NFL
By: Keith Richards
Welcome back Fantasy Football players! If you’re new to the class, my name is Keith Richards. Before any snide comments are made, I am fully aware that is the name of the walking zombie that plays guitar for the Rolling Stones. No, I was not named after him. Yes, I would love to have his money. Moving on! The first quarter of the NFL season is coming to a close. In my opinion, you know who teams and players are by the end of the first quarter. With so much uncertainty in the air this season, we’re coming up on some very pivotal games for a lot of teams and players; however, have no fear! I am here to help guide you through the landmines of the real and the pretenders. As usual, we will recap the BSB’s from last week and then discuss the new BSB’s. So, let’s go!
Recap: Week 3
The buy from last week was none other than Patrick Mahomes. If he was available, I hoped you grabbed him. As I predicted, he exceeded projections, but he’s still available in 12% of leagues per Yahoo Sports Fantasy, which is shocking to me. So, if he’s still available in your league…WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? The sell for last week was Demaryius Thomas. I stand by that decision. While DT did increase his yardage from the week before (he had 63) his targets took a dip. It’s possible he could see more targets with the injury of Jake Butt I wouldn’t count on it…see what I did there? The bench choice was LeSean McCoy. As expected, he did not play last week. Worst case scenario for him, the Bills won. Essentially, they proved they didn’t need him. He may not play this week either. I’d keep him benched, but don’t be surprised if he’s a sell next week. #Foreshadowing
Buy: Jordy Nelson, Wide Receiver, Oakland Raiders
The last couple of Buy picks I’ve chosen have been a no-brainer. That is not the case this week. By all means, Jordy Nelson’s season until last week has been short of spectacular by a wide margin. The first two weeks of the season, Jordy had a combined five receptions for 53 yards with only about ten targets. In week three, Nelson almost doubled his targets with eight. He also had six receptions for 163 yards and a touchdown.
This pick is a risk because we still don’t know exactly where Jordy fits in on this team. Arguably, more important is the fact that we really don’t know how good this team will be. Almost contradictory, I recommended selling Derek Carr in week two. I haven’t changed my mind on that, but this is a value thing. Jordy Nelson is only owned in 21% of leagues so might as well take a chance before he buys up. If he does return to the Jordy Nelson of old, this is your chance to snatch him up.
Sell: Defense/Special Teams, Minnesota Vikings
If I was willing to tackle a kicker, you had to know I would come for a D/ST sooner or later. If you don’t think D/ST is essential to Fantasy Football, then you’ve probably never won a league. Have you even made the playoffs? Anyways, this Vikings defense was one of the best defenses in the league. That does not appear to be the case this year. So far this year, they’ve given up 16, 29, 27, and 38 points respectively.
To their credit, giving up 38 points to the Rams might be an accomplishment. To drive my point home, they gave up 27 points to the Bills. You know? The Bills? That team that might only have one win this season, which would be against this Vikings defense. They also have the Saints, Patriots, Packers, and Lions (twice) remaining on the schedule. These are all teams that can run it up in a heartbeat. Their biggest weakness might be that I don’t think Xavier Rhodes is as good this season as he was last season. My man had a terrible time out there against the Rams. Brandin Cooks was beating Rhodes like he stole something. Xavier was struggling so bad, he was holding onto Cooks like a kid not wanting to get on the school bus in the morning. Even though Zimmer is a defensive coach, the Vikings will lean heavily on their offense this year.
Bench: Kareem Hunt, Running Back, Kansas City Chiefs
This is in no way a diss at Kareem Hunt. If anything, it’s an apology. Mr. Hunt, if you’re reading, I’m so sorry. I really feel bad that your the team is ridiculously good because you’re suffering because of it. Not in the sense that you haven’t been very good, but it is what it is. The schedule of the Chiefs gets tough (as if it’s been easy) for the next couple of weeks. Hunt might not be impactful in the run game based purely on the matchups alone beside the Jags. By no means do I think you should drop Kareem Hunt, but he might not be RB1 material for a little bit.
Before I forget. My apologies for the lateness this week. I will be better next week. As always, I hope that my advice serves you well and don’t forget to follow @NutsAndBoltsSP and @5280Keith for live reactions to the games on Thursday, Sunday, and Monday. See you back next week my young padawans!
