Drew Brees broke Peyton Manning's record for most passing yards in NFL history with 72,103 yards. He did so on Monday night with a masterful performance putting up 363 yards and 3 touchdowns. Last week we saw monster running back performances like Todd Gurley and his 3 TDs, Saquon Barkley showed his “generational talent” with 24.9 fantasy points and a leaping score. Players returning from injury and suspension also had good days as Joe Mixon, Mark Ingram II and Julian Edelman showed why they are instant starts going forward. Tight End continues to be the hardest to gauge position in the league as Eric Ebron exploded for 31 points while Jordan Reed had 21 yards in total.
The team of the week will be based on DraftKings.com’s $50,000 team budget and utilize its player pricing. Start players are for weekly picks, to trade for or maybe even grab off the waiver wire this week.
Position Player Price
Quarterback Andy Dalton, vs PIT $6,300
Running Back Sony Michel, vs KC $5,800
Running Back James White, vs KC $6,900
Wide Receiver Julio Jones, vs TB $7,900
Wide Receiver Jarvis Landry, vs LAC $6,600
Wide Receiver Dede Westbrook, @ DAL $5,000
Tight End Cameron Brate, @ ATL $3,700
Flex Alfred Morris, @ GB $4,700
Defense/Special Teams Rams, @ DEN $3,100
Start ‘Em:
Quarterback:
Jared Goff, @ DEN
Jared Goff has been lighting the league on fire this season in his second season with head coach Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams. This offense has been rolling and Goff has been putting up league leading numbers this season with 1,727 yards. Going up against the Denver Broncos this week he should be able to stay in the pocket and launch the ball with the Rams offensive line only allowing 6 sacks this season. With the threat of Gurley, he should be able to carve up the Broncos on play action and is a good streamer option if he's still available in your league.
Running Back:
James White, vs KC
New England Patriots’ James White has been productive in the receiving game and has had over 20 fantasy points in the last two games. Michel has aggravated the knee injury that plagued him throughout training camp. White should expect to take on the full workload against a Kansas City defense that has been bailed out by Patrick Mahomes.
Wide Receiver:
Julio Jones, vs TB
Julio Jones hasn’t scored a touchdown this season and this could be the week he breaks the streak. Going against Tampa Bay at home in a must-win situation where, if the Atlanta Falcons lose, it will be almost impossible to reach the postseason. Look to the Falcons’ best player to have a monster week. Jones is known to go off for monster games when the Falcons need him to so he is a clear first option this week and could be a week winner.
Sit ‘Em
Quarterback:
Mitch Trubisky, @ MIA
Chicago Bears’ Mitch Trubisky had the game of his career last week, scoring 6 touchdowns but I don't see him as a reliable starter this week. This season he has 8 TDs in total and last game accounted for 75 percent, so don't expect him to suddenly score 2 TDs a game. He is a system quarterback under Matt Nagy and isn't expected to put up the numbers he did last week so expect a return to norm where he is a low-end QB.
Running Back:
Kenyan Drake, vs CHI
Miami Dolphins’ Kenyan Drake finally had a productive week last week, putting up 24 fantasy points but it is a deceiving number since it was all achieved through the air. Drake has still not had over 100-yards rushing in a game this season. Don't expect him to put up numbers against the best defense in the league so far in the Chicago Bears. He is a low end flex play this week. Don’t expect production against Khalil Mack and the Bears.
Wide Receiver:
Robby Anderson, vs IND
People are back on the New York Jets’ Robby Anderson hype train after a great performance last week with 5 catches for 123 yards and 2 touchdowns. Sam Darnold finally started throwing it down the field and when the offense is playing deep ball, Anderson is one of the league's best. This week, however, is not enough to start him even against a below-average defense with the Colts. Anderson has only 11 catches this season on 21 targets, so almost half of his catches came last game. He is not a target monster like teammate Quincy Enunwa. Anderson is a low-end flex play at best this week.
Andrew Rasimas is a staff writer and can be reached at: sports@ubspectrum.com
