly, averaging 7 per week, but the problem is he’s not produced. Another problem it seems, they are asking him to run many routes; a lot of blocking and late releases. There’s no question Bennett has athletic skill and talent to make plays, he’s just not being asked to do that. Right now I can’t trust him.

“3 catches for 12 yds last week, won’t get it done. Can’t trust Martellus Bennett right now” - by @FantsySprtsHome

The Bears are coming off a big win last week and it’s quite possible they’ll carry some of that emotion into Thursday’s matchup. One player I expect to see benefit is running back Jordan Howard. He ran well on Sunday and should be fine Thursday against the Packers. He may not top 100 yards, but he should be fine with a score or two and upwards towards 20-plus touches.

“It’s going to be a busy night for J. Howard running against Pack 21st ranked run D. Start him all night.” - by @FantsySprtsHome

Like Howard, Cohen is going to see his share of the workload Thursday night. Glennon is not a great option here, but he’ll manage to get the ball to his scat back. Cohen is electric and wicked in open space. It should be just another day at the office for the rookie runner.

“If Jordan is Thunder, then Cohen is lightning and when he strikes look out! He’s got a lot of flex appeal in wk4” - by @FantsySprtsHome

There are not too many receiving options to like on a team that primarily runs the ball like the Bears; 38 times last week. The only option worth mentioning is wide receiver Kendall Wright and even he is not worth mentioning. I don’t recommend starting him, but you know what they say Glennon has to throw to someone. Maybe so, but last week he found a way to only throw 4 passes to his receivers and not one went Wright’s way.

“Even the Bears avoid their WRs, just four balls to WRs, but they did run 38 times. Avoid Bears passing game” - by @FantsySprtsHome

That’s My Take.

~David Ortega

FSH NOTEBOOK: DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST

September 27th 2017

Wednesday Late Night Edition

What I Learned from Week 3

(Quick Takes)

It’s late Wednesday night, the morning will come early tomorrow, so I am not going to spend too much time on my rants here, but here’s what I learned from last week;

Too early to anoint Siemian! Yup, first road test was a fail. Maybe it wasn’t a complete failure, but the inability to put the ball in the endzone (3 FGs last week) won’t get it done.

Broncos defense has some holes. After their two week scintillating start, the defense comes back to earth getting toasted by, of all quarterback Tyrod Taylor. And I’m not knocking Taylor, actually thought his mobility would play into the Broncos pass rush, wrong. Taylor’s got a lot more than that.

Brady-to-Cooks, dinner is served! Fantasy owners finally got a taste at what could be. Now will they see what will be going forward. Well right now the Pats defense is not going to stop anyone, so maybe we will.

Patriots are powered by the Pass. After three weeks fantasy owners can see how this engine runs in New England. Brady may have a lot of miles on his arm, but that baby is still running smooth. Play away.

Is Jaguars defense for real? This may be a tough question to answer given the offenses they’ve had to face in the early going. Good news is, we won’t have to answer this week either. Jags will face Jets on Sunday, so I feel good about their chances with continued success.

Keenum equipped to handle reins. Whether he remains the starter for the long term (see Bradford’s health) or the short term, what we’ve seen over the past two weeks should give fantasy owners plenty of confidence to roll with their studs (Diggs, Cook, Thielen). Maybe this week will be TE Rudolph’s turn.

Falcons defense could be a problem. Thus far the Falcons are undefeated, but no thanks to their average defense (ranked 17th in total yards). The Falcons have dodged bullets in week one to Chicago and last week against the Lions. Their 3-0 record could be misleading.

Bucs defense needs work. After a strong opening week performance, the Bucs defense got a rude awakening courtesy of Keenum and the Vikings. The Bucs play in a tough division loaded with some pretty good arms and receivers. Defense needs work, fast!

Colts a work in progress. Well surprise, surprise. The Colts proved Any Given Sunday is true. We won’t get ahead of ourselves here. They are a work in progress, but after quarterback Jacoby Brissett’s impressive week 3 play there is light at the end of the tunnel. And quarterback Andrew Luck could be back in a few weeks.

Manning and group finally show up. It tooks three weeks for the offense to finally click, but then again they only managed 24 points and still lost. Eli Manning and the G-men haven’t got it all figured out yet, but last week certainly looked like they got the passing game somewhat figured out. Now work on the run.

Steel Curtain made of aluminum. Week 3 was not an impressive day for the Steelers defense. Maybe the team left them back in the tunnel; they didn’t know the game started since they missed the national anthem. Either way, 220 yards rushing allowed, that curtain couldn’t have been made out of steel.

Panthers offense in trouble? This was not big test, but it was not a good sign for Cam and company to struggle against a Saints defense that had been treated like a doormat for the two previous weeks. You have to ask, is there something wrong with Cam? How do the Panthers play so poorly at home against the Saints. Hmmm?

Brees not done yet. Just when it looks like the Saints were toast, Brees and the boys show they still have a lot of fight left. The Saints marched into Carolina and strolled right out with an easy win. They get the Dolphins next in London looking to make it two in a row.

The Dalton Gang shows heart. And his name is Dalton. That never gets old. Andy Dalton and company put up the good fight in week 3, but came up short. It’s a long season and heart only gets you so far. If the Bengals don’t get a W real quick, this season is going to be even longer.

That’s My Take.

~David Ortega

FSH NOTEBOOK: DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST

September 26th 2017

Tuesday Night Edition

Weekly Waiver Wire

(Week 4)

Well the good thing for fantasy owners, through the first three weeks of action the free agent pool has yet to dry up, but this week there may be a couple of names that have already surfaced.

QB-Case Keenum (QB2/ QB streamer) Keenum is not a name you’ll hear very often around the watercooler when it comes to the Waiver wire. But after two weeks of play and a strong week 3 performance, he has garnered some consideration, especially since he’ll remain at the reins heading into week 4 and he’s got great weapons around him.

RB-Chris Thompson (streaming RB2/weekly flex) if he’s still available snatch him now. The Redskins scat back is clearly the team’s best out of the backfield and although he’s not going to be a featured ball carrier in the offense, he’s going to see enough snaps and touches to produce consistently (especially in PPR formats).

RB-Jamaal Charles (flex option) we saw on Sunday when given opportunity Charles can still make things happen. He was limited to just 9 carries, but was clearly the better Broncos back with 56 yards rushing and a score. Look for his touches to continue to increase and with it his value grow.

RB-Chris Carson (low flex / rostered) on Sunday Carson was clearly the featured runner in the Seahawks backfield. Now Sunday wasn’t a typical run game plan as the Seahawks threw the ball 49 times, but Carson drew the start. His play was underwhelming, but he looks to be the preferred option at this time, so better days may lie ahead. He may be worth snagging and stashing for now if you have the roster spot available.

Andre Ellington (flex option) the cards receiving back got a lot of run Monday night against the Cowboys, totaling 81 yards on 10 touches. Starting running back Chris Johnson showed a lot of rust Monday. A slow going for CJ2K could pave the way for more work in the near future for Ellington. Right now he may be the Cardinal runner to own.

WR-Geronimo Allison (current low-flex option) now Allison is one to watch. I think his 8 targets on Sunday are telling. Rodgers went to him enough to make me believe there is trust. With Cobb ailing and Bennett nothing more than a short option safety blanket, Allison could work his way into the James Jones role; the fourth receiver on a team where the quarterback has the ability to feature anyone. His value may be limited for now, but let’s see how he does in the coming weeks.

WR-Travis Benjamin (Borderline WR3/WR4/flex) The Chargers deep threat receiver is tough to trust averaging just 5 targets per contest, but he’s got real big play potential averaging better than 20 yards per reception in week 3. He’s a risky play, but I like him as a flex in PPR or standard leagues.

TE-Ryan Griffin (TE2) The Texans have gone through more tight ends in the first two weeks, than most teams go through in a full season. Well last week they may have found one that sticks, Ryan Griffin. With a rookie quarterback, the tight end position is going to be important and quite possibly heavily utilized. Griffin was only targeted 6 times on Sunday, but he grabbed five balls for 61 yards and a score. As his chemistry with his quarterback improves, so might the numbers.

Keep on your radar

QB-Brian Hoyer & QB-Jared Goff; now I’m not going to rattle any cages or bang any drums here, but I will just say both of these quarterbacks should be followed. I believe at some point this season, both could be worthy of roster spots if they aren’t already.

WR-Robert Woods; I wouldn’t call the Rams offense explosive, but it is loaded with talent and skill. And head coach Sean McVay may just be the guy to get the most out of it. Woods has been relatively quietly through 3 weeks, but he did make a little noise on Thursday night. He’s not ready for primetime, but he’s one to watch in the coming weeks.

WR-Taylor Gabriel; It’s definitely too early to jump on his band wagon, but I think Gabriel should be on your radar as a potential streaming flier. His workload is not consistent (4-3-6 his targets pattern this season), but he’s got boom or bust potential; watch the passing volume and play the matchups.

That’s My Take.

~David Ortega

FSH NOTEBOOK: DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST

September 25th 2017

Monday Late Night Edition

On The Cover This Week

The Hunt is On!

After three weeks of the 2017 NFL season, we have a new (fantasy) sheriff in town and his name is Kareem Hunt. So let me start by giving some credit, where credit is due. Now I am sure there were a few other voices that had this one right as well, but none other than The Talented Mr. Roto (Matthew Berry) was one that I heard banging the drum loudest for Hunt; a credit to him.

Through the first three weeks of the season, Hunt has not disappointed in the least. He’s been in the Top-5 RB fantasy scoring (PPR format) in each of the three weeks and he’s number one fantasy RB at the moment.

This kid has been beyond spectacular through the early part of the season. He leads the league in rushing with 401 yards on the ground (more than 100 ahead of the number 2 runner) averaging an insane more than 8 yards per carry and he has added 4 rushing touchdowns (tied for the league lead). His versatility is lethal to opposing defenses as he has 9 receptions for 137 yards (ranks 5th among RBs) and has two touchdowns (tied for league lead).

As if that weren’t enough, Hunt has produced a 50 yard score in each of his first 3 games of his NFL career which is historical. This kid seems like he is making history every time he touches the ball. I can’t wait for Week 4!

That’s My Take.

~David Ortega