Week Three: Sneaky Picks

If you read last week's entry, and took any of my advice, you were probably fairly happy with the results. Fantasy Analysis is a similar to being a weatherman, you can properly interpret all the data and get some right, and some wrong. Last week, I had them mostly right. Before we get into this week's sneaky picks, let's go over last week's projections and results. 

Antonio Gates: 

My projection: five receptions for 68 yards and one touchdown. 

Actual stat-line: Two receptions for 11 yards and one touchdown. So, I got the touchdown. He only had two receptions, but he WAS targeted five times, so it was certainly close in the reasoning. 

Jaquizz Rodgers: 

My projection: 18 carries for 71 yards and one touchdown. 

Actual stat-line: 19 carries for 68 yards and one touchdown. 

Nailed it. 

Chris Hogan: 

My projection: I didn't have an actual stat-line projected for Hogan. I simply projected he was the sleeper target for the game. 

Actual stat-line: He finished with five receptions for 78 yards and one touchdown. 

Marqise Lee:

My projection: I didn't have a stat-line projection for Lee. I projected him to be a boom-or-bust play for the week. 

Actual stat-line: Lee finished with 76 yards on seven receptions. 

Javorius Allen:

My projection: I didn't project an actual stat-line. I did project him having a safe floor moving forward. 

Actual stat-line: I took my own advice on this one and it paid off nicely. Buck finished with 66 yards on 14 carries and 35 yards and one receiving touchdown. 

Nailed it. 

Buck Allen should continue to see a consistent work load with Terrence West dealing with a soft-tissue injury and Danny Woodhead on IR. Keep him locked in as an Flex/RB2 moving forward. 

So let's look forward to week three and some sneaky starts. At the time of writing, Thursday night's game has already been played. Goff and Hoyer were probably not started in a ton of leagues, but I'm sure that for owners who did start them are very pleased with their performance. 

1. Andy Dalton - QB -  Cincinnati Bengals

I can imagine that a lot of people are already disagreeing with this one. That's fair. Through two games he has been terrible. It's worth mentioning that the Bengals have played two tough defenses. Some of it still falls right on Dalton's shoulders as he hasn't done himself any favors. His throws have been inaccurate and he's made plenty of poor decisions in the pocket, more-so as it collapses around him. 

However, the Bengals have fired their offensive coordinator and now Bill Lazor will be doing the play-calling. They are on the road to Green Bay to play a Packer defense that has looked improved, but beatable. The run game is a committee that hasn't shown any real success and it looks like they'll spend most of their time playing from behind. That means Dalton will be throwing it. A.J. Green has been public about wanting the ball more, so I'm projecting a much improved game from Dalton and Green. I'm starting him over Marcus Mariota this week. 

My projection: 289 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. 

2. Rashard Higgins - WR - Cleveland Browns 

Higgins is a name that might be unfamiliar to the casual fantasy player. He very literally was just signed from the practice squad and made an immediate impact last week, reeling in seven of 11 targets for 95 yards. With Cory Coleman out with a broken hand and Kenny Britt not seeming like he wants to be involved, Higgins is a player to watch. Matt Harmon, author of Reception Perception, has been high on Higgins prior to his recent performance. Higgins runs solid routes and does well with contested catches. This week the Browns face the Indianapolis Colts who’ve done marginally well against the run but can be thrown on by anyone who's ever thrown a football, baseball, or maybe even someone who's really, really good at frisbee. Higgins while have a chance to shine in this game. While he's not a must-start for me, he's in the flex/WR3 conversation. If he continues to shine, he's going to be a hot waiver-wire pickup. 

My projection: Ten targets, eight receptions, for 88 yards. 

DeSean Jackson - WR - Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

Jackson has always been a boom-or-bust type of player. Plugging him in your lineup is often a roll of the dice that may yield a home run, or leave you disappointed looking at the points you left on your bench. A lot of people will probably shy away from Jackson this week due to the tough match-up against the Minnesota Vikings. Xavier Rhodes will probably be spending his day shadowing Mike Evans which will leave Jackson open for what he does best, stretch the field. Last week, the Vikings got shredded for 91 yards and a touchdown by Martavis Bryant while Rhodes was mostly working on Antonio Brown. I expect the same kind of play this week. If Mike Evans is struggling against Rhodes, Jackson might rip off a couple of huge plays and be a great asset this week. 

My projection: Six targets, four receptions for 89 yards. 

Jack Doyle - TE - Indianapolis Colts

There are not a lot of positives in Indy right now. Andrew Luck has yet to return to practice. Scott Tolzein looked bad enough to get pulled in the middle of a game for a quarterback that had been with the team for less than two weeks in Jacoby Brissett. Brissett has looked competent thus far, and showed a great level of trust with Doyle. The Colts are playing the Cleveland Browns this week, a team who's recently been incapable of covering the opposing tight end. While Brissett builds chemistry with the other receivers and learns the ins-and-outs of the offense, Doyle looks to be his security blanket. That coupled with the all the injuries at the tight-end position makes Doyle a solid start this week especially in PPR formats. 

My projection: Eight targets, seven receptions for 80 yards. 

As always, thanks for reading and if you enjoy these articles please leave a comment, plus 1, or subscribe! Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your football. 

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